AMERICAN IDOL NOTES FOR THE WEEK

The teenyboppers must have hit the phones hard Tuesday night, as beat-box boy Blake Lewis survived the nationwide vote and made the top three for next week. Sad, as he has limited talent and has relied too much on his beat-box style. It's really not bad, if it's done in moderation, but too much is simply annoying.

Lakisha Jones is a very good singer, but with little stage presence. However, she did not deserve to be voted off this week.

The contestant I still predict to win it all, Melinda Doolittle, had a rough night Tuesday. A generally good performance, but not enough to meet expectations this late in the competition. There are two weeks left before the new American Idol is selected, so she had better bring her very best.

If there is any real challenge to Melinda now, it has to be Jordin Sparks. The Arizona teenager has really improved the past couple of weeks, and this week was her best of the season. If the next couple of weeks are like we heard Tuesday, she could very well pull it off. She would almost certainly be the most marketable of the remaining quartet, as she is very photogenic. Even if she doesn't win, Jordin will be successful in music, television/video, or both.