First 4 Semi-Finalists Eliminated

Ronnie Gill in Newsday writes:

The first cut should have been the deepest, but wasn’t. In fact, it didn’t even separate the wheat from the chaff.

Four semi-finalists were eliminated from “American Idol” tonight, and they weren’t even the worst of the lot. Ending their journeys to the Season 6 title were: Paul Kim, 25, who the judges found pitchy and very ordinary; Amy Krebs, 22, who was warned by Simon Cowell that she didn’t stand out; Nicole Tranquillo, 20, whose song Cowell said sounded over-rehearsed; and Rudy Cardenas, 28, whose performance was called corny by Randy Jackson.

Some would argue that VotefortheWorst.com, a Web site that encourages the public to vote for contestants it deems as "the worst," had an effect on the outcome of this week’s voting. It’s two “nominees,” Sundance Head and Antonella Barba, had received fairly scathing critiques from the show’s judges, but survived.

During the course of the show, host Ryan Seacrest revealed that this season’s finalists would be working with a list of all-star mentors that will include Diana Ross, Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Lopez (April 11), Gwen Stefani (March 28), Tony Bennett, Martina McBride, Lulu, Peter Noone and Barry Gibb. Seacrest also introduced a new contest in which entrants could win cash or a trip to Hollywood by giving the correct answer to a multiple–choice question via text-messaging or online.

Season 3 champion Fantasia Barrino made a guest appearance and announced that she would be assuming the role of Celie in the Broadway musical “The Color Purple” on April 10. She then sang “I’m Here” from the show.

More in the morning ...