IDOL random comments:
Melinda definitely the best of the night. She used her three songs to show many colors in her voice and her ability to finesse and belt with the best of them. She also had the most difficult song in the first two rounds. As usual, she came through with flying colors.
Blake and Jordin did well with their songs, but for me, they gave each song the same color (unlike Melinda). Jordin is all about belting at the top of her voice. She can do it, and she didn't crack, but it gets tiresome. Blake's boy band stylings are going to probably get him into the finals. He is fun to watch and listen to, but again, nothing new to offer
I would like to fire every one of those backup singers. THEY ARE TOO LOUD often obliterating the vocal of the leading singer. For both Jordin and Blake, it was sometimes hard to tell who was singing the highest notes. I think often people unschooled in singing don't know whose voice it is they're listening to. In one of Blake's songs (the second one, I think), their oversinging masked some bum notes he was hitting.
I think there should never be backup singers during a competitive round. We need to have no question about whose voioce is doing the vocalizing.