Melinda Doolittle not ‘American’ enough for ‘Idol’

There is no one who has disputed that Melinda Doolittle had been the best singer in American Idol's sixth season.  She has been nearly flawless throughout, with the exception of a few bumps during Bee Gee's week – a show in which everyone struggled.

But on Tuesday night, Melinda was at it again, clearly distancing herself from Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks.  I'm sure even Blake and Jordin were hoping throughout the day Wednesday that America would see fit to allow one of them to face off against Doolittle in the show's finale next week.

But it wasn't meant to be for Melinda.  She seemed to have made peace with the fact that tonight might be her last, yet the other contestants, the judges, and the audience were all shocked at the results.  A smattering of boos could be heard following Ryan Seacrest's announcement that America had voted Melinda Doolittle off of the show.

I had said from the beginning that Jordin Sparks had a better chance of winning than Doolittle because she had more of the American Idol look.  That is to take nothing away from her vocal talents, because she has been the 2nd best singer all along.

Think of American Idol as a popularity contest with a soundtrack. Just like the NBA All-Star game or the race for student body president, the winner isn't always the best, but generally has something that the voters are looking for.  

It's hard for African-Americans to count on American voters for anything.  Barak Obama is going to put that theory to the test during his bid to be President . 

The highest ranking African-Americans in recent U.S. politics – Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, and Clarence Thomas – were all appointed to their positions (by Republican Presidents no less).  Barak Obama was elected by the citizens of Illinois to the U.S. Senate, but in his book Audacity of Hope he even says "… there was no point in denying my almost spooky good fortune,"as he described some of the pieces that fell into place during his campaign.

Melinda Doolittle will sell lots of records in her career, as should Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks.  But before all that, there's the matter of choosing the next American Idol.  Our family tends to gather around the T.V. for Idol (be it live or on DVR) each week.   I think I'll probably sit out next week's finale, but maybe you guys will be so kind as to tell me who wins.