Entertainment, Music - Army Times

Singing sailor squeaks by on ‘Idol’

Phil Stacey had a close call on “American Idol” Wednesday night, singled out early in the episode as one of the week’s three lowest vote-getters, but even though he was one of viewers’ least favorites, they decided to keep him around for at least one more week.

But his supply of time and competitors is dwindling.

“Idol” viewers are whittling away their least-liked performers, and after scraping through this week and last, the Navy musician third class probably cannot afford to irk judges or fans again.

Stacey’s close call Wednesday came after a performance that the show’s judges found decidedly unspectacular; Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul said explicitly it was “boring.” And the week before, they had coldly derided Stacey’s choices of song — LeAnn Rimes’ “I Need You,” — and headgear — a Justin Timberlake-style fedora.

But despite his skid, Stacey will perform again on the March 20 episode. When host Ryan Seacrest told him he would stay another week, he grinned and saluted the audience.

Of the other bottom three, television-watchers sent home 28 year-old Brandon Rogers, a Los Angeles backup singer who had half-heartedly attempted some dance moves and forgotten the words to his song the night before.

They kept Sanjaya Malakar, the reed-thin warbler who had “Idol” Nation in hysterics Tuesday night after he barely made himself heard above the backing band when he sang the Diana Ross anthem “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”