Yes, Virginia, Melinda Doolittle WAS Jerked!

Howard Stern was right. American Idol is rigged.

Last week, after Melinda Doolittle, the best singer in American Idol, lost to a beatboxer, we're all supposed to believe that American Idol is about singing, not perceived entertainment value, looks, or anything else.

Really?

That's what the judges kept on saying last night, as if last week didn't happen.

Or, as if American Idol had blind auditions, like orchestras fighting sexism or Bam Bam Flintsone, with contestants singing behind a screen.

Fortunately, one critic, Lisa de Moraes, didn't let them off the hook:

"Once again the final night of "American Idol" competition pits a goofy, likable guy with a crowd-pleasing schtick and not so much of a voice against a pretty young woman with a big, gorgeous voice but not so much entertainment value. No, not Taylor Hicks vs. Kat McPhee. That was last year. No, not Bo Bice vs. Carrie Underwood. That was two years ago."

The formula of goofy guy vs pretty girl means higher ratings for American Idol. Since this is the third season in a row where the final showdown has that formula, we're supposed to believe it's coincidence?

That ain't no coincidence! It's a fix!

Remember what I posted a few days ago:

The story concluded with three sources telling Howard 100 News that Jordin Sparks has long been scheduled to be the winner of American Idol.

What was the refrain last night?

American Idol is just a singing competition.

It would be one thing if Melinda was the only person to lose against an inferior singer. But what about Sanjaya's dominance? What about LaKisha Jones losing out to Blake?

Doesn't mean a thing. American Idol is just about singing.

If Flavor Flav faced off against Brad Pitt in the finals of the "Sexiest Man Alive" competition, do you think we'd let the judges get away with the same crap they tried to pull last night, if a week earlier Flav beat Johnny Depp?

Check out what American Idol Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe said:

"I'm delighted. I think it's the uniqueness of Blake and the actual growth of Jordin. Melinda and LaKisha (Jones) started off as front-runners, and I think Jordin overtook them. From the show's point of view, having two girls in the final wouldn't have been as strong as a boy and a girl."

Before last night's episode, Simon noted in the same article that the contest tune is "going to be harder for Blake to sing. It's more of a ballad."

Then why didn't the Producers level the playing field and pick a song that would work for Blake AND Jordin?

The story concluded with three sources telling Howard 100 News that Jordin Sparks has long been scheduled to be the winner of American Idol.

Any notion that American Idol is just a singing competition should have been destroyed on April 21, 2004 when Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London and Fantasia were in the bottom three. A few weeks later, Jasmine Trias stayed and London was voted off. Karma allegedly rectified things when Fantasia won.

But what about last season? Would Taylor Hicks have won because he was a better singer than Elliot Yamin, Chris Daughtry, and Katherine McPhee?

Millions of people, week after week, 'voted' for Taylor Hicks. In the finals, Hicks received over 31.7 MILLION VOTES, but only 667,000 of those people bought his album? And don't tell me that his mama bought all the copies.

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe concedes that the voters' choice isn't always the consumer choice, as seen in Hicks' record sales next to Daughtry's.

I ask you, is 'voter's choice' responsible for Melinda losing or is it the fact that Blake would be easier competition for a contestant the producers think they can make more money from?

The story concluded with three sources telling Howard 100 News that Jordin Sparks has long been scheduled to be the winner of American Idol.

Where is the outrage?

Where is the concern?

Where is the support for Melinda Doolittle?

I forgot.

We're lazy.
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Do you believe that the fix is on? Or is the 'boy vs girl' competition for the third year in a row a natural occurrence?