Reality Check: The 'Idol' Countdown Continues

While it's been LaKisha's time to go for a while now, that didn't make her swan song any easier.

I'm going to go out on a limb, as a matter of fact, and say that the "I'm Going Home" montage for LaKisha was the most touching of all the departure videos.

I don't know if it was seeing that cute little kid of hers or watching her get that kiss from Simon, but I found myself actually moved by one of those tear-jerkingly manipulative videos for the first time. Even the discovery that LaKisha occasionally refers to herself in the third person didn't quell this feeling.

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There wasn't a whole lot else to get emotional about on Wednesday night's show. While we got to see performances by Pink and Barry Gibb — aka, the Most Optimistic "Idol" Mentor Ever — and watch Ryan charm the people at the Farmer's Market, everyone seems tired at this point and it's starting to become impossible not to notice.

The foursome's medley sounded oddly uninspiring and the choreography — which involved each of them taking a few steps away from the person singing the solo — had all the polish of a high-school talent show.

Blake had the misfortune of partaking in this activity while wearing a tuxedo T-shirt — a look that should be banned in all 50 states.

There were nevertheless some exciting moments in the show — like when an increasingly sharp Paula mocked Simon for rubbing his man boobs during the auditions and the ever-adorable Jessica Alba took the mike to hype her next movie.

We also got to see interviews where the final four reminisced about their lives pre-"Idol" and in the process learn that Melinda, LaKisha and Blake are all only children.

If there are any Sanjaya fans still out there, they should probably launch an argument that having siblings negatively impacts your chances of becoming an "American Idol" finalist and claim that it was that pretty sister of his who was holding him back.

Speaking of this year's most talked-about "Idol" (Antonella who?), a commercial for the "Idol" tour not only showed us that Sanjaya's singing was as bad as we remembered it but also reminded us of things I'd altogether forgotten existed. Chris Sligh? Haley's legs? These seemed like such blasts from the past that for a second I thought they were images from last season.

Which means, of course, that LaKisha's touching goodbye video will soon be but a distant memory. Wish I could say the same about Simon's self-performed man-boob massage.

Anna David is a freelance writer. Her first novel, "Party Girl," is coming out in June 2007 from HarperCollins.

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