The Week In ‘American Idol’

The week started off with a bit of controversy, as booted contestant Chris Sligh divulged some shocking news.

As first reported by AccessHollywood.com’s own Laura Saltman this week, Sligh revealed he tried to drop out of the competition during Top 12 week.

“When I was universally trashed for my arrangement of ?Endless Love,’ I kind of thought this isn?t the competition for me,” Chris told Laura and other reporters during a conference call.

Dish Of Salt: Booted ?Idol? Chris Sligh

– The next day, Access gave you a tease as to who would be mentoring the contestants on this week’s standards show.

Legendary “King of Swing” Tony Bennett offered advice on career longevity:

“You learn things like knowing not to stay on the stage too long so you are always welcomed back,” Tony said. “I’ve learned everything from my audiences they have become my best teachers.”

– Sadly, we announced the next day that Bennett would not be coming back to the ?Idol? stage for the results show, due to a cold.

However, Canadian crooner Michael Buble filled in forBennett at the last minute!

– And what a results show it turned out to be. The phenomenon otherwise-known-as Sanjaya Malakar remained safe in the middle three, and “rock chick” Gina Glocksen made a surprising exit from the competition.

Glocksen became emotional, letting out a sob when she learned the results, but managed to sing through her tears while performing on “Idol” for the last time.

– Meanwhile, “Idol” executive producer Ken Warwick sounded off on what he thinks of Sanjaya, and what his presence means for the show itself:

“Well, the fact of the matter is that someone on the show getting attention doesn’t really bother me, obviously,” said Warwick with a chuckle. “He’s still there [on the show], and one of the key things is to keep people interested and he’s certainly doing that.”

– Another contestant who’s keeping people interested is Melinda Doolittle, who looks to be the early frontrunner in the “Idol” race.

The prediction market Intrade.com, which lets people wager real money on future events (such as the Academy Awards or presidential elections) says conclusively that Doolittle is going to win, although finalists LaKisha Jones, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks are still in the picture.

– It’s well known that Melinda came from a career as a backup singer to become a popular “Idol” finalist, and this week the show’s three fantastic backup singers got the spotlight in their own feature article.

– What’s new with the original ?American Idol,? Kelly Clarkson? Well, not only is she coming back to the “Idol” stage for a special performance, she’s also announced the release of a brand new album. This summer, Clarkson says she will drop “My December,” the follow up to her multi-platinum sophomore effort, 2004’s “Breakaway.”

– As the week drew to a close, we learned of a Chinese version of “Idol,” which seems to be far more strict than ours.

– And we also got some parting words from eliminated contestant Gina Glocksen.

It was a packed week of ?Idol? excitement, and next week brings Latin superstar Jennifer Lopez to the stage to mentor the Top Eight contestants.

Access Hollywood will keep you informed every step of the way.

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