Katharine McPhee Yellow Dress

Katharine McPhee opened the show Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing." Katharine knows it takes skin to win and was showing off her assets big time in a revealing bright yellow dress. Can I get a "HELL YEAH!" for cleavage?! And we nearly got the wardrobe malfunction we've been praying for – the high slit in Katharine's dress actually popped a button (I know - I rewound the tape numerous times). I saw Paris, I saw France and I almost saw Katharine's underpants! And oh yeah – her singing was spot on and she actually put some soul into her performance, even though the judges seemed indifferent to her efforts.

Taylor Hicks American Idol

Birmingham's Taylor Hicks never had any aspirations of being a college basketball star, but he's still one step away from the Final Four.
Hicks is looking to make the "final four" of the hit Fox television show "American Idol" this week. Performances and voting are tonight, and the announcement of the four finalists is Wednesday.
Like former contestants and Alabama natives Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice, Hicks has a whole state behind him.
"I know I'll be voting for him more than once," said local "Idol" fan Jessica Connelly. "It's getting to the real serious time where every vote counts."
Hicks is one of the favorites but by no means a lock against the other popular contestants remaining: Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Paris Bennett and Chris Daughtry.
"I definitely think he should win, but I'm sure there are a lot of other people who think that about the rest of them," Connelly said.
Win, lose or draw, Hicks has definitely made a name for himself and has done wonders for some of his friends.
Mitch Jones plays with Hicks' band, the Little Memphis Blues Orchestra, and also hosts the official Soul Patrol parties in Birmingham. He said that the crowds at the band's shows are definitely different since "Idol" began.
"We used to know everyone at the shows. Now we've got bigger crowds and I don't recognize more than like 30 percent of them," he said.
The group -- all of the members play full-time -- travels throughout the area (they also appeared on a Hicks special on "Idol"). They'll be in Montgomery in the coming months to perform at the Montgomery Brewing Company (in June) and hopefully other spots.

5 Left on American Idol

As the number of finalists shrinks from five to the eventual winner May 24, The Indianapolis Star will provide coverage on The Buzz Page and at IndyStar.com.
Look for performance reports each Wednesday on The Buzz Page, online polls about which singers should stay or go at Indy Star.com, and my running commentary each Tuesday night at blogs.indystar.com/celebrated sounds.
The fifth season of "American Idol" has been acknowledged as wide open, with a variety of potential champions. But the smart money might be placed below the Mason-Dixon line, as 80 percent of the remaining contestants come from the South.
Here are capsule introductions to the final five:
Paris Bennett: The youngest of the remaining contestants at 17, Georgia-based Bennett is the granddaughter of Grammy-winning Sounds of Blackness vocalist Ann Nesby.
Chris Daughtry: This under-control rocker from North Carolina is the betmakers' favorite. His odds of winning are listed as 13-10 at Playersonly.com and 1.4-1 at Betmaker.com.
Taylor Hicks: Known for his salt-and-pepper hair, this 29-year-old from Alabama often channels the vocal stylings and onstage moves of Joe Cocker.
Katharine McPhee: This California native already has won a rare prize: an apology last week from "Idol" panelist Simon Cowell after he shredded her performance of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."
Elliott Yamin: Two opinions about this Virginian: "Elliott has a wonderful blue-eyed soul voice," Rod Stewart said. "You are one funky white boy," Paula Abdul said.