DOOLITTLE DOES A LOT TO IMPRESS

Melinda Doolittle did such a good job with I'm a Woman on Wednesday night, I'm seriously starting to wonder if she's better than LaKisha Jones. It's like choosing between the first two Godfather movies. Jones bravely pulled off a Whitney Houston cover, Gina Glocksen rocked out with Evanescence's Call Me When You're Sober, and everyone but Antonella Barba had a good night. It was the bizarro version of the guys' round. Still, the women to beat are Doolittle, Jones and Stephanie Edwards. Simon said as much and it's his show, darn it. See you tonight at 8, when Carrie Underwood pays a visit and we endure another group sing.

-- Phil Stacey update: If you lend any credence to DialIdol.com (it is 7-for-8 this season), then you should be very afraid for our local Idol contestant. The site said he was last when the voting finished last night. The upside is that with the margin of error, all eight of the guys are vulnerable.

-- Cowellism of the night: "You little tiger. I thought we had a pussycat." Simon's praise for Doolittle echoed his "minx" label for Kellie Pickler last season. Except a tiger is a cat and a minx isn't. And Doolittle can really sing and Pickler ...

-- Click your heels and say ...: The judges were falling all over themselves to give Barba the kiss of death. What a coincidence - the stink over Barba's Internet photos grew this week when activists charged the show with racism because it forgave her oops but not Frenchie Davis'. Barba didn't help herself by botching Put Your Records On. Simon praised her stiff upper lip and blamed it all on the media. But he made sure to tell her "You've gone as far as you can go," and then for good measure, "I just wish you could sing better."

-- Most likely to go: About 10:30 p.m., DialIdol.com said uh-oh for Sabrina Sloan and Barba.