The results we've been waiting for

Here at A.I. STIR, we watch the whole results show, so you don't have to.

So count yourself lucky.

We know Lakisha does. And Idol Nation should, too.

But the one person who didn't need any luck Wednesday night was hometown favorite Phil Stacey, who gave his best "Idol" performance to date Tuesday night, on Country Night.

For Philnatics, 9:33 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, 2007 is a watershed moment of Season 6. Let's break it down:

9:32
Back from commercial break, host Ryan Seacrest finally gets to the good stuff: The results. The Top 7, he announces, will be split into two groups: The Bottom 3 and "Safe" group.

First up: Sanjaya. He goes to one side of the stage.

9:33
Next: Phil. He goes to the other side of the stage. (The True Believers now know that Phil is safe.)

Next: Jordin. She joins Phil. (Skeptics now join the True Believers.)

Next: Lakisha. She joins Sanjaya. (After her disappointing performances last night and last week, the Skeptics start nodding their heads in agreement.)

Next: Blake. To the crowd AND judges' dismay, he joins Sanjaya and Lakisha. (The Skeptics stop nodding and start shaking.)

Then: Chris. He joins Phil and Jordin. (The Skeptics freeze.)

Finally: Melinda. The Almighty freezes in place, too, when Seacrest asks her to pick the group of three she believes is safe and join them. She resists the request and stages a sit-in.

9:36
Seacrest gives in and asks her to join Phil, Jordin and Chris in the "Safe" group. (The True Believers smile is self righteousness; and the Skeptics, joined by newcomers the Doubters, relax and rejoice.)

So what about the other 56 minutes of the show? Save for the first 4 and the last 5, you didn't miss anything. Here goes:

9:01
Seacrest and Idol producers take 3 minutes to extricate judge Simon Scowl from a day-long PR flap after Fox's cameras catch Simon rolling his eyes Tuesday night after Virginia native Chris Richardson offers an (untimely) show of support for his home state following the tragic events at Virginia Tech. Turns out Simon didn't hear Chris because he and Paula were having what turned out to be an on-camera discussion about Chris' singing style and his remarks to Simon following Timberfake's (credit: Sean Daly of the St. Pete Times) performance. Idol even showed viewers that alternate footage with audio to prove that Simon Scowl isn't as bad as some would have it out to be.

And finally, to the real drama Wednesday night:
9:55
Blake is declared safe. (Simon starts to breath again.)

9:56
With only Sanjaya and a worried Lakisha left on stage, Seacrest announces that "America voted" (38 million of them) and that they didn't vote for Sanjaya. Cue up Daughtry, cause Sanjaya's "Going Home."

And just to remind America of what it (rightly) did, Sanjaya takes the stage and butchers — again — Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About."

Except this time he shows that he really is just an innocent babe in the Big Bad Woods by adding his own lyrics: "Let's give them something to talk about ... other than hair."

For someone who advanced week after week due in part to his hair ... well, let's just take the high road and say "Congratulations, Phil."

Gary T. Mills/The Times-Union