My colleague Jon Bream had the opportunity to chat with 2007 “Idol” champ Jordin Sparks on Wednesday. Here are some excerpts from his phone interview. Look for a full profile on her closer to her April 30 concert in the Twin Cities with Alicia Keys.

On watching “Idol” this season: I’ve been trying to watch and keep up. My Mom TiVos everything.

Her favorites this season: They’re all so different. Now that you bring in the instruments, it makes everybody so unique. Judging by last week with David Cook and ‘Billie Jean’ - that was amazing. I like Jason Castro. I think he’s really cool. I like his different look. And I like David Archuletta. He’s so sweet and he’s got such a huge voice.

On her obligations to “Idol” this season: I’m doing ‘Idol Gives Back’ next week. I’m pretty sure I’m doing ‘No Air’ with Chris Brown. I’m very, very excited. It’ll be the first time we’ve performed the song in public. It’ll be really cool. And I’m pretty sure I’ll be there for the finale, but I’m not sure if I have a tour date.

America got it right - to a certain extent.

Ramiele Malubay may be the cutest, most adorable contestant since Clay Aiken, but she simply doesn’t have the pipes to go any further. I had predicted that she would be joined in the bottom three by Kristy Lee Cook and Jason Castro - and almost got it right. Castro somehow was replaced by Brooke White, who is not a favorite of mine, but is certainly worth keeping around to the top 6.

I sighed a huge sigh of relief that Syesha Mercado made the cut. Am I the only one that thinks she’s a legitimate contender? OK, she’s not going to win, but let me make this bold prediction: She will place higher than any other female left.

Hey, that’s the boldest prediction I’ve made since I bet on Steve Guttenberg to win “Dancing with the Stars.” Do you have those kind of guts?

BTW, how much of “Idol” Wednesday is now turned over to product placement and self-promotion? I’m thrilled that they’re doing another night of charity work, but who are they kidding with those Ford commercials as part of the show? Why don’t they just rename the show, “Coke & Ford Present American Idol” and leave it at that?

It was Dolly Parton night on “American Idol”, which turned out to be both a blessing and a bore. I’m thrilled that the nation’s no. 1 show spotlighted an underrated female songwriter - but I doubt an hour of Parton covers had familes tapping their feet. Parton herself turned out to be more fawning than Paula Abdule, which is almost as improbable and sickly as “Last Whorehorse in Texas.”

With those restrictions, it was not a blockbuster night for anyone, but it did make it fairly clear who was going to make the next cut. Here’s an assessment of the night and my money-back guaranteed who will be in final three on Wednesday night.

Brooke White, “Jolene”: Great song, but somewhat misinterpreted. White was way too peppy and lacked much connection with the heartbreak and desparation of the tune. Still, no major mistakes and will probably slide through. Barely safe.

Davie Cook, “Little Sparrow”: Not one of Parton’s best tune, but Cook stepped it up by doing his own arrangement and not making any major boo boos. Again, barely safe.

Ramiel Malubay, “Did I Ever Cross Your Mind”: She gets cuter ever week, just as she gets more likely to be eliminated. Simon hit is deadon when he said she sounded like she belongs on a cruise ship. Vulnerable.

Jason Castro, “Travelin’ Thru”: Nice selection, but no connection. Castro is as close to being an idol as a cork amulet from a Cuban souviener shop. That fact is becoming more and more true every week. Vulnerable.

Carly Smithson, “Here You Come Again”: Nice enough voice to get through to the next round, but I can’t recall anything memorable about her in all these rounds. Safe.

Dave Archuleta, “Smokey Mountain Memories”: The boy wonder’s secret weapon is how well he plays to the camera. Pulled it off again, even with a mediocre song. Safe.

Kristy Lee Cook, “Coat of Many Colors”: Country is her forte, so she had to really deliver tonight - and fell short. Her choice to go barefoot was cute - but cute doesn’t cut it at this level. Vulnerable.

Syesha Mercado, “I Will Always Love You”: One of my faves took a bold chance by taking on one of the most famous songs of all time, and it could cost her, but I think a bold move was absolutely right, and I’m hoping it pays off. Randy was right when he called the choice the “biggest tiger of the night.” I think she tamed it. Safe.

Michael Johns, “It’s All Wrong, But It’s  Alright”: The gospel take on a lesser known song was another bold choice by the natural arena rocker. Safe.

Again, final three, by my account: Ramiele, Jason and Kristy.

Hello, Dolly! I’m not a big fan of “celebrity guests” on “Idol,” but I’ll make an exception for the great Dolly Parton. I’m assuming the remaining nine contestants will be able to choose from any country songs, but just for fun, let’s imagine if they could only select Parton numbers. Here’s some suggestions on what they should cover:

Syesha Mercado: “9 to 5.” With the departure of Shikezie, she’s now become my favorite longshot. A little sass will go a long way.

Jason Castro: “Love is Like a Butterfly.” I’d like to see him do something a little more aggressive, but he’s too “sensitive” for anything like that. Those wet eyes will only get you so far, my friend, which is why I’m betting he either goes this week or next.

Kristy Lee Cook. “Jolene.” Her version of “God Bless the USA” was smart, smart, smart. If only it was great, great, great. She’s got to go for broke this week - and Jolene would be just the right mountain.

Ramiele Malubay: “I Will Always Love You.” Challenging? You bet. But Ramiele is in the same boat as Kristy. If she wants to win it, she’ll go for the jugular this week. If she just wants to coast and survive another week, she’ll play it safe. Either way, her time is probably up. Again, this week or next.

Brooke White. “Coat of Many Colors.”

Michael Johns. “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That.” Fun, goofy, theatrical number. Perfect for Johns.

Carly Smithson. “Travelin’ Thru.”

David Archuletta. “Two Doors Down.” He’s still the fave to win the whole thing, but he’s got to show a more fun side. Loosen up, kid!

David Cook. “Islands in the Stream.” Can you imagine this sappy song as a rock opera? You would if Cook took a swipe at it.

I’ll check in with comments a few hours after the show. See you then.

Chikezie, the lovable Nigerian lug who worked as an airport security screener, has left American Idol after receiving the fewest viewer votes. He couldn’t overcome his bland rendition of Luther Vandross’ “If Only for One Night” on Tuesday night.

Hi, it’s guest blogger Randy Salas here to say that I’m not really surprised by the move. I had picked Chikezie (pictured) as the most likely to go when I recapped the performance show Tuesday night. While it’s sad to see him go, we’ll see him on the American Idol concert tour when it rolls into the Twin Cities this summer.

What did surprise me were Chikezie’s companions in the bottom three. Syesha Mercado has been there before, but she had a solid performance Tuesday. Many viewers, like me, haven’t warmed to her, obviously. But Jason Castro’s presence there was a shock. Oh, he was nothing special Tuesday as he plowed through Sting’s “Fragile,” but he has such a huge following among his screaming fans that I thought they’d see him through the rough waters. Maybe his laid-back indifference to the proceedings (”Dude!”) lowered his stock. Although Kristy Lee Cook boosted her standing with the patriotic war horse “God Bless the USA,” I thought she’d still be in the bottom three  — even if she wasn’t booted — because she had been a mainstay there. Watch out next week: She just might do “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

So, what did you think? Were you surprised by tonight’s results? Let me know what you have to say.

Next week: It looks to be country week as the great Dolly Parton serves as the guest mentor. Not only is she a bright personality and a consummate performer, but she’s a heck of a songwriter. The singers will learn a lot from her and have some fun, too.

Last night on American Idol, the singers performed songs from the year they were born. That means the newest song we’ve heard this season is 17 years old. Ack!

I have to say that I think Ryan Seacrest is a great host, but he looked like a ventriloquist’s dummy during that intro. 

Ramiele Malubay, 1987: She does “Alone” by Heart. This is a big song, but she does she have the chops? She starts a little shaky on the quiet, low notes. Oh, my. She has shown a big voice in the past, but she can’t handle the rock power ballad. That was horrible–shouting and off-key. Please, bring back Carrie Underwood and her killer version from several seasons ago. And I have to add that I’m getting sick about hearing how the singers are sick. Buck up, people!

Jason Castro, 1987: He does “Fragile” by Sting. The guitar is back, and he looks much more comfortable. This wasn’t a big song, but it suits him well. He has a knack for picking songs that suit his style. The performance is fine, but he’s too low-key to make a strong impression. Just good. Man, is this dude laid back, or what?

Syesha Mercado, 1987: The drama queen does “If I Were Your Woman” by Stephanie Mills (and Gladys Knight before that). I’m not a huge fan, but this was respectable. She sounds shrill when she pushes, but she did a fantastic job on most of the song–very emotional. I don’t agree at all with Paula that she has a chance to win it. I think she has a slim chance of making it past the top 6.

Chikezie, 1985: He does “If Only for One Night” by Luther Vandross/Brenda Russell, a change of pace from the quick-steppers he did during the Beatles weeks. He actually is quite respectable, but he misses on some of the low notes. I like his smoky-tone delivery. He’s certainly feeling it. But it’s nothing special ultimately. I like the big guy, though.

Brooke White, 1983: The ex-nanny does the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” After a false start, she settles into a Sarah McLachlan vibe. This was shaky. She seems really uncomfortable. Great song, but it doesn’t quite suit her.  It needed much more drive to propel the song. I love her plaintive vocals, though.

Michael Johns, 1978: The old man does Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” It’s just shouting and not particularly memorable. Then he makes a jarring transition into “We Are the Champions.” He should have just done the latter. It’s still not great. He can do Queen, as we found out during Hollywood week with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but he should have picked something different. Overall, one of the stronger performances, according to the judges, but I’m still left wanting.

Carly Smithson, 1983: The singer, who was named after Carly Simon, does Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” She’s pushing but she sounds great, not just because it’s faithful to the original but because she really seems to performing for the first time in a long while. Yikes: A bad miscalculation on the final notes. I don’t agree that it wasn’t a good choice for her, as Randy Jackson says. She still shouldn’t be on the show.

David Archuleta, 1990: The little fella does “You’re the Voice.” He’s actually off pitch tonight. I’ve been wanting to hear him do something up-tempo, but this isn’t it. What does it matter? Girl power will see this guy through. But I’m surprised to hear him cite John Farnham as the source, since that version was from 1986, not his birth year of 1990.

Kristy Lee Cook, 1984: The country girl does “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood. We should all stand up and salute; she’s certainly banking on the patriotic support with this one. There are some iffy notes in the middle of it, but she gets the big applause. Stand up, America! She won’t win Idol, but she might have the inside track on the Miss Congeniality award or headlining the county fair. 

David Cook, 1982: The big-headed rocker does Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” in the bluesy-folk version by Chris Cornell, fudging the birth-year angle again. That aside, this is the showstopper tonight. Wow. This guy could seriously follow in the footsteps of Chris Daughtry.

So, David Cook was the best last night by far. By far! Other strong performances included Carly, Syesha and Michael. Overall, though, it was a lackluster night that was saved by David Cook.

 Who’s going? I’d say Chikezie. But who else will be in the bottom three? Ramiele and … ? Kristy seems safe after pandering with the patriotism, but it might keep her safe for another week. What do you think?