How much has "American Idol" advanced in the past five years?
Consider this: Jasmine Murray and Diana DeGarmo were essentially the same person on "Idol." Each was a cute teen-ager with a big voice, belting out high-volume finishes.
Back in 2004, that was enough to take DeGarmo all the way to the top two. This time, Murray didn't reach the top 11.
There were plenty of reasons Murray and Jorge Nunez were eliminated tonight, but one is the steep improvement in the competition.
The third season, in 2004, had three strong talents -- Fantasia (the winner), LaToya London (fourth) and Jennifer Hudson (seventh). The rest? Well, remember Jon Peter Lewis and John Stevens and ...
There are no such weak spots this time. The only problem Tuesday involved people whose songs left little potential to display their talent.
Anoop Desai did a solidly forgettable job on "Beat It," but scraped past Nunez, whose ballad was only adequate.
Megan Joy Corkrey did a so-so "Rockin' Robin," but at least she's distinctive and memorable. Murray sang "I'll Be There" as if we were enmeshed in a beauty pageant; it seemed cold and calculated, it had precision without passion. She can win any Miss Teen Sings Nice competition; she just can't win the 2009 version of "American Idol."