Francesca Fluffs It

A bit of a weird episode this week. Thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber being called away to mentor the hopefuls on the latest instalment of American Idol, the master of musical theatre had to preside over the I'd Do Anything action via a live video link up with Las Vegas. Looming in spookily from a gilt framed screen, the composer seemed more like his eerie Phantom character than ever! This week the axe fell on the 24 year old actress Francesca Jackson and she was forced to wave goodbye to the competition.

Sunday's results show saw Francesca go head to head in a truly stunning sing-off with Ashley. Despite Webber saying some pretty mean things about the red-headed Ashley in Saturday's show, he decided to evict Francesca on the grounds that John Barrowman and the other panellists had raved about the progress that Ashley had made.

Webber's own Whistle Down the Wind was decided upon for the final duet and, unanimously, it was heralded as a triumph. Both girls gave dignified and impassioned performances and choosing between them seemed like an impossible task. Webber himself even confessed that it was the hardest decision he has had to make so far.

Keisha, who has faced the dreaded sing-off for the past two weeks, was relieved to be awarded a respite on Sunday after her rendition of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. Meanwhile, Rachel's show-stopping version of Barbra Striesand's Memories and Samantha's emotive Hurt provided this week's I'd Do Anything with more than its fair share of glittering highlights.

Published By: Nathan Brooker