Chris' Prayers For Virginia Victims May End His American Idol Run

Though it was a country-themed show on 'American Idol' last night, all the talk was about Chris Richardson and his spontaneous tribute to the victims in the Virginia Tech tragedy.

After being lambasted by Simon Cowell for his version of Rascal Flatts' 'Mayberry', Chris switched from shouting back at the judge to extending his thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting.

As Entertainment Weekly put it: "By sniping at Simon first, realizing he was in a losing battle, then turning the subject to an unspeakable national tragedy, Chris created the season's most uncomfortable moment"

Whether that'll be enough to save him, or have him kicked off, we'll find out later tonight.

Elsewhere Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle and Blake Lewis all gave strong performances to ease their inevitable progress into the final few.

The country theme, following last week's Latino songs, saw Sanjaya sing 'Something To Talk About', a performance described as "utterly horrendous" by Simon Cowell. It looks like his bizarre reign may be coming to an end...

We'll bring you the full 'American Idol' results tomorrow!