Oh, American Idol elimination episodes, how I have missed thee.
I say that with only a little bit of sarcasm. The beauty of four eliminations, however, is there isn't too much time for padding, so the show didn't feel overly bloated this evening. In addition, America got it (mostly) right, eliminating Garrett Haley, Amy Davis, Joanne Borgella and, ahem, Colton Berry.
I'm consciously choosing to focus on the postivie, since the elimination of Haley means the closest thing this season had to a Sanjaya is now gone, and the ouster of Davis and Borgella means America is actually voting with their ears and not their eyeballs (the pretty Davis, who so could have become this season's Haley Scarnato) or hearts (the lovable Borgella, whose early exit proves America likes it's plus-size black girls to be able to wail -- or at least sing on key).
Then there's Colton. The kid wasn't gonna win the competition -- I get that. But I'm still gonna miss him just a little bit, and I'd certainly rather see him perform next week than either Luke Menard or Jason Yaegar. The truth is, he wasn't either good enough or bad enough to make a solid impression Tuesday night, and that was his downfall. Ah well.
But why did Simon have to go and be such an as*hole? The kid's not going to be the next Justin Timberlake, fine, but he could have a career in musical theater. In regional musical theater, but still! Did Simon have to be so mean?
Speaking of hearts of darkness, what's with the spotlight on the eliminated contestant's parent? Does it get any more tragic than watching parents experience their child's dream being crushed in extreme close-up? This device has got to go.
Amongst other notable moments from tonight's show:
-We got our first "group sing" of the season. 24 people is a lot of people to work into a number, and this one goes right up there with most awkward ever. Congrats Season 7!
-The tears! My goodness these contestants are starting early. During the clip packages this week it was all "This is the biggest opportunity of my life" and "I can't believe how lucky I am to be here" BS, and now they are already weeping for each other? What's going to happen by the Top 12 -- seizures?
-Finally, we got to watch the "world premiere" of Paula Abdul's new video for "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow." Shockingly enough, she didn't embarrass herself, and the song is actually pretty catchy. I could have used a little more dancing, and Simon and Ryan's "cameos" at the end couldn't have been any more cheesy, but all in all I'm a little impressed she was able to get herself together like that. Is America ready for a 21st century dancin' and "singin" Paula Abdul?
Friday, February 22, 2008
American Idol: America Gets It (Mostly) Right, as the Producers and Simon Lay it on Thick
Thursday, February 21, 2008
American Idol Top 24 Elimination Prediction: Amy, Joanne, Luke and Jason in the Danger Zone
I've ranked the contestants (click for the BOYS and for the GIRLS) -- now it's time to figure out who's going home!
Years of Idol history have shown that, especially during the first few weeks of the show, having the worst performance doesn't necessarily mean you're getting the boot. In fact, it's often better to get lambasted by the judges than to fall somewhere in the middle of the pack. Keeping that in mind, here's my take on where the Top 24 stands:
Green Zone - Safe by a mile!
Boys: David Archuleta, Michael Johns, Jason Castro
Girls: Carly Smithson, Ramiele Malubay, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado, Asiah Epperson
The members of this group has either large existing fanbase (Archuleta, Johns, Smithson, White) or gave stand-out debut performances -- none of these folks are going anywhere.
Yellow Zone - On Shaky Ground!
Boys: David Cook, David Hernandez, Robbie Carrico, Danny Noriega
Girls: Alaina Whitaker, Alex Lushington, Amanda Overmyer
Not good enough for shoo-in status, but not in extreme danger of imminent elimination, expect this group to last for at least one more week. (Whitaker is an exception here- she was excellent last night, but may suffer from lack of screen time.)
Red Zone - Danger, Danger, Danger!
Boys: Garrett Haley, Luke Menard, Jason Yaegar, Chekezie Eze, Colton Berry
Girls: Amy Davis, Kristy Lee Cook, Joanne Borgella, Cady Malloy
Garrett Haley was definitely the weakest of the boys, but his wispy looks (and Simon's harsh comments) probably earned him some sympathy votes. Chekezie talked back to Simon (never a good idea, especially this early in the game), but he's different enough from the other contestants I think he'll stick around. I'm worried about Colton -- his middle-of-the-road showing may spell doomsday. However, I'm predicting bland and boring Jason Yaegar and Luke Menard will be the first two to go.
As for the girls, Amy was easily the weakest of the Top 24 -- it's a no-brainer that she'll be sent packin'. Cady Malloy and Kristy Lee Cook made terrible song choices and may end up joining her, but I think it's more likely to be Joanne Borgella, who threw away the good will she'd engendered over the past few weeks with a totally off-key (and off-base) performance.
Thus...
Elimination Prediction
Boys: Luke Menard and Jason Yaegar
Girls: Amy Davis and Joanne Borgella
Who do you think will get the boot tonight? Take the polls now!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Photos of American Idol 7's Top 12 Girls
Alaina Whittaker
Alex Lushington
Amanda Overmyer
Amy Davis
Asiah Epperson
Brooke White
Cady Malloy
Carly Smithson
Joanne Borgello
Kristy Lee Cook
Ramiele Malubay
Syesha Mercado
AMERICAN IDOL
BIG BROTHER
DANCING WITH THE STARS
SURVIVOR
PROJECT RUNWAY / TOP MODEL
Monday, January 28, 2008
MAJOR SPOILER: American Idol 7 Top 24 Revealed!
SPOILER! SPOILER! SPOILER!
The spoilers keep on coming for American Idol 7 -- first there was the revelation of the Top 50 Finalists with Photos and Myspace pages, and now, courtesy of BuddyTV, comes the alleged list of finalists who have made it to the Top 24.
Stop reading now if you want to be surprised!
And remember -- take all spoilers with a grain of salt.
Here are the rumored Top 24...
Top 12 Girls
Asiah Epperson
Alaina Whitaker
Alex Lushington
Amanda Overmyer
Amy Davis
Brooke White
Carly Hennessy Smithson
Joanne Borgella
Kady Malloy
Kristy Lee Cook
Ramielle Malubay
Syesha Mercado
Top 12 Guys
Chikeze Eze
Colton Berry
Danny Noriega
David Archuleta
David Cook
David Hernandez
Garrett Haley
Jason Castro
Jason Yeager
Luke Menard
Michael Lee Johns
Robbie Carrico
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