AI:7 - Top 8 Results
Down & out down under.
Is the elimination of Michael Johns the shocking & outrageous elimination that we seem to get every season? “Why, oh, why?”, so many seem to be asking, did America get it so very wrong?
No, I don’t think this was the shocking elimination. The only truly “shocking” eliminations would’ve been either of the Davids. Anyone else would’ve been easily explainable.
“How could that be?” you ask, as Michael was such a favorite from so early in the audition phase.
Well, it’s pretty easy to explain, actually. As good as he was, overall, and as nice a guy as he was, in general, Michael had pretty long dry spell from Hollywood week through to about two weeks ago. He pretty much coasted by on talent/rep, looks, & other contestants who had more of the suck than he did. Once the field got weeded out & the competition got comparatively stronger, it was too little, too late for him to ratchet up his game. Folks like David C. had already firmly established their hold on the commonly held fanbase votes, so there was no real way for Michael to play catch up enough to stay in the competition.
It’s too bad, but that’s the phase of the competition that we’re in now. Now, it’s all about seeing how the voting bloc dynamics play out, especially after each elimination. Michael’s votes are most likely to get split between David C. & Carly, I would think, which doesn’t bode well at all for Syesha.
Aside from this lesson in voting bloc dynamics theory, the only interesting part of the results show for me was anticipating the outrage — outrage, I tells you! — at how Seacrest tormented poor Michael by hinting that there might not be an elimination, because there wasn’t one last year. Here’s the thing - while I agree that it was more than a bit tacky, I don’t think it was in any way, shape, or form Seacrest’s idea. He’s just saying what they tell him to say. So, I don’t blame him.
Next week, I think we’ll see things get back to a more normal/expected form re: the contestant eliminated.
-ghp
AI:7 - The Top 8 get inspired
Idol Gives Back week. Yipee…
Bill Ford’s in the house. I wonder just how they were ever able to get him on the hook…
Wow, not only were the performers inspired this week, as it looks like Paula’s boobs were inspired to make another appearance this week. (were they the chihuahuas that everyone kept mentioning?)
Let the guilt-a-thon begin with an 8-pack of ‘inspirational’ performances.
Hopefully they won’t be insipid performances.
Michael - Dream On - Aerosmith. Nice. And he actually sounds a tiny bit like Steven Tyler did way back in the day 30+ years ago before he became the caterwauling wall of sound that we all know & love. The falsetto? Yeah, dawg - he went for it & got it. That was great, both to show that Michael is still hot, and to show just how awesome good that Aerosmith was back in the day. Their early stuff. ROCKED. DAMN. HARD. But, Michael? Lose the ascot. Kthx.
Syesha - I Believe - A song by Fantasia? Fan-freakin-tasia? I am writing this before hearing the song, having paused the DVR so I can write this — SYESHA MUST BE ELIMINATED. THIS IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. I do not care how anyone else performs for the rest of the show. Syesha deserves to go, as she has proven that she has no ability at all to chose a song properly. And I don’t like Syesha’s attitude that much anymore, either.
Jason - Somewhere Over The Rainbow - A ukulele version, huh? Ok, it works for me. Risks being a bit kitschy, but I think I remember it from the movie 50 First Dates, and it was actually kinda sweet there. It didn’t have the emotional power of Kat McPhee’s tour-de-force performance in AI:5, but it didn’t really have to be all that, did it? I liked it a lot, and Castro’s fans will like it even more.
Kristy - Anyway - Staying with Country? Good choice. She’s looking very good tonight, and that never hurts, especially when it’s a contemporary good looking rather than an old-fashioned good looking. I think that Kristy has a career waiting for her in Nashville - not as a superstar, but definitely as a successful singer of some sort.
David C. - Innocent - Hrm. A song from a band that might not be known by the widest range of people. Potentially a risky choice, no matter how much he likes it personally. It started out a little rough for me, and it never really improved all that much. He was into the performance, emotionally, and that was all well and good, but I just didn’t get it tonight. This was his weakest performance to date, IMO. He’s due an off week, but he’d better not make a habit of it, because he’s still my favorite to win the whole shebang. ‘Pompous’ isn’t the best word to describe the performance - ’self-indulgent’ is.
Carly - Show Must Go On - Queen’s always a risky choice, and it usually kills the guys who take it on. Carly looked fierce tonight, and she sounded just as fierce. She took the risk and made it pay off. This girl has really got the goods, in terms of the vocal instrument with which God has blessed her. This wasn’t my favorite Queen song, but she did it fierce justice.
David A. - Angels - He had a hard time picking an inspirational song? But when doesn’t he sing an inspirational song that hits us over the head with a message? Sheesh! SMOKE MACHINES? Spare us the dramatics. Aw, I guess it was a technically good enough performance, but I still find him an ever more annoying presence on my TV, particularly when he’s not singing. It’s like we’re looking back at the teen pictures of a little old troll doll.
Brooke - You’ve Got A Friend - Well, it feels kinda strange writing this, but Brooke’s in the pimp slot. Well, I think this is a song that’s right in her 70’s/hippie/folkie chick wheelhouse. And Brooke didn’t disappoint, as she did a standout job with it. For this week, on tonight’s show, this was the song & performance you wanted in the pimp slot (with Jason’s being a close second, I think…).
The Top: Jason
The Safe Middle: Michael, David A., & David C.
The At-Risk Middle: Carly, Brooke, & Kristy
The Bottom 3: Syesha, Syesha, & Syesha
Should Go Home: Syesha
Will Go Home: Syesha
Maybe the most inspiring, hope-filled moment for me tonight? The very first teaser advert for SYTYCD? - now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!
As for AI, tonight was ok. Not the best we’ve seen, but not the worst, either. AI this week? Well, I’m not a huge fan. At least I don’t have to worry about watching it tomorrow night. It’ll be like an unexpected night off, before jumping back in with the results on Thursday.
Hopefully, the results show won’t be too difficult to sit through.
-ghp
AI:7 - Results
Once again, I’m late to the party on the results show happenings. This might be, let the reader understand, a recurring pattern…
Also once again, I have nothing of all that much substance to observe about the results show. It unfolded largely like I thought it would, insofar as the bottom 3 comprised Kristy & Ramiele (both of whom I predicted) along with Brooke (I said Syesha, but hinted that Brooke was vulnerable). Brooke was the logical one to send to safety first, and Ramiele was the logical one to send home.
Rarely have we seen a front-runner fall from grace so quickly. Even before the finals started, Ramiele seemed to be regressing. Danny’s elimination only seemed to lock her into a negative mindset & direction, as she never regained the the buzz or the momentum that she displayed earlier in the competition. If anything, she de-matured, relying on a baby-ish persona that she seemed to think was cute, but that grated on the last nerve of adults who tired of her pouty-lipped, hurt-little-girl looks that sprang up at the hint of any criticism or tough going. No, it was time for Ramiele to get off of the stage, and we’ll all be better off now that she’s gone.
This week, we have Idol Gives Back to look forward to. Whoopee! I can hardly wait for the self-congratulatory guilt-a-thon that they have in store for us over three, count ‘em, three days this week…
-ghp
AI:7 - Workin’ 9 to 5
What? A strike, you say? April Fools? Aw, they got me! What a well-crafted prank that was…
Tonight, both kinds of music - Country and Western!
Yay! It’s only an hour tonight…
TheWife wondered if Paula showed up showing off a bit too much boob, and they had to slap that hideous purple flower on a the last minute. Good question, sweetie…
Let’s head on out to Dollywood, shall we?
Brooke - Jolene - Brooke has a nice voice for country, and she looked nice tonight. She seemed back safely in her comfort zone this week, and it showed in her performance. Not great, but it was very good. She’s gotta start stepping it up, or else she’ll use up all her fanbase’s good will.
David C. - Little Sparrow - This guy can just flat out sing. I don’t know the song, but I like his voice & performing so much that it doesn’t really matter. So, while the song was a tiny bit boring, I can’t say I mind. He’s just that charismatic & magnetic a performer. He’s still on track to win this thing. Yay!
Ramiele - Do I Ever Cross Your Mind - She’s tinier than Dolly! I’m over Ramiele as a viable contender. I didn’t like the performance, and I didn’t like the outfit or the shoes. She had trouble moving across the stage. And her vocal was weak & patchy. Not good, not good at all. 6.5/10 is a D, and it’s still a case of grade inflation. Begone off my TV, tiny girl, begone!
Jason - Travelin’ Thru - Oh, Dolly, that was a bad hair pun… Jason couldn’t show intensity in his eyes if his life depended on it - he’s just stuck with that happy, hooded, sweet, semi-stoner look. But it works for him, y’know? Oh yeah, the song. It was actually very, very good. I liked it. With the scare his fanbase got last week, I think this will keep him safely out of the bottom 3 this week.
Carly - Here You Come Again - A much slower arrangement than Dolly’s version, but it worked quite nicely. She could record & release this version & make a splash with it today. Carly really does have the kind of voice that recording careers are built on. I think Randy’s right - that was the best performance of the night, largely because it was a better-written song than David C.’s. Simon was kinda right about her wardrobe - those pants were hideous. And, oh yeah, Simon does hate C&W - that’s been proven over the 7 AI seasons.
David A. - Smokey Mountain Memories - Well, that was a ballad-y song right in his wheelhouse. My dislike of him, however, continues to grow. There’s just something about him that I don’t like at all. Maybe it’s that he’s a bit too overwrought. Or that he’s still just too much the scared little kid. Don’t know. Don’t care. Don’t want him to win. Carly was better, Dawg.
Kristy - The Coat of Many Colors - I had hoped for better from Kristy, in this her genre of choice. Not that it was bad, mind you, ’cause it wasn’t. She looked better than she sounded, however, and that’s not a good thing for someone on the edge of elimination. I think she could end up being gone, as there is a track record of people getting voted off after a good performance. The lack of a strong fanbase is gonna catch up with her.
Syesha - I Will Always Love You - Was it just me, or did Dolly give Syesha a bit of a back-handed compliment? Aw, she did the Whitney flourish, and got the extended money note. I guess I’m just not that much of a fan of hers, because I’m still not sold on her as a viable long-term contender. And I disagree with Paula - I don’t think that Syesha is connecting with the viewing audience. Simon was right - good, not great.
Michael - It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right - He’s back in the mix of the top-half of the finalists, I think. It wasn’t great, but it was darned good. Not pimp-slot great, but safe-as-safe-can-be good. Blues would do him well - rock/blues, country/blues, whatever/blues. It just works with his voice & stage persona.
The Top 2: Carly & David A.
The Safe Middle: David C., Michael, Jason
The At-Risk Middle: Brooke
The Bottom 3: Ramiele, Kristy, & Syesha
Should Go Home: Ramiele
Will Go Home: Ramiele
This week was just a’ight, but overall it didn’t do too much for me.
It pains me to put David A. in the top two with Carly, but objectively, I think it’s probably the right thing to do. Subjectively, I’d put both David C. and Michael ahead of him, with Jason being pretty darned close.
All in all, I don’t think any of the guys have to worry about being in the bottom 3 this week. Neither does Carly. Thus, the bottom 3 will be comprised of 3 of the 4 other girls (as I show my impressive grasp of the obvious). Syesha could easily swap spots with Brooke. I wouldn’t agree with it, but I could see it happen & not be shocked. Neither would I be shocked if Ramiele escapes & Kristy gets sent home instead; however, I’ve now gotten to the point where I believe that Ramiele is the one who most deserves to go home, and so I’ll predict her demise until it finally happens.
We’ll see tomorrow if America does the right thing & agrees with me…
-ghp
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