After a week of a few really good performances, and a few really terrible performances, it's now time to discover who America has voted into the coveted Top 12! This is the point in the competition where the remaining contestants will move from the small, circular stage to the full blown, extravagant, spared no expense stage. This is the final "step" in showing that you really made it on Idol. Making the Top 24 is good and all, but no one ever remembers the contestants who didn't make the Top 12. Plus, they get to now make the ever-so-entertaining Ford commercials... :-\.
This results show proved to be a night of upsets! Going into the evening, my picks to go home were Paige, Lacey, Aaron, and Todrick. These all seemed like obvious choices to me, but America disagreed with my assessment, apparently. Let's take a look at how this episode shook down and who will be gracing us with their presence next week.
Idol is wasting no time this week! After a brief intro of the judges, Ryan lets the contestants "perform" their prerecorded version of Michael Buble's "I Just Haven't Met You Yet." This is an odd choice of song for them to be singing. There is a supreme lack of energy (even though it's pre-recorded) and the contestants (again) look incredibly uncomfortable. The tempo is so slow that the choreography feels like they are counting like this: one, pause...., two, pause.... Once again, Idol has let the cheese flow in this group performance. When will they realize that no one particularly cares for these half-hearted, fake performances? I digress. Moving on.
Up first are the girls, who all appear really emotional. The top row consists of Didi Benami, Siobhan Magnus, Katelyn Epperly, and Paige Miles. Didi and Siobhan are quickly given access to their Top 12 stools, which are still just as metallic and uncomfortable looking as ever. "Congrats on making the Top 12 guys! Now suffer in silence for the rest of the show as you endure the pain of cushion-less, metal seats! MWAHAHA!" At least that's what I hear Simon Fuller screaming crazily in my head. It's down to Paige and Katelyn, and just as I was about to check one right pick off the list (Paige), Ryan bursts my bubble and states that Katelyn will be leaving us tonight and Paige is safe. WHAT?! I agree that Katelyn did not live up to last weeks performance, but it was certainly not worse than Paige's last few have been! I guess this goes to show you that if you perform a merely ok, middle of the road version of a song, people will be less likely to pick up the phone and vote for you like they would if you botched it and they wanted to vote for you due to sympathy. I think this is what happened here. America got this one wrong, and America knows it. Sadly, it's too late for our poodle-haired blond. She sings her song again (and again, it's merely ok), then switches from bubbly performance mode to full breakdown in tears mode in Lilly's arms. I'm sad to see her go. I think she could have done well. VFTW is applauding their victory in Paige.
Next, Ryan switches to the guys and has the top row join him center stage. This row consists of Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze, and Casey James. He started with Tim, but told him to "hang tight." Doesn't he know that this kid is almost on the verge of tears every episode. That's mean to keep him in suspense. He then give a little background for each of the contestants, and informs Casey that he is safe. He starts doing the slow clap that he did in Hollywood and you can tell that he wants to do his rooster crow, excited yell again, but he manages to refrain. Ryan quickly tells Tim that he is safe, and he appears shocked, relieved, and overwhelmed all at the same time. Thank you for being merciful, Ryan. Now, it's down to Todrick and Lee, and this was no shock to me. Lee clearly has been hyped more than Todrick and has the rocker fans on his side. My prediction that Michael Lynche stole Todrick's thunder last night and cost him some votes turns out correct. Ryan tells Todrick that he will be heading home, and he performs "Somebody to Love" one more time, and very well I might add. He still deserved to go home, though.
The guest performers tonight are Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre, continuing with the theme of last seasons contestants returning, who do a little dueling piano action to Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." Matt, who is sans mini-Matt (the huge mole that was on his forehead) showed that he'd be a contender this season, while Scott showed that he'd be among some of the fodder that is currently in the competition. It was fun though and they killed the pianos. When Ryan said "Nice to see you, Scott." he replied, "Nice to see you too, Ryan." Um, way to poke fun at the blind guy Ryan...
The remaining 8 contestants are brought back out to the couches, with the girls on the top row and the guys on the bottom. The guys are up first. Ryan asks Michael Lynche to stand, which he does, but also proceeds to walk center stage. A shocked Ryan looks hilarious and Michael claims that is what Debbie (the stage manager) told him to do. He is obviously safe. Aaron Kelly is next and he starts off facing the completely wrong way! What in the world, kid? It should be self explanatory, just face the cameras! He was my other pick to go home after several bad performances, but America is once again wrong and keeps him around. He is becoming my least favorite contestant ever I think. Even more than Gokey was last year. Now it's down to Alex Lambert and Andrew Garcia. Preparing myself for the shock of Andrew going home, Ryan quickly shows that he is safe and Alex will be leaving us. This was probably one of the saddest eliminations I've ever seen on the show. Here was a guy with a good, distinctive voice, who was settling down and getting into stride, but it all proved to be a little too late. After a shaken encore performance of "Trouble," Alex breaks down into a puddle of tears on national television. When we come back from the break, the contestants are still around him and he is bawling, as is a visibly shaken Siobhan. Ryan says that you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium during the break and I'd believe it. Ryan then helps Alex off the stage in an awkward moment so that he could continue the show.
Last up are the 4 remaining ladies, Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Lilly Scott, and Katie Stevens, who has rivaled Alex as the biggest puddle of the evening. Crystal is undoubtedly safe, but looks like someone has kicked her puppy really, really hard. The culmination of tonight's results are obviously hitting her hard and she seems more sad about her friends leaving than her progressing. Lacey Brown, my final pick, is deemed safe and I'm unsure why. Whatever, you have no shot to win, so what's the point in staying on a few more weeks? The final decision is between Lilly and Katie. I was thinking that Katie was going to be cut after struggling to find herself in the live performances, but something told me that Lilly was going to be the upset toss. Turns out, Lilly was the one who was heading home. You could tell that she was surprised, shocked, flabbergasted, and any other synonym at the result. She got a little sassy before her swan song and was visibly angry. Her performance of "I Fall To Pieces" was again only ok. I think that her doing the same thing weekly ended up hurting you. She was also probably too quirky for a show who's main demographic is high school girls. Given Lilly and Katie, they will vote in one of their own every time.
After the most crying I've seen on the show in a long time, we finally have our Top 12. They are:
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Lacey Brown
Lee Dewyze
Katie Stevens
Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Tim Urban
Tonight had 3 people leave, in Katelyn, Lilly and Alex, who were probably sent home way to early, while less talented people, such as Lacey, Paige, and Aaron were allowed to move on undeservedly. This is the strangest Top 12 that I've seen in a while, and barring some out of nowhere awesome performances from several of the contestants, the Top 4 seems a pretty easy pick right now with Michael, Crystal, Casey, and Siobhan distancing themselves from the pack.
What do you guys think? Did America make a mistake/several mistakes in who was sent home?
Until next time...
Your American Idol Junkie,
Billy
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3 comments:
The sad and scary part of this is now Aaron Kelly could easily last another month and a half on this show. That's a lot of nasally, overdramatic, cheesy performances to sit through and he doesn't even have a funny David Archuleta voice to entertain me as he displays his faux-humility.
Remember Ju'Not from last year? Awesome last performance. I love him.
Alex, crazy good. Kara De. said he could win the competition. And i think she was right. Aaron can not win. Tim can not win. They should have gone home. Think of it this way. Billy suggests there are 4 sure top 4 people. If Alex is still around I think he is maybe tossed into the "might be in the top 5, with those top 4" conversation. Sad. Crying sad.
One more shout out for Todrick. He was the man. Simon screwed him up the first week when he got on home for being a dancer who could sing. I think he would have been much better off sticking with wow crazy performances that the judges thought were not vocally good enough. That is the kind of artist he would have (might have) been. That was his chance and Simon made me get away from it.
Lily. I am supper pumped she is going home. Less good, less real, much more fake seeming, more cocky, ugly gray hair version of 3 other girls I like better. Didi, Crystal, and Siobahn. Her dis-acceptance speech after she found out she was cut just topped off my feelings for her. Good luck not making a single that will be played on the radio.
Yo c-money, why don't you tell us how you really feel? Haha.
I agree with Billy exactly as should/should not still be there list.
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