Above: Nice guys don't always finish last, but the affable Chikezie Eze won't even finish in the Top 9.
Until Wednesday, "Idol" viewers have been relatively rational about throwing contestants overboard. Last night, they sent home somebody who wasn't going to win it all but who deserved, by a longshot, to stick around longer than several other contestants.
Unless several million people tuned in too late to hear Ramiele Malubay crap all over a Heart song, I can't explain why she survived. Not only that, she didn't even land in the Bottom 3 -- Chikeze Eze, Sayesha Mercado and Jason Castro -- who had to sit in one of those pedestal urinals, apart from the other seven, who got the heavily upholstered couch.
For what seems like the eight week in a row, Kristy Lee Cook, who got her Hollywood pass for singing the revered anthem "Amazing Grace," survives because nobody had the guts to say she had no business singing the hallowed anthem "God Bless the USA." Ryan Seacrest: Lee Greenwood called and said he "liked it." Oh, really? What did Paul McCartney think about her massacre of "Eight Days a Week" or her vandalizing of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"? She's Sanjaya without the personality.
You can't look at the results without at least acknowledging the racial demographics: Twenty percent of the Top 10 contestants were black; both of them -- 100 percent -- were in the bottom two, and neither deserved to be there. It came down to Chikezie and Syesha Mercado, who did well on Tuesday -- significantly better than several others. In the end, the dude got the boot. Compare his performance Tuesday with Little D's god-awful "You're the Voice." From here on in it's mostly a popularity contest.
The evening's better moments were courtesy of Jason Castro. When he was banished to the Bottom 3, he started to wander off stage, as if he'd been ejected. Later, he rambled nervously about being prepared to get dumped and --- "Your safe," Squeakcrest interjected, and the dude looked like he'd been slapped out of delirium.
The evening's most laborious moment: The performance by the former "Idol" contestant Kimberley Locke. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. First Kellie Picker, now this.
The show's best moments: The Ford commercial and "I Want You to Want Me." Yes: real music.
K Lee Cook is better than Sanjay by a country mile, but that said, she still must be the next to go. How that god awful Lee Greenwood song saved her butt I don't know, and it may be unpopular to say, but that song bites! Poor Check-Ez! He sang so great, sure it might not have been the coolest song, but he was a showman and Simon trashed it and now he is gone.
BTW, what influence TF do you think the judges have on the voting?
Also, I'm glad you brought up the racial issue. I find it really surprising that two really good performances by the only two black performers were in the bottom 2. And Barack Obama thinks he can be elected president? I won't beleive it till I see it.
Posted by: KC Punk | March 27, 2008 at 03:57 PM
I think Paula has no influence; Randy might have some. I think a bad response from Simon has a lot of influence on someone who is middle-of-the-road.
As for the racial element: Song selection was part of that this week. I don't think the old-soul sounds of Luther Vandross or Gladys Knight click with the average AI viewer. I agreed with Randy Jackson: Chikezie sounded old-fashioned, but he sang it well. Ramiele M. and Carly Smithson sounded near hysterical; Brooke was dull as warm milk; and what's more old-fashioned than "God Bless the USA"? Kristy Lee is the Teflon queen.
Posted by: Tim Finn | March 28, 2008 at 07:25 AM
It's too painful to be eliminated or not being in the top singers, sometimes we must think we have achieved something even if it is not the first place, sounds kind of conformist but we must learn to appreciate our great effort in a contest or tournament.
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