Top 20 – Elimination

By On 02/28/2008 · 103 Comments · In Uncategorized

Eliminated tonight (click the link for video)

thanks rockers94 for the video!

Click the jump for my recap…

Did anybody else see Alaina Whitaker’s elimination coming? I didn’t. I found the teenager both talented and charming, and she seemed to “pop” off the TV screen in a way that her fellow-bottom dweller, Kady Malloy did not. By the way, only Kady had her standings (she was part of the Bottom 3) revealed by Ryan Seacrest when she was declared safe. I wonder why? /Tinfoil hat.

Alaina must have been shocked, considering that Simon Cowell anointed her the Dark Horse contestant in his critique on Tuesday. After Ryan eliminates her, she declares, “I can’t sing!” At that moment, she seems to be every bit the 17 year old girl she is. It’s too bad she didn’t wait a few years to try out. With a little more maturity, she could have been a force to be reckoned with.

The other female bootee, Alexandrea Lushington, wasn’t a surprise. But, her elimination was a disappointment, nonetheless. She could have brought an interesting vibe to the Top 12 if given the chance. I suspect she would have been one of those contestants who changed it up from week to week. As somebody mentioned in comments, Alex competed against David Archuleta on Star Search (David beat her). Alex’s elimination brought David to tears, prompting Alex to dash straight over to the boys couch to give him a big hug.

Robbie Carrico’s elimination wasn’t a surprise, either. I wouldn’t call his problem a lack of authenticity exactly. Robbie reminds me of a kid playing dress up. I never got the sense that he knew who he was as an artist. Not an uncommon trait among Idol hopefuls, and it’s the thing that will get a contestant booted pretty quickly.

Poor Jason Yeager was cannon fodder from the get go. But, even if the judges hadn’t been so unnecessarily harsh, he would not have gotten much farther. Jason has a great voice, but his old fashioned presentation is a turn-off. The show will at least raise his profile–he’ll get better gigs in Branson, where he lives. I’m sure the folks there will love him.

At the top of the show, Ryan Seacrest announces there were 31 million votes this week (By comparison, the S6 Top 20 garnered 32 million votes)

Bullsh*t explanation of the night: According to Randy Jackson, The songs of the past were better than the songs of today. Really Randy? I’ll bet he walked 20 miles back and forth to school when he was a kid too. Fake nostalgia, sucks y’all. (Sorry Bucky, it just does).

Of course, Randy answers the question with a cliche in order not to really answer it.

Ryan’s Mom wants to know about the “Half-Bullwinkle” tm blog peeps Simon’s been sporting all week. If you’ve been watching, you’ve probably noticed Simon sitting with his head resting on his thumb, his fingers pointing upward, like he’s giving his moose-hall blood-brothers the high-sign. Simon says, “There is a gesture I could give you, but I won’t.”

A reasonable reward, I say, for having to endure hour-long results show is that every results show MUST feature an awesome! Group! Number! This week’s medley of 70′s tunes isn’t quite as fabulous as last week’s 60′s tunes, but it will do.

Makes me very happy: The number opens with Michael Johns singing the opening verse of one of my all-time favorite songs from the era, Todd Rundgren’s, “I Saw The Light”. Todd is God y’all. For a moment I thought Michael’s t-shirt said “Pointy Pose”. That would have been so cool.

David Cook sings next. He’s wearing a tuxedo shirt. Didn’t work for Blake Lewis last year, and it’s not working for David C. this year. But I still love his singing.

Just how little is David Archuletta?

The girls join in. Kristy Lee Cook sounds better than usual opening Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache”. Carly Smithson, showing off her tats again tonight, (that’s not all she’s showing off–another vowel works just as well) has the perfect vocal for this song. Alex Lushington is a talented singer. That is all. What the hell is wrong with Amanda Overmeyer? She sounds like crap again tonight. The hair, pulled off her face and clipped in the back, looks much, much better.

Brooke White gets a nice solo on a song that, as Paula would say, is “right in her pocket”. Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move” is the perfect showcase for her vocals. Jason Yeager, Kady Malloy and David Hernandez all acquit themselves well. Sadly, the bad choreography and singing that make the group sing so enjoyable are absent tonight. And although they strike a cool pose at the end, there aren’t nearly enough hands pointing heavenwards. Oh well, the 8o’s are next week. Here’s hoping the medley is full of delicious one-hit-wonders.

After the break, it’s time to get down to business.

But not before a recap of the guys performances. The camera cuts to the guys sitting on the couches, and they look n-e-r-v-o-u-s. The recap dwells on David Cook’s tiff with Simon during his critique. We see David, off camera say, “I actually kind of feel bad at the moment…I offended Simon and I didn’t mean to.” The clip of Michael Johns highlights Paula’s positive remarks, but conveniently leaves out Simon’s harsh critique of his lukewarm performance.

NOW it’s time for the first elimination.

Ryan asks for the back row to stand up: Jason Yeager, Danny Noriega, Chikezie, Jason Castro, and Michael Johns.

Michael Johns…safe. He’s overcome with relief as he sits down. Chickizie…is safe. He sits down slowly, letting the good news sink in. Ryan tells Jason Castro he’s got “bad news”. Jason raises his eyebrows, but the look on his face says, “Ryan is faking me out.” And Ryan is. Jason is safe. Danny Noriega and Jason Yeager are left standing. Ryan tells them that one is leaving, and one is safe. Danny is slack-jawed.

“America voted…Jason, it’s the end of the journey for you on American Idol.”

Jason says he knew, based on the judges criticisms, that he could be eliminated and that he tried to prepare himself. Jason has no regrets about his last performance, “I feel like I put everything out there…I was really surprised by their criticism.” Simon tells Jason that his problem is that “you don’t stand out in a crowd at the moment.” Jason’s family, sitting on the couch, look really pissed. Jason sings out, and it’s not horrible. Not at all. Jason was never given a fair shake, if you ask me.

The ladies are up next, and we see the highlights. After a clip of Carly Smithson performing, we hear Simon’s critique–well, the very end of it, when he tells her she’s the one to beat, not the first part where he tells her she’s disappointing so far. Similarly, the recap of Asia’h Epperson’s critique features Randy and Paula’s praise, rather than Simon’s harsh critique, where he basically tells her she’s not a great singer.

Ryan reminds the audience that the ladies were “very emotional” last week before he asks the back row to stand up. Kristy Lee Cook, Amanda Overmeyer, Alexandrea Lushington, Brooke White and Asia’h Epperson stand up. “One of them will be leaving us tonight, live.”

Ryan pauses, “It’s not going to be…Kristy, you can have a seat, you’re safe.” “Asia’h…you are safe, you can have a seat.” She lets out a little giggle, and sits down. “Brooke, who took a risk with the guitar…it seemed to work…you are safe, have a seat.”

“That leaves us,” says Ryan, “With Amanda and Alexandrea. One of you is safe, and the other is going home…”

“…After the nationwide vote…Alexandrea…it’s the end of the road for you tonight.” Alex nods. Ryan continues, “Amanda, you are safe.”

Randy is really disappointed. He tells Alex that she picked the wrong songs. Paula tells her, “It’s not the end, it’s never the end on this show.”

Alexandrea performs her singout, a bit shell-shocked. David Archuleta, who has known Alex since they competed against each other on Star Search, is overcome. Luke Menard comforts him. After she finishes, she makes a beeline for David to give him a hug. It’s a bittersweet moment.

After the break, it’s time for another girl to bite the dust. Ryan asks the front row to stand up. Carly Smithson, Alaina Whitiker, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado and Kady Malloy all stand up. “One of you will be heading home.”

“Carly…who is now feeling better, can take a seat, you’re safe, you’ll be back again next week.” She exhales slowly, sitting down. “One of our more emotional contestants, Ramiele…” She stares at Ryan. “Don’t do that to me,” he says, “You’re safe.” “Syesha…you’re also safe. Take a seat.” Kady Malloy and Alaina Whitiker are left. Kady smiles and signals for Alaina’s hand. They walk out to center stage together.

“One of you got the lowest number of votes and is out. The other is part of the Bottom Three, but is safe.”

“Alaina, you sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” you got mixed reviews from the judges and Simon thought you were old fashioned. Kady, you sang “Magic Man” the judges thought you struggled and had problems with finding yourself…”

“…After the nationwide vote…Kady…” She smiles. She’s ready to go home. “You are SAFE.”

A look of utter disbelief crosses Kady’s face. She looks at Alaina, incredulous.

“Alaina leaves us tonight on American Idol.” She hugs Kady. Alaina says, choked with tears, “I can’t sing.” This is heartbreaking. She’s truly a 17 year old kid, in over her head. Ryan attempts to comfort her. Kady and Ramiele are crying. Alaina tries to smile, but she does NOT want to sing.

Paula tells Alaina she’s a “gifted, bright, young talent, ” and that it’s “a start to an amazing career for you.” Ryan adds, “You should be very, very proud of yourself.” The camera cuts to Danny Noriega. His face is covered with tears.

“Because this is so emotional and tough, I’m going to give you a choice. If you want to sing, I’ll let you sing, If you don’t I’ll understand.” The crowd wants Alaina to sing. “I’m going to sound horrible!” she says. The girls join her on stage to give her support. Ryan leaves the stage, “The ladies of American Idol.” Ramiele cries, Paula does her seal clap, the girls sway behind her. Alaina sounds shaky, but she gets through it.

And damn, that was some GREAT Tee Vee.

After the break, Ryan has some very important Idol news. But at this point, who cares.

On March 11th the Top 12 will take the stage for the first time with a new set. Ryan reminds us that they will be the Best! Top 12! Evah! That remains to be seen. There will be a brand new boot song, sung by Ruben Studdard. Interesting!
Says Ryan, “On the strength of this years talent” cough “Sony ATV has released the Lennon/McCartney songbook for our contestants to butcher sing for the very first time.”

Oh. Boy. GULP.

Also, Idol Gives Back is coming back on April 9. Before we see a clip show of IGB highlights from last year, Ryan says, “The mission is to FINALLY win the Emmy WE DESERVE in the producer category raise even more money for starving and underprivileged children in America and in Africa.”

After the break, it’s the last goodbye of the night. But first, Ryan spills the beans on who will guest star on this year’s Idol Gives Back special: Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, Reese Witherspoon, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dog, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood. Ryan pretends to be spilling something he shouldn’t. Yeah, right.

Dim the lights! We’re running out of time…

“Front row please stand up.” A few of the guys groan as they stand. Luke Menard, David Hernandez, Robbie Carrico, David Cook and David Hernandez are standing.

“Luke, Robbie, take the center of the stage, you other guys sit down. You are safe.” The Davids sit down. David H. lets out a sigh of relief.

“Alright, the journey ends for one of you tonight…the person going home tonight is…after the nationwide vote…”

Ryan stalls, “You sang Robbie, “Hot Blooded” blah blah cakes…get on with it Ryan …this is the end of the line for…Robbie.”

Ryan asks Robbie what he thinks happened. “I think it was a bad song choice, and I think I could have done it better.” Ryan asks Simon what he thinks, “I’ve said it from day one…it’s authenticity.” An annoyed look crosses Robbie’s face. “…and America saw what we saw, that was the problem. It just never, ever felt real, Robbie. Sorry.”

The bootees take the stage while their smell-ya-later videos flash on the big screen. Graham Colton’s “Best Days” plays in the background.

As the credits roll, Robbie sings out, and we’re done.

 
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  • ealbino

    ohhhhhhh I’m so mad I lost those bonus points.. I thought the girls would sing first :-(

  • dusty

    Does Ryan’s mom read MJ’s Big Blog? I was ROFL about Ryan’s teasing Simon on his half moose hand work! LOL!

  • maracaibo

    Yay!
    Michael Johns is safe. I was so nervous. I hope he really brings it next week. I know he will, it might be his last chance.

    Jason Yeager going home was kind of predictable I guess.

  • KrazeeK120

    What IS the deal with the half moose anyway? It’s just weird!

  • KrazeeK120

    Who else is going to go? I predict Luke & Kady.

  • http://www.xanga.com/werwanderflugen Preston

    I’m slightly disappointed with Alexandrea’s exit. I thought both of her performances were among the best of their respective nights.

  • Chicago-sally

    That’s cruel. That’s really cruel about Alaina. She shouldn’t sing….Kady was shocked!

    You got to figure that VFTW is behind Amanda staying and Danny Staying.

    They shouldn’t ask the contestants to sing — what for? That’s part of the revamp they should kill….at least Ryan handled it well.
    You know what? Alaina is going on Ellen’s show tomorrow! Betcha.

    Maybe they shouldn’t take 16 year olds, because they’re too young emotionally. I betcha they up the age a notch next year.

  • http://www.xanga.com/werwanderflugen Preston

    Ok, this is tough to watch. It’s a pity– I really thought she could have surprised us and gone pretty far. I actually quite liked her voice.

  • KrazeeK120

    Speaking of VFTW, you can see Amanda’s mug shot there.

  • maracaibo

    Alaina is out? WTF?
    I mean she wasn’t her best last night, but I thought she did much better than Kady and Amanda. Not fair. I really believed she was the dark horse of this competition, but I guess not.

    She is talented, I hope she finds another chance. She is young so she still has time to develop.

  • Nostradamas

    WOW!!! I didn’t see Alaina leaving! She could actually sing……Ryan said she got the lowest number of votes?!?!

    I thought the tweeners would save her….Wow….

  • Chicago-sally

    Simon said she was the dark horse.

    Nostradmas: Do you think it’s the “blond” factor? I mean they have 3 or 4 blonds and she just didn’t stand out. Maybe she should have colored her hair, streaked it?

    And did you see Carly’s expression? Jaded. You can see she’s been through the wringer with the record companies and show biz, and she’s steely.

  • http://www.idolicious.com Kat

    I can’t watch it yet, but I’m so disappointed that I won’t be hearing more from Jason Yeager. I thought he had such a wonderful voice, but just didn’t find the right song to showcase it. Oh well…

  • KrazeeK120

    Ah, hottie Luke will be back another week. So I’m superficial. And I don’t really care.

  • Chicago-sally

    If Ryan says again — this is the BEST Group we’ve ever had….he’s like a car sales man.

  • http://www.idolicious.com Kat

    If Ryan says again à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  this is the BEST Group weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve ever hadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s like a car sales man.

    Oh, Ryan is so full of crap. This group is more INTERESTING, IMO, than last season, but talent-wise they pale in comparison to past seasons.

  • http://www.xanga.com/werwanderflugen Preston

    I’m glad to see Robbie go.

    Now Amanda, Kady, and Luke are skating on thin ice. I’m sure they can see the cracks.

  • cricket

    Hide the children , protect your old people and for sure protect your puppies = Cruella DeVille is back for another week. Yikes !

  • ericalina

    robbie’s girlfriend (?) looked really familiar…

  • longsong

    I’m sad about Jason Yaeger leaving as well. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

    Robbie leaving, on the other hand – there IS justice in the world! I’m sure he’s a nice guy too, but ICK.

    I was really sad about Alexandrea leaving. I absolutely loved her song last night and in the recap it was a breath of fresh air.

  • DovCohen

    As I promised you all, Jason Castro would be fine. Thankfully, (and humbly) my near perfect record remains untarnished. Now, all we need to do is UNITE and get Carly and Michael kicked off this show either by the Producers or through viewer protest, especially in the case of Carly since Randy worked for MCA when she was signed. It’s a HUUUUUGEE conflict of interest.

  • longsong

    Nah, I actually really like Carly AND Michael. I’d have a hard time picking two I’d less like to see leave.

  • Chicago-sally

    Longsong: Not Michael. Too smug for me. And he’s the oldest, he knows he’s up against the young’ns. But he also seems to be a slacker, no charisma at all.

  • primeminister

    NOOO Alaina!!!

    Okay, with this, I’m convinced the show is NOT rigged. She was the highest selling girl last week on iTunes. Why would the producers want her out?

  • longsong

    That’s okay – for now. He’s purty. I am as God made me. :P

  • longsong

    Oh sure, he’s no Constantine….

  • Chicago-sally

    Could be a couple of reasons why Alaina didn’t appeal to a wider audience: Too much comparison to Carrie? Too many blond? Too much country? Alaina should have died her hair with streaks. May the teens were dialing Danny and not Alaina.

  • primeminister

    WHAT THE HECK WAS JASON WEARING?!?!

    And why was David A wearing Danny’s sweater?

    ETA: The guys singing when little D. looked like the Top 5 guys. Just saying.

  • t2

    I want to thank the American public for helping to vote out the “only 17 year olds”. It is our public duty and I salute you.

    I know Archuletta wasn’t gunning for camera-time, but I didn’t think he was going to make it through Alexandrea’s ouster. What a sweet girl to go over and comfort him.

    How many “only 17 year olds” are left?

    p.s. was Robbie’s squeeze that girl from So You Think You Can Dance (Jesse something?)

  • DovCohen

    Alaina got the lowest votes for several reasons: several other contestants are receiving a lot of votes, in other words, much more attention is spent by dialers on them. Also, she sang poorly; she didn’t have as much air time, and sadly she just didn’t make much of a splash across the board. She obviously had some fans as she made it through last week, but if DI is to be trusted she came in low last week as well. Everything was working against her.

    As for David Archuleta wearing something Danny has similarly worn, and also wearing stripes tonite: interesting. Every one of his family and friends say he isn’t gay, so either he is deep in the closet, or it was just a coincidence.

  • Nostradamas

    Chicago-Sally,

    I don’t know why she didn’t connect better with those of her age group….the super voters of this show….I really don’t. She can sing very well and seems to be a real hoot to hang out with….

    I loved it when she responded to Simon’s audition comment with “….Shoot”.

    I very well could have been the blond factor, but I felt that Kady’s two week in a row suckage would have her leaving…but she seems to have really connected with the tweeners on the IDF boards…not sure why though…unless it’s the hope she’ll bust out the Britney crap on the show….that or the teen boys were excited to see that she makes McTata’s look flat chested….(sorry ladies, I just had to get that one in there ;) )

    Or I also thought Kristy could be leaving because she seems to have a high negative factor amongst some of the sites I visit.

    So do only one each next week? If so, Luke and Kristy need to get packed up….

  • longsong

    I liked Alaina well enough, but I must admit that she was one of the quite-a-few that when I was reading about her here on this board, I kept having to go back and refer to pictures, and even THEN I had a hard time remembering which one she was.

  • Chicago-sally

    Oh brother, now the main media has the Amanda story:

    from msnbc.com

    Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Amanda Overmyer busted for DUI in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹06
    Singer was driving at high speeds, had blood alcohol level of .108

  • KrazeeK120

    Chicago-sally…yeah I saw that at VFTW earlier today.

    I’d actually prefer contestants who have had prior SINGING records to those who have had prior CRIMINAL records.

  • longsong

    I hope that Amanda didn’t kill one too many brain cells. She always seems to be unprepared for her part in the group numbers. I can’t tell if she even wants to be there.

    One more elimination of 4 and then we’ll have our top 12.

  • t2

    I really don’t care which 2 additional girls go home, but kinda worried about the boys. Luke and hopefully Chikeze next (but think that there’s a chance it could be Danny N or David Cook)

    Does anyone think we could still see Jason C. with a guitar next week? He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer…

  • Nostradamas

    It’s sad that there seems to be a desire by media to find every skeleton in the closet for these kids….old deals, wigs, naughty pictures, DUI’s etc…….Are we voting for the Pope?

    While I think Amanda did a very horrible thing by driving drunk, she also went thru the court system and was punished accordingly….but I still have no tolerance for drunk drivers…none.

    Slow news day I guess….

  • KrazeeK120

    Nostradamas…

    This is just a perspective…the show is called “American Idol,” a show that was originally made to find the best undiscovered talent in America. A prior record deal doesn’t exactly count as “undiscovered,” and naughty pictures/criminal behavior don’t exactly make one an “Idol.”

    Now, I could care less about wigs. I’m even starting to care less about the prior record deals (As much as I wanted to hate her, I do really like Carly). I’m not real fond of naughty pictures because I don’t think that’s model behavior for the young viewers of the show. The DUI thing crosses the line for me, though…that’s putting other people’s lives at risk. Not cool in my book.

    Just some thoughts. I dunno.

  • Chicago-sally

    With the group sing tonight, Amanda sounded terrible, totally not a singer. you wonder– what did the judges see in her? She’s interesting, she’s funky, she’s different but she’s a one-note niche singer.

  • Nostradamas

    I truly believe that Amanda has the flu or bronchitis…but refuses to use it as an excuse.

    I truly am disappointed in her for the DUI however….with her job and her intelligence, it was a truly stupid thing to do.

    My gut tells me that she probably left a bar gig and got caught…thankfully. Hopefully she’s learned her lesson and no-one got hurt.

    Still doesn’t make it right.

  • star

    I really hate it for Alaina (and Alexandrea too, for that matter). I think some of these OMG!17!! year olds should wait a few years before trying out. They’re talented but there not quite there, and manage to get to this level only to be assigned the role of cannon fodder.

  • Memphisbelle70

    Robbie’s lady friend up in the shame area was on So You Think you can dance last year, forgot her name. I remember she was carted of in an ambulance one episode.

  • ericalina

    Robbieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lady friend up in the shame area was on So You Think you can dance last year, forgot her name. I remember she was carted of in an ambulance one episode.

    omggg it totally was jesse from sytycd!!!!

  • lg

    Aw man, my two fave girls on the chopping block. Relieved for Amanda but will miss Alex. She’s spunky, has a defined style and knew how to work that stage. Good things await her!

    Alaina is a trooper and showed a lot of potential – how sweet that the others girls backed her up. Good luck to her.

    I’ll have to give Carrico an E for effort, and he does truly seem to love rock. His rock journey started a little too late in life methinks which would explain the lack of authenticity.

    Jason Y is a decent singer and a classy guy. I also abhor the way the media dug up the dirt on him and Amanda. It just ain’t my biz and I could care less. But sadly, that’s the way it is.

    I really enjoyed seeing David H having such a great time tonite. He’s my pick, followed by Chik, David Cook and Jason Castro (not necessarily in that order).

  • KrazeeK120

    I noticed Cat Deely was in the audience too (or did I just imagine that)? Shameless plug for the hit summer show, SYTYCD. I love it.

  • primeminister

    (I’m watching clips of the show, so my reactions are much delayed.)

    Did anyone else notice that they didn’t show the negative comments for Michael and Jason C (whose comments weren’t shown at all)? Weird.

    I really like Jason Y’s honesty when asked when he took away from the judges criticism. He didn’t dress it up nice and pretty, but instead said that he really did gave it his all. Great sing out, by the way. And the guys really seemed to like him.

    Luke comforting little D has got to be the sweetest thing ever. This is where the age gap becomes so glaringly obvious (12 years!).

    We should call Kady big B.

    Ashley Clark spotting!!! (in the Idol Gives Back clip. sorry for shocking anyone)

    If Robbie wants to keep on with music, his little time on AI hurt his cred (the little he had) more than anything. He seemed like a genuine guy, just maybe not genuinely “rock.” It makes me wonder, if he had come as a pop singer, could he have made it further? Carly seemed sad to see him go.

    LOL at Carly’s excitement about Brad Pitt.

    Did Luke say, “Sorry, roomie?”

  • jersey

    Ashley Clark was there???

  • star

    I noticed Cat Deely was in the audience too (or did I just imagine that)? Shameless plug for the hit summer show, SYTYCD. I love it.

    Is Cat still doing the behind-the-scenes stuff for the UK version of AI? She did last year.

  • dukesterathlete

    ugghhh i got all the bonus points but only 1 of the people…i’m totally going with my gut next week- never trusting dialidol again. they had amanda at 1 and i think she was 4th to last by the way they announced the people.

  • poporange

    This was the first week I heard all the contestants..Thier were a few that stood out I just do not see that the overall group is all that more interesting or talented than years past.

  • lg

    UNITE and get Carly and Michael kicked off this show either by the Producers or through viewer protest, especially in the case of Carly

    I don’t have all the details about just how it went down that Carly is there and really don’t care. All I know is that she blew the rest outta the water last night, seems like a genuinely sweet person, and has a wide variety of influences which will bode well for her.

  • rher

    That group number was a hoot. Loved the awkward poses at the end. I couldn’t keep the blonds straight, however, and now we have one less to remember. The 17-year-olds are being knocked out one by one. First Garrett, then Alexandrea, now Alaina. I believe that only leaves David A. Could that be his reason for blubbering uncontrollably? Why no love from the girls for Alexandrea? Actually, they all seem to just be so nervous or something because they never look to the left or right when others are knocked out or safe around them.

    Danny seemed to have a wince of indignity when he was left standing with Jason.

    Did anyone think that David A sounded out of breath and average on the group sing? Jason C had no solos. Boo. Why did they give Amanda a solo? To have my ears burn again? Well, I hope she really is sick because that was again just terrible.

  • abbysee

    Sh_t, I changed my pick at the last minute and voted for Amanda instead of Alaina. I thought Kady would be gone and Alex safe one more week. She deserved another week. I didn’t see phony Robbie going this week but next week Luke “I am so cute, but I sing funny” has to go next week. Kady and Amanda as well. I never thought Amanda was right for this show as I really didn’t see as a singer but a gimmick. Next week will be very interesting.

    On another note, did they say that Ruben is recording the boot song? Oh crap, I say score one for the good guys!

    And finally, this year is so screwy and the votes so strange, the cannon fodder, not really cannon fodder, makes me too question the whole rigged theory.

    I screwed up with the pool bigtime this week, next week vindication. :)

  • GeminiDolly

    Don’t really care for who left tonight, although I really thought Kady would go before Alaina. Oh well, Carly is still in it, so I’m happy.

  • jobbix

    Just some observation about DialIdol: it’s way off on tonight’s results..

    It seems that the lines are wide open this year and people interested in voting are way down, which throw DI off the track.

  • KrazeeK120

    DialIdol wasn’t way off. It had 19 out of the 20 listed as possibly eliminated. And the one person who was listed to be safe, David A. was indeed safe.

  • geekygirl

    This weeks polls I think it was easier to call the guys than girls. Based on fanbase, pimpage and performance, there were really only 3 in trouble. I figured Luke would last another week because he improved and he is just so durn purdy!

    But the girls were mostly pants! I think there were 5 of them in real danger, the blonde clones (bar Brooke) Amanda and Alex. Hard to pick who was going.

    It will be interesting to see who will make the top 6 guys, but I figure it is Kristy, Amanda and Kady fighting for the last spot for girls. The rest should be pretty certain to make it.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    Just some observation about DialIdol: ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s way off on tonightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s results..

    It seems that the lines are wide open this year and people interested in voting are way down, which throw DI off the track.

    Not really. They said the only one safe was David A.

    It bugs me to no end that peeps don’t understand the margin of error that is built into Dial Idol.

    That said, I’m really sad about Alex. I hope she ends up a bigger star than David A. Sad that she has to console him when she’s voted off (yes, they were on Star Search together and I believe his tears). What poise she has.

  • idolbeat

    Can Randy sign Alex and produce her music separate from AI?

  • idolbeat

    I’m upset about Alex’s leaving. She showed her beautiful, rich tone tonight. Sad.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    But the girls were mostly pants!

    Are you from the UK? :)

  • geekygirl

    lol, yea. I thought about that after I wrote it. But I think it translates! :)

    And yes they were pants!

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    Nah, I actually really like Carly AND Michael. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have a hard time picking two Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d less like to see leave.

    Yup yup, me too.

    And hot damn if I’m not now at #4 in the pool! I got all the eliminations but 1. I really thought Kady was going tonight, but I did pick Alaina. She was just too low on DI. And all week I’ve been forgetting about Robbie, so I had a feeling he was going.

  • http://therockstarstories.com ttalent

    I was shocked Luke didn’t go instead of Robbie.

  • Nostradamas

    In the early rounds, I look at DI’s raw numbers vs their score…

  • jpfan

    Interesting news that Ruben will be singing the boot song. Maybe that goes with the theme of following up on past Idols. It’s a nice idea but I think they should rethink the mentor thing and use more than 4. This group doesn’t have the back stories/personality to carry a season and could use the star power that the mentors bring. They should definitely try to bring some current performers in. I’m already bored with the 60s and 70s music they’ve done and not looking forward to the Beatles thing at all.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    I think they should rethink the mentor thing and use more than 4.

    Oh dear, imo, that’s what killed the show dead last year, the emphasis on mentors.

    Keep the focus on the kids. It should be the producers mantra. It’s still early yet. Frontrunners are beginning to emerge, things will get interesting if they stick to what makes the show work.

  • Nostradamas

    Less mentors, less themes…puleez…

  • primeminister

    Oh, the drama! I have to admit I cried (a little) when Alaina left. Gosh, I’m turning into Paula!

    …and I definitely second the less themes idea. OR they should have a theme night around maybe the top 3-6 or so where contestants sing their own songs or pick their favorite song. That should push the contestants to be a little creative, or at least allow them to shine singing whatever they sing best.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    lol, yea. I thought about that after I wrote it. But I think it translates! :)

    And yes they were pants!

    I only knew that b/c I have a good friend from the UK. And I agree, btw. ;)

  • abbysee

    Carly deserves a shot. I actually like her a bit more for her personality than her singing, and her singing is not bad. She was one of the girls that actually did okay last night. I won’t vote against her because Randy just happened to be VP when she was under contract. That doesn’t mean he had anything to do with her at all, except for they worked for the same company. Did he have credit on her cd, nothing in the liner notes? No smoking gun? Therefore simply one of lifes coincidence. I also won’t vote against David A because he was a kid on star search, he waaaaay better now, imho. I won’t vote against David H, or Danny N because of their rumoured or admitted lifestyle choices.

    I think Ruben gets the boot song cause they want to keep it all in the family, and he is one of the few alum who has never really had a public beef with Clive, or the judges. Nigel seems to adore him, so that is why. I think that is the way it should be. Why not promote the guys that bought the show some cache. Ruben was one of those people in the early days. He still may become what they want of him, the next Luther or Barry. He’s got it in him. I say go Ruben. Go idol alumni. That is what was wrong about last year. It was not about the idols, it was about the stars and idol having a mutual ass kissing contest. Idol got the stars, the stars got the biggest forum on TV. Give that stage to Ruben, Kelly, Fantasia, Carrie, Daughtry, Taylor, etc, and it will actually do more to bring the million or so who don’t watch under protest back.

    This is shaping up to be an exciting year. I am more interested this year than last. The talent is pretty good. Not great, but there are possibilities.

  • bean99

    I picked both the guys to go so was happy about that but the girls took me by surprise. I thought Amanda or Kristy would go in the top row and Kady on the bottom. Alexandrea was one of the better singers and Alaina was probably the best of the blondes. I’m just happy that Michael and Jason Castro were safe.

    I’m enjoying this season so far. I think there’s actually a good mix and probably are as good and maybe overall better than most seasons. They’re not the best at picking songs but the talent is there imo.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    I must admit… in the middle of my voting for Brooke and Alaina last night, I sent in a few texts for Carly, because I thought she did a good job with her song.

    And I was pretty disappointed that Alaina left. As I said in chat earlier, she seemed like a “real” teenager not a “bred for this” teenager.

  • jobbix

    I understand MOE, sample size, and everything. If “David A. is safe” was the best DI could do, I have no use for it. Even a blind could have seen it from miles away. DI is no longer RELEVANT, to quote a favorite word of this season.. LOL

  • IGetCranked

    I’m very dissapointed that Alaina left before Kady and Kristy Lee. She is the only one of the three that I liked. The real shame is that Amanda is still there. I don’t think I can tolerate another one of her performances. I was a fan during Hollywood week but I’m over it.

  • hwc

    The real shame is that Amanda is still there. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think I can tolerate another one of her performances.

    Ah, come on. Where’s your adventuresome spirit? Just imagine Amanda plotting all week to give us a performance even more frightening and hideous than that “thing” Wednesday night.

    I figure that, in an effort to go out in a blaze of glory, she’ll pull out all the stops and borrow something from the Black Sabbath playbook.

    My prediction: Amanda bites the head off a live chicken during her next song!

    Of course, that might have been what she was doing when the Idol producers cut the stage lighting during her “performance” Wednesday night!

  • judy

    I think they got rid of Robbie just so Ryan didn’t have to pull his hair to prove he wasn’t wearing a wig. Or maybe it really was a wig???

  • Kirsten

    DI is no longer RELEVANT, to quote a favorite word of this season..

    That’s a little harsh. DialIdol just made a bad song choice.

    Group Number: With all the “dope” songs from the 70s, they sure picked a lot of dopey songs for the group number (with a couple of good ones thrown in).

    Costuming: Hey, Blake donated his fugly tuxedo shirt to the props room and they made David Cook where it. That’s what you get back for talking back to Simon. Do it again Cook and you’ll be wearing J.Huds pink dress.

    May I just say that I think it sucks that they dress these kids in ridiculous “period” costumes and then boot them while still they are still wearing them? That’s not the last impression you want to leave the audience with.

    Next week is the 80s. Will the girls have big shoulder pads and srunchies in their hair? Will the guys all be wearing Miami Vice outfits? I’m envisioning Chandler coming for Thanksgiving dinner at the Geller house.

    How does Kady keep surviving? She must have had one heck of an audition. I liked Aliana much better than her (and Aliana has had at least one good performance).

  • Diana

    I totally agree with the four who were eliminated tonight. TOTALLY. Just my 2 cents, but they were my 4 least favorite. Jason Y seems like a really nice guy and he has a great voice, but his performance this week was just cheesey.

  • marco5ny

    Luke comforting little D has got to be the sweetest thing ever. This is where the age gap becomes so glaringly obvious (12 years!).

    I’m corny as Kansas but I almost teared up looking at that. Well now David can say I beat you twice, here and Star Search.

  • Chicago-sally

    And damn, that was some GREAT Tee Vee.

    After the break, Ryan has some very important Idol news. But at this point, who cares.

    On March 11th the Top 12 will take the stage for the first time with a new set. Ryan reminds us that they will be the Best! Top 12! Evah! That remains to be seen. There will be a brand new boot song, sung by Ruben Studdard. Interesting!
    Says Ryan, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“On the strength of this years talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  cough à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Sony ATV has released the Lennon/McCartney songbook for our contestants to butcher sing for the very first time.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    Great W-R-A-P uP! That was great writing. You should apply for Slezak’s job at Ew.com :smile_wp:
    I esp.liked the strikeovers!

    It was great TV, but heartbreaking. And as for this being the BEST EVAH! Uh, really? I would take back S6 in a heartbeat compared to this group. The girls have voices, but I don’t see “personality” coming through, not like Melinda, Gina, Lakisha last year.

    And can anybody deny that the boyz in the past two seasons were much more interesting than these guys? Exception: Chikezie, who has that raw sense of humor and the balls to tell Simon off.

    I too was shocked by Alaina and you make a good point, she should have waited a year or two more; and is it me? or are all the teens the cry-babys? Maybe they should up the age a little bit more?

    VFTW is chuckling and beating its chest about Danny and Amanda — who absolutely sounded horrible horrible horrible on the group sing….and people complained about Sanjaya last year? This is far worse than that, and she’s going to take a beating in the message boards if she makes it to the top 6. The tabs already have her dui, but I give her cred, she’s hanging in there.

    I never really paid attention to the “front runner” David A., but on the other bds they complained about his gasping in between breaths and this nite I heard it for the first time….that’s going to get a little irritating to hear.

  • Chicago-sally

    We’re down to 3 blonds….now I can tell them apart.

  • LakesideUK

    Is Cat still doing the behind-the-scenes stuff for the UK version of AI? She did last year.

    No…thankfully. :wink_wp:

    Pity about Alexandrea. I really liked her audition but she didn’t find her feet on the show. I hope she keeps trying because she’s a talented kid.

    As for Alaina, I think she simply got lost amongst too many teens and too many blondes. The herd was bound to be thinned, and she just didn’t stand out enough. I suspect either Kady or Kristy will leave next week as the “young blonde chick” vote is still split too many ways.

    Jason Y. was fodder from the start, unfortunately. I did wonder if he’d get a sympathy vote after the criticism he received, but obviously not.

    Most days I had a hard time remembering Robbie Carrico was even in the competition so I’m not really surprised he went. He was never going to beat David C. for the rawk vote; he wasn’t going to beat Michael, Luke or Jason C. for the hawt vote; Danny has VFTW support and David H., Chikezie and David A. all sang far better than him, so he was really on to a loser as far as I can see.

    Not looking forward to the theme next week…there are very few songs from the 80′s that I like and I’ll bet none of them are on their pathetically tiny list. :dry_tb:

  • St.Lucia

    Man, did I mess my picks up this week. I was feeling pretty confident that I was going to do okay when I saw Jason Y get the boot. Then went AlexANDREA and I was pretty bummed, not becaues I didn’t pick her, but because I liked her. I do think she was/is immensely talented and her boot was saddening. I thought it was going to be the Queen of the Jungle on Wednesday night, Amanda, but I guess I blew that one.

    It couldn’t have been song choice… *rolls eyes*

    I love 80′s music, but I’m sure I won’t LOVE Idols selection of 80′s music. I wonder what crap they’ll be forced to sing this time. Wouldn’t be surprised if Carly tried to sing “Alone” by Heart either. Just because.

    I thought Alaina’s elimination was painful to watch. I thought she was lightyears better than Kady Malloy AND Kristy Lee Cook. Poor thing.

    YAY! No more Robbie! He was so painful to watch try to be some Rock god anyway. Just because you like it doesn’t always mean you are meant to do it.

    Now I think the REAL rockers are left. I’ve decided I really love David Cook’s voice.

    I think Luke’s good looks probably won’t last another week, but at least I’ll have some eye candy for one more week.

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    DI is no longer RELEVANT, to quote a favorite word of this season..

    DialIdol has always gotten better at predictions as the field has narrowed.

  • ianamy

    Awww, how genuinely sweet is David! He’s trying to hide from the camera but it keeps focusing on him all the time. I feel bad for him. Luke is very sweet too.

    From last night’s show I really got the feeling that Jason or Danny, one of them will be gone next week. Michael Johns was so bad this week and we do we see in the editing&gt? Paula’s praises! Looks to me they really want David and Michael to be the last two guys standing.

  • t2

    Really have to hand it to the girls….bodacious exit songs:

    “Guess mine is not the first heart brooo..ooo…ken”

    “If you leave me now, you take away the better part of me”

    Really, girls win in the “couldn’t have selected a more prophetic exit song” category hands down.

    On a serious note, Alexandrea’s parents really raised a great kid. Anyone at “only 17!!!” who could see that Archuletta was having a breakdown and made sure to give him a hug before leaving (driving the camera crew crazy in the meantime) really is focused on the right things.

  • bean99

    And can anybody deny that the boyz in the past two seasons were much more interesting than these guys? Exception: Chikezie, who has that raw sense of humor and the balls to tell Simon off.

    I deny that, Chicago-Sally. :smile1_tb: I really like the guys this season and am enjoying that they’re all so different.

    I think that Amanda may have that flu because her voice was really rough again last night even when she was belting it like she usually can do.

  • MaryS-NJ

    I missed the show but caught the video of the group numbers at Rickey’s. I loved Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache” back in the day although they used to play it so much it was overplayed for a while. It was nice to hear 4 girls putting their own spins on it.

    About the eliminations, I’m very sorry to see Alexandrea go home. I power voted for her most of all because I think she’s got a good voice, mad potential, tried to bring something different to her performances and I suspect she got shafted in the song choice.

    Alaina sounded good in the group number but I’m not really surprised she’s going home. Out of four pretty blondes, she didn’t get to distinguish herself enough. I would preferred to see Kady go home but I think either one of them would have gone no matter what. Kristy seems to be anointed Pickler 2.0 for this season, and Brooke is different enough to add something new to the mix.

    I’m not surprised about Jason. He’s got a nice voice but was over-shadowed by others and just didn’t click.

    I’m not surprised about Robbie either. He can sing fine but oozed poseur trying too hard to be the rocker when he doesn’t really have the voice for it. There wasn’t anything distinctive about him (in a good way). He (along with David Cook) was probably cast as the alternative “rocker” in case something happened to Michael Johns.

    About Amanda: I said the other night in chat that I wanted to see her at least one more time. I think she may be this season’s Sundance Head and is controversial at this point, but I think I’d like to see if she can redeem herself this week. She’s vocally weak compared to some of the other girls but she is different. That being said, if I’d had to choose between her and Alexandrea, I would have saved Alex.

  • calimari

    Hey – I said Amanda was this season’s Sundance Head the other day! LOL! I pretty much figured on these 4, altho I figured both Kady AND Alaina would go because of the over-abundance of lookalike blonds who did not stand out. I wanted Alexandrea to stay as I really liked her Spinning Wheel the first week, and she wasn’t god-awful this week, just not the most interesting song and awful cargo pants. I didn’t think Amanda would go because even though she is NOT delivering when she’s not singing “Light my Fire” or Joplin, she is different and enough people are hoping she’ll pull something off. At this point I’m hoping she’s gone next week tho. Jason just looked like a cruise ship singer to me – nice voice but nothing special. After him, I figured the next to go would be Robbie or Luke but Luke had improved a lot, whereas Robbie didn’t, and Luke has the hotness vote. So I wasn’t surprised at all except maybe for Alexandrea.

  • LoveU

    When Alaina said “I can’t sing”, I thought…FINALLY!!! Someone in 7 seasons was going to say “F.U.” to the show and not sing an exit song. I wish she had stuck to it and told them to all go to heck. THAT would have been entertaining.

    Having said that, it WAS sad to see her so torn up.

  • http://steve-o-meter.com steve-o-meter

    I never really paid attention to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“front runnerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  David A., but on the other bds they complained about his gasping in between breaths and this nite I heard it for the first timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to get a little irritating to hear.

    This has been bugging me since his audition…I can’t STAND it…..

    MJ, you’re all powerful, right?…..make it stop!

  • http://www.myspace.com/mignonette33 purplesmile

    I was really sad to see Alex go (although I did pick her to go in the pool since the signs were pointing to an early exit for her) and cried a little when she was singing IYLMN again (which I thought she did so much better last night). I also felt for Alaina…the girl apparently didn’t see that one coming (not this soon, at least).

    I don’t care much for Robbie but thought maybe others (not on this blog) did so I didn’t pick him to go even if I wanted to. Instead, I picked dear Luke to be cut…but this is one time I’m a bit glad I got it wrong.

  • Karen

    David’s breathing doesn’t bother me as much as his lip-licking.

    And Alaina tore me up. The minimum age needs to be 18. Who knows what might have happened if she and Alex had waited to audition a couple more years.

  • itsalleternal

    I picked two of the four (but bombed on the bonus questions) – Alexandrea and Jason. I’m happy Robbie is gone – I did not like him although I thought he had enough fan support to continue on, I was surprised by that.

    Alaina, on the other hand, was completely robbed.

  • t2

    Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s breathing doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bother me as much as his lip-licking.

    David’s breathing, Ramiele’s lip pursing, David Cook’s winking.

    Really surprised that TPTB haven’t fixed all of these issues already — especially with regards to TCO David A (will look for lip-licking this week — thanks for the heads up Karen :-)

    I am hoping that Luke and Chickeze go this week on the boys’ side because I don’t want to lose little Danny N or the real rocker David C.

    I don’t really care on the girls’ side who goes home as long as it’s not Carly or Brooke (and I’m iffy on Brooke…)

  • primeminister

    Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s breathing, Ramieleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lip pursing, David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s winking.

    Really surprised that TPTB havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t fixed all of these issues already à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  especially with regards to TCO David A (will look for lip-licking this week à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  thanks for the heads up Karen :-)

    I am hoping that Luke and Chickeze go this week on the boysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ side because I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to lose little Danny N or the real rocker David C.

    I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really care on the girlsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ side who goes home as long as ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Carly or Brooke (and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m iffy on Brookeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦)

    Ditto everything you just said.

  • MrsTrep

    I TOTALLY can’t stand David A’s lip licking. Drives me INSANE! Have a friggin glass or two of water before the show starts. Apply some lip balm. Whatever you need to do. Now the breathing thing will at to the he bugs factor! Whoo Hoo!

    I think KLC needs her crazy eyes fixed a little as well. While they were better this week, I could see some moments where she was barely keeping them in check!

  • IGetCranked

    I think KLC needs her crazy eyes fixed a little as well. While they were better this week, I could see some moments where she was barely keeping them in check!

    This totally cracks me up! It’s like they have a mind of their own! She needs to keep her squat and finger point in check also.

    I’m wondering if Kady got the scared/sympathy votes this week after her critique. Simon telling Alaina that she was a dark horse made ppl think she was safe so they threw more Kady’s way. On that same note, I wonder where Robbie’s and Jason’s votes will go. The voting politics are so intriguing.

  • Allison

    I admit I made the mistake by throwing a few votes Kad’s way, because I didn’t think she was quite so bad as Amanda or googly-eye Kristy Lee. Unfortunately, it backfired and Alaina is gone.
    I hope Chikeses and Luke are gone next week.

  • longsong

    Little teeny tiny girl (Mulabey?) licks her lips as well. She seems very pleased that they’re so plump and wants to show them off.

    I also HATE the mic tapping!!

  • dukesterathlete

    I think this is relevant to the topic because its about the finalists but there are two breaking stories that just came out…

    the first is about syesha’s hair being called nappy and david archuleta being bullied by the other guys,,,,,http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/29/idol-kids-feuding-like-cats-and-dogs/

    and the second is about Mulabey have “racy” pics on the internet…i looked- the pics are harmless.

  • poporange

    Prediction-they maybe will come true—I agress with Ricky in that David A will get pimpage as usual but will tone down to make it more of a competetion. The season may be still his to lose unless something happens to his voice. I also think Kristy is being groomed as the next Taylor Swift. It reminds me of season 6 nothing new maybe a few who will rise above and maybe a so called shocker(daivid A ,Carly ,Micheal J ) getting booted…