Wild Card Wrap Up, Plus, Producers Promise More Twists in the Top 13 and a Double Elimination Next Week?

By On 03/07/2009 · 88 Comments · In Uncategorized

So, apparently the Top 13 “twist” wasn’t THE twist Mike Darnell talked about back in January. Idol producer Ken Warwick   told USA Today that “Thursday’s shocker was not the surprise he has been promising for the final round that starts Tuesday.”

Warwick also told E! Online, “There is a big surprise coming. You’ll never guess what it is, but it’s something that rears its head every season and it’s huge.”

Also, Warwick tells USA Today, it’s likely that two finalists will be eliminated in one week.   (Chart maven, Kirsten, suggests a Final 3 for the final week.   That would definitely mix things up, and solve the scheduling problem.)

ETA: The LA Times is reporting that Ryan Seacrest will explain how the double elimination will work on his show next week. But, Paula Abdul, on the John Jay and Rich radio show Friday (listen below), said there will be a double elimination this week. But, what does she know?   Plus, Paula said the judges agreed on Matt Giraud and Anoop Desai, but disagreed on one of the girls.   Likely, Jasmine Murray–Kara DioGuardi said here they agreed on Megan Corkrey, Matt and Anoop.   Simon told Jesse Langseth when he eliminated her that she “almost made it in” so the disagreement was likely over Jasmine vs Jesse.   How could that even be a contest? Plus, Paula wanted Felicia Barton for the wildcard, but Simon didn’t.

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Peeps have been speculating for days about the twist, some think Idol will borrow from Simon Cowell’s UK talent show the X Factor, and have the Bottom 3 sing for their lives, with the judges choosing who gets to stay. As if allowing the judges to pick 4 of the Top 13 isn’t enough, why don’t the producers take back even more control.

Still, “something that rears it’s head every season?”   And “It’s huge?”   Isn’t that Simon’s ego? Heh.

Also, per Darnell’s interview, I wonder if they still plan to throw the kids together in a mansion and follow them around with cameras?

Warwick claims the decision to do a Top 13 was made spur of the moment, with Simon Cowell, on a commercial break during the wildcard when they got down to a final two of Anoop Desai and Matt Giruad.

Color me cynical, but I find it hard to believe the producers didn’t know what would go down on the wildcard show before the cameras rolled. As the show’s events unfolded, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the die had already been cast before the contestants had a chance to perform. The judges critiques felt scripted, like they were written to justify a predetermined outcome–as contrived as Tatiana Del Toro’s antics.

Seriously, golden rainbows could have flown out of Ricky Braddy’s mouth, and Simon would have still dissed his performance.   Ditto Jesse Langseth, whose slinky “Tell me Something Good,” Randy declared “not great” and Simon called, “self indulgent”.

Ricky (arguably the best singer of the Top 36) and Jesse would have had a better chance to advance through the old Top 24 system.   Jasmine Murray’s personality-free performances probably would have gotten her canned.

I can appreciate the desire to build a Top 12/13 that’s diverse, and also one with characters the casual viewer (men and kids who may not vote) will tune in for, but some of these picks are not going to last very long.

Both Jasmine and Megan Corkrey are going to struggle with themes.   Quirky Megan has an interesting vocal tone,   but I don’t get that she’s musical or very versatile.   I expect young pageant bot, Jasmine, will continue to stink up the stage with unfocused, uninteresting performances–good luck making the tour, honey.   Matt Giraud is threatening promising to sing more pop, but even if he sticks to soul, he has a tendency to over-sing. Anoop Desai has intrigued me since his audition back in Kansas City, but he has yet to prove his mettle–I’m not jumping on his bandwagon yet.   Kris Allen and Michael Sarver need to improve upon wonky semi-final performances before they impress me.   Widower, Danny Gokey, and blind guy, Scott MacIntyre, have   judges pimping their backstories to over-sell average vocal skills.   Jorge Nunez, another singer with middling vocals, is coasting on his sweet personality.

That leaves 4 singers who I truly believe sang/performed their way into the finals.   The charismatic Adam Lambert has a huge personality and even bigger vocal range, and knows how to work the stage. I’m not sold on his sound–retro-metal rock with a big helping of Broadway, but he promises to keep things interesting, and I believe him. Alexis Grace took on Aretha during the semis and had a truly fabulous performance.   She could be my favorite girl. Heart loving, Allison Iraheta has some cool music on her Ipod and may be the only true rocker out of this whole bunch. Her semi-final performance didn’t completely win me over, but if she just says no to Whitney and Celine, Allison could convince me. And while Lil Rounds isn’t the best female R&B singer ever on the Idol stage–she’s no Fantasia/Jennifer/Melinda–her personality shines through her performances.   The jury is out, but she could be the real deal.

So, don’t hold me to anything I just said.   I still don’t feel like I know these kids.   An unexpected breakout performance from anybody could change my mind. I’m still waiting for that truly great performance.

 
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  • widz

    Paula’s interview:
    http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/TUCSON-AZ/JJAR-IP/PAULA_ABDUL_3-6-09.mp3

    She said that the 4 jduges all agreed with Matt and Anoop going through, and the ‘fourth’ person they decided to put through to the Top 13 is Jasmine.

    She also said that next week, two people will be eliminated

  • uagirl

    So help me if they do make the twist that producers get to “Save” the lowest vote getter, I am done with this show. This season has driven me to the brink with the interference of the judges and the producers, if you add that twist too, I am done. Do those idiots know that the “shocking elimination” is one of the things that not only gets people to vote, but to even watch the show in the first place?

  • sillypraguer

    She also said that next week, two people will be eliminated

    could we lose jasmine and michael in one fell swoop? please??

  • thesheriff

    rears its head in? overturn the shocker elimination??

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Thanks for that interview Widz…

  • Tony

    Paula wanted Felicia but Simon didn’t? I’m not surprised. As Simon would probably put it, they more than likely already cast Felicia’s role. Can’t have more than 2 moms in one season!

  • hardkandy

    Speculations on IDF about possible twists:
    - Immunity to judges’ choice
    - Showing the percentage of votes
    I prefer the latter one to be true.

  • anijsch

    Peeps have been speculating for days about the twist, some think Idol will borrow from Simon Cowellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s UK talent show the X Factor, and have the Bottom 3 sing for their lives, with the judges choosing who gets to stay

    Shit, this way they can get their favorite near to the final.

    Has that happen on X factor ?

    I am not sure I can stand it every week to see them made decisions based on their own agenda and twist their words that they fit the result.

  • kiwifan

    If they do go with the X Factor format, I hope people give it a chance, as it’s actually really good.

    It’s only the bottom two vote getters that perform the sing off. While I can understand people not liking the judges interfernce, it is quite limited and I would argue no less fair than the impact of mass voting. With X Factor it costs around 40 cents to vote, so you don’t get the block voting.

    The interest comes in that the bottom get to sing a song of their choice for the sing off, not the theme week and the judges choose based on that performance. This year on the X Factor we got some of our stand out moments of the show from the sing off.

  • Mateja

    I’ve seen X Factor results on Wikipedia and another UK news website and the judges didn’t really influence the outcome of the last season. I think they usually eliminated the singer who got the least support from the viewers.

    However, the results of all weeks were really shocking to me because the boy who ended up third in the final show got the most votes in almost all previous weeks and the winner (Alexandra) was usually nowhere near the top, usually somewhere in the middle or in the second half.

  • kiwifan

    MJ, ITA that we haven’t really had any stand out performances this year yet, but I’m hoping they’re coming!

    What I don’t get is why a lot of people seem so angry about the supposed best singers not making it through the competition this year. Where has it ever been stated that the American Idol is the best singer? I thought what they were is the best artist of their season, which I believe more aptly reflects the music world.

    Like it or not, we all know that vocal ability alone is not enough to succeed commercially. It’s cheesy to talk about the having the “x factor”, but the reality is that it’s definitely about more than just the voice. A large number of the most successful artists, such as Madonna, could never claim to be the best singer, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t more talented.

    I don’t want to hate on Ricky, as he seemed a nice guy, but imo he was definitely missing the star gene and I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t make it.

  • kiwifan

    Shit, this way they can get their favorite near to the final.

    Has that happen on X factor ?

    Not really. There is only so much they can influence it, as it’s only the two people who have been least popular with the public that week that they get to choose between.

    On X Factor they drop this format at the top 5 and it goes purely on the public vote.

    I think Paula would really struggle with this format each week, having to publicly choose one contestant over another. She might have to up her med, lol!

  • kiwifan

    However, the results of all weeks were really shocking to me because the boy who ended up third in the final show got the most votes in almost all previous weeks and the winner (Alexandra) was usually nowhere near the top, usually somewhere in the middle or in the second half.

    I think the reason for that was twofold. The boy came from Ireland, so he had a strong geographic vote. Also the girl that won it improved over the show and had her break out performance about 2 shows before the final, from which point she became the front runner.

  • tanigue

    Boo at Simon!!!! Jesse and Felicia should’ve been on the Top 13! I was really disappointed when Felicia didn’t make the wildcard but I kept my calm because Jesse was there. And now, she’s gone too. Urgh! The fact that Simon said Jesse almost made it through makes it more frustrating.

  • NOLA

    I wonder if the “twist” is something taken from “The One?” Kara
    was a judge on that show, and it was Idol-like, except the contestants
    had the final vote. They chose who would be eliminated each week.
    I actually loved it.

  • jodeb

    >>>>I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to hate on Ricky, as he seemed a nice guy, but imo he was definitely missing the star gene and I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t surprised that he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make it.>>>

    Not many people were surprised that Ricky didn’t make it.

    a. no audition was shown for him
    b. Did he ever go to Hollywood week? One wouldn’t know, since it was never shown
    c. At what point did almost all of the others show *any star gene?*
    *Star pimpage* *sad back stories* maybe, but excitement, gorgeous vocals, perfect pitch? If more than half of them showed it, I must have missed it.

    As MJ so brilliantly said *if Golden rainbows had come out of Ricky’s mouth, he wasn’t going to make it* They pick the group as Simon said, round it out in their own way with their own thoughts and damned be the rest.

    I just can’t help thinking though that I wish Ricky hadn’t sang “Superstition.* That dull song just made TBTB backstabbing job too easy. :(

  • kiwifan

    jodeb, you makie some great points. Don’t get me started about the backstories….seriously.

    I decided not to start watching until Hollywood Week this year as I’m starting to tire of the whole bad audition schtick, so Ricky was new to me Week 1. Thought he was a good singer, but not my bag. In the limited time they have shown him, he’s come across as a bit bland/boring to me……..which probably goes back to your point about how our opinions are shaped by how the contestant is positioned by TPTB/judges, as I’ve only seen about 5 mins in total to form that opinion. Which on reflection seems pretty harsh.

  • borntorungirl

    I’ve been thinking about this and I believe the judges actually put 7 contestants in the top 13. America has voted the each of the judges favorites into the top 13 each of the 3 weeks (the pimp spot each week) and then the judges also got to choose 4 wildcards. America essentially gave the judges a lot of control. If voters had been smart they wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have voted for the last performers each week even (if they did like them) because we all know the judges would have put them through in the wildcard round. Because America put the judges favorites through, they got THEIR top 3 favorites and then THEY got to choose 4 more favorites. America lost their power to choose this year. So if you look at it this way the judges actually got 7 contestants in.

    If this has been stated elsewhere Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry (canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read all the posts) but I hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seen it mentioned and thought it was worth throwing out there. I know theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“pimpedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  their favorites, but this year has been blatant and over-the-top. I feel very manipulated, and it isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a good feeling.

    MJ, I agree with you that this is shaping up to be my least favorite season ever, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve watched faithfully since season one. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m willing to give the top 13 a week or two but if things donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t improve Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m giving up my addiction.

  • dreamr

    I wonder if the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“twistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is something taken from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The One?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara
    was a judge on that show, and it was Idol-like, except the contestants
    had the final vote. They chose who would be eliminated each week.
    I actually loved it.

    Ooooh, that would be interesting. I’d feel really bad if I were one of the contestants, though. lol

  • Valentin432

    I wonder if the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“twistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is something taken from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The One?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara
    was a judge on that show, and it was Idol-like, except the contestants had the final vote. They chose who would be eliminated each week.

    I hate this system, it is pure real tv like survivor.
    I know idol isn’t a pure talent show and I am ok with that, but I still think that in the end the contestant who performed the best during the show won. In this system, performances will have nothing to do with the elimination, the only factor will be who is the most popular inside the group and I don’t want to think about the potential strategic votes to eliminate contenders if they find themselves in the bottom 3.

  • barefootgirl

    I’m not upset Rickey didn’t make it. Though he didn’t get camera time he did have two performances. Neither one swayed me to vote for him. Most of my favorite artists could never win a vocal contest.

  • ziggy

    I don’t think I would like a sing-off or the judges having anything to do with who goes home each week.

    I actually LIKE it when Idol does not get their way and America decides who is the winner.

    Why bother to vote if your votes don’t really count??????

  • NOLA

    dreamr
    Mar 7th, 2009 at 8:00 am
    I wonder if the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“twistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is something taken from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The One?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara
    was a judge on that show, and it was Idol-like, except the contestants
    had the final vote. They chose who would be eliminated each week.
    I actually loved it.

    Ooooh, that would be interesting. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d feel really bad if I were one of the contestants, though. lol

    I found the contestants took their task very seriously. The kids performed, as usual. America voted as usual. Then the bottom 3 vote getters would be asked to perform again and the contestants would eliminate one.

    It was very hard for them to get rid of one of their own; but they did it fairly and smartly, IMO.

  • Hazehel

    Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen X Factor results on Wikipedia and another UK news website and the judges didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really influence the outcome of the last season.

    They certainly did messed up the show last season. I have said it before, and many people think the same (I assume you did not read about the uproar over some contestants’ elimination), the judges ruined what could have been the best season yet.

    This was the season with the best singing talent, but what happened was that at Top 10, there were these bottom two – one a good singer (Scott Bruton), the other a very average one with a sob story (Daniel Evans, the one with a dead wife, sounds familiar? The storylines and ideas get recycled in Simon’s shows). During the sing-off, the very average one dedicated his song to his dead wife, which apparently so moved the judges (one couldn’t stop blubbering in his comment) that they voted him through instead of the better singer. What happened the next two weeks was this good-sob-story-lousy-singer never got near the bottom two, and two of the best singers (Austin Drage, Laura White) got voted off by the judges instead. The season was effectively ruined by them keeping perhaps the worst singer on the show, as well as voting off the best singers. The winner of the show is certainly not the best singer of the season.

    Perhaps this is what Simon meant by wanting drama – to make people get upset over their elimination of good singers and keeping bad ones. Comments were even made on the Parliament about some eliminations, wouldn’t Simon love that if the same happens in Washington over AI eliminations.

  • hobbitmum

    I am not upset about Anoop and Matt getting the Wildcard over Ricky. However, Jasmine and Megan being there at all does kind of bug me.

    I can’t really complain about the pimp spot contestants making it because Adam is in that category and I think he totally deserves his spot. Plus, I think in cases like Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre, they would have gotten through on backstory even without the pimp spot.

    I don’t know if I believe that our votes count anyway. However, it would still bug me to make it blatantly obvious by letting the judges decide from the bottom 2. I just watched America’s Best Dance Crew and it drove me crazy how the judges kept saving a group who was in the Bottom 2 three times in a row. I think if anyone gets to decide between the bottom 2 it SHOULD be the other contestants. They seem to have more of a clue of whats going on than judges anyway.

  • Lu

    I’m upset about Ricky. Dude can sing… a lot better than some of those in the top 13. Poor guy was totally robbed and I think mostly due to the fact that he had zero exposure…. sucks.

  • gabam

    I would be extremely pissed if AI did a sing off to determine who would go home. The voters should make that decision. I believe that the AI producers have cheated and put through the people that they wanted in some instances in the past but I don’t want them to be so obvious with it. I would just not vote if they did that sing off thing.

  • Dr. Tracey

    I don’t buy the last minute wildcard decision at all, especially as it was only an hour long show.
    The whole set up was so predictable right down to what each judge said.
    I’m no expert but even I know Rickey Braddy’s performance Thursday was way better than Jasmine’s, Megan’s and even Anoop’s, sorry Anoop but it was.
    I was wondering if they would do a double elimination this coming week like Paula said but that makes Thursday’s ‘last minute decision’ to have 13 seem pointless really.
    And NO surprise that Simon didn’t want Felicia, that was written all over his face after her performance Tuesday. Like I said in an earlier post he needs to take acting lessons, he’s giving it all away.

  • Victoria

    I wonder if the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“twistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is something taken from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The One?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Kara
    was a judge on that show, and it was Idol-like, except the contestants
    had the final vote. They chose who would be eliminated each week.
    I actually loved it.

    Interesting thought. Wasn’t “The One” cancelled after 3 weeks, though? i don’t know if it’s a good idea to borrow from a show that was a complete failure.

    I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t do anything stupid (yeah right) and just send all 13 on tour or something. I’m sure that’s not it, but I can hope!

    ETA: I don’t think the judges will decide who goes home. That would completey ruin the “Your fate lies in America’s hand” thing.

  • snuffles

    - Showing the percentage of votes

    THIS is the only twist I would LOVE! People have been demanding to see the real vote count since Season 1. They flirted with that a few times. During the semi’s in Season 3 they showed the percentage of the top vote getter. And during Season 5 top 3, they showed the percentage to demonstrate how close it was between them.

  • stelladallas

    Paula wanted Felicia but Simon didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not surprised. As Simon would probably put it, they more than likely already cast Feliciaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role. Canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have more than 2 moms in one season!

    THREE moms are in the top 13: Lil Rounds, Megan, and Alexis.

  • tinawina

    Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll never guess what it is, but ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s something that rears its head every season and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s huge.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    Maybe its the tour? Less than 10 this year?

    Anyway, I’m still not as mad at this group as some of you. I’m mad at the process, but not the kids. I think they are talented. And yes, many haven’t wowed us yet, but they haven’t really had the chance. We’ve only seen one full song and some snippets for SOME of them in Hollywood. By the top 10 we should have a more well rounded idea of their capabilities. Give them a couple of weeks with the vocal coaches and some time on the big stage.

    I’m also not mad at Jasmine. She’s just a kid. And she has talent. She’s underdeveloped, but there is someone like her every year. Its always a mix of raw vs seasoned talent… people with musical identities vs people who are still searching… people heaver on personality and people heavier on voice… good performers vs weaker stage presence… you get the idea. So this is no different.

    Now how we got here is another thing, because the process sucked. But even when America had full control, the makeup of the top 12 has stayed remarkably similar to this… down to the people we complained were robbed of a shot.

  • TwigLA

    I loved Paula’s interview and I’m still very upset that Felicia didn’t make it as a wild card.

    For the surprise that rears it’s head every season, I think the judges will get a vote on who is eliminated. I think they will call up the bottom two vote getters and then the judges (or SImon alone) will decide which of those two go home.

    Randy almost always asks Simon, ‘Did America get it right?’ Fans, judges, and contestants frequently say the judges don’t get to decide, America does. I think we will be voting our ‘opinion’ and not who actually stays or goes.

    For the final 3, I can seriously see this switched up to the judges deciding who the final 2 will be.

  • lovegoodmusic

    Oh please donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bring the UK format to the US. The fans are already complaining and will lose even more interest than they already have if they do this. I think Simon Fuller created a great show and now the new producers are destroying the best audience interactive show on television. A show with a predestined winner is not fun to watch, so why should we even bother to vote, it makes no sense.

    Now if they surprise us and bring in another contestant to replace the two that gets voted off, I will applaud them for it.

    And does anyone else remember that during the commercial break they showed an unknown contestant’s audition?

  • CRB

    Well, to believe that Jesse “almost made it” would entail believing that somebody (judges, producers, set assistant with a Ouija board) was making these casting decisions in real time during the East coast broadcast. I find the likelihood of that remote.

    The night before when Jesse’s entry into the Wild Card group was announded Megan ran over to the stairs to greet her, screamed “I love you.” and lifted her up and spun 360Â °. The camera cut to Simon quipping something to Paula and judging by the smug look on his face it wasn’t, “They make a nice couple.” I knew then that only one of those two would make it and didn’t need to tax myself to hard to figure which.

    I don’t think Jesse had a snowballs chance in Hades of making the Finals. Jasmine, as bad as she was (and Reflection was actually decent) was the “safe” choice for the producers. J. Murray is stiff, can’t stay on the note and will be easily dismissed after splitting votes with Lil’ Rounds. Tatiana was just too unpredictable, she let the Motown theme and the forced song choice both “slip” during her post-song judging Thursday (and too talented to keep dismissing as a joke, people were catching on fast) and Jesse was a veteran performer, and an AMAZING guitar player, who would continue to make the rest of the cast, except Adam, look like they hadn’t seen a stage before.

  • Duke

    Still, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“something that rears ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s head every season?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  And à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s huge?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t that Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ego? Heh.

    OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh Snap!

  • NOLA

    Interesting thought. Wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  cancelled after 3 weeks, though? i donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a good idea to borrow from a show that was a complete failure.

    Yes, it was cancelled after 3 weeks. The problem with that show was the format. They followed the contestants around each week. The show was more drama than talent. They even had a contestant that was “in heat” over Kara. He kept hitting on her and the camera ate it up. Kara didn’t handle it well. She isn’t my favorite person in the whole world; in fact, I wish she’d leave my TV.

  • Dr. Tracey

    Even if they showed the percentage of votes how would you know it was the ‘real’ percentage of votes?
    For me personally at this point in time, i’d be very skeptical.

  • http://www.myspace.com/bobicegirl SaucyAussieCookFan

    I’m still angry about Ricky Braddy not getting through, and I think it’s going to take me awhile to get over it. It doesn’t happen very often that I get behind a contestant this early on like I did with Ricky. Like you said, he was almost definitely the best vocalist in the top 36 and should have made it through. He would have sailed right in with the old system and I think that’s what has me the most angry. I never liked this setup even before it started and Ricky not getting through just made me hate it even more. He deserves Jasmine or Michael Sarver’s spot. Ugh.

  • hardkandy

    Hopefully the twist is limiting the number of votes allowed per phone line.

  • oceana

    Based on Superstition, I’m not upset that Ricky didn’t make it, I’m more disappointed about Jesse (and Felicia and Frankie).

    But I do think that Ricky has star potential. He has already aroused a devoted following. He stood out for me in his round of 12, and he definitely had a “shine” to him that made him memorable. I call that Star Quality. However he lost me with Superstition, and there were simply others in the wild card show that were equally as good … though not all of them made it through.

  • Allison

    How about we get rid of 2 ringers this week, and bring back Ricky and Felicia to take their place. Then have a double elimination next week. WE could even vote on who to bring back.
    Right, yeah?

  • New York Avon Lady

    Just stopped by to add my two cents:

    Could the big twist be that the former Idol winners will have a say in the outcome ?? They did manage to get them all together for that Disney thing in Florida, could possibly get them all back together again for the finale or something.

  • 2dogs

    The biggest problem with going to the X Factor format is that — as was made abundantly clear in the wildcard round — I don’t trust these judges to be either fair or insightful. Simon and Kara in particular are overly invested in their favorites, “commercial” artists and “the package.” When the judge’s by-passed Ricky and Jesse for Jasmine and Megan we knew the judges really weren’t listening anymore.

    If the judges aren’t going to be bothered to even make a pretext of fairness and actually judge on the merits of the performance, what it the point of me watching. If they want to make a show about how labels select talent, fine. But call it what it is.

    I was looking forward to the top 12/13 finally starting, because there would be somewhat less opportunity for producer manipulation. Can they possibly be stupid enough and egotistical enough to believe that the audience was craving more manipulation?

  • Natasha

    The biggest problem with going to the X Factor format is that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  as was made abundantly clear in the wildcard round à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t trust these judges to be either fair or insightful. Simon and Kara in particular are overly invested in their favorites,

    Agree. Ricky was great but he obviously didn’t fit in with their “casting” plans for the season. He was probably too much like Golden-boy Danny but a better singer and that cannot be allowed. I’d hate to see the judges eliminate people based on casting.

    The speculation about releasing vote totals or percentages is interesting and that is something that comes up every season. I remember they said they would never do that because if people had known how far Carrie was ahead of Bo it would have hurt the competition but who knows. They change their minds a lot.

    Still, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“something that rears ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s head every season?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  And à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s huge?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t that Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ego? Heh.

    Bwahaha. That was the first thing I thought of too.

  • mahrikka

    I would love it if the twist was limiting votes, but I think the PTB are too attached to stunning us with high vote totals at the beginning of the show.

  • hypertwink

    The Shock Boot always rears it ugly head. So in a year of blatant manipulation, why not up the ante? They did it in Survivor, Top Chef and Project Runway so I think they’ll bring back eliminees to compete again.

  • lovegoodmusic

    2dogs:

    I was looking forward to the top 12/13 finally starting, because there would be somewhat less opportunity for producer manipulation.

    Many people feel the same way, so you are not the lone stranger.

    Letting go of Ricky and Felicia is one thing, but letting Jesse go perplexes me because she has a unique tone to her voice that is worth listening to.

    And this points me to wonder if they are even looking for a recording artist this year?

  • hcpoirot

    Last year X Factor was a disaster when coming into bottom 2 performed and the judges had the power to get rid one. Specially with the judges each had mentor three finalist.

    What happened was, the judges specially Simon and other judge ( man) eliminated the strongest singers in order for their singers to advanced and face weak finalists.

    When the widower win over a better boy singer, that was a strategy for them to booted out Simon finalist. (He was in charged of boy singers) Cause the judges know the widower will never reach top 5. (so it proof)

    And when Simon eliminated the better girl singer, he did it because he wanted less competition for his singer.

    Suprisingly, Alexandra who had not been favourite at all, managed to emerge as strong contender and won the x-factor.

  • sidewalk

    I’m going to be SO mad if the judges have the power to save people. What’s the point in even voting then, if all the really good people will just be easily saved by the judges regardless of votes? UGH. And shockers make the show INTERESTING. They make the show not contrived, they make people believe that maybe the votes really do count. What the heck? It can’t be that. If it is…yuck.

  • http://everyopinion.blogspot.com Terrie

    hypertwink Mar 7th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    The Shock Boot always rears it ugly head. So in a year of blatant manipulation, why not up the ante? They did it in Survivor, Top Chef and Project Runway so I think theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll bring back eliminees to compete again.

    I was coming to post the same thing, except with a different twist. I think the judges will have the power to veto the voting results, especially when there is a so-called shocking boot. Nigel and Ken were so upset when Carly left and Jason stayed.

    If they do this, it’s the final nail in the coffin. AI might be back for another season, but it will never be the same ratings-wise. Why bother to vote or even watch?

    ETA: If they did publicize the voting percentages and filmed the kids living together, that would enhance the drama for sure — and it might change voting patterns for viewers who don’t follow Dial Idol.

  • hcpoirot

    If the judges had the power to vote off one of bottom 2 in AI. They will stacked up top 5 with singers they think will had the right package to do well in music industry and not based on how well their singing and performances.

    And then they always can easily blame people at home who didnot vote their fav enough to stay out of bottom 2.

    I do hope they didnot changes the systems cause it will be too much like X-Factor instead of Idol.

    Simon can always make X-Factor US version rather than combined both of them into one.

  • rockvixen

    Gokey looks like a turtle in this picture…he’s just missing the shell.

  • hcpoirot

    Lets just say if the judges had the power to save one of the bottom 2, Elliot Yamin will not reach top 3 in season 5. I do not think the producers and Simon think Elliot had the right package to success in music industry.

    I hope the twist will be top three in finale . But if they had double elimination, that will not happen.

  • http://everyopinion.blogspot.com Terrie

    hcpoirot Mar 7th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    Lets just say if the judges had the power to save one of the bottom 2, Elliot Yamin will not reach top 3 in season 5. I do not think the producers and Simon think Elliot had the right package to success in music industry.

    I hope the twist will be top three in finale . But if they had double elimination, that will not happen.

    ITA. Jason and Elliott are my all-time AI faves and Jason wouldn’t have made top 4, either.

    I don’t think Nigel would have helped since his unhappiness last year over the eliminations of Carly and Johnsy probably paved the way for the AI8 changes. What is wrong with these people? Do they not pay attention to fan boards or ratings this year?

    I have often felt that Simon would like AI to fail so he can bring the X Factor stateside, especially after he was basically forced to return before season 5. I almost think it’s sabotage, except that Simon seems more willingly involved and enjoying this season than in the past.

  • New York Avon Lady

    Gokey needs to ditch those glasses and invest in some contact lenses.

    Alexis, please get rid of that pink stuff in your hair.

    Double elimination night could be done at the finale instead of now.

  • Hazehel

    Simon can always make X-Factor US version rather than combined both of them into one.

    The thing is that he is contractually obliged NOT to make an American version of X-Factor while American Idol is still going. If there is any incentive for him to see American Idol fail, that will be it.

  • Allen

    I am kind of loving Paula this year. Her critiques have been better and she was the one that was most vocal about Jesse and Rickey. And now we find out she wanted Felicia in as well.

    I agree with mj on the four (Adam, Alexis, Allison, Lil) that made it into the finals with genuinely memorable performances. Interesting that in a “guys year” three of them are girls.

  • http://www.myspace.com/rjveritas MrRJ

    Megan Corkery has no business in the top anything. She can’t sing. Ricky Braddy can….. The producers stink

  • http://everyopinion.blogspot.com Terrie

    Maybe the huge twist will be the one suggested by Trooper York. American Idol will have its first ever “tragedy off” between Danny Gokey and Scott McIntyre.

    As Trooper York wrote about Scott,

    Maybe he can have a tragedy off with the dead wife guy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My wifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oh yeah well my eyeballs are dead.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

  • dreamr

    Maybe he can have a tragedy off with the dead wife guy. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My wifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Oh yeah well my eyeballs are dead.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

    I feel completely evil, but that just made me laugh out loud. XD

  • bean99

    Ricky seemed to have a following before the group rounds started yet had barely any tv coverage. How did you know about him? I’ve found him to have a decent voice but forgetable performances. I’d have loved Jesse to go through instead of Jasmine but think Simon must have wanted the latter because he has the tiebreaker and a 3 -1 vote wouldn’t have resulted in him saying Jesse almost was picked.

    I’m torn on the idea of the judges picking who goes home of the bottom 2 if that’s even an option. There have been times I’ve completely disagreed with the votes and would rather the better singer lasted but hate to go that route. On the other hand, I think it would be good to add something like they do on DWTS and give the judges some input into it.

  • Dr. Tracey

    If they change the format so that the judges can veto the voters choice or choose from a sing off etc etc etc, then they may as well change the name of the show from American Idol to Judges Idol or even Simon’s Idol. LOL.

  • Lu

    Megan Corkery has no business in the top anything. She canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing. Ricky Braddy canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.. The producers stink

    Amen… Fly away flappy arm girl… and let Ricky come back!!!!!!!

  • Hoppy

    What’s weird is that if there really is a “sing for your life” format, that’s also the same thing they do with SYTYCD up until the top 10.

    However, when they do it on SYTYCD, it feels…. okay. Possibly because I KNOW those judges know more about dancing then I (a non-dancer) ever will. But when it comes to Idol? I just don’t trust THOSE judges.

    And ultimately, things work out pretty well on SYTYCD. I don’t think the best dancer has ever won the show, but since they are looking for America’s “favorite” dancer and not the best one, I don’t have a problem with any of the winners. On Idol? Yeah, I’d have a problem with it. Especially if the judges would save Jasmine or Megan every single week.

  • Skylark

    The surprise twist should be America gets to replace current contestants with our favorites from previous seasons!!

  • Hazehel

    Just looked in DialIdol forum and there is this curious thing about the phone numbers, apparently AI doesn’t own the number for the 13th one -

    http://dialidol.com/asp/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6910

    Unless AI changes the phone numbers or grabs the 13th number before the voting start, something is going to get screwed up. If the 13th singer uses a completely different number not in sequence as the rest, wouldn’t that confuse people?

  • gabam

    The thing is, “better singer” is subjective. I don’t like listening to “yellers”, “screamers”, nor “glory note belters” but many people do. I don’t consider those singers “better” because I don’t enjoy their style of singing and would I not buy their music. I like songs where I can hear the words and enjoy the tone of the voice of the singers. For some people, if it’s not loud, it’s not good. I don’t share that opinion. Subjective.

    The judges have made their picks, it should be up to the voters now. Some voters are not easily swayed by the judges obvious manipulations of giving unfair critiques for the purpose of getting rid of contestants who are threats to their chosen ones.

    I think the “surprise” is that the contestants will be living in the mansion together this season and that there will be some behind the scenes footage. Online people know of this but the general public probably doesn’t know it yet.

  • Victoria

    However, when they do it on SYTYCD, it feelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. okay. Possibly because I KNOW those judges know more about dancing then I (a non-dancer) ever will. But when it comes to Idol? I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t trust THOSE judges.

    I agree. I used to at least trust Simon to some extent, but not anymore. It also works on SYTYCD because America isn’t crowning a winner they will buy anything from, listen to on a regular basis, etc. It’s a launching pad for dancers so people can hire them, whereas Idol is a launching pad for singers so America can enjoy them. That’s the difference.

    I really, really hope they don’t do the SYTYCD thing. ARGH.

    If they change the format so that the judges can veto the voters choice or choose from a sing off etc etc etc, then they may as well change the name of the show from American Idol to Judges Idol or even Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Idol. LOL.

    I was just thinking that earlier, haha.

  • oceana

    Yes Megan can sing. She sings well. I like the way she sings.

  • idealistic03

    i’m torn between liking and disliking the new twist…i like the twist i mean the wild card thing because megan got the chance to be back…many people are being unfair to megan just because she can’t belt or make terrific vocals…well as long as i’m concerned megan is the representation of brooke and jason castro this season,it’s not about the style i’m talking but the range of the voice…both brooke and jason are my faves last season eventhough they were not the typical idol we used to see,y’know they were not the diva/divo type but they both lasted long enough anyone could imagine bcoz people learn to love their styles and they were a breath of fresh air after loud and big voices…give megan a chance to grow on your selves and you’ll see it’s all worth it..now i’m kinda disliking the idea of the judges having the say on votes bcoz last year(though brooke is my super fave)america got it all right when they make cookie the winner bcoz he really deserved the title for he’s great and last year i’m kinda disappointed with simon when he almost worship lil david in the finals just so people could vote for him which obviously his favorite was the lil david than the rocker cookie(archie it’s a knockout,rmmber dat?)and then in the finals he said sorry to cookie that was very right to thnk that cookie got a 12M lead with archie..so i think america afterall has the very right to decide on who will win…

  • latecomer

    Tinawina – I had been thinking along the same lines as you – “every year it rears it’s head” that we have a big turnout and celebration for the top 12, but it’s really the top 10 that matters, so you can go on the tour, and two more people face important eliminations. I think that they might be changing the number of performers or format of the tour this year.

    Of course, that’s an excellent point about AI not owning the 13th phone number…so some thing has to be drastically different NEXT WEEK..

    The part about all this that I hate is that a majority of the fans HATE all the changes to the show this year, but a) we’re all talking about it, giving the show “buzz”, and b) we’re all still watching. So the producers have no incentive to put things back the way they were…

  • SOcal_idol

    My fav is kris but like mj said

    Kris Allen need to improve upon wonky semi-final performances.

    I really want him to do very good this week,cuz a lot of people are dissing him. I know hes a good singer but that mj song he did wasnt him.

  • CRB

    oceana Mar 7th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

    Yes Megan can sing. She sings well. I like the way she sings.

    As Meatloaf famously sang, “‘… two out of three ain’t bad.”

  • grapehaus

    I heard they won’t be doing Idol Gives Back (doesn’t that “rear it’s head” every season) as it takes away from the final results show. Without IGB…tada! they have room for a 13th finalist.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Without IGBà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦tada! they have room for a 13th finalist.

    Getting rid of IGB has no impact on the schedule whatsoever. Last year, they just moved the results show to a Thursday, and there was no double elimination.

  • grapehaus

    well – what do I know? just sayin’ what I heard on the AP video.

  • Grammie Kari

    The fact that Simon said Jesse almost made it through makes it more frustrating.

    What they did to Jesse this week was one of the crueliest bits of manipulation ever seen on AI. She becomes aware that they really wanted Arianna, but she screwed up, so Jesse comes back. Then Simon tells the poor girl that she almost made it through? What gives? Jesse goes home wondering what more could she have done to convince them that she deserved to be in the Top 12/13.

    That stinks.

    The Shock Boot always rears it ugly head. So in a year of blatant manipulation, why not up the ante? They did it in Survivor, Top Chef and Project Runway so I think theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll bring back eliminees to compete again.

    It is quite possible that Jesse got more votes than some that actually were chosen (Jasmine). People were happy that she actually got Randy to answer her question. But, what would they do with a Top 14? I believe people would vote Jesse right into the Top 10. That is not in their plans, is it?

  • lefty

    I know they won’t do it, but I would love to see them somehow change voting procedures (as someone said upthread) to limit power voting – something like limiting each telephone # to 10 votes or something. I know there would be people out collecting mobile phones to try to skirt the rules, but I still think it would level the playing field a bit.

    And it would eliminate guilt for people like me who don’t vote more than a handful of times per week, if at all … lol.

  • TwigLA

    I’d love if they found a way to eliminate power voting, but I doubt that would happen. I believe they derive revenue from the votes whether it is one person voting a million times or a million people voting one time.

    However, they could ‘behind the scenes’ count both and use only one vote per phone number called from for the actual results. That’s not something they would tell us about though, so I doubt that is it.

    Maybe we’re thinking too far out of the box. Maybe Paul McCartney will be a mentor on the show.

  • MaryS-NJ

    I know they wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t do it, but I would love to see them somehow change voting procedures (as someone said upthread) to limit power voting – something like limiting each telephone # to 10 votes or something. I know there would be people out collecting mobile phones to try to skirt the rules, but I still think it would level the playing field a bit.

    I’m not sure how that would work. What I fear would happen is they would encourage people to text instead of call in, which means those who have ATT unlimited messaging would have more influence over the choices than everyone else.

    And it would eliminate guilt for people like me who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote more than a handful of times per week, if at all à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ lol.

    Hey, don’t feel guilty. If these performers aren’t exciting enough to inspire people to power vote, that’s not your fault. I still vote a little bit for the favorites of the week, but I just got tired of it after season 5, after spendng hours of time and buying a GoPhone so I could text. I’m too annoyed by the manipulations to play along anymore. The artists I like I will follow after the season’s over and buy their music whether they win AI or not.

    What they did to Jesse this week was one of the crueliest bits of manipulation ever seen on AI. She becomes aware that they really wanted Arianna, but she screwed up, so Jesse comes back. Then Simon tells the poor girl that she almost made it through? What gives? Jesse goes home wondering what more could she have done to convince them that she deserved to be in the Top 12/13.

    That PISSED me off. What’s Jesse supposed to think about that? It’s like they were apologizing to her before they even announced the 4 finalists: “This is going to be a hard decision…” and then the BS about almost making it? What the hell?

    Oh yeah, and MJ, just wanted to say I pretty much agree with you assessment of all the contestants. I’ve enjoyed some of the performances, but I’m not on anyone’s bandwagon at this point. Alexis is the only one I’ve liked all along and some of the others have potential. I like Megan’s vocal quirks but I think it may be more affect than natural and I expect that will come out soon enough if that’s the case. She has terrible technique.
    Adam has a helluva set of pipes but I’m not sure I’m going to love his musical preferences.

    Meh. That’s how I feel.

  • Grammie Kari

    MJ, I agree with your favorite picks as they are also mine. However, I hope some will hold a reserved opinion until Anoop has a song or two more under his belt. There’s lots of room to improve.

    There are many changes AI can make that would be POSITIVE. Let’s see it!

  • shruco

    If the judges choose who goes home from the Bottom 2 or 3, then the show will have slit its own throat with the viewers. It would be the same as letting the judges choose the Final 4 here and now, and even the dumbest grade school fan will figure that out. Were they really that pissed at the voters last year for letting their plants Carly and MJ go too soon, or for picking Cook over Archie, that they’d develop a deathwish this season? I don’t see it.

    No, this ‘twist’ will be just something stupid to cause tension among the contestants, bank on it. The producers don’t give a damn about singing this year or else Ricky and Felicia and Jesse and a few others would still be there. They want shock and drama and conflict instead. Maybe they’ll force the kids to vote on who they think should be eliminated after each show and make their votes public on Wednesday, so that they can have more catfights and backstage pissing contests.

  • Natasha

    No, this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹twistà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ will be just something stupid to cause tension among the contestants, bank on it. The producers donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t give a damn about singing this year or else Ricky and Felicia and Jesse and a few others would still be there. They want shock and drama and conflict instead. Maybe theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll force the kids to vote on who they think should be eliminated after each show and make their votes public on Wednesday, so that they can have more catfights and backstage pissing contests.

    That sounds like The Real World: American Idol. It fits in with something I read in Us Weekly. There’s an article on the “Danny controversy” with a show source quoted as saying Danny’s situation is good TV and there’s going to be more of it as the season progresses. Apparently none of the contestants are upset about it but the same source says it’s going to get tougher for them as things move forward. It sounded a little like they almost hope to cause trouble among the finalists.

  • ordinarygirl09

    well good thing Jasmine made it no comparing her and Jesse. Jesse is terrible.

    I hope the judges pick the one who will leave then it will be easier to get the horrible singer off!

  • lifeisfun

    This top 13 was so predictable! as soon as idol announced the top 36 i picked a top 12 of my own which had:(in no particular order)
    Anoop Desai
    Lil Rounds
    Scott MacIntyre
    Adam Lambert
    Matt Giraud
    Danny Gokey
    Alexis Grace
    Arinna Afsar
    Michael Sarver
    Tatiana Nicole Del Toro
    Megan Corkey
    Jasmine Murray

    and that was because i thought it was an even girl/guy split!

    it would have been so less painful if idol had just started w/ the top 13 they knew they wanted and skipped the top 36! its just proof that no matter what these guys sang they were gonna be in the top 36 regardless!
    I hope mj puts up a space where we can predict the order these guys are eliminated in!

  • Grammie Kari

    It just seems the two with the lowest votes go home. However, they may just ride with one going home each week.

  • julesb2183

    Simon is a producer now, which is why it’s bad. C’mon, choosing Jasmine Murray instead of Felicia?? Give me a break. Never thought I’d say this, but maybe Paula’s intuition is better than Simon’s.