The Top 10 Results – vidcaps later, I promise
Bye, bye Lisa Tucker.
Ok. That was SO NOT SHOCKING. I posted an interview with Nigel Lythgoe earlier, and he said that tonight’s Bottom 3 would be “worse than the 3 Divas in the Bottom 3.”
Unless ya think having three of the worst-performing contestants of the night making up the Bottom 3 is shocking–I think not.
There is a big difference between tonight’s Bottom 3 and The Three Diva’s Bottom! Three! Shocking! Moment! The Divas all performed well the night they landed in the bottom, particularly Jennifer Hudson–who wound up getting the boot (oh the humanity–I nearly gave up on AI that week–such a big fuss over a stoopid TV show…).
Tonight’s Bottom 3? NO. So Nigel? Just stop it.
Tonight’s SHOCKING SHOCKING recap
Oooh look – Jessica Sierra from Season 4, in the house…
Ford Commercial – The Idols gave out Popsicles to confused passersby. Taylor Hicks danced with some old lady. And…uhhm…..huh? Bucky played guitar! That’s supposed to sell cars? Ok then.
The Death of the Pointy Pose
Dang, peeps. Barry Manilow last week, Shakira and Wyclef Jean this week. Next week, Travis Tritt. Rod Stewart coming up. I think the incredibly beautifully horrifyingly entertaining group numbers are gone for good. SOB. I loved the group numbers. I looked forward to the group numbers. The cheesier and more badly choreographed the better. And medleys. Must…have…medleys. Loved loved loved the medleys. And of course, the big big finish…with all the idols frozen in beauty-pageant pose–fingers pointed skyward. I always watch for the contestant who’s giggling through the pointy pose–or rolling his eyes. Eye roll during pointy pose = My Instant Favorite. Hee.
Really, except for last season’s insanely cheesy finale medley, (featuring Beach Boys songs!) there hasn’t been a decent group number since Season 3. Week two of the semis, with the girls leading on “Love the One Your With, ” showed promise. But it looks like I’m just gonna have to have a moment of silence for the Pointy Pose…and move on….sniff.
Shakira and Wyclef Jean
Shakira did some belly-dancing thing. She’s very pretty. I like that she’s not a skinny stick. And she can really shake her thang. But while the dance moves were good, the lip-syncing was really bad. Simon would have sent poor Shakira packing at the audition stage, I’m afraid. The performance was very peppy, though. Wyclef rapped. Honestly, I don’t have much more to say. I really only listen to rock music. The modern R&B Hip-Hop stuff kinda loses me. But I prefer this to Barry Manilow’s corpse-like performance last week. Just wait ’til next week and Travis Tritt. I get Country music even less. Especially the stuff that’s played on the radio nowadays. Heh, when Wyclef Jean jumped into the audience, I think he scared Simon.
Lookey! It’s Justin Guarini, AI1–grooving with Wyclef!!!
The SHOCKING SHOCKING Bottom Three – Hey, Nigel said it was shocking. And, who am I to question Nigel? Ahem.
Ryan tells the audience that he’s “looking for the three people with the lowest number of votes.” This is very important, because Ryan doesn’t always state specifically that the three contestants pulled out to stand on the seal are the lowest vote getters. Being vague in this regard gives the producers leeway to stage a bottom three for maximum shock value. Or maybe to motivate the fan base of a chosen one. No rules broken–it’s just good Tee Vee kiddies.
The eliminations begin. Ryan pans the entire bottom row: Mandisa, Chris, Kelly, Taylor and Paris are safe. The five sitting in the back row: Elliott, Lisa, Ace, Katharine and Bucky–could be bottom three. Katharine and Ace did not look happy.
Perfect time for a break!
Elliott Yamin is up first. He clowns around to break the tension. He is quickly told that he’s safe. I breath a sigh of relief. Lisa Tucker is next. She’s smiling. She knows. Ryan sends her to the seal. Ace Young is next. He looks like he’s going to barf. Gah, the poor guy. He’s just so nervous all the time. I like Ace. I’d be a fan if it weren’t for that whole his-singing-really-sucks deal. Ace is again bottom three. He smiles slightly and heads for the seal.
Ugh. It’s down to Katharine McPhee and Bucky Covington. The Aloof Sophisticate and the Sweet Country Boy. She of the Royal Pimpage. He of the Simon-Can’t-Ditch-Him Fast Enough. No wonder they went ahead and pulled the lowest vote getters. Can’t get better than this. Katharine is sent to the seal. This is what Nigel meant when he said the Bottom Three would be shocking. But ya know what? Bucky outperformed Katharine Tuesday. Handily. People are booing. Stop booing, people–the contestant who wound up on the seal deserved to be there. Sorry Katharine–don’t suck so much next time.
Back from break. Ace has that spaced-out deer-in-the-headlights look he gets when he’s standing in front of the judges. I think the competition–the stress and the criticism–is wearing him down. Lisa smiles her big gorgeous smile. She’s prepared for what’s coming. Katharine nervously rubs her lips together. Ace is sent back first. He doesn’t even look relieved–just shell shocked.
Ryan asks the judges what they think. Simon back-pedals furiously on Katharine as he explains how he watched her performance back and it was nowhere near as good as he thought it was. Honestly, I don’t think he ever believed she was good in the first place. He was propping her up with false compliments, and when Kat ended up in the bottom three anyway, he covered his butt. Katharine looked pissed. I don’t blame her.
The SHOCKING SHOCKING Elimination – Only Not.
Finally, Lisa is sent home with a proper sing-out.
I thought she might stick around another week after the judges criticized her harshly and she almost started to cry. But, with Lisa in the Bottom 3 two weeks in a row–her expiration date was past due. Like the other teens, Kevin and Will, I think Lisa was a little too young for the competition–despite the fact she had years of show-business experience under her belt. She was comfortable on camera–that wasn’t the problem. That vocally and emotionally she hadn’t matured yet, meant she was completely outmatched by her much older competitors. Paris Bennett is an old soul inhabiting a young body, so in a way, she was older than Lisa, too. Like her pal Kevin Covais–it’s back to school for Lisa, where a few more years of experience in every single way will make her a better singer. In her twenties, she could turn out to be an amazing performer.
