Was the best moment of last week’s results show the Paula Abdul choreographed “Shake Your Body Down to the Ground” or what? Too many way awesome pointy poses = way too much fun!
It put me in a great mood that I eventually lost by the end of the episode. After the prior week’s feel-good save, I had an inkling the good vibes wouldn’t last. And for me, they ended when Matt Giraud–a contestant who America decided had run his course the week before–didn’t even hit the bottom 3.
If Matt’s elimination had truly seemed like a fluke, or unjust maybe I’d have a different attitude. After all, the Save is supposed to reverse “shock” boots. But his cringe-worthy performance of “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” should have sent him packing. That the judges saved him on a re-do performance that was just as bad as the original, proves the Save is both a gimmick, and another tool the judges can use to influence the outcome.
Anoop Desai is the contestant who got sacrificed for the sake of good TV. Chances are, Lil would have gone out the following week, and Anoop would have made the Top 5 instead of Matt. Anoop had been stepping it up big-time while Matt had been faltering. If you ask me, it was Anoop who really deserved to be saved.
Anoop’s exit interviews have been both thoughtful and gracious, reminding me why I liked him in the first place. He wasn’t quite ready for prime-time when he hit the Idol stage, but he was getting there. I wanted him to go a wee bit further, but thems the breaks. Nothing is fair in Idol land, so I’ll just shut up now. One more thing: Do not care about good TV–I do not like the Save.
Lil Rounds probably wonders what the hell hit her. Once, she was considered a shoo-in for Top 3, and now she’s out at 7. I was convinced she would make the Top 5, even with mediocre performances. But a couple of things happened. Her performances got worse and worse, and the judges abandoned her. Even if she’d improved a little, keeping the judges on her side, I think she would have gone farther–past people who were performing better.
With the elimination of two persons of color this week, I’m pretty happy the media didn’t make it an issue. I counted only one “Is American Idol Racist?” headline, and that lone article came to the conclusion that, no, it probably wasn’t. Not only is this year’s Top 5 the whitest we’ve ever had, it’s also the most male centric. Allison Iraheta, both female and hispanic is keeping diversity alive in the Top 5 all by herself!
That’s not the reason Allison should advance, of course. She’s proving to be a consistently talented singer week in and week out. Sadly, her constant appearances in the Bottom 3 mean she’s not connecting to the public somehow. I fear for her safety next week.
It’s either going to be Allison or Matt Giraud going home, I predict. Allison has one hope–the judges seem to be on her side. Matt’s proven he was worthy of the save by lasting one more week, so I suspect the producers may be done with him now. If Allison gets better treatment from the judges next week, and she performs really well–she’s been more consistent than Matt–she’s got a fighting chance.
There’s been lots of talk of Kris Allen coming up in Danny Gokey’s rear view mirror. It turns out Kris is selling more iTunes performances than Danny. The judges love Kris, and as we speak, the internet buzz around him gets louder and louder. I think he’s got an excellent shot for the Top 3. Maybe even the Top 2. But, I would not count out Danny Gokey. Not yet.
I just saw the Gospel Channel special on Christian Idols that featured Chris Sligh, Melinda Doolittle, Mandisa and Phil Stacey. Danny got an entire segment to himself. His sister and brother-in-law were featured speaking about Danny’s faith and the tragic passing of his wife. There was also footage of Danny performing at his Milwaukee church. This year’s other worship leaders, Kris Allen and Michael Sarver, got a passing mention–not even by name.
So Danny’s got buzz ya’ll–just not in the typical places. He’s got a strong, faithful fanbase who have been voting for him week in and week out. Without knowing how big Danny’s fanbase is, it’s hard to tell how far it will take him. But, Simon Cowell appears to be in Danny’s corner, and that can only help. Simon may be throwing Kris under the bus around Top 3.
Hope Kris enjoys singing songs about penguins! Heh.
Adam Lambert, so far, is running away with this thing. I expect him to win, but stranger things have happened. At this stage of the game, we could wind up with a crazy shock boot. It’s more likely to be Kris Allen or Danny Gokey–at this point. Looking at those iTunes numbers–Adam has so much momentum behind him, he could take a giant dump in the middle of the stage and still sail through to the next round.
My revised prediction:
Adam 1 0r 2 (probably 1)
Danny 1-3
Kris 2-3
Allison – 4-5
Matt – 4-5
