America got it right this week on AMERICAN IDOL, never a slam dunk. They didn’t vote off Crystal, Lee, Siobham, or the African-American just because his, uh… size is different from all the others.Two were sent packing this week since Big Mike was saved by the judges last week, who recognized that he had the talent to be there and shouldn’t be penalized because of his, uh… size.
Andrew Garcia went first. That was a given. He’s lucky the judges sent him to Hollywood even though he lives in Los Angeles.
For the second eliminee (a word I just made up but applies) it was between Katie Stevens and Big Mike, the Zoftic-American. Katie got the ax and Ryan made a point of saying Big Mike wasn’t even in the bottom three. But then what was he doing up there? Was IDOL just trying to build up ratings in the south?
I skipped through most everything else. Nice to see Brooke White again as she slowly morphs into Nancy Sinatra. And Adam Lambert needed lasers and cloud effects to help sell the message, “What Do You Want From Me?” I guess it makes sense if he’s supposed to be Zeus.
Next week is AMERICAN IDOL GIVES BACK so I won’t be reviewing it. Who cares? It’s their self-serving, heart-on-their-sleeve, chance to squeeze one more week out of the season. The sincerity will ooze like a sucking chest wound. It’s a ratings ploy. If they could get away with it they’d just as soon stage AMERICAN IDOL GIVES HEAD.
I was channeling my inner Simon last night as Adam went on and on asking "What Do You Want From Me?"
ReplyDelete"Cut the song by 2/3 and stop being so flipping self-indulgent!"
yeah, seriously, i'd rather them use up the week with a "clips" show..
ReplyDeleteWas it just me, or did the opening medley sound just right for the Lawrence Welk Show? Or maybe Up With People?
ReplyDeleteGah!
I'm sure others, here or elsewhere, have brought this up...but the song categories seem unfair to the female contestants.
ReplyDeleteStones, Beatles, and especially Elvis.
It's okay for the guys to have to sing those artists' songs, but a little tougher, imo, for the women.
Wouldn't the guys be bellyaching if it was a Patsy Cline week...or Celine Dion or Madonna?
I needed that laugh!
ReplyDeleteGAWD I LOVE YOU!
ReplyDeleteJust FYI - there will be an eliminee during Idol Gives Back ... http://twitter.com/HitFixDaniel/status/12243274640
ReplyDeleteTom... The producers clearly chose the Stones, the Beatles and Elvis so they could enjoy making the contestants squirm at being told they need to sound "young" while singing 45-year-old songs.
ReplyDeleteNo surprises with Andrew's elimination. I thought that Siobhan would have been the other.
ReplyDeleteTom, imitating Madonna seemed to work in Weird Al's favour.
ReplyDeleteAnd why not a 'Weird Al' week?
Do you honestly believe that Mike was voted off because of his . . size?!? That is such a weak and easy scapegoat of a statement. It's like anytime you critize the President people call you a . . .siz-cist even though your criticism is nothing about his . . . size. Same with Mike. I don't think the people who didn’t vote for him are . . .siz-gots. They just thought he stunk up the joint that week.
ReplyDelete"The sincerity will ooze like a sucking chest wound."
ReplyDeletePlease let me know where to send your royalty payment, as I will be employing that line frequently for the rest of my life.
Uh, what exactly does Ken Levine have against Idol using it's popularity to raise money for the needy?
ReplyDeleteI guess he thinks starving poor people can't use the assistance. Jeez
If that was their real purpose then I'd be all for it. But they could also give back a portion of their huge profits and not turn it into a self serving ratings circus. I don't see them doing that. I see them using charity as a gimmick for a TV show.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point, but personally I'd be ok with every TV show using raising money for charity, even if it's also a self-serving gimmick.
ReplyDeleteHaving grown up in a working class community, the only time I was ever exposed to anything charitable as a kid was through the Jerry Lewis telethon.
Whether or not it's self serving, Idol does an enormous amount of good through Idol Gives Back. Not just raising money, but most importantly raising awareness about the importance of helping people and reaching those who wouldn't have a clue about it otherwise.
And then the following week it's all forgotten as they get to the business at hand of singing Number Ones from the Year You Were Born Week.
ReplyDeleteHit 'em again, Ken. Verbal sparring is good for the insides...
ReplyDeletelet it out.
Perfect!
ReplyDeleteNot getting involved in the "Idol Gives Back" controversy, but I was thinking after Tuesday's show: Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to watch if Chuck Barris was producing it?
ReplyDeleteAMERICAN IDOL GIVES HEAD--Not such a stretch, actually. After all, Adam Lambert got in trouble at some awards ceremony by pretending to get head.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and since you always post about American Idol I thought you might appreciate this Graph Jam: http://graphjam.com/2010/04/28/funny-graphs-monty-python-paradox/
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
-Chris
meant to post this link, haha:
ReplyDeletehttp://graphjam.com/2010/04/27/funny-graphs-effort-reality-american-idol/
I understand the cynicism, re the Idol Gives Back ratings effort, but the bottom line is, they raise a lot of money for charity, and that can NEVER be a bad thing, no matter what the ulterior motives may be, and I think it's unworthy of you to belittle their efforts.
ReplyDelete