Didn’t like the fake-out as Ryan “activated” the first set of “shocking!” results, because I am just enough of a pessimist/realist to believe that the girls could easily have been Your Bottom Three tonight. (For more, visit my new blog, WhyDoTweenageGirlsHateOtherGirlsSoMuch Dot Com.) Not sure the three ladies liked it much, either, or the crowd. When Ryan pronounced the dwindling females safe, the mom in front of me with the sign said, “That wasn’t nice.” Tim Urban relaxed back into the safety sofa with a big “Wow.” Once we cut to commercial and she returned to the couch, the expression on Katie’s face was that of a girl who might never trust again. Ryan made up for the freak-out by high-fiving her.
The mom in front of me got noticed for her “MamaSox Rox” sign during this break, earning a blown kiss from Crystal herself. This caused something to snap in the mom’s brain, and she turned around in her chair. “Hold your signs up!” she implored the daughters in the row behind me. When they were reticent to comply, she said it again. I would wager she asked the daughters to hold their signs up at least a dozen times over the course of the show. I am pretty sure she made those signs herself. I am also sure that this form of stage parenting has limited applications outside of the Idoldome, but as a Childless Spinster, I do so enjoy watching the families who visit the Idoldome. Most of the time, the parents are more excited than their kids. (Dad in the Orange Sweater from Tuesday night, if you’re out there, please know that your ignorance of the term “cougar” totally made my week.)
Back from commercial for Jason Derulo’s performance, which was like the bus-and-truck version of Rihanna’s. There was the huge band, complete with forward-tilted keyboard. (Is this an ergonomic thing? A tribute to the keytar? Why are we too cool to play piano horizontally all of a sudden?) There were flamethrowers. In place of grinder girls, there were girls, grinding. Your. Top. 9. sat on the couches and tried not to get stepped on by dancers, and I tried to parse their facial expressions. Aaron was clapping along. Andrew and Big Mike were grooving, Ryan was doing his awkward bouncing thing, and Katie was singing along. As far as I can tell, Lee looks like he’s having his toenails ripped out at all times. Everyone else was just kinda sitting there. Oh, except for Kara. Kara was more jazzed than Violet Beauregarde at the Fruit Stripe factory. I didn’t have many opinions about what I was watching beyond a strong belief that One Glove = Rock Star, but Two Gloves = Hillside Strangler. Every time a flamethrower blasted, I could feel the heat on my nose.
During the break, Debbie sent Jason Derulo over to meet n’ greet the Idols, and the judges followed close behind. Kara kissed Jason Derulo on the cheek (he’s her own personal Everlasting [this month anyway] Gobstopper!), Simon congratulated him warmly, then spent a few moments with the contestants. Debbie coached the guys on where they’d stand during the next activation of results, and the mom in front of me told her daughter to “Show Big Mike your sign!”
They rolled out a grand piano. “Please welcome to the stage, Mister David Archuleta,” Debbie said, and he entered to warm screeches. With his Spock hair and pasty complexion, Archie looked more A.I. than ever — except for his poor nervous shaking horizontal-piano-playing hands, projected on the big screen behind him — but his recycled “Imagine” would have put him through to the next round in this or any other season of the show. Your. Top. 9. listened respectfully, Aaron rocking back and forth slightly, perhaps engaging in some focused visualization exercises. I found it reassuring that our seventh season runner-up still slouches and cannot articulate a complete thought, despite his worldwide fame and fortune. I did not like the way they sent him off without a commercial break to honor his exit. I may not be the biggest Archie fan in the world (or an Archie fan), but you can’t pretend like his gravy train wasn’t a thick and meaty one. Don’t treat the kid like some random bagpipe player.
Ryan activated more results: Lee went to the far side, where he looked ever so slightly less waterboarded than usual, and even gave the pit a small wave. Big Mike was near side. “Put your sign up,” said Mom. Casey: Far side. Aaron: Near side. Tim: Eeeeeeeeeeee! Far side, which was now unquestionably safe. Andrew: Near side.
Right about here, Ellen began looking genuinely concerned. Although she correctly predicted the Big Mike/Aaron/Andrew Bottom Three, I believe it took every ounce of strength in her sneakers to do so. Mom in front of me kept shooting daughter looks to put up her Big Mike sign, at one point just turning around and staring with those Mom-Dagger eyes. The daughter tentatively held up the sign.
When Aaron was the first Bottom Three contestant to be sent back to the couches, Lee couldn’t even look him in the eye. In fact, Lee actually leaned slightly away from Aaron. When we cut to commercial, Lee stood up and tried to go to Andrew to comfort him, but was pulled back by a staffer. It was heartbreak incarnate! Lee and Andrew, being torn apart by fate, their perfect love at risk, and the men not even allowed to hold each other! Crystal tried to hug Lee, but he was just inconsolable. Seriously, the kid could barely walk.
Meanwhile, Tim and Casey were all smiles. Aaron just looked guilty. The girls in the top row were laughing, engaging the pit. I couldn’t see Big Mike or Andrew because that danged ol’ camera was blocking me again. The mom in front of me tried one more time to get the daughters to put the signs up…AND THEY GOT NOTICED! “I can’t read those,” said Cory.
As Rihanna entertained us via the magic of Memorex, the safe Idols watched the big screen with their usual Children of the Corn-esque expressions. Tim was more entertained by mugging for the swaybots, and Casey was clearly consoling Lee. When Tim tried to draw the guys’ attention to something in the middle of the room, they ignored him, so Tim turned around to talk to the girls. Crystal mouthed, “I’m a rock star,” then did a little jig. I have never seen seven people under the age of 30 be less interested in anything pop culture-related (or played on a jumbotron at high volume) than those kids were in Rihanna’s number. When it ended, we clapped again. With our hands over our heads, of course, even though no one would ever see.
During this final commercial break, 7-year-old Max, inventor of the pencil-sharpener dance, got to come up on stage and hug Big Mike. Big Mike responded by lifting Max up by his ankle. Then Cory fell into the stage left pit. “I just wanted a hug,” he said to the tweenage girls on whom he landed. “He’s been drinking,” said Debbie.
When we returned to air, Lee started literally biting his nails. When Andrew was declared safe, Crystal and Tim were visibly shocked, and the boos started to rain down. “They’ll save him,” mouthed Lee, and when Big Mike hit the first note of his Maxwell cover, I knew our resident tortured soul was right. Most people were watching Big Mike’s performance, but Lee was focused squarely on the judges, his sad eyes burning a hole right through Kara’s rayon finery as she leaned both literally and metaphorically on Simon. I don’t know if Lee was feeling some crazy survivor’s guilt or if he’s considering cheating on Andrew with Big Mike, but that kid really wanted that save.
When Simon announced that Big Mike would live to sing another day, there was pandemonium. Kara hugged him like he’d just bought her a pony. (A pony named Glue, but still a pony!) Tim Urban’s dad threw both fists victoriously in the air. All these judges are getting picked up by their ankles later, I wrote. The Idoldome was awash in Quinton Aaron levels of joy. “Get your sign up!” yelled the mom. We went off the air. All the judges except for Simon headed for the stage. “Give it up for your judges for using The Save,” yelled Cory, and we did. Oh, how we did. We gave it up like people who knew they were witnessing the very best kind of history: The kind that reminds us of other history that was better because it was the first time, and we were so much more innocent then. Matt Giraud, I salute you.
Didn’t like the fake-out as Ryan “activated” the first set of “shocking!” results, because I am just enough of a pessimist/realist to believe that the girls could easily have been Your Bottom Thr ...
sweetmm Post at 9-4-2010 13:23
sampai skrg tak setuju diorang guna save tuu awal sgt..pengundi america nie bukannyer leh caya..esok lusa kalo casey...crystal..lee..siobghan in danger camner
pesal kena ader drama kisah cinta lee ngan andrew...aper motif producer AI this time
kannn... kalau casey bottom, dah tak boleh tolong dah. apa lah ko Kara. Big Mike tu sure terkuar punya tak lama lagi, membazir jek. Sapa suruh dia nyanyi Eleanor Rigby, sure tak boleh challenge versi David Cook punya (sampai sekarang ingat).
Aku dah agak dah mesti minggu nie mike akan masuk bottom three.
sebab apa...
American idol dah menyusun pun strategi dorang.
kalau didi benami dapat di selamatkan minggu lepas.pasti dia akan menyanyi "hey Jude' dengan baik sekali minggu nie..
Ada banyak persoalan kenapa rubben studard datang perform minggu lepas dan bukan pemenang american idol yang lain.dan cuba tengok nama lagu tu
ia seolah2 nak bagi perjuangan mike terbatas..
banyak betul konspirasi dalam American idol
mike save..
kini...mike kena berdepan dengan sesuatu yang di panggil susah minggu depan sbb peminat mike kena mengundi 2 kali ganda untuk menyelamatkan mike..
jika tidak, terpaksa lah menerima hakikat American idol memang bersifat racis tetapi berpura-pura tidak bersifat racis.contoh2 dah ada ;Vonzell Solomon, Lakisha jones, melinda doolittle, syesha mercado, lil rounds, paige,.....
Apa2pun katie nampak menyerlah dan kembali semula this week.Aku dah nampak katie back to competition.perempuan nama crystal tu aku rasa mungkin dia boleh jadi next adam...hebat @ fantastic tetapi bukan untuk jadi juara.jadi tempat no 2 jer dah cukup.
tapi minggu nie dorang nyanyi lagu bettles kan?aku rasa tidak ada sorang pun yang boleh tandingi Syesha mercado masa nyanyi lagu the betles.yesterday time david cook tu.best giler dia nyanyi.dengan lagu Got To Get You Into My Life yang American idol nyanyi ramai2 2 malam tadi.tak boleh tandingi Syesha mercado.tapi nak buat macamana.buat persembahan dengan baik pun.Last2 jadi bottom 3.juri dengan orang dalam american idol mmg racist giler~
Aku dah agak dah mesti minggu nie mike akan masuk bottom three.
sebab apa...
American idol dah menyusun pun strategi dorang.
kalau didi benami dapat di ...
doden Post at 10-4-2010 13:32
nasib baik fanntasia barrino n ruben termenang.... or else mmg racist sgt2
but ai rasa sbb lately racist ni maybe salah kanye west dan chris brown :@
Post time 9-4-2010 01:23 PM
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