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« American Idol
Episode Recap: The Final Three Revealed!
Hi all -- Mickey O'Connor here again, picking up where we left off last night...
You can always tell when a contestant has had their fill of the Idol smorgasbord. All you have to do is take a close look at the group performances. Tonight, while the final four was busy slaughtering all my fondest college memories with a jazzy, blasphemous rendition of Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years," Jason's posture, body language and half-assed attempt at the choreography all read as one big eye-roll in my book. On the other hand, I'm always kind of amused and surprised to see how game David Cook seems for the whole thing. Maybe he's the one with a future on Broadway.
David Archuleta does a little soft-shoe, aw-shucks shuffle for the fans, and is deemed -- not shockingly! – safe. Speaking of Davids, Paula has an appetite for more "Cookie" – and so does America apparently, and so he is safe too. Duh. And… ew.
And then they went to Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's Beatles Love! Don't tell anybody, but I went to see the Cirque with my family in Orlando many years ago, and I kind of liked it. Ssshhhh! I kept waiting for the Knocked Up-inspired scene where Archuleta is viewed through a fish-eye lens, totally tripping to the show's hallucinogenic visuals. But... no. They loved it! And gave everyone the peace sign! And all they needed was love! What has happened to Vegas, and will it stay in Vegas?
And then (ugh) the questions… does anyone like this segment? Here's my proposal: Next season, put a poll on the website, asking the fans which classic Idol performance they'd like to see again, and show us that instead.
Maroon 5 was in the hizzy to perform "If I Never See Your Face Again," their new single featuring Rihanna. Except… where's Rihanna? Have no fear, lead singer Adam Levine can handle the falsetto, and, well, my love for Maroon 5 began and ended with "This Love," so I have nothing more to say, except that, for my money, the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears has a better falsetto.
Bo Bice seems like a really nice guy, right? His name even rhymes with nice. His wife is pregnant with a boy, and he is gracious and grateful for the launching pad that Idol provided, in a way that you might not expect a Southern-fried rocker like Bo to be. (Remember when he sang "Vehicle" by the Ides of March? It's one of my favorite Idol moments.) His single, "Witness," is a characteristic funky jam, and you can tell he's enjoying the moment. Although, I kept picturing Peter Frampton sitting at home, watching the wah-wah vocal portion of the song, saying to anyone who will listen: I invented that. One critique: To invoke an old Janeane Garofalo routine about hard rockers and their hair: A little leave-in conditioner, size of a dime, will take care of that halo of crispy-crunchies that surrounded Bo's melon.
Syesha Mercado took the opportunity to explain her emotional outburst last night. She said she was suddenly aware of her good fortune, and thought about the significance of the song, even squeezing in a mention of the history-making Democratic race for president. Yay, America!
Then, after 51 million votes, you, the American Idol viewing public, sent Jason Castro home, to the surprise of nearly nobody. As much as all of you (and Simon) wanted to see Jason pack his bags and go this week, I think Jason himself may have wanted it even more.
"Somebody told me that I shot the tambourine man yesterday -- I thought that was pretty funny," Jason said, as they were about to announce who was going home. Something about this episode made me really wonder if we ever really knew the guy. Sure, his singing was inconsistent, and he was notoriously shy, but I suspect that in the real world, Jason is kind of a character. When Ryan asked if he was relieved to be going home, he answered, "Three songs this week -- I don't know what I would have done." I, for one, appreciate his honesty.
"I'm a fun guy; I hope I [could] translate that and make a good show," Jason said in his departure package. I, for one, think he did. Good luck, Jason!
(TiVo Check: In the New York City area, the show was immediately followed by a missing-children alert sponsored by the local Fox station, which featured Sanjaya (!) saying, "It's 10 pm; do you know where your children are?" Sweet or creepy? You decide.)
Did America make the right decision? And who do you want to see in the final? Vote here for your current pick to win Idol.
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May 7, 2008 10:59 PM
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Someone said Jason did an interview saying he was ready to go home. That being the case, I guess his fans were willing to let him go. He never seemed to rebound after being sick.
I'm glad Syesha is in the final three. It should be an interesting next few weeks.
If I had to chose between getting rid of the questions or the arm waving, I'd choose the arm waving.
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May 7, 2008 11:11 PM
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Nice recap, Mickey!
It's funny -- as much as all the AI conspiracy/idiocy is beginning to bother me this season, I'm getting a kick out of the elimibation shows, which I never used to watch.
My thoughts:
Opening singalong: not as bad as in recent weeks.
Ryan chats with Archie before announcing he's safe (duh): Archie's speaking voice should not be heard. I still don't know if he's Bert or Ernie, but it's one of them. In future, he must sing all answers in response to Ryan's banter.
What was with the dueling-Poindexter Vegas cuts for the Davids? Yikes.
So glad my Cookie is safe.
Ford Ring-of-Fire commercial: 3 out of the 4 Idols looked pretty hot. I'll let you guess.
How old was David C's call-in date? She sounded like my mom. Hmmm.
The "biggest challenge question", answered for us all: None of the future Idols will be curing cancer.
I love Maroon 5. Which is interesting, because I never heard of them until Blake Lewis last year. Have you guys noticed that the "mentors" (with a few exceptions) usually sound awful during these elimination shows, but the current bands sound great? It's an enigma. Or maybe not.
Bo Bice: I missed his "idol" year, so I have no frame of reference. I liked him quite a lot. Brought me back to "Blood, Sweat and Tears" from a million years ago when I was just a wee lass. Seems like a cool guy.
Ryan tells Jason he sang "most of Tamborine Man". That made me giggle.
Jason is all cute and honest about his inexperience. He must marry me.
Syesha is all actressy and knows what to say. She's a quick study.
It turns out our dreadlocked boy is at the bottom. This is the first time I feel like we "let one" go home, even if we didn't want to. He's joyously happy.
And so Jason goes home. The world is as it should be. I'll send you all an invitation to the wedding.
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May 7, 2008 11:24 PM
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It was definitely Jason's time to go, but the kid cracked me up, so I am gonna miss him. I was rolling when he said "Somebody told me I shot the tambourine man"...
Syesha is all actressy and knows what to say.
Totally agree, JennieO! That has always bugged me about her.
The girl that asked David Cook out on a date was 24. I'm surprised Ryan took that call, it kind of put Dave in a pickle. They'll probably get her backstage passes or something to the show in her hometown. At the same time though I was kind of like, "Why didn't I think of that?!"
Love Maroon 5. David Cook's old band Axium actually opened for them back in the day, but I'm not surprised at all that this wasn't acknowledged.
Love Bo Bice! I was totally digging that song. Bo and Carrie were my two favorites from the beginning of season four.
Also I agree that little Archie isn't the best um, speaker. *giggle*... OK, that was a little mean.
Can't wait to see what my DC has in store for us next week!
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May 7, 2008 11:48 PM
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The "biggest challenge question", answered for us all: None of the future Idols will be curing cancer.
Laffin. Well put, Jennie. I was trying to think of a tactful way to say that.
As I recall, the caller who asked DC for a date is 24. What was Ryan thinking to put him on the spot like that? He got out of it w/o hurting her feelings too badly with "we'll see." But guess it was worth the risk to her......he just might have said yes.
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May 7, 2008 11:53 PM
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It's funny, Mickey. I'm from a little town that borders Jason's hometown, and my much younger cousin had told me she knew Jason and went to school with him. I just found out she knew him a lot better than I thought. Apparently he used to come over to her house all the time, and he once jumped off the roof of their barn. So I guess he is quite a character!
I'd read an excerpt from an interview with one of the entertainment mags (sorry, can't remember which one) where he did say he was ready to go. So I guess America got it right and Jason got his wish.
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May 8, 2008 12:13 AM
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I read in the newspaper Tuesday morning excerpts from an interview that Jason had given in which he was quoted as saying he was ready to go home. I showed it to my wife, and she said he knows what he has to do if he wants to go home. That night she called me upon seeing the show (I missed it, had to work late) and told me that she thought Jason had thrown it; not blown it, but thrown it. Maybe it was just a bad night, or maybe his performance was somehow subconsciously inspired. Whatever the case, I don't think I have ever seen anyone so joyously happy to be leaving and going home.
My the way, I told my daughter that I would not be surprised for Jason to say that he had packed his bags during the Ryan interview. Sure enough, when Simon's comment was raised by Ryan, Jason said he had.
Good luck, Jason. I guess Syesha goes next week to leave what seems the inevitable David v. David matchup. But I still just cannot see David A. as the idol. I think he belongs on the Disney channel.
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May 8, 2008 12:23 AM
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so tonight wasn't as boring as other elimination shows have been...and I'm happy w/ the results. Although I must say I was a little surprised-and you can tell Syesha was too! I thought Jason's fan base was much larger than hers but maybe they cut him slack and really did let him go home. He wanted to go, and I can't wait for him to come out w/ a cd, that will be some sweet tunes for a road trip or a day at the beach for sure!
Was it just me, or did anyone get a hint of maybe david c being gay? Because I remember a few weeks ago during one of those questions he pretty eagerly said that he was single, at least it was eagerly said to my fluttering heart lol, but tonight he seemed completely turned off that that poor girl would wanna go out w/ him lol. Its all PR, he could have just said yes even if it will never happen. I was just surprised at this very visible aversion to the whole thing. he better get used to it his days of obscurity are nothing but memories now.
So does anyone seriously think that Syesha is going to make it past next week into the finals? I think it would make for interesting tv if she did, but I honestly feel like this year she doesn't belong. Usually by the end everything funnels and no matter which shocking exits there were during the competition the last 3 are usually the most worthy (Kat mcphee and taylor hicks withstanding). I dont know, I just think it would have been more drama if we all honestly thought that all 3 were worthy of the final 2. There's no way that syesha deserves a spot in the finals. Had Carly made it this far though, she would have been a real contender and it would have been a real competition next week. Is David v. David really inevitable? I think so...
I've rambled on too far already lol.
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May 8, 2008 12:25 AM
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Hey Jennie....Get thee some help like maybe to a shrink. Just my humble opinion. It has been an embarassment that Jason was voted to stay all these weeks and then finally the doofuses who voted for him woke up and realized that he was not a very good performer or even good at articulating the English language with any conviction.Just shows how dumb the voting process is and how unfair to those who really can sing and show their true talents. Wake up kids and stop wasting time text messaging and living on the computer. Go do some homework or read a book if you long attention spans. Gee this was so overdue that Jason take a hike back to his tent.
Looking forward to next week. I declare Cook the winner. David A. as good as his potential, is not the Idol type of performer and he too can hardly express himself with true emotion. His face hardly changes and he really has to chose some knockout songs next week.
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May 8, 2008 12:35 AM
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I've rambled on too far already
Truly. Your post was so rambling it wasn't worth the few seconds I spent. I still don't know what you're talking about. Don't bother repeating -- I won't be reading.
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May 8, 2008 12:37 AM
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I don't necessarily think David Cook is gay, and I definitely don't blame him for not being all gung ho about wanting to meet up with someone who called him up on national tv to ask him out on a date! Plus, seriously, for all he knows, and no offense to her if she's reading this, but she could be barefoot and pregnant and missing her front teeth  The whole thing was so awkward and he looked really uncomfortable because I'm sure he didn't want to look like a total jerk.
so, the departure was as expected.. Syesha is doing her hometown visit on Friday here and I may go, even though I'm not rooting for her at all. I'd probably get run over if I held up a Vote for David Cook sign though, right? hehe.
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May 8, 2008 12:43 AM
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Hey Jennie....Get thee some help like maybe to a shrink.
Jeez, trombone, I always thought you were one of the people who got a kick out of American Idol, yet knew it was a joke.
Guess not. Thanks for making me feel like a jerk. Anything stupid I said was not my intention. I was just talking.
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May 8, 2008 12:45 AM
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Whoa, trombone--did you misplace your sense of humor? I, for one, will be waiting breathlessly for my wedding invitation. LOL
Jason is a cutie, and seems like a real cut-up, but it was time that he went...past time, to be honest. Oh well, no matter how the rest of the season shook out, David v. David was pretty much a given, unless Carly managed an upset somehow.
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May 8, 2008 1:06 AM
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I'm so happy he is gone. Almost as happy as I was when Brooke left. Finally, all the duds are out of the competition. I don't think Syesha will make it past this week. I really don't see why people don't think Syesha is geniune. Although, I never thought Brooke was really geniune. But, I'd take Syesha's personality over Brooke's any day of the week. God Brooke was annoying. I'm rooting for David C. May I say how happy I am that Jason is going home. Hopefully, I will never have to hear his warbally, weak, mediocre voice (and his inability to articulate) ever again. Bye.....
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May 8, 2008 1:32 AM
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JennieO, I'm a 38-year-old professional woman, wife, and mother, and I loved your post. Trombone, you're showing yourself to be way old-fashioned and taking AI way too seriously. The show is great fun and offers people who would never have any opportunity like this anywhere else to shine. You should be happy that such a range of people love to share in the show, rather than feel the need to lecture over a completely misunderstood bit of exuberant humor.
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May 8, 2008 4:33 AM
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