There's very little to say about Wednesday's results show. Um...if I had a few thoughts, they would be:
1) Finally, a group number with halfway-decent contributions from most of those involved. Thank goodness Kim Locke and Clay, among others, were able to finally raise their voices, because poor Ruben has been lugging those numbers on his back ever since country rock week. I was also surprised by how well the two Kims matched vocally. Too bad Kim C didn't last long enough for the upcoming Paul McCartney songs week; I can hear the Ebony & Ivory duet in my mind. By the way, did the season 1 group have such problems with choreography and I've forgetten it? Every week there is one person (you can guess who it is) who is totally out of step with the others, which is always more amusing than 95% of the Simon/Ryan sparring.
2) The juxtaposition between Ryan stringing out laboriously unfunny routines (I heard about 10 people laughing over the 'who's sexier' poll), and Ryan 10 minutes later saying, "we're almost out of time, we're running long," is infuriating. Fans tune in for those critical final moments, and for yet another week were given the bum's rush. I know this isn't his fault, but to those who are to blame: You are making the show look incredibly choppy and amateurish. You may not have control over who the votes pick, but you do have control over production, writing, pacing, etc. Last season the goofiness was kind of amusing, like those putting on a show musicals from the 30's and 40's. Now it's unbearable. Actually I seem to remember the show being a bit more polished - in this regard at least - last season. The only reality shows I've ever seen which were as poorly produced and structured as AI were "Chains of Love" and "Lost", which did not have the funds or prestige AI does. There is absolutely no excuse.
Wow, that was a lot longer than I expected. On to more current and pressing matters:
Should we be surprised at Carmen's survival? What does that mean for next week? Quite a bit, potentially.
I was not surprised that Carmen managed to last. She has intensely loyal fans. Simon made a few below-the-belt remarks that some think were almost designed to get her pity votes. Ryan again got out the kneepads (mind out of the gutter please) and begged her fans to rally around her. Add these together and she gets 7 more days.
What concerns me is the assumption that Carmen will be gone next week. I have seen this over and over. "Tonight didn't matter...Carmen's going next." "Carmen is totally out of place." "They can't keep Carmen any longer."
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Carmen could very easily be kept around. For one thing, her last performance was so baffling that next week basically HAS to be an improvement for her. One or all of the judges may say, "you're back." Ryan will say she's back. Carmen will smile and nod graciously. She will be seen as an underdog, and not only will her diehard devotees call in, the casual fans may as well.
If you still don't think that's an issue, we face problem #2: Vote-splitting. I'll try to explain this as best I can, but it's one of those issues which is simple to see but difficult to describe.
I know people who vote for Ruben and Kim. Or Trenyce and Kim. Or Clay and Kim. Or Treynce and Ruben. They think that spreading the wealth won't matter, because they're just one person. This means that there will be many votes floating around in the atmosphere. Ruben, Josh and Clay aren't in any danger yet, but what happens if Carmen is in the bottom 3 with Trenyce or Kim? At the same time that Trenyce and Kim were getting 5 votes or so each, Carmen would be getting 20 or 30, because many of her fans will be voting only for her. If Trenyce or Kim got about a million votes each, and Carmen got a million and a half, then she is safe. She is safe because people are taking it for granted that she is leaving.
Don't take this for granted. Please. Trenyce/Kim are now bracing for a headlong collision, the way that Tamyra/Christina did last season. Everyone was shocked that Christina left at 6, because she was considered better than Nikki or RJ. And this could happen again, because Trenyce and Kim attract the same type of fan base. So, if you don't want Carmen to stay, then either pick one of these ladies and vote heavily for them, or vote as much as you can for both of them and only them over the 2 hours, or as much time as you can allot yourself within those 2 hours.
That brings me to the final issue:
I was, needless to say, delighted by Simon's praise of Kimberley. He finally gave her some respect which seemed very genuine. Her being safe was a wonderful moment because her consistency, her risk-taking, her beautiful voice were being validated. I would love to say that Kim will be the last woman standing, or that she will take on Ruben, Josh and Clay. Unfortunately, I can't. Not this soon. The upcoming week is critical for her. I say this every week, but that is because EVERY week is critical.
If you see Kim as a bright spot, if you want her to do well, then you need to vote for her. Use as much of the 2 hours, as many phone lines, as many friends as you can. Kim needs every ounce of support you can give her, because she will most likely be in the bottom 3 again next week. There are some people out there who do this already, and I thank them. Who I hope to reach are the more casual voters, the "nothing I do this week will make any difference" voters. You *can* make a difference.
If I sound like I'm playing favorites, that's because I am. Carmen has Ryan to help her. Trenyce has had several 'get the vote out' articles written about her in the past and may again this week. Kim is sort of adrift in the fan world (I've seen one recent article which was very praising of her and one about teens/kids that mentioned her only as an example because a great number of teens and kids don't care about her), as always. Trenyce's fans will be kicking into high gear because she was in the bottom 3. Meanwhile, Kim had a relatively stress-free round and therefore didn't have as much urgency shown for her. So I'm going to show some urgency!
I'm not going to try to tell anyone how to vote. However, if you are torn between two or three different choices, I would say that Kim is the one who is the most needing of consistent and strong support. Josh and especially Ruben and Clay are safe for at least a few more weeks. Carmen has her Mormon fan base, underdog voters, teens and children, and so on. Trenyce's fans managed to get her out of the bottom 3 on #1's night when Kim's fans couldn't. If you're torn between Kim and Trenyce, I realize the decision is difficult, because both are very talented and both have struggled in the bottom 3 more than once. I sympathize (and boy does this sound condescending) if you can't choose between various performers. So all I can do is ask you to go back and watch or listen to their performances, and if you don't have them available, play them back in your head. Who shone nearly every week regardless of the theme? Who did not coast? Who did not use the judges or host as a crutch? Who did not rely on personality traits or elements which have nothing to do with singing? Who sounded original instead of like a recording of an established artist? Who picked strong songs *and* did most of them justice? Who grabbed your spirit, made you jump off the couch, made you remember why you ever started watching American Idol to begin with?
If that is Clay, Trenyce, Ruben, Carmen, or Josh, then I certainly cannot stop you from voting for them. Good luck to you. If it's Kim, as that person is Kim for me, then vote. Then vote again. Vote *again*! And AGAIN and AGAIN for as long as you are able. Of course this is all just a show and shouldn't be taken too seriously. If you have to go get a kidney transplant or take a class or see your child's school play, then that is your key priority. But if you can feasibly work something out in those two hours, if you can get votes in some way, then I think that your efforts will be rewarded. Kim still has phenomenal performances left in her. She's raring to go. Don't let her down! Don't let yourself down!
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