Caleb Johnson jumped right out in front of the group and proposed they unionize. Yes? Keep the group together?” he asked. Alex Preston seemed hesitant, and said either “no” or “I don’t know”...Well, they all had an interest in acting like they love each other, but Caleb grabbed the most credit for acting out that love. Did any or all of them worry that the truth of how each of them voted would come out, and that the discrepancy would be held against them? Perhaps they are even too honest to act as if they're voting "yes" when they are voting "no."
When they came back from commercial, Seacrest read the votes —which were cast anonymously — like Jeff Probst reading results at the end of an episode of “Survivor.”...
So what was all this about? Were producers attempting to save Sam Woolf yet again? Or were they just trying to add a dose of intrigue to the show’s lowest-rated season?
Further, who were the two “no” votes?
I found this "twist" really irritating. Don't incite the public to vote and then interpose a veto. The ordeal of watching all those performances is endurable only because you know somebody's getting the boot.
And why should any contestant want to save their competition, especially when the deal was that if no one goes home this week, 2 go home next week? This week's work and stress are done, and either you go forward and try again or you're off the hook and can rest and get on with your life. You might think anyone who thought he/she might be at the bottom would vote for the save, but the chances are that you'd lose next week anyway.
And in the end, it was obvious that the producers were desperate to save their pet, Sam Woolf, who, if only he had been more of a show-biz ham, he coulda been Ricky Nelson. It was sickening to be told, week after week, how much the young girls adore him. The truth was that he was crowding the musical niche that housed Alex, and Alex is better musically, though much less cute. (Alex looks like a young Christopher Hitchens.)
Meanwhile, on the actual "Survivor," the secret cop Tony has acquired awesome power, the once-ravaged "Brains" tribe is 3 of the final 6, and the last "Beauty" standing has fallen.
That's what I watched on TV this week. That, and a lot of baseball. And I finally got around to watching that new HBO news satire show with John Oliver, which I thought did a pretty good job of critiquing the news media — particularly on the topic of the election in India, which American news media rated less significant than a leopard on the loose in India.
ADDED: "Jena was the only one to openly admit that she voted 'no,' but by process of elimination, it seems Alex also voted against the twist. They were all pretty angry about the stunt actually, with Caleb calling it a 'ridiculous show moment' backstage after."
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18 comments:
I think Sam was the right person to go home. He has a lovely voice, and is always on pitch, but it's very hard for him, apparently, to connect to the song, so there's no emotion in his face when he sings (with the one exception of last week when he was singing about anger).
So he was done in, I guess, by singing treacly love songs (probably foisted on him by the producers who wanted him to be a 17-yo sex symbol -- ugh) instead of angsty ballads that he could have connected to.
I'm glad they didn't ignore America's votes.
I'm not really connecting to any of the singers. Probably because all the cameras are on J-Lo when the contestants are singing.
I am happy to report that I do not recognize a single name in this post, not one. I am not sure I understand what is "shocking" or what the "routine" is or was. But I am entirely sure that I have done the right thing with my time by watching zero television.
@Michael Not even Christopher Hitchens?!
"I'm not really connecting to any of the singers. Probably because all the cameras are on J-Lo when the contestants are singing."
I am so sick of the shots of Jennifer enjennifering herself. The extremely greasy lipstick, the moony eyes… it's gross. She's too old for those boys and it's not fair to the girls. And her "judging" is way too much about how the music makes her feel way down deep inside… [caleb voice] woman, you neeeeeed meeeee…[/caleb voice]
Althouse: Hitchens?
Well, yes, I suppose I "misspoke" or "miswrote". I not only recognize the name of Christopher Hitchens but might well have been reading him when the subject drama was folding or unfolding.
Scripted intrique is blog-able??
Good luck with that!!
The ordeal of watching all those performances is endurable only because you know somebody's getting the boot.
Truer words have never been written.
I want the job of JLo lackey who watches AI with a stopwatch, timing her appearances on screen to make sure the time is in accord with what is specified in her contract.
@madAsHell
I think the public's vote was real and the producers wanted to save the contestant who came in last. If they just wanted to script everything, they could lie about the vote. I don't think they do that. That would get them into "Quiz Show" territory.
So they concocted something, but it was a new rule, deemed acceptable because all the contestants had to sign on. I don't think they predicted that vote, and I don't think it's what they wanted.
They may have milked the shocking twist announcement but I don't think they put the twist in just to create excitement.
Democratic State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Brett Hulsey is going to Milwaukee this weekend to hand out KKK hoods at the GOP state convention.
...and you want to talk about American Idol??
I haven't watched American Idol for years, but when I did (virtue my now ex-wife) it became apparent that the producers were constantly massaging the vote count to get the results they wanted. Problem is that sometimes the count was so heavily weighted in one direction that no massaging would help, so they started changing the rules. Sound familiar?
Expect the next rule change to be that a super-majority can veto America's vote. When that fails, it will be simple majority.
BTW, wouldn't it be funny if one of the no votes came from Sam? What if he knew he'd blown it and decided he'd had enough?
"BTW, wouldn't it be funny if one of the no votes came from Sam?"
I think it would have been rational for him to vote no.
He was going to get voted out next week anyway.
Idol jumped the shark years ago.
I agree that it's likely that Sam voted No. He looked uncomfortable on stage, so why would he want to prolong his discomfort?
It was pathetic. Clearly, if you thought you were moving on there was no upside to keeping everyone. The downside is now having your vote exposed.
If you thought your performance had been worse than normal compared to your fellow contestants, then having another week to get another performance in was in your best interest.
I'm sure it will be weighing heavily on those who voted no. Not the voting no, but getting outed for voting. Kind of like the Cali gay marriage vote. Or maybe an NBA owner who doesn't vote to expel Sterling.
If you aren't going to win, wouldn't an early exit actually be the best strategy? Coming in second might provide some short term advantage, but once you get to the last six or eight, agents will have seen what they need to see.
Sticking around is stressful, but also greatly increases the chance that you'll have to perform a music style at which you suck.
(I suspect many Idol contestants have bailed early. Among other things, perhaps they finally read the contract they signed. Word is that the terms are pretty horrendous, which is advantageous to the less talented, but horrible for someone with real talent.)
It's started. Alex and Gena voted no and they are getting the hate tweets. All of Sam's votes will now go to Caleb or Jessica.
Alex will now have to announce he is gay, so people will have to stop hating on him.
Gena is playing dumb, like she didn't really understand what was going on. What she didn't understand was the gaming theory involved with her vote.
I don't know why I read this.
It was like overhearing a conversation discussing the soap opera lives of an inbred family.
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