I should probably preface my writeup of American Idol’s results episode by saying that I watched it while on a cross-country flight, which meant that a) I didn’t have a peanut gallery to bounce my observations off until much later and b) I had to keep any bon mots to myself, since the woman sitting next to me got visibly weirded out when I gasped at the banishment of Syesha Mercado, and not Brooke White, to the Bottom Two Stools. (She was watching Animal Planet with the sound off, so maybe I caused her to think that a tiger was actually sitting in 8E.) And after Carly joined her in the losers’ club–even after that cutaway where Jason Castro was caught yawning backstage!–I was expecting Syesha to get dispatched quickly, what with her suffering the curse of being not all that bad and first on a trainwrecky night.
But it wasn’t to be, and Carly got sent off in an anticlimactic, awkward way that didn’t even close out with her doing one last, rousing version of “Superstar” from Jesus Christ Superstar. Maybe she doomed herself by saying that she’d go all-out and have fun over the coming weeks of the competition; American Idol never rewards such “I’ll Stick Around”-dervied hubris in kind. But even after all the crap surrounding her time on the show–the major-label record deal that I read about when writing about music was still just a vague dream of mine, the “NO U R FAT” sign she posted on her fridge back then, the tattoos, the husband with the face tattoo, the increasingly visible desperation every time she talked about how she just wanted to make it–I grew to actually root for Carly somewhat.
In a way she seemed like a great big Cautionary Tale for David Archuleta and his dad; she was the groomed-from-birth girl whose teenage quest for stardom fizzled after a series of ill-fated moves by the people who should have been looking out for her (and maybe/probably by herself, too). (For some reason I feel like her career and Jordin Sparks’ recent travails should both send Archuleta running for a set of hills located somewhere bereft of cameras, and given that dude looked like a deer in the headlights for most of the evening, perhaps he’s starting to feel the same way.) Will tonight be her last chance at making it? Even with the definition of that two-word phrase becoming more and more nebulous, and dare I say damning, by the day, it’s doubtful; between the fragmentation of the musical landscape, the fact that I still have her version of “Superstar” in my head (and not in the annoying Flo Rida way), and her seemingly Broadway-ready voice I suspect that she’ll have some sort of a career over the coming years, one that won’t involve her living in a house equipped with cameras that run 24/7.
Also, how did Brooke White not go home? Keeping her around at this point = making the inevitable meltdown all the more of an utterly uncomfortable live-TV moment.
[Photo: AmericanIdol.com, since taking a picture of that little, DVR-free TV was a completely fruitless exercise]
@clevername: Oops! At least you knew what I meant.
I’ve disliked Carly for a while now, but “Superstar” was her first tolerable performance in months. Not sorry to see her go overall, but I’m sorry to see her go in a week when she succeeded. Apparently, Bottom Two is now synonymous with Best Two.
Next week: Archuleta does “Heartlight,” Cook does “America.” And lord knows how Syesha will survive. Hopefully, she’ll choose something upbeat rather than a ballad.
Good lord, so I’m sure there’s worse out there but while this LA Times blog post was bad enough, I’m not surprised the comments are worse. My favorite so far:
Is this a talent contest or a popularity contest? Every week I get a little angrier and more cynical. First, Michael Johns and now Carly?? Is the prerequisite cute blue eyes and dreadlocks or a back street boys vibrato? A year from now no one will remember Jason’s eyes or Brooke’s personality and they will go the way of Taylor Hicks, who was a nice guy, but forgettable. If the record industry is listening, cut a record of Michael Johns or Carly Smithson and I’m buying. Are you listening???
@Ned Raggett:
Dear unknown LA Times blog commenter: Go buy Carly’s record from (howevermany) years ago. It’s actually pretty good.
As much of a ham fisted, nu-grunge bum as he may be, I for one would be fascinated by him doing “Dry Your Eyes”, complete with strangely tinted sunglasses.
@Sniffle: in regards to the above.
@Charles A. Hohman: Syesha might do something wonderful with a ballad if she can be persuaded to go the guitar/vocal-only route like she did with “Yesterday”.
they flat out said it on the Today show this morning. Its not about ability and never has been, its PURELY about ratings and personality.
You know it crossed my mind yesterday that she might be in trouble because some people out there are actually still shocked by JC Superstar. “Jesus Christ Superstar” lyrics was a top Google Trend after the show. Might people have been looking up the lyrics only to find out - “oh noes! she done sung bad bout jebus!”
Either way, total shame. Especially considering the bottom 2 were the only decent people this week. I thought she was a long shot but she should have at least been top 3. Definitely the best pipes in the whole thing.
And fucking Castro yawning and acting goofier and goofier each week…
PS - What was with her “and I DIDN’T forget the lyrics” barb after she sang? Was that a shot at Brooke or did she also less obviously mess up Tuesday?
Her “sayonara” reel helped me reminded me why I hated her since the auditions. Ridiculous sense of entitlement and faux-naivete: “finally my well-funded dreams are comin’ true!” She was a ringer among ringers (something that became less obvious when almost everybody left on stage seemed ringer-ish), but when she’d speak it would come out. Why’d she do Blackbird? “oh, cause we’ve all been working for this for sooo long!” Well, you have, Carly.
Plus when she’s not Celine Dion she’s just shouty.
I know Carly provoked intense passions — on both sides of the love/hate line — so I won’t say much other than I’m sorry to see Carly go, because I think she is very talented, and I was rooting for her.
But let’s switch gears for a moment. Am I the only one who was jarred by the clear difference in quality between Carly’s and Syesha’s “goodbye” performances last nite? Was Carly really that much better — and Syesha that much not better — on Tuesday? And why did the producers have Carly sing first (and please don’t tell me this was some kind of head-fake thing)? For me, that was almost as if the producers were saying, “FU, you stupid Americans and your ‘I’m voting for Brooke because she’s sweet and I want to save her’ mentality. Across the pond, we get Leona Lewis. You, you get Brooke White and Syesha Mercado and let Carly Smithson go.”
Now that two of my “Idol Final Four” are out and my bracket is completely busted, I’m not sure how much interest I have in following the next 4 weeks.
@tubby: It probably wasn’t obvious to anyone who didn’t spend all of 9th grade obsessing over the copy of Jesus Christ Superstar he discovered in his parents’ record cabinet (what, you didn’t?), but Carly blew more than one lyric in her abbreviated version of the song, including a main rhyme in the first chorus.
Maybe she doomed herself by saying that she’d go all-out and have fun over the coming weeks of the competition
It’s like saying “I only have 8 days ’til retirement!” in an action movie.
What was with her “and I DIDN’T forget the lyrics” barb after she sang? Was that a shot at Brooke or did she also less obviously mess up Tuesday?
It has been noted elsewhere that Archuleta messed up some of the lyrics in “Think of Me” and the judges either missed it or chose not to comment on it.
@On the Spot: Yeah, but she manages kept going, and didn’t ask to restart, which is a lot more important I still can’t believe Brooke’s gotten away with that, twice. You do not get to stop and restart, especially if you’re performing on this level.
Love her or hate her, that goodbye montage was embarrassing. The editors are cruel.
So much hope, so much expectation… BUH BYE!!!
@Nicolars: It’s like saying “I only have 8 days ’til retirement!” in an action movie.
FTW.
@Anthony Miccio: Ridiculous sense of entitlement and faux-naivete: “finally my well-funded dreams are comin’ true!”…Plus when she’s not Celine Dion she’s just shouty.
Agreed on all counts.
P.S. I know we’ve taken to dissing her here, but that Leona Lewis performance last night was solid. If not for the song’s insidious chorus (aaaaahhhhhhgetoutofmybrain!!!) “Bleeding Love” is actually starting to grow on me.
Prediction: another boost in iTunes sales–”Bleeding” is No. 1 there again, already, the morning after–will send Lewis back to No. 1 on the Hot 100 next week, an improbable third time. (I’m already expecting that she fell back out of No. 1 on this week’s charts. We’ll find that out in about an hour.)
I’ve said that I thought we would see Carly on Broadway…After Andrew Lloyd Weber suggesting she change her song to “Superstar” he will probably feel bad that she got voted off, and might even offer some help in that area. So the whole big sorry mess may turn out to be a blessing in disuise. There is another good article about the current going ons on American Idol here:
jviz.blogspot.com/2008/04/save-american-idol.html
Cook was, hands down, the best of the week, and this isn’t just homestate preference speaking. Carly got a raw deal, the victim of standard issue popularity-contest politics on this show. It should have been Castro.
[blog.newsok.com]
Carly’s sense of entitlement and her “woe is me” routine is rivaled only by the Clintons. I am glad to see her go.
More importantly though, who else is excited for Neil Diamond week? I can’t wait to hear me some “Cracklin’ Rosie.”
Stupid racist Americans! Only wanting Americans to win American Idol.
@Rory B. Bellows: Bets on D. Cook taking “Girl you’ll be a woman soon”?
In anger, I stopped watching AI a few weeks ago when my DVR chose Idol Gives Back over Reaper. So maybe I’m wrong here, but isn’t it supposed to be a popularity contest? How is someone supposed to be a hit recording artist without people liking them?
Two, anyone who watches as much competition-based reality television as I do knows that consistently running in the middle of the pack is as dangerous as a full on meltdown.
@Sniffle: He’ll say its the Urge Overkill version.
Castro: Forever in Blue Jeans?
@Sniffle: I could also see him doing “Solitary Man”. I imagine David Archuleta will be doing “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, and Jason Castro “Sweet Caroline” or “I’m A Believer”….
@Thierry: He Ain’t Heavy isn’t a Neil Diamond song and I’m glad, I don’t want to hear any of these kids tackle it.
@Rory B. Bellows: I’d like to hear him do Love On The Rocks - maybe a little sped up?
@janine: Yeah, I wasn’t shocked by this at all because there was just never any indication that Carly was particularly popular with the viewing public. Always in the bottom 3, never had a big performance that was the water cooler topic the next day. The judges loved her and she was one of my favorites (by default) but I never thought she’d get to the top 3. Plus she’s made constant horrible clothes/hair/makeup decisions, ironically last night was maybe the best she’s ever looked on Idol.
Does anyone else suspect that David Archuleta may do “Coming to America”? It’s strikes me as the kind of inspirational song his father might pick for him.
@brasstax: oh… my… god.
TODAY!
He should arrange to get some cannons to fire off towards the end there. Might as well go all out.
Wait — is that “Coming to America” by The System? I LOVE that song! I may have even owned the cassingle. Arsenio Hall is funny! You know Eddie Murphy plays like twelve roles in that movie, right?
The Neil Diamond song is “America.” Ahem.
@jasonelias: Without You wasn’t a Mariah song, and at least one of the Dolly Parton songs was a cover - and Neil Diamond actuallly recorded “He Ain’t Heavy…” before the Hollies. So it’s not like there isn’t a precedent in the Idol universe…
@StuntKockSteeev: I thought about that one as well - not a bad fit!