On The Scene: 'Idol' Top 8 Elimination Night
Apr 12, 2007, 12:10 PM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: 'American Idol', Reality TV
The stars were out tonight, sprinkled throughout the studio audience on this fifth elimination show. I first got wind of it while walking through the parking lot, where I saw better-than-handicapped spots reserved for the night's A-list talent: Jennifer Lopez, the live musical guest; Pink, who was taping a performance for Idol Gives Back following the telecast; Sharon Osbourne, apparently an old pal of Nigel Lythgoe's; King of Queens' Leah Remini; definitely an old and good friend of Lopez's; and Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria. It's certainly keeping the paparazzi busy. Though they're not allowed on the grounds of CBS Television City, between Dancing With the Stars and Idol, which are filmed in adjacent stages, I've seen the same group of persistent shutterbugs parked outside the gates on Beverly Blvd. for weeks now, though I imagine once Heather Mills gets the boot, they'll probably retire the location.
Back to inside, of course there were the random ex-contestants in the crowd. Chris Sligh made his entrance a half hour before the show started. He had to ask a page where his seat was, officially taking his place on "the other side." Though he did get a loud applause as he walked through and a line of kids asking for an autograph. Last season's Mandisa was also there, as was Justin Guarini from way back in season 1.
With five minutes to air, the contestants are walked onto the stage and introduced one by one. The Fanjayas were in full force on this night, relishing in the seemingly unanimous opinion that their man's last performance wasn't terrible, as Simon humbly noted. Big cheers for the other boys, too — namely Chris and Blake, the latter of whom looks more like a front-runner with each passing week.
With less than two minutes to go, Debbie, Idol's lovable stage manager, remarks that she still has no judges and asks Sharon Osbourne if she'd like to sit in, considering her experience on the British talent show, X-Factor. Sharon seems to know a lot of people in the crowd, including Debbie and Nigel Lythgoe, with whom she chatted for some time.
And just in time, the judges make their way in finally. While Debbie begins the countdown from 10, Ryan walks down the line and motions for every contestant to look at him as he makes his intro. He is a perfectionist, that Ryan Seacrest. And from the looks of it, all but Sanjaya got it right.
Truth be told, after the opening number, during which it seemed painfully obvious that Haley was the only one to pick up some dancing tips from J. Lo, the contestants were barely seen for the rest of the show. Rather, they sat mostly in the dark watching video segments along with the audience. There was the occasional Blake to Chris jab, usually as a result of some fawning comment made about one of them, Haley had to adjust her shirt and pants a lot, Jordin giggled upon hearing the phrase "muy caliente." Undoubtedly, Phil looked nervous, but I liked that he bowed when his name was called. The guy's a class act. Blake, on the other hand, looked cool and calm, even having fun with his friends in the audience by making them stand up for a quick photo that he took from the stage. And during Akon's performance, which was taped a couple weeks back, Blake was grooving like there was no tomorrow.
But it was when J. Lo hit the stage that the place really exploded. Paula immediately jumped out of her chair and the rest of the audience was right behind her. Meanwhile, onstage, Jordin looked overwhelmed at the sheer spectacle of the J. Lo stage show (pictured), likely thinking what a lot of us spectators had on our minds: now, that girl can sing. Even Simon was moved to stand up for La Lopez (more on that later).
Idol Gives Back is obviously a big priority for the show's creators and principals. Lythgoe made that clear when asking the audience to stay for Pink's performance. He also mentioned a few other names who would be participating in some way, among them Johnny Depp, Helen Mirren, Celine Dion, Helen Bonham Carter, and the Monkees' Micky Dolenz. I have to hand it to Lythgoe. As many of you probably know, he also executive produces Fox's So You Think You Can Dance and is, himself, a former choreographer. And let me tell you, this guy's got moves. I have no idea how old he is, but during the post-show tape, he demonstrated skills that could have easily won him a spot in J. Lo's dancer line. Seriously.
And back to La Lopez. I ran into her in the parking lot on the way out and to say that she was psyched about her Idol experience would be a major understatement. First off, I complimented her on the mentoring rounds and the consensus that she stands among the best yet. She was, as always, genuinely grateful for some kind words, but what really wowed her was something Simon said after the show. "He told me it was the best performance ever on American Idol," she divulged with a child-like glee. "Isn't that amazing? Coming from him? I'll take it!"
Comments