HomeOn the Scene: 'Idol' top 8 performance show
Apr 9, 2008, 11:28 AM | by Shirley Halperin
Categories: American Idol, On the Scene, Television
Okay, so we've made it to the top eight, soon to be the final seven, and I'm fully committed now. Up until this point, I don't think I'd made that emotional investment in the Idols. Ramiele, Chikezie, David Hernandez... these are names — and performances — that, in six months, I'll have a hard time remembering. But season seven's last ones standing, for better (hello, Michael Johns!) or worse, have definitely made an impression, and it's a lasting one. So with good will from Sunday's Idol Gives Back bonanza still tugging at the heart, I came into the Idol studio full of positive thoughts and anticipation. How fitting that it was inspiration night.
But before we get into that, a survey of the room: Taylor Swift had a seat near the judges, not too far from Sinbad and Lacey from So You Think You Can Dance. And speaking of dancing, standing off by the side door was Julianne Hough in full make-up but still wearing her pre-show robe. It was elimination night next door on Dancing with the Stars, but Julianne looked surprisingly relaxed. Maybe she had a hunch it was her time to go.
As for me, I was settling into the D section, but within five minutes of sitting down, inadvertently dropped the f-bomb twice, oblivious to the fact that I was surrounded on all sides by tween-age girls. Needless to say, I felt terrible and kept the cursing in check for the rest of the show. (Sorry, moms.)
With 10 minutes to go, Corey the warm-up guy gets his crowd on and we learn, by cheer volume, that a good half of the audience is made up of first-timers. Which may explain the proliferation of signs — MJ's The Wonder From Down Under, Hallelujah For Jason, Sing It David! (which one? It didn't specify) — that didn't look like they were drawn outside in the parking lot.
Corey's instructions tonight were a bit more emphatic. "You don't have to be polite," he tells the audience when it comes to disagreeing with the judges. "And when you clap, try to do it above your head. It looks great from the back." And just to remind us all that this is, after all, television, Corey's last directive is to give "a huge standing ovation after each performance."
Enter the judges. Randy blows kisses to the crowd, Simon makes nice with the fans, Ryan walks out to the stage and shakes hands with the girls in the mosh pit. "Welcome to the front," he tells them. And with three minutes to go, out come the Idols. On the applause meter, Michael Johns, looking foxy even with the unnecessary scarf, certainly registers, but it's David Archuleta (pictured) who sends it into the red. The crowd just loves that kid!
With all the hoopla on stage, Paula sneaks in with no introduction and quickly slinks into her seat. There's one minute to go and everyone takes their places. Michael Johns double-checks the exit direction, but it's Syesha who screws it up and walks the opposite way. Oops.
Since Michael Johns is up first, he stays put at the side of the stage, taking his time getting there and savoring every moment in the spotlight. The red light and the Jim Morrison vibe suits him, and the crowd goes wild as soon as the chorus to "Dream On" kicks in. Paula's feeling some MJ love too, and once he hits the falsetto, quickly hops to her feet with a "you the man" finger pointed in his direction. Randy, on the other hand? Not so much, so he gets the loudest boos of the night. As for Simon? Between all the Chihuahua comments, he just looked confused. Or maybe he was having a start-of-show nic fit because he bolted before Ryan could finish saying his famous mantra, "after the break." It was during the commercial that we first got a glance at Paula's boobs, which looked like they could use a breather. Her look in general was a bit off tonight, even if her critiques were slightly more astute.
Corey returns to entertain us for three minutes and launches right back into TV101. This time, it's about clapping along to the songs. Don't do it, especially during ballads. (Apparently, keeping proper rhythm is not the Idol audience's forté and, subsequently, looks bad on TV). Syesha, meanwhile, takes her position on the stool, chatting with Ryan and downing water. We had a sneaky suspicion there would be another power ballad in our near future and, sure enough, the gospel choir was brought out in no time. But for Syesha, this actually took away from the performance by overpowering her vocals, which wasn't the case when Fantasia belted "I Believe." You could barely hear Syesha over a total of 11 background singers. And when you did, more often it was an off note that you noticed. So I generally agreed with Randy's assessment, but not everybody did. "What's up with Randy tonight?" one girl remarked.
Next up: Jason Castro, whose entrance on stage prompted several people around me to note that he could be on the brink of elimination, so he really had to bring it tonight. And judging by his somber appearance, it seems Jason sensed that, too. Fortunately, his luau-styled lullaby did not disappoint. Far from it, he impressed just about everybody, especially Simon. I've never seen Cowell so focused, but the way he stared intently as Jason handled the ukulele like an old pro reaffirmed my faith in the doe-eyed and dreadlocked wonder. JC pulled it off, put a smile on peoples' faces and even shed a tear himself. Awww…
The next commercial break was a welcome respite from a roller-coaster of emotions. Randy checked his blackberry while Ryan paced and Simon glad-handed. Little did we know that another major swell was on the horizon: Miss Kristy Lee Cook. She took the same center-stage balladeer mark that the rest of the Idols favor (makes it easy for the camera guys), dressed in, what one of my EW colleagues called, a Forever 21 ensemble. Expectations in my corner of the studio were decidedly low, but what transpired was a complete 180. KLC was the only Idol to get a mid-song applause, and even Nigel Lythgoe took notice. Seems our little country girl still has some kick left in her boots, and Paula, for one, stood up to pump her fists in solidarity. Was it sappy and somewhat predictable? Sure. Strategic? Absolutely. But it was also sung well. Still, I loved Randy's backhanded compliment: "It was good… for you." Ouch!
KLC looked elated following the judges' comments, and Carly Smithson, ever the cheerleader, ran over to hug her, screaming "yay!" There was little time for rejoicing though, and she quickly took her place beside David Cook, who was up next.
So here's where anticipation was exceptionally high and the results devastatingly disappointing. With David C's choice of song, I couldn't help but think of Chris Daughtry's obsession with Live, a huge band for a brief period, but currently residing deep in the "where are they now?" file. Does David Cook have the same unapologetic love for Our Lady Peace? If it's an obscure Canadian band he's looking for, I could suggest about a dozen awesome Sloan songs that would rock your socks off.
Truthfully, David looked a little out of it tonight. During his pre-performance shot, he seemed spacey (the outfit wasn't helping his comfort level, I imagine). And unlike Jason Castro's performance where all eyes were on him, Simon looked distracted and borderline offended by David's descent on the judges' table. Theatrics, it seems, doesn’t compensate for a weak song or a shaky delivery.
Needless to say, David's post-performance demeanor was one of defeat and disappointment, though maybe he wasn't entirely surprised. As everyone knows, what works for the Idol producers, the studio audience and people voting at home are recognizable, super-popular songs. Deep album cuts by marginally successful modern rock bands don't exactly cut it on this kind of competition.
It's a tough night indeed as Carly gives David C. an empathy hug. She's got a challenge ahead as well, and ambition may have finally gotten the best of her. In the studio, Carly's take on Queen's "The Show Must Go On" sounded downright screechy. The vocal gymnastics, which I've been critical of in the past, did nothing for her… once again. I wonder: there's no doubt Carly's probably the most competent of the girl singers, but why isn't it coming through week after week? She seems to be slipping to the bottom, and it's a shame.
Carly claims she was distracted by Simon, but the crowd was also thrown by the presence of one David Archuleta. The poor kid held a static smile for a good three minutes straight while positioned directly in front of his dad and legions of psycho fans (one eight-year-old held a sign that read "lick those lips, David A.") By the time the camera rolled, it looked like his jaw was about to break.
Struggling with his nerves, David A. took to the piano, breathed deep and suddenly seemed at peace again. And if he was aiming to score points with Simon, going with a British superstar's smash single was a smart call. Robbie Williams' "Angels" in the UK was like Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" here in the US — you couldn't escape it for a very long time. Plus, David did it justice with a crowd-pleasing performance that had Paula, Nigel and the rest of the room swaying. Like Simon said, there's no question he's coasting through to the next round.
David waves goodbye as Brooke, looking more like a Brady with each passing week, says hello... to every single person in the front row. Choosing a singer-songwriter powerhouse like Carole King is certainly not unexpected for Brooke, who has that Carly Simon, '70s-artifact vibe about her, but did it resonate? It was hard to tell. Paula sang along, plenty of parents seemed pleased, but the response was kind of tepid. It's strange — I find Brooke to have great stage manners and a really strong presence, but I've met some haters, too and I don't really get it.
No matter, once all was said and done, it was hugs all around on the Idol stage. The eight finalists faced the video screen to watch their recaps, Kristy doing a little jig to Jason's "Over the Rainbow" snippet, David Cook clapping for Carly, Syesha fussing with her hair, and David A. blushing through his moment. Ryan, ever the gracious host, shakes hands with all the contestants and calls it a night. With two more days of Idol responsibilities ahead of him, he needs his beauty sleep.
An inspiring night or did your eyes hurt from excessive rolling? And more importantly, who's going home? Speak your piece, PopWatchers…
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