American Idol – Episode 8-10 Review

Shows

It’s the third episode of eliminations in Hollywood. This is supposed to be the last day of Hollywood week. They will get to perform with a band, back up singers and their own instrument. Will anyone use a Tuba? Shouldn’t they give bonus points for picking something that isn’t a guitar or keyboards? 

They are now down to 72 contestants. They’ve decided to edit the show to start after all the performances. The judges are picking through Polaroids. This is just too confusing. What sort of Nicholas Roeg wannabe is in the editing suite?

They flashback to the earlier part of the day when people picked their order to perform. Ryan tells us that the judges won’t talk to the contestants. It should be like Mount Rushmore with Coke cups.

Adam Lambert comes up first. He’s got the musical theater tag on his back. Why does it matter? How many American Idol alumni been on Broadway? Lambert is doing Cher’s “Believe” as a ballad instead of a techno dance hit. He’s seems to go through well. Now we get the dueling piano guy Matt Giraud. He does Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind.” Lot of vocal gyrations that you’d hear. For the judges not giving any feedback, there’s Randy and the others clapping away and cheering. Isn’t that a giveaway at how you did?

Jamar Rogers doesn’t sound too bad. Judges seems peppy and Paula hollers while Kara says “very nice.” His buddy Danny Gokey gives Paula goosebumps. Even Simon gives a smile and waggles his pen. 

We get teased with Tatiana taking the walk of death. Shame we won’t get Bikini Girl tonight. I wanted to see her break out “I Touch Myself” to give Simon a good angle. 

Anoop Desai keeps getting called from Kansas City, but he’s a grad student at UNC-Chapel Hill. The local media in Raleigh has been playing him up as our next Clay Aiken. Wonder if he’s invested in a turkey baster. Jorge Nunez does well.  Scott MacIntyre gets his story of being a blind pianist retold in a washed out image. He does that song they play when the contestants get kicked off American Idol. Isn’t that bad luck? Paula gives him a standing ovation. Kendall Beard pops up after vanishing for a while. Stevie Wright swears she’s going to stay positive.  Lil Rounds sounds like she’s bringing it, but they keep cutting into her song with an interview. Kristin McNamara gets her bitch out from Nancy replayed. Ryan tells her Nancy wants to ask her forgiveness. But the woman isn’t there. What a tease.

Now we see the next gal welcomed to Hollywood in Season 7. Does this mean Mishavonna Henson has her second chance to get booted off. Is she going to be the Kate Winslet of Idol. Flash forward. They pull out a group of people into a room, it’s got all the people that did well earlier in the show. Way to build tension.

Now they show group 2 being led into a room after the judges’ choices. Tatiana Del Toro is in that room. The Beauty Contest is given a montage of how she keeps sneaking in more songs without the judges asking. She sounds like an out of control wedding singer. She looks blissed out after the performance. Has she been drinking from Paula’s Coke cup? Alexis Grace, Kenny Hoffpauer (who?) and Jasime Murray get montaged as good performances. They’re also in the same room with Tatiana and Marshall “Drama Queen.”  This guy is beyond trainwreck. Joanna Pacitti completely crash and burns. She forgot the lyrics. Wow. The plant basically blows it. How can an industry pro like her just completely drop the ball? This isn’t even a case of group day when some idiot can throw you off your game. Casey Carlson and Stephen Fowler also lose it. Fowler restarts his song, but it implodes. He hits a bad key and walks away. He’s also in room 2.

They put together room 3 and realize their numbers are wrong. They pull Tatiana out of room 2. Is this her walk of death? Will she be free to annoy Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning? Summer Glau and Eliza Dushku are the face of Fox Friday night. Do you think they’d be tempted into a threesome if you won five games of <i>Jeopardy</i>? How about two bottles of Jose Cuervo Tequila? Wonder if they sell lime flavored thongs that have a salt coating? I want crossover action on Fox.

Here comes Norman Gentle/Nick Mitchell. He’s not sure if he’ll play straight or break out the sweat bands. He does “Georgia on My Mind” in the sweatbands. This guy is begging for the William Hung circuit. He gets a lot of applause. Nick is sent to room 4. Ann Marie Boskovich fears by the time her turn happens the judges will be bored of her song choice. Ju’not Joiner hasn’t been seen since he used his kid to sway the judges. But there’s no kid on that stage. Simon’s sucking on that pen like he’s taking blood out of Ryan’s neck. Tatiana arrives in room 4. These people now feel like they’re on the boat of the doomed.

The teasing goes on with Tatiana begging in the corner of the room as the judges talk. How sad. It’s like she’s begging for her life. 

Now we see Simon stop Katlin’s song. She’s pissed. Lenesha Young gets her rough youth story retold in the washed out flashback. She gets a little clip done before Ryan comments on her get nervous. Kai Kalama hits a bad not as his vote finally gives out a bit. Michael Sarver, the roughneck, sounds good with his rich voice. Simon has to get a plane to London so it’s up to Paula, Kara and Randy to do the butchering.

Wow. Simon doesn’t love our show as much as his English productions. Was this about the time he fired the woman judge on X Factor&lt.  The trio enter the room with Sarver and Marshall. Even the trio that botched their songs. What the hell?

Room 3 is showing us people we really haven’t seen today. India Morrison sings and stalks the stage like a panther stuck in a tight cage. The judges enter the room. Since these people look like they were in witness protection. Room 3. Michael Castro is gone. He won’t get to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Lenesha Young gets to return to poverty.

Two rooms are left. Who lives and who dies? Where’s Sophie? Can Meryl Streep watch a show like this without remembering that role? Put your money on her winning the Oscar for Doubt. There’s a lot of hatin’ seeping up for The Reader. Looks like Kate Winslet won’t have her Holocaust Oscar since the key is to not play a character that kills 300 Jews. More Eliza promos for Dollhouse. Can they program her to cook me waffles?

The final 2 rooms are coming up. We get another bit of hype how this is the toughest week of their lives. You know Tatiana’s room is sweating. Room 1 is pretty much a lock to go through. The trio do the usual tease until Randy says “You guys are through.” Anoop is through. The final room gets to hear the second batch of screams. Tatiana does the math. She is praying as the trio of death arrives. You can hear her crying in the corner as Randy talks. A big bald guy gets frustrated and asks “Is this a no?” But it’s a yes. Tatiana is around for another week. But Norman/Nick and the Drama Queen are also around. 

These 54 kids are so damn excited. They act like they somehow cleared the hurdle to get them on the show. But there’s still another selection show to pick the final 36. Now they take the people to the judges Mansion. They now have a twist of “Sing for Your Survival” during this last interview. Wow. Can we string it out anymore? Couldn’t they have cut the 18 dead weights on this round? Didn’t Joanna Pacitti get through to this round based on her total performances since she didn’t suffer the “blow the lyrics and get sent home” rule.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.