Tuesday, May 15, 2007

American Idol: Top 3

Over the previous five seasons of "American Idol," a distinct pattern has emerged about Top 3 Night: whoever sings first gets eliminated. Every single time. Nikki McKibbin, Kimberley Locke, Jasmine Trias, Vonzell Solomon and Elliott Yamin all went first on this night, and all went home.

Your "Idol" conspiracy theorists have taken this as evidence that the producers deliberately sandbag the person they don't want to make it to the finals by placing them first, and by saddling them with lousy or too difficult songs. My buddy and fellow "Idol" blogger Dan Fienberg argues that all five of the above people were clearly outclassed by the time Top 3 rolled around, that they were going to go home regardless, and that if the producers started playing into the pattern, it's only to acknowledge the obvious pecking order.

So what, I wonder, will the conspiracy theorists make of tonight's episode, in which Jordin Sparks -- who even a non-obsessed fan can recognize has been the producer's favorite for quite a while -- goes first and gets some unideal songs to sing in rounds one and two? Are they trying to break the First Curse? Do they want to remove any appearance of favoritism? Or is everybody just completely overthinking this?
To read the rest, go to NJ.com, but you can comment here.

8 comments:

Adam said...

Trias v. DeGarmo was a meaningless coinflip -- Fantasia was a lock to win that season since "Summertime", but the rest were all clearly the worst of their trios.

My thoughts are here. I just don't want to see Blake in the finals; he doesn't need to win this.

Anonymous said...

Simon is right that Melinda has been consistent and she obviously the professional of the bunch, but personally I find she lacks that Jordin 'spark' or Blake 'hubris'.

Even though they may not be as polished I find myself more interested in what Blake and Jordin are singing and how they're doing it. When Melinda starts to sing I find myself channel surfing.

Even if she wins I predict Do little will be about the extent of her career.

Undercover Black Man said...

Alan, you wrote: "Gun to my head, I'll pick Blake in a stunner..."

Let's leave Phil Spector out of this!

Now that I got that off my chest, I didn't appreciate the dig at Kimberley Locke... I wouldn't say she was outclassed vocally Ruben and Clay. And she certainly shines like a beacon next to the other No. 3's on that list.

Interesting phenomenon with who-goes-first... Whatever the deal, not a good night for Jordin. Like you, I don't like it when contestants take that second bite of the apple (to which list I'd add Bo Bice's "Vehicle"). Jordin simply peaked during British Invasion week... though I still love her girlish personality and big-boned good looks.

I gotta finally give it up to Melinda. If it's a singing/performance competition, she's clearly the tops. Here's hoping she wins.

Blake's career is off and running regardless.

And if Jordin never raises her game to the next level, she can follow in Kimberley Locke's footsteps as a Lane Bryant spokesmodel.

dark tyler said...

Seasons 1 and 4 of American Idol, I watched them during 2006, obviously knowing the way they'd played out.

And I was way more excited for these finals (although I knew exactly what was going to happen) than this one. Awful year for Idol, awful.

Kris Eton said...

I still love Jordin. I really want her to release "I Who Have Nothing," because I would buy it. I thought it sounded very contemporary. Perhaps Simon is suffering from being older himself and remembering when the original was on the radio. I don't. So, to me, it's a fresh, new song with a lot of emotional impact. And Jordin sang it very well.

Just like kc, Melinda is really starting to bore me. When they replayed all three of her songs, they seemed to all blend together...even though they were all very different songs. I don't know what it is, because she is so polished and professional.

Blake was all right. I liked that Robin Thicke song he did. Very interesting. Catchy. And not something everyone would know...like me. (of course, I immediately went to iTunes to hear the original version)

I just don't know who I'd like to see in the final 3. I sort of would like to have Blake, because he does take risks, he does odd songs, he mixes it up and tries to do a lot with it. But he can also be a mess sometimes.

But for some reason, this season, I am not as excited about the final.

Anonymous said...

Jordin didn't sing I who have nothing exactly the same as before. That glory note that you thought she was sharp on was new. That note was in the recorded MP3 version but she didn't sing it live, probably because it is a difficult note to hit with consistency. I thought it was cool that she gave it a shot.

Jordin has been my favorite all along but Blake and Melinda won me over last night. I didn't bother voting because I thought they were all so entertaining. I'd be happy to see any of them win.

Anonymous said...

It's Marry-Boff-Kill vs. Marry-Be-Kill. Will the teenage girls vote for the cute, faux-edgy boy, or the 17-year-old who used to work at the mall?

If this season's accomplished anything, it's made me realize how much I appreciate every moment Blake isn't performing anywhere near me.

dark tyler said...

If this season's accomplished anything, it's made me realize how much I appreciate every moment Blake isn't performing anywhere near me.

I know! He is by far the worst of the "top" singers of the season! I would have loved to see Nosferatu Stacey in the final three instead of this guy.