First public-vote elimination is an awkward affair: so many contestants, they are easily confused (The sensitive white skinny dude? The blond girl? Which black girl? And add to that the fact that the votes are spread so thin that campaigns such as “Vote for The Worst” can be a factor.
Ever since Paulina Porizkova was eliminated first on Dancing With The Stars, I noticed that discarding foreign objects is a easy outcome of a too-crowded field. So American Idol got rid of the Mexican and the Alien from another time.
Joe Munoz was eliminated perhaps by making a strategic mistake. While definitely not the lemon-iest of the contestants, he practically addressed his fans in Mexico (!!!) to vote for him. How stupid — this has to be done with such subtlety! Not only did he alienate Americans, but also suggested to fans to to put their vote elsewhere since there is a whole country behind him! And anyway — are Mexico calling area allowed to vote at all?
The lovely Tyler Grady, the true loss this week, did not get out of his time-travel shtick by the first show. Quick to point out that the judges offered their advice too late, he also revealed that he is kind of slow, his brain still operating on 70′s clock. “He could have been a contender” (fans of old movies — say in in Marlon Brando’s voice! ) but alas, the country was not curious as I was.
Ashley Rodriguez, the Hispanic girl, was a fave on mine. While her choice of song and the execution pointed out what she needs to work on rather than her strength, there is something wonderfully likable about her. But competing with Michelle Delamor on the same niche, she came out with a losing hand. Via con Dios, lovely Senorita!
No tears for Janell Wheeler, though. While not a foreigner perse, she was most removed from anything interesting. Hers was the most boring performance of the week — the one performance I agree with America on a billion-gazillion percent, to quote the dawg.
Which brings us to the last rejected foreigner of the week — Simon. How soon does he forget that his A-hole persona is the reason weak contestants stay in the competition? Mr. Cowell victims are automatically getting the sympathy vote that in this stage has much leverage. His pompousness, a combination of true analysis with his hidden agendas and specific taste, is a spoiler rather than an aid.
A word about Simon’s shtick — he straight-faced called Lee Dewyze’s performance “the best”. What? The guy has a nice thing going, but he could not finish singing a sentence properly, dropping the ball on every long note. Again — Simon’s agenda, his need to later sign viable commercial artists, make his stomach acids respond like Pavlov dogs, practically bypassing any logical judgment.
Well — we still love you, a-hole!
Last note: VFTW has chosen Haeley Vaughn as The Worst this week; I chose her as A Fave. While she is hardly the best singer, there is something in her attitude that is VERY winning. If she survives the preliminary turmoils, she can be a contender (again — Marlon Brando!)
Cheers!
Tags: 70's, American Idol, Ashley Rodriguez, Brando, Dancing with the stars, Haeley Vaughn, Hispanic, Janell Wheeler, Joe Munoz, Lee Dewyze, Mexico, Michelle Delamor, Paulina Porizkova, Simon Cowell, Tyler Grady, Vote For The Worst
