The open-mouthed gasps. The bugged out eyes. The OMGs. These are all components of the “Idol Shocker.” (Hey, get your mind out of the gutter!)
Hollywood Week and the cuts made there are known for being full of drama, tension and uncertainty. (e.g., “Was my rendition of Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’ better than the other 17 versions today?”) But the only “Idol Shocker” this week was, well, that there wasn't one.
Yes, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times. But that was only because I was yawning.
I mean, honestly, was there anyone watching Tuesday’s show who couldn’t predict which of the three rooms would be cut from the competition and which would continue on to judgment? They didn’t even try to spread the talent out!
Room 1 was full of the superstars -- Crystal Bowersox, “Big” Mike Lynche, Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens and Lilly Scott. Room 3 was full of talented people, too -- Didi Banabi, Aaron Kelly and Janell Wheeler.
But Room 2? Well, save for rocker mom Mary Powers, you know it’s bad when the voiceover goes something like, “You remember this guy,” followed by an off-the-mic, “Wait, what’s his name?” (OK, so maybe that’s not exactly a transcript.) Anyway, the point is that Room 2’s Idol Dreams are over.
As for those who made the cut, they then went on to yet another cut. No, there was no final performance. Just another cut right after the Room 2 cut. (Huh?) I’m guessing that the point of this one was to add drama (fail!) and to get a full three hours out of telling people “yes” or “no” individually (pass!).
This was a scene with which we’re all familiar. The only difference was that instead of an intimate “library in a mansion” setting, these assessments were given on the stage of the empty Kodak theatre under hot, red talk-show-esque lights -- the perfect platform for breaking down in front of millions! (Sorry, Oprah.)
Contestants go in one by one to learn their fates and the judges do a lot of double talk and play with their emotions. First-timer Ellen seemed to take particular pleasure in her ramblings: “It’s hard to tell somebody that has a great voice that they’re not gonna go through because it doesn’t make sense ‘cause you have a great voice so I’m not gonna tell you that you’re not going through I’m gonna tell you that you’re going through.” Whew!
As much as I adore Ellen, that old trick is grating when anyone does it (especially Seacrest with his “We’ll find out ... after the break” routine). Speaking of grating, let’s talk about a few of the contestants who made it through to the Top 24.
For those of you who will miss the cockiness of Mary “I’m pretty intimidating” Powers, we offer Todrick “I’ve never had a voice lesson” Hall. Does anyone else think he comes off a little entitled? He’s the one who worked with Fantasia in “The Color Purple.”
