Elimination Drama in the Idoldome

C'mon, just about every single website/person/blogger such as myself predicted Matt's demise tonight, so the bottom line is that his elimination was not a surprise. What was a surprise to many, however, was that the Almightly Adam joined Matt in tonight's bottom three. And that Kris was alongside these two, when it was widely felt that either Danny or Allison would be there.....hhhmmm.....this means Danny remains as the only Season 8 contestant to escape the Bottom 3 so far in the competition.

Can I just say, Danny and Allison both seemed genuinely shocked to learn they were safe (well, Allison did). I liked how the judges were asked to comment on the B3 and Simon remembered to say, let's give props to the two who are through. Nice. I love these two and am looking forward to hearing them next week! I also hate that cruel, choose-the-group-to-join trick they do at this point in the competition, and used on Adam tonight, only made worse by the fact that he chose the wrong group. OUCH.

Now, Kris's appearance in the B3 was a bit of a surprise, only because Allison has been there before and Kris had not, and because Kris has been gaining momentum and recognition in the recent weeks while Allison hasn't entirely earned the love from the judges. So, why did Kris appear to slip? I was talking with folks at work, and there are many who find him too safe, too plain....and too goody-two-shoes, apparently (myself? I go for that! :) To many American Idol voters, it's like going to Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors and ordering vanilla. I think Kris is very, very talented and I enjoy his performances, and don't think tonight means he's out of the running for the S8 crown, but he's been served notice for sure.

Of course, the big surprise was Glambert's appearance in the bottom, even over Hokey Gokey and Allison. Wow. Even he seemed shocked although he contained it well. For those who have no idea how this could happen, I refer you to a recent column by Brian Mansfield, who now writes the "Idol Chatter" column for USA Today. He asked his viewers this week, "What puts you off about the American Idols?"

More than one hundred comments poured in about each of the five remaining contestants and of course, there was bad Karma for everyone, but I give you here some of what was said about Adam Lambert … "has a habit of loudly screaming a series of notes in every performance” … “he is best suited for a stage-style performance” … "He also PLAYS to the audience in a manner that kinda' makes my skin crawl" ... "fakey, fakey emotion" ... "definitely a manipulator" ... "over the top" ... "can't sing a song through without screeching/screaming" ... "like fingernails on a chalkboard” … “Adam's lower register. Oh wait. He doesn't have one” … “I hate the way he thrusts his tongue when he hits a high note. I just do.” Read all the critique here.

This is just to demonstrate that his appearance at the bottom tonight was not a shock for Idolmama because I agree with all of the above comments, and was gratified to learn that others share them. I also assert that Adam's B3 status was exploited to it's full dramatic potential by American Idol. Remember, they did identify the Bottom Three, but when they sent Kris to safety, they did not say he had the third-lowest number of votes...meaning that they were likely just manipulating viewers and increasing the drama factor to put Adam against Matt. Result? Predicable (still) elimination for Matt and likely speed-dialing for Adam's fans once they recover from shock. In other words, they took a predictable outcome and used whatever they had to create drama. Shameless.

Other thoughts: performances from Natalie Cole and Jamie Foxx. Filler. Wish Natalie the best on her Korean tour. I fast-forwarded through Foxx's performance, although I did enjoy his very supportive and thoroughly neutral comments about the Idols afterward. I think he is trying to redeem himself over his Miley tirade and moderate a bit. I appreciate it.

On to Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks. He looked great, but my family was asking ourselves, how did he win? And my daughter asked, trying to remember, who was he up against that year? (Elliot, ouch). But Simon summed it up perfectly when he offered advice to the remaining four when he told them "not to forget the fans who picked up the phone." THIS is precisely why Taylor Hicks was singing in front of you tonight. He had a huge fan base while on the show, so huge it propelled him to victory over other worthy contestants, and is carrying a somewhat successful post-Idol career. You saw it tonight, he very graciously thanked the fans and gave them props, which is endearing. This is the secret to his success. (Plus, he has more charisma than Elliot had on the show, even though Elliot is way more talented than him....debate and discuss if you feel the need....)

So, what did you think of tonight's elimination? (not necessarily the result, but the means, but I welcome all comments!) Do you think the saturated post-Idol field of also-rans can support a career for Matt Giraud, or will he head back to the piano bar at K-Zoo? And why was Kara dressed so matronly while Paula let the girls out?