05-03-2003, 10:34 AM
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| For the American Idol Fans
Trenyce Goes Rolling, Rolling, Rolling Off Idol But Ruben stunned by vote by Daniel Fienberg Zap2it TV News LOS ANGELES -- Brrrring. Brrring. Brrrring. Brrring. That would be the sound of the wake-up call that Ruben Studdard apparently ordered for April 30. Fans of the Velvet Teddybear would do well to take heed. After over 45 minutes of pure, unadulterated filler, Wednesday night's "American Idol" results show ended with Lashundra Cobbins (aka "Trenyce" ) receiving her walking papers one week too early, after her cover of "Proud Mary" the night before. But the night's surprise wasn't Trenyce's dismissal or that the "Idol" producers were able twiddle their fingers for an extra half-hour of valuable May sweeps time, but rather the formerly-untouchable finalist who joined the bottom two. "Get to the Results" read a sign in the audience, but host Ryan Seacrest, clad in a rugby shirt, gives it as much credence as the perplexingly post-dated sign insisting, "I Love Corey." Joking glibly about the show's extra padding, Rugby Ryan introduces a medley of random '60s offerings that could be titled "Sugary Confections Our Legal Department Could Clear." Trenyce and Kimberley Locke do a nice duet on "You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" and Josh "The Occasional Marine" Gracin does a decent enough version of "Young Girl" that almost makes up for the spectacle of watching him try to dance. Do they keep Burt Bacharach locked up in an ice chest in the Coca-Cola Red Room? He appears to lead a rendition of "What the World Needs Now," which features all of the deposed finalists who didn't pose naked for PETA (Vanessa) or allegedly assault police officers (Corey). That means that Rickey, Kim Caldwell, Carmen and Julia DeMato are back on the scene. It's perhaps a bit too early for this kind of nostalgic reunion. How can we miss them if they won't leave? Kim proudly sports a half-shirt advertising either her navel or her new gig as entertainment correspondent for the Fox Sports Net extreme sports show "54321." Justin Guarini shows up on stage following a cross-promotional plug for "Boston Public." If it's possible, he looks even skinnier than last season, and his hair is even poofier. He's a muppet in a leather shirt, but the squeals from the audience suggest that no one cares. With Kelly Clarkson in the crowd, sans make-up, cheering happily, Ryan asks the same stupid question about whether Kelly and Justin are (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) "together." If those crazy kids are knocking boots, mazel tov for them, but their denials are awfully boring. Justin sings a track from his new album. Called either "It's On Your Face" or "I Saw Your Face," it's a five-minute rhythmic see-saw, highlighting only Justin's ability to mew plaintively. It has no hook. Imaginary sample lyric: "I saw your face/ It was right there/ Forget this song/ Check out my hair." If this was the album's best single, there could be trouble. The evening's final bit of filler finds the "Idol" finalists at the premiere for "X-Men 2," a movie from, shockingly, Fox. After another outpouring of advertiser support, Rugby Ryan announces that this week, it'll only be narrowed down to the bottom two. OK. That's simple enough. Trenyce and Josh, right? Well, Kimberley Locke is safe. Clay, wearing a much lighter tone of foundation than usual, is also safe. Trenyce is sent off to the bottom two. That leaves only Josh and Ruben. Gee, we wonder who ... Oops. Ruben is sent off to the bottom two. He seems surprised. Josh seems shocked. Randy and Paula seem flummoxed. Simon seems genuinely angry, perhaps because he fears what would happen if his label had to produce a whole album of country songs catered to Josh's half-octave range. Seriously, singing ability is subjective. Notes and lyrics are not subjective. Does Josh Gracin have a respectable voice? No question. Has he butchered the melodies for his last four or five songs? Certainly. In his very limited comfort zone, he's quite acceptable, but outside of that zone, he's been genuinely inept. There's been discussion of how "American Idol" doesn't have to mean pop, it can encompass country as well. That may be the case, but those Josh proponents should check out "Nashville Star," where the talent would prove that Josh is a dilettante in that genre as well. Randy is almost stuttering with rage as he addresses Ruben: "This is crazy, dude. I don't know what's going on in America, but this is not good, dude. This is not happening. We're trying to find the best people in America to win this competition. It is about the best, America. That kid is brilliant up there. I don't what y'all been hearing." Paula calls it "absolutely ridiculous." Simon just rolls his eyes at the choices of the Colonialists. "At the end of the day we've given the public the right to vote and you have to respect their decisions, but ..." he says before the audience chimes in to boo the voting choice. After milking the suspense with unnecessary extra performances and more ad breaks, Rugby Ryan finally announces the choice. "Ruben," he pauses, "You are safe." Ruben and the crowd are relieved. Trenyce accepts the judgement with grace. She knows that in a studio, they'll be able to clean up her pitch problems to emphasize her strengths and nobody will remember that she lost out to three people who were better than she was and one person who wasn't. So what happened? It's pretty simple. Ruben's fans knew he was good, knew he was safe and didn't feel the need to vote in large numbers. Complacency set in. Josh's fans, on the other hand, knew that he deserved to get removed and voted in large numbers to keep him around well past his expiration date. Pity anybody who actually believes that Josh is a better singer than Ruben. Maybe this will be what Ruben needs to discover a higher gear and reclaim his briefly ceded position as favorite in this competition. __________________ Check out these great deals, or go directly to art.com Save $15 off $150 Purchase at Art.com EXP: 05.31.2003 Use coupon code C143399230116 to save $15 off of your purchase of $150 or more at Art.com. Check out these great deals, or go directly to entertainment.com All Entertainment Books Only $10!!! EXP: 12.31.2003 Right now at Entertainment.com, all Entertainment books are now only $10! (plus shipping) Click here to shop for deals at gear.com now! Check out these great deals, or go directly to half.com Save $5 off First $10 Purchase at Half.com EXP: 05.15.2003 Save $5 off of your first purchase of $10 or more at Half.com with coupon code BIRDIE. Click here to shop for deals at ice.com now! Click here to shop for deals at entertainme.com now! 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__________________ Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.  |
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05-03-2003, 06:50 PM
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PIMP over here, that was GREAT (very well written)  Thanks for sharing........ Naomi
__________________ DON'T BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER ANIMALS DIE. INSTEAD, OPT TO ADOPT! [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]  Having someplace to go is home. Having someone to love is family. Having both is a blessing! ~ Author Unknown ~      |
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05-04-2003, 11:16 AM
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Isn't this the week where the judges choose the songs that the contestants will sing? Should be interesting!
__________________ Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. |
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05-05-2003, 08:26 PM
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Here's another funny recap of the show.... [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] __________________ [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] |
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