Teri Hatcher called me the other night to ask if I wanted to have some oysters then "make out” on the beach in front of a bunch of photographers. I had to explain that I was married, but flattered, and that she was both “real and magnificent”.
I’m not sure about the whole coy outing of Ryan Seacrest. How else does one explain an older man sitting in the aisle shouting “I love you in every way, Ryan” or something to that effect. What does one make of the coded exchange between Simon and Ryan, “Lose the beard, it looks like you're trying to be on Desperate Housewives?”
Simon might as well have said, “Ryan, I have a name for your beard. It’s 'Teri'.”
Soon Simon is going to insist that Clay Aiken do Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” and dedicate it to Ryan. In any case, the producers are being about as artful about this as say Dick and George were about how they were going to catch and punish whoever leaked the identity of that CIA agent.
In the meantime, I notice that debates have broken out about the effect Mandisa’s statement song about Jesus helping people overcome “addiction, lifestyle, and wearing tank tops with horizontal stripes” had on her unexpected departure from the show and whether or not she was using Evangelical code for those who should not marry one another while reading Leviticus.
Enough already, this is American Idol, not American Code Breakers. When the show draws more buzz from these word games, it’s a sign that the show might be jumping the shark. Is anyone talking about the music or the contestants anymore?
Certainly, the last two weeks have not been memorable from a musical standpoint. If you remember, music and singing nominally remain AI’s raison d’etre, rather than what sort of names Simon and Ryan will call one another or if Ryan really did aim his “flask” comment at that dark-haired lady who slurs her critiques every now and then. Last week, I had to question whether the 21st century had any pop music worth a listen. This week, I’m telling myself that Carrie Underwood must be a whole lot more talented than I thought.
Article comments
1 - Mr. Mackey
Mandisa was the simply the worst last Tuesday and received the fewest votes, mmkay.
Sometimes the worst performer for a given night gets the fewest # of votes, mmkay.
Look the judges comments, mmmkay. She got the worst comments, especially from Simon, mmkay.
Just because she had been doing well before means nothing, mmkay.
Sometimes voters avoid someone just because they were the worst of the night, mmmkay?
2 - chancelucky
And sometimes they vote out Jennifer Hudson after she's performed pretty well.
Mandisa may have gone for any number of reasons including the most straightforward one. None of us see the vote totals so I don't know that there's ever going to be a definitive reason why anyone got voted out. In the meantime, it gives people something to talk about.
3 - klik
Spot on about Elliott. He turned me into a believer that talent & humility can go hand in hand.
4 - Mr. Mackey
"And sometimes they vote out Jennifer Hudson after she's performed pretty well."
Nobody gets "voted out," mmkay.
On AI, you vote people to stay on, not to leave, mmkay.
There is a difference between positive votes for your favorite and negative votes (like survivor) for the one you want gone, mmkay.
Obviously you (and most of America) forget this distinction and what impact it has, mmkay.
5 - Wendie
Very good! I love your comments on the show and look forward to them every time. Keep it up! You write well. Funny, thoughtful, and spot on! I also agree with your comment on Elliott. I liked him before but he went up in my book a lot more!
6 - chancelucky
Wendie+Klik, thanks for your kind comments.
Mr. Mackey,
It's just easier for me to say "voted out" than to say "received fewer votes than any of the other contestants". If they had a reverse system where you could vote against contestants, my wild guess is that Bucky might have been hurt by it the most. He seems to have rabid fans and also a fair number of people who think he's lasted longer than contestants who sing better.
7 - Joanie
Congrats! This article has been placed on Advance.net
8 - Jim
Those are such kind comments about Elliott. He's a bit nervous, yes, but I think he has an amazing voice plus such a down to earth personality - no arrogant statements or rude comments from him. I hope that people vote for him Tuesday so he won't be botto 3 again. He doesn't deserve to leave yet!
9 - chancelucky
to be fair, I may be reading too much into a few gestures over a few moments on national television, as someone on an Elliot Yamin page pointed that out.
Certain things do come across about Elliott.
He appears to be genuinely unassuming, unaffected, and grateful for the oppportunity. He sings well.
If the show is about America finding an unknown with talent etc. who "deserves and needs" the break, he's as good a candidate as anyone.
I like the fact that his backstory, as interesting as it is, remains low key and that any spiritual messages he's communicated ( I have no idea if he's religious in any conventional way) have been conveyed rather than proclaimed.
I do think if a little bit more of who he is got into how he sings (he sings well) and performs, it's going to resonate very well for all those people with cell phones.
10 - -E
Congrats! This is an Editor Pick this week.
11 - becky
mr.mackey, that whole mmmmkay thing is so cringy,please stop
12 - chancelucky
I wasn't quite sure what the mmmmmkay thing was about. I just figured he had the online version of whatever Taylor Hicks has, whoooo....