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American Idol: Top 24
(NOTE: If you're looking for 2008's Top 24, go here)(S06E10) It's "FINAL JUDGMENT" time, Ryan says, hoping to charge us up for tonight's episode. The singing is done, and now those who survived the Hollywood Week hazing, will find out if they've made the final cut.
I can't believe they build an entire episode around "announcing" the Top 24. It's really just a list of names that could have been posted online after last night's episode. Better yet, they should announce the list of names online with links to video of each and every performance to date, so the curious can check out the Top 24 contestants in more depth, if they wish.
Instead, they try to build suspense in this episode and it just isn't happening. We haven't really made strong attachments yet, so we're not heartbroken when cuts are made. And the only real surprise is where they've been hiding SEVEN out of the Top 24. Before tonight, we've never laid eyes on 5 out of the Top 12 Girls, and 2 out of the Top 12 Boys.
Throughout the show, we see snippets of Hollywood final performances, and get just a small glimpse of what the judges based their final decisions on. We also watch as each contestant enters the room, and sits on "THE CHAIR" to find out their fate. It's not that interesting (unless you're there, I imagine). The pressure doesn't translate well on TV. And drawing it out (with the elevator ride and long walk into the room) only has me wanting to yell "cut to the freaking chase" at my TV. But then again, patience is not one of my strong points.
The judges try to scare those who made the Top 24 by pulling the old, "I'm sorry....BUT you're going to be seeing a lot more of us!" They fool me the first time, but not the second, third, or 24th. The judges' comments aren't worth transcribing verbatim, so that saves me a lot of typing tonight. Whew.
The only real drama comes towards the end of the episode, when there's only ONE girl slot and ONE boy slot left and four contestants remaining in an otherwise empty room.
For the girls, it comes down to ANTONELLA BARBA vs. MARISA RHODES. Marisa is already at a disadvantage because we've seen loads of footage of Antonella (including her jumping in the surf in her bikini) and we were given only a quick peek at Marisa last night. I like Antonella, especially without her snippy cohort, Amanda. And she's a Jersey Girl (as am I), so I have to root for her. But they show their final performances, and Simon calls Marisa's the "best we've heard today." Meanwhile, Antonella struggles with her final song. So I admit I'm surprised when Antonella is chosen, and Marisa is sent home. Marisa is more shocked than me though, because she truly thought she was a "sure thing."
For the boys, it comes down to SUNDANCE HEAD vs. TOMMY DANIELS. Sundance has an advantage because the judges loooove him to death, even though he did a crappy job during Hollywood Week. Tommy is also at a disadvantage because he has an arrest record and is just too darn cocky (for my personal taste). Still, I thought the real shock was going to be Sundance "Head-ing" home. But no, it's Tommy! He actually earns some brownie points with me when he flips a double bird to the Idol Elevator-Cam.
And without further fuss, the Top 24 follows:
TOP 12 GIRLS
1. Gina Glocksen
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Haley Scarnato
4. Alaina Alexander
5. Antonella Barba
6. Jordin Sparks
7. Lakisha Jones
8. Stephanie Edwards
9. Leslie Hunt
10. Sabrina Sloan
11. Nicole Tranquillo
12. Amy Krebs
Top 12 Boys:
1. Chris Sligh
2. Sundance Head
3. Blake Lewis
4. Brandon Rogers
5. Rudy Cardenas
6. Sanjaya Malakar
7. Phil Stacy
8. Chris Richardson
9. Nick Pedro
10. Paul Kim
11. A.J. Tabaldo
12. Jared Cotter
Those sent home:
A bunch of people we were vaguely aware of:
Anna Kearns
Tami Gosnell
Tatiana McConnico
Marisa Rhodes
Matthew Buckstein
Thomas Daniels
Tom Lowe
Jimmy McNeal
Bernard Williams
As well as people we've never seen before tonight:
Eric Davis
Erick Johnson
Olivia Quiba-Hurst
Monique Vieras
Jerome Chism
Joelle James
Princess Johnson
I hope Stephanie, Leslie, Sabrina, Nicole, Amy, Jared, and A.J. are ready to make a huge impression next week because we really don't know who they are, and I bet a lot of you already have your FAVORITES picked out. The unknown finalists are going to have to wow us with their songs, or they'll be going home very soon. They also need some free publicity. Personal controversy is one way to create a buzz on the internet. Although that hasn't worked well so far. All the contestants with buzz -- Sean Michel, Tom Lowe, Tommy Daniels, Ashlyn Carr, Jamie Lynn Ward, Jory Steinberg -- have gone home.
Next Week: There's a lot of Idol -- five hours worth!
Tuesday (8-10 ET) -- The Top 12 Boys perform
Wednesday (8-10 ET) -- The Top 12 Girls perform
Thursday (8-9 ET)-- The First Live Results Show
Get ready to vote, because as Ryan Seacrest said, "Now it's up to YOU, America."
* Final Note: Not sure who the Top 24 Contestants are? Click on the links above. Most of them lead back to Reality TV Magazine because I like the easy links they've set up to individual posts about individual contestants.
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