As Ryan Seacrest, the host of the show said:
They are becoming the most famous faces on your screen. And you put them there.
This year, American Idol's stage is new and bigger than ever.
Judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell influenced America's votes with their kudos and their extremely critical remarks.
Last week, Simon was especially cranky.
On Tuesday night, all three judges did not hesitate to offer "Cowell-sized criticism."
After investing two-and-a-half hours three nights a week for the past couple of months, the show returned to twice-weekly episodes.
From here on out, one competitor will be eliminated each week.
The person with the least number of phone-in votes goes home until only two are left standing.
The winner will join Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino who each received a recording contract upon winning American Idol I, II and III.
Sadly, Mario Vasquez withdrew from the competition last Friday. However, Nikko Smith, the man with highest number of votes after Vasquez, was invited back.
Ryan Seacrest let the competitors in on the genre they would be singing in their first week on the new stage. He offered a couple of clues: Let's twist and Chubby Checker were two. Anwar got it immediately. The 60's music, rock included, was brought to us with a twist or two by rockers Bo and Constantine.
To start off the finals, Jessica Sierra sang "Shop Around" by Smokey Robinson. She described it as fun and funky and a way to show off her character. She chose the bluesy feel to show off her voice.
Randy said, "The show has finally begun."
Jackson expected everybody to be popping but didn't feel it. Paula thought she did a good job. However, Simon called her performance boring.
More people in America sided with Simon. Of the twelve contestants, Jessica was in the bottom three.
Anwar Robinson chose "A House is Not A Home" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Vocally, he believes this song goes places that our beautiful.
One thing was for certain, Robinson not only got my vote this week, he deserved the best-dressed award.
Who is Anwar Robinson's dresser? I want to know. His long black jacket, open black shirt and black pants made him look like a superstar.
Paula called his style flawless along with his voice. Looking up she said, "Your voice is simply exquisite."
Randy said, "I expected you to come out, of all people, and to hear your great big voice be on and popping." He called his performance just safe.
Simon agreed that Anwar looked great. He praised his fantastic presence and his voice. He said, "You've proven to us what you're all about. Now we want to see a slightly a more fun side. Otherwise, there is a risk that you might become a bit boring. And I'd hate to see that happen because you're not."
Mikalah Gordon sang "Son of A Preacher Man" by Dusty Springfield.
Randy called it when he said, "That was rough dude for me. That was rough baby."
Paula praised her for getting back to being Mikalah even though she admitted it was not Mikalah's best performance.
Simon said, "I think your confidence exceeded your ability."
Mikalah's performance was voted the second worst of the week.
Our family of five put the TiVo on pause and took a vote before the person with the fewest votes was announced on Wednesday.
Every one of us agreed that Mikalah would be out.
My seven year-old believes Mikalah beat out Lindsey Cardinale only because she has a more lighthearted, funny personality than Lindsey. She doesn't think her voice is "American Idol" material as much as some of the others.
Two parents in this household don't think she is Idol material because of her foul mouth. Even if she does become this year's American Idol I wouldn't buy her music for my kids based on her behavior before Ryan cut to the final commercial break of the night. Blurting out the "F-bomb" on national television, even if it is mouthed, may have been funny to hear live. But she won't get our vote or money from our pocketbooks, no matter how great her voice is.
The producers of the show should have guidelines that prohibit the contestants to swear on TV. If they do, they should be out of the competition.
For goodness sake, this is FOX not MTV.
We are allowing seven year-olds to stay up until 9:30 to watch their "idols".
I imagine Scott Savol's four year-old is also staying up to watch his dad.
Then again, I'm not sure what's worse, Mikalah's profanity or Simon's foul mouth on the American Idol I DVD.
Now an eight-time Emmy-nominated show, American Idol is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, founder of 19 Television; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Chief Operating Officer, Production, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Nigel Lythgoe, President, 19 Television; and Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.
If you want to complain, complain to these people.
Now that they've seen the positive results of raising the age limit to twenty-nine, perhaps next year they'll consider raising the maturity requirement to those who can have a little self-control up on the big stage.
Constantine Maroulis, who has been called a "Greek God" by many of his fans, chose a 1969 Motown classic, "You've Made Me So Very Happy" For the older set, we couldn't help but imagine Maroulis up against Tom Jones singing this song. Constantine made it his own, especially with that last note.
Randy said, "Constantine, that was your best performance to date for me. Props to you." Paula especially praised his last note.
Simon said, "I think if this was 'Smoldering Idol,' you'd win hands-down. Constantine's a great performer and I think there are an awful lot of girls in this country..." to which the girls in the audience affirmed his point. Nothing more needed to be said - except, as the signs said, "Rockers Rule!"
Lindsey Cardinale sang "Knock on Wood" by Eddie Floyd. The black choker around her neck became a symbol for how she would do in the finals.
Paula asked her how she thought she did. Her response, "You can always do better." Simon chimed in and said, "I think 30 million tv sets in America had their volume turned down simultaneously."
Half way through the performance we did not turn down the volume, we muted it.
That said, of the five votes called in on Tuesday, one of them was for Lindsey Cardinale. Our nine year-old cast her 1 866 IDOLS 05 vote in the Louisiana artist's direction.
But it wasn't enough to keep her in the competition next week.
On Wednesday, she joined Leah LaBelle, Vanessa Olivarez and Jim Verraros, the first Idol finalists to be eliminated in their respective season.
We found it interesting that The Bottom Three this week were women. It goes to show, as the judges have been saying all season, that the men are the strongest sex this year.
In American Idol's press release about The Top Twelve finalists, Lindsey was profiled as follows:
Lindsey Cardinale - (20) From Ponchatoula, LA (Auditioned in New Orleans) - Lindsey Cardinale is currently a student Southeastern Louisiana University. She has been performing since she was 12 years old in school shows, benefits, fairs, festivals and weddings. Lindsey also plays the guitar, piano and drums. In her off time, Lindsey enjoys riding horses, four-wheelers, knee boarding, hunting and fishing.
We wish this well-rounded beauty with a deep raspy voice the best.
As the judges encouraged before others were eliminated "Keep the dream alive!"
The Other Contestants Who Are "Safe" At Least Until Next Week
On Tuesday night, Anthony Fedorov sang 1962's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka. He chose this song because he believes he connects both vocally and spiritually with it.
Anthony has been compared to Clay Aiken from American Idol III. Personally, I don't see it. Others call him a "blonde Harry Potter." A wizard with a magical voice, perhaps.
Check out those biceps. And those hip glasses.
Best of all, he has a soulful smile and a voice, when it is on, that kids are likely to remember all the way to the music store.
Despite Randy, Paula and Simon's criticism of his performance on Tuesday night, America voted, and enough votes were cast in Fedorov's favor to keep him "safe".
Fedorov also had fans in the crowd. One pink and yellow striped sign read, "I Love Fedorov."
Nadia Turner sang Dusty Springfield's 1966 hit "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" because she feels it fits her like a glove. Slowing it down this week, Turner had the look of a Bond Girl. Whether or not she becomes the next American Idol the producers of the next 007 agent movie should sign her up now. Wow!
Randy praised her performance by saying, "Finally the show has begun."
"I'm excited for you," said Paula, "because you're in it to win and you're playing the game and I'm so proud of you."
Referencing last week's comments, Simon said, "In a competition full of hamburgers you are a steak."
Bo Bice sang "Spinning Wheel" by Blood Sweat & Tears. Bice's Birmingham band used to play this 1969 hit. Once again, I had visions of Tom Jones. The sound of Bice's voice sounds a bit more like Tom's.
While USA Today criticized his showmanship efforts, Simon said, "It looks like you've been doing this for twenty years."
Randy reaffirmed his love for Bo. "This is the way to get to done," Jackson said.
Paula said, "You're already a superstar."
The twenty-nine year-old from Helena, Alabama is no stranger to professional producing. He has both performed live and recorded with Johnny Neel of the Allman Brothers.
A sample of what America's sentiment toward the contestants can be found on American Idol's message board. At the time of publication, out of 583 votes, Bo had the most. 139 out of 583 FOX Forum readers voted for Bice. Here's how the votes were distributed:
The Top 11 Favorite Contestants
Bo - 139
Constantine - 81
Carrie - 60
Anwar - 49
Nikko - 42
Nadia - 28
Anthony - 26
Scott - 25
Mikalah - 24
Vonzell - 13
Jessica - 6
On Tuesday night, Vonzell Solomon sang the 1964 hit by Dionne Warwick "Anyone Who Had A Heart" because it gave her goose bumps when she heard it.
Her slinky long pink gown and long locks were a strong hint that she has left behind her postal service truck perhaps for good.
Vonzell's family and friends were in the crowd cheering her on.
Randy praised her voice by saying "You've got a really good instrument." Paula praised her for her showmanship. Simon warned her to do something great or she'll be out in five weeks.
Scott Savol hoped the crowd would get into his singing The Temptations' 1966 song "Ain't Too Proud To Beg".
The crowd delivered including a group of military people. Standing in the front row wearing white gloves they had their hands together leading the beat. Fortunately, Savol delivered the performance he was hoping for.
Savol looked the sharpest he has in the entire competition. His light rust suede suit and blue shaded glasses added to the confidence he exuded as he sang. We loved the way he came down in front of the judges and sang to them individually.
Paula had her arm up in the air rockin' with the rest of the live audience.
Randy said:
You're back, baby. You're back in there, man.
I enjoyed you tonight, man. You're having fun. You came down. You were confident tonight. You were mostly in tune. It was hot. Man, I loved you tonight.
Paula echoed Randy's kudos. Simon's praise was simple. He said, "You surprised me tonight. You did good."
On Wednesday night, when Ryan Seacrest told Savol he was safe, you'd have thought we were watching NFL Football. The shout of joy that came out of Tim's mouth was priceless. You would have thought The Green Bay Packers had just scored a touchdown. Scott's target market may not be forty-something year-old dads, but the trumpet player who performs at city and church functions has one big fan in Tim Fredel cheering him on; that's for sure.
One of the things Tim likes about Scott is that he has confidence, as well as a soulful side.
Carrie Underwood sang the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved".
She has known the up-tempo song for years. In fact, she has a history of performing it at a country show at her college. Her goal was to show off her personality. Frankly, she looked nervous.
Randy called it a "very o.k. performance." Paula criticized the fact it was safe and boring.
Simon prefaced his comments by saying, "This has never happened before. Those to have been horrible and I'm about to be nice." He said, "There are three people in this competition who actually know who they are musically, and you are one of them.
Seacrest called it a curveball. That's an "understatement."
In reviewing the show for a second time, my seven year-old said, "I agree with Simon for once."
Nikko Smith chose the very fitting 1969 song "I Want You Back" by The Jackson Five.
Smith came onto the stage wearing his trademark hat but threw it into the crowd on the first note of his song.
"Welcome back," Randy said. "I'm glad that you're back because you've brought some fun, some excitement" he added which prompted the crowd to go wild.
Paula echoed Randy's praised which set off another wave of cheers and applause.
Abdul said, "That's what it's all about. You did it! You just did your own thing, and that's what it's all about. I'm proud of you. We're proud of you."
Then we heard the loudest round of boos all night when Simon used the "H" word to describe his performance. Boo hiss.
Thank God America agreed with Randy and Paula -- not Simon.
At 2:30 a.m., Nikko got the call to come back to the show. Smith said, "It was a little crazy, but I'm glad to be back. I'm glad to be back."
The American Idol IV finale is scheduled for May 24th and 25th in Hollywood.
In year's past, this episode of "Reality TV" has been the most-watched event on TV outside the Super Bowl and the Oscars.
Idol is consistently the No. 1 TV show, averaging more than 26 million viewers a week.
Inspire & Be Inspired.
Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "60's beat" living!
~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegant Living publisher
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