Recap Top 8 Results Show

After a somewhat exhausting break with the Idol Gives Back special, it is back to business. Time for someone to pack their bags and go!

First however, is a recap of the charity special. Naturally it is a bit lengthy considering it was a long show (2.5 hours -that's a lot of commercials!).

Over 31 millions votes cast. Apparently this is the highest for the season.

Time to get some results now. It's the now regular routine with empty sofa and 3 empty seats. Our first revelation is of Brooke. Ryan mentioned something emotional going on with her and she explains her sister is getting married this weekend and she won't be able to be there. Then she realises that this is the results show and she just might get to go home after all. Alas, Ryan tells her the unfortunate news, that she is safe, which means she will miss the wedding.

Next up is David Cook who walks quite humbly on to the stage, looking quite sheepish, knowing that he really did poorly and stands a chance of going home. No doubt he also recalls Simon calling him pompous, and so must not make Simon look right. When Ryan asks him how he feels, all he could muster up was "either way". Well the lucky bastard is safe! Truth be told, even though he did the worst this round, he has done enough to prove his right to remain in the show. So it's good the producers decided to keep him on.

David Archuleta called to face the music. Well he's safe. We all knew that anyway. Moving on...

A little spill over from the charity show takes our attention to Africa. Things are really bad in some parts over there. I hope you all gave a lot.

We then get treated to a performance by Jordin Sparks (she won American Idol last year btw) and some guy named Chris Brown. A decent little gig I admit. After that, some folks come on stage to present Jordin with some tokens to mark her success. Apparently she has items that has had over 1 million downloads. This is supposed to mean that American Idol works. Ok, but what happened with Taylor Hicks?

It's now Jason Castro's turn to hear his result. At this point he must be thinking that with just 5 contestants including himself left to be seated, that the probability is quite high that he'll have to take a bad seat. But it was not to be. This guy has escaped again!

Kristy is called next, and this is when I was quite sure that they would leave the bottom 3 for last. It had crossed my mind earlier, but I couldn't be sure. Kristy is safe (amazing how far she's come considering she should rightly have gone from the top 12 week)

Just before the break, Ryan asks who will have the lowest vote count, and if you had a sharp eye, you'd have noticed Carly raising her hand. She clearly knew she deserved to go.


I should mention that there were some clips by the presidential candidates.

So our so called bottom 3 is Michael, Carly and Syesha. Well if you read my recap of the performance show, you'll see I didn't even mention Syesha as being in any danger, so I knew she was ok. Carly no doubt was the bottom vote getter. However, as I said, Michael was also in danger, depending on whether the producers decided to let a guy go.

Ryan asked Randy what he thought. Randy said it was a pretty surprising bottom 3. Asked if she thinks America got it right, Paula says partly.

Well when Ryan called Syesha and Carly together, it was clear that Michael was the chosen one.

I must say I'm not at all sorry to see him go. As I've said, his style doesn't suit me. A girl will go home next week. Good chance it will be Brooke. But I guess there's still time to change the future!

Recap Top 8

So we are down to 8 contestants.

This is Idol Gives Back week. Tomorrow will be the special show with all the supposedly big names. The results will be aired on Thursday.

The theme for the night is Inspirational songs, in the spirit of Idol Gives Back

First up was Michael Johns singing Dream on by Aerosmith. I didn't like it. I guess I don't fancy this guy's style. Only once which was during the hollywood auditions was I ever impressed with him. Randy thought it was a good song choice but said there were some pitch problems. Paula couldn't disagree more. To her it was the perfect song, and felt that it sounded as good as he looks. As a guy, I don't see anything special with his looks, so maybe Paula meant he sang just ok. I can accept that. Simon said it was a very good perfomance, but didn't like the impersonation of a rock star, and felt it was a little bit wannabee-ish.

Syesha -Performed I Believe by Fantasia I would say she did pretty good. I think I've heard more impressive from her, but this was still good quality. Randy said it was just ok and thought she didn't have the special connection that Fantasia seems to have. Paula believed this was hands down one of her most shining nights. Simon acknowledged that technically she sang it very well. However, like Randy, felt that it lacked the big wave of emotion that Fantasia communicates when she sings it.

Jason Castro - I confess that each time Jason steps up to sing, I think to myself, "this joker" . Well this week he sang an obscure version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. While it was ok, and even decent in parts, it is pretty much the same non-starter every striking week! Random Randy exclaimed that Jason Castro is back and that it was hot! Paula commented that he has the most definitive sound, and overall thought he did a great job. Simon thought it was fantastic. The judges must be trying their best to keep this kid in the show.

Kristy Lee Cook sang Anyway, by Martina McBride. I liked it. Randy made the remark that there were a couple pitch moments, but confessed that he loved it, and that it was really good. Paula said she "out did" herself by far, and thought it was her best. Simon admitted that she was very very good indeed and even added that this night she looks like a star.

David Cook - I thought this was his worst performance ever. From the start it forbode disaster. Randy seems to agree with me but apparently wanted to go easy on him so just said he wasn't sure if this was his strongest. Paula just loved it and thought it was just as comparable to previous weeks. (But then Paula just might be on something this week). Simon didn't like it much at all, and felt it was a bit pompous. Apparently the white jacket was a problem to him too. But he hit the nail on the head when he said very plainly that this wasn't anywhere near as good as the last two weeks.

Carly - Singing The Show Must Go On, unfortunately. It didn't do much for me. Could be song choice. Randy said it started good, got pitchy in the middle and ended just ok. Paula thought Carly's voice was pretty perfect, but didn't feel the connection. Simon made sure to first compliment Carly's look. He criticised her for that last week, so its understandable that he'd want to follow up on that. He told her though that it was an unusual choice of song, that she over-sang it and that it came across as an angry performance, which wasn't quite in keeping with the night's theme, and that she could be in danger after that. Carly shed some light on what happened when she explained that in the middle of the song she saw Simon's face and apparently that caused her to lose the thread.

David Archuleta - On the piano reminding us of his versatility. It was ok. I thought his top 9 performance was much better. Randy said it was the hottest moment of the whole season. A strange comment I would say. Paula summed it up as fantastic. Simon said it was the best song choice of the night though not his best vocal, as he felt it was a bit nasal.

Brooke White - Ok, I thought she was Ok. Randy agreed it was ok, and didn't think it was her best. Paula remarked that it was the perfect song to close the show (which says nothing about how well she thought Brooke did), and that she has a definitive voice. Simon compared the performance to a pleasant walk in the park. He said it was not original, but it was pleasant.

Now we have to wait a couple nights to see which ones the producers have decided to let go, since there is special Idol Gives Back interlude show. If they decide to let a girl go, it would probably be Carly or Brooke. If it is a guy, then it would have to either be Jason or Michael even though David Cook probably did the worst.

Recap Top 6 Results Show, Idol Gives Back

So the results show that we've all been waiting for, the one that promised to have surprises and shockers, finally came to pass.

Several celebrities were featured at some point. Let me say from now, that there were too many for me to keep track of, so if you happen to be one of them who got left out from this recap, then please don't take it personally. The public appreciates the effort you made to help raise money for the poor in the various places highlighted.

Ryan began the show announcing that the most shocking result in Idol History will be revealed. Actually when the result was finally told, it really wasn't that shocking, but more on that later.

Over 70 million votes were cast. This is the highest ever in Idol history.

Ellen Degeneres was introduced somewhere near the beginning as a co-host but based at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She tried to make a joke about her being the one to be kicked off since the result is supposed to be so shocking. To me it appeared as if she was fighting to make that "joke" fly.

Ok, so from Ellen's end comes the first performance by Earth Wind Fire.

More (ie. in addition to what they covered the night before) was shown on Randy's exploits in New Orleans, pertaining to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Money raised from this show will be used in part to aid some of these folks.


It became apparent that Sanjaya was in the audience, as the camera focused on him for a bit. Perhaps producers feel somewhat guilty for booting him the previous week?

(I leave it to you to decide which one is Sanjaya)

Group song was next. Lakisha sounded the best.

Ben Stiller got some attention after this in a humourous act to get people to call in. Supposedly he was trying to sing for the sake of raising funds. The public was urged by Seacrest and a text message across the screen to call in and donate enough so the guy would stop the "singing".

More details were given on the trip to Africa that Ryan and Simon took, particularly with respect to the story they aired the previous night about the 12 year old boy who has to take care of the household since his parents died. Other orphans were pointed out.

At this stage, Seacrest begins to reveal the results. Melinda, safe!

Paula was shown at the Boys and Girls Club. Yes, these children do need the help and attention being given to them. But when shown in such close proximity to the footage of the kids over in Africa, they seem quite wealthy.

A little later some guy gets up on stage and attempts to sing Kiss From A Rose. The guy is actually supposedly well known, but I didn't recognise him. Anyway, this whole scene was amusing. The judges gave their comments. Simon said he did better than Sanjaya. The cameras then captured Sanjaya's reaction as he was cracking up at this. The supposedly well known guy took Simon's comments as an insult to him.

Blake -safe!

Carrie Underwood was given some time as they aired a pre-recorded session of her with some of the kids they are helping. She sang in this clip, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked it.

Then came the Ford video. It was actually quite long, as it featured a long list of stars. At one point I wasn't sure if it was still the same Ford video, as it just seemed to have kept going on.

Phil -safe.

Another clip of Simon and Ryan in Africa: A sick woman named Ruth was shown having to endure her unhealthy environment. She was taken to the hospital, but died two days later.

Ellen said she is personally donating $100,000.

Josh Groban gave a live performance at the Disney place, singing You Raise Me Up, with a choir composed of some of the poor youth from the African regions they are trying to help. Josh is a great singer, and that song is very inspirational. It was also very moving to see these children involved, and getting a chance to experience a much better quality of life.

There was more coverage of the Africa trip, with a focus on dealing with malaria.

Live performance by Kelly Clarkson. Well it should be settled now, the girl can sing. Yet everytime I listen to her, I keep wondering if she is really so much better than other Idol stars who are still far behind in record sales.

A cute Simpsons scene was shown. In it, Simon was auditioning before a panel of judges consisting of Marge, Lisa and Homer. He sang, "Don't you wish your boyfriend was hot like me". Good scene.

Lakisha -safe.

Finally, the mystery duet is revealed: Celine Dion and Elvis Presley! This was a fantastic showing. This must get the prize for the entertainment segment of the night. But this just goes to show that you just can't trust anything you see on TV. Their singing was great too. I really enjoyed their duet.

Skipping the Madonna piece and some woman playing a piano while singing Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water, we are taken to the final result, what we've all been waiting for.

It is between Chris and Jordin. Remember Ryan said the result is shocking. Chris is safe! No doubt many were fooled and thought this meant the end of Jordin. However, Ryan then tells her that she is also safe. What? So who is going home? No one. Not this week anyway. Next week they will add the votes for each contestant for this round with the next, and the bottom two will be eliminated. Incidentally, in case you're wondering if the contestants knew about this beforehand, it should be clear they didn't, with the pic shown here of Jordin wiping away tears of relief.

I have a gripe with Seacrest's choice of words though. I don't think this is the most shocking result in Idol history. After all, they have had at least one round before where everyone was declared safe. Also, it was easy to surmise that this was what they were up to. This result was even suggested on discussion boards before the show even started.

By the way, it's becoming a little more apparent why they got rid of Sanjaya the previous round. But that will have to wait for another post.

The show closed with the top 6 doing another group thing. (see pic on right)

Below is a random pic of Paula's breasts threatening to grab some more attention.

Recap Top 6

The much publicised Idol Gives Back performance show finally arrived. The intention is to raise lots of money to help the indigent of the world. News Corporation is donating 10c for each vote up to the first 50 million. That translates to $5 Million.

For some reason this show was pre-recorded.

The show essentially started with a most touching clip of the trip Simon and Ryan took to Africa. A 12 year old boy was featured, who has to take care of his household because his parents are dead. They showed children starving, and suffering in an area where malaria is the primary cause of death (at least that's what Seacrest intimated). Simon said it was "hell on earth".

Keeping with the focus of this special show, the song theme of the contestants was Inspirational.

First to perform was Chris Richardson. I was not impressed. But honestly, I don't know if I would ever be impressed with this fellow. I just have an aversion to his voice. But trying to be objective, I suppose he was OK. Randy thought Chris is now looking like he is in it to win it. Paula thought it was fantastic. Simon felt like the competition was just starting this round. (I wonder if that's because Sanjaya is no longer around?) He also said that he did really well.

After the break, there was a clip of places in the US that they will also be helping. (left to right: Randy in Louisiana with Hurricane Katrina victim, Kentucky kids in an area of high illiteracy)


Next contestant was Melinda Doolittle! It's almost boring to report on her now. She consistently does well, one can pretty much guess what her reviews will be like. Randy didn't quite know what to say, but he loved her performance. Paula thought it was magical. Simon said she made it sound original and that it was a "vocal masterclass".

Blake Lewis -- Oh boy. I don't think there was anything to be excited about here. Except maybe that little screech that proceeded from his throat when trying to demonstrate some sort of a falsetto. Randy said it was a great song choice, but was just alright for him. Paula thought it was his first real emotional piece, so she liked it. Simon didn't think it really went anywhere. On the positive side however, he did think he sang it with sincerity.

Lakisha Jones -- Lakisha decided to do another song by an American Idol winner. This time she chose Fantasia's I Believe. I think it was OK. Randy said it was a great song choice, but had some pitch problems, yet thought she still did good. Paula said a mouthful which Simon took to mean that she preferred Fantasia's version. Simon went on to say he has an issue with her shouting, which evoked a loud cry of boos from the audience. I have to agree that I preferred the Fantasia version.

Phil Tracey -- Phil is the new VoteForTheWorst pick. Did he do that degenerate group proud? I'm not sure. Phil was ok in my book (though still looking a bit odd. See pic). I think he needs some vocal training, and then he could probably do something great. Randy commented that it was a very nice vocal. Paula thought this was his best. Simon felt it was a good song choice, was decent overall, but advised him to try to utilise the country voice that he demonstrated the previous week.

Closing the show was the young Jordin Sparks. The beginning sounded a bit shaky or dubious to me. But then she started some shouting which didn't do much to win my favour. This I think is the worst I have ever heard from her. Please folks, don't bash me. I'm just giving my first impression. Quite possibly after listening to it again I will have a different outlook. Randy said it was one of the best vocals of any contestant out of all the Idol seasons. Paula told her she did a lovely job. Simon said it was fantastic.

So there you have it folks. The worst performances for the night were by Jordin, Blake and Lakisha. However, if they do show a bottom 3, it probably won't feature Jordin.