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'Idol' finds another way to get viewers buzzing

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007 4:03 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under:

"American Idol" pulled a fast one last night. After host Ryan Seacrest repeatedly promised a shocking finale, the show decided "shocking" could mean "we changed the rules."

On "Idol's" big charity show, it was decided that it wouldn't be charitable to send anyone home. But you could almost see the minds of the producers whirring. They've been in trouble with their audience before, and they surely knew that after millions of viewers paid to support their favorite, those viewers might be demanding their money back if the votes were just thrown out. So they decided to hang onto all the votes and offer up a double elimination next week.

That didn't mean the debate was over, of course. Some viewers felt the show was unnecessarily cruel to teenage Jordin Sparks,* whose name was the last one called, and who may have felt she was going home. (Other viewers felt that none of the Idols looked surprised by the non-elimination, and wondered if the singers weren't warned in advance.)

Others felt that they wouldn't have watched the entire two-hour show* if they'd known that no real news was going to come out of it -- support for Idol's chosen causes notwithstanding. And still others can't stop talking about the creepy CGI event that led to a long-dead Elvis singing a duet of sorts with Celine Dion. Personally, I loved "The Simpsons" dissing a cartoon version of Simon Cowell -- who hasn't wanted to see the caustic judge on the vocal hot seat?

What were your thoughts on the show? Were you inspired to give money to the charities? And was Elvis' resurrection creepy or cool?

 

*Starred links via the great TV Tattle, which has collected a nice selection of "Idol" commentary.

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Comments

I thought the Celine and Elvis number was entertaining enough. Better than other crap we are forced to flip thru on t.v. every other night.

Patrick, Atlanta, Georgia (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 8:47 PM)

I would not have watched if I knew there was not going to be ab elimination. I know there are many people in desperate times , however I prefer to help those in my own area.I hope that they did collect a huge amount of money from those wanting and able to help. Maybe they could have ran a chairty only special on another night and went ahead with sending someone home. I thought the Elvis thing was no better or worse than when Natalie Cole "sang" with her Father.

Marsha Bradley IL (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 8:54 PM)

I can honestly say I wouldn't have watched had I known there would be no one going home. Elvis was cool, a little creepy, and very expected. The Simpsons dissing Simon was my favorite part of the night.

Christina, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:03 PM)

It was more than bad, it was down right UGLY to treat Jordin Sparks that way.

Sally Smith, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:33 PM)

Last Night's show reminded me of the CBS reality show "Survivor", when they send nobody home, due to unfortunate circumstances. A new idol voting system to be changed to the way Survivor votes out its castawasy and have them form a jury of voted out contestants should determine who wins the American Idol Title.

John, Enfiedl, CT (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:35 PM)

i thought it was a touching show. I thought it was horrible what those children had to go through, and if idol wanted to use up two hours of time to make those childrens lives better even if only for a day, then GOD BLESS THEM! I also thought that the contestants all deserved to be there another week, they deserve a break as well. How can anyone be so self centered? We're talking about human lives here, i commend idol for raising money and awareness.

tara doe, billings, montana (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:58 PM)

It was an ambitious effort, the special AI charity show. I applaud the intention and hopefully, some insights were gained by the huge audience of the show. I am naive enough to think that Jordin was truly in fear of being sent home, which despite the larger, very important theme of the show, would be a long time to sit and wonder and be under such pressure. I HOPE they were told in advance that no one was leaving, so they could ALL soak in and enjoy the specialness of the show and the whole experience. And I thought the Elvis 'appearance' was awesome. They could have skipped Celine -- though she did an excellent job, toned it down to match the song and her 'partner's amazing performance ... nearly 40 years later, NO ONE is better. Never will be another ... A stupendous visual/video trick to pull that off so realistically. Thanks to the EP estate for allowing the use of that very dramatic, and for Elvis fans everywhere, cherished, song and performance.

shelley, milwaukee, WI (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 10:36 PM)

I thought the whole thing was a bit contrived. And I'm sure the contestants knew what was going to happen ... they had a song prepared to sing at the end when someone would have been singing thier song for the last time.

Heather, Alexandria, VA (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 10:39 PM)

I'm glad noone went home... but it does make me wonder if that was set up before-hand, or if possibly Jordin really did get the lowest amount of votes but the producers wanted to keep her around a little longer. Hopefully everyone that was outraged that she was in the bottom two (even if that was fake) will vote for her next week!

Melissa, Saint Louis, MO (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:20 PM)

was very disapointed that ryan (not seaCREST) was not given any credit whatsoever for his part in the elvis celine duet.. he is a fantastic impersonater and should have been acknowleged.. we all looked forward to seeing him but didnot ..

myrtle beach sc (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:23 PM)

After such a touching show,what Idol did to Jordin makes one wonder where your hearts really are! Shame on you for spoiling what had been a night based on kndness to others!

Georgene Luser (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:24 PM)

I loved the special effects with Elvis and Celine. There will NEVER be another IDOL like Elvis and it was very exciting to see. I thought that Simon looked a little uncomfortable when he was up on stage, he did not face the audience, maybe it was the emotion of it all. Those poor children and what they have to live through. Thank you to all the American Idol people for trying to make a difference.

Kelley, Eastlake, OH (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:26 PM)

Carrie Underwood's video and song was the best part of the show- hands down,with josh groban coming in second. Carrie is an amazing singer and a wonderful person...and you could tell how moved she was in Africa. the kids loved her too. I think her rendition of I'll Stand by you is better then the original. I donated as a direct result of carrie and josh groban with the kids.

theresa s. (Sent Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:38 PM)

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Big deal, noone was eliminated.......so what! I thought the "duet" with The King and Ms. Celine was just great. Reminded me of Natalie Cole and her wonderful dad, the great Nat "King" Cole. Like Ellen, I too, was wondering where the likes of Michael Jordan, Howard "big mouth" Stern, Steinbrenner and the rest of the millionaires were. Guess they were watching basketball. Good show, American Idol......

Bobbe Idaspe, Tucson, Arizona (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 12:23 AM)

The ELVIS and Celine Dion song was amazing! ELVIS still is The SUPERSTAR that everyone else will try to reach, but no one is even close. The segment was AMAZING. American Idol is number one for a reason, they keep doing things right. The duet with ELVIS was much better than any done with singers from the past...ELVIS ACTUALLY "appeared" to WALK on stage with CELINE Dion,(although I love Natalie Cole, when she did a duet with her father, she appeared to be siniging to a video-screen. The ELVIS appearance with Celine Dion was AMAZING.

Josie Hariman (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 12:37 AM)

Sparks schmarks. Doolittle is it. Sparks' head is getting too tight trying to wear an Idol tiara. Her reaction to the whole thing was that of a spoiled little brat. Typically 17. On the plus side, Celine Dion's performance was tops, as always. She should be an Idol mentor. Powerful, verstile voice with perfect pitch.

Ed, Cascade Locks, OR (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 1:28 AM)

I thought it was the cheesiest of the cheese. Look closely during the Elvis thing. Sanjaya, all in white, was on stage. When was this thing taped? So...they must of known what would happen. Madonna's fake british accent was amusing, as always. News corp donating $5 million? Golly. What a windfall? What is that? 8 commercials? Those philanthropists. Whoa.

Kev, Azusa CA (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 1:29 AM)

I felt the show was very touching. Idol did not have to give back and they done so by viewers giving along with top companies. The Elvis and Celine duet was heart touching and brought back beautiful memories. In my opinion Jordan was at first in shock. The poor girl thought she was going home. I do not think the contestants knew no one would be leaving. Thank you American Idol for waiting until the following week to send them home. I comend you for sparing them of seeing a friend go home after a very moving show. I wish I had a tape of that show. I would say AI put 110% in this taping.

Ann Rockwell,Evergreen,North Carolina (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 2:44 AM)

I think cynicism is not an appropriate response. We, as "back seat quarter backs", should instead go look, feel and smell the poverty that the IDOL community came together to try and make a dent in. Whether Jordin knew or not, Celine & Elvis great or too weird, or the show contrived or great, we have the privilege of turning it on, or clicking it off. We should look at the big picture, folks - all those millions of dollars helping out some kids in this world who are living in very bad circumstances.

Diane, Raleigh, NC (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 4:25 AM)

The Jordin thing was a joke. First of all, she knew. She didn't look worried at all. Second, YT unabashedly told us that Jordin is the favorite. If anything, I felt bad for the other contestants. It was like they weren't even significant enough to be part of the big joke. (Don't get me wrong. I love Jordin!) As for Elvis-Celine, it was both creepy and cool. It looked odd, and Celine's acting left a little to be desired, but to hear one of the greatest female singers of our age paired with the best male singer of all time was a treat. I bought the ipod video, and it gets better every time I watch it.

Mike, anchorage, ak (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 7:55 AM)

I thought the producers were unnecessarily mean to Jordin Sparks. Pick someone older to pick on - I think someone older and mature could have handled it better or pull some other prank. I did not like how the ending was handled at all.

Lori, Sharon, PA (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 8:26 AM)

OK...have you peeps never watched american Idol before? They do this every year, that I have watched. I knew that it would probably happened this week as well. So i was not suprised at all. I did think that it was somewhat cruel to Jordin, but it was a heart stopper and that is what they were going for. As far as the ELVIS thing, I thought it was pretty cool! Our technology advancements are fantastic!

CONNIE KINNEY ALBANY GA (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 8:33 AM)

I thought the charity part was amazing to see so many celebrities give their time to raise awareness and help raise funds for such horrible living conditions in Africa. The highlight of the night for me was seeing the very emotional performance of Josh Groban with the African Children's Choir on "You Raise Me Up" that song gets me everytime and those children are so good. We were fortunate enough to see them perform at a church here in Lubbock. They all have such ambition I pray that they get the chance to live out their dreams. On the Idol side, i was kinda bummed no one got eliminated, honesly i tuned in for the charity portion, not idol, but i was kinda worried about Jordin, I thought it was going to be another case of Chris Daughtry, and everyone thought she was safe. Thankfully it was just a mean prank. Unecessary, if you ask me.

Jorge Cazares, Lubbock, TX (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 8:43 AM)

I loved every minute of the show and hope they raised tons and tons of money for the children, both here and in Africa. The duet with Celine and Elvis was amazing, I thought it was an impersonator at first. Ellen's part with her guests were awesome (especially Il Divo). The Simpson's "Cowel" bit was really cool. The only thing I didn't like was the way they did the "non-elimination" ... poor Jordin nearly had a heart attack...that was nasty. As long as they combine the votes with next week's votes it will be totally fair. All in all it was a great two-hour show.

Ell Vincent (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 8:51 AM)

i don't have any comment on the content of the post, other than the fact that "unnecessarily" is spelled wrong in your column.

Claire, Houston, TX (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 9:06 AM)

I thought the show was very self serving and ridiculous. Giving to charities is wonderful... but A-IDOL now has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. I turned it off and I was glad I missed the Dion/ Elvis thing....sometimes it's just better to turn the TV off all together!

private (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 9:06 AM)

The contrived non elimination will garnish tons of sympathy votes for Jordan, skewing the final outcome. She is an enormously talented young lady but so are two others-and I think "the script" just guaranteed her the winner

sbr Kansas City Mo (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 9:26 AM)

I agree they were needlessly cruel to Jordin Sparks hyping the elimination all the way through as a total shocker biggest shock ever on AI. This was a 17 year old who's emotions the producers toyed with. Shame on you Nigel Lithgoe.

Susie, Hartford, CT (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 9:38 AM)

The "nobody goes home" surprise reminded me of how South Park infuriated fans by skipping part 2 of the "Who is Cartman's Father?" episode to air a nauseatingly unfunny half hour of "Terence and Phillip". But I think most AI vewers were tuning in to see the guest performers anyway, not for the voting results. And the Elvis thing was really creepy! I couldn't understand why the producers thought it would be a good idea to show him singing onstage with live performers...until my boyfriend reminded me that many people believe Elvis is still alive.

Beth, Englewood,NJ (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 10:09 AM)

Felt really bad for Jordin-was unnecessary to do that to her. Elvis and Celine-awesome. Paula's outfit-horrible-if I want to see boobs I will buy a magazine, wonder what parents thought with kids watching!! Nasty

Marilyn Bishop, Goshen, IN (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 10:09 AM)

I loved the whole show. It was very moving and eye opening. It think it was fine they didn't kick anyone off this week, and I think the fact that they left Jordin for last is fine too. Come on...you know she is NOT going to be kicked off this early. I think it's going to be her and Melinda at the end. Idol was just going for the shock factor, and for a brief second they got what they wanted. I also really enjoyed the Elvis and Celine song. I was completely facsinated. All in all I think the whole night accomplished what it was supposed to, and that was to raise money for a noble and important cause.

Laura K (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 10:51 AM)

I'm pretty sure the contestants -- and even the studio audience -- knew in advance there would be no eliminations. Witness the not-overly-relieved reactions of the other contestants when they were told they were "safe." But the biggest piece of evidence was the smattering of half-hearted cat calls in the audience when it looked like Jordin would be going home. Had they *really* thought she was being given the boot, there would have been a near-riot.

Steve, Springfield, Ill. (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 10:56 AM)

Oh give me a break. I cant believe anyone really thinks Jordin didnt know she wasnt going home. If you could not tell from the looks on her parents faces then you arent very smart. All the contestents knew. Why in the hell would they practice a son at the end of the show with Jordin singing first if they were going to send her home. Now that would have been cruel. The show was very entertaining and I really enjoyed every minute with the exception of Jordin and that fake crying.

Sue, Midland, Tx (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 10:57 AM)

I, for one, haven't been watching "Idol" this season. There just hasn't been any contestant that I want to watch. I do read the updates online the following day. (it takes a lot less time than actually watching the show) That being said: I didn't see the Celine/Elvis "duet", but being a fan of neither, I can't say that I'm upset by that. While I didn't see the events around Jordin, I choose to believe that she knew about it going in. I choose to believe that, because I can't stand all of the shows that intentionally cause emotional distress in the name of (apparent) entertainment. All in all, I have to give credit to AI for the charity week. It solicited donations from people who normally wouldn't give, and boosted the NewsCorp bottom line at the same time. It was good business, and it helped more than if they had just written an anonymous check.

Chris, Ottawa Lake, MI (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 11:03 AM)

I was touched by the entire show. Thank you for bring more awareness to the dire situations of so many. I was amazed by the Celine/Elvis preformance. I was impressed than Celine seemed to take a backup performance position, out of respect to Elvis. She is such a strong, amazing proformer on her own, but showed such generosity to the memory of Elvis' performance. Class-act! I truly HOPE that all the idol contestants knew ahead of time that there would be no elimination on this program. Other than my worrying about their stress, I commend American Idol for their efforts and a purposeful program; well done.

B.A., Starkville, MS (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 11:05 AM)

Cruel to Jordin, my eye! The contestants knew the entire time that no one was going home. Even if they didn't they had to have figured it out by the time Ryan 'randomly' assured the first 3 they were safe. What is so random about the last 3 being the bottom 3? They didn't fool Jordin, they tried to fool the viewers. And they didn't do a great job of it, as most message boards were full of spoliers about the Elvis/Celine duet as well as the non-elimination by early Wednesday afternoon.

Ezzy Tacoma, WA (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 11:41 AM)

Obviously, the contestants were told in advance that no one was going home. They all had their separate mics ready for the last song before Chris was even announced 'safe'. No shocker at all. This isn't the first time AI has transferred the votes to next week just to eliminate 2 at that time. They have, however, set up Jordin to be absolutely safe next week, unless she trips off the stage or forgets half of her song (which is unlikely). She is in the prime sympathy vote seat because people don't pay attention to the signs all around, therefore thinking she was cruelly picked on, which she just wasn't. In general, the results show is 55 minutes of filler, with 5 minutes of excitement. Since I'm on the West Coast, I usually just read a blog 3 hours in advance to see who got voted off, since it airs on the East Coast first. I've had friends tell me 'but it's live! How can you know before it happens?' I was lucky enough to find a psychic website that can only see 3 hours into the future! ;-)

John Doe, Washington (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 11:47 AM)

You know, it's crazy to me that people are whining about how awfully Jordin was treated. Seriously, people, you just watched a show full of malnourished, under-privileged sick and dying people who have NOTHING. And you're concerned about some spoiled little rich kid getting her self esteem wrecked? I think she can handle it.

John, Austin, TX (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 12:12 PM)

I thought the whole show was awesome and I think it's wonderful that AI raised so much money for the appalling conditions in Africa. I thought Elvis and Celine were cool. I do not believe that any of the contestants knew about the non-elimination. I felt bad for Jordan but she will be okay - she has an amazing voice and I love her. I also love Melinda and Chris so it should be an exciting finish.

Carol, Richmond, VA (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 12:13 PM)

it was so mean what they did to jordin!

John Doe, Seattle, Washington (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 12:56 PM)

I have to say that the show did raise a lot of money for some very needy people and wasn't that what the bottom line called for? No one; not even most of the viewing audience was surprised that no one was sent home. No one should have been at any rate. I often say, how do we know if the votes are what determine who wins. we can't see them. Jordan was told to cry so she did; but she wasn't surprised. If she wins based on that; then this will be my last year watching American Idol.

Kitty, Omaha, NE (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 2:28 PM)

If Jordidn knew she was going to be safe, why was she crying so much after it looked like she was going home, and once she knew she was safe?

Jane Doe, Warwick RI (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 3:17 PM)

I enjoyed the show as always. But I know we have enough children in the United States to help and don't have to go abroad. Its all very sad but there are poor and mistreated children everyone. Don't we have enough at home to help or do we have to go elsewhere to find poor unfortunate children.

unanimous, las vegas, nevada (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 3:42 PM)

It was nice, to see money raised for such a good cause. I hope it is spent wisely. I am an AI fan, but it is wearing thin. Maybe another year or two, and it will have runn its' course. Ellen did a great job. she hit the nail on the head. when she challenged her rich friends. BTW we all know who the top 3 idols are. don't we?

Debo lexington,ky (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 6:51 PM)

Jordin was fortunate she was not sent home. Anyone who watched her song from the previous night heard one of the most out of tune renditions on Idol this season. Of course, if none of the remaining contestants was to be eliminated; the producers could have voted Celine/Elvis off. How tasteless was that? Celine does know that Elvis has been gone over 30 years, right?

Don (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 7:53 PM)

The only way AI could pull it off, was to appear to place Jordon in the bottom three. "RANDOM order" were the key word's at the begining of the show. We all know that it would not have worked had they placed Melinda in that position. The rest of the contestants are all in an iffy placement. If you think that Jordon will win by a vote of sympathy, then you haven't heard her sing. The child is incredable and in a better age group to be an "Idol" than an almost 30 year old Melinda. Melinda is wonderful but her age stops me from backing her. Melinda and Jordon have been the favorites for weeks now. If Jordon's tears were fake, then she is also a wonderful actress. The show was great. We enjoyed every intense minute of it and my husband was inspired to make a donation.

R.R. Denver, CO (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 7:56 PM)

I thought the Elvis appearance was cool. Since I am pretty cynical, I was surprised at how entertaining the duet was to me. An older friend of mine recently died, and she was a HUGE Elvis fan. I really wished she had lived long enough to see that. She would have just enjoyed imagining that it was "real".

Cindy, Maryville, TN (Sent Friday, April 27, 2007 9:23 PM)

I watched the show on Tuesday so I could hear and see Jordin. She gets my vote for winner. I miss Sanjaya, but I'll keep looking for him elsewhere. I did not watch on Wednesday and I'm glad I didn't, especially after reading and hearing about it.

LA, Denver, CO (Sent Saturday, April 28, 2007 1:25 PM)

So the questions still remains....which two were really in the bottom two???? I find it almost impossible to believe that Jordin was one of them. Are they going to let us know the truth next week?

Marli, Jacksonville, Florida (Sent Saturday, April 28, 2007 5:28 PM)

I watched the Celine/Elvis Duet over and over again on my HD DVR. I tied to figure out how they did it. I looked for wierd artifacts from a blue screen CGI, Thare was non. It was fantastic, this was an historic moment on TV. Bring back all the great Idols for an encore.

Bruce Friedman (Sent Saturday, April 28, 2007 10:02 PM)



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