Sometimes we "Idol" prognosticators get it totally right and then there's this week.
All around, we couldn't have been more wrong about what was going to happen on Thursday night's "American Idol" elimination show. After all the Haley Reinhart talk and the certainty that the blues grunter would be sent back to Chicago (where there are, it should be noted, tons of perfectly decent cheesy blues bars eagerly awaiting her return), James' booting was a bolt of heavy metal thunder that came totally out of the blue.
"Season 10 has had more insane plot twists than M Night Shyamalan's filmography!" said MTV News' own "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello. "After surviving last week's results without even landing in the bottom three I thought James was untouchable. His fans protected him through his worst showing on 'Idol,' so if he had a better run on Wednesday common sense would suggest he'd be planning his parade this morning."
But, Jim speculated, the Randy Jackson vs. Haley showdown rallied the legion of growling Reinhards, perhaps laying to rest the argument that in a season in which fans have accused the powers-that-be of manipulating things to the max, the voting public finally raised their giant middle finger ? and used it to dial a vote in for the frequently-bashed singer.
"While his vocals were less-than-perfect, James' work ethic and showmanship was a bright spot of season 10," Cantiello said. "Without his presence in the final two weeks of the season, the remaining contestants better step up their theatrics if they want to avoid being one of the least buzzed-about 'Idol' finales since ... well, last year."
"Idol" blogger MJ Santilli felt pretty confident that Reinhart wasn't going home this week ? like me, she picked top 3 finisher Lauren Alaina ? but she was surprised that "despite all the pimping from the judges panel that included prime spots in the performance line-up and gushing praise, James still got the lowest number of votes this week."
Considering that the contestant at risk is not the one with the best or worst performance of the night, but the one who just falls through the cracks while fans are voting for everyone else, Alaina seemed to be on the block after a pair of good, but forgettable songs.
"Perhaps we've got an 'American Idol' insurrection here," she said, agreeing with Cantiello's middle finger theory. "Viewers are sick of the judges' terrible critiques and are saying, 'Nope, not listening to you! We declare opposite day!' During the Simon Cowell era, a contestant like Haley, who talked back got summarily eliminated. An endorsement from Simon could help a contestant go deep into the competition (Lee DeWyze anyone?) But this new panel seems to have no legitimacy whatsoever. They've become irrelevant."
Ouch.
In the words of "Idol Party Live" guest and New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica, let's have some real talk here. Yes, we didn't think James would go home. He seems like a nice guy and he certainly has the enthusiasm, but the fact is his vocals were often way off key and his shtick frequently felt like warmed-over Adam Lambert, minus the stage presence.
See you at the Missoula County Fair next summer, buddy!
After ten weeks of forecasting the season, here are the current standings:
Gil Kaufman: 5-for-11
Jim Cantiello: 5-for-11
MJ Santilli: 5-for-11
Maura Johnston: 2-for-11
Did you correctly predict James' exit? Do you think he deserved it? Who will be next? Leave your comments below!
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