It seems that Donna at Foxes on Idol has come to the same conclusion about American Idol that I came to months ago after Amy was shamelessly eliminated while the likes of Camile, John and JPL remained. It's NOT just about talent. There are so many factors that go into this show, that to think that the most talented performer will automatically become the American Idol is naive and just plain silly. And it's what makes this show fun. If we knew from week one that LaToya was going to win, why watch except to see how poorly contestant so-and-so does or how badly Simon will rip up the cute little girl who can't hold a note in a basket. Or to watch to see if LaToya accidentally falls off the stage. There would be no point if the outcome were a foregone conclusion. And so we get angry when the vote doesn't go the way we think it should. So what?! It's not like the ousted contestant is disembowled on live TV or anything. They just move on to the talk shows. And then we have stuff to complain about, the accusations flair up, viewership increases, ratings go up, ad rates skyrocket and everybody's safe and happy.
So we're down to three. It's time to flip that coin. Song selection will be everything tonight. The judges choose a song for each of the girls. (It is unclear how that will work, but I'm assuming they will do it the same way as last season -- one judge chooses for one girl. Good luck Jasmine.) Clive Davis, the guest judge, will choose a song for each of the girls and then the ladies will choose one for themselves. No narrow genres to throw any of them off.
The only way Diana won't continue in this competition is if she flips off the audience. (And, let's be real here, that could win her a lot of new fans; it beats tears!) She is the safest of the three. She also tends to be the most predictable, so I have no fear that Diana won't tear into all of her songs impressively. She will just need to remember to relax, throw caution to the wind and have fun. Any hint of the old pageant-girl robotics may spell disappointment and possible disaster for her.
Now I need the coin. There should not be a bottom anything. After all, the bottom three will also be the top three. Ryan will probably just announce who's leaving.
There's Fantasia. Again, anytime Fantasia performs, my assumption is that she will blow the place apart. And she usually does. But sometimes I've been disappointed, because I know her capability, so, when she falls just short of that expectation, it's seen as a lesser performance, even though it's far and away better than most of the others. The judges comments will be critical for Fantasia tonight. If they praise her lavishly, well, you know. There will be those out there who will -- yet again -- try to show who's boss by voting anyone but. [You really would think at this stage that childish game would have ceased.] And, add to the fact, that there are many anti-Fantasia people out there, those who think she's too cocky or view her as a wanton woman because she's a teenaged single mom, the anti-Fantasia votes could hurt her. Those two factors separately won't hurt her, but combined could push Jasmine into the final. On the other hand, if the judges criticize her, she needs to accept it silently (or better yet agree with them, that would be new), or she will be seen as disrespectful. I hate to think that someone with Fantasia's talent is at the mercy of such fickle voters. But that seems certainly to be the case.
Fantasia's one advantage will be the controversy and outrage over LaToya's elimination last week. Viewership increased significantly after Jennifer Hudson's dismissal when Fantasia was again in the bottom two. I fully expect viewership and voter participation to increase accordingly tonight, and if that happens, Fantasia should be the beneficiary, picking up many or most of the dedicated LaToya backers who are going to vote for anyone but Jasmine.
Then there's Jasmine in LaToya's spot. Oh what might have been. The Hawaii voters will be called to arms. They are continuing to be schooled in effective AI voting, and she should get a couple million votes just from the island. That leaves the mainland. Everything depends on performance and composure for Jasmine. She has to be in tune, on tune or near tune. She cannot forget the lyrics. The judges, I suspect, are not going to give her oneounce of the benefit of the doubt. (Except for Paula, who will compliment her outfit.) One tear will kill her. I still believe that last week's tears really were genuine and not a pathetic plea for help. But a repeat performance and that belief goes out the window. Overall, I just do not believe Jasmine can muster up enough voter support, regardless of how well she may perform, to move to the finale.
And so the call is easy. And I don't need a coin. Diana will advance, as will Fantasia. And with these three performers, that is exactly how it should be. As I noted in my "making a case for...fantasia" that Diana and Fantasia were the first of the twelve chosen. They should be the last two standing.
*photo from idolonfox.com
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