American Idol 10 Finals: Round of 11 (Again) Results

Sidebar: it was tough switching over to watch AI tonight… NHL Center Ice is free on my cable system starting tonight (it’s a side effect of MLB Extra Innings’ preview), and I found not only an Islanders-Rangers game, but an Islanders-Rangers game being called by Jiggs McDonald.  If you didn’t live in New York in the ‘80s and ‘90s, that sentence made no sense at all.  For the few who get it… yeah, it was nice to go back to my teens/twenties for an hour…  OK, back to the business at hand…

The consensus is that two of my Bottom Three selections last night – Stefano and Naima – are in the crosshairs… but a lot of people also think it’s going to be Thia in the third seat… or Jacob… or Paul… or… yeah.  It’s going to be one of those nights… two of Your Top 11 go home… TONIGHT~!?

Opening montage… “11 brilliant voices”?  Welll… if you insist… otherwise, it’s the usual mash of on- and off-stage footage, including Tyler’s multiple inappropriate comments to girls young enough to be his grandchildren… and “you won’t believe who’s going home”, you say?  Prove it… because THIS… is American Idol!

Did Seacrest try to come onstage with the judges instead of waiting for his intro?  Enquiring minds…

Yeah… NO MORE SAVES!  55 million votes (from 12 bored housewives in Asuza) last night.  That’s an appropriate cue for our Top 11 to make their appearance.   No group song yet, Seacrest has to billboard the night… Fantasia and Jamie Foxx/will.i.am later… but wait… maybe there won’t be a group sing.  It seems that the Idols will do small-group numbers tonight.

Lauren and Scotty get a duet.  Makes sense, they’re our two country-fried singers… doing the Randy Travis number “I Told You So” (you may know the version Travis did with Carrie Underwood two years ago on AI)… and it looks like each performance tonight will move right into results for the singers… so… dim the lights…

• Lauren and Scotty are summoned right over to center stage.  They are both safe.

*break*
Given the rumors about them, do the producers have the cojones to put Haley and Casey together for a duet? I mean, they may already be… um… performing together?… off-stage…

Oh look, they’re doing another Pointless Ford Music Video.  Ironic that it’s “Kryptonite”, since this segment is Kryptonite to people with measurable intelligence… and there’s a contest based on watching all of the damn things and finding icons in each one.  Bleah.

From a pointless video to a pointless filler segment… random chatter with the contestants… Casey talking about trimming his beard… James got some fan mail (which apparently included a replica WWE “spinner” title belt)… and then Naima and Jacob were called on to perform Ashford & Simpson’s “Solid”.  You know what, I’m liking the idea of ditching the silly group songs, if we’re going to get performances such as we’ve seen so far… this was  actually pretty good, as they’re not overdoing it for the audience vote… dim the lights…

• So what happened to Naima and Jacob?  One of them is in the Bottom Three… and it’s Naima.   Jacob is safe.

*break*

We’re back with Fantasia, and “Collard Greens & Cornbread” (that’s the song title, not her pre-show dinner choice, apparently).  Standing ovation for, and some meandering babble from, Fantasia.  We segue right into Haley, Thia, and Pia, doing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” (nice harmonies, and I’ll bet you see this number on tour)… after which, we dim the lights…

• Three girls on stage… do any of them go to the silver stools?  Pia is safe.  One of the remaining two is in the Bottom Three… and it’s Thia.  Haley is safe.

*break*
Thia and Naima are in the Bottom Three.  I won’t be going 3-for-3, as Haley is safe… but Stefano is probably on course for the third silver stool… unless… are Casey or James the “shock” we were promised at the top?

Kris Allen in the audience tonight… but before more singing, let’s look at the week in the life of the Idols (this was the week leading up to last week’s show).  In other words… it’s FILLER TIME!  The Idols did perform at Muhammad Ali Fight Night in Phoenix on Sunday before last, that’s nice… and they got to meet Ali… one hopes he knows he met them.  In other news, Lauren apparently doesn’t know how stairs work (as she falls down the stairs at the mansion, which is being evacuated due to rainfall – and, if rumors are true, ghosts)… I won’t do any more play-by-play, as this is now boring me.  Except to mention that plenty of time was taken on Casey’s post-save breakdown.  Hmmm… up next, Wings’ “Band On The Run” from the four remaining guys (Paul and James on guitar, Stefano on keyboard, Casey on bass, all doing vocals) performing as the “band” James had mentioned on a previous results show.  Dim the lights…

• …as one of them is in the Bottom Three.  Who is it?  Casey (as usual for the week after the save) is safe with a lot of votes, according to Seacrest. James, to no surprise at all, is safe. Either Stefano or Paul goes to the silver stools… and it’s Paul.  Stefano is SAFE?!
• So your Bottom Three is: Thia, Naima, and Paul. Two of them are done.  We find out who… after…

*break*

Before two singers are ejected, it’s time for the Rio soundtrack song “Hot Wings” from Jamie Foxx and will.i.am…

*break* which, of course, includes an ad for Rio.  What a surprise.

3 minutes to the hour, but since there’s no singing for the save, we don’t need time… dim the lights…

• The member of the Bottom Three who’s safe is PAUL.  VFTW Victory!
  
• Thia and Naima are leaving this season where a girl was sure to win (four of the seven girls are gone, none of the six guys have left).
• It was the first B3 appearance for Paul, the second for Thia and Naima.  The only singer who’s survived two B3 trips so far is Haley.

The performance show cuts to 90 minutes next week (to make room for Christian Slater’s next TV failure).  Howie Mandel’s failed pilot, “Mobbed”, is burned off next… see you Wednesday night!