The dreaded final cut on AI is always stressful, but this season they added a couple of new twists. First, they whisked the 54 contestants who made it through from last night to some big Mansion. When called to see the judges each contestant had to walk through a garden and enter a big room where the judges are seated on these big cushy red chairs. The contestants on the other hand are given a not so big and cushy red chair.
Here the judges will deliver the news of their fate. Are they in or is it the end of the road for them. This decision is huge, because after this final cut, America will be voting to keep them in the competition rather than the judges. The suspense starts to build.
First up . . . . one of NC’s finest, Anoop Desai! The judges tell him that he continuously surprised them throughout the tryouts. And then they happily announced that he made it! Anoop (a North Carolina Tar Heel) is in American Idol Season 8! Yay for Annie's Alma Mater.
The second twist, a sing off between two contestants who are straddling the fence. And so the judges give them the news that they have one last shot. Each contestant is asked to sing a song and based on that performance, the judges will select who makes it and who doesn’t. And the first sing off started with two friends, Cody and Alex! Alex made it, Cody didn’t. The harsh reality of the music business.
Next up, Adam Lambert. The judges deliver the news. He’s in! Another of my favorites, stay at home mom, Alexis Grace. She’s in! My other favorites, Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez, Jasmine Murray, even Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle), all in!
And last but not least, the No Brainer of the night: Danny Gokey, IN! The first shock of the evening: Danny's good friend, Jamar Rogers, didn't make it. And the second shock: Tatiana, in!
So there you have it. American Idol Season 8 now begins!
And that’s my recap! Keep on Rocking AI . . .
Hi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this great recap. I was only able to watch the first 15 minutes last night but I DID get to see my man Anoop make it through (yay!). And I saw that mansion set (kinda goofy) and the first "sing-off" - what pressure!
But I can't believe that drama queen Tatiana made it through! And I'm sorry that Danny's friend didn't make it. I bet that was sad to see. But it sounds like some really good talent did make it and I'm looking forward to next week when we can finally start seeing these people sing whole songs instead of snippets.
And what a great night in college hoops. My Heels were down by 8 points at halftime but they came back and played an excellent second half and won 101-87. Woo hoo!
Yesterday Obama met with some North Carolina journalists to talk about the NC economy. He said that he knew what North Carolinians were thinking about: the Carolina vs. Duke game. How cool to have a hip hoops-loving president!
Thanks again for getting me caught up on AI!
I love your enthusiasm, Kathy -- I really have to tune in to AI!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you mentioned this in one of your posts, but does the girl being kicked off (know nothing about the details, just saw a quick headline) throw a wrench in this year's show?
ReplyDeleteHi Annie, you're welcome! And oh yah, based on the comments from the judges, I think Anoop breezed through...
ReplyDeleteThe mansion idea was different and I agree kinda goofy! And the big red chairs were just funny. They looked comfy though.
I didn't really like the sing off because it pitted one contestant against the other. I think the judges should be able to make the decision based upon what they already have and not put the added pressure of having friends compete with each other.
Yes it was very sad that Danny's friend didn't make it. In fact all the contestants were shocked too. And what can I say about Tatiana. If anything, she'll be entertaining to watch. And the odd thing is, she could actually be popular with the voters because I think some people like underdogs. And she has a pretty good voice. But we'll see.
Very cool that President Obama is a hoops fan. Didn't he play hoops in high school or something. I want to say that I read that some where. And I think it is so cool that he is a hoops fan and that he knew how important the Carolina vs Duke game was. We definitely made such a great choice for President, didn't we! :) I just think he's going to be a very cool, honest and effective President for us.
And a big Congratualtions to your tar heels. Looks like a pretty good margin that they won by too. Hard to believe that they were down 8 point at the half. But great teams know how to dig deep and find a way to win. Looking forward to the NCAA March Madness!
Thanks again Annie and have a great weekend!
Hi Sandra, Yes, I can get a bit excited! Ha ha. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Girasoli, I had not heard of the scandal (shame on me)! So when I read your comments of course I had to find out details. You're right, Joanna Pacitti, was replaced in the top 36, after news broke about her ties to people who work for the show. She actually is a professional singer and has been under contract with a record company (although she said the contract ended), and the rules say you can't be under contract with any record company. Her name doesn't even stand out to me.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Thanks for the heads up. Have a great weekend Girasoli. I'm almost done with my "K" assignment! :)
Hi again Kathy,
ReplyDeleteI get this channel on my satellite dish called TV Guide channel and it has a show called "Idol Wrap" that recaps the show, so I watched it this weekend and saw some of the sing-offs and other things I missed this past Wednesday when I was watching the ball game. Loved seeing Simon tell Tatiana to stop being annoying, ha ha!
One of the hosts of the show is that curly haired guy Justin who was runner up in Season One. He said that they are tweaking Idol to keep people from getting bored with it. He said that in the early days, Tatiana and Norman Gentle would have never made it to the Top 36. Interesting.
The other interesting thing I saw on that show was Mandisa. Remember her? She has lost over 70 pounds and looks amazing! I wouldn't have recognized her! She has a gospel record out - I might have to check it out. I always thought she had an incredible voice.
Hope you're having a great weekend!
Hi Annie, wow that’s pretty cool! I wonder if I can get that show on one of my cable stations! I’m glad you were able to catch some of the show that you missed. Wasn’t that just so funny that Simon told Tatiana to stop being annoying and then to see her get all quiet. She’s a trip.
ReplyDeleteSo that’s why Tatiana and Norman Gentle made it through. They both actually sing pretty good but Tatiana is all about Drama and Norman Gentle doesn't seem to take it seriously. I just hope the voting public don’t put them through like they did Sanjaya!
I totally remember Mandisa. She was actually one of my favorites. That is very cool that she lost weight. She has a great voice and I think it’s awesome that she has a gospel record out. They should really do a “Where are they now?” show on Idol Contestants. I would be so interested in seeing how many of them are successful as a result of the show. I bet that most of them are somewhat successful. Maybe not at the superstar level but more successful than if they weren't on Idol.
Thanks so much Annie! I had fun hanging out with friends this weekend! Hope you had a great weekend too! I actually have tomorrow and Tuesday off (Whoo hoo!) so I will take advantage and get some entries stockpiled. I can’t believe that we are at the half way point already. I’ve really enjoyed the blog challenge a lot. Gave me a chance to read about other bloggers too that I never really knew. It’s all been a very cool experience!
Have a great evening Annie!