Although neither of them were stellar and it won't make a difference going into the final six or eight, I would have voted the other way on the last pair.

Am I watching the right show? Is this Candid Camera?

Tim made it? His name is Tim, isn't it? The Hallalujah guy?

As much as I dislike Todrick he was a gajillion times better than Tim.

And Paige? Paige?? Really?? Really??? Smile?? *ack*

Egads.

Totally disagree about Todrick and Tim. Todrick never got it together. Tim has some additional music on itunes that is worth a listen. Some of it is good.

Ryan talking to Andrew.

Billy Joel, Tell Her About It.

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-10 AT 08:35 PM (EST)

It's extremely clear to me why neither of them won. Just sayin'

ETA - It's fortunate that the Special Olympics are going on right now, no? A bit of an homage? Am I going to hell?

Scott's album is out and on Itunes and his website.

Matt G. Number One Single. Did a duet on the Itunes Jazz Chart.

I enjoyed that much more than I thought I would. I guess they did this on tour for a year?

Yeah, they make an entertaining duo. I'll give 'em thumbs up.

What is with all the sour pusses? Crystal is the worst. Or is she just ready to pass out.

Although I read her lips when Katelyn got cut - "You were effing robbed"

She's miserable up there. Kinda pisses me off. Too many kids would kill to be there. She needs an attitude change. Or a shot of insulin.

MC you are on fire tonight! Have some wings, girl. Or a double Jack on the rocks.

Jack does weird things to me honey. Gave it up years ago - it's a drug, not a drink.

But thank you sweets.

*whims passes Casey a fifth of Jack Daniels ... for later*

Thanks, he'll need that to dull the pain.

Crystal just looks plain ill, almost fazed out.

Could be the diabetes. Someone mentioned in an earlier thread about stress freaking out the blood levels.

But if its to that point this early in the game, maybe she should bow out.

Yeah, the stress and strain of this competition seems to be taking a toll on her health and psyche, even as good (even stellar) as she is.

She says she never watched the show before....so Ryan's manufactured tension could be making her ill. Or she doesn't want to show her teeth. Or she genuinely cares for the ones getting cut. Or she regrets getting on AI to begin with but realizes she could get to a contract if she stays. And that means she is selling her soul to the Idol devil.

I don't buy that she's never watched the show before. No, correction. Even if she had never watched the show before, which is a possibility, pop culture osmosis would have dictated that she, at the very least, knew what she was getting into.

Otherwise she would never have known to audition.

Most of my family doesn't watch the show and is clueless about the ins and outs of AI. I can buy that she doesn't know much about the show. She seems like an upfront person.

I almost like to believe she might actually care about people and this is one really hard elimination as it is the last four before the finals.

Also you've probably gotten more attached to people over time.

She also probably isn't quite a go along to get along type too much and may see some of the stuff that goes on and isn't all that happy about it.

Fair enough.

Eight remaining, both genders with no results on seats.

Crystal stand up. You are safe.

Michael Stand up. Goes to center stage. Ryan can do it from over there. He says Debbie told him to do that.

Kara, why so emotional. When someone sings something about what they are going through, they are connected to it. The listener feels that. It touched me.

How badly do you want this Big Mike. Can you fit on one stool. Go check it out. You are in the top 12.

Lacey Brown--Second shot. She says she knows who she is as an artist, and she is just herself. Rambles on and on.

Come down her for me. Congrats you are in the top 12.

Aaron Kelly, pop up buddy. Comes down stage, Ryan turns him around. What will we do about your confidence? And he is babbling.

You have made it into the top 12.

Alex vs Andrew.

Can we stop talking about Straight up. No we have to talk about it again. Simon says Andrew is a talented singer.

Last spot for the guys goes to Andrew Garcia.

Alex is out.

The worst part was knowing it in advance. Andrew's voters are on autopilot: it doesn't matter what he sings or how badly, his block will not desert him. But he's the weaker singer of the two -- and I am now officially counting the weeks until this one-trick pony gets put down.

Amen sistah friend. He's running out of female artists. Let's see, maybe Nora Jones, Amanda Marshall, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Madonna, or that chick that sang "I Believe" for the Olympics.

Consistent with this results show, it won't make much difference which of the last two went. The other will soon enough.

Contestants all over the stage. Settling the top 12 back on the stools. Sends Alex off.

Katie vs Coach Lilly wearing Tribal Council Feather Earrings, Patent Pending.

Kara. What is your reaction to two girls one stool. Interesting to see them up there. Lilly who knows her self vs Katie who struggles with that but has a contemporary sound.

Final seat belongs to....

Katie.

She is shocked.

Lilly is out????

Megacrap.

Behold the power of the Mindless Tween Vote. Lily robbed: Katie gets the VFTW block next week.

Dropped jaws, shaken heads, tears of I-can't-believe-I'm-in.

WTF??????

Big dissapointment for me. I was looking forward to hearing Lilly perform her version of many other songs. Whatever Rolling Stone song she was to do next week would have been fun to hear.

Shucks.

Oh well. At least this exposure should be enough to assure her a successful recording career.

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-10 AT 09:04 PM (EST)

Sad, but true. Andrew should go forward.

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-10 AT 08:50 PM (EST)

Cry baby, cry

ETA - I just noticed his big feet. Oh well, too late now

LOL, MC!

What?!!!

Paige and Lacey were voted in? And Andrew Garcia was voted in?!!!

Were only votes from Shutter Island counted last night?

Nothing to see here. Americans have a history of psychopathic voting.

Only in presidential elections.

And now Lilly is knocked out? And Paige and Lacey are sitting in the top 12 section?

Oh, I knew she got too cutesy!!! But still ...

Paige hasn't sung on key and Lacey really doesn't have a voice. Katie I think has potential so I don't particularly have an issue with her.

You can thank VFTW for Paige, but can't explain the other two.

Everyone is friggin' shocked!

But as the reviews have come in, there is no one person here who is faboosh.

The girls have this weird bohemian vibe, the guys have this pop/country crossover. There's no grunge, no punk, no "it" factor.

Lily has a really unique voice - could do Amy Winehouse easily - but I don't think folks know where to put her.

Judges are staying tried and true because any of these kids would be a risk because they are so different, so "unique".

The judges are looking for a white bread recording artist.

Too bad.

Until they get their heads out of their asses and go the route of "So You Think You Can Dance" and accept some alternative talent, this show is over.

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-10 AT 09:18 PM (EST)

Maroonclown -

Re: Everyone being shocked

Duly noted.

Any other theories?

Maybe Kara spread her psychosis through the airwaves.

And remember, it isn't particularly Katie vs. Lilly. I mean, that's the way Ryan had them stacked up, but Lacey should'a gotten the boot also! Lilly shouldn't have even been in that position.

I agree Lilly shouldn't have been in that position.

She wasn't my favourite but Paige, Tim, Andrew? Made it? Ergh. I'm not about to get all breast-pounding, let's take this to the highest court, but really? One has to wonder, without full disclosure of who had the most and least votes, it's kind of hard to believe these were legitimate results.

But such is the juggernaught of Simon Cowell (and his bum buddy Fuller) and who are we to question?

All we can do is sit and have fabulous food and drink by Whimsey, an opportunity to ##### and complain, a bit of AI porn in the Shoppe and a meeting of the minds three nights a week.

Damn! They've got us. We're hooked - again.

One of the problems when you have one or two people getting most of the votes the rest stay or go by some pretty small margins, and that is why VFTW sometimes can keep people around.

Often it is who is a "duplicate"

We have Siobhan and Crystal getting most of the quirk votes. So Lilly is competing for the teeny bopper and other voting bases, all of whom have someone else to vote for. If she was the only quirky one she'd probably be safe.

Alex had to compete with Aaron for the cute young boy vote.

If they'd cast more good people and less fodder you'd probably see more sensible voting as the favorites would be spread around rather than there really being one good person to vote for and everyone else trying to get the biggest pile of scraps.

However they don't want the 3-4 pre picked finalists to really have to fight for their spot so there is a lot of fodder and sometimes people who should have gone out mid season go out a bit early.

I really wish they'd cast 24 really good singers even if that meant they couldn't go on Leno this early and predict who will win.

I agree. But that would mean going back to the first season of Survivor, American Idol, Amazing Race. It would mean going back to all the of the prestine 1990's/early 20's contest shows, not necessarily reality shows, to get the best of the best, before they got really stupid and MTV entered into the mix.

What is funny is at least with SYTYCD they seem to be willing to cast some pretty high quality fodder. Even the "bad people who get voted off early" I can see why they were on the show for the last couple of seasons. Although they do set it up so the judges have some say in who makes it to the tour/finals.

So it can be done, and even done by some of the same production company. As much as I ragged on Nigel I think he may have been a check on the cast lousy fodder thing. It really seems the overall cast quality has gone down a lot now he is gone.

What you say makes sense, but was it done that logically? I mean, if someone likes quirky then they would cast a vote for Siobhan, Crystal and Lilly. I had no problems liking all three. Plus the fact, I am very self-serving. I do things for me quite a lot of the time. Because of this, I vote for people that are talented so I don't have to sit through listening to out of key singing and grown men singing Genie in a Bottle. Can imagine him tearing through a rousing rendition of Beyonce's If You Liked It You Shoulda Put a Ring on It and Lady Gaga's Papa Papa Paparazzi.

I think the voting for American Idol is on par with So You Think You Can Dance. In other words, it's atrocious! The judging also.

By the way, did anyone else think Crystal looked majorly ill tonight? She did not look good to me and wasn't acting right. Either she was upset or sick.

But when you only have other voting blocks with a single person in it. That will make the person fighting for 3rd place of three of the same have a problem.

And when they set the vote up for ballot box stuffing you will get weird results, also most people can only get in so many votes in 2 hours so it isn't like I can put 450 for all three girls at best I can can do is 150 each, and I may pick only one or two of the similar ones if I really want to make sure they got through. I like Lilly (I like quirky) but I was more interested in getting Siobhan into the top 12 so even if I vote I may not vote perfectly evenly.

Like season 2 with all the black diva types when they all ended up in the bottom three together. Pretty much everyone else had a big voting block mostly to themselves where they had to split up the votes between them.

I don't think we lost anyone who could win or who was even likely to get a recording contract tonight. I like Lilly well enough but I didn't think she was that strong or authentically unique so it was mostly does she make the tour or not, IMO.

It could also be the pimp spot played against her. People figure the person with the pimp spot is safe, but it doesn't always mean that.

By the way, did anyone else think Crystal looked majorly ill tonight? She did not look good to me and wasn't acting right. Either she was upset or sick.

See my post up ^ there.

As for "So You Think You Can Dance" you should check out the Canadian version.

Re: Crystal looking ill while Lilly was doing her sing off...she might have been thinking about the fact that she's going to be touring with 4 of the 5 of Lacey/Katie/Paige/Didi/Siobhan because she signed a contract and she's got to go on.

Why did they keep showing Siobhan crying? So many camera shots of that.

I totally agree with Snidget. Good points about the scraps and the top 3-4 being picked already.

I thought we might get around early top 12 fodder this time since we had so many weaker/middling types. But hey, now we have easy fodder pickings for the top 12.

Heh. Andrew has to sing a guys song since it's Stones week next week. There are some softer, slower ones, though. Wonder who'll take those.

I'm sure he'll do an acoustic and even slower version of Susan's Boyle's cover of Wild Horses.

I've not heard that yet but now I'm really not interested in hearing it, lol.

click the link, you know you want to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz6BA1heMSI

Maybe he will do Satisfaction, since Britney did a cover, and he can base it off that.

Ryan has a way of making it seem like he's splitting atoms on stage...along with the music and drum beats. Got to hand it to AI for being able to be so cheesy with its suspense and yet keeping us interested.

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-10 AT 11:00 PM (EST)

Thanks! I am personally busing the napkins, etc from tonight.

<<<Like season 2 with all the black diva types when they all ended up in the bottom three together. Pretty much everyone else had a big voting block mostly to themselves where they had to split up the votes between them.>>>

Yeah, but that proves my point about the horrendous voting. Maybe we should license people to vote.

Oh, and one more thing about that crazy occurrence, that was when Simon was deliberately culling the herd and trying to get Jennifer Hudson out of the competition. Say what you like about Paula, but she did pick out some pretty good talent and she and Randi were the ones that put through Jennifer. Simon kept tearing away at her week after week. Either he didn't want to work with her or she was too much competition. That's my take on that.

I think the American Idol voters very much follow the judges - the same with SYTYCD. The voters think the judges know more and tend to follow their advice so it's pretty easy for the judges to sway and fix the voting.

This was not the case with Lilly though. I noticed that when she stopped that debaucle she was involved in, the judges immediately just said she was great. It was like they knew if they said one thing - and you knew they were dying to - that she'd go down. She was vulnerable and think picking a song like that at that crucial time was just ridiculous. It reminds me of someone else that shot themselves in the foot like that. Ach! Can't remember their name right now, but it'll come to me.

<<<I don't think we lost anyone who could win or who was even likely to get a recording contract tonight. I like Lilly well enough but I didn't think she was that strong or authentically unique so it was mostly does she make the tour or not, IMO.>>>

Well, that's the best point yet, but you don't know that because Crystal looked in bad shape. I did look at the previous posts and others did comment on it first. I don't even know if she'll make it through the rest of the competition. I hope she does and I don't want to start a rumor, but she looked really horrible.

Does someone have a recording of when she sat down? I think the guy sitting behind her leaned forward and said, "Are you alright?" I'm not a lip reader, but it sure looked like he said that.

I guess you could say if Crystal isn't there, Mike will sail through. Siobhan is the dark horse and maybe she'll pull through, but it sure would have been a very interesting competition with Lilly - if she was on her game. Other contestants have come on strong like, like, Clay. I really felt his stride midway through the whole thing so there's no telling that Lilly wouldn't have done that.

I also think Katie can do well provided she just sing! Sing, gosh darn it! Like you did in the audition!

LAST EDITED ON 03-12-10 AT 06:52 AM (EST)

Plenty of people have had ill spells on the show and survived until the end. The general rumor mill is she has diabetes and I do assume she is working with the doctors to manage the stress of the show (which should be better with two shows rather than three a week at least for keeping on an even schedule more days than not).

I don't think we should vote her out just because she may have difficulties. After all, Elliot managed to work out how to manage his diabetes and made it to the end of the show and did well on the tour so it isn't like it cannot possibly be done just send her off to the glue factory now.

Given she had such problems in week two I don't expect her sugar to be perfectly regulated again already, but geez everyone is ready to toss a front runner so one of the people quite clearly cast as an also ran might survive and extra week.

I'm willing to give her a couple of weeks to get things under control before taking her out back and shooting her.

ETA: Really some of the fans of people who got cut really do seem to think the producers should have seen Crystal not being miss perfectly perky and yanked her out of the top 12 mid show and put their favorite back in, based on a quick run around the web.

I am with you on this. IF? she is a Diabetic (if I understood Simon's comment to her re: her hospitalization) she has to be extremely businesslike and disciplined, or she will not get through this. She will have to pick songs she can nail quickly, rehearse on schedule (her body,s unique metabolic schedule), eat meticulously and sleep regularly and well. She will be checking her blood sugars four times a day by fingerstick and medicating herself with Insulin appropriately, which means injections, possibly four or five times a day. That would make any young person dour-looking. I have my fingers crossed for her.

I'm relying on Siobhan, Crystal, Casey and Michael to save this season for me. I hope they live up to the strain.

The only eviction I was truly upset by was Lilly - I get she was one of 3 quirky girls but darn it I really liked her voice.

Yup, those are the four I'm hoping for. I almost wish we could skip the rest of them from here on out.

<<<<<I don't think we should vote her out just because she may have difficulties. After all, Elliot managed to work out how to manage his diabetes and made it to the end of the show and did well on the tour so it isn't like it cannot possibly be done just send her off to the glue factory now.>>>>

When did I say she should have been voted out? I think people should be voted out on the basis of talent and how well they sing. Conversely, they should be voted in on that same criteria. So Lacey and Paige are there because ... ???

If a contestant is ill or not ill, it's up to the doctors to decide and the producers to act on. Don't think the voting audience should take that into account, but it seems they're taking everything else in the world into account other than singing and potential.

I have to give most of the heavy responsibility for this on the lovely shoulders of Lilly herself. That song was dreadful and she did an even worse job singing it. It's the "shot myself in the foot" syndrome. I did think of that other example I was grasping for. It was last season's Dancing with the Stars. Maya was a shoe-in. She almost only had to show up to take home the trophy and then the gun comes out and her hand goes on the trigger and it's pulled with the two syllable word, "Hairspray!" It's a What Were They Thinking moment. Oh, lordy, that routine was ghastly! And that costume!!! Anyway, that's what came to mind when I saw Lilly standing there with that stupid mandolin and the first few strained notes came out.

There seems to be some words going around the internet that sound like people kinda believe that because Crystal wasn't perfectly perky she must pull herself out, or someone needs to remove her usually so "personal favorite that is out" can take her spot.

She's easy to pick on right now as someone that might be too sick to carry on at some point so why not just boot her now sorts of demands.

I do think Lilly the wrong song and didn't do enough with it, and this is a bad week for people to hope you are safe but be motivated to keep someone else in.

This is what I really hate about audience voting shows. You can't trust the system. Lilly Allen should not have been voted off. She was one of the top two most talented and most interesting women. They should add a judges weighting system so they can have a stronger say in who stays and who goes.

It's a Tribe!

They did that last year and I think if people had liked it they would have stuck with it. The Judges get to select all the wild cards ensures a good number of judges favorites make it to the finals.

Although when someone any given person liked gets in the top 12 whether America wants them there or not then the system works. Just if it wasn't your favorite that got in without winning the vote then it is the most unjust system evah!

Tahj -

Yes, it's a good idea in theory, but on SYTYCD it's used to get rid of really talented people that the judges consider real competition for the dancer they've already selected to win. Often, not the most talented.

Believe it works well on America's Best Dance Crew, but then the voting is usually pretty much right on target. I think maybe the voting and the judging is connected in some strange symbiotic way. I know that there are exceptions for the I usually agree with the judging on Dancing with the Stars also, but there was that one week where Sabrina was voted off to everyone's shock and dismay. It usually isn't that way and only when it comes down to a popularity contest is when the voting gets skewed.

So theoretically I think if it was used for a higher purpose in terms of evening out nutsy votes where people appear to have gone crazy, en masse and overnight, agree that the judges should pick which of the bottom two should be thrown off.

Snidget -

Wasn't aware of those rumors and don't agree with them. I think when people try to save someone from themselves, it's usually not a good idea. There's no way I'm going to decide for her what she should do especially since I don't know what's best for her!

Hope the doctors, products and Crystal put her health first though. No competition is worth jeopardizing that.

Yep, it is a catch 22. The judges usually aren't any less biased than America, so you can't trust they will keep the best people, as the most talented may not line up with who they like, or who they think will generate ratings.

I do hope Crystal finds the right way to manage her illness and I do think that they kept her in the hospital when that could have ended her run (the guys at least publicly all say they agreed to the night swap). I doubt the show wants the liability of killing a contestant. That cuts into the profits.

I would vote for getting rid of the judges completely after they stop voting. Thye are interesting sometimes and add gossip and titter factors, but we all insist on forming our own wrong opinions (well, except for mine which are the only right ones) anyway, so I'd save the time and (presumably) expense of the talking heads.

The thing that would solve many of the problems people have with voting (teeny vote, block votes, redialing, VFTW, etc) would be to have one vote per phone number. I don't know if they still do this in the UK, but the original Pop Idol used that model.

Sounds like a good idea - one vote per telephone number.

I heard someone else suggest paying for the calls. Not really a proponent, but it would cut down on people frivolously voting.

In terms of the judges, I don't know what the heck to do. Just have a show where the contestants sing and that's it? I don't know if that would work, but as to why not, can't really give a solid reason. Maybe I'm just used to the other way.

Maybe have judges not connected with the show in terms of making money off the lucrative recording deals. Not sure. I don't mind someone having honest disagreements, but when they're trashing someone to get them off the show without any of what they're saying being true, that I have a problem with!

Tahj--did you vote for anyone this week?