LAST EDITED ON 05-23-09 AT 12:12 PM (EST)

Pimpage, 11-20:

11. Lighting/smoke/screen videos/graphics. Look at Adam's performance of Born To Be Wild. Look at all the production help that performance got from lighting to pyro to the graphics running across the back. Compare to many, many other performances by other contestants. For example, think about Michael Sarver's "Till The Sun Comes Up" or whatever the song's title is. Did he get any production help on that one?

12. Camera treatment/shots/angles. Lil Rounds' mint green sparkly long dress looked great from the front earlier this season. For some reason, the camera man/production staff spent a lot of time showing us the dress from the back where the view was not flattering. Why are we seeing the back of a singer when we should be seeing the front as they sing and emote?

Sanjaya's crying girl in the audience. Surely ALL the top 12 have fans in the audience that are ga-ga over them. The one we saw, though, was the buzz worthy, pimpage worthy crying girl.

13. Fan signage. Another production trick that helps build perceptions. Whose signs get shown and whose don't?

14. Swaying fans down front who are instructed to be reaching up to the performer, clap for them, sway for them, etc. This started last year with DA. For some reason when DA performed these girls were allowed to become part of his performance.

15. Parents/relatives/friends in the audience. Who can forget Kat McPhee's parents or Elliot's mom? The amount of time bestowed on them added to the fan interest in these contestants. This seems to be more evenly handled this year, with graphics telling us “Danny’s sisters, or “Kris’s family” or “Adam’s friends”.

16. Celebrity gushes in the media. Akin to the friends and family ... but certain celebs are in the audience and/or giving comments on talk shows like Regis, Ellen, Leno. They never seem to be rooting for anyone other than the frontrunners the judges told us about. How are these endorsements garnered? Are they all spontaneous?

17. Ryan’s interactions with the contestants: this could be three points but I’ve grouped them into one section with 3 parts a) pre performance/Coke stool interview, b) after the judges give comments, like Ryan mentioning that Anoop‘s eyebrows looked like Groucho Marx, or cartooning in a positive way with Taylor a few times (doing the lean, laying on the floor with Taylor, etc.), and c) on results night. For example, Ryan pointing out that Anoop made repeated trips to the B3 stools. Ryan is an important cog in the build 'em up or tear 'em down machine.

Here's an example--season 6, top 6 week, what I wrote that week when Jordin got the pimp spot, again, in a pre-performance comment by Ryan:

"After Phil sings, Ryan tells us "When we come back, Jordin has a show stopper". Pimpage right off the script, huh, Ryan?"

Ryan has his own way of making audience perception building comments.

18. Backstory --this pimpage starts early, when the auditions are shown and continues through the top 13. My favorite example is the complete video package of Kristy Lee Cook on horseback riding the fields at her home versus Katie Malloy wanting to keep her food groups separate on her plate. How is this imagery even fair?

19. Results night spotlight--the way the show recaps the performance night can reinforce the perceptions they want you to have about a performer. For example, Danny may have gotten two positive comments and two negative comments from judges on performance night but on results night the recap shows only the positive comments while the reverse was shown for Anoop.

20. Pre top 12 spotlights/airtime: Auditions, Hollywood Rounds, Semifinals, looking at them as a whole entity of pimpage combined--before the S8 seminfinals Kris Allen had less than one minute of total airtime. Contrast that to Danny G’s deceased wife’s story or Simon telling Adam in the top 36 that he could record records “right now”.