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American Idol 8: Top 10 Results

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Over thirty-six million votes were logged in to determine the contestant who would be eliminated at the end of the Thursday night results show. This group of Top 10 is on the tour, sure, but only nine will be on the show next week.

opened the show by asking Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul about their shenanigans during the Wednesday performance round. He then reminded the audience about the judges’ save, the Get Out of Elimination Free card which will be used on one lucky contestant this season.

And perhaps…on this results night?

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American Idol 8: Top 10 Perform

American Idol 8 Top 10 and Smokey Robinson

It’s Motown week for the Top 10 performers of 8. It’s this group that we’ll see again and again throughout the season and even after the finalist is named. They will all return to tour through the summer; some of them may even go on to have successful careers. But at least a few of them, we’ll never hear from again. For one of them, that topple from reality TV supremacy could begin as early as tomorrow night.

Paula Abdul bid the remaining contestants to “surprise us,” for the night’s performances. “The point, tonight, is what you do to make these songs original,” Simon Cowell advised.

To celebrate the theme, the Top 10 took a trip to Detroit, where Motown Records was established. There, they were greeted by a dozen or so screaming fans and iconic recording artist Smokey Robinson, who just happens to be the mentor for this week.

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American Idol: Simon Cowell and Barack Obama…So Happy Together?

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Simon Cowell recently let the beans spill during a routine radio interview: the minds behind hope to receive a visit from President Barack Obama in the near future.

“We’re trying,” Cowell admitted that the show would like to book an appearance from the Head Honcho himself. The acerbic judge also noticed that Obama mentioned his name during the much talked-about appearance on The Tonight Show. Cowell related the moment, saying that “was on the Tonight Show, talking about how everyone in Washington is a critic.” Indeed, it was one of the funnier moments of the interview. “And then he said: ‘unfortunately, they’re all like Simon Cowell.’ I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”

I’m not, either, but there’s no question about whether or not wants to compliment the country’s Commander-in-Chief. The famously hard-to-please judge thinks Obama is “a really cool guy.”

Cool enough to appear on reality TV? We’ll have to wait and see.

(You can find all the American Idol 8 posts here.)

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American Idol 8: Top 11 Results


The mood was appropriately grave at the top of the Wednesday night hour. It was a somber Ryan Seacrest who started off the evening by saying, “one will face the fire.” He also inferred that the evening would hold “shocking” results.

Could it be that, as suspected, Adam Lambert was up on the chopping block? The audience would have to wait awhile to find out what the evening held.

First, the filler. The Top 11 were seated on the stage, the judges were introduced, the performances of the evening hyped. Clips from Tuesday night aired, which featured mentor Randy Travis.

The Top 11 then performed “Trouble,” which started out with the men. Scott MacIntyre jammed on the piano while the male contestants sang, horribly out of harmony, before the girls appeared to gyrate oddly and screech onstage. I didn’t much care for the group number.

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American Idol 8: Top 11 Perform

American Idol logo Performance night for the Top 11 of 8 began as usual: lengthy, time-wasting introductions, useless judge-host banter and other tactics meant to delay the singing. Somewhere in the midst of all this filler, host Ryan Seacrest posed an odd question.

Has the group “evolved”? “This is always a tough week,”   answered. Ryan Seacrest talked about Paula Abdul’s predictions of the week before, which she’s “standing by” for the moment.

The Top 11 Idols were then presented, and the theme of the week presented. Grand Ole Opry singers number among some of the greatest recording artists in the industry. Giants like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton were featured in the clip, which culminated in Carrie Underwood’s entrance to the Opry and clips of week mentor Randy Travis.

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American Idol 8: Top 13 Results


The Top 13 results show of 8 began with a dire warning: only 11 would remain once the night was all said and done. More than 33 million votes were logged to bring us this first - and perhaps only - Top 13 elimination round.

Idol again referred to a “twist,” one of several times it’s been mentioned. then brought up three very well-known Idol names: Michael Johns, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry. The latter two have already gone on to great post-Idol success, and Johns seems well on track to do the same. All three were favored contestants among judges and fans, and many feel that all three left the competition early (each during different seasons, of course). Seacrest spoke of the “uproar” that accompanied the departure of each one.

It was as this point the host introduced “the judges’ save,” which exempts a single contestant from elimination - but only once. Once a save is used, it cannot be used again…not for the whole season. When the save is used, it’ll work for a week. After the save, however, the next week will see two contestants eliminated.

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American Idol 8: Top 13 Perform

American Idol 8 Top 13

Randy Jackson advised ’s Top 13 to “bring it hard” for their Tuesday night performance round. They would each have to do just that if they want to survive on the show - Simon Cowell made the not-so-unexpected announcement that on the following elimination night, two contestants would be sent home.

This shouldn’t be a shock. Do the math: ten weeks left in the show, thirteen contestants. At some point, we’re going to have to lose two at once…so it might as well be now.

The Idols chose Michael Jackson songs for the evening, which gave them plenty of room to succeed or fail. Let the chips fall where they may…

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American Idol 8: Wild Card Round


The Wild Card round of opened with three stools and eight singers who all hoped to fill them. With eight singers, four judges and one host - not to mention a performance round and an elimination round in a single episode - Idol had to move things along pretty quickly. There was little time for recap or reintroduction. Each contestant had a sort of hurried interview that played for a few moments while they rushed to the stage. It was actually sort of poorly done, not to put too fine a point on it.

At any rate, Idol viewers were given a rare treat - instant gratification. Usually, results have to wait an entire day…but not on this Wild night.

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American Idol 8: Third Group Results


The third group of Top 36 performers had to wait the longest to find out whether they would be moving on…or going home. At the top of the Wednesday hour, they all gathered to - finally - learn their fate.

“I think we have an amazing start of a Top 12 going on. I’m very proud of all of them,” said of the contestants. Speaking of the Top 12, the first half (the six contenders who were voted in over the preceding two weeks) looked on from the sidelines as they, too, waited to hear who would join them in places of Idol honor.

The twelve performers of the week performed an upbeat version of “Hot and Cold,” yet another unrecognizable song performed by the Top 36 over the last three weeks. Despite somewhat lackluster choreography, they delivered what is arguably the best of the three group performances we’ve seen from the 36 semifinalists.

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American Idol 8: Third Group Performs

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As the first half of 8’s Top 12 looked on, a dozen new hopefuls took to the stage to sing out their hearts - and hopefully, to win ours.

During the pre-performance banter, host talked about Simon Cowell’s penchant for picking on contestant song choices. Seacrest asked the judge why he doesn’t simply pick the songs himself. “Well, I will,” Cowell responded. “We’ll have a Simon Cowell week.”

I’m getting a vision of the greatest Idol week ever. But before that happens, we have to get through this last group of Top 36 contenders.

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