Vindication

I was feeling kind of bad about all the vitriol I've been throwing at Danny. My mom really wanted him to win and she was sad to see him go, and after talking to her I thought I maybe had given him a hard time that he didn't deserve.

So just now I started clicking on the links on this page, mostly because I wanted to see who VFTW has selected to replace him (they haven't yet,) and for the first time this year I went to the main AI site, where I found links to "initial reaction" videos taped with the departing Idol immediately after the show. In his, Danny is shell-shocked, agrees that his departure is a shocker, and then immediately talks about laying on his dead wife's casket 10 months ago. Let me guess, Danny. The AI producers told you to bring that up? I mean, you don't want your wife's tragically young death to be the focus of your Idol story, right?

It isn't that I don't have compassion for the guy. I don't like him, but I'm sorry he's had such loss in his life and I'm sure that this is very emotional for him. I just think it's unseemly to bring it up in this context, and a classy contestant would have expressed disappointment but wished the others well. For instance, Allison - who could try to justify petulant moodiness with her youth - was crying and obviously disappointed, but she found a way to smile and said that most of the tears were because she would miss the other contestants, because they were great guys and she was happy for them.

Well done, Danny. I feel better now. Absolved, even.

Still dancing and pinching my arm to be sure it's real

God knows I've been praying for this for weeks, months even, but now that it's happened it's hard to believe. It's like I won some lottery, or or got a fancy new job or got trapped in an elevator with Hugh Jackman.

Danny Gokey is gone. Gone gone gone! Gone gone-ity gone gone, gone gone! WHOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I began to hope early on. About midway through Kris' video of his visit home I thought to myself, "Wow. This seems to be taking longer than Danny's did." So I paid attention to Adam's, and his seemed to too. Could this be an indicator of who the audience really wants to see?! (FYI, I went back and timed the videos and I was correct. Kris and Adam each got a full minute more air time than the Hoke-meister. And yes, I realize I'm a complete saddo. You have no idea.)

I loved that Kris looked surprised to make the finals. I love that Adam looked genuinely worried and very relieved to hear his name. I am furious that the producers did a fast focus on the two finalists when their names were called so that I couldn't see Danny's face.

And I hate Kara more now than ever. Did you see her mouth, "Oh my God, that is so unfair," when the Cheese stood alone? Well, it sure looked like she did to me, and that is beyond tacky. And, for the record, it is NOT unfair. It is justice being served.

Now I'm torn. I'm an Adam convert, but a Kris fan from way back. Who do I vote for? Ye-gods.

Top Three

I know we're all about Adam here now, and I am also an Adam fan. But I still love Kris. Love him. I thought Adam was lazy and sharp this week, Danny was as miserably dull and off pitch as we've come to expect (and he STILL hasn't learned the part about breathing at a natural pause in the lyric's phrasing,) and Kris' version of Heartless was the only thing worth listening to last night. (That first song of his really did suck.)  

The judges, on the other hand, made all three of these guys look like consummate professionals. Talk about squirrelly idiots. Seriously. Randy and Kara picked that stupid song for Kris and then got pissed because it's style was pretty much the same as his normal one and he didn't shake it up. Simon bragged about Bono like he'd had an audience with the queen. Paula went on even more than usual with the spouting of ridiculous nonsense. The only thing I liked about them this week was the big brown makeup smudge on Simon's boob left by Paula during one of their little wrestling matches.

The comparisons of Danny to Taylor Hicks and Michael Bolton are entirely accurate. By rights, the way the judges have been pimping him all season, they DESERVE to have him win so they have to market his stupid ass. I like the idea of them taking a bath with his 50,000-copies-sold debut album. But even more, I like the feeling of satisfaction I know will come when I see his smug face go blank when he's voted off tonight.  I love seeing people who are completely full of themselves kicked to the curb in public humiliation.  And Danny deserves that fate.

So I voted continuously for Kris and Adam. You will hear my shouts of joy in Europe if Gokey goes home.

What the hell was that?!?

I'm sorry, but this is the semi-finals, right? Aren't these people supposed to be kicking ass at this point? Instead, Adam phoned it in, Gokey over shot the mark, as per usual and not in a good way, and what the hell is Kris still doing there? Man.

And you know I have mad love for Adam, right. Well, check it out dawg: Why Aerosmith? Why would you pick "Cryin'" Were you high?!? God! Was he trying to one-up Gokey's Dream On Aerosmith Rock 'N Roller Coaster? Where was all the twinkly space dust that usually swirls around your head? Did you just decide you didn't want to win it? LAME. At the rate we're going, Danny Deadwife is going to win it all...which...hey, maybe he'll just disappear like Taylor Hicks. Hmm...as you were Adam Lambert.

So, next week is the foshizzle finale. The question of the hour is: Who will be singing "Imagine"? And what happened to the songwriting contest? My neighbor wrote the music for my single and now it's all dressed up and has no place to go. I guess the contest went the way of Idol Gives Back. Oh well, maybe if I get poor enough, Paula Abdul will come over and color with me, which would make everything all better.