American Idol: Getting Syesha Out of the Way
May 15th, 2008 | 5:30 pm est |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
To nobody’s surprise, the final two are David & David, the least predictable final two since, oh, Clay and Ruben? To be fair, most Idol finales are predictable — did you expect Carrie Underwood not to make the final two? — but the producers’ manipulations this season have been glaringly apparent from the get-go, culminating in the delivery of Syesha’s execution papers in the form of that song from Happy Feet. It’s an end that’s strangely appropriate to this election year, a year that began with many Democrats claiming they’d be happy if either Hilary or Barack won. For me, that’s also true of American Idol this year: I’m going to be equally unhappy with either winner.
Finally, no matter if we’re a supporter of David A or David C, I think we can all agree on one thing: there is not a chance in hell that either David will return in four years and deliver a performance as bracingly weird as Fantasia’s “Bore Me (Yawn),” a hip-hop stomp that left Simon visibly bewildered. You would think that Simon, who has recently been complaining in the press that Idol has been too “safe,” would appreciate a jolt of unpredictability like this, but apparently not.
Heather Phares
Wednesday night’s show — a.k.a. Getting Syesha Out of the Way — could have been a boring afterthought. Actually, most of it was, including the saccharine visits the Final Three took to their hometowns, but another homecoming made at least one part of the show worth watching. With her ruby red ‘do, wild dance moves, and even wilder singing, Fantasia injected this season of American Idol with some literal, and much-needed, color. Yes, her performance of “Bore Me” was over the top, but after weeks of actual boredom, her willingness to go way, waaaay out there was more than a little refreshing — if only for the stunned reaction her performance drew from Simon (which just gets funnier the more you see it). Simon has complained that the show has been “too safe” this season; too bad it took 2004’s American Idol to shake things up.
Andrew Leahey
Leave it to Fantasia to inject a bit of unexpected energy into a predictable episode, even if I’d rather watch an entire recital by Sanjaya Malakar than sit through that performance again. Simon’s reaction was priceless, though, as were the absolutely terrified faces that populated the “mosh pit.” Those audience members usually climb all over each like puppies, screaming and clamoring and reaching out to touch the cuff of David Archuleta’s jeans, but Fantasia parted the sea like Moses in drag. She stepped down from the stage, the mosh pitters scattered, and *boom*, Fantasia is suddenly the latest thing in crowd control. Somebody hire her to run security for the Pope’s next visit.
I was wondering why Simon looked so bewildered. Maybe it’s because the rest of the season has been so dull, but I genuinely enjoyed Fantasia’s number. It was certainly the most interesting performance outside of Paula’s blackouts. Sadly, if she had done that while she was competing on the show, she wouldn’t have made it to the end, let alone won.
Didn’t anyone notice that Fantasia wasn’t actually singing during most of her number, and when she was it was mostly as backup to her backup singers?
On the other hand, her backup singers were great.
It was a great “what the hell was THAT?!!!!” moment on a show that never has any, though.
The reason Simon was “gobsmacked” was the short skirts of the dancers. Frankly, so was I. Fantastic!!!! Come on guys, get a grip!!! Stop reading so much into all this.
DVR is a wonderful thing. Fantasia’s performance ended nearly as soon as it began.
I didn’t understand a syllable of Fantasia’s song, if if could be called that.
It would be way more fun to watch if the final episode involved physical combat, with edged weapons.
Settle it like men, you weasels.
Ya gotta admit that Taylor Hicks didn’t fit the formula– grey hair, harmonica. The real roots people came thru on that one.
I was rooting for Amanda Overmyer and still think that somebody should at least design a guitar effects box modeled after her voice. She didn’t have the range, but she sure had the EDGE!
The result show was anti-climactic. Syesha was not even given her ‘journey video’ although I guess her trip back home is supposed to make up for it. Not interested in watching next week’s show.
Fantasia stole the show last Wednesday! Channeling Pat Carroll and Divine via Ursula the Witch, Fantasia is unforgettable. Everything about the show’s polar opposite was present in that performance: the rapid-fire cadence of the song, those sexy back-up dancers/singers, the electrically kinetic dancing and the self-aware camp. If only any of this season’s finalists have the guts to pull that act, it would have made it compulsively watchable. And to think I am not even a fan of Fantasia at all — this lady rawks!
The ouster of Syesha is still surprising when viewed from the angle where the show always (stage)manages a surprising elimination near the end of the season to keep the viewers talking enough to watch next week’s show. I have not been a fan of either Davids either but I get a vicariuous thrill from people’s excitement and wonder as to who will be this year’s ______ (supply appropriate word for AI winner).
For the final, the D’s could duet on “Welcome to the Boomtown”, Archie on the verses; Cook on the chorus.
The two David’s should cover David & David’s 1986 Top 40 Hit “Welcome To The Boomtown” together. Weird some people out.
I think Syesha is the greatest! Her fan club website is for sale, http://syeshafanclub.com and I would totally buy it if I knew how to run a website! I think she’s going to have a lot of fans for a long time to come once she finds the right person to “produce” her. She didn’t need to win Idol to “win.” Love your blog!