Idol "Shocker": No One Goes Home (4/25/07)

I'm going to have to be blunt here. I didn't like Idol Gives Back. Now before you start hating on me, this does not mean I don't like the charity work they did nor does it mean I did not find the footage moving. I did. I think that in most ways, their heart was in the right place. I even donated. So I'm not heartless because I didn't like Idol Gives Back. You're going to have to admit that Idol execs saw big-time ratings in their future when they conceptualized this night of music. Otherwise, they wouldn't have touted the "most shocking voting results in the history of Idol". What could be bigger than Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry not making it to the finals? Melinda? Jordin? I had already decided one of them had to be going home. And that pissed me off.

None of the acts promoted (Il Divo, Kelly Clarkson, Annie Lennox) even performed on the Idol stage. They were somewhere else - at the Walt Disney Concert Hall - performing for an entirely different audience. I wanted Kelly back on the Idol stage ... didn't you? Celebrities asked for your donations in front of a green screen. Hey guys, don't show up though. You've got more important things to do then actually COME to the event. Thank you Jack Black & Seal for showing up. Are you telling me: Eric McCormack, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Hugh Laurie, Terri Hatcher, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc. were ALL busy? It's not like they phoned it in to the Hurricane Katrina telethon. They showed up.

Finally, the shocking Idol results. I didn't think they should have competed anyway. I didn't get how you mix charity with competition. I spent the entire night wondering what was going to happen. So, of course, instead of flipping around, I stuck with the show (exactly what they wanted us to do). And in the end, they let 17-year-old Jordin Sparks think she was going home before Ryan yelled, "You are also safe! None of you are going home tonight!" which left Jordin in confused, shocked, and I'm sure embarassed, in tears. You couldn't have picked ANYBODY else? I thought it was really tacky.

Overall, I did love the footage that they showed. I think it's important to make people more aware of the poverty that affects people in our own country & abroad. I think the footage showed a wonderful side of Simon (who I've always liked) as well as the others. It made me want to do something to help & I did. I certainly hope they raise a lot of money. I just wish tacky ratings ploys weren't part of their evening.

P.S. I could've written a whole other paragraph on the ridiculous Celine/Elvis Idol 1968 duet but I don't need to. WHY WASN'T SHE WEARING A 60s OUTFIT? Ok I'm done. Really.