Four More Floored in 'Idol' Voting

By Rick Porter, Zap2It Staff Writer | March 2, 2006

Brenna Gethers, American Idol 5

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Say good night, Brenna, Heather, Sway and David

LOS ANGELES -- If there's a lesson to be gained from the second round of semifinal eliminations on "American Idol," maybe it's this: If you're going to sing a song identified with a great big artist, you better sing the hell out of it

Otherwise, you could end up like Brenna (Donna Summer), Heather (Mariah Carey), David (Frank Sinatra) and Sway (Stevie Wonder). Which is to say, gone.

The results revealed on "Idol" Thursday (March 2) were in no way surprising -- if I were all of America, I might've kept Sway over Kevin, but I understand why people like the little dude (to paraphrase Simon Cowell, it ain't the vocals). But the show itself was one big puzzler.

For instance:

I understand current Idol Carrie Underwood getting to perform her hit single, though it seems a little early in the competition to trot her out. But how come Wednesday night, last year's runner-up, Bo Bice, gets no more than a two-second crowd shot? Is Seacrest too busy trying to assert his alpha-male status over Cowell to give the guy a shout-out?
Why, when Heather was eliminated, did the show immediately cut to Gedeon in the Market-Leading Carbonated Beverage Red Room? Were he and Heather bestest buddies or something?
How come Ryan asked all the guys the impossible question of whether they thought they were safe, but the girls got a free pass?

And then there was Paula Abdul, who deserves more discussion than a bullet point can contain.

Her "one had pizza, the other one had salad" comment to Kinnik and Heather was odd enough. Maybe it's some arcane playground insult I'm not familiar with, like from England or something, if we're to believe Simon told her to say it.

But did anyone understand the thing about the moths and the fortune cookies and the corn flakes? What in the name of MC Skat Kat was that about? Again, she blamed Simon. But as an ostensible, Dr. Phil-advised grownup, she should know better than to repeat everything someone whispers in her ear. Or, at the very least, get the syntax correct.

Getting back to the results, though: Given who was put through the wringer Thursday, I'd be rehearsing extra hard in the coming days if I were one of the remaining too-young-to-vote crew among the guys, and I'd be giving deep, deep consideration to my next song choice if I were among the eight remaining women. Next week culls the field to the final 12, and then the fun really starts.