American Idol Recap: When Does It Get Too Cruel?

How do you raise more than $30-million for charity and still wind up looking like a total schmuck?

Just ask the producers of American Idol's outrageously excessive Wednesday night charity show, Idol Gives Back.

Besides producing an oddly entertainment-deficient cavalcade of stars that looked suitable for a Simpsons parody, they had the awful idea to spend the whole two hours jerking around all six remaining contestants -- saving the big goose egg for one of their most popular contestants, 17-year-old Jordin Sparks.

You see, the contestants spent the entire live, two-hour schmoozefest thinking one of them was about to get kicked off the show. Host Ryan Seacrest did his usual gig of asking them to stand one by one, throughout the 120-minute show, and telling them if they were safe or not.

Down to the final two contestants, Chris Richardson and Sparks, Seacrest -- who had been promising a shocking result -- tells the less popular Richardson he is safe, which leads Sparks to think she's gone. Seacrest waits several long seconds before telling her she's also safe-- they're not eliminating anyone.

The look on the 17-year-old's face said it all. Though she tried to regain her composure as the show finished off, she clearly was distraught at being led to believe she'd been ejected from the show, barely able to stop crying. And the look on Seacrest's face hinted he knew the bait-and-switch was a bad idea the moment he sprung it on her (to avoid ejecting someone during a charity event, TWO contestants get kicked off next week -- thanks American Idol!)

I'm so cynical about Hollywood, I'm wondering if all this televised humiliation wasn't deliberate -- producers pulling an awful prank just to get the chattering class going on the cable channels and morning shows tomorrow, in some twisted hope of reviving interest in the show.

If so, it's a disappointing commentary on just how far Idol producers will go to protect their golden goose -- scaring the crap out of a 17-year-old kid on national television, live.

All this, and I still have a few questions:

--Why do singers who have been in the business for decades -- including Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire and Annie Lennox -- sound so much worse in live performances on Idol than the wannabes?

---Why did Simon spend his whole time visiting poor people in Africa looking like he was afraid to touch anything?

---Was he really unaware that thousands of people go hungry every night in Los Angeles and a humongous soup kitchen feeding them was just blocks from his home?

---Why did it take visiting guest host Ellen DeGeneres to kick in $100,000 to boost the effort? Simon has earned enough to buy a small South American country, surely he could have kicked in a few grand. 

Unlike other critics, I don't think the charity stuff ruins the vibe of idol. I think the crassly commercial air of Idol makes any sustained philanthropic effort look insincere. No wonder Bono could barely stand to make a 5-minute, pre-taped appearance (And Celine Dion?  Dueting with Elvis? Whatever Idol producers are smoking, they need to cut back. Fast.)

I wonder, after Idol finishes giving back, if it can get back any of its self-respect or integrity?

Comments

[Idol Fan]

The Biggest Shock of Idol was the Look on Jordin Sparks Face and that of her family when Seacreast said Chris Richardson you are safe. The dramtic pause to let Jordin know she wouldn't be elimanted from AI also, was just cruel.

http://idol-mania.com/american-idol-fan

[B. Sue Wright]

I had another committment and only got home to see that "no one was being sent home." I heard about it today on the radio. I would have LOVED to see Celine and Elvis together.

I think the top two will be Jordan and Melinda. I think both are great. I don't think Phil will win, but I think he will get a C&W contract from someone - I Like Him.

[JJ]

There's no way Jordin didn't know she wasn't being booted--they had a group song at the end and she had a pretty important part.

[marlon]

The performance with Celine and Elvis was a bit creepy. I thought Annie Lennox sounded good. I mean, at their ages, the fact that Earth Wind and Fire even wants to come out and perform is a big thing to me. But yeah...

[Diana]

I felt so sorry for Jordin but she handled it like a pro. As for Simon not wanting to touch anyone/anything - don't judge him until you put yourself in his place - go to Africa! I did and it was an eye opening experience and a heart breaking one. What they showed last night is only a small scale of the true picture. I cried last night remembering similar things I witnessed (e.g. the oldest person on the block being 12 years old, 3 pages of obituaries each day (each only 2/3 lines) with an average age of 25, houses that look more like an old storage shed - it's hard for us to envision that here). It leaves you with a complete feeling of helplessness - which is what I saw on Simon's face last night.

[Zack H.]

Amen Eric! Last night was a joke. The constant artificial attempts to draw tears along with the repetitive reminders of Coca-Cola, News Corp. (ugh!), and Ford sponsorships made the whole show seem so generic.

[Alex M]

The Truth hurts..then there's having to watch Idol . America should be able to vote off the Judges!, least for charity..no w that would have been an "event" , not the poor-dog and 3rd world-pony show. But then again, it is on FOX.

[Eric Deggans]

i must disagree about whether the Idols knew Meems.

Look at the end of the clip; Jordan can't stop crying. And the clip ends before the final song begins, when jordan's voice was so shaky, she could barely gets the words out.

I don't think they knew...looking at the faces of the judges, i don't think they knew, either.

[Mimi]

>>> The judges and Seacrest could have kicked in some cash of their own.

Eric,

Maybe they chose to do it privately, without spectacle. Surely Simon Cowell could not have seen, up close, folks dying of AIDS and malaria without writing a fat check.

And thanks for putting up the YouTube clip; it definitely shows that these kids knew the intended outcome. Even the camerawork makes it clear; shooting Jordin's back near the clip's end? Better than the youngster trying to pull off any sort of "Why Me?" fakery.

Cheesy? You must be lactose intolerant, my man!

Bottom line, so long Lakisha, and probably Chris, next week.

[Eric Deggans]

I feel ya, mimi.

But you have to be a cynic to play on this field, unfortunately.

I'm glad to see Idol raising money. But I do think they could have contributed more ($5-million from news corps sounds like a drop). And i think Ellen made them all look cheesy by ponying up her own money on camera. The judges and Seacrest could have kicked in some cash of their own, rather than just eyeballing all this misery and asking viewers who make a lot less than they do for donations.

I know my cynicism can get the beter of me sometimes. But last night's display felt like an awfully cynical exercise....

[Mimi]

What a bitter bunch you are. Regarding the $30-million that was donated --- that figure was reported at the end of the show. More money obviously was coming in. If you had donated you would know that it was hard to get through afterward because their servers were unable to handle it.

[Carol]

I feel asleep through it and I'm a big fan of AI. They didn't vote anyone off. God - Lakisha better watch - next week is her time up.

[louise kahle]

i only hope the kids really get the money
much like most events where in the end
life remains the same. remember
hurricane katrina. those people are
still living in tents after all the
tears and telethons.

[Sean]

The whole thing was a joke...poorly managed and run. Half of the stars they claimed would be on the show were not, then the other half danced to a bad song on prerecorded video when they could have been asking for donations...why did Simon not do anything for that woman he was so adamant shouldn't be dying like she was. What a sham...$30 million raised including corporate donations is a joke. With 70,000,000 votes they should have at least doubled the donations...

[Mimi]

I popped in here while waiting for the AI server to confirm my donation . . . way backed up. Sounds like you are too, you meanie. But I still love ya.