April 16, 2004 - Exit The Entertainer

Rounding out the bottom three were — big surprise — Diana DeGarmo and John Stevens.

Now, I had expected Diana DeGarmo to be down there, but I was a little surprised to see John Stevens, as well. I thought Jasmine Trias would round out the bottom three.

But I guess finally American voters are voting according to performance and not just according to personality.

Diana's days are definitely numbered, though. She has two weeks left at the best. And she'll only get those two weeks if John Stevens is the one to go next week. Diana has failed to find a way to connect with the audience, and there's no quick fix for that. As guest judge Quentin Tarantino said, it feels like there's a wall of glass between her and the audience.

One of her problems is that she keeps choosing middle-of-the-road, insipid songs that probably appeal mainly to 16-year-olds, like herself, without broader musical taste.

There's just something about her that seems like an automaton when she's performing, which doesn't help.

Like him or not, most viewers would have to admit there's no way John Stevens could win. He does have a great voice, but he just needs more experience under his belt before he's a great performer. That's not something he can address over one week's time.

JPL's farewell montage was a tribute to what everyone loved about him. They showed him joking around, having fun, dancing on stage. That's truly how people will remember him.

But I really don't think this is the last we'll see of him. As I was telling The Gryphon last night, I truly believe that he'd do very well as the frontman of a band. You don't have to be the best vocalist for that; look at the Ramones. All you have to have is a sound that people like, songs that people like and the ability to perform. And he is a consummate performer.

I could sincerely see him joining up with a bunch of other guys and starting a band, giving us all another chance to enjoy his wacky dancing.

Other Musings by Alyce on American Idol:

American Idol Index

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The Apprentice finale was also last night. They showed the rest of the tasks the two contestants had been given, and they did the boardroom live.

Now it was down to Bill Rancic and Kwame Jackson, and it really seemed as if it could go either way, primarily because of Kwame's MBA from Harvard Business School.

As it turned out, cooler heads prevailed in the form of Carolyn, who advised Trump that Bill was the stronger candidate. The Donald thought it over, decided he agreed and called the two in to announce to Bill, "You're hired."

After he made the selection, he gave Bill the choice between two jobs. One was to be in charge of a building project in Chicago. The other was heading a golf course project in California. Bill went with Chicago, since that's where he's from.

There were still a couple more surprises. Bill was given a new Chrysler Crossfire (great car for a Trump executive). And Sam offered a suitcase filled with $250,000 to Trump to allow him to work for him for a year. I have a feeling the show's producers had a hand in that.

They showed a preview to Apprentice 2, which is coming up, promising tougher challenges. I'm not sure when it's going to start, but I'm sure it won't be too long. America can't wait to hear those words again, "You're fired."

More thoughts on The Apprentice:

April 14, 2004 - Who Will Be Hired?

Moral:
If this were Personality Idol, JPL would still be in the running.