Scottie's body of work likely complete on Idol

Admit it, you’ve asked the question. I know I have. And judging by the message boards, tens of millions of Americans have wondered the same thing. Tonight on American Idol, Simon Cowell gave a voice to us all when he said what we’re all thinking:

How has Scott Savol lasted this long in the competition?

Call it the blessing of low expectations. When we first met Scott in the Cleveland auditions, no one imagined a voice like his would emerge from a 250-pound sedative. Once he reached Hollywood, everyone expected him to slip up. He didn’t, which landed him in America’s lap. And each step of the way since, the millions of voters who have chosen someone else have been baffled by Scott’s evasion of elimination.

If callers voted for who they wanted to boot off, Scott would have been sent packing ages ago. But that’s not the way it works. A series of solid early performances helped bolster a fan base that no doubt is rooting for the underdog, no matter how odious and unappealing he may be.

But Scott’s in a catch-22. The longer he stays alive, the more the expectations rise and the less of an underdog he is. All of a sudden, he finds himself being judged solely on how his performances match up with the shrinking pool of contestants, all of whom are eminently more likeable than the big boy from Ohio.

Scott’s exit has been in the cards for weeks. But with this week’s theme being ’70s dance hits (c’mon, Scott Savol and disco?), is it possible he could surprise us once more?

Much was made of CONSTANTINE MAROULIS’s decision to quit his band to pursue stardom via American Idol. We even got to be there with him when he broke the news to his bandmates (and what a dramatic moment that was – as dramatic as a blatantly staged performance can be, anyway). While his continued run on the show has immensely heightened the profile of Pray for the Soul of Betty, the remaining band members had to gag as they watched their former ringleader sing the Bee Gees’ “Nights on Broadway.”

But those hard rockers might have been the only ones (other than Simon) who didn’t enjoy a very solid effort by Constantine. A week ago, Paula proclaimed him as the one to beat (making him at least the fourth clearly identified favorite during the last two months). While I thought that was premature, it is clear now that Constantine can win the competition. He has picked up steam with each passing week.

And confidence. He appears completely comfortable on stage, much more so than earlier in the competition. And his vocal performances are catching up with his charisma, which kept him alive through some of his weaker efforts. He is one of only two contestants who has yet to make an appearance in the bottom three, and he’ll easily avoid that mess again this week.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD is the only other contestant who has escaped the wrath of the voters, though she herself wondered aloud if her luck would turn with this week’s theme. True, she may not know much about ’70s dance music, but she’s certainly become a master at the adorable intro clip. She rightfully took some flak from Simon about her outfit – what she wore on the dance floor during that intro would have been far more appealing.

She sang “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer. I’d love to get ahold of the list of available songs, because it would seem as though there would be any number of other Donna Summer songs that would have been a better choice. But it did once again allow her to showcase her chops, which is the trump card she holds over most of her competitors. It actually wasn’t her strongest vocal performance, especially at the beginning, though she was enthralling at the end – belting out the penultimate note for more than 10 seconds, with an eight-second encore.

But for as big a voice as Carrie trots out, she brings so little energy to her performances. She just isn’t a whole lot of fun on stage, once you look past the eye candy bit. Tonight, she was flat and dull, and based on the gusto of the other Idols, it may lead to her first trip to the bottom three. That’s the worst that could happen, though, as she may have the largest fan base out there, which will certainly quell any fears of elimination.

SCOTT SAVOL followed his mama’s advice by picking Carl Carlton’s “Everlasting Love.” For the second straight week, Scottie flashed a few glimpses of personality – predicting during the show’s opening that “Nobody’s going to be able to keep up with me,” and exhorting the crowd to get into his performance.

He added some gruffness to his voice in spots, which I liked, but it seemed like he was holding back through most of the song. It wasn’t until near the end that he really allowed himself to get into his own act, and only then did his talent finally shine through. But he needed to summon up a great performance from start to finish, and this wasn’t that. It was completely non-descript to begin with, and it only built itself up as far as good – not great.

Scott’s a clear candidate to wind up back in the bottom three for the third straight week, though for his critics, the third time might finally be the charm.

ANTHONY FEDOROV promised to shake his boo-tay during “Don’t Take Away the Music” by Tavares. He didn’t deliver on that promise (thank goodness), but he did ramp up his effort once again and provided enough of a reason to keep him around for another week.

The lone remaining teenager in the competition certainly has a wonderful voice, but he has yet to learn how to completely harness it. That has been evident in some of his previous dreadful showings. But he was in control tonight, and save for one or two high notes that he didn’t quite hit, he sounded quite good.

He also avoided the trap that several of the men (himself included) have fallen into this season – trying to cover up an uneasy act with a few big notes at the end. Anthony spread his big notes around all over the song, and it was his best performance in weeks. Due to the talent that he’s up against, though, it still probably won’t be enough to save him from another trip to the bottom three.

VONZELL SOLOMON cheated a bit with her selection of “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Kahn. Vonzell was born in 1984, long after Chaka’s song came out. However, she was no doubt amongst the many young girls who fell in love with the cover that Whitney Houston recorded for They Bodyguard soundtrack.

Vonzell, who has already done Whitney and done it well, wasn’t as impressive tonight. She was still electric, and was still one of the night’s best. But there were some problems. When she sang soft and low, it wasn’t wow-worthy. She struggled with some transitions. And her backup singers were mic’ed up way too much, as it was sometimes hard to hear Vonzell over them.

But you heard her when she screamed, and when she unleashes the power in her voice, she’s a star. She’ll comfortably move on to the next week, and may even be in the process of supplanting Carrie as the girl to beat.

ANWAR ROBINSON turned back the clock to “September” by Earth Wind & Fire. He has apparently taken some of Simon’s criticisms to heart, as he was careful not to neglect the beginning part of his song tonight. He started off well, and once again stayed true to form by stretching his vocal chords spectacularly at the finish. (However, the leadup to his ending blitz was a bit rough; lucky for him, that’s real easy for voters to forget).

Anwar does not have the stage presence of either of the other shaggy men, but he clearly had fun in front of the audience tonight. That can only help.

He’ll go on for another week, but he may have to sweat out another bottom-three ordeal first. He outsang Carrie tonight, but the country girl’s anthology of past performances might nudge her ahead of Anwar, which could drop him into the dreaded trio.

BO BICE went with “Vehicle” by The Ides of March. In his intro clip, he admitted to being a horrendous dancer, someone who would rather stay off the dance floor himself and instead play music to make others move around. Yet the song he picked wasn’t really the type to draw a crowd under the disco ball.

Didn’t matter – Bo had his best showing in several weeks. Trapped by some unfriendly themes and some questionable song choices, he finally was able to return to that rough, husky rock sound that is his specialty. Simon called it the “only authentically good performance” of the night. It may not have been the most dazzling overall, but as Randy alluded to, Bo definitely offered up the best pure audio effort.

His bottom-three scare from last week won’t be repeated; Bo will easily sail through to next week.

So should Constantine and Vonzell. Carrie and Anwar will as well, though one of the two of them will likely have to wait an extra few minutes tomorrow night to find out. Once again, the two most anxious Idols figure to be Scott and Anthony.

By the end of the results show, Simon won’t have to be confused anymore. Scott’s loyal legion of fans may be disappointed, but the rest of the show’s viewers will finally get what they’ve wanted for weeks.

All ain't fair in love and Idol

If there’s one thing that American Idol takes pains to remind us of, it’s that everything is up to you, the home viewers.

Upset about Jessica Sierra or Nikko Smith getting booted off? It’s your fault; you failed them. Stunned that Vonzell Solomon landed in last week’s bottom three? You put her there. Can’t fathom how Scott and Anthony have survived this far? You’re the ones voting for them.

As Simon and others have said countless times, it’s a fair competition. And it usually is, but there was something decidedly unfair about tonight’s theme. Idol wannabes were asked to pick a song from the year they were born – and with the disparity in age amongst the contestants, that meant some songs were a decade older than others.

In other words, for the first time, the contestants weren’t playing on the same field. I won’t presume to judge which years were better than others, but I think I can safely assume that they weren’t all equal, leaving some of our friends tonight at a bit of a disadvantage.

(And while we’re on the subject of fairness, how in the world do the producers get away with putting Hall & Oates in the crowd while one of the contestants takes on one of their songs?)

NADIA TURNER looked as though she was trying to channel Tina Turner as she did in her successful semifinal run, coming out especially ’fro’d out with a whole lot of leg showing. Unfortunately, the performance didn’t match the appearance.

She sang something from 1977 by Crystal Gayle (yeah, that’s how memorable it was). Randy didn’t even recognize the song, and that’s never a good sign – if someone who works in the biz can’t place it, what hope is there for the millions of viewers at home?

Nadia immediately demonstrated the problem with this week’s theme. At 28 years old, she’s a member of the “old guard” – contestants born in the ’70s. Most of the music from that decade – and remember, she only had one year to pick from – is foreign to the show’s core audience. It has long since slipped away from standard rock stations, but hasn’t settled into the oldies category just yet.

I’ll give Nadia credit for one thing, though: She contorts her face better than anyone else on the show. The most memorable part of an otherwise blasé performance was the sly smile she flashed right at the end. Still, I think Simon may be onto something when he warned that “I think you could go home after that.”

BO BICE had to go back a couple more years to 1975, and tried to avoid the same obscurity problems that Nadia faced by picking the widely known “Freebird” by Lynard Skynard. The song was obviously popular with the studio audience, who cheered through Bo’s intro clip.

The problem with a choice like “Freebird” is it is, as Simon called it, a “sacred song.” Which makes it hard to meet the expectations that come with performing it, especially when you’re Bo, and through a series of excellent earlier showings you’ve jacked up the expectations even more.

He didn’t meet. The opening salvo of the song was dreary and forgettable. The transition into the uptempo ending (along with the uptempo bit itself) saved it from being an utter train wreck, but it was still completely unsatisfying, Randy and Paula’s hyperbole notwithstanding.

ANWAR ROBINSON also had to dip into the ’70s, going with 1979’s “I’ll Never Love this Way Again” by Dionne Warwick. (Insert your own Psychic Hotline joke here.)

OK, Anwar, you can hit the big notes. I get it. Technical proficiency aside – and for the musically uneducated masses that keep this show afloat, what does that mean, anyway? – he has yet to grab my attention and hang onto it for a full song.

Still, there was nothing wrong with his effort tonight. There just wasn’t anything great about it. And at this stage of the game, not being great can be costly.

ANTHONY FEDOROV is the youngest competitor left at age 19, so he got to pick the most “contemporary” song with 1985’s “Every Time You Go Away” by Paul Young. He could barely be heard through the first two lines, which is probably a good thing given his karaoke-itis – he seems to always need a line or two to settle into his voice.

He needed more than a line or two tonight, though. For the most part, the kid just has not been able to cut it on the bigger stage with the bigger band behind him. Drop the instruments and just let him sing, and he’s wonderful – just as he was on the song’s final line, belted out as the music faded.

Surprisingly, Simon thought it was a pretty good performance. Perhaps he couldn’t bear to bash the teenager for a third straight week. But if Simon showed sympathy for Anthony, does that mean that the voters won’t?

VONZELL SOLOMON picked one of the most fun songs of the night, 1984’s “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams. Before she even stepped on the stage, I applauded that choice. I knew it would fit her perfectly, and once she got going, I almost half-expected Scott to jump out on stage and do somersaults in his best Willard impression from Footloose.

The song was a perfect fit, if not a perfect performance. Don’t get me wrong; she did a wonderful job, but I expected more. And that’s entirely Vonzell’s fault – her performances of recent weeks have ratcheted up the expectations. At times, it seemed she was more concerned with her movements around the stage than singing the song itself, which wound up leaving the performance just a little bit dry.

But I’ll say this about Baby V – she might just be the only true pop star left in the bunch. She’s not the only one with star quality, but she’s probably the only one left that fits snugly into the pop star mold (especially after that flashy disco-ball top she tossed on tonight).

Before he even took the stage, SCOTT SAVOL just might have made this the most shocking episode of Idol yet. He actually – you may want to sit down for this – showed glimpses of a personality, forcibly claiming that he’s the true rocker of the final eight.

With Daryl Hall and John Oates sitting amongst the crowd, Scott sang “She’s Gone,” the duo’s song from 1976. He tried to go low at the beginning of the first two verses, and I’m not sure if it worked or not – I was too distracted by the frog in his throat.

But then he found his groove and his old voice, the one that had pushed him through this far. And he found something else as well – a little bit of stage presence. He was bouncing all over the stage, clearly enjoying himself for the first time in a long, long while.

The big boy can sing, for sure. Better than some, not as well as some others still left, so there’s no way he’s a serious contender. However, with some production work and some more guidance, I can certainly see him cutting a record.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD sounded like she might have a little bit of a cold during her intro clip, though you couldn’t tell it when she belted out 1983’s “Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benetar. For the first time, she displayed an edginess in her voice. It worked for the most part, though there were times when it seemed as though she was trying too hard (as Simon said, “like a kitten who wants to be a tiger”).

It just wasn’t quite authentic – especially when she tried to bring the same edge to her stage act. Though it was nice to see her make an effort, even if it wasn’t much more than a little hip swaying and shoulder twisting (though I loved the kick-punch at the end – she must be picking up some pointers from Bo).

Idol addicts may remember that she had a slight mix-up with the lyrics during her first Hollywood audition. “Hopefully I get the words right this week,” she said during her intro clip after recalling how she constantly butchered lyrics as a kid. She had another slight mix-up again tonight, though probably only the most diehard Pat Benetar fans would have caught it had Randy not called her on it.

In Carrie’s defense, she has to take a well-known song that she’s heard, and no doubt sang along to, hundreds of times, and condense it to less than two minutes. Can’t say that I blame her for forgetting which words go where. I’m looking forward to hearing her sing a full-length piece, and she will unquestionably make it far enough to do that.

If nothing else, CONSTANTINE MAROULIS showed his gutsy side by attempting 1975’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. A song that everybody knows and nobody can sing (the whole thing, anyway). This song could have sank Constantine, sending him to his first bottom-three sweat-out, or it could have vaulted him to the front of the pack.

With all due respect to Paula Abdul (and really, who pays attention to her anymore anyway?), it did neither. It’s no surprise that Constantine is certainly no Freddie Mercury, whose vocal range was legendary. But the guy who hasn’t wanted to be a rocker for a few weeks didn’t fall flat, either, which is the risk you take with a choice like “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Constantine enjoyed the benefit of an exuberant lighting and camera crew as well; however, the song’s truncated arrangement did him no favors. Just as you allowed yourself to get into the performance, he veered off in another direction. That’s the magic of Queen’s version, but it takes the depth of a full-length song to pull it off.

At any rate, Constantine is a mortal lock to sail through to next week, along with Carrie. Vonzell should be, and Bo probably will be, though I wouldn’t put it past those quirky voters to scare either one of them by inexplicably sending them into the bottom three.

But the other four remaining contestants – Nadia, Anthony, Anwar and Scott – should feel far more anxious. Simon was less than impressed with Scott, but his disappointment will be counter-balanced by the nod of approval given by Hall & Oates when Ryan Seacrest sought their opinion. And Scott’s sudden personality influx will likely bolster the fan base that for some reason saw fit to keep him alive for weeks.

Anthony has managed to avoid the bottom three after two straight wretched performances. This was much better – still far from good, but Simon’s vote of confidence might help him survive another week, even if he has to suffer through another few scary minutes standing next to Seacrest.

And Anwar’s just too nice to kick off the show. There is greatness there. It hasn’t shown up yet, which is why he’ll land in the bottom three. But it is there, and I hope we’ll see it before he leaves.

Which leaves Nadia. I’m not sure how much of fan base she has – I get the sense that even when she was on a roll, the fans were loving her performances more than they were loving her. Without a solid fan base to carry her through the rough spots, she needs to be dazzling each time out. She wasn’t tonight.

Drawing the opening slot didn’t help. Leading off the show, she needed to be memorable. She wasn’t. By this time tomorrow, she’ll be a memory.

Musical to our ears? Not on Idol

American Idol had a rough week. First came the untimely exit of Jessica Sierra – the Florida teen’s banishment from the show seemingly awoken a sleeping fan base that couldn’t muster enough votes to keep her around, but sure mustered plenty of outrage after she was booted.

Then came the seemingly annual dirt-digging exposition courtesy of The Smoking Gun, who revealed that Scott Savol – already one of the most unlikable characters on the show – has a rap sheet. Toss in the fact that Idol was bumped from the top spot in the ratings by CSI (with more competition this week by the NCAA basketball title game), and the show could have used a good night to keep itz buzz alive.

This wasn’t the show.

The theme this week was classical musicals, which could have been fun. It was anything but, as most of the contestants settled on boring ballads that were eminently forgettable. The judges’ comments fit nicely into their predetermined roles – Randy thought most everything was a’ight, Paula was proud of everyone, and Simon was extraordinarily hard to please.

SCOTT SAVOL came out sporting some new threads, but that was the only thing flashy about his performance “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. It started average, and didn’t ascend from there.

Give credit to the big boy for making a mention of his mama in the intro, which I’m sure he’s hoping makes him look like somebody’s son instead of a brute who roughed up his fiancée. Scott certainly had built up some momentum in previous weeks, which carried him past a ghastly effort last week, but that momentum was almost assuredly derailed by the news that broke about his past. He should make his first appearance in the bottom three.

By the way, has anyone else noticed how often Paula interrupts Simon? Doesn’t matter what he says, she either yells at him or kisses him.

With every show, CONSTANTINE MAROULIS seems to be distancing himself further from the whole rocker image. (Perhaps because he knows on that plane alone, he can’t compete with Bo.) Now, he talks about his dramatic roots and shows us his cultured side in the preview clip, introducing his choice of “My Funny Valentine” from Babes in Arms.

A little dangerous bringing up Frank Sinatra – dude, you do not want to invite comparisons to The Voice – but Maroulis is quite the contrast from Ol’ Blue Eyes. His performance wasn’t stellar, but it was good enough. The last note was awfully flimsy. I understand the desire to end it softly, but that was pretty weak, Connie.

Maroulis was one of the only contestants to feel comfortable in this category, and also one of the only performers to elicit a complement from Simon, who uttered one of his best lines of the season when he called what he just saw “the best pouting performance ever on American Idol.”

A few weeks ago in the semifinals, Simon told CARRIE UNDERWOOD that no matter what she sang, she sounded fantastic. Tonight was no exception, as she picked “Hello, Young Lovers” from The King and I. It wasn’t her best performance, but that’s simply because she’s already posted so many dazzling numbers.

But it was still a shade disappointing, and Simon’s point about it being too old-fashioned was right on, even if it did get lost in his bizarre analogy. Carrie is exceedingly likable, but she hasn’t shown that “fun” quality yet. She had a golden opportunity during ’60s week, but fell flat. She’ll still go very far in the competition, but could run the risk of being bounced in the final weeks if her competitors can compete vocally and are more fun onstage.

VONZELL SOLOMON thought that “People” from Funny Girl would show off her range. It did. Vonzell gave another marvelous performance, though she may face a bit of the same problem as Carrie, in that the song she picked was simply boring.

But the girl’s definitely got a set of pipes, and she has used them well in recent weeks. She may just have the best voice in the competition this side of the farm girl from Oklahoma. She is one of four I’d consider mortal locks to move on.

Before we move on, I was just wondering: Is it possible to install a seat belt on Paula’s chair? She needs to be strapped down before she ruins the meaning of a standing ovation.

ANTHONY FEDOROV – again without the glasses, though oddly looking even younger this week – needed a big performance after last week’s excruciating performance. He tried for it with “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music.

It was OK. The ending note could have been a shade higher, but overall Anthony was still miles better than last week’s dreadful effort. But he wasn’t particularly mesmerizing, and his stage act didn’t work – he does all right with the uptempo stuff, but he can’t sway worth his salt. About the only thing he did up there didn’t look ridiculous was his eyes-closed send-off to the band.

The kiss of death came from the judges. Randy hated it, Paula doesn’t matter because she’s lost all credibility by this point, and Simon didn’t even bother trying to be nice again. He simply called it “hideous," "horrible” and "awful." Before he could get much nastier, Ryan Seacrest cut him off, but even Ryan won’t be able to save Anthony from returning to the bottom three.

NIKKO SMITH picked a selection from a most classical musical, West Side Story, when he sang “One Hand, One Heart.” Should Nikko go on to win this competition, he’ll likely to be the first Idol with his own clothing line. Week to week, Nikko has consistently been the most stylish contestant.

His songs haven’t always matched his outfits, and he fell a bit short again this week. The song had some promise, but Nikko failed to deliver completely, especially at the end when he was obscured by his background vocals. He certainly did enough to move on, though I wouldn’t guarantee he’ll avoid the bottom three.

ANWAR ROBINSON picked another slow and boring showtune, “If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot. He did a nice job, with one ghastly slip-up leading into the final belt-out line. It was a wonderful improvement over last week, and should send him on for another week.

BO BICE picked out a book, closed his eyes, and pointed to “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin (1972). Finally, someone picked an uptempo piece. Despite that, it was still boring. It wasn’t suitable for Bo’s voice – not sure anything from a musical would be – and it didn’t fit his personality either.

But he’ll still stand out from this week’s crowd, and based on his past performances alone, he’ll sail through into next week when he should be able to return to a genre he’s a better fit for.

NADIA TURNER went with “As Long As He Needs Me” from Oliver. She’s been noticeably prickly when the judges have told her that she doesn’t have the greatest voice in the competition (even though that comment usually precedes another compliment), so apparently she wanted to prove the doubters wrong. It didn’t work.

She sang the song well, but it showcased nothing more than her vocals, along with her limitations. Her voice simply isn’t in the same ballpark as the other two remaining women. What she brings is performance, though in her defense it probably would have been tough for her to rock out to a showtune.

Just about all of the contestants were out of their element, though Nadia and Bo seemed the farthest away. While Bo has the backing to make it through easily at this point, Nadia may not. It would not be a surprise at all to see her back in the bottom three.

But she won’t leave yet. Not with Anthony and Scott still around. One of them won’t be next week. The pick here is Anthony, as Idol continues its purge of teenage competitors.