Wow.
Well, folks, there we have it. I spent 10 minutes trying to think of a title for this post, and all I could come up with is "Wow." Of course my actual thoughts have some 4 letters words tossed in, but Wow is about as close as I can get and still keep this a family-friendly blog.
I said yesterday that I fully expected to be wrong about my Karin/V Final prediction, but you know, I was still shocked. I wasn't completely shocked that V didn't make it in, and of course I was not surprised at all that Karin did. What did shock me was the announcement that Nicky had lost out to Gift, and that one of my favorite contestants of the season made it through. Note to self: do not mistake a quiet fanbase for a small one ever again. With Gift up against Karin now, I really don't know what is going to happen next week. Ignoring judges' influence for a minute, I think Gift actually has a very good chance at winning the whole shebang. It seems to me that everyone who has any intention of voting for Karin already is, and that a vast majority of the fans whose favorite was eliminated will be turning their support to Mr. Smooth.
And Gift has some support on the judging panel. Gareth is a big fan, and Mara loves him (as long as he stays away from the jazz). Sticking myself into Dave shoes, I'd have to think that speaking strictly from a business point of view, I'd have to go for Gift myself. He's probably the single most marketable contestant of the year: he has the looks, the charm, the universal appeal, and he has a boatload of talent. If he gets that 75% backing from the judges (face it, Randall's going to stick his support behind Karin) I think he will win this thing handily.
It was a tough show, though. It's impossible to describe the difference between watching a results show on TV and being there in person. I couldn't keep myself from looking around and watching the faces of each contestant's group of supporters. Somewhat surprisingly, the mood was fairly light before the show began, and Gift's mother even joined warmup artist Keith J. for a few minutes to prove that dance talent definitely runs in the family. Just before the show began, Colin ran over and gave each of the contestants a quick hug - a very sweet and touching move by someone I've never really taken a liking to on the screen. Once the Outsurance sting began, though, the mood turned a little more somber as everyone waited to see who (and how many) were going to go out.
I knew there would be two going home - and would have been outraged if there had been only one contestant eliminated. The Idols final just would not have worked if there had been three contestants vying for the title. But Colin wasted no time in confirming that it would be a classic showdown on Sunday between the country's top two contestants. Getting the "obvious" choice out of the way, he announced Karin as the first finalist [Edited: possibly a Freudian slip, I originally said "winner" instead of "first finalist]. As soon as he said V's name, I knew the truth: V would not be in the final. Quite simply, there was too much time left in the show for the announcements to be over. She was understandably emotional, yet gracious, as she stood next to Colin, leaving everyone to ponder whether Nicky or Gift was going to be going home next.
And I have to say, regardless of the radio polls, seeing Nicky and Gift standing there, I really thought Nicky was going to win out over Gift. Watching Gift's face, I have to say I think he thought so too. After what felt like the longest pause in TV history, Colin made his surprise announcement: Gift was going through to the finals.
When Karin's name was announced, there was quite the triumphant cheer from the audience, but it paled in comparison to the explosion of happiness when Gift's name was announced. I don't think there was a single person in the room who was unhappy that Gift made it through, and I'd be willing to put money on the fact that if you asked any of the contestant's supporters who should be there if their favorite couldn't be, they would have named Gift.
Well done to Karin, Gift, Nicky and V. Stay tuned to the blog today, there are more posts coming: press conference report, one-on-one interviews with both Karin and Gift, pictures from yesterday, and more. Yesterday was a stellar day for the blog, and excluding days where there was a link or article for the blog on the front page of the official site, it was the highest-traffic day yet. Thanks so much for your support.
Here's a Burgesque style signoff for now:
Julie, off to try to pull of a very big surprise for one of the contestants.
[Side notes: Will be at Back O' The Moon on Wednesday, and will most definitely be at the finals on Sunday.]
I said yesterday that I fully expected to be wrong about my Karin/V Final prediction, but you know, I was still shocked. I wasn't completely shocked that V didn't make it in, and of course I was not surprised at all that Karin did. What did shock me was the announcement that Nicky had lost out to Gift, and that one of my favorite contestants of the season made it through. Note to self: do not mistake a quiet fanbase for a small one ever again. With Gift up against Karin now, I really don't know what is going to happen next week. Ignoring judges' influence for a minute, I think Gift actually has a very good chance at winning the whole shebang. It seems to me that everyone who has any intention of voting for Karin already is, and that a vast majority of the fans whose favorite was eliminated will be turning their support to Mr. Smooth.
And Gift has some support on the judging panel. Gareth is a big fan, and Mara loves him (as long as he stays away from the jazz). Sticking myself into Dave shoes, I'd have to think that speaking strictly from a business point of view, I'd have to go for Gift myself. He's probably the single most marketable contestant of the year: he has the looks, the charm, the universal appeal, and he has a boatload of talent. If he gets that 75% backing from the judges (face it, Randall's going to stick his support behind Karin) I think he will win this thing handily.
It was a tough show, though. It's impossible to describe the difference between watching a results show on TV and being there in person. I couldn't keep myself from looking around and watching the faces of each contestant's group of supporters. Somewhat surprisingly, the mood was fairly light before the show began, and Gift's mother even joined warmup artist Keith J. for a few minutes to prove that dance talent definitely runs in the family. Just before the show began, Colin ran over and gave each of the contestants a quick hug - a very sweet and touching move by someone I've never really taken a liking to on the screen. Once the Outsurance sting began, though, the mood turned a little more somber as everyone waited to see who (and how many) were going to go out.
I knew there would be two going home - and would have been outraged if there had been only one contestant eliminated. The Idols final just would not have worked if there had been three contestants vying for the title. But Colin wasted no time in confirming that it would be a classic showdown on Sunday between the country's top two contestants. Getting the "obvious" choice out of the way, he announced Karin as the first finalist [Edited: possibly a Freudian slip, I originally said "winner" instead of "first finalist]. As soon as he said V's name, I knew the truth: V would not be in the final. Quite simply, there was too much time left in the show for the announcements to be over. She was understandably emotional, yet gracious, as she stood next to Colin, leaving everyone to ponder whether Nicky or Gift was going to be going home next.
And I have to say, regardless of the radio polls, seeing Nicky and Gift standing there, I really thought Nicky was going to win out over Gift. Watching Gift's face, I have to say I think he thought so too. After what felt like the longest pause in TV history, Colin made his surprise announcement: Gift was going through to the finals.
When Karin's name was announced, there was quite the triumphant cheer from the audience, but it paled in comparison to the explosion of happiness when Gift's name was announced. I don't think there was a single person in the room who was unhappy that Gift made it through, and I'd be willing to put money on the fact that if you asked any of the contestant's supporters who should be there if their favorite couldn't be, they would have named Gift.
Well done to Karin, Gift, Nicky and V. Stay tuned to the blog today, there are more posts coming: press conference report, one-on-one interviews with both Karin and Gift, pictures from yesterday, and more. Yesterday was a stellar day for the blog, and excluding days where there was a link or article for the blog on the front page of the official site, it was the highest-traffic day yet. Thanks so much for your support.
Here's a Burgesque style signoff for now:
Julie, off to try to pull of a very big surprise for one of the contestants.
[Side notes: Will be at Back O' The Moon on Wednesday, and will most definitely be at the finals on Sunday.]
posted by Julie at
10:11 PM
