‘Idol’ judges, viewers
are unforgiving

Who got Simon-ed on the men’s side? Why, Joseph Murena, who Cowell said could have been singing in a Portuguese nightclub in 1974.

Bizarre? Of course – how many people watching the show have ever been in a Portuguese nightclub? Fatal? Maybe. Murena chose to place the blame on his lack of exposure, and his bland performance may be the real culprit. But the judges’ criticisms certainly sealed his doom.

Murena was joined in the airport limo by David Brown, whose main sin was being uninspiring on a night when the competition stepped up.

Compared to Travis Tucker, the other man Seacrest brought on stage, Brown was far less of a showman. When Simon called Tucker “a born performer” — stressing the positive of his dance moves rather than the average vocals — that probably got him the votes he needed to advance.

Both Murena and Rae expressed confidence that they’d be back. Perhaps the judges will see them singing a duet the next time they’re in a Portuguese hotel.

Just two surprises
That made for a results show with only two surprises. The first was the early exit of Mischeaux, who wasn’t great on Tuesday night but gave perhaps the best performance of the first semifinal. The second was that Ryan Seacrest actually made Mario Vazquez come up on stage, as though he was in genuine danger of being voted off, to stand nervously through a commercial break before being allowed to sit in the safety zone.

It’s difficult to believe Vazquez would have been so near the firing line after two nice performances in a row. He did appear without one of his trademarked hats, so perhaps Seacrest was just looking to give Vazquez’s hair more time in the spotlight.

The judges expressed surprise at Mischeaux’s ouster — but really, they could have saved her by being a little less harsh when she opened Tuesday’s show. Ryan Seacrest revealed on the results show that the Alicia Keys song she went with was something like her fourth choice, with her earlier requests nixed because of rights issues. Presumably, that contributed to her feeling unprepared when the lights came on.

But the judges didn’t comment on that Tuesday night. Instead, even Paula said that it wasn’t her best performance, and Simon criticized the song choice. Stressing the negatives at this early stage may have been intended as constructive criticism, but instead cost her the votes she needed.

Perhaps they underestimated their own power. Or perhaps they were confident she would survive, because the comments to Celena Rae and Janay Castine were worse. Simon told the 17-year-old Castine – who already looks terrified enough out there — that she was “like a little doll who’s been programmed to be a pop star.”  Apparently that wasn’t enough. Who knows what he’ll say next week?

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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