It's the pointlessness of it all, the protracted futility of the entire process. It must be devastating for the first two eliminated singers from the big stage.  Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez will not be famous, they will not get record deals.  They will be forgotten, footnotes in American Idol lore.  I suppose there are worse things, like being eliminated in Hollywood or during the Top 36, but I'm not so sure if being torn asunder during the Top 13 is more desirable than dying an earlier, less public, less scrutinized death.  For example, take the plight of Jasmine Murray.

American Idol 8: Season in Review - Jasmine Murray
American Idol 8: Season in Review - Jorge Nuñez
American Idol 8: Top 13 Performance Rankings

Jasmine is touted early on as one of the great female hopes, a teenager with the voice, the look and the demeanor to get deep in the competition.  She breezes through the Hollywood rounds (kind of).  Then, she gives a piss-poor Top 36 performance.  She is rightfully eliminated from the competition.  But, wait – the Wild Card comes calling.  Jasmine is no Tatiana-level narcissist.  She knows that her spot in the Wild Card Show, to even be considered over Junot Joyner and Kristen McNamara, is unearned, a product of her looks and marketing potential.  Jasmine must feel shame, knowing that her inclusion in the Top 13 was wholly undeserved.  Jasmine, then, wants to vindicate the judges' decision, show that she indeed does belong, wants to prove a skeptical voting public wrong.  She musters up all she's got, and sings to her potential on the big stage.  For someone who looked so tentative and sang so out of tune on the small stage for the Top 36, Jasmine's solid Top 13 performance was quite impressive, and showed that the potential for improvement was indeed there (let us not forget another teenage girl, Jordin Sparks, who improved by leaps and bounds over the course of her season). 

So, just look at that.  That's already an epic, emotional journey for a young woman like Jasmine.  And, then, to have that snatched from her by America, it can't be fun. It's one thing to get rejected by a panel of four judges.  They are often wrong, and have their own, very specific opinions of what makes a good singer.  But, to be rejected by America and America alone, the faceless populous digesting your performance and saying, “You know what, we liked the boring blind guy and the weird chick who sang 'Rockin' Robin' better that you.”  Well, that has to be a crushing blow to the psyche of a teenage girl.  I have a 17-year old sister, and she gets devastated when she gets a B on a paper or someone mocks her Facebook Status.  To be outright rejected by a whole country, glove-slapped by tweens across the nation, that can't feel good.

Other Thoughts:

I really, really like the Judges' Save twist.  There are always going to be haters out there, and I was scared that Simon Cowell had been lobbying for a lot more power than what the twist ended up being.  This is a fair rule, one that shouldn't be controversial at all.  It will also add a modicum of excitement to the later Results episodes.  Who will it eventually be used on?  Here are the top contenders: Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds. 

I love me some Kanye, but he sucked about as much as a person can suck last night.  This stupid obsession with the Auto-Tune device is the worst thing to happen to the hip/hop community since Lil' Jon.  It needs to end.  Singers sing, rappers rap. 

Ryan Seacrest is an incredible host of live television.  His handling of Jasmine Murray's elimination, letting the microphone drop and consoling her, was not only great television, but a very nice gesture.  He didn't have to do it. 

I think I had a nightmare about Paula Abdul's cleavage last night.  I'm not sure – it was either about the cleavage or a couple of cooked hams. 

Danny Gokey and his designer glasses are annoying me more and more. 

More Sanjaya-esque potential: Megan Corkrey or Anoop Desai? Discuss.

I cannot stress this enough: This group of finalists is really good, really interesting, and it could lead to a really great remainder of the season.  Adam Lambert, Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheta and Megan Corkrey all bring very unique vibes to the season.  Not saying they will all deliver on their potential, just that the potential is certainly there.

Next week's theme is Grand Ole Opry.  So, in essence, it will be a country-themed week.  This will benefit Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace, Matt Giraud and maybe Megan Corkrey.  Adam Lambert, Anoop Desai, Allison Iraheta and Danny Gokey could struggle. 

Early prediction for next week's elimination: Anoop Desai.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)