OK, so I have to vent and share my frustration for what I believe is American Idol’s lowest of the low, most disgusting act last night.
I refused to watch last season because I didn’t think the show would be worth viewing after Simon Cowell’s departure, and I wasn’t exactly a JLo fan. That being said, I was compelled to watch this year’s auditions, especially after seeing the commercial promo with Johnny Keyser singing his rendition of A Change Gonna Come–you know, the one who Jennifer Lopez fawned over and decided his fate right then and there by telling him, “You know you’re gonna be a star, right?” Unfortunately, he was cut before the top 24 was chosen.
Jermaine Jones didn’t make the top 24, either, but in a strange twist producers decided to bring him back, and he ended up receiving enough votes to make the final 13. It seemed America and the judges were falling in love with the “Gentle Giant.” But as it turns out, Jones has a bit of a criminal past, and as a result, he was told he could no longer be a part of the show.
I wondered how producers would explain his dismissal on tonight’s episode, and sure enough, Ryan Seacrest opened with comments that they lost a cast member. But it didn’t end there. Seacrest continued, saying there would be more on the issue later in the show. I wasn’t prepared to watch what ultimately became a human being’s humiliating moment aired on live television for millions to watch.
Courtesy of FOX
I sat in disbelief with my mouth hanging as executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick sat Jones down to discuss his many warrants and arrests. They told him had he come forward with the information, they might have been able to work with him. Yet, they thought it was acceptable to record such a private and confidential discussion. Where’s the integrity in that?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning Jones’ omission, he should have come clean right away, but his past does not condone the actions of Warwick and Lythgoe. I also wonder why producers were not privy to this information before the show went live. And now I can’t help but wonder if they agreed to bring Jones back with intentions of embarrassing him on national TV for the sake of ratings.
Following My Bliss 