'American Idol': Invitation to a beheading

The season was sailing along so smoothly. The field was inexorably winnowing itself as the natural cycle of early promise followed by disappointment, flame out and dismissal drove the lesser candidates from the field. They fell first by thousands, then by the dozens, then four by four, finally one by one – not necessarily in expected order, but America’s wisdom proved to be 90% on the money as Darwinian selection played itself out.

Until this week.

Gina Glocksen is gone. 

The red-streaked, season’s designated “rocker,” the high-spirited fun girl at the center of the contestants’ clique had her life cut short, out of nowhere. Without cause.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.  Pundits and predictors were unanimous across the Internet in foretelling curtains for Phil or Haley. And for the remaining contestants, each now so close to the ultimate prize -– this sudden unforeseen blow brings the cruel taste of death undeniably home.

Thus, I would like to attempt to recapture, blow by blow, tear by tear, the sights and sounds of elimination night, live from the Idoldome.

PRESHOW: Subdued crowd. Said to be “light on signage” by a stage hand. The strangest of all in-studio guests thus far -– film producer Harvey Weinstein -- takes a front row seat next to the judges. Bill the warm-up guy gets Sanjaya’s dad and Jordin’s mom in a little competition on how to act excited for the camera. Simon and Paula enter dangerously late with just two minutes to spare.

COLD OPEN: The Nine line up on stage. Melinda and Jordin hold hands. Phil and Haley are nervous smiles. The lights dim and Ryan intones, “Even Tony Bennett can’t help them now.”

FIRST COMMERCIAL BREAK: The audience screams their favorites’ names and they wave back eagerly, pointing out signs in the audiences to each other. They are placed in groups of three on stage. It is immediately obvious what this means -– the middle group is clearly doomed. Gina and Haley embrace hard. Phil still smiles nervously. Jordin-Melinda-LaKisha hold hands. Blake-Chris-Sanjaya stand casually awkward –- seem to not be sure how they are supposed to react.

FORD COMMERCIAL: They always love watching their commercial. Gina gets special praise from the others for her exuberant performance as the Ford owner. The center three cling together. Gina looks very tense.

SORTING THE GROUPS:  The top three are sent to the couch, hug and walk off. Blake-Chris-Sanjaya go with little swagger, patting the middle three on their backs as they pass.

COMMERCIAL BREAK: The bottom three join the others on the couch. Everyone swarms to hug them, but extra love is given to Gina, who seems totally freaked out to find herself in this company. The flock around her is clinging as though she has just learned a loved one has died, which of course she has. Mezghan, Idol’s make-up chieftain, hovers nearby to touch up tear streaks. Should be noted that unlike last week when there seemed to be a wall between Sanjaya and the rest, this week, after his “at least he tried” performance, whatever was between him and the others is mostly gone as he freely hugs and joins the group hugs. Should also be noted, as has been seen throughout, the constant good naturedness of Phil Stacey, who, even through this torture, refuses to be glum and always reverts back to a big smile and pat on the back for his peers.

MICHAEL BUBLE: Gina and Haley cling like terrified kittens, completely unaware of the song. What can be going through their mind in these final moments, what will be the last seconds of one of their lives on the Idol stage? All the poor song choices, the pitchy spots, the botched repartee with the judges. So many regrets must an Idol journey create, so fast must one’s Idol days race by.

COMMERCIAL BREAK: Hayley fights back tears. Gina is really really grim and serious. Debbie the stage manager joins them on the couch before leading them back to center stage where the Angel of Death, Ryan Seacrest awaits, offering each hugs as they go into the count for airtime. Thirty seconds before air and the trio shares one dramatic, huge hug. (Hugging, even more than music, is the international language of this group).

THE VERDICT: Hayley looks as though she’s about to crack up. Phil is sent back to the couch. He walks back a little surprised, but with no swagger at all, sits down looking very glum. Simon tells Gina and Hayley “I’m not surprised.” Gina flinches like she’s been kicked in the stomach, the agony of this moment on full display. The verdict is read. The remaining eight are shocked, putting their hands to the faces. As Haley and Gina hug, their mikes catch Gina’s wrenching sob and a chill shakes the audience. Haley goes back and joins the others. Does it bother her to think that on any level, the shock and grief for Gina’s demise means they all thought –- hoped? –- it would be her instead?

GOODBYE SONG: Many tears on stage and in the audience as Gina pulls it together, rises to the occasion to sing the most eerily appropriate goodbye song ever. Always one of the most infectious spirits of the clan, her smile breaks through the tears and sorrow and lights up the screen one last time. The show ends -- huge applause for Gina who takes a long final wave to the audience as the house lights go up. Her mother joins her on stage for a big hug. The judges come up and all chat with her. Finally, she walks offstage with band leader Ricky Minor, turning to give one last wave to the crowd before she leaves the Idol stage forever.

Gina Glocksen’s Idol journey ended too soon, but as she reminded us, she’ll be back for the tour.  America's wisdom may ultimately be infallible but tonight, thy will is very hard.

(Photo courtesy Fox)

Comments

[paul]

It was the tongue stud stupid.

[mairepat]

Agreed re the tongue stud . . . . too distracting and not a good thing for the kiddies to see. . . as a parent I had a hard time rooting for her in the end.

[M]

Only someone who has no clue how to write an effective news article and should not be allowed to write created this. Unless however they wanted to be effective at showing how little they understand their viewers. The beheading comment was also equally stupid.

[Amelia]

The bottom line is that Gina thought she was better than she was. She acted arrogant and entitled. People who are nice win American Idol--those who aren't don't. She was an OK singer but a little humility would have taken her a little further.

[Leah]

What a great article! I appreciate hearing what it's like watching from the audience, and you gave us some really valuable insights about the contestants, too, things we can't know without seeing them all before and after the show and between commercial breaks.

[Pauline]

This is not the first time American has voted idiotically. Look who we (well, not ME) put in the White House--TWICE! Gina and Phil are both very gifted singers and yet they were in the bottom three, while others who actually sang off-key were "safe." Okay, "American Idol" is just a TV show, but it scares me when I think that the voting public might continue to vote rather stupidly even in important elections, like the one coming up in November 2008. Please, America, THINK about what it means to vote and cast your vote for actual talent (in the case of this TV show) and, in the much more important case of the Leader of the Free World, vote for integrity and intelligence.
Seriously, if Bush has been our President for two terms, why wouldn't Sanjaya win "American Idol?" It would certainly be consistent.

[virtuous]

Very well written article. I have watched the show for three years and have never cried over a contestant's elimination before as I did last night for Gina. When Chris Daughtry went last year, I was shocked but no tears, and I was a red-hot Chris fan. With Gina, she has made no secret of how much she wants this, and the poignancy of "Smile" as her final song was too much. Hope she goes far. I hated the tongue stud, but loved HER.

[rochelle]

Tongue Ring?
Is that a valid reason to get rid of real talent? Obviously America thinks Sanjaya has talent! The only thing he has is all the teeny boppers going crazy over him, and why???

[Steve Body]

This is what you can expect when the voting is left in the hands of those legions of 15 year old kids who call 300+ times apeice to vote for some nice-but-clueless kid like Sanjay because he's "cute". IF Idol eventually fails, it will be for that very reason: there are enough people out here in the vast TV-watching hoardes who actually understand what the show's supposed to be about and know what singing is actually supposed to sound like that the loss of those folks - and I'm a gnat's hair from switching it off for just such crap as this, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, and the others who were cut prematurely - that the audience will finally dwindle to the point at which it's not viable to keep on the air.

Here's a thought for all you teen voters who call in for the cuties: If you think that just you watching is going to keep this show on the air, think again. Take a look at the anguish these kids go through when they're axed, knowing full well that they're good enough to stay, and then try to say that it's "just a personality contest". It's a heck of a lot more than that to those involved. It's life and death for people like Fantasia and Lakisha, who have little hope of ever realizing their dreams if not on Idol. YOU OWE IT to these folks who are putting their hearts and souls into this to vote for the best SINGER. PERIOD. Smirk behind your hands at this all you want. If you ruin this show for the rest of us, the show will be gone. Even Sanjay wonders why he's still there. I know this for a fact because I know his family. Shape up and vote seriously.

[Chuck]

Gina came to the competition representing Rock/Altenative/Gothy thingy. Her last performance was GREAT, but sold out her original "anti-establishment" persona. Chris Daltry, did the "old-school" songs, but rough-it-up REAL GOOD, which kept his original fan base voting. What she represented this week offended her voting base -- and who else will vote for her? Not the pubescent teen (not dissaffected enough), and certainly not the grandma group (toung piercing and red-streaked hair). Bad choice to play nice in this case.

[Reality Check]

This shouldn't be that surprising. While I agree that Haley is a bottom-dweller, Gina was no better than 6th best overall, and Sanjaya will ride a while for other reasons, so she would have gone soon anyway.

[Idol Fan]

The Sanjaya Malakar Factor takes out another worthy and more talented contestant. The Auto-Dailing Software that users vote 100's of times for Sanjaya based upont he support of Howard Stern and Vote for the Worst, captures another victim. Hopefully as the contestant feild narrows, the Normal True Idol Fans Votes will superceed those of the "Vote for the Worst" contingency

http://idol-mania.com/american-idol-fan

[Lynne]

It was Haley's legs that kept her in. Sex always wins.

[M Ross]

I'm confused why Haley gets such bad treatment. I think she's talented and has star quality. I think the judges were rude to her Tuesday and she deserves an aplogy. "green is your color and you have nice legs" just what she wanted to hear I'm sure.

[lynn]

This was such a well-written article. As one reader commented above, it was so nice to see it through the studio audience's eyes. No, Gina did not deserve to go quite yet...but what I objected to was the way they tortured them on the way out. I know it is for the entertainment value, but do they have to be so mean? When the judges said they were not surprised they were in the bottom two, they both looked striken; that hurt I am sure. And then there is Ryan, torturing them with the cutesy way he tries up until the very end to play with them and give them hope, then take it away. I cried for the first time last night when Gina left, and the song's lyrics "Simile, though your heart is breaking"" made it all the more poignant.

[Brian]

I was saying goodbye to Haley when Gina got the boot instead. Between Haley and Gina, Haley has the look but lacks the voice or confidence (reminds me alot of Kat McPhee at this point last year). Gina had the stronger voice and personality, but her image scared the show's primary demographic (whoever they are). Haley will soon follow, though she's a whole lot sexier than Phil who can outsing her by a mile. Neither could compete with Jordan or Melinda vocally or otherwise, though they beat Lakisha on image and attitude. I'm rooting for Blake, but he isn''t capitalizing enough on that raspy vocal quality he has. Sanjaya isn't either, and he too has a certain vocal quality that can make him viable (really) though hardly deserving. Chris is too boy-band but he's likeable.

Each week will be as this last one, as it inevitably is each season. Someone who has talent but a little something to dislike gets the boot and will seem that "America has gotten it wrong" again. And so what, they all get to tour and some will make albums and who knows what else? My two cents says it will come down to Jordan and Melinda. Jordan has the all-around edge there, if you axe me.

[Judy Ringdahl]

Gina was bumped too soon for sure. I gather from the comments it was the tongue stud, which certainly was a distraction for me. Her performance ability became particularly clear to me as she sang her final song. She was truly touching, tongue stud and all.
I'm still holding out for Melinda who has a truly unique voice. But the Sanjaya factor makes me nervous. And if Gina can be bumped prematurely, who else can?

[Claire]

Gina Glocksen is not the person I would have chosen to leave this week - but she's not the person I would have chosen for American Idol, either. I do not really think Gina's meager longterm prospects are going to be much affected by her losing two or three weeks before she should have.

I am, however, beginning to object strenuously to the widespread media vilification of young Sanjaya Malakar. Granted, he is not a particularly distinguished vocalist and I certainly hope he does not win, but it appears that he is being treated as if he has done something for which he must be punished. He has been an interesting, likeable entertainer in a very disappointing season where most of the contestants have been both vocally challenged AND dull.

Every season has a Sanjaya. Carmen Rasmussen, John Stevens, Scott Savol, Kellie Pickler - this is nothing new. They didn't win, and he won't either. My money is on Melinda Doolittle. I just think it's a shame that this season has become so dull that the media has had to resort to hanging a teenager in effigy on a regular basis to generate a little excitement.

And as for "Invitation to a Beheading" - isn't that a tad melodramatic? She lost a reality show that gave her several weeks of national publicity and she gets to tour the nation this summer. She's not dead, she's just done.

[David Owens]

Sadly for Haley and Phil, they each know they are next. Also, interestingly, Sanjaya was in the middle three, which means he will eventually be eliminated. We just have to slog thru 6 more weeks.

[JD]

Oh, sorry Pauline, I thought you were talking about electing clinton to office twice, and the huge mistake some people will be making if they vote for his wife.

[ViewPoynt]

The tongue ring didn't help much. It was distracting to me, at best. But Gina really evolved during her time on Idol. I wish her the best.

[ViewPoynt]

Haley is mediocre - at best. She is trying to work her body (with those colt legs mind you) to get votes from the prepubescent college boys (yes I said that) and creepy guys like Michael Buble. Her frantic performance this week along with every single outfit she wears lately being a maximum of 10 inches from waist to hem, is proof that what little talent she started off with is now wearing thin. I hope she gets voted off next week. Followed closely by Sanjaya.

[vernon Newland]

She was obviously proud of her tongue stud. I was one of the many that thought it ws hideous to look at. Wise up Gina.

[anonymouswriter]

Tongue studs indicate one thing and one thing only-the girl is sexually active and not hiding it. So she's not a teenager, America doesn't want it's Idol representing that sort of thing.

Gina isn't that great looking, her looks are pretty average. She couldn't really sing, so I didn't expect her to last this long. She had nothing really special about her.

She may have a nice personality, but when does that get anyone far? I did feel bad for her when Simon said he 'wasn't suprised.' No one should have to take that sort of judgement. But, hey she signed up for the show, what else did she expect.

Sometimes I wonder who gave these people so much confidence, and why do they think they deserve to win?

I really hope Sanjaya is off the show soon. I heard it's this huge joke to vote for him, so I don't think it's right if he gets the contract at the end. Give it to Jordan, Melinda, or Lakisha.

[Amanda]

I think Gina was very down to earth and she was wonderful. One bad week and she went home. O well. She'll make an album and I will be first in line to buy it.

[Richard Rushfield]

Thanks for the kind words, to those who were kind. And it is still a darker sadder world without Gina. Hoping to get an interview with her today and will post all the details if I do.