"American Idol": Did Jennifer Lopez try to prevent Karen Rodriguez's exit?
(CBS) "American Idol" is very fond of adding humorous entertainment to its results show. So March 17 was the night on which they turned the lights green and Karen Rodriguez revealed that she could make funny noises with her throat.
Not everyone can do that. Just as not everyone can get to the last 12 of "American Idol." However, her journey (as they quaintly call it on the show) became a road less traveled than she'd have liked when she was asked to pack her throat and go.
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In truth, there were at least three performances that deserved elimination, something that describes the considerable gulf between those who have a chance for election based on their talents and those who should be destined for elimination unless the voters intervene.
And yet, when Rodriguez was told that she had to sing again in order to continue, it seemed as if she had known all day that she might be the one.
Once she had performed "Hero", Randy Jackson told her that the decision not to save her was not unanimous.
An unscientific perusal of the judges' faces suggested that Jennifer Lopez had wanted to give the Latina girl another chance. Lopez turned her head away when the decision was announced and seemed determined not to cry - in order, perhaps, to avert accusations of Latina favoritism.
In truth, the competition will be poorer without someone who had the pride and courage to sing in Spanish as well as English.
During last night's show, Lopez had to suffer the catcalls of two members of the audience who objected to what they saw as her flirting with contestant Stefano Langone.
They yelled to her: "You're married." As if stating the obvious ever had any effect when it comes to communication.
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that winning "American Idol" still offers no guarantee of immortality.
Lee DeWyze, last year's winner, last night performed a song about beauty that showed just how beautifully ordinary an "Idol" winner can be.
Yet his performance was beautifully forgettable, with several notes that, had he been judged, would have had Randy Jackson itching with his "pitchy."
As one looks at the remaining contestants, how many can use the next weeks to create a persona that rises above the dross and sends them in the direction of the Vandross? How many can select songs that will somehow project them beyond the banal?
And how many have the mental fortitude (or the naivete) to be able to walk on stage, ditch the pitchiness and somehow capture the imagination?
On the evidence of this week's performances, only one or two.
Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He is also the author of the popular CNET blog, Technically Incorrect.
