Hyphen TV: Girl, You Did Your Best

March 12, 2013

Is Kate shying away from Tu because it looks like his bottoms are on backwards?

I'm not gonna lie to you, dudes -- it was one of those rough weeks. On American Idol, we went from ten girls and ten guys to just five of each, and the girls were up first. Adriana is the youngest girl in the competition, and don't be fooled by her jewelry, makeup, and heels: she's still a small town girl who loves fishing, camping, and four-wheeling. We also saw how her dad and sister host Idol viewing parties back home in Alaska, aww. She sang Destiny Child's "Stand Up for Love," and it was mostly pretty uneventful until her big last note.

Adriana's like, "Yes, I know I have really nice hair."

Keith didn't think it was the best song choice since Adriana has "a big, powerful voice", and it took too long to get to show it off. Nicki started out her critique with "you look pretty," which is always the kiss of death. She then suggested that the Alaskan "work a little bit and come back next year," ouch. There was no connection at the beginning of the song, the performance was "kind of pageant-y," and she needs to have more life experience, Nicki went on to say. Harsh, but I can't say I disagree on any count. Randy called Adriana very safe and boring, and Mariah said that "we're used to a more soulful moment from you." After that lackluster response, it was sadly natural that Adriana didn't make it to the top ten.

On guys' night, we learned that Elijah got the most feedback out of his whole Idol experience from the judges during the previous round's sudden death eliminations. Interesting, since that was also the first round where we spent some real time with Elijah. I take that to mean that when we don't see the contestants, they're not as engaged or interacting with the judges and competitors as much. He let everyone know that he's single and available, reminding me that there is a Bieber-esque, very-young-looking-guy-getting-sexualized thing going on with him. He also wore a pair of Bieber-y bright white sneakers during his performance, which further cemented the comparison.

Okay you can't see his shoes, but trust me, they were bright

Elijah sang "Stay" by Rihanna, and Keith loved the song choice, which really suited Elijah's voice and showed off his control. Nicki said, "I think I would be willing to stay," in response to the song's lyrics, and reiterated her previous point: "Again, you look very marketable. I could see your face on blankets and posters and cups." Keep an eye out for Elijah Liu blankets, guys. While Randy liked this song better than Elijah's previous one, "It never left first gear; it just lay there flat...it didn't really go anywhere." Mariah thought it was a strong performance and told Elijah, "Your relevancy is your strongest point." O...kay. The voters didn't agree, and Elijah was also cut from the top ten. You have time, you youngsters! Go out and make albums!

On Project Runway, the designers had a chance to mix up their partnerships, but Kate chose to work with Tu again, warming the cockles of my heart. They had to create a prom dress out of duct tape, and Tu, having never gone to a prom, went along with Kate's insistence that the dress had to be floor-length. Tim saw problems during his workroom visit: "Why are you pretending this is fabric?" he asked when he saw the way they manipulated the tape. "I just see a flat, lackluster effort." On the runway, the duo ended up in the bottom. "Fun was missing," Heidi told them. Nina found the length and design of the dress old fashioned, and she thought the color was too matronly and serious -- it turns out they used the "denim" tape, which I have to agree was a serious blunder. Zac thought that their design could have been really cool, but it was missing a fantasy element (what do you think prom is all about, Kate and Tu??).

Tape is already casual enough; no need to add fake denim

When asked who should go between them, the pair remained diplomatic and explained that they both collaborated on everything. However, Heidi called BS and said that it seemed like Kate's dress, and Tu helped her make it. "I don't even know who he is anymore...he's been kind of hiding," Heidi said about Tu during deliberations. It ended up being a surprise double elimination when both Tu and Kate were sent home, and Tu was incredibly sweet in consoling his tearful partner. "She starts to cry and I was like, 'No girl, you did your best'...I think I deserve to go, too." It really didn't seem like this competition was the right place for Tu to show his stuff, so I hope we get another opportunity to see his designs soon.

Monday Mornings moved away from Dr. Park's lack of English language/human emotion skills for once (phew!), this time positioning him as a whistleblower when the brilliant but elderly surgeon Dr. Wayne walked into the wrong procedure (Dr. Park's procedure) on the wrong day and seemed confused about what was going on. Although Park's respect for the doctor was clear ("Honored to have you," he greeted Wayne before explaining he was in the wrong place, and when the others were surprised about Wayne's possible senility, Park scolded, "Quiet. Respect. Man legend."), he feels he has to tell Harding what happened, leading to an investigation that ends Dr. Wayne's career.

Dr. Napur, on the other hand, went on another date with Dr. Lieberman during which a fellow diner fell ill again and had to be revived while Napur straddled him on a hospital gurney. Note to restaurant fans in the Chelsea General area: avoid that restaurant. Later, Napur's pal Dr. Villanueva acted as a mediator for Napur and Lieberman, letting Lieberman know that Napur cares for him despite how it may seem from her demeanor. I really enjoyed hearing Ving Rhames describe Liberman as "sweet" in all seriousness, much to the embarrassment of poor Dr. Napur.

Those waiters are like, "We have GOT to learn CPR."

Justin Chon was on Conan to promote 21 and Over, which he stars in. He discussed creepy Twilight cougars and the fake penis he had to wear for his new movie -- all with a smile. Seems like he's having pretty good times!

Justin, with far more clothes on than in the 21 and Over poster

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Dianne Choie

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Dianne Choie's TV is in Brooklyn, NY. She has a cat, several reusable shopping bags, and other mildly annoying stereotypes of youngish people who live in Brooklyn.

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