So last night Carly got the boot from American Idol. I was indignant and appalled for about two seconds, because the night before, whilst she was wailing her way through Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar," I said to Meredith, "She's not scoring herself any points with middle America with this."Indeed, though there were at least two performers who's performances were notably inferior to hers, Carly inexplicably ended up in the bottom two, and then even more inexplicably was sent packing. The judges stammered out half-explanations about "pockets of voters" for different contestants, but I think it's obvious what killed Carly: she messed with Jesus.
Seriously, during a season in which as woeful a performer as Christy Lee Cook can extend her stay on the show three full weeks by bleating out "God Bless The U.S.A.," is it really smart to stomp around the stage and demand, "Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, who are you, what have you sacrificed?" In a season which boasts as its most memorable performance to date a rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" that completely omitted the hostile-to-religion first verse, is a controversial shot to the heart of Christian doctrine the best choice? Clearly not.
Here's when I knew Carly was done for: when Seacrest reviewed her previous night's performance, saying, "Last night you sang 'Superstar.'" Jesus Christ got entirely dropped from the song title. Dollars to doughnuts that wasn't Seacrest's call.
This show is a fascinating peek into the soul of the American soul. With 30 million-plus votes received every week, American Idol has won the participation of more of the American citizenry than most political elections and more than all the country's churches, taken together. And last night the message was clear: you can forget the words and start over, and you can butcher a classic while baldly admitting your ignorance of it; but don't you ever, ever, mess with Jesus.
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