Smallscreen News

American Idol down to eleven, Simon and Ryan sort of smoke a peace pipe

By April MacIntyre Mar 18, 2010, 4:12 GMT

01/30/2010 - Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest - © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

SPOILER ALERT

Something funny is in the air behind the scenes with the powers that be in front of the American Idol cameras.

Kara DioGuardi is posing in bikinis again; Ellen always looks like a startled prey animal when she is up to bat; Randy is the pitch sheriff still and Ryan Seacrest and the departing Simon Cowell are circling around each other with their big guns on. 

The two are both very successful and influential with their own production companies.  The tension betwixt the two gents this season has been brittle.  Last night saw Seacrest go all Steve McQueen on Simon who was ready to take it outside.

Top 12 results night, sadly, had to say goodbye to one contestant.

Simon Cowell tonight had to square off once again with Seacrest, the impudent pup.

Cowell looks at Seacrest and says, "Want to get the eyeballing out of the way?" at the start of Wednesday's show.

"I just thought that you needed to be a bit more constructive with them," Ryan played it cool.

"Do you want my job?" Simon asked. "Because it felt like an audition."

They made nice for the camera but the bottom line was evident: Seacrest, when he started this Idol gig was a solid radio guy, and a big fish in a decent sized pond.  A mogul he was not.

Today, with the success of his TV shows and various enterprises, he can shop in the same places as Sir Cowell, one of the many wealthy British overlords of Media who are reconquering the Colonies for Jolly Olde England.

The Bottom Three were:

Paige Miles
Tim Urban
Lacey Brown

The West Texas beauty was eliminated.  Lacey Brown had a clear and distinct voice and the prettiest eyes of the lot, but it wasn;t enough to carry her through to next week.