The X Factor’s Astro found himself in the bottom two during last night’s live results show (unjustly, in terms of performances, I might add).
And even though he was eventually saved by the judges, things just got worse and worse for him from there.
First, it seemed Astro was merely resigned to his fate, telling the audience when he learned he was in the bottom two, “Don’t be sad. Hip hop made it this far.” But then, when it was time for him to “sing for survival” in the Final Showdown, he said he’d rather not perform, calling it “unnecessary.” Urged by his mentor L.A. Reid and the audience, he eventually turned out a brief performance to “Never Can Say Goodbye” that L.A. called “lackluster,” along with Astro‘s attitude.
When it was time for the judges to vote on whether Astro or Stacy Francis would get the boot, Simon Cowell cut to the chase and asked the 15-year-old about his little tantrum. And that’s when the astro fell to Earth: “If you want to put me in the Bottom Two, I don’t want to perform for people who don’t want me here.” The audience didn’t take too kindly to that. The boos were long and loud.
Wooed by his solid past performances, and cutting him some slack because he’s still just a kid, the judges saved Astro to perform another week. But, looking at all the outrage online after his outburst, the X Factor voters may not be so kind to Astro next week.
What the Judges Think
Can Astro turn it around? Simon seems to think so, or else he wouldn’t have saved him. “I only did it because I cared about him. If I didn’t care about him, he would have just gone,” Cowell said of scolding Astro, who was in tears at one point on stage. “I was just trying to make him understand the ramifications of what he was doing, and also understand that he’s a kid… I was just annoyed.”
Simon continued, “He’s talented… maybe this is the best thing that can happen to him. Maybe he won’t be quite so cocky.”
Now more than ever, it may be Astro‘s greatest luck that he has L.A. Reid as his mentor. If anyone is shrewd and understanding enough to turn public opinion back into Astro‘s favor, it’s him.
Even though L.A. admitted to being “disappointed” in his mentee, he also urged the audience to cut Astro some slack. “He’s dealing with being in the bottom 2 in his own way. There’s a pain, we don’t know the pain that he may be going through,” Reid said. “When you enter a competition, you have to be prepared for the results. And if the results don’t land in your favor, good sportsman-like conduct is still required. I was disappointed in the attitude.”
What Stacy Said
All this caused the sting of elimination to cut extra deep for Stacy Francis, who herself pouted about being in the Bottom Two, though she did so silently. (She eventually broke her silence and thanked the judges after elimination.) “The thing to be disappointed about is when you see someone like Astro have such an obnoxious attitude about it is that he gets to stay,” Francis said after the show.
“Astro‘s 14 and you can call him a teenager and give him an excuse, but bad behavior is bad behavior. He was ungracious in that moment, and in the real scheme of things, no matter what you have to be grateful,” she said.
Astro Apologizes … Sort Of
Lats night and this morning, Astro took to his Twitter account to explain and apologize for his behavior.
“Politics!! don’t be fooled by what you don’t know! Thank you AstroNauts for holding me down! Its funny how people are quick to judge not knowing whats going on behind the scenes. Maybe I should have given my Disney smile instead!” he wrote after the episode.
Then he added, “I feel yall on that but I wasn’t talking about viewers when I said I don’t wanna perform. If you only knew what I know you’d say otherwise.”
This morning his tune changed a bit, as he readied for another week on The X Factor, trying to win favor and votes: “I had a “fight the system” moment last night. Sorry if i disappointed you guys. I WILL make you all proud next week!”
What do you think of Astro‘s attitude? If he can turn it around, and still put on a good show, will you still give him your votes?
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
