‘Idol’s’ blow should knock some sense

Before we go on, let us pause to remember those taken from us before their time.

Rarely in the history of competitive singing has the cruel, inexplicable hand of fate struck so mighty a blow as it did Thursday night on “American Idol,” when in one remorseless swoop, it removed Alaina Whitaker and Alexandrea Lushington from our lives forevermore.

There comes a point fairly early on in each season when it suddenly becomes clear that death walks in the Idoldome, striding boldly through the rehearsal rooms and sound stages, seeking that one straggler who for a moment falls behind, gets just a tiny bit lazy and doesn’t lock down the low notes, and fails to think through her song clearly.

“American Idol,” as they say, ain’t beanbag. Eventually all but one must go. But last night we saw bitter shock as the room realized, with the beheading of Alaina, that on any night, anyone could go. Last week’s dismissals were uniformly warranted and not unexpected, their pain thus muted (to all but Ramiele Malubay). But to lose two such promising, seemingly sure contenders at once, and so early, seems almost too cruel. (On the guys’ side, however, the wisdom of the American electorate showed with a flawless pair of picks for elimination: Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico.)

Choking back the shock and the tears for a moment, however, this week’s eliminations demonstrate a few potent facts:

Sing each night like it’s your last. Or one night it will be. In these opening weeks, only a few contestants have developed clear voting blocs. The rest are making their first bids for the restless electorate. While the voters are still sampling candidates, a singer can’t count on any base of support and must consider each night as a fresh pitch; you have no reservoir of goodwill to draw on. All four of this week’s departing contestants were dispatched after “off” nights.

The judges are god. How does the electorate know what was a good performance and what wasn’t? The judges tell them. We know the above off-nights were in fact off because they were so deemed by the tribunal. In later stages, after the Top 10 or so, the judges’ influence wanes. In the final weeks of the Season 5 competition, Taylor Hicks shrugged off night after night of scathing contempt from Simon Cowell with no discernible effect on his ascent. But at this point, America clearly looks to the judges for cues.

Define your demo. What works well at this stage may work against you in the final weeks, but at this point, tying your fate to some group of voters -- rockers, hippies, alternatives -- is all that may save you. Unfortunately, as the contest enters its final phase, if you make it that far, what the audience wants then is a Celine Dion or a Faith Hill -- the very type most likely to get lost in the shuffle early on.

Finally, it’s hard to avoid the impression that something unsettling is going on in the girls’ group. The level of nervousness on these elimination nights, bordering near collapse, is beyond anything I’ve seen in previous years. My colleague Ann Powers has speculated that the nervousness emanating from Carly Smithson may be infecting the group. Whatever is going on, as one who wishes to have a strong female candidate to field against the Chosen One, David Archuleta, I urge the ladies to please remember the burden of history resting on their shoulders and to pull it together fast. Let not the great Alaina and Alexandrea have fallen in vain.

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richard.rushfield@latimes.com