Wednesday, May 14, 2008
American Idol Thoughts
I haven't been writing up American Idol Thoughts much this year, at least not on a weekly basis. Time just has not permitted. I haven't watched every performance of every show this season, but still most of them. But after watching last night's performances and specifically a few things, I felt compelled to write something. I know there are still a few of you who want this kind of information. I will keep it short, and if you don't want to read it, just skip to all the baseball stuff below. Here are a few thoughts:
It is pretty clear who the judges and the Idol producers want to win this contest, young David Archuletta. Even when he doesn't do well, the judges find a way to spin it positively. I didn't think he did great last night. He didn't pick particularly great songs. When he tried to act young and sing a Chris Brown song, it showed me one thing. He will not be a huge star. He will have his one big selling album based on the popularity of the show, and then he will go the way of Josh Groban. Believe me, that is not a negative in any way. Groban is an amazing singer, with an amazing voice, but he has a niche that will never be a Top 20 type of music.
The other one that they want in the finale is David Cook, and I don't know why. He showed last night what I have been saying for a few weeks, he is not much of a singer. He's an ok performer. He is the season's rocker. He is a good singer, but nothing special. Nothing compared to the likes of Chris Doughtry, or even Bo Bice. Last night, I actually asked myself if he wasn't better than Constantine Maroulis. But again, the judges played him up like he had done something special. I have never heard a worst version of that Aerosmith song. He sang it so bad that I can't even think of the title right now (oh yeah, Don't Wanna Miss a Thing). Seriously, he would go slow... then fast, then slow... then fast and it was just horrific. He should have been gone a couple of weeks ago.
Finally, I happen to think that Syesha Mercado is the best singer of the group. She has been absolutely incredible the last three or four weeks. Vocally, she has been nearly flawless. She has not picked easy songs either. She has the personality and she is a performer on the stage. Of the three remaining, I think that she has the best chance of becoming a star. Last night, I thought she was remarkable again... and the judges basically made it clear that they think she should be done. Is it the producers telling them what to say? I mean, even Paula was negative, and she was very good. What bugs me even more is that they questioned her song selection on the third and final song, they wanted a song that would be memorable... Well, that was the PRODUCER'S CHOICE. She didn't pick it!
Anyway, I could go on and on. Judges tell them to make songs their own, and then if they do, they frequently say that sometimes a song doesn't need to be altered much. It is a frustrating show. It's great TV, and I still encourage everyone to watch it, particularly kids. But it's like the World Series champion... the winner isn't always the best!
Any thoughts?
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