Post by Walker, Texas Ranger on Apr 7, 2009 22:52:40 GMT -5
Somewhere out there, locked securely away in a vault that only Simon Cowell has the combination for, is a small booklet that explains in short simple steps how to win American Idol.
Be original.
Be true to what got you to this point.
Be humble.
Be nice.
Make good song choices.
Don't argue.
Simple, easy to follow steps that will lead directly to a rainfall of confetti falling on your tear-streaked face as you bask in the adulation of millions. Look no further back in time than last year and see how David Cook emerged victorious by following these simple steps.
The reason I feel that the book has been locked away is that, with the exception of Adam Lambert, not a single contestant this season seems to have a clue on how to go about winning. Memo to Danny, Kris, Lil, Anoop, Allison and Matt: you're all battling for second now, and not battling all the hard even then. (Yes, I deliberately left Scott off the list, as all he's battling for is a cheap cab to the airport.)
It's not to say that none of the others can't sing. In fact, for sheer vocal talent, this may be one of the absolute strongest lineups we've seen in years, rivaling even Season Five. What the rest of the best lack is what is turning a tight competition into a rout: originality. A great singing voice is wonderful, if you want to win local karaoke contests or sing the National Anthem at local baseball games.
And speaking as one who has done the latter, that's not even remotely good enough to win American Idol, much less have a successful recording career, which is what every Idol finalist is really shooting for. They all know only Adam, er, I mean only one person can win, but they also all know the neither Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken or Jennifer Hudson won, either, and those three have done quite fine, thanks.
So why is it I felt I was watching the National Karaoke Finals on some high-numbered cable channel instead of the prime-time juggernaut that rules the ratings every week? With the exception of Scott (horrendous) and Adam (superb), none of the rest seemed really to understand quite what was at stake and how to go about setting themselves apart from the crowd.
In reviewing my notes, scribbled haphazardly in my trusty reporter's notebook, I noticed a pattern: I used the word "good" a lot. As in, "Goof, but not overwhelming" and "Good, but not spectacular" and "Good, that's finally over". Okay, so not every note was, well, good, but it is an appropriate word to use to describe the Top 8 performance. Good, but not great.
Danny Gokey started the night off with a cheat right out of the gate. The well-used (and needing to be retired) theme of "Songs from the year of their birth" seems fairly clear, but unless Danny was born in 1961, choosing Ben E. King's chestnut "Stand By Me" just doesn't cut it. Okay, okay, I know he was using an arrangement from Mickey Gilley's cover of the song from 1980, but that just doesn't seem to be in the proper spirit, at least to me. As it was, Danny started the "good" trend with what was truly a good performance. Nothing overwhelming, nothing that made me excited, and nothing that really struck me as all that original. Just good.
Kris Allen, on the other hand, set himself up for trouble right off that bat by following the lead set by Matt Giraud last week and performing from amidst the audience to the point where we could barely see him and he could barely move. Also, for the third straight time that he has used his guitar, the sound people at Idol have apparently decided we don't actually need to hear his playing. I saw his hands move, I saw him make chord changes, but alas I heard nothing over the horns and the rest of the band. And what on earth possessed Kris to pick one of the most monotone songs from the year of his birth? I love Don Henley and really liked "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" when it came out, but it is never a song I would ever have considered for Idol. Kris was good, but did nothing spectacular.
Lil Rounds, who has been making horrible song choice after horrible song choice this season, continues her run with another song that only served to prove two things: 1) she indeed has a great voice, and 2) she seemingly has no originality whatsoever. Her singing was good, her dress was good, her Tina Turner impression was good. Her chances to win? Not so good unless she radically changes her decision making process and finally shows us something, anything, original. I would not be surprised to see her in the bottom three this week, in fact.
Which brings up to Anoop Desai. Idol's Kal Penn look-a-like (seriously, now that Penn has gone to work for the White House, Anoop could easily take over the role of "Kumar" in the "Harold & Kumar" movies) surprised me this week. He was not only good, he was quite good. The problem is, as Simon put it so succinctly, Anoop is a musical yo-yo. One week he's great, the next he's abysmal. Last week was abysmal, so true to form this week Anoop redeemed himself with a very good rendition of Cyndi Lauper's smash hit "True Colors". It was original (check), it was true to his talent (check), he was humble (check), he is always nice (check), it was a fantastic song choice (check), and he didn't argue with anyone (check). So why am I not on the Anoop Train yet, you ask? Because I know that every time the yo-yo goes up, it goes right back down. Anoop is going to have to show me some consistency before I put him back in the running. Next week will be key to seeing if he is actually someone to take seriously this season.
Then there was Scott MacIntyre. Wow. Where to begin? How about with the most misunderstood part of the contest: being true to what got you to this point. People vote for Scott because they really like his singer-songwriter piano playing personality. They like him singing soaring ballads from behind a grand piano. So while Paula Abdul appreciated him ditching the piano for a guitar, which admittedly was rather cool, it violated the rule that has tripped up so many past contestants. If we want versatility, we'll go to a Prince concert. What we want is to see our personal favorites do what they do best, week in, week out. Oh, and we want to hear them sing in key, too. That would have helped a lot, actually. Scott's screeching, off-key, note-missing cover of "The Search Is Over" (see "bad song choices" once again) was just terrible. It's been a great run for Scott, who truly comes across as a super nice guy, but enough is enough. It wasn't even good karaoke.
Every week I try to figure out just what it is that is not connecting between Allison Iraheta and the rest of the Idol audience. She's fun, she's perky, she's naturally quite funny with her comments without being snarky or argumentative, and she has an amazing voice. But aside from some serious fashion missteps (and think back to what you used to wear when you were 16 before you get overly critical of her), she has done just about everything right so far this season, yet has been in the bottom three far too often. Maybe it's the fact that for all her talent, not only does America not really know who she is musically, but she might not know herself. The irony of her singing the sappy "I Can't Make You Love Me" is that it appears to be very true. She sang it very well, and she looked a lot better this week in her leather getup (although the skirt was a bit much), but I'm afraid the choice of song was not only wrong, but may be prophetic with a return trip to her now-familiar silver stool in her immediate future.
On a more positive note, Matt Giraud returned to form after a week's self-imposed exile in Pouty Indulgenceville, and I for one am very happy to welcome him back. He hit (almost) all the right notes with his funky take on Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" that brought the crowd to their feet and quick words of appreciation from the judges. Very quick words, in fact, as once again the Idol producers can't seem to keep the show even remotely on track time wise, which is becoming a real disservice to the contestants performing at the end. Matt's performance deserved a more detailed critique, for there were a few points where he could have improved, and a few more "good jobs" and even a "yo dog!" or two would have been welcome.
And then, finally, there was Adam "Glambert" Lambert. Fighting against a lackluster night of merely good performances, combined with a truly horrible lighting decision by Idol producers, Adam confirmed his reservations for the Kodak Theater for the Season Eight finals. His heartfelt and emotional take on Tears For Fears' "Mad World", based on the arrangement used by Gary Jules for the "Donnie Darko" soundtrack, was exactly what Adam needed to once and for all set himself apart from the rest of the contestants. It was emotional, it was heartfelt, it was a fantastic song choice, and it did one thing that is almost never seen: it made Simon stand up and applaud. That's like getting knighted by the Queen or winning the Powerball. Now if he could just convince his fellow contestants to follow the Idol rulebook, then maybe, just maybe, he'll have some competition in the finals.
But I'm not holding my breath at the moment.
Predictions
Bottom three: Allison, Lil and Scott, with Scott going home.
Be original.
Be true to what got you to this point.
Be humble.
Be nice.
Make good song choices.
Don't argue.
Simple, easy to follow steps that will lead directly to a rainfall of confetti falling on your tear-streaked face as you bask in the adulation of millions. Look no further back in time than last year and see how David Cook emerged victorious by following these simple steps.
The reason I feel that the book has been locked away is that, with the exception of Adam Lambert, not a single contestant this season seems to have a clue on how to go about winning. Memo to Danny, Kris, Lil, Anoop, Allison and Matt: you're all battling for second now, and not battling all the hard even then. (Yes, I deliberately left Scott off the list, as all he's battling for is a cheap cab to the airport.)
It's not to say that none of the others can't sing. In fact, for sheer vocal talent, this may be one of the absolute strongest lineups we've seen in years, rivaling even Season Five. What the rest of the best lack is what is turning a tight competition into a rout: originality. A great singing voice is wonderful, if you want to win local karaoke contests or sing the National Anthem at local baseball games.
And speaking as one who has done the latter, that's not even remotely good enough to win American Idol, much less have a successful recording career, which is what every Idol finalist is really shooting for. They all know only Adam, er, I mean only one person can win, but they also all know the neither Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken or Jennifer Hudson won, either, and those three have done quite fine, thanks.
So why is it I felt I was watching the National Karaoke Finals on some high-numbered cable channel instead of the prime-time juggernaut that rules the ratings every week? With the exception of Scott (horrendous) and Adam (superb), none of the rest seemed really to understand quite what was at stake and how to go about setting themselves apart from the crowd.
In reviewing my notes, scribbled haphazardly in my trusty reporter's notebook, I noticed a pattern: I used the word "good" a lot. As in, "Goof, but not overwhelming" and "Good, but not spectacular" and "Good, that's finally over". Okay, so not every note was, well, good, but it is an appropriate word to use to describe the Top 8 performance. Good, but not great.
Danny Gokey started the night off with a cheat right out of the gate. The well-used (and needing to be retired) theme of "Songs from the year of their birth" seems fairly clear, but unless Danny was born in 1961, choosing Ben E. King's chestnut "Stand By Me" just doesn't cut it. Okay, okay, I know he was using an arrangement from Mickey Gilley's cover of the song from 1980, but that just doesn't seem to be in the proper spirit, at least to me. As it was, Danny started the "good" trend with what was truly a good performance. Nothing overwhelming, nothing that made me excited, and nothing that really struck me as all that original. Just good.
Kris Allen, on the other hand, set himself up for trouble right off that bat by following the lead set by Matt Giraud last week and performing from amidst the audience to the point where we could barely see him and he could barely move. Also, for the third straight time that he has used his guitar, the sound people at Idol have apparently decided we don't actually need to hear his playing. I saw his hands move, I saw him make chord changes, but alas I heard nothing over the horns and the rest of the band. And what on earth possessed Kris to pick one of the most monotone songs from the year of his birth? I love Don Henley and really liked "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" when it came out, but it is never a song I would ever have considered for Idol. Kris was good, but did nothing spectacular.
Lil Rounds, who has been making horrible song choice after horrible song choice this season, continues her run with another song that only served to prove two things: 1) she indeed has a great voice, and 2) she seemingly has no originality whatsoever. Her singing was good, her dress was good, her Tina Turner impression was good. Her chances to win? Not so good unless she radically changes her decision making process and finally shows us something, anything, original. I would not be surprised to see her in the bottom three this week, in fact.
Which brings up to Anoop Desai. Idol's Kal Penn look-a-like (seriously, now that Penn has gone to work for the White House, Anoop could easily take over the role of "Kumar" in the "Harold & Kumar" movies) surprised me this week. He was not only good, he was quite good. The problem is, as Simon put it so succinctly, Anoop is a musical yo-yo. One week he's great, the next he's abysmal. Last week was abysmal, so true to form this week Anoop redeemed himself with a very good rendition of Cyndi Lauper's smash hit "True Colors". It was original (check), it was true to his talent (check), he was humble (check), he is always nice (check), it was a fantastic song choice (check), and he didn't argue with anyone (check). So why am I not on the Anoop Train yet, you ask? Because I know that every time the yo-yo goes up, it goes right back down. Anoop is going to have to show me some consistency before I put him back in the running. Next week will be key to seeing if he is actually someone to take seriously this season.
Then there was Scott MacIntyre. Wow. Where to begin? How about with the most misunderstood part of the contest: being true to what got you to this point. People vote for Scott because they really like his singer-songwriter piano playing personality. They like him singing soaring ballads from behind a grand piano. So while Paula Abdul appreciated him ditching the piano for a guitar, which admittedly was rather cool, it violated the rule that has tripped up so many past contestants. If we want versatility, we'll go to a Prince concert. What we want is to see our personal favorites do what they do best, week in, week out. Oh, and we want to hear them sing in key, too. That would have helped a lot, actually. Scott's screeching, off-key, note-missing cover of "The Search Is Over" (see "bad song choices" once again) was just terrible. It's been a great run for Scott, who truly comes across as a super nice guy, but enough is enough. It wasn't even good karaoke.
Every week I try to figure out just what it is that is not connecting between Allison Iraheta and the rest of the Idol audience. She's fun, she's perky, she's naturally quite funny with her comments without being snarky or argumentative, and she has an amazing voice. But aside from some serious fashion missteps (and think back to what you used to wear when you were 16 before you get overly critical of her), she has done just about everything right so far this season, yet has been in the bottom three far too often. Maybe it's the fact that for all her talent, not only does America not really know who she is musically, but she might not know herself. The irony of her singing the sappy "I Can't Make You Love Me" is that it appears to be very true. She sang it very well, and she looked a lot better this week in her leather getup (although the skirt was a bit much), but I'm afraid the choice of song was not only wrong, but may be prophetic with a return trip to her now-familiar silver stool in her immediate future.
On a more positive note, Matt Giraud returned to form after a week's self-imposed exile in Pouty Indulgenceville, and I for one am very happy to welcome him back. He hit (almost) all the right notes with his funky take on Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" that brought the crowd to their feet and quick words of appreciation from the judges. Very quick words, in fact, as once again the Idol producers can't seem to keep the show even remotely on track time wise, which is becoming a real disservice to the contestants performing at the end. Matt's performance deserved a more detailed critique, for there were a few points where he could have improved, and a few more "good jobs" and even a "yo dog!" or two would have been welcome.
And then, finally, there was Adam "Glambert" Lambert. Fighting against a lackluster night of merely good performances, combined with a truly horrible lighting decision by Idol producers, Adam confirmed his reservations for the Kodak Theater for the Season Eight finals. His heartfelt and emotional take on Tears For Fears' "Mad World", based on the arrangement used by Gary Jules for the "Donnie Darko" soundtrack, was exactly what Adam needed to once and for all set himself apart from the rest of the contestants. It was emotional, it was heartfelt, it was a fantastic song choice, and it did one thing that is almost never seen: it made Simon stand up and applaud. That's like getting knighted by the Queen or winning the Powerball. Now if he could just convince his fellow contestants to follow the Idol rulebook, then maybe, just maybe, he'll have some competition in the finals.
But I'm not holding my breath at the moment.
Predictions
Bottom three: Allison, Lil and Scott, with Scott going home.