Disappointing, but not surprising
Before I get to the final 12, was I the only one who saw that tape of Ryan and Simon in Africa and thought, "Oh my gosh, this opens up a whole new group of Simon insults?" Can it be that long until we hear "That reminded me of sitting in an African village and having to listen to some ghastly performance by the hungry kids after lunch." Or maybe, "you know, I think some of those kids in the Congo could have done a better job than you, and they've never even heard a Whitney Houston record..." But there's something wrong with me.
As for our final 12, should Sundance or Jared be in the final 12 instead of Sanjaya? Of course. In fact, Sanjaya actually looked scared when he walked over to the final 12 seats, and that's not a good omen that he might improve. But I can't really work up that much upset or outrage that either Jared or Sundance aren't in the final 12, because neither showed they really deserved it or would have come anywhere close to winning this competition. Jared had a nice voice, but didn't really do anything exciting with it, and Sundance, despite what Paula said, really wasn't that good when it came down to it. Sure, "Mustang Sally" last week was good, but it wasn't anything people will be looking up on Youtube next week. And I think that weak version of "Jeremy" Tuesday night just angered people who felt he was desecrating a classic rock song. Hopefully, Sanjaya doesn't stick around too long, though.
As for the women, at least we got rid of Antonella. I guess her arrogance and bizarre response to Simon last night really did hurt her. If someone else was going to take Sabrina Sloan's rightful place in the top 12, at least it was Haley--an unexciting but competent singer--as opposed to just a flat out bad singer like Antonella. As for Sabrina, I can't say I'm all that surprised by her getting eliminated--it's just a little earlier than I expected. She fell victim to something I identified two weeks ago, and hearkens back to the "three divas" week that led to Jennifer Hudson's elimination in season three. Sabrina was one of a number of belters who sang R&B, and with LaKisha, Stephanie and (although she's branched out a little from R&B) Melinda all having similar styles and better voices--as well as shown their personalities more--she was the odd woman out. If Sabrina had perhaps done a differnt style of song this week--rock or country, let's say--she might have stood out more from the crowd, but she didn't. It's too bad, because I don't think we saw what she could do and could have conceivably been a top 5 finisher, but it still was a longshot she could have won.
Finally on the final 12, while it does seem like it's going to be somewhat of a down year for Idol, particularly compared to last year's fabulous one, you could do a lot worse than a top 6 of LaKisha, Melinda, Jordin, Stephanie, Blake and Chris Sligh. Whether we get that is another story.
As for "Idol Gives Back," I will give them credit for surpising me--I really didn't expect that was the big surprise announcement. But while I hesitate to pull out this phrase because it is so overused, did anyone else feel a little "jump the shark" moment? Hey, it's great that American Idol wants to use its insane power for good, but does it make me a horrible person for saying that I kind of like it being just a TV show? I have a really long day at work every Tuesday, and I enjoy coming home and watching people sing and laughing when Simon insults them, etc. The show is a great diversion from everyday life. I'm not sure I need a lesson about poverty at the same time--I can and do get that elsewhere. If you think that makes me shallow or heartless, please leave a comment and tell me. But I'll give them a chance and see how this is going to work before criticizing it any more.
A couple questions, though. First, should a show that keeps its voting totals shrouded in mystery really be running a charity? Is American Idol actually going to show some transparency, at least for this activity? That would be historic. Second, Ryan said Coke and AT&T and other sponsors would be contributing to this, and that the viewers could donate as well. Um, how about the Fox network and the brand of American Idol itself? Will they being making some contributions as well? They seemed to be strangely missing from that announcement.
As for our final 12, should Sundance or Jared be in the final 12 instead of Sanjaya? Of course. In fact, Sanjaya actually looked scared when he walked over to the final 12 seats, and that's not a good omen that he might improve. But I can't really work up that much upset or outrage that either Jared or Sundance aren't in the final 12, because neither showed they really deserved it or would have come anywhere close to winning this competition. Jared had a nice voice, but didn't really do anything exciting with it, and Sundance, despite what Paula said, really wasn't that good when it came down to it. Sure, "Mustang Sally" last week was good, but it wasn't anything people will be looking up on Youtube next week. And I think that weak version of "Jeremy" Tuesday night just angered people who felt he was desecrating a classic rock song. Hopefully, Sanjaya doesn't stick around too long, though.
As for the women, at least we got rid of Antonella. I guess her arrogance and bizarre response to Simon last night really did hurt her. If someone else was going to take Sabrina Sloan's rightful place in the top 12, at least it was Haley--an unexciting but competent singer--as opposed to just a flat out bad singer like Antonella. As for Sabrina, I can't say I'm all that surprised by her getting eliminated--it's just a little earlier than I expected. She fell victim to something I identified two weeks ago, and hearkens back to the "three divas" week that led to Jennifer Hudson's elimination in season three. Sabrina was one of a number of belters who sang R&B, and with LaKisha, Stephanie and (although she's branched out a little from R&B) Melinda all having similar styles and better voices--as well as shown their personalities more--she was the odd woman out. If Sabrina had perhaps done a differnt style of song this week--rock or country, let's say--she might have stood out more from the crowd, but she didn't. It's too bad, because I don't think we saw what she could do and could have conceivably been a top 5 finisher, but it still was a longshot she could have won.
Finally on the final 12, while it does seem like it's going to be somewhat of a down year for Idol, particularly compared to last year's fabulous one, you could do a lot worse than a top 6 of LaKisha, Melinda, Jordin, Stephanie, Blake and Chris Sligh. Whether we get that is another story.
As for "Idol Gives Back," I will give them credit for surpising me--I really didn't expect that was the big surprise announcement. But while I hesitate to pull out this phrase because it is so overused, did anyone else feel a little "jump the shark" moment? Hey, it's great that American Idol wants to use its insane power for good, but does it make me a horrible person for saying that I kind of like it being just a TV show? I have a really long day at work every Tuesday, and I enjoy coming home and watching people sing and laughing when Simon insults them, etc. The show is a great diversion from everyday life. I'm not sure I need a lesson about poverty at the same time--I can and do get that elsewhere. If you think that makes me shallow or heartless, please leave a comment and tell me. But I'll give them a chance and see how this is going to work before criticizing it any more.
A couple questions, though. First, should a show that keeps its voting totals shrouded in mystery really be running a charity? Is American Idol actually going to show some transparency, at least for this activity? That would be historic. Second, Ryan said Coke and AT&T and other sponsors would be contributing to this, and that the viewers could donate as well. Um, how about the Fox network and the brand of American Idol itself? Will they being making some contributions as well? They seemed to be strangely missing from that announcement.
posted by Eric Fingerhut at 1:27 AM
1 Comments:
I don't know if your comments make you heartless, but your use of the word "fabulous" makes me rethink at least a part of your personality...
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