American Idol...alas

[The Weekenders]

My first season watching, aided by a workmate who taped the shows so I could fast forward thru the B.S.

As someone who didn't know the ropes, I gravitated around thru the season and had temporary faves which slowly changed. I can't figure out for the life of me why Mykaela was ever allowed on the stage. I favored Anwar to win it all for a few weeks, but he definitely peaked. I came around to Constantine but always considered him a father with a teenage daughter's worst nightmare and I didn't buy the cheezy grins. I think Anthony should sing classical music or something eclectic because he has a powerful voice that deserves more than just pop songs.

After Anwar, I was with Vonzell all the way as the winner until about two weeks ago, when I realized that she was great at emulating existing acts but did not bring anything new to the table, except her incredibly infectious enthusiasm. She would have been perfect to be the original one to sing "Walking on Sunshine." She lit up the stage with energy, which I found really heartening.

I still don't know why Bo carries a mike stand around. To me its lame, especially with a cordless mic.

Anybody who criticizes the talent on that show hasn't watched it (I heard a "why I hate American Idol" segment on radio this a.m.). I consider myself an aficionado of singing, partly because I wish so much I had a better voice. I have been truly impressed, as a new viewer, in the very high quality of singing.

Both Carrie and Bo were good, but I can hear Bo's voice in my aural memory while Carrie is somewhat indistinguishable from many of the young country singers..I would imagine Carrie having a very successful career in that genre, singing patriotic songs at the current White House etc. To me, that is just not as exciting as Bo's talent, but I am not looking for an idol per se, as I am more inclined to straight out musical talent. Bo proved he can sing anything. Even though he comes right out of the southern rocker pool of talent, he is way more than that.

Though I favored Bo, I think that for a 20 year old, that girl has near perfect phrasing and I was really struck by it last night.

They both deserved to win. Now if only they could get a new host, and three new judges, the show would be perfect.

Oh yeah, and I am slightly annoyed that more credit isn't given to the back-up band and arrangers. They are the complete pros.

it was fun watching but I hope to get tapes again next year. They drag things out to much, especially on elimination shows.

[Feadan]

P.S. Vonzell's vocal talents are far superior to Carrie's but since she isn't a white blond with a toothpaste grin

I don't think any racial charges can fairly be lodged against AI, whatever else you might say about it.

Yeah...I'm sure you're right...I guess that came from feeling disgusted with the whole sheebang. Interesting how Simon had no problems calling the over-weight gentleman ( I forget his name ) on being off pitch. But I kept waiting for him to say something to Carrie. I suppose when you slim & lovely being off pitch can be forgiven but if your too fat... :roll: Sorry you AI fans but as far as I can tell it really isn't a show that is a fair judge of talent. And those segments, not to mention one entire show, of the truly awful auditions!?!?! Gee...lets bash these poor folks self esteem even more why don't we? I gave my wife a bit of grief for gleening entertainment from other peoples pain

Ahhh...American television...ya just gotta hate it

Cheers,
David

[ChrisLaughlin]

Monday evening I had dinner with one-time American Idol contestant Clay Aiken. I had never heard about him before, but I guess he's pretty famous. He seemed like a nice guy. Unpretentious, laid back and pretty darn normal.

Peace,
Chris

[emmline]

Yeah, that's how Clay Aiken seems like he'd be.

Speaking of off-key though...anyone hear the other 10 finalists singing the Beach Boys Medley? I have to imagine that they spent most of their rehearsal time practicing for the duets they were doing with celebs which were much better.

[rebl_rn]

Actually, if I remember correctly, Simon called Carrie off pitch just Tuesday night (during Independence Day, which I agree she was off). I liked 'em both, but I was rooting more for Bo, because I agree he's more unique than Carrie. It'll be interesting to see in what directions each of their careers go. I definitely think Carrie will end up being in the country camp more.

Beth

[chas]

Yeah...I'm sure you're right...I guess that came from feeling disgusted with the whole sheebang. Interesting how Simon had no problems calling the over-weight gentleman ( I forget his name ) on being off pitch. But I kept waiting for him to say sometnig to Carrie. I suppose when you slim & lovely being off pitch can be forgiven but if your too fat... :roll:

There are a couple of other factors. I have certainly listened to the judges' comments and wondering if they saw the same performance I did. Well, it turns out that their remarks are based to some extent on the dress rehearsals. They don't just listen to someone for 30 seconds and prepare their remarks right then and there. Also, the sound is somewhat different live than it is over the airwaves. And they did criticize Carrie's pitch a few times.

Most importantly, though, is what Weeks pointed out. There's a big difference between having a good voice and good pitch and being a good singer. Carrie has good phrasing, good interpretation, and IMO amazing versatility. The fat guy has a good voice, but that's about it. Carrie is consistently sharp when she's screaming out high notes, but that's something that can be easily (well, with some effort) worked out with voice lessons. The innate sense of music that she has is something that's very difficult to teach or learn.

[BrassBlower]

I'm still irked at Simon pretty much giving away the results before the show even started!

[The Weekenders]

Should I even get started on Simon? I mean, the guy is very inconsistent and prone to either over-praise or over-condemn. At times he seems concise, but other times he seems like a cliché of a temperamental woman having a bad hair day (which is true every day of the year for him). And I have to say, no matter how many times my workmate (who is a big-time fan of the show from the beginning) tells me that Simon is a record company bigwig, he strikes me as a second-tier bagman, lacking in real enterpeneurialship but big on being a yes-man to whatever the boss says. He's like the little Chihuahua that follows the bulldog around on those cartoons to me. But suddenly, he is in power and flounders with the authority given him.

But the biggest help in understanding Simon is to look for the visual clues. How can I take any grown man seriously whose wardrobe consists of one designer gray t-shirt (occasionally worn with a blazer)? Gimme a break. It screams insecurity, so how can I expect balance, compassion and FAIRNESS from some scared little company man, with rock-star pretensions?

In some ways, I guess he feels he has to counter-act the other two stooges. Randy is definitely the most music-oriented of the three but his Ebonic delivery leads me to new pathways of misunderstanding. Once again, as a new viewer, I have been puzzled by what linguistic standard a woman can be called "dude," "man" or "dawg". And some day, I will learn what "props" are, though I admit having heard that one kicked around about, oh, ten years ago, here in Richmond.

Paula Abdul is your basic passionate Mediterraney woman. The biggest problem is calling her a judge, instead of just good ol' Mom. I am glad she is there to be supportive but her constant use of superlatives makes it hard to take her with any credibility.

And I repeat from yesterday my contention that Carrie has a big, full voice but not a memorable one. If I may, indulge me enough to think of Bo's voice as a reminder of iconic American singers, like Ray Charles or Barry White. I still consider Bo the third Righteous Brother, for older Chiffers who remember them. He has the classic Southern combination of a white kid but with reminders of black Southern inflection. It's very masculine, unlike most pop male singers. An informal study was once done of pitch range, which revealed that most pop male singers have relatively high baritone-to-tenor voices, while most female pop singers have relatively low mezzo-soprano down to alto voices, rendering both within similar ranges. Bo has the distinction of a lower voice, which is more exciting.

I can imagine two songwriters pondering these talents. One songwriter will come up with a country anthem for Carrie that will make big bux. The other will write a soulful tune for Bo that we will remember for decades. Heck, I'll buy the album and I never buy pop albums.

I feel that strong about the distinction. BUT, Carrie will undoubtedly mature and her voice may get more depth. But just remember a few of the greatest country female singers, and you will realize that they DON'T sound like Martina McBride. I am thinking Patsy Cline for example. A whole different league. I need some pancakes with the syrup.

[FJohnSharp]

I still don't know why Bo carries a mike stand around. To me its lame, especially with a cordless mic..

I think it gives him something to do with his hands.

[The Weekenders]

Natch, John, like Elvis and his guitar that he rarely played. But dontcha think it looks silly?

[moxy]

I'm actually glad Vonzell got bumped when she did. Winning American Idol would have hurt her career in the long run.

That's how I feel about Bo. I'm glad he didn't win, cause I don't think he actually needed this competition (although I do think the competition needed him...)

Every time I looked at him, I thought "yes, here's a really good rocker and yes he has SOUL, I'd love to hear him and follow him around" but then I had this nagging voice saying "Why the hell is he on American Idol? He's not cutesy..."

I mean, who would ever have imagined Lynard Skynard singing on American Idol with David Hasselhoff in the audience...!!

Looking forward to Canadian Idol... maybe...

[The Weekenders]

I get it Moxy, but I can see an alternative view of the whole progression of things.

You have the existing string of famous musicians in pop music who came up through the hard knocks school. Along comes Idol and its karaoke aspect and suddenly you have a new way of being exposed to talent that is "out there."

This includes the fact that many performers have NEVER had the chance to have a first-class band behind them, but instead slog through the endless group of losers, drug addicts and other flakes who comprise a lot of wannabe rockers. Suddenly, you have this great band and the singer grows exponentially in the course of the show's season.

Looking positively, I see this show has develped and furthered the ability of a few finalists to perform. Bo was already there but would he ever truly get discovered? I am not so sure, because the pathway seems so arcane and arbitrary. This includes the issue of age. Bo may have already been TOO OLD to get "discovered." This might even factor into why Carrie won, for that matter.

I would argue that about six of the finalists, or maybe less, EXCEED the singing talent of six of your best known corporate-endorsed pop stars. It may be controversial to say so, but I sincerely found them to be that good. What a buncha pipes! I think they can stand up with the top performers, many of whom only made it through a series of fortunate events and hard knocks. And remember that you heard them "live" NOT cleaned up in a studio. Plenty of famous singers get even pitch fixed via digital technology.

Keep in mind that the Weekender subscribes to the theory that for every great famous guitar player, there may be four or five better players who are just out there; some don't want the life, some have the self-destructive low self-esteem issues, some are trapped by real-life circumstances and so forth.

I managed a guitar store, and I would occassionally meet these folks. They're out there, but completely obscure to the public.

[jsluder]

Keep in mind that the Weekender subscribes to the theory that for every great famous guitar player, there may be four or five better players who are just out there; some don't want the life, some have the self-destructive low self-esteem issues, some are trapped by real-life circumstances and so forth.

I managed a guitar store, and I would occassionally meet these folks. They're out there, but completely obscure to the public.

Quite true! There's really very little correlation between fame and talent.

As for American Idol... never seen it. I stopped watching TV regularly when Fox cancelled Firefly. I still watch TV for the local weather report and the occasional documentary (on PBS, History Channel, etc.), but all-in-all I don't miss it.

I wouldn't want to give up my DVD player, though.

[The Weekenders]

Well, Slude, I am one of those people who scorned the show, but since getting this new job, I needed to relate to my workmates at the water cooler so to speak. They are fanactics of "Survivor", other reality shows, Idol, Desperate Housewives and House. I watch Idol and House but not the others. In both cases, the shows have turned out to be interesting and provocative.

[jsluder]

Well, Slude, I am one of those people who scorned the show, but since getting this new job, I needed to relate to my workmates at the water cooler so to speak. They are fanactics of "Survivor", other reality shows, Idol, Desperate Housewives and House.

I'm content to let my co-workers believe I'm uncultured.

I watch Idol and House but not the others. In both cases, the shows have turned out to be interesting and provocative.

My main problem with watching more TV is lack of time. I have lots of interests/hobbies, and not enough time for them all. Work really gets in the way, y'know? I could dream about winning the lottery, I suppose, but that would mean I'd have to start buying the tickets...