American Idol Ends a Less-Than-Stellar Season
For my money, this has been the worst season of American Idol. Last season was often dull but still managed to get the best singer into the finals, even if she eventually lost to a guy who couldn't hit notes. And even when season-best singers failed to go the distance in the past, the final two still featured at least one worthwhile competitor.
This year however, the finals comprised of two underaged, boring, soulless crooners delivering three unremarkable performances each. Will the winner be country-smirking Scotty McCreery or country-cry baby Lauren Alania? Does anyone care? This season started off poorly after losing Simon Cowell and gaining two new judges (Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez) who became just two more versions of Randy Jackson. Then we had to witness an almost complete wipe-out of female contestants, the horrible early elimination of Pia, the judges' failure to give proper credit to Haley Reinhart and proper critiques to anyone else, and now the fait accompli that producer Nigel Lythgoe has wanted since the beginning: the youngest finale ever.
This show made no bones about the fact that it was lowering the age limit to snare the next Justin Bieber. But the problem with that approach is that very young singers -- both on Idol and in the real world -- often cannot connect emotionally with the songs they're singing. This is not their fault; they're just too young. Most pop songs are about love and heartbreak , and how many fifteen or sixteen year olds really have the experience and emotional maturity to sell that?
Scotty certainly has an appealing baritone and Lauren can hit some notes, but there's something lacking in their performances. There's no soul, and I often don't even remember what the sang after they've performed. Indeed, the best Idol singers tend to be slightly older when they appeared on the show: Kelly Clarkson (20), Fantasia Barrino (20), Carrie Underwood (22), Melinda Doolittle (30), David Cook (26), Adam Lambert (27), Crystal Bowersox (25) and Haley Reinhart (20).
Of the two finalists this season, only Scotty had a real "moment" on the stage all season. This was during Carole King week when he sang "You've Got a Friend" and I don't think it's a coincidence that he was able to sell this one song since it's about friendship, a theme the Harry Potter crowd can certainly relate to.
Lauren meanwhile has never had a moment onstage and often comes across as an entitled, immature child who cannot handle the pressure of being on this show (she sobs uncontrollably during almost every Result Show). Her personality is grating and obnoxious, I don't care for her performances, and I've enjoyed this a little too much. But even without that bias, Lauren doesn't deserve to win despite the ridiculous (and typical) over-praise the judges gave her after tonight's final performances. By default, it should be Scotty.
Fortunately, the same teen-girl, power-texting, super-fans voting bloc that gave victories to Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze will likely give it easily to Scotty. And Lauren will cry the worst cry she's ever cried. Hey, after this crappy season, the show owes me that.
Photo Credit by Fox
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Comments
12 February 2010
5 weeks 6 days
I haven't watched ANY of this season's "American Idol," but I am on Team Scotty because he is an alumni of the same high school that I graduated from and I love a country boy!!! Plus, you can't even go past a Carolina Barbecue without seeing some cheesy "We Love You, Scotty McCreery" poster or banner that was undoubtedly created by a group of horny gum-smacking 16-year old girls.
Gotta support a fellow NC country boy!!!
P.S- I wish they'd just CANCEL this show. It's soooo passe and tired.
15 June 2010
11 weeks 3 days
alstonboy, this season sucked but they're never going to cancel a show that's STILL #1 in the ratings.
14 June 2009
9 weeks 5 days
American Idol was infinately more entertaining this year than ever before. They built up each episode with clips and utilized the ever more polished Ryan Seacrest to his fullest potential to host the show. They also gave us a fuller idea of who the contestants were and by the time the show started, we had already built a nice relationship with all the cast. The newest additions to the judge panel were delightfully fun and truely care about all the auditioners and were entertainment all to themselves. Really I found myself entertained most episodes. As an all around entertainment, I thought that AI was greatly improved. Also there was a nice variety of vocal talents and no real stinkers to speak of (ok there were a couple of disapointments). However most everyone could really sing in whatever style he or she was comfortable in. There were some great personalities among the contestants this year as well. And they had some surprisingly funny and fresh moments on the show.
What was lacking to some degrees is what the other seasons excelled at.
1 judging. Simon with all his gruffness and rudeness (im not being rude but) did tell the truth and didn't let anyone get too full of himself. He could reign in the talent before they could self destruct( James Durbin would have done better under Simon). The current judges are too big of fans of the singers to be constructive and unfortunately the backstage coaching was less than stellar. Nice idea wrong coach.
2 the it factor. This kids were all nice or atleast entertaining and talented but the IT person never showed up. Simon always stacked the deck so that the one or two diamonds he found that year would NOT be missed (in other words the rest of the contestants sucked. he would throw in some mildly talented singers as well. Unfortunately some of those guys won instead of the intended real diamond in the rough)
I say that the two problems are pretty big but they can be worked on. What did improve, I thought made the show more emotional and more entertaining than before. Before the show was very formulamatic and repetitive from one year to the next. This year had a big warm cozy hug on it and I and millions of others loved it. Here's to season 12.
Happy that Lithgoe is back I attribute the best season yet to him.
15 June 2010
11 weeks 3 days
marknsprmo -- to each his own, and it's nice to hear a different perspective from someone who actually enjoyed this season but...BEST SEASON YET?? Better than the season that crowned Kelly Clarkson or gave us the truly entertaining Adam Lambert??
14 June 2009
9 weeks 5 days
A couple more thoughts. I basically thought that the show was more of a show and less of a competition this year. Maybe that is why some people were dissatisfied with it. However the voting was amazing this year. I am in love with the online voting because it totally screws up anyone's predictions. Noone can just measure the phone usage to predict the winner.
Who knows if the online voters are agreeing with the phone voters (I have the feeling the online voters are the older voters that don't want to sit on the phone for two hours.) It made for very interesting and surprising ejections this year. Pia going home SO very early in the competition probably would not have happened in years past. She was the media darling and a fav of the judges. But someone didn't like her (me for one). James was also a victum of the new voting. The teen girls just couldn't save this very talented but too self involved boy.
I totally disagree with the idea that teen girls are keeping Scotty and Lauren in this competition. Although they both have appeal to that voting group, they also have the 70 percent of America that is tired of having to watch simulated sex acts, and stripper pole dancing along with their pop music entertainers. Except for the country industry, pop music has totally lost touch with its audience. It has fragmented and tries to compensate its lack of focus with sex. (I am NOT any sort of prude). Sex has a place in music but it is not the end all be all. (Lady GAGA and Beyonce etc) is NOT what the country wants. It wants people who can sing and songs that they can sing along with. Country (70% of the current market share of music sales) provides what pop music did from 555-5555 or so. Then pop music drove off and forgot the general audience. They let urban music take over the industry and mainstream America be damned. There is a real hunger for a return to pop music in this country (example the popularity of Glee). AI is an excellent source for this but they have not given their more pop type singers very good music to work with after the show is over. David Archuletta could NOT be busier singing all over the world in concerts yet his cd sales have not been that good. Because the songs that he has been given to sing have not lived up to his potential. And they try to hard to be like the songs other people are singing currently. Let the boy sing the stuff he wants to sing and he will have hit after hit.
14 June 2009
9 weeks 5 days
Akash I will admit that I did not have anyone I was rooting for this year. I have ALWAYS had a favorite singer every year except this one. I loved Lambert and his outrageously theatrical performances. (I was NOT a Kelly fan when she was a contestant. I think she has blossumed into a GREAT performer. I wanted Tamara Grey to win that year). What I meant as its best year was that the show was more emotional and generally more thoughtful and entertaining. I do NOT believe that the contestants were the best ever(although I don't miss Simon stacking the show with notalents so that the best ones would rise to the top. It seemed more fair that everyone on the show had some degree of ability this year). There was definately missing a Fantasia or a Mamasox or a Clay or Rueban. It was not a perfect season. I am just saying that I was entertained.....
15 June 2010
11 weeks 3 days
I'm not knocking the fact that you were entertained (to each his own), but I was shocked that anyone could call this "the best season yet" as you originally did.
26 May 2010
12 weeks 4 days
Can't say I'm surprised. Other than passing by a room while my mom watches, I haven't watched an entire episode since David Cook's season & even that was on the dull side at times. I really haven't missed it. The only contestant I've found worth paying attention to that's come after I stopped watching was Allison Iraheta.