The numbers are in: Jordin Sparks is the new American Idol, and the show’s ratings are way down. Is anyone surprised at either outcome? The show this year has included everything from bad karaoke-like performances to unexplained pre-taped “appearances” by members of the music community that served no purpose other than to take the attention away from the competitors.
I’ve got to give it to American Idol: They are the masters of hype. “This is the best finale ever,” crowed Simon. I beg to differ; it was long and painful. I have some words of wisdom for this show (no surprise there), but I will hold those words until later. Let me just say that, for me, there were but two highlights during this year’s finale: Melinda’s performance with gospel royalty Bebe and Cece Winans, and Jordin’s duet with Ruben Studdard. Speaking of Ruben, it was great to see all the former winners on the show, except Fantasia, who is, of course, busy with “The Color Purple.”
American Idol on the ropes?
American Idol has closed the door on another season, and 'The Powers That Be' know they’re in trouble. Not only are the ratings down, but the talent pool seems to be quickly drying up. Before we look back at this past season, if you haven’t recently visited the American Idol homepage, you should do so soon.
You can participate in a poll, requesting fan feedback on aspects of the show that need to be changed. Of course, the bad voting process is not addressed, which is the major modification the show needs. Not only did American Idol lose out to Dancing With the Stars in ratings, but I would be willing to bet money that their tour sales aren’t going well either. Now, on with the show.
Predictable finish
Jordin and Blake’s sing-off was fairly predictable. Blake started off the show by reprising his performance of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name.” I will agree with the judges that his performance was entertaining; however, beat-boxing is not singing, and it’s not going to sustain a career. Blake’s next performance, Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved,” helps to understand why he employs the beat-box. Can you say “mediocre?” “Mediocre” best describes Blake’s singing ability, and that point really comes home on his performance of the songwriting competition winner, “This Is My Now.”
It was painful. He was off-key for most of the song, and it was just awful. Simon said that if we judge him on only two of his performances, he did well. No, you don’t judge him on only two performances; you judge him as the one-dimensional artist that he is. To bring that point home, let’s look at Jordin’s final performances.
She started the night by covering Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter.” Jordin’s performance was both good and bad. It was good because she sounded almost exactly like Christina. Christina is one of the more talented vocalists in the business today, and to be able to emulate her says a lot about Jordin’s abilities; however, because the performance was virtually identical, one would believe that Jordin has yet to find her musical identity, which is no surprise given her age.
Her next song, “Broken Wing” calls for standing behind the mic and belting out the song, which she did without hesitation. Jordin sings “Broken Wing” quite well, though I wouldn’t insult Martina McBride by saying she sang it “better than the original,” as Simon said. Let’s just say she did a great job with the song and leave it at that. Finally, Jordin got her shot at “This Is My Now.” The song suited Jordin better, which was also no surprise. While Jordin sang the heck out of “This Is My Now,” the end result was a very anti-climactic final sing-off and another American Idull finish to the season.
No more Sanjaya's, please
As for the final show, I am trying to figure out why they felt the need to continue to hype that no-singing Sanjaya and, once again, show us “the American Idol crier.” Sanjaya is a complete joke, but the joke is no longer funny. One would think that if the producers are worried enough about the show to post a survey, they would stop with all the foolishness. I figured Joe Perry was making faces like most artists do when they perform, but in retrospect, he was probably tuning up in response to Sanjaya’s horribly off-key singing and shouting.
Judges, please leave the Sanjaya-type singers out of the competition next year. In fact, leave out ALL the male contestants if they sing no better than this group. The standout among the men, far and away, was Phil Stacey. He shined in the group numbers, and the full-length, studio versions of his performances on the show are very good. I strongly believe that Phil has a future, something I can’t say for sure about the remaining men, including Blake.
Looking forward
Chris might possibly have a career if he takes advantage of the skills he does have. While everyone spent the season comparing Chris to Justin Timberlake, he is really more like Adam Levine of Maroon 5. After seeing Maroon 5 on the show, which is a very good band, I have found Chris Richardson’s vocal double. Instead of giving off the fake R&B vibe, why didn’t Chris sing some Maroon 5 songs? I might have actually liked him. It’s very important for an artist to stick with what works. Adam Levine is not a necessarily strong singer, but he has the “package” and a dynamite band, so the vocals work for him. There you go, Chris. He should be paying me for my advice.
As for the women, I expect both LaKisha and Melinda will have careers. LaKisha still needs to tone down her wardrobe, but she sounded fabulous in the group number with Gladys Knight. Melinda displayed strong gospel ability, but with her talent, she is not limited to that genre. I was almost as shocked to see two incredible gospel singers on this show as I was to see Prince last year, for different reasons. Melinda really sparkled on “Hold Up The Light,” and the reason is obvious. For those who don’t know, Melinda is a devout Christian, and she sings back up on the original version of this song. The show could not have chosen better celebrities for her performance. The Winans are a well-known, incredibly talented gospel family, and Melinda fit right in.
Year-end advice for American Idol
Now, it’s time for my year-end advice for American Idol. First, leave out the canned performances. Unless they want to sign up as mentors, these celebs can and should peddle their wares elsewhere. This show is supposed to be about the young people who are competing, and the show did this group a disservice by removing that focus. Second, make the voting more fair. Stop the unlimited voting, as it really serves no purpose other than to show who is most popular not who is the better vocalist. Thank God that at least one of the better vocalists won this year. Last and most important, stop lying to the American public.
There is no way this season received any of the vote totals Ryan spewed from the big stage. My sister voted faithfully each week, and she reveals that she got through to Jordin—the winner—by 9:30 p.m. While we both had to turn to text messages to vote for Elliott Yamin last year and could never get through to vote for Ruben Studdard the year he won, she had absolutely no trouble voting for Melinda and Jordin this season—ever. Sixty-three million votes my patootie.
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