American Idol. If you are a hater, please log off. I don't want to bore you or worse, make you mad. I love the show. I expected to not watch it this year. I thought last year was pretty weak - didn't like the judges much. I thought this year with Simon gone (love him or hate him...I thought he WAS the show) the show would be pointless. How wrong could I have been? I don't know how much input the judges have on the choice of the talent, but this year the talent pool was deeper than ever.
The talent - amazing! I felt sorry for Stefano when Pia was voted off last week, and voted for the first time ever this week - for Stefano. I like him, though he's not necessarily my favorite. On a given night he could be. He's good, but so are the other remaining seven. I can't believe there are only seven of these talents left. Why did I feel sorry for him when he was lucky enough to stay? Because by everyone (all the judges, for instance) crying 'foul!' when Pia was voted off and Stefano remained, I put myself in his shoes. What must that have made him feel like? Rotten. In many ways. First, his friend Pia, whom many thought could win, was gone. Second, Stefano remained. Everyone who lamented Pia's departure was therefore regretting his remaining. So - I voted for Stefano this week. It wasn't his fault Pia was gone. Not hers either. She is fantastic! (She had guest appearances on many television shows last week and this...no one could believe she'd been booted. It was big news.)
I loved Paul, who left tonight. But I had picked Hayley or Paul to leave tonight. (I didn't want it to be Stefano who was the third in the dreaded 'bottom three'.) I wanted Hayley to leave for the opposite of the reason I wanted Stefano to stay. When Pia was voted off, Hayley grinned like a Cheshire cat. Less competition for her is what I read in her grin. That made me dislike her. Others disliked her overtly sexual maneuvers, but I disliked her smirkiness. And I'd been in her corner til then. (Am I entirely too much into this show, or what?!) I chose Paul for the other member of my bottom two tonight because his singing has become stale to me. One note. He does one thing, and he does it well, but the talent this year is too good to be limited to a one note, figuratively speaking, performer. Love his smile. Love his movements on the stage. Have grown tired of his high pitched voice. I think he made Stefano sound bad tonight when they had to sing together. Conversely, I think Hayley outshone Casey in their jazz duet tonight. And I'm a big Casey fan.
Jacob, Lauren, Scotty, Casey, Hayley, Stefano and James remain. James! He may be the one to beat. He did a great metal song last night. He is a rocker, but he can do many things. Casey is becoming too jazzy (and I love jazz)...not sure I want him there. Lauren is young and cute and sings well...but I doubt if she will win. Scotty is fantastic in his country style. He will be a BIG star one day. I don't think he will win Idol. Jacob is young (Gads! They all are!) and has a smooooth sound. Any of these could win. Any of the top ten could have. They are all very, very good. I pick James. Tonight I pick James. Tune in next week. I may be on to someone else.
The judges. Who would have thought that Simon could be replaced? Not only replaced, but replaced with something BETTER? Simon who? This group of judges, whom I admit I was prepared to dislike and fully expected to tune out, is better than the original. Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez (People magazine's Most Beautiful Woman in the World) and Randy Jackson, the only remaining of the original judging trio, are fantastic. No meanness, which along with brutal honesty, was Simon's trademark. They have my vote! I really liked Simon, but would have hated being on the receiving end of some of his remarks. Simon who? He's not needed at Idol now.
American Idol is soaring this season. I can hardly wait to see how it shakes out. Every one of the top 11 will have contracts and will do well. I really don't care which of them wins. But I am interested to watch it play out. Long live American Idol. It's good tv.
