I have to say that this season has not been one of American Idol’s best. From the beginning, Jordan, LaKisha, and Melinda have been the favorites. Those three are hands down the best singers in the competition. I think we’ve all known that since week 1. I think that is one of the things that is disappointing to me this season. Last week they broke the 9 contestants into three groups, right? Jordan, Melinda, and LaKisha; Blake, Chris, and Sanjaya; and Haley, Gina, and Phil. When it comes to top, middle, and bottom three, it didn’t really take a brain surgeon to figure out which group was which. Maybe with the exception of Sabrina early on there really haven’t been any surprises. If one of the top three wins, then there really isn’t a competition. We could have been done with this season in two weeks instead of twelve. These three have consistently had good performances yet these are the three performances I look forward to least each week. Its like “oh, another good performance from Melinda, big deal.”
Yo dog, check it out, for me, the entire top 12 was wholly uninspiring. They just don’t seem to have the personality of the top contestants in seasons past. There hasn’t been a Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, etc. Sanjaya Malakar is the only contestant to really stand out and he stinks. Haley Scarnato was starting to show personality but now she’s gone. The season’s half over and I still haven’t found a single contestant to really get behind.
It may not be that this season is that bad. It may just be the last two or three seasons have be so good that my expectations are just way too high. They say “frustration is the result of unfulfilled expectations.” Maybe I just expected too much. Or maybe after the three seasons of really exciting seasons Fox has just produced a sub-par season.
There is still hope for this season though. A near-term upset, like LaKisha going home, would spice things up. Even better would be to see some of the other contestants really step it up and give the top three a run for their money. I liked Haley Scarnato because she was the only contestant who I felt was really putting in the extra effort. Get me excited and I will vote for you. At least she was trying. Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson, and Phil Stacey, man you guys need to leap out of your comfort zones, put it all out there, and just go for it. Get me excited and I will vote for you.
Check out the rest of our American Idol coverage.
Posted on: Thursday, April 12, 2007
April 13th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Your comment regarding the show could have been wrapped up in two weeks is all too true. When it is a foregone conclusion that one of 2 people will win, it takes the fun out of the show. I also agree in part that the ennui is due to the fact that the last 2 or 3 seasons’ contestants have been so superior to this group. Re Season 4 & 5 I agree with you. For Season 3 I do not agree; it was just as flat if not flatter than Season 6. I must add that I think Melinda will probably win but I don’t think her album sales will be any better than Taylor Hicks. So I guess I have to look forward to Season 7 and hope for the best.
April 13th, 2007 at 11:05 am
One person’s personality is another person’s boring. I find nothing wrong with the personalities. Besides, I am interested in how they sing. The three ladies have always been the best singers on the show. Every season we have had this division.
Melinda is the best singer this show has ever had. I am not talking personality here, but singing. She is the best.
She will sell records. She may not sell in the Pop community, but she will be successful.
Taylor should not be used has a measuring stick. Where did he really fit in? Pop? Rock? Certainly not R&B.
Melinda will sell to the R&B community. She will sell to the Jazz and adult contemporary community. You do not have to be a pop singer or hip hop rapper to sell CD’s or win Grammies.
For those of us starved for real singing and good songs; she will be a blessing.
April 13th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
It certainly does seem to be all but determined at this point. This week was at least a little exciting because although it was likely going to be Haley Scarnato or Phil Stacey (again and again) it was hard to tell who would be going home.
Hopefully next year we’ll be back to some real uncertainty and more competition.
April 13th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Their singing abilities are definitely the most important, but having a fun or charismatic personality really helps build up a fan base and get your audience invested.
I enjoy Melinda’s performances each week. They may not be overly exciting because there’s no doubt she’ll do great, but they are really enjoyable and refreshing. I also think she’ll probably be able to sell a lot of albums. Maybe not as many as Carrie Underwood, but that’s alright, she should still do well.
April 13th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Tony:
I agree that Melinda is the best singer but, in my opinion to be The American Idol it takes more that just a quality voice. The need to be good entertainers. They need to have that (and I hate to use this term) star quality. They have to stand out for more than just a good voice and frankly Melinda doesn’t do that for me. Hands down Melinda is a better singer than Blake, no question, but if I had to go see one in concert, I’d go see Blake, hands down, no question. I just don’t enjoy watching her.
April 13th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
My prediction is the final two are Blake and Jordan. See my comment below in response to Tony regarding Melinda. If Melinda does win I agree with you completely, she will not sell alot of albums.
April 13th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I disagree with your assessment that “the last two or three seasons have be so good that” they make Season 6 look dull and that “… after the three seasons of really exciting seasons Fox has just produced a sub-par season.” I think Season 3 was every bit as predictable and dull as this one, maybe even more so. (Sanjaya is much more entertaining to me than John Stevens, John Peter Lewis, or Camile Velasco could ever hope to be, and Fantasia Barrino is less entertaining than Melinda Doolittle or Jordin Sparks. But in my opinion, Season 2 was the most exciting season of all, even if the overall talent may not have been quite as deep as it ws in Season 5. Aside from Season 3 (which was a bit blah), Season 2 was the only season till now when the final voting was so close you really didn’t know till the last minute who had won. Plus, Ruben, Clay, and Kim Locke were all superb singers - in addition to the way Clay captivated so many millions of fans in such a big way. All in all, I think Season 2 may have been the best season of all. At least the AI2 finale still holds the record as the most watched Idol (and Fox) show of all time.
Melanie
April 14th, 2007 at 10:36 am
I have a name for you - Luther Vandross! Started out as backup singer for David Bowie, Bette Midler and Roberta Flack, inspite of having one of the best voices in music (Ms. Flack actually had to FIRE him to get him to go out on his own) ..the rest is history! Packed out stadiums, Grammys, you name it! Sounds a little familiar? Melinda can and will do just fine! She’s got the pipes …and a lot of us enjoy folks who can really sing well …instead of distracting us from inferior natural talent with a bunch of gimmicks …I don’t DO BUBBLEGUM! Go Melinda!
April 14th, 2007 at 11:43 am
” I just don’t enjoy watching her.”
“If Melinda does win I agree with you completely, she will not sell alot of albums.”
I listen to CD’s. I do not watch them. Besides Melinda does not have to roll on the floor, make strange noises or abuse dance. Vinny is right! When you can sing; you do not need tricks.
Again, a lot depends on your perspective. Most legends of the business, if you look at their sales, did not have mega sales. However, their songs are classics. Most of today’s music will not be view the same way.
It is true in this era of image over substance; pop culture will not embrace Melinda. She does not need them to be successful.
I find it amusing after a double platinum CD, best seller, top movie, 6.5 million tickets sold to a show that she is getting great review on, Fantasia is still called a failure by those who dislike her. It will probably be the same for Melinda. I am sure she will be fine with that kind of failure.
April 14th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I’m with you and Vinny. I really enjoy Melinda’s performances and her voice. She might not be wearing mini skirts or a mohawk since those things are meant to distract you from their vocal short comings. Instead she gets out there and belts out incredible singing. I suspect she’ll do very well after she wins this season.
I missed Fantasia doing a movie. Which one was it?
April 14th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Blake?! Ahhhh. No way, not for me. Or should I call him Budhtp-baap-dupt-da-Lake? He mangles songs in an attempt to modernize. He might be the most popular male performer left, but I’ve still enjoyed Phil Stacey more on a good day for him.
April 14th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
“I missed Fantasia doing a movie. Which one was it?”
Yes the one that was Lifetime’s second most watched movie in its twenty-two year history, with more than nineteen million viewers tuning in to watch.
You know, the movie that was ranked the number one basic cable movie premiere in 2006 among women aged 18-49.
It is the movie that caused weekend online traffic to Lifetimetv.com to rise by more than seventy percent during that weekend.
But then I sure you know about the movie and are being sarcastic. You are, are you not?
April 15th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
No, I didn’t know about the movie, but next time I’ll hit up IMDB instead of asking. Thanks though. Sheesh.