Not another American Idol post!?

You got it! It’s another post on American Idol and about who got kicked out. All I can do is apologize now. I’m sorry, I can’t help it.

Anyway…

Since the four judges had agreed last week to save Matt Giraud from elimination (a very generous save, if I may say so), two idol hopefuls had to be booted from the show tonight. Sadly, those two were Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai.

After being hailed as one of the powerful singers in the contest, Lil Rounds still has not gotten around to showing her true personality. That’s a sad thing since it cost her the chance to become the next American Idol. She could have been a force to reckon with. She truly had a great voice. But lacking in creativity, it was no surprise she received the lowest number of votes. In fact, I had been anticipating early on when she would be leaving the show. Having seen the show since Season 3, I think true artistic sense shows very early on. In Lil’s case, her artistry was not enough, unfortunately. I suppose if she had been part of the earlier seasons of American Idol, perhaps season 1 or 2, her performance would have been acceptable. But the thing is, the show has evolved from just altering portions of a song to show some creativity. American Idol has already seen the likes of David Cook who can change an ordinary pop-ish tune to something even spectacular. That’s what Lil had to compete against. And her struggle against it was quite feeble.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t quite agree with the way America treated Anoop Desai. He has truly been performing well these last few weeks. In fact, even better than Matt Giraud had been, in my opinion. To tell the truth, after last night’s performance, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Ryan Seacrest announced that tonight was the end of the road for Matt. But, as has been observed in previous seasons, America votes in mysterious ways, or rather, for mysterious reasons. Why Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry never even got far (maybe except for Christ Daughtry, he was on the top 3, after all) in  the show is still mind-boggling. But I suppose, Matt has something going for him, even if it’s just a small thing against Anoop. Matt has a little bit more charisma, I would think, than Anoop. I say “a little bit” because if Matt had more than that, he wouldn’t have kept landing in the bottom three for the past weeks, even if he didn’t really perform up to par. But I hope Anoop gets another chance at his chosen career (at least, chosen for now). I really see some good talent in him.

Meanwhile, I hope Matt realizes just how very lucky he is and start to get his act together before it’s too late and Kris Allen or Adam Lambert has already been declared the new American Idol.

*Photos courtesy of americanidol.com

 

It’s that time of the year again!

“This! is American Idol!” At least, that’s how Ryan Seacrest says it.

The start of every American Idol (since after Carrie Underwood’s time) reminds me of my past, filled with intricate details which I would not freely divulge here, if only for fear that it would incriminate me (hehe). But reminiscence of my past is not the only reason why I patronize the show. It’s reality tv, after all. Who wouldn’t get hooked?

There is something different about American Idol that separates it from the other reality shows. I suppose it speaks to the frustrated singer in all of us. Who hasn’t dreamed of making it big in the music business? I would guess that at least 6 out of 10 people have had aspirations of being in a rock band or something to that effect. I, myself, have had that dream once upon a time in high school — which I’d thought wasn’ too long ago but apparently is that long ago. I wasn’t the lead singer though, god forbid! I merely played the guitar. Our band lived a very short but happy life, limiting our performances to the 4 corners of the canteen and the confines of our bedrooms, often joined by liquor and cigarettes. Ahh, those were good times….

I suppose what really makes American Idol appealing is the fact that we can freely criticize the contestants without fear. After all, our words could not possibly hurt as much as those spoken by Simon Cowell. And whether we like it or not, we — or at least I — would readily admit that he does play a big part in the show. Despite those times when Simon Cowell would have deserved the harshest punishment for his wicked words, he gives the show life. I mean, if all we really heard from the judges were “that wasn’t so good” or “you’re not what we’re looking for” and all sorts of kind rejection, the show would have probably ended by its third season. Admit it, part of the reason people watch the show is to wait for Simon Cowell say something absolutely despicable. Or maybe, despite his character, some people have really gotten around to liking him, even crushing on him. I think he’s funny. He’s really got a strange sense of humor — I suppose it the british in him (hehe).

Now, however, they’ve added a fourth judge. I wonder how that will work out. I would have stopped at three, it is a dynamic number after all. And besides, isn’t it quite late in the day to change something about the show after it’s proven to be a hit, especially now that I’ve heard them say that this might be their last season.

In any case, this season will be exciting, I’m sure. At least, I’ve got something else to keep my mind off that Twilight fever…

 

Cookin’ Hot

How sweet the smell of success is!

Apparently, the voting public of American Idol has gotten this one right. This despite the prediction of Simon Cowell that David A. has knocked down the competition.

In fairness, I think David A. took the blow particularly well. He didn’t start bawling like some of the other contestants who got voted off earlier. Anyway, I’m sure there are already recording offers for him just waiting behind the curtains. I mean, he has a phenomenal voice after all.

As for David Cook, he’s just been let out into the real world. Now, more than ever, the pressure is on for him to prove that he is worth the title. But I’m sure he can pull it off. I think he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

 

And the winner is…David!

If the contest is only about winning, then I believe that David Archuleta will win. I don’t doubt that he has a very very vast following. I won’t even question why. He’s a good singer, not to mention, charming.

But if the contest is really about finding an American Idol, a really, really good performer, dynamic and will, by the way, sell multi-million albums, then the voting public of American Idol ought to choose David Cook.

It’s the penultimate night of American Idol season 7. Naturally, millions of people were tuned in to see who will be crowned winner this time. If Simon Cowell could foretell the future, and correctly at that, then David A. will probably win. As Simon saw it, David A. delivered a mighty blow against David C. It was, in his words, a “knock-out.” But is that enough?…

This brings to mind the first boxing bout between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. During that fight, Pacquiao was able to deliver heavy blows against Marquez. Many thought that Marquez was certain to lose. But come decision time, the judges announced a draw between the two.

Of course, I’m not saying that Pacquiao is the Filipino equivalent of David Archuleta. God knows Pacquiao can only sing as good as David A.’s foot. The point is, delivering deathly blows sometimes is not enough… assuming these were in fact deathly blows.

But then again, as my friend had pointed out earlier when I voiced the same opinion to him, I may be biased in favor of David Cook. Perhaps, that is the reason why even though I’ve agreed with Simon Cowell’s opinions for this season, no matter how harsh they may have been, I cannot bring myself to see it his way this time. The way I see it, the voting populace will not consider only their performance for tonight. Otherwise, they should have just made it a one-show season. It’s not just an ordinary elimination night where the one with the highest votes will have another shot. After tonight, regardless of whatever happens tomorrow, the two Davids are out on their own now. They will no longer have to concern themselves with whatever the three judges will say of them. As soon as they left that stage tonight, their concern is so much bigger, or at least it should be.

 

David and…. David!

[This post is already a day late. By internet standards, this is already history and no longer breaking news. But still, I write on.]

It’s down to the final two: David and David. Who’s going to win? My bet’s on Cook. It hasn’t always been that way, though. There was a time when I thought he was an average rocker with a bit of bad fashion. But he rocked Billie Jean, and then lost that streak of blonde hair. Suddenly, I was looking at him in a different light.

At the start, I was really rooting for Syesha. She was the classic choice. She had that big voice and big hair. I was particularly struck when she sang the high notes during the Hollywood auditions even though she’d lost her voice. She kept saying that she’s going to be the next American Idol and I almost believed her. I really wanted her to win. But somehow, during the contest proper, I’d suddenly lost interest in her. She was still a good performer but she was typical. There wasn’t anything spectacular about her songs. Sure, she sang in tune and reached the high notes but there was nothing different about her. She was merely repeating the performance of the original singers. While she had personality, it wasn’t enough for her to be called magnificent. And now that I’ve thought about it, perhaps that’s the reason why some American Idols haven’t succeeded in the real world. They were great imitations of the original. But they lacked personality.

Look at Chris Daughtry. He didn’t win and yet he’s doing better than Taylor Hicks. Not that Taylor wasn’t good. He was charming but he didn’t have enough personality. Chris Daughtry is a person who knows what he wants and how to get it. He stuck to what he knows and doest best. That’s what’s made him successful. Personality is key.

That is the reason why the two Davids have moved on to the finals. They both have personality. They’ve both “rearranged” the songs they sing to match their personality, not just to copy the original. The songs adjust to them and not the other way around. But the question remains: Who will be the next American Idol?

Perhaps, the better question is “Does David A. stand a chance against David C.?”

In my book, David Cook has the bigger chance of winning. Sure David A. has charisma. I mean, he is kinda cute and he sings great. But ask yourself, has he done anything as mind-blowing as David C.? I don’t think so. What’s more, I don’t think David A. would survive in the real world where he’ll sing his original songs. I think he’d be eaten alive. Just like what happened to Taylor Hicks. Don’t get me wrong, I like Taylor Hicks. He’s charming…just like David A. But charm can only get one so far.