Since nobody’s posted anything for the past two weeks, I thought I’d start this week’s thread a bit early. Yeah, I got time.
Well, it didn’t take long for my initial enthusiasm to wane fairly quickly. I mean, I always knew it was cheesy as hell, but at least the song selection had improved and the judges were a little less irritating. Didn’t take long for the bad old habits to resurface, not the least of which is the tedious bickering between Ryan Seacrest and the judges. And it it just me, but is the peanut gallery more hypersensitive than ever? “Just one little thing I didn’t like a little bit” is getting howls of protest now?
Heejun, as you may have heard, is out. I’m a bit surprised; one of those “knew he was going to get clobbered but not this early” deals. I must say that I’m having a hard time being satisfied by this. He was decent last week. Still has enunciation issues, of course, but he sounded like was making a real effort. And that’s what gets me, that apparently he was judged by his history. He was not the absolute worst that week (that would be Deandre…lousy one-trick pony), and that should’ve been good enough. We’re not supposed to score, judge, analyze, or vote based on the past. The past is history. That’s how reality TV works. And another thing, voters…ever hear the expression “locking the barn door after the horse has bolted”? He made the top 10. He’s going to be on the tour. He’s IN. It’s too late to punish him. He made the cut, so you just have to suck it up and treat him like one of the big boys.
Of course, there’s a deeper issue here, and one that I’m finding increasingly disturbing, the suffocating self-importance the show has taken on. (And yes, who the HELL is Steven Tyler to lecture anyone on outrageous antics?) If you think what Heejun did was inappropriate, I ask you this: What is appropriate? Where do you draw the line? And what is the contestant’s motivation to live up to your standards? Reality TV needs its weirdos and wackos; it could not EXIST without them*. And really, what did he do that was so objectionable? Take off his jacket and crack jokes? Sheesh. To hear some of the comments, you’d think he set fire to the stage. Which I might welcome.
On a related note, I am completely, totally done with this Jimmy character. I’m saying it now: He is WORSE than Simon Cowell. Simon, for all his arrogance and bluster and snippiness, actually understood how the contest worked. That’s why he would make predicitons on who would go, who might go, who was in trouble…because that’s what mattered. The competition every week is to see who would get the fewest votes from the fans, not 10 point must or building momentum or crossover appeal or development or whatever nebulous tripe Jimmy insists on blathering about. And I’ll say it again, never having to face the crowd = complete and utter weaksauce. How anyone can take a word of what he says seriously, I haven’t a clue.
Philip reminds me of Nickelback, and that is most definitely not a good thing. Colton, likewise, is trying to be a “rocker” without having any clear idea of what that means. Y’know what, since this is a pop competition, and they’ll never gonna be able to bust out AC/DC or Dead Kennedys or Vanilla Ninja or Midnight Oil (and of course, alternative is 100% full bore double dog ultimate cheeseburger forbidden forever and ever), I say go all the way and sign up some fun, listenable, enjoyable pop rock. The Bangles, Aly & AJ, Mr. Mister, Duran Duran, Toto, Chicago, The Go-Gos, Blondie. It doesn’t have to be Heart and Bonnie Tyler all the time.
As for the rest…I dunno. They’re really good at what they’re doing, but that’s about it. I’m not seeing the smooth versatility of Chris Cook or even the unhinged showmanship of Taylor Hicks. I honestly still have no idea who the favorites are here (although Skylar looks like she has the right demographics and will be around for a while).
P.S.: I’m sure this is a fairly common sentiment by now, but I feel the need to point it out. Now that high definition has been fully integrated into the television industry, the camera people really need to be a little more discerning with extreme close-up shots.
- Before anyone asks…I’ve seen Sanjaya Malakar in action, and I failed to find him the slightest bit weird, insane, or disturbing. I found that grossly overweight woman trying to balance on teeny little high heels a thousand times more ridiculous.
