Huh…I know TVTropes doesn’t have anything for “complaining about shows you’re not going to watch anymore”, but it seems perfect for my situation. Honest to god, I liked what I saw going in. I thought that for the first time in ages, it might actually matter who won. Now I can barely be bothered to start this thread.
One thing I found a interesting was that the old pitfall, i.e. going too strong early and running out of gas late, which has doomed more than a few favorites, doesn’t seem to be a factor anymore. These contestants are working longer and harder than anyone I’ve ever seen (seriously, a duet, a big group, AND two normal songs on the smae nigh?), yet don’t seem to be running down at all. No doubt word got out about the importance of glory notes and big power, so only the ones who can go the distances make it to the big stage.
Well, I started this season, and by gum, I’m finishing it out. 4th place being decided in a few hours. For now, a look at our final four*:
Holle Cavanagh
Style: One of the generic blonds, and a member of the “names that kinda sound the same if you completely ignore last names, which of course we always do” crowd. She has a simple, powerful, effective voice and looks completely relaxed on stage.
Prospects: The judges don’t seem to like her. Not exactly sure why. She seems exactly the kind of star they want, a likable, well-mannered, pretty, coachable popster with a bit of versatility. She reminds me more of Kelly Clarkson than anyone else I’ve seen, and that’s saying a lot. She’s done good to outlast a lot of contenders, but winning it all may be a bigger longshot than winning the lottery. (And she’d probably rather win the lottery!)
If she wins: The comparisons to Kelly Clarkson begin. A lot of pressure, but no reason to think she can’t handle it. One thing’s for certain: She’ll do a lot better than Lee DeWyze.
Joshua Ledet
Style: Oldschool powerhouse jazzy R&B a la Tom Jones. In fact, he’s so much like Tom Jones that I’m surprised he didn’t sing anything by him. Or for that matter, Wilson Pickett’s rendition of Land of 1,000 Dances. Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone on this show that so easily lent to these direct comparisons.
Prospects: He has one huge problem, which is that America isn’t interested in the next Tom Jones. He’s really, really good in a style of singing that is now consigned to bars and cheap Vegas shows. True success will probably be elusive for him no matter what happens.
If he wins: He’s going to be a tough sell. I can see him sparking a mild jazz revival if 19 Entertainment really gets behind him, but not a lot else.
Jessica Sanchez
Style: Still workin’ on it. She’s done almost nothing but amazingly safe, predictable, boring, done-to-death anthems, most likely because she doesn’t know any better (only 16, remember?). Has a preference for big and shouty, which of course this show eats right up.
Prospects: After being saved after getting the fewest votes in the round of 7, she’s come roaring back. In fact, I’ve even made up a term for it, “Sanchez rebound” (use or ignore as you will), which replaces “Bice scare” (which doesn’t actually exist anymore due to the save). There are a lot of people who want her to win, and she has the most dependable voting bloc of anyone besides Philip.
If she wins: The fact that she’s still in high school is going to stifle whatever great potential she has. She has to learn to pace herself, stay calm, stay happy, and, most difficult of all, not get frustrated if success takes a while (which it will). And she’ll have to sing her own songs while juggling a full high school course load. It’s going to be tough.
Philip Phillips
Style: Poor man’s Michael Bolton trying to be a poor man’s Nickelback. Every bit as shudder-inducing as it sounds. Started off decent and then, maybe due to lack of motivation, has become more and more William Hung-like each week.
Prospects: The voters are absolutely going to the wall for him. Every week the TWOP faithful hopes that they’ll get complacent, or they’ll forget one week, or a freak power outage will hit, and by now it’s plainly clear that it’s just not happening. He’s never been in the bottom two and, barring something incredibly drastic, is a lock for the final.
If he wins: A pop rocker can be successful. A mainstream rocker can be successful. A pop star trying to be a mainstream rocker will NEVER be successful. He just can’t seem to understand this. Remember, too, that all those grandmas and teenyboppers dialing their fingers off for him aren’t going to be spending real money on amazon.com or ITunes for his album. He’ll be lucky to sell more albums than William Hung**.
- I never understood how something so simple and to the point should be the sole property of college basketball. Last I check, single elimination tournaments were hardly a rarity in sports.
** Honestly, am I the ONLY one who remembers him? I keep hearing about Rebecca Black this and Vanilla Ice that, and yet a notorious AI washout who’s released five albums has vanished into history.
Randy tries to carry Simon’s torch, as the “hard judge”, but it’s all still pretty much gush all the way.