Idol Review - Blogging American Idol 2011 » idol commentary

The Aftermath

Laura — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:27:51 +0000

Oh, Honey, I feel the same way.

I am still recovering from the shock. Like I said last night, I have never been more blindsided by an elimination in the history of this long and sordid ten year show. Daughtry? I could see it coming. J Hud? Surprised but not shocked. But Pia? never.

So rather than a recap that is a day late and a dollar short, which would include things about the shriveled and methed-out Iggy Pop (why, dear God, why?), or the fun mash-up group song, complete with *pointy finger* pose at the end, I will offer a hypothesis as to how Idol came to this shocking ouster.

There appears to be a growing disconnect between the viewing public and the voting public. Of all of the people I know personally who watch the show, very few of them are actually voting, or at least they are not spending two hours post-show voting. This obviously causes situations like Pia getting voted off. There appears to be mad outrage on the internets (last night there were more comments on this blog than I have received the whole season thus far), but how many of those people actually picked up the phone and voted 2 hours for her?

I know I certainly didn’t. Guilty as charged.

However, I do enjoy watching her on tv each week. And perhaps Nigel & Co. should take into consideration that they need to satisfy the viewers rather than just the voting-viewers.

I think it could also be debated that any disconnect made little difference in the early days of the show. The excitement and newness of the reality TV genre was still unprecedented and I suspect that a greater percentage of the viewing population were actually voters back in season 1-5. The novelty of the “call in and vote” reality show has clearly worn off after ten years, and you are left with the texting teeny boppers and middle aged women controlling the fate and careers of potential recording artists. I am in no way knocking these two demographics (for one day soon, I, too, will be a middle aged woman!) but this is not a fair cross section of the viewing public. Sidenote: why can’t women idolize and admire other successful women, but rather feel them as competition? This is disconcerting as a female in the US. Sidenote over.

That said, I think that Pia missed an awesome opportunity this week to have her breakout Carrie-Alone moment, and failed to deliver. I have read several theories that she was ousted because she wasn’t doing a ballad, and I totally disagree. She needed to do a big rock number: Pat Benetar, Bon Jovi, Heart, Journey maybe.

This coupled with her awkward stage moves and (possibly) some of the voting demographic comparing her rendition to the recent Glee cover (which in my opinion, was far superior), she kind of shot herself in the foot.

Was this failure boot-worthy? Obviously not. I mean, Carrie sang Hello Young Lovers (remember that hot mess?) and never cracked the bottom 3–everyone should get the opportunity to screw up.

But much has changed since season four, so something’s gotta give. Either the voting process has to be completely overhauled–perhaps a Dancing With the Stars strategy where the public only makes up 50% of the vote. Or perhaps the judges get more than one save. At any rate there should really be an “electoral college” of idol. If not, I think it will be very difficult for female contestants to have a good shot of taking home the crown in future seasons. Which is unfortunate considering that Kelly and Carrie are still the most viable and successful artists to emerge from this show.

So, with all this out there, where do we go from here? I can honestly say there are no frontrunners at this point. I am rooting for Haley and Lauren, but they could very easily be the next two to go. Scotty has a consistent fan base, but usually contestants like that don’t pick up any votes as the season goes along. As other contestants are eliminated, their fans tend to vote for mainstream, non-polarizing contestants. This is why Adam didn’t win over Kris – Kris kept picking up votes from other fallen contestants, while Adam was more controversial and didn’t pick up anyone new. I see Scotty on a similar path–Scotty and someone else in the finals, with someone else winning. Who that person will be is a mystery.

I am done with my theories for the evening. Tell me what you think…

Long awaited predictions

Laura — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:54:12 +0000

So here are my long-awaited predictions. This is a tough job–and as much as I want to root for the girls this year, I think the few first weeks are going to be a female bloodbath. And honestly, at this point it is difficult for me to see any one of these guys as THE idol. But here it is, followed by a brief explanation…

13. Ashthon Jones

12. Naima Adedapo

11. Haley Reinhart

10. Paul McDonald

09. Karen Rodriguez

08. Thia Megia

07. Stefano Langone

06. Lauren Alaina

05. Jacob Lusk

04. Scott McCreery

03. Casey Abrams

02. James Durbin

01. Pia Toscano [winner]

So it is a tough call, but I think Asht(h)on will be exiting tonight. There were several underwhelming performances last night, but I think hers will be the one that gets ousted. I think Naima may get ousted by an impending trainwreck (if the fashion police don’t come for her first) and Haley will leave because she is pretty forgettable and I don’t see her having much of a fan-base.

Paul, whom I love, may be too far from the mainstream for people to get. I may totally get proven wrong if he comes out with a piano and saves the chicken dance for future wedding receptions only, but with his comments last night about trying to be more like Ryan Adams, his left-of-center ambitions may send him packing earlier rather than later.

If Karen survives tonight, I think she will rebound the next few weeks and at least make it on the tour. I don’t think her ballad chops are up to par with Pia, but the latino vote may carry her a bit.

I see a few good performances out of little Thia before she gets ousted, but I can also foresee a possible trainwreck coming from her. I see Stefano sticking around – he and his perfect teeth (and near perfect pitch) have some staying power on this show, despite strong showings from the males.

Lauren…oh Lauren, I have a feeling we will have to put up with your pouty face until the top 6. Country fans love their idols and more importantly, VOTE for their idols. Not that I don’t think that she is good, I am just predicting major annoyance and future complaining by me. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

This leaves four guys and a lone girl left. Jacob, who is good, will just reach his time to leave. Scotty (see notes about country voters above) won’t be able to hold on through the theme weeks. This will leave a top three of Casey, James, and Pia. I don’t know if Pia really is the winner, but in my quest for a female winner, I am going to place her there in the hopes that thinking positive will make it happen.

While Casey maybe hasn’t been loved the last few weeks, I see him as one of the few true musicians of this group. His previous idol counterparts, such as Kris, David, Lee and Crystal all won (or got close) but I don’t see him going quite all the way this year. But I am looking forward to some awesome performances.

James is the contestant I am actually most excited to see grow in this competition. I think he has a great foundation upon which to grow, and the potential to be molded by the idol machine and be loved by the idol audience. He has had to battle with tourettes which gives him enough of a sob story without being overwhelming, and I think people will really get behind him and root for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins the whole thing (even if I am putting him in the #2 spot)

So there you are. Tell me if you disagree with me in the comments!

Uhhh…wtf?

Laura — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:16:50 +0000

So as of midnight EST, this is the situation over at dialidol.com.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? I shouldn’t have to justify my outrage, but Ta-Tynisia is at number one with Julie at number 2? And how is Rachel Zevita anywhere but at the absolute bottom? And little Thia is at #5? Really?

Either dial idol has pulled a Whitney Houston and completely cracked out, or THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS MORONIC. Why am I scared that it is the latter? My only rationale for this current situation is online voting is taking over — which unfortunately renders dialidol useless–but it would explain the issues here.

So I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone to vote for the GOOD singers. Sympathy votes aren’t helping matters…especially in the semi-finals. Now, go vote for someone good, like Thia Megia.

Belated Predictions

Laura — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:11:14 +0000

I know – this is really cheating because we have a much better sense of how the contestants will fall. Admittedly, I wrote this before last week’s results show, so without the Big Mike save, I would have already been off to a bad start. However, I think this list will be pretty accurate.

9. Andrew
8. Aaron
7. Katie
6. Tim
5. Mike
4. Siobhan
3. Casey
2. Lee
1. Crystal

I think Andrew and Aaron will definitely be out this week. Although Katie has been surviving, I think most of the teen girl votes go to Tim, so he should survive longer than her. Tim, like so many before him (Pickler, Constantine, etc.), will be a random contestant who, to everyone’s dismay, lasts until the six spot.

Mike’s save should help him last a few more weeks. After that, Siobhan, who may have peaked too early, will be out in the four spot. That will leave Casey, Lee, and Crystal to visit their hometowns. I expect to see Crystal and Lee in the finale, and Crystal to be crowned champ–the first female since Jordin.

So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Feel free to argue with me.

Let the stalking begin

Laura — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:02:02 +0000

I know I have been a bit MIA since the finale. And I have no excuse. But the month of July seems to be the month of idol stalking, so get ready for updates! I am currently in my hotel room in Orlando gearing up for Idol auditions tomorrow morning. Today, I went over to the Amway Arena to pick up a ticket and wristband. I saw Charlie Belcher, the “Idol Guy” from the Tampa Fox affiliate, filming some promos out front. I run into this guy everywhere – I should really introduce myself (or just steal his job).

I was told to be back at 5am but I know from experience that nothing will start until 7, and your place in line is irrelevant because you sit in assigned seats based on the printed ticket. But I will be there, and hopefully get some pictures of idol hopefuls in ridiculous costumes, and grab a glimpse of Seacrest. Also, the group song is Pat Benatar’s Heartbreaker, which I’m sure we will sing over and over.

The instructions given to me today say that they are not allowing video cameras or “professional” cameras. I don’t know what constitutes a “professional” camera, but I only have a DSLR, so I’m bringing it, and my little flip video. I guess I will have to be discreet.

I will be live blogging and twittering, hopefully giving you lots of pictures and video if I can sneak some. And if I’m feeling lucky, I might actually audition (it is the last year I am eligible, after all.)

Predictions for tonight

Laura — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:27:45 +0000

Well, this post is really about my lack of predictions for tonight. I can’t decide who to choose for my various idol pools , so I thought I would walk through my dilemma:

Danny and Adam are going to be safe. Danny is the only one that dialidol predicts is statistically out of harm’s way. And Adam is a given. This leaves five contestants that could be eliminated.

Many are predicting Lil to go tonight, and although she deserves it, she has a solid core of voters. Additionally, her backing by VFTW, for what it is worth, will give her a little boost. Being the only diva contestant coupled with singing in the Pimp Spot last night, I think she will hold out a bit longer.

Allison had her worst performance last night, and also sang in the Dead Man’s spot. However, she was pimped by Simon in her critique, and from what I hear, she is gaining momentum. I could see her going bottom 3, but probably won’t be eliminated.

This leaves these boys: Matt, Kris, and Anoop. I think they all have an equal shot of getting the boot. All of these guys plus Danny are kind of the same singer and somewhat interchangeable. Kris and Matt are especially interchangeable and have been grouped since their “White Chocolate” days in Hollywood week. One of them will eventually have to be purged a la Jennifer Hudson during “season of the divas.”

Anoop has the fact that he has been doing better the last few weeks on his side. However, he has not had any sort of breakout performance. Solid, yes. But not breakout. He has been in the bottom 3 recently and might be heading out .

I thought Kris’s performance was simply above average yesterday, though after trolling the Idol blogosphere, most people think he was the best of the night. He also got mixed reviews from the abbreviated judges comments. Additionally, Kris is at the bottom of the dialidol rankings, for what it’s worth.

Matt, who has previously made an appearance in the bottom 3, had a weird night, too. His performance was great through the first half, and horrible through the second. I mean it went from me getting chills, to me wanting to mute the tv, and all in 90 seconds! Matt came in at a close second-to-last in the dialidol rankings, as well.

The next question is, of course, who is worthy of the judges’ save? Time is beginning to tick on its expiration (Can they use it up to the top 5, or through the top 5? Not sure if Ryan was clear about this). Knowing that Adam and Danny appear to be safe without the aid of the judges, and Allison is gaining momentum, I could see them using it on either Matt or Kris. I wouldn’t think they would use it on Anoop or Lil. They might, however, want to save this to ensure Allison gets as far as she can.

And finally, who is getting Georged tonight? If you don’t know what this means, this horrid Top 7 tradition was pioneered by George Huff in season 3. Six of the Idols are divided into two groups of three. The last, (the George-ee?) is told they are safe, and asked by Ryan (the George-er?) to choose which group of three is also safe, therefore leaving the other group as the bottom 3. Awkward, and completely unnecessary, if you ask me. But I think Ryan secretly likes this. Jennifer thinks it will be Adam, and I agree, though I sort of hope it is Allison, just to see what her reaction would be.

So, Anoop, Matt, or Kris, who is heading home? And will the save be used on any of them? And who is getting Georged?