American Idol Has A 'Bad Day'
By Keith Boykin, in music
Wednesday, May 24 2006, 10:53AM
I guess I'm not the only one who felt like last night's American Idol finale was a big mess. The Chicago Tribune said the same thing today. Sure the show was the most watched show on television. At this point they could sing nursery rhymes and people would still watch. But popularity doesn't necessarily translate to quality. And last night's show was one of the worst finales I've seen in the three or four years I've been watching the show.
From the beginning, the expectations were already lowered. I certainly didn't expect Katherine McPhee and Taylor Hicks to be in the final two. And although I find both of them very likable and entertaining, they just didn't rise to the challenge last night. Taylor came out singing and dancing through the aisles, making an endearing spectacle of himself as he has all season. Katherine, on the other hand, showed why she's not quite ready for prime time. For every amazing moment where she showed off her power as a beautiful singer, there were other moments were she just came off flat.
The funniest moment of the show was when host Ryan Seacrest introduced onetime Idol favorite Chris Daughtry sitting in the audience. Daughtry stood up, eager to absorb his moment in the sun, but Seacrest quickly told him to take his seat. It was a reminder of just how quickly we forget if we're told to do so. No one would be allowed to outshine the two finalists.
Most Popular Show On Television
So tonight it's all over. After 17 weeks of voting, the contest finally comes to a close and television's most valuable property is closed for business until next season. For the fifth consecutive season, American Idol is the most popular show on television.
American Idol is a great show, but it is not the challenge to democracy that some see it as. Last week more than 50 million votes came in what was described as a "close" contest. Tonight we should expect to hear a similar number of votes came in. But before you go off and buy into the myth that more people vote for American Idol than vote for president, think again. In the last presidential election, there were more than 120 million individual votes cast. In last week's American Idol semifinal, there were only 50 million votes cast, and that's when people are allowed to vote multiple times. In other words, far more people vote for president than vote for American Idol, even though American Idol is much more entertaining than a presidential campaign.
Not A Great Finale
But American Idol is not perfect. Last night the two finalists were each given a new ballad to sing, which will become their new singles once the show ends. Unfortunately, neither of the songs was very good. Katherine looked and felt stiff as she struggled her way through the song. And although Taylor had a better song and did a better job, it still wasn't his best performance.
There were no "wow" moments last night. There was no point when either of the performers stunned the audience as Fantasia had done two seasons ago. It just wasn't very exciting to watch. Katherine is an excellent singer but she has become increasingly inconsistent, and Taylor is fun to watch but I don't know how long his shtick can last. Katherine has more potential for longevity but still cracks under pressure. Taylor rarely cracks but he will need to do something different in the future if he wants to have a long career.
So there you have it. Simon predicted that Taylor will win tonight's show. If the public votes on last night's performances alone, he's right. But if they vote on who will be able to take the franchise until the next level, then it's anybody's guess.
Appropriately enough, the final competition episode ended with Daniel Powter singing his new hit "Bad Day," the song which has become the anthem for Idol contestants when they are kicked off. And last night, American Idol had a bad day. But in the end, it probably won't matter. Tens of millions of people will be watching the finale tonight anyway.
Comments conceal
James
May 24 2006, 2:06PM
American Idol 2006 = Blah.
cmoney
May 26 2006, 8:19PM
The real American Idols were Mary J. "don't you dare try to sing along with me" Blige and Dionne "just got out of plastic surgery" Warwick. They really added some much needed talent to the show. As for Taylor Hicks, he's entertaining to watch and, according to the Washington Post, looks like Captian Kangaroo! He was certainly not the best talent in the competition (I think that was the overweight homophobe Mandisa). The voting on the show is truly fixed (this year to get a white male winner), but fun to watch nonetheless.
jazzi
May 27 2006, 10:14PM
Ever since Elliot, the last talented singer in the competition -there were only four- was sent packng, I was pumping my fist for Taylor, not because I'm down with the "Soul Patrol" but because a win for him would be a loss for Katherine. Visually she would be the obvious choice but she really isn't a good singer. She's ok but not good enough to make a career out of it. She clearly was running on looks & luck. At least Taylor has a voice & charisma. It kind of makes sense that he'd win. He was never in the bottom half & always connected with the audience.
I figured since all the really talented singers were gone & all that was left was Taylor & Katherine, might as well go for Taylor the entertainer. At least he's not boring like Katherine. It's going to be very interesting to see how they market him to the masses.
saint james
May 31 2006, 3:04PM
Forget about what Dionne Warwick looked like...Did y'all HEAR her?! She is the poster chile' for all singers who abuse their vocal chords and lungs with cigarettes. That was so very sad.