I actually watched for the first time this season, just the other night.
People are still watching this crap? Both finalists were a joke... as were the judges. The Randy Jackson "dogg", "Man" stuff is just over the top now. Everyone (female and male) are now "man" and "dogg". Ellen loves everybody. The other dipshit is a complete moron. And you can definitely see a change in Simon. Used to like him because he'd tell you that you suck. I guess he has to be nice for the corporate sponsors before he leaves the show.
This show should have died about three seasons ago.
All of that is probably true. However, Crystal is a great singer -- very reminiscent of Joplin. Her version of Midnight Train to Georgia was amazing. Lee is an okay singer, who might've been a good frontman for a grunge band in the 90s. No contest. The last results show was incredibly cheesy: I almost expected Brian May to be there singing 'We Believe' and then giving a speech about foxhunting. As for Cowell, he knows exactly how to get what he wants: he knows Crystal will sell buckedloads win or lose but Lee will only sell buckeloads if he wins; hence Cowell's 'American Dream' speech last week about Lee, obviously hoping to tip it in his favour.
I think there are a few reasons Crystal didn't win, and none of them are that she didn't deserve to. And I don't even think it was particularly close: DialIdol had Lee with a whopping 50% more votes. Aside from the things that have already been mentioned, I think she peaked too soon for an attention deficit culture, and some of her edges got ground down a little by the idol machine. Black Velvet anyone? Terrible. Nobody can say she didn't get her share of pimping on the last show despite the romancing of the DeWyze narrative.
In the end I think Americans found her uppity, particularly in contrast with Lee. Can't reward that, now can we. One of the most prescient and interesting articles I read after the fact was an item written before the finale that included this thought: So the difference is going to come down to, yes, the performances, but also who we want to reward: The boy who pretends he's not good enough to be here, or the girl who knows she's better than this. And when in doubt, go with the particularly American feelings about gender that would rather see Martha Stewart go down than Lee Iacocca; that would choose almost anybody, for any public office, over Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sarah Palin's entire narrative is based on the audacity, the sheer gall. Accusations of female arrogance have been big over the last year, taking up about half of the political discourse and even more of the conversation about entertainment. I don't watch that Jersey Shore show, but I'm told it's mostly about a girl getting what she deserves.
The whole article here: http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/american_idol/finale_part_i.php
Crystal is a great singer -- very reminiscent of Joplin.
Well, then that's the worst impersonation I've ever seen. That's the show I watched... where she did HER Janis interpretation. Janis actually woke up, looked around, and then rolled over and went back to death.
She also seemed to remind me of Mama Cass or Carnie Wilson than Janis.
If you caught the finale, her Bobby McGee wasn't really very good. Certainly not representative of how great she actually can be. I think this is a better Joplin, pre American Idol:
GratefulFan wrote: I think there are a few reasons Crystal didn't win, and none of them are that she didn't deserve to. And I don't even think it was particularly close: DialIdol had Lee with a whopping 50% more votes. Aside from the things that have already been mentioned, I think she peaked too soon for an attention deficit culture, and some of her edges got ground down a little by the idol machine. Black Velvet anyone? Terrible. Nobody can say she didn't get her share of pimping on the last show despite the romancing of the DeWyze narrative.
In the end I think Americans found her uppity, particularly in contrast with Lee. Can't reward that, now can we. One of the most prescient and interesting articles I read after the fact was an item written before the finale that included this thought:
So the difference is going to come down to, yes, the performances, but also who we want to reward: The boy who pretends he's not good enough to be here, or the girl who knows she's better than this. And when in doubt, go with the particularly American feelings about gender that would rather see Martha Stewart go down than Lee Iacocca; that would choose almost anybody, for any public office, over Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sarah Palin's entire narrative is based on the audacity, the sheer gall. Accusations of female arrogance have been big over the last year, taking up about half of the political discourse and even more of the conversation about entertainment. I don't watch that Jersey Shore show, but I'm told it's mostly about a girl getting what she deserves.
The whole article here: link
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Good point: hadn't thought about that.
It's also interesting why we have a 'Big Mike' in the final but never a 'Big Michele'. Microwave's point inadvertantly demonstrates that.
Holly2003 wrote:
Good point: hadn't thought about that.
It's also interesting why we have a 'Big Mike' in the final but never a 'Big Michele'. Microwave's point inadvertantly demonstrates that.
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And when larger young women, even very slightly larger young women, get close or win outright post competition weight loss is always celebrated as part of the arc of their full success. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood both lost weight (temporarily in Clarkson's case) post Idol, and this week's People features the weight loss story of a size 6 Jennifer Hudson. At one point she was just about the most gorgeous size 12/14 woman I've ever seen, and now she just looks like everybody else. Katherine McPhee, like a heartbreaking number of other women young and old, was bulimic. And the pressure is spreading to men - I read an article about this and Spanx slimming garments just the other day. Hopefully the pendulum swings back before the industry can fully get it's tentacles into the heads of the other half of the popluation.