It is still fun watching the show and I suppose that winning means a lot to the contestants. But given the success of the likes of Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, David Archuleta, Adam Lambert and other non-winners, it can be rightly said that it does not matter anymore whether one wins or loses at American Idol.
But I think fans should care. We may not be doing any voting out here but a lot of us watch the show religiously and root for our favorites. And when there is nobody that fans find appealing enough to vote for or to enjoy watching the show, then you can begin the countdown to the demise of American Idol.
From what I have learned while watching AI year after year, it takes more than being a good singer to be an American Idol. A contestant must also have star quality or must at the very least be likeable enough to get the audience to root for them and vote. In some cases, these qualities are obvious from the start. Remember Carrie Underwood who had a glow from her first audition. Or makes itself apparent later in the contest, like what happened with David Cook, who bloomed week after week.
Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened this season and last Wednesday found three so-so contestants in the semi-finals round. Lee DeWyce, Crystal Bowersox, and Casey James can sing and they had some good moments these past few weeks. But there were no thrills this time around, probably because they have now been shown up as just plain awkward and predictable. Watching them made me think of bars not arenas. Of nice albums but no chartbusters. I hope I am wrong.
We already know who the two finalists are by the time this comes out. The judges made no secret that they were rooting for either Lee or Crystal. If that is what happened then they would have only increased the predictability factor of this finals show. On the other hand though, what if Casey got more votes? That would be good for the ratings.
Casey did well with the unfamiliar OK It’s Alright With Me by Eric Hutchinson and faltered a bit with the judges’ choice of Daughters by John Mayer. Crystal was her usual self with Melissa Etheridge’s Come To My Window and then went for the Siobhan screams in Paul McCartney’s Maybe I’m Amazed. Lee was OK with Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd and then got all the works, including a gospel chorus with Leonard Cohen’s anthemic Hallelujah. The production of his song honestly seemed like he was being anointed in preparation for the crowning.
Now having Casey there with either Lee or Crystal would have improved the situation. We would at least be curious as to what put him there and if he will win. Besides, the guy looks good. If he can act, he will surely be a movie star soon. I know like many of you out there, I cannot help but think that there would have been a truly dramatic showdown with either Michael Lynche or Siobhan Magnus. It is just too bad that they did not get enough votes to stay in the race.
And so we were trapped with a ho-hum American Idol this year. If you don’t think so then I must have a bad case of TV fatigue. But 2011 is another year. Simon Cowell will not be there anymore so I hope they will introduce a witty replacement. And there will be a new batch of contestants, the composition of which will make or break the show.
Meanwhile, here is something to refresh your memory about the nice moments of the American Idol finalists this Season Nine. It is the CD that features all 10 of them performing their best songs.
Treat Her Like A Lady by Lee DeWyze; Forever by Andrew Garcia; Paint It Black by Siobhan Magnus; Me And Bobby McGee by Crystal Bowersox; Jealous Guy by Casey James; I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aaron Kelly; Ready For Love by Michael Lynche; Under My Thumb by Tim Urban; Play With Fire by Didi Benami; and Let It Be by Katie Stevens.