Have I ever seen a finale of American Idol before? If I have, it's long forgotten.
Anyway, I noticed from Ann's blog that the finale was tonight, so I turned on the television while I was working on some research. What the ...?
These are the two finalists?!? With the exception of Kat's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," I felt like I was watching a high school talent show. She managed to start that song on key despite the fact that she was singing a cappella and the ear phone that was supposed to give her a note malfunctioned. (Actually, it's a shame they ever brought in the music on that number; the a cappella segment was best part of the whole night.) But her last song was a disaster, and not just because it was horribly written.
Taylor is simply inexplicable to me. He seems nice enough, and I assume that he is one of these guys who grows on people with his southern charm. Ann links to Judy Rosen's description on Slate, and this pretty much nails the fellow I saw performing tonight:
[Taylor is a] prematurely gray-haired doofus who has spent the past several weeks jerking across the Idol stage like a spaz while belting out classic R&B covers. There's something vaguely unsettling about his shtick: Although he's not black, he calls his fans "The Soul Patrol," and although he's neither black nor blind, he insists on lurching backward when he sings like his idol Ray Charles.
Vaguely unsettling? Nothing vague about it. This was karaoke on national television.
Ann claims that she has figured out why she likes American Idol:
I don't like the music very much. I like the criticism in action and the chance to hear an honest slam -- startlingly delivered right to the face of an optimistic, ambitious young person.
Sort of sadistic, no?
Truth be told, however, in the handful of times that I have seen the show, Simon was the main attraction. Usually, he is refreshingly honest, and I suspect (without knowing) that the contestants really benefit from that.
Tonight, in the finale, the opportunity for constructive criticism had passed. Simon played nice. Which meant that there was no reason to watch that show.
Good thing I was multi-tasking!
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1. Posted by Dave! on May 24, 2006 @ 11:19 | Permalink
Oh, absolutely... American Idol is pure schedenfruede. The show is best when people are murdering music and dreams are dashed.
That said, Taylor *has* really grown on me. There's something genuine about his dorkness that many of the other contestants lacked.
And I think that Slate description is pure B.S. So, white people don't have soul and can't like R&B? I fail to see why it's necessary to point out *twice* that although he favors R&B that he isn't black. That's a big "so what" in my book... it's only unsettling if you bring to the table a lot of stereotype baggage.
2. Posted by Ann Althouse on May 24, 2006 @ 12:52 | Permalink
Didn't we already work through that not-black-and-not-blind dissonance with Joe Cocker? Like, 40 years ago or something. Taylor's just aping Cocker. Last week he sang "You Are So Beautiful."
3. Posted by Gordon Smith on May 24, 2006 @ 14:41 | Permalink
I think you are both right. When I mentioned that his schtick was "unsettling," I meant to refer to his dorkiness, but now I see that Judy Rosen was referring to his whiteness. Not what I meant.
Anyway, that's funny about Joe Cocker. I actually thought of Joe Cocker when I was watching him last night.
4. Posted by Michael Guttentag on May 24, 2006 @ 21:54 | Permalink
Not to defend American Idol too much, but your observation is bit like judging football based on watching the Super Bowl. At that point the competition feels a bit artificial and dull.
5. Posted by Gordon Smith on May 25, 2006 @ 0:23 | Permalink
Michael, I wasn't judging singing by watching American Idol!
But I concede that an important part of American Idol -- like all series -- is the relationship between the audience and the performers. I had not taken the time to develop that sort of relationship, so it's not all that surprising that I couldn't connect with the finalists, who were not talented enough to forge a connection on the spot.
Anyway, tonight Ann told everyone who was criticizing Taylor to "Shut up!" So I will.
6. Posted by Mike Collins on May 26, 2006 @ 12:57 | Permalink
Gordon,
I would leave the American Idol editorializing to Professor Fairfax. Although I never watched the show during law school, we could always count on Professor Fairfax filling us in on the details (with additional anecdotal commentary from her daughter). Prof. Fairfax's a great addition to the blog. One of the better young professors at Maryland.
PS: You'll probably be disappointed to know that, in fact, Taylor was the most deserving contestant this season. Showmanship goes a long way, especially when your competition have all the moves of a cardboard cut-out.
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