Wednesday, March 19, 2008

American Idol or American Popularity Contest?



This is a website about Hollywood in regards to movies and television, but Hollywood is about more than just that. Tonight, I would like to change direction and talk about American Idol.

If you watched the American Idol results show tonight, you saw rocker Amanda Overmyer sing the last song she will sing this season. Although criticized at times for her raspy, Joplin-esque voice, Amanda was a very good singer and a truly unique and interesting individual. She was likable. She was fun. She was honest. She was a breath of fresh air.

Tonight, Amanda was in the bottom three contestants, ranked from votes received from viewers calling and texting after last night's performance show. She should not have been in the bottom three because her performance was better than eight other Idol hopefuls. She shared the bottom three with a contestant whose performance was better than nine of the other Idols. The third member of the bottom three, one Kristy Lee Cook, gave easily the worst performance of the night. In fact, Kristy Lee Cook has consistently given the worst performances almost every week. She is a bad singer and an even worse performer, giving the word "dull" a face. Unlike Amanda Overmyer, Kristy Lee Cook is not fun. She is not unique. And she is certainly not a breath of fresh air. She could be a very nice person; that I cannot judge, and I will give her the benefit of the doubt. She was, however, the worst of the bunch this week and in all the previous weeks. And she should have gone home tonight.

Why is Kristy Lee Cook staying and why is Amanda Overmyer going home? Because American Idol is quickly turning into a popularity contest. Kristy Lee Cook is a cutesy little blonde, and cutesy little blondes are apparently very popular. Her remaining on the show for another week has absolutely nothing to do with her talent as a singer, nor does it have anything to do with her skill as a performer. It only has to do with her popularity.

The rules should be changed. The judges, who are all professionals in the music industry, should have some sort of vote, as on Dancing With the Stars. Their opinions mean something. But until that happens, people like Kristy Lee Cook are going to stay on American Idol because high school pep squads across the country think she is cool.

I am not bitching about Amanda Overmyer being voted off, per say. I just think that the person with no talent should have gone home. I have no right to bitch, actually, because I did not vote. I usually do, but last night, I could not watch the performance show, nor could I vote after. I had to watch the performance show on tape and then I was forced to sit helplessly by and watch the results show live.

I will miss Amanda Overmyer. And I will say this: I would buy an Amanda Overmyer CD.

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