American Idol

Even though I’ve sworn off any number of times, I still feel it drawing me in. I’m talking about American Idol. There’s so much about it I don’t like: the waving arms in the front row, Ryan yuck Seacrest, the judges who seem to say the same things to every contestant, and the fact that all too often the wrong person winds up as the top Idol. The most obvious exceptions to what I just said? Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. But just look at all the winners who went on to do next to nothing—Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barino, Taylor Hicks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, and Scotty McCreery. And look at those who didn’t win and should have, who went on to some level of celebrity: Jennifer Hudson and Katherine McPhee, Adam Lambert and Daughtry. Even that odd little imbecile Kelly Pickler has gone on to become a highlight on the country scene. I’m beginning to think she was dumb like a fox. In Season 10, the two finalists were the two weakest of the final six or seven. Pia Toscano was a better singer and certainly better looking. And Casey Abrams and James Durbin were both better musicians. Of the final seven this season, I think Phillip Phillips should win, Colton Dixon second, and Elise Testone third. But if the results follow the last few seasons, I’m probably as far off as I can get. As for the production, they’ve certainly decided to spend a bunch on set designs and costumes. Each set behind each performance is spectacular, the red, leaf-covered piano, the images of red leaves that fell behind him as Colton Dixon sang “September”; the hundreds of slow-motion pin spots behind Joshua Ledet; the golden windows and pin spots behind Hollis Cavanagh; and the rows of silver telephone poles moving down the highway behind Skylar Laine’s “Heard it Through the Grape Vine.” And most of the costumes are beautiful and a whole lot classier than the ragged jeans and tops from seasons past. I guess that despite my ranting against this show, I’ll just have to watch the next six weeks.