It's voting time and American Idol is finally getting interesting (ok, if it can ever be called interesting, but that's another debate for another time). They've mixed up the process this year and it's all competition, all the time. There are 24 performers right now, 12 guys and 12 girls, all struggling to make it to the top 12. It's a minor distinction which basically means you get to be a part of the American Idol touring show. After three seasons it's pretty obvious you're going to be screwed unless you make it to the top 1 (or in some cases top 4).
My early favorites:
Carrie Underwood - she's cute, blonde, a little bit country and can sing very well; she's a bit like Kelly Clarkson and considering Kelly's the show's biggest success story to date I think that's a good thing
Bo Bice - I'm suspicious of any "rocker" who actually enters this competition, and Bo lists "matchbox twenty" as his favorite male recording artist (yikes), but so far he's the best male contestant and the only person to "rock" on American Idol without making me cringe
Nadia Turner - possibly not the best singer but clearly one of the best performers; she lists Prince and Tina Turner as her favorite artists and so far she's living up to that standard
Scott Savol - yes he looks like a serial killer... but he has a great voice; he's from Shaker Heights, Ohio which is not very far from my hometown, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing
Aloha Mischeaux - is she this year's Fantasia? I don't know what to make of her yet because I thought she sassed her way through her Beyonce-inspired performance last night but it was fun and she has stage presence, and a good voice
Anwar Robinson - he sang "Moon River," and it was such a bizarre choice that it actually worked; he also clearly has the best dreads of any contestant
Who can't I stand? Well, embarrassing Clay-wannabe Anthony Fedorov (he sang Richard Marx!) and horribly fake and repulsive "rocker" Constantine Maroulis (he sang Seal's "Kiss from a Rose"!!) lead that list. But a lot of the other contestants are too boring to even distinguish between.
I think tonight will be the end of the line for Nikko Smith (he got screwed by having to perform first, but he lists Mario and JoJo as his favorite artists, so whatever) and Jared Yates (just one of several guys not even good enough for a boy band) on the guys side.
The girls are more difficult to predict but I hope it's the end of the line for Amanda Avila and, I guess, Celena Rae who both look better than they sing. I'm worried for Vonzell Solomon, who performed first, and Janay Castine, a 17-year old who looked like she was singing in the middle of Baghdad instead of on a Fox soundstage. Not because either of them were particularly good, but because I'd like to see them get a second chance. (I also have a feeling this week-by-week elimination process is going to lead to more charges of racism.)
So far, I'm also intrigued by the very confident Jessica Sierra, the voice of Sarah Mather and the complete trainwreck that is Mikalah Gordon.
Simon told Mikalah "I think half of the audience likes you and the other half finds you incredibly annoying." I think he was optimistic about that. But she's going to be entertaining to watch while she's around with her mix of a very nice Nikka Costa-style voice and a very insane Fran Drescher meets Bette Midler meets Barbra Streisand personality. She's like a 17-year old drag queen and it didn't help that she sang "Young Hearts Run Free."
Oh, how I love American Idol...
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