LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Since a lot of folks will probably disappear after Wednesday, I thought I'd get this discussion going now. So, what to you think of Season Nine?
- What did you think of our Top 24 semi-finalists?
- Did the right singers make it to the Finals?
- Most overrated? Underrated?
- How was the judging?
- How were the theme weeks? The song choices?
This is just a few ideas; but the point is what did you think of the season as a whole?
I think "as a whole" it was a snoozer. There were a few bright moments, with Shioban; unfortunatley she couldn't deal with the negatives from the judges and she crumbled. I am sure we will see her on the stage somewhere, I think she has a powerful instrument someone needs to teach her how to use it effictively.
Most of the other contestants were unmentionable,however Teflon Tim will go down for defying the odds week after week. (Can you say...Sanjaya)....
This was certainly a season where the judges were..well STRANGE....The addition of Ellen was *brilliant*, Randy was childish, Kara showed just how useless she is and Simon softened and will surely be missed.
Of course that leaves us with our final 2 and I guess we wait until Tuesday to declare if the finale lived up to anyone's expectations and just how "cheesy" this how season has been!
As a whole, I think this season was totally disappointing. Last year was so much more enjoyable, performance and talent-wise. It just wasn't there this year. No excitement, nobody really blew me away.
Overrated? Mike and Katie, definitely. I wish Siobhan and Lilly had stuck around longer. They wouldn't have won, but they were both infinitely more interesting than the two I mentioned.
The judging sucked out loud, what with all of Kara's bleating about "I don't know who you are as an artist," and the artistry nonsense. I think that did nothing but confuse some contestants (Siobhan, especially), causing them to flounder around with their song choices to try and please the judges, all because the idiot judges wanted to pigeonhole them. And many of the comments weren't constructive at all - "You sound like a sheep?" Seriously? The worst thing they did was give Kara a seat at the judges' table. She's useless. And Randy isn't far behind on the useless-o-meter.
That said, I suppose the right two are in the final. I don't mind either one winning. I wouldn't change the station if I heard them on the radio, but I doubt I'll be buying anything they release.
To say this season was boring and lackluster would be a gross understatement. The contestants were yawn-inducing, pedestrian and uninspired. I can throw a stone in Chicago and hit a dozen people who are as good or better than Crystal, Lee or Casey. Hell, I said in a recap somewhere that I heard better talent in subway stations around here. However, I was often quite amused to see these people clinging to their guitars as if their lives depended on it and feeling absolutely useless and naked when they were either forced to go without or felt they had to in order to appear more versatile. How many performances this season were conducted by somebody sitting on a stool with a guitar either behind the judges on the walkway or in front of the judges on the stage? How many performances were conducted by somebody standing up with their crutch in front of the mic crooning some yawner of a song nobody gave a damn about? Talent shows at senior citizen centers have more zing to them than what any of these contestants were able to scrape together week after week. Originality is not something these contestants had.
As for the judges, I think they demonstrated the exact amount of enthusiasm that this season was able induce, so in that way, they were perfect and by perfect I mean boring, irritating and useless. Simon clearly couldn't give a damn anymore and it was quite funny to watch him throw out comments sometimes just because it was his turn to say something. There was in fact a very funny interview with him a couple of weeks ago in which he was asked on Extra who he thinks will win American Idol this season. His Freudian slip of a response pretty much sums up the whole season and the state of American Idol itself:
YouTube - 2010-05-11 Extra TV - Simon Cowell
Started watching AI years ago (season four to be exact).
Yes, there have been contestants who seemed to have snuck in through an unlocked door.
Yes, there have been contestants who were sent home far too soon and some who stayed far too long.
Yes, the judges have been inept, contradictory and boorish.
BUT . . . .
It ain't all bad and it shouldn't be made out to seem that way. For every Sanjaya, Mikalah and Ace we suffered through, we've had an Elliott, a Carrie and a Kelly to make up for it.
The great thing about viewing a show in the privacy of your own home is that you are free to turn the channel or turn off the tv entirely. It's pretty much a given fact that AI doesn't really care much for how the public says they want things done (number of votes allowed, song choices, judging panel, etc.....) They've been doing what they've wanted to do from Day One and people keep watching. Why anyone expects things to change this late in the game is beyond my way of thinking. As the old saying goes: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Idol is not "broken". Sure, it isn't getting the gas mileage it used to get, but in a country where "NEW and IMPROVED" are big sellers, it is holding it's own.
The judging dynamic just didn't seem to work for me.
I still think the 4 judge concept is overkill, although in fairness, they did seem to shorten their comments a bit this season. Still it felt like too many.
I don't mind Kara nearly as much as the addition of Ellen. I don't dislike the latter, but I think she adds nothing. I prefer to see judges who have some background in the singing business. I really do not understand why we have to have "the viewers" represented on the panel in the guise of Ellen.
I preferred the Paula / Simon dynamic last season. The feeble attempt to replicate it with Kara in Paula's place just came off like substituting cheap champagne for Cristal!
I also haven't liked the nasty digs that Ryan has been giving to Simon all season.
I think all of the above has detracted more from this season, for me at least, than the talent.
Agree. Siobhan should have been top 3. They wasted that judges save on Mike. Thought Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert, and Joe Munoz were underrated and should have been in the finals. Randy is an irrelevant judge, need to replace him ASAP. They should really select contestants based on talent.Originally Posted by waywyrd;3911337;
I'm glad you mentioned Joe Munoz who was very good (one of the few guys) and then was knocked out after one performance. It just goes to show that when the producers have given you absolutely no pre-season exposure, it can be better to be awful (Apologize by Tim Urban) than good.
But really, in the semi-finals Crystal and Siobhan were amazing, Mike and Casey were good, and everyone else was mediocre or worse. That meant that those four survived, and the rest of the votes went to the people who were featured during auditions or Hollywood week.
Lee is very lucky that he wasn't eliminated early because he wasn't that good and he had little buzz coming in. It took him six performances (Treat Her Like a Lady on R&B night) to get going. That's a luxury most of the un-pimped never get.
Overall, what surprised me the most this year is that the contestants were either:
- Young and green
- Previous rejects
- Some music experience, but have never watched the show
In short, the pickings are getting slim. Has the Idol wannabe pool been overfished? Are they going to have to fill the ranks with just the new crop of 16 year olds that qualify for the first time?
Still, Idol seasons tend to be cyclical. (Seasons 1&2 good; Season 3 bad; Seasons 4&5 good; Season 6 bad; Seasons 7&8 good; Season 9 bad.) So maybe we were just due.
This year really was not up to par with previous years.
There is yet to be a WOW person in the top.
I cant think of anyone to pick to say THEY should have stayed.
The best of the OK survived the end.
In my opinion the 'hiding behind the instruments' got very boring.
I think its time to change the judges that select the participants.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote