Another season of Idol is all but wrapped up and all we have left is to announce the winner at tonight's raucous finale. Who is going to pull it off tonight? Our resident rockin, sockin, straight talkin Cookie Jarvis? or that little Bear-haired hobbit with the stalker dad Archuletta?
Before we discuss individual performances, let's take a look at the overall show... New Stage! Simon is wearing a Blazer!
Well, that is about it. Oh, and the silly little boxing theme was a new wrinkle. Please... Jim Lampley from HBO's Boxing after Dark? We can do better than this, Idol producers! Apparently, our singers were coached by Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Weber (again). Their analysis of our finalists was pretty vanilla and blah at best. Tell us something new, you old foagerts!
The other part of the overall show, is the song selection criteria. I was wondering what absolute horrid sap-encrusted ballad they would make them both sing at the end, complete with the 900 backup singers wearing graduation gowns. Thankfully, and mercifully, they have done away with that over-produced nonsense.
Instead, we have:
1. Clive Davis choice (yawn)
2. Songwriter Selection: This is new. Instead of the producers picking ONE crappy song for them to both sing, they get to choose one of their own liking.
3. Pick whatever they want.
So let's get on with it...
Cookie Crisp:
Song 1: U2's "Still Haven't' Found What I'm Looking for" was Clive's pick for Cook. I thought it was pretty darn good. Nothing mind-blowing, but still solid. No mistakes, no pitch problems (Randy). Good way to start the show!
Song 2: The songwriter song "I have no idea what the name is." by Whatstheirface. Well it was definitely a rocker song, and for something I have never heard of, I thought it was quite good. I listened, I was entertained and I think that song would receive radio play. However, it was lacking familiarity, which sometimes hurts. Again, no flaws and a great job! The judges were being punks and didn't give Cook enough credit.
Song 3: The World I know by Collective Soul: Although, he did a fine job on this piece, it just didn't have the knockout punch that I was hoping for. Instead, Cook went a different route--he picked this song for the message and what it meant to him. Although I respect the he11 out of him for staying true to himself, it might not have been the best "strategic" move for Cookie.
Overall, I was impressed, but slightly disappointed. He performed well, he sang great, but the song choices might have been better. I agree with Simon in that if he would have went with Billie Jean or Elinor Rigby, etc, he could have taken the round.
Bear Hair Archie:
Song 1: Clay Aiken's Don't Let the Sun go Down on Me. Oh wait, that was Elton John. I was shocked that they picked this song, since no one can touch Clay's version of it. Still, the hobbit did pretty good with it. Nothing special, but just good Archuletta-branded nasally ballad goodness! I do take issue, however, with Randy's aphrodisiac-laced stroking of this kid after the song. For f**k's sakes, it wasn't that great!!! You would think that this was the best performed song of all time after watching Randy lose his bodily functions. Give me a break, drama-queen!
Song 2: Songwriter song--"In this Moment" by whocares. Typical title and typical sound for a finale song. Again, blah, blah, blah... Frodoletta did a decent enough job on this ballad to keep the crowd and the judges happy. Again, is he out of his comfort zone at all? I think not. Actually, the most noticeable thing about the performance was that ridiculous jacket he had on. It looked like it had toilet paper stuck to the side of it, but upon further review, it was some cheeseball anchor. Then I saw the back of it, and hey, another anchor! What is this, Gilligan's Island? Hey Archie, Goodwill called, they want their Mariner jacket back! Who thought of this? I was so distracted by that anchor coat, I stopped listening. Again, the judges went overboard (anchors away?) with their delusional commentary.
Song 3: Imagine by John Lennon, Been there done that. Yes, it was one of his better earlier performances, but we already heard it! In addition, I thought he sung it better the first time! In this latest version, he added a bunch of runs to try to impress the judges. They took the kool-aid and heaped praise upon young Starchie. Apparently, this song put him over the top, and according to Simon, was the knockout blow to David Cook.
After giving it some thought, I am now wondering if Simon went out of his way to pump up Bear-hair's stock, in order to get more support and sympathy votes for Cookie. Simon is a marketing guru, and everyone knows that Cookie is going to sell more records than Starchie. I think the vote will be closer than a lot of people think.
I am calling this show a draw, as both singers were good, but not great. The judges would have you believe that Frodo won by a landslide--I think NOT!
Regardless of who wins tonight, I will not be surprised either way. I will say this though... Archie needs this win more than Cookie. Cook will sell more cds because his music and voice are marketable long term. However, Archie's style of music is dull, boring and sappy. He may sell a few records to a few teens and grammas, but he will soon be forgotten. An Idol win would at least push sales of his first album and get him more face time with the world. As a 2nd place finisher, he will be another Justin Guarini, that mop-headed doofus from season 1. Who will win? Too close to call
In conclusion, great season, so-so finale. I wish both finalists well. I give Archie a hard time, but he is a good kid and I hope he stays that way. I think Cook will be more successful in the music industry. He is also a good guy and deserves to have success.
I think they need to look at the judges for next year. Randy and Paula have worn thin, and their acts are getting stale. Randy with his "pitchy" comments and "just aight with me" blurbs are tiresome. Paula's medicinal-laced rants are beyond bizarre. I still like Simon and his K-Mart v-necks though--he can stay...
OUT (until next season)
No comments:
Post a Comment