BEAVERS ON IDOL

Stop Pointing the Finger at America and Give Credit Where Credit is Due
by Teresa Marconi (2004/05/16)

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As I write this article, I am still sitting in shock and anger in light of the elimination of LaToya London. She has been my favorite to win since the beginning of the finals. I am not angry at Hawaii or the rest of Jasmine's fan base for voting for her. Everyone who cast their vote for Jasmine was perfectly within their right to do so, heck, they were even encouraged to do so by Ryan Seacrest (who was merely doing what he was told). I am furious because yet again, we were subjected to a lecture by Randy and the others about voting for the talent. Well perhaps the judges and producers should lecture themselves about advancing the talent to the Top 32 for people to vote on. Ryan Seacrest should say "Don't let talent like this slip through your fingers" to the judges and producers as they cut people like Scooter Girl and advance people like the Roman Brothers and Lisa Wilson to the Top 32; kept Lisa Leuschner and Marque Lynche from singing in the Wildcard show while allowing Katie Webber to sing; or choosing Leah LaBelle to be a finalist when Suzy Vulaca had aced her performance. America, after all, is merely following the example set by the judges.

The problem with American Idol is not the power dialers, but the fact that from the beginning, it seems that they go for something specific in the winner. There was talk way back to last summer about having a female winner. Even back in January, there was talk about divas. That sort of talk is what leads people to believe that the producers wanted a diva to win the competition this year and manipulated the elimination process as such. There's no question or doubt (in my mind at least) that Fantasia, LaToya, and Jennifer were by far the most talented finalists this year (though I feel that Trenyce and Tamyra Gray can sing and perform circles around all of them). Accusations of racism were made after the results show Barry Manilow week, but I have to wonder if the accusations would have been made, if people like Scooter Girl, Marque Lynche, and Lisa Leuschner had been in the finals instead of John Stevens (someone Simon pushed for early on). Talent wise, there is no competition for the divas in the finals, but out of 70,000 people who auditioned, there certainly could have been. It seems strange that there were some very talented male vocalists early on yet many were cut before the Top 32 or kept from singing in the Wildcard show. I have a hard time believing that Matt Rogers, John Peter Lewis, John Stevens, and George Huff were the best male singers AI could find. This is just my personal opinion, but I'm not seeing why people think George is so great. Every male from last year can sing circles around him. In the early weeks of the finals, he did songs that Ruben sang last year and couldn't come close to the quality of performances Ruben gave. Compared to the other guys in the show this year, George is great, but compared to last year, he isn't up to par. There is definitely a large gap in talent between the men and the women this season.

Why do the judges and producers push for mediocre singers to be in the finals? Simple: the sponsors. My college professor who said "there's no such thing as a documentary" also said that the purpose of a television show is "to sell the audience to the sponsors." American Idol does that with votes. Every finalist has fans, and fans will vote more if they feel their favorite is in danger. People who give mediocre performances are vulnerable and their fans work to come to their rescue. People who give outstanding performances and have a close encounter with the chopping block mobilize their fans with that close encounter. Ruben's close encounter last year, not only mobilized his fans, but Clay and Kimberley's as well. Poor Josh was a target because it came down to him and Ruben for the second spot in the bottom two (Neil Sedaka Week). The fans of people like John Peter Lewis and John Stevens voted hard to keep them in the competition and those who hated them, voted like mad for other contestants in hopes that they (the John's) would be eliminated. It's keeping the sponsors paying, not keeping the best singers in the competition that is the priority for the show. That's why the bottom three/two are announced every week as opposed to just announcing the person who was eliminated - to promote drama and mobilize the voters.

If the way the voting this season has gone is any indication, I don't see this year's winner being as successful as Kelly, Ruben or Clay. Every one contestant has been in the bottom group at least twice. Neither Kelly nor Clay experienced this. Ruben experienced it once toward the end of the competition, but it was only once and his fans kept him safe for the remainder of the show. Both LaToya and Diana were in the bottom group early on, and Fantasia just took her second trip there, even after all the controversy that arose Barry Manilow week. If the voting base is not solid enough to keep these singers safe during this competition, I have to wonder how many people will buy the CDs, vote on TRL, and travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to see them in concert.

I stated that LaToya was my favorite finalist, but she was not my favorite contestant this year. If she puts out a CD, I will buy it. I'm just not as avid about her as I am with Clay, Kelly, K-Lo, Ryan Malcolm, or Trenyce. Early on I felt myself becoming excited about Marque Lynche, Briana Ramirez-Rial (it's a shame she blew her semi-final performance), Matt Metzger (too bad his performances were uneven), Suzy Vulaca, the guy who sang "Desperado" in LA (I can't recall his name, but the audition blew me away), and Scooter girl.

I realize that Scooter girl is a polarizing figure (hey so are Kelly Clarkson (people claim she screams), Clay Aiken (people say he's Broadway), and Ruben Studdard (people say he's a Luther wannabe) and they're all doing just fine), but let's look at this objectively: the judges constantly told her she had a great voice, she took their critiques and worked on what they told her to work on, and never forgot her words, yet she was cut in favor of people like the Roman brothers, Lisa Wilson, and John Stevens who constantly forgot their words. Lisa Wilson didn't even seem to be taking the competition seriously. Simon is constantly telling people to raise their game, yet he cut people who worked to raise their game in Hollywood. Randy and Paula have told people several times to vote for the talent, yet they themselves did not always advance the talent. That is what the judges and producers need to work on next season for the sake of the show's credibility and for the sake of AI alumni who have been rewarded record deals and are trying to get respect in the industry.

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i'm fair ok... i'm agreeable with most of what she said, though i don't really like latoya, and i don't think the judges had anything to do with john stevens being in the finals. that was fans' choice. but honestly, she's right, the fans should stop blaming the public...

posted by Yee 12:24 PM

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