Sometimes It's Not Whether You Win or Lose - But the Heart You Show Along the Way
by Brian Childers (2004

For three seasons of American Idol we have watched and rooted for our favorite singers as they battle each week for survival. And in the end, as the movie line goes, there can be only one. And now, coming in to the fourth season in but a few short months, we set ourselves once to see who will vie for fame and stardom on our weekly television.There is no doubt that along with the title of American Idol comes a measure of fame and fortune, a guaranteed contract that is, in effect, a jumpstart into the music industry. However, along the way a curious thing has happened, an unexpected benefit in the do-or-die competition that invokes such sometimes heated discussions around the sofa or the water cooler.Proving that sometimes, just sometimes, that the most memorable success stories belong not to those who take home the coveted title, but, to those who have stood out in their power and resolve.Of course, when I speak of power and resolve one name comes immediately to mind - Clay Aiken.Clay came upon the Idol stage as the most unlikely of contestant, not in possession of the looks of the future superstar few suspected at the time he would become when they first laid eyes upon him. A self-professed geek and mother's boy, he showed his power in his clear and powerful voice, a voice which stunned the judges at the time.On to the competition he went, competing against others who possessed the look, and voice, but not the heart that he carried with him, the drive and love for song that made itself evident in every performance. It was these qualities that brought him into the competition after a near-elimination as America's Wildcard Choice.What happened next is Idol History, this humble young man with the magical voice came out every week without ever being voted into the bottom three "danger" category, and along the way Clay weathered fire from judges and detractors alike – taking shots at his looks, his rumored sexuality, at his faith, and at his voice being "too Broadway" (never minding the fact that a great many stars of singing, stage, and screen fame had their roots in Broadway, and that the rigors of Broadway is a gauntlet that can break a lesser performer with ease.)Clay went on in the competition to become a nationwide phenomenon, in the most narrow competition of all time, he competed with fellow singer Ruben Studdard in the finale, only to come in second in a result still hotly debated to this day.Some thought that would be the end of it, but the humble young man with the magical voice, who showed his heart and passion along his journey, became something the Idol judges never expected - a rising star to eclipse even that of the winner, with albums, tours, guest appearances, a children's charity, appearances before congress, and even a book that he published - Clay is perhaps the greatest success story to come from American Idol yet.And, all the while, he never changed who he was or what he had shown to the world – his morals, his passion, and his heart.One would think then, that Idol History would never happen again, that forevermore the competition would be filled with cookie-cutter clones of the image that 19 Entertainment and American Idol wished to foster, that there would be no more standouts.They were wrong; lightning did indeed strike again, twice in fact. Fast-forward in time to a year later, Season Three is underway, and the most unlikely of contestants once again emerge.The first is a young man from Louisiana, a student, cafeteria worker, and self-professed omelets chef at the University of Oklahoma. A devout Christian with boundless energy, and boundless love for his fellow men - and his name was George Huff.George competed until Los Angeles, only then to be eliminated during the final preliminary round. One would think that his journey would end there, but didn't. Due to the disqualification of contestant Donnie Williams over a drunken driving charge George found himself once again in the competition. He competed in the final group of contestants, but was again edged out by voting.However, fortune intervened once again; as George was selected to compete in the grueling Wild Card Round, and compete he did, earning a nod from the judge infamous as "Mr. Nasty," himself, Simon Cowell.George competed from then on, bringing a rich soul sound that fused with his boundless charm to have the audience "bouncing" along with him on every song, infusing his soul in everything he did, unmindful and unashamed of his Christian moral roots. Though he was eventually eliminated, his personality, charm, and soul has fused in turn with many of those who his voice touched. Which attracted the attention of Word Records, the largest gospel label in the country, impressed by what they saw, what they heard, and the devotion of George they signed him to their label, giving George the chance to live his dreams of singing and touching others - once again, the heart coming through.However, the story doesn't end here, because another young man emerged from the third season, a polite and gentle boy of sixteen with eyes of green and hair like living fire. A young man, who possessed a quiet fire of his own, rooted not in the music of the modern age, but in the sounds of decades past - his name was John Stevens.John held a quiet power throughout his struggle to achieve the top ten, to achieve the dream of being the American Idol. His crooning style of the standards set him immediately apart from Idol contestants past and present. However, it was a style that brought him closer to his goal on competition night, when he won a berth in the final competition.He had a long hard struggle to go, and his performances sometimes had difficulty adjusting to the different genres. Yet he enraptured audiences both on our television screens and live with his grace, charm, and polite strength.John weathered blistering fire that season that surpassed even that of Clay Aiken during his Idol competition, from websites set up to declare that "John Stevens Sucks," to the media lambasting him in reviews and scathing insults, to interviews with the judges also detracting on him. Yet through it all he kept his strength and pursued every performance with passion, grace and charm.In the end, the pressure had become intense, to the final straw in even the most jaded of fan's minds when it was insinuated that he would, and should be "taken out" at the first concert. Yet he still never wavered, still never broke under pressure that no child of sixteen should have right to bear. On his final night then, when he was eliminated, it was no wonder that many at home and in the audience, as well as his fellow surviving competitors, were in tears when he ended his Idol run with the same grace, class, and honor of a true gentleman that he had shown throughout the competition.It cemented and expanded his fandom, and his vindication came upon the Idol Tour after the competition, when young John Stevens showed his power and bagged consistently good reviews from the majority of tour stops for performing the music in the style that he loved. The most exciting of all news came, however, with the announcement of his signing to Maverick Records, to produce his first album of standards under the legendary producer: David Foster. John Stevens is becoming that which he was already was, that which he was always meant to be - a 1940's soul in a 2000's body.Now, we look to the future to a new season, and I await this season with a hope that the Clays, Georges, and Johns of the future are out there, waiting to show us their passion, their will, and their hearts.That is what makes a true American Idol.

posted by Yee 9:28 PM

. . .