Well the time has come for the start of Season 7 of American Idol, and with the state of new television being what it is I thought I’d check back in. And I have to say what our fine friend Randy might: I’m just not feeling it dawg. Watching a two hour episode, even fast forwarding through it, just from Philadelphia… The good, the bad, and the awful singing a quick tune and leaping away with joy or slinking (or raging) away in defeat just isn’t what it used to be.
I wasn’t that engaged with the folks who were trying to be funny like the guy in skimpy costume who when they said they were too distracted by his chest hair went and got it waxed. Or the guy who sang a stalking love song to Paula, ok I chuckled with lyrics like ‘If she were Columbo I’d Peter Falk-her. If she was a bathtub I’d caulk her.’
And I thought the people who weren’t trying to be funny was kind of painful and sad. Like the poor Janice Joplin wannabe who they said wasn’t right for the show but maybe she should sing in a 60s or 70s band, and then she proceeded to rant about Simon for fifteen minutes, which they of course showed for drama. Or the self proclaimed dork dressed like Princess Leia who didn’t get picked and they showed her on the phone fuming that they only picked the same kind of girl. Right, the kind of girl who could sing well.
Do they gear the selection toward folks who can not only sing but are also cute and personable? Yes of course they do. But at least at the first round if you can sing Randy and Paula will usually at least overrule Simon and let them through. And Simon wasn’t even being that mean. Simon did perhaps provide the funniest moment of the show where he was literally stunned at how happy people were for each other, he couldn’t imagine being happy for someone else. Vintage Simon.
The novelty of this phase of the show wore off some time around season 2 though I think I stuck through season 3. I do have to remember that like many good reality shows I don’t really get hooked until there’s a person to root for or against, with at least some personality. And at this stage although they highlight folks we’re just not invested yet. And we shouldn’t be. They picked 30 people just from Philly to go to Hollywood and it’s a few more rounds of initial auditions before they start to narrow it down to the final twelve (?).
Though if I had to pick today I liked that girl who trains horses and cage fights. Maybe I’ll tune back in when they get to Hollywood… Maybe this will be the year that more people vote for President than for the next Idol.
So if I’m sharing end of the year best lists I would be remiss not to throw down a little tv. The problem is it seems like a strange time to do a best tv list. So though midseason shows may be getting the short shrift we’ve probably seen enough of things to give it a go.