They’re Baaack – American Idol Returns
If you live under a rock, or in a town with no electricity, you may not know that American Idol returned for its final season last night. For the rest of us who breathe air, it was impossible to not know that America’s oldest singing competition returned for Season XV Wednesday night.
After years of producing chart-topping singers, award-winning actors and the new lead singer for Queen (then a few more years producing fodder for the tabloids peppered with some decent singers) the once unbeatable FOX ratings champ opened up the final season with hopefuls from Atlanta and Denver.
I’m going to keep my recap (and possible future recaps) to my five favorite moments, five questions I have and my five least favorite moments. I don’t like to be mean to people so I’m going to try to keep this civil.
Fave-Five
- Lee Jean – At first I wanted to roll my eyes at Idol and their over-produced sob stories. But this kid started singing and my snark was silenced. I’m hoping he can sing the phonebook dawg. I want to hear more from him. Don’t toy with us Idol.
- Joshua Wicker – Sure he had a cheesy story with a baby on the way. Who doesn’t love worship directors, babies and sweet wives named Holly? Story aside, I like what this guy does when he sings. He’s interesting and not cookie-cutter and all those things.
- Sonika Vaid – Kind of looks like a Selena Gomez/Pia Toscano mash-up. Hopefully she can bring some personality with her to Hollywood. She has a beautiful voice but Hollywood week might chew her up.
- The Geico commercial where the Mom calls at inappropriate times. That’s funny. Are you taking a Zumba class?
- When Billy Bob said he was like a fat John Travolta only, no offense, probably a better dancer.
Five Questions
- Why do we have that weird inner room between the entry door and…the entry door? Can’t Ryan just tell them when it’s ok to go in? Do they really get a lot of on-air footage from that 4’X4′ box?
- Are we going to get more from Kris Allen and Taylor Hicks than seeing them at audition tables? Is Adam Lambert going to sit at the audition tables? This seems like a poor use of resources.
- Why all the switching back and forth from Atlanta to Denver? I couldn’t keep up with the clothing changes. I want one city at a time please.
- Why has Keith Urban met so many people?
- This is more of a request. Is it possible to make Scott Borchetta any less creepy?
Worst Five
- How many overweight jokes can JLo make and get away with it? She referred to her own chubby years and commented that Lindita sang like a big girl in the same 15 minute segment. I’m waiting for someone to get angry about that.
- I don’t know how I feel about Harry asking how fast police officer Reanna Molinaro could cuff him but it felt weird and wrong.
- Putting singers through because they have cute stories or make for good television. I really love that Michelle Marie was “born in stardust” and that might actually be one of my top five favorite things said tonight…but aren’t we looking for a chart topping singer? Too many made it through tonight that just aren’t even close?
- The opening segment could have been a much more emotional journey through the years when American Idol meant something. I had a lot of great feelings about David Cook winning, Daughtry not winning and don’t get me started on the day J-Hud got eliminated. That’s what I want to see in this season. Contrived vignette’s of people watching the show in fake living rooms with their hairbrush microphones isn’t cool or interesting.
- I was secretly hoping that this was going to be like Project Runway All-Stars and when they started the auditions it would actually be a bunch of singers from past seasons trying one more time to win it all. That would have been epic!
I’m along for the ride because, like any good train-wreck, I can’t look away. Let’s just hope there are more great singers and less panning to JLo and her dreamy stares (I love her but seriously). More flashbacks to Fantasia’s Summertime and everything David Cook sang and less talking to Scott Borchetta. Is it too early for conspiracy talk and early favorites? I’ll save those for later.