THIS SEASON IS THE GOLDEN CALF: Clearly, something is amiss with American Idol. The talent, it is just not there.
You knew when watching the first season's round of 32 that Justin, Tamyra and Nikki were real talents with strong personalities, and had no idea until "Stuff Like That There" how good Kelly Clarkson was going to be.
Last season, by this point, Frenchie, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Rickey Smith (Hercules! Hercules!) and Kims Caldwell and Locke had all clearly broken through with both charisma and singing ability, and we were looking forward to the competition that was to follow.
This year? Just two people are at all memorable -- Latoya London, whose "All By Myself" was absolutely transcendent, and Fantasia Barrino with her charming Macy Gray-ish voice -- and even they can't hold a candle to Tamyra Gray's overall talent. (Yet.)
(And no, I'm not upset just because my girl Bree didn't make the wild card.)
So, what's gone wrong? Surely, in a nation of 292+ million, there are more than 64 people capable of being entertaining round-of-32 performers. We haven't exhausted the supply yet, have we?
Well, maybe. Maybe everyone who was really capable of shining in these lame, relative dead genres of music had already come out for the competition. Maybe it's time to broaden the musical context of the show beyond power-ballad and antique pop to include hip-hop and modern rock.
Maybe they need to loosen the eligibility rules, and allow in competitors with more professional experience.
Maybe the judges need to take their lesson from Frenchie's ouster, and realize that a female American Idol doesn't have to conform to a rigid body image to succeed.
And maybe, just maybe, the talent is out there, but the producers and our esteemed panel of judges were so busy looking for the William Hungs of the world for embarrassing audition footage that they just neglected to put in the effort to find the next Kelly Clarkson, or even the next Trenyce.
All I know is that this season is shaping up to be the lamest one yet, and I don't believe I'm alone in my disappointment.
Am I? Are you also disappointed, and do you have a theory as to what's going on this season? Is there a real talent out there I'm just missing?
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