American Idol Season 2011, the afterthought

So. American Idol frenzy came and went. It was an exciting new panel, with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and JLo (Jennifer Lopez) replacing Simon and the ladies. I was eager to see how they fared along with Randy Jackson, the only AI veteran from Season 1. The new panel is extremely friendly, and I found myself liking JLo’s critiques more and more, as they always seem to make sense. Steve’s style is that he goes for his gut feel and babbles the first thing the comes to his head (most often than not, sounding like incoherent babble). Randy always seems to be pretty much undecided, as always with his critiques, and ends his spiel with “umm..i don’t know..what about you JLo/Steve?”

There was plenty enough drama in this season’s AI and surprisingly, plenty of likable and uber talented people with different schticks ready for radio. In fact, the country girl and boy that emerged as the final favorites, Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina, had very distinct styles; Scott having that old-school country twang-y sound , while Lauren who tended to sound like a Faith Hill-Miley Cyrus hybrid, had more of the country-pop flair.

I was dismayed to find my favorites booted out early, most of whom were NOT pop and country. I was impressed with Casey Abrams, the not-so-cute beard-y Jack Black-esque redhead who can sing while playing upright bass on jazz arranged songs. I always seem to root for the AI musicians but they don’t always emerge victorious. During the top 3 show, I found myself faced with the last three of my non-favorites and realized I had lost interest in American Idol.

The last 3, Scotty McCreery 17yo with an unusually deep singing voice who also looks like MAD MAGAZINE’s Alfred E Neuman ; the pleasantly chubby-16yo-who-hasn’t-lost-the-baby-fat-yet Lauren Alaina ; and overly husky jazzy voiced Haley Reinhardt, the 21 yo girl with eyes-too-close-together-but-kinda-cute…were America’s chosen top three who were sent back to their hometowns for a massive reception.

Top 3 episodes are normally my favorite, because it never fails to overwhelm the contestant and their families, and how they cry while mumbling “this is my dream, etc etc” awww.

While the top three of season 10 are extremely talented and charming, I look back at their performances and none of them stood out, really. Was it because the judges were NOT hard on them ? (except for Haley, who maintains that the teen country boppers were given an easy time) Was it because they chose pop and country and never left their comfort zones (and that the current set of judges allowed them to do so) ?

Each year, I always think Idol viewers and judges keep expecting more. And they should; who wants an Adam Lambert copycat anyway (ahem…James Durbin)? Or a Carrie Underwood (Lauren Alaina) ?

People want their American Idol to have : a (nice) personality, stand out performances, clarity of voice with a bit of texture, X factor, an idea of who they are as an artist, integrity, stage presence. The list really goes on longer each year. It really becomes clearer, but with the shuffling of judges, is the lesson being learned?

2011 marked the 10th season of American Idol, and while viewership was down as plenty of Simon fans boycotted the show, it is clear that American Idol won’t end here. People can’t get enough of it, and probably won’t for a few more years to come.

SOME THOUGHTS:

While I mentioned earlier that I did not see any standout performances, and I don’t particularly like James Durbin’s choice of genre (shrieky glam rock/metal is not my idea of good singing), he really took the cake.

In fact, in AI’s last episode, James and Casey did a skit arguing about how their elimination and judge’s save should be considered season 10′s big shocker. Then Pia Toscano comes out with a crown and sash saying BIGGEST SHOCKER (she was eliminated in the top 9 show, I believe) and promptly shut up the two guys. LOL

I had joined up HITFIX.COM’s fantasy league where Melinda Doolittle and Phil Stacey were also participating with their own leagues. My favorites were in this order: Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Pia Toscana, Naima Adedapo. I also had a soft spot for 15 year old filipina Thia Megia and the Spanish-singing sassy chick, Karen Rodriguez, who’s confident phrasing reminds me of many diva singers in the Philippines.

After Pia Toscano’s early demise, however, my stats were shot and I never went back to play again.

And some of my favorite AI moments this year were all about duets:

- naima and jacob

- scott and lauren

- haley and casey

- Casey and JackBlack

- haley and tony bennett

- James and Judas Priest

The finals were pretty awesome, I must say, and in the end, it was sad to realize the season is finally over, again. Ah, well. December’s only six months away.