I love American Idol, I really do. I watch it religiously. Much as I resist the show as consumerist and corny, I helplessly fall to the producers' machinations, anyway. Who doesn't love a good sob story? Who doesn't love a Judges' Save? Who doesn't love Ryan Seacrest's orange face?
Beyond all that, there have been some truly tremendous talents that have come out of the show. It just sucks that what seems like a promising career during the show's run eventually fizzles out, but that's just the harsh truth of the entertainment industry. Unless you win - and there's only one - you'll forever be branded a loser. And that's not a good reputation with which to begin one's career. J-Hud is the exception rather than the rule.
Winning isn't even a guarantee of stardom. Remember Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks or Lee DeWyze? Neither do I.
If you didn't start out as a baby, like Britney and Xtina, then you gotta bust your ass working non-stop like Rihanna and Lady Gaga. You gotta be a machine. Take your cue from J.Lo. Take no prisoners. Pimp yourself non-stop. Records, appearances, movies, TV, product endorsements, gossip rags, everything. When you're starting, you can't be too choosy, hun. Take everything that comes your way and be grateful. People's attention span is just as long as a tweet, so if you're not constantly in their face, they forget. Idol is not a destination. It's only the beginning.
Please indulge my Idol addiction as I share with you Astron's Top 5 Rundown™ of the Most Memorable Idol Performances:
05 Diana DeGarmo / Don't Cry Out Loud
Damn, this girl is a machine. She can sang. That last note was gold. Breathtaking. Literally. I thought she was gonna pass out from holding that note forever and a day, but she would have passed out sooner from her soccer mom red stretch pants. Brava!
04 Katherine McPhee / Over the Rainbow
This girl does things to her voice that I didn't imagine was humanly possible. Shame about the unsavoury 'tude and the subsequent disastrous styling decisions. She could've been big. Really big. This performance blew my mind away. It was beautiful.
03 Melinda Doolittle / My Funny Valentine
I dunno how many times I've replayed this performance. It's brilliant. Melinda takes you to a place where your heart stops beating for a moment or two. This song has been done to death, but this remains my favourite rendition.
02 Adam Lambert / Feelin' Good
What? WHAT???
THIS is how you reinvent an old standard!
01 Clay Aiken / Bridge Over Troubled Water
The microphone stroking, the shoulder, the head snaps, the winks, the fuckin' gospel choir. Clay brought everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink. It was a cheesy, corny, carb-laden performance. This was hilarious. I don't know how else to describe it.
Now, wasn't that so bad, it was good?
With Affection,
James
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