Carrie crowned latest ‘American Idol’
At least we know now that Carrie has an emotion chip. I'd have preferred to see Bo win, and it's too bad that the person who had the better take on the Idol single didn't get to deliver it last night. But Carrie held her own with Rascal Flatts, and her "Angels Brought Me Here" was serviceable. Bo, who fit right in with Lynyrd Skynyrd, will be fine; I'm sure he and Clive Davis will be in talks by the end of the week.
And it was a fun finale, especially the daring mockery of the ABC expose of Paula Abdul. Yes, the ending--Simon is having a love affair with himself--was silly, but having Randy singing a song patterned after Corey Clark's--and having it playing in the car as they drove around--was genius.
And now it's over, and Fantasia is still better than anyone they found this year. Maybe it's time to pack the show up and call it quits?
Or maybe next January I'll be glued to the TV again...
5 comments:
I disagree with your Fantasia comment, Richard. Have we heard anything from Fantasia recently? Have we seen her lately (other than a brief appearance on Idol at the beginning of the season)? No, we haven't. No Idols other than Kelly Clarkson have really "hit it big." Carrie, though, has the potential and I think she will. As for Fantasia, I didn't watch last season, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that if she's really as great as you say she is, then I should be hearing her songs on the radio rather than not hearing them at all.
A) The fact that Kelly Clarkson has had more "success" than anyone else does not make her the best singer anymore than the fact that Stephen King has sold the most books makes him the best writer. Both are good at producing things that are happily consumed by the masses, but that isn't the end-all be-all of quality. With that said, I would cheerfully acknowledge the talent of Kelly, who was the absolute perfect first Idol for the show. She's a pure pop star with a pure voice and I enjoy most of her songs.
B) You don't hear Fantasia on the radio because you aren't black. Her album has hovered in the top 40 since it was released six months ago; most, even those from established stars, drop right off the charts and are never heard from again. She gets played on urban and R&B radio; she has two singles in this week's top 20 on the R&B chart and the number 11 R&B album in the country. She's sold well over a million copies of her album.
C) That album is really good. The songs she did on the show are remarkable--head and shoulders above anything you heard during season four. The new songs are good for the most part, though--like Kelly's first album--it's clear that they didn't take enough time developing the album and choosing great songs because they wanted to get it in stores. Still, "Truth Is," "Free Yourself," "Ain't Gon' Beg You," and even "Baby Mama" are really good songs--and the first two have already climbed the charts.
D) Bottom line: "I Believe" and "Summertime," as performed by Fantasia, are without a doubt the best two performances to come out of the entire Idol competition and the people who have been involved with it. Carrie may "hit it big," but she will never deliver a single that has such emotional weight. I stand by what I said: Fantasia is still better than anyone they found this year.
Ok, you didn't need to bitch slap me online. I never said that just because Kelly Clarkson sold more and was more popular that she was a better singer than Fantasia. I just was commenting on the fact that I don't hear Fantasia as much, which in my own little weird world, means that she doesn't seem to be as popular. True, I am not African American, and she may have a huge fan base and following within that ethnic group. My main point was that, when you watch the show all season long, you keep hearing Simon & Co. saying things about the "likability factor" and I just don't think Fantasia has it with the general public. I think Kelly's and Carrie's "LF" go farther than Fantasia's with the "average" Idol watching crowd. That's all. And I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you or anything. I was just saying I disagree.
Sorry if I seemed to be eager to slap you down. I have two Fantasia-hater coworkers whose tin ears have clearly gotten to me.
I think Fantasia does have a likeability problem among some people, who don't want to see a black single mother as an "Idol." But people who watched the show last year saw that she's really a sweet and sensitive person who has dreamt of this career all her life and feels like she has something to say. I hope she has continued success. She deserves it.
I'm not quite sure if her "likeability problem" has to do with people not wanting to see her as an Idol because she is a black, single mother. I mean, when you say that, it sounds like you are calling anyone who doesn't think she's likeable, a racist or a "hater" of some sort. That's not it at all. I, as a woman, would never dismiss a single mother as someone worthy of an "Idol" title. And the fact that she is African American also has nothing to do with it. To me, her skin color is irrelevant.
Fantasia is talented--yes, she is. She's probably more talented than most of the other Idol contestants/winners. But in terms of likeability, she just doesn't have "it." So in a way, Richard, I both agree and disagree with you--Fantasia is talented, but I'm not sure she's "the best" in terms of Idols--because, sad as it is, Idol isn't all about talent.
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