Anyway, the people who like Idol and want the best to win are the ones I like to talk to. It was obvious that the show's detractors were having fun last season (Sanjaya, anyone?) and I really don't want to see a talent go home in favor of a circus act. How do you feel about that?
The show's fans have a "vote" site of their own now, courtesy of Lippy :) voteforthebest.org is our outlet. Go check it out if you want. There are episode updates, etc.
And no laughin' at Lippo for likin' Idol, ok?
This morning I got to hear the first single from the recent American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks.
I'm a little disappointed, because Sparks has a nice, powerful voice, but I feel as though the label is going the "safe route" with her release. It's good, but I don't think it's what she could be doing with that voice. It's Pop, has the standard beat, but it has that synthesizer sound. I don't think Sparks is breaking any new ground here. It's not bad. And that's a shame, someone of her talent should not be going for "not bad".
Note: this link takes you to AOL Video. Since it is AOL's product, it might take a few tries to get it to work, and it's only the sound, there's no video at the moment.
I'm not a big fan of American Idol. I don't hate it or anything, I can just think of better things to watch.
This season I did happen to be watching one episode with some friend. A young woman chose a "Jewel" song for her audition. Her performance wasn't good, but we all agreed she did sound an awful lot like Jewel. This turned this discussion among us to Stars who might not cut it on American Idol.
Face it, some of our most famous singers could bang out a live version of "Yankee Doodle" and make it sound incredible- Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Beyonce-voices like theirs are indisputably great.
In a lot of cases though, "the song makes the singer". There are instances where you could pretty much take anyone who could carry a tune, put them in a studio, and with a little digital magic, you'd still have a best-selling recording, because it would be the song people loved, not the voice behind it.
Imagine for a second: What if one of the Bee Gees was trying to get his start on Idol? There are quite a few of the most successful singers who made it with less-than-sensational voices. Barry Manilow made millions with his music, but would he cut it with Simon Cowell if he were doing his acapella audition in that little room?
Here are the lists we came up with:
This debate was actually kind of fun, because of course there are millions of singers who could fit either category. What would have happened to Ethel Merman or Kate Smith, who were superstars in their day? How about Louie Armstrong or Al Jolson, who made millions in their careers? What would they do with Eminem? Would Rappers even be allowed to compete? They don't really sing, right? Or do they? And we mulled over a few other voices who have hit it big, at least money-wise, but whom we couldn't really make a decision about: Hilary Duff, Nick Lachey, Adam Duritz (Counting Crows). It was fun once we got started on this, and the discussion went on a while.
So, who would you add to each list?
