Dear Vocalists: I gave in to my baser tastes and watched American Idol. As far as the judges are concerned, I can live with Paula Abdul and the U.S. record executive as a judge. As a pop artist, Paula Abdul knows what the expectations are and can give some insight into image and look, not necessarily voice, b/c she was never a great singer. She is more of an entertainer,which still gives her some validity. The US record executive is in the business of scouting for new talent, so he is a valid selection. My BIG complaint is the British, record executive. I believe he was intentionally over-the-top, because he knew that it would bring in ratings. I may be biased, but I sort of hold this type of audition in less esteem, because in reality, they're manufacturing an entertainer(Spice Girls, O-Town). SOME of the people had talent, but the judges admitted that they did take into consideration the image of the audtionee. As far as the auditionees are concerned, I have never seen such a big pool of non-talent in my life. I'll highlight some of my favorites: - The guy who croaked out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody I believe Freddie Mercury is rolling over in his grave as we speak. - When confronted with the fact that she did not sing any right notes, the contestant who replied, "I wasn't trying to sing the correct notes!"
- The sad rendition of Lady Marmalade, the U.K. judge advised the girl to get a lawyer and sue.
- Last, but not least the girl who kept missing the auditions and follwed the tour by Greyhound. When she was able to audition in Miami, she informs them that she has not prepared a song, but will sing "whatever God puts into her mouth." She comes up with her own song which consisted of the following line "I woke up this morning and I was so nervous."
Even though the U.K. judge was brutal, I am glad I watched it because, it validated my belief that true singers are lacking and a lot of the "music" we're presented with is some executive's idea of good music.
On the same note, I also forced myself to watch Kelly Osbourne's rendition of Madonna's "Pappa Don't Preach". I personally like Madonna,because she finds songs that fit her limited range and she does them well. I think she realizes that she is more of an entertainer, thus her shows all around are good entertainment. With that said, "Pappa Don't Preach" is not a difficult song, yet Kelly Osbourne has found a way to mess it up! The girl lacks any vocal prowess at all, yet she says, she'll have a record done by summer's end.
What a world! Tia
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