American Idol

I must echo the by now trite observation that this is the best season by far. Granted, I did not watch season 1, but boy, there is so much talent up there it's crazy. I already have favorites, whereas in seasons past it wasn't till the end that I cared enough. Carly Smithson is amazing. I have loved her performances every single week. Brooke White doesn't have the powerhouse vocals, but she is so genuine and likeable. David Archuletta's rendition of Imagine a couple weeks ago was transcendent, and he quickly became the front runner. He was my favorite, too, until he butchered We Can Work It Out, my favorite Beatles song ever. Not only did he do an awful version (by Stevie Wonder?) but he forgot the lyrics. It was like watching a train wreck. I felt bad for him, but at the same time, it's not that complicated of a song. Compare that to Carly's Come Together, which has so many odd lyrics. True, she performs it every week, whereas David is so young he's out of the loop when it comes to oldies. But I think experience is a good thing. Maybe over the next 11 weeks David will begin to get there.

I was very much "what the??" when Kristy Lee Cook started singing her country version of Eight Days a Week, my second favorite Beatles song. No, no, no, no, no! But I must admit, when she sang it a second time last night, it was not as appalling. I can't believe she's still in, though.

What truly puzzles and frustrates me is that Amanda Obermeyer is still in. In my humble opinion, her voice is tuneless, grating, and entirely unpleasant to listen to. Furthermore, it seems like American Idol is the LAST PLACE ON EARTH she wants to be. Could the girl look any more miserable? I don't know what's going on with her. I can't believe she wasn't even in the bottom three, and that the judges keep giving her praise. Awful noise!

A couple others I really like are Jason Castro and Michael Johns. Jason is kinda quirky, the way he can't quite hit certain high notes but he just raises his eyebrows and shoulders as if to say, "Oh well, I blew that one, but hey, aren't I adorable?" His performance of Hallelujah was top notch, and it's remarkable that the original Jeff Buckley version is the #1 download in iTunes, even a week after the Idol bump. Michael Johns, to me, doesn't stand out, but he always turns in enjoyable performances with strong vocals.

I don't really care much for Ramiele, Syesha, or Chikezie. They're just OK. Was that Danny Noriega sitting in the audience, identified as Ramiele's best friend?? I think David Cook is a'ight, but for Simon to say he could win?? Um, no. He verges on hard rock a little too much, which just isn't my cup of tea. And I don't get a likeable personality vibe from him, like I do some of the others.

As much as I like the Beatles, and thought the "Lennon-McCartney songbook" hoopla was warranted, I am disappointed that next week is going to have the same theme. I know we've only touched the tip of the iceberg, but I think it would be nice to try something different for a few weeks, then come back to the Beatles later on.

Regardless, I will be glued to my set every Tuesday and Wednesday for the foreseeable future.

P.S. Until just now, I had not read anything about Idol on the web...shocking, I know...but apparently David A. and Carly are the front-runners and fan faves. People are even saying they like David more because he messed up--it proves he's human.