Idol Thoughts
Television - I have to admit that I’m not a diehard American Idol fan. I’d say my relationship to the show is more like a baseball “fan” who pays just enough attention during the regular season to know who’s still in contention, then decides which team to back during the second round of the playoffs. Typically I watch the audition shows for the car wrecks, then skip the Hollywood weeks, then start tuning in for the last one or two performances and the recap on Tuesday nights and the results shows on Wednesdays once they reach the top 12. It’s usually not until the top 8 that I start watching the full performance shows.
Still, I find myself inexorably drawn to the spectacle each year—like a moth to a flame, like a lemming to a cliff, like Randy Jackson to a sweet potato pie—and this year is no different. Once again they’ve got me hooked. But there are always things that keep me from fully enjoying the experience: questions; suggestions for making it better; things I’d like to see happen.
And so, I present my top 10 Idol Thoughts:
1) Get rid of Sanjaya Malakar. Once you’ve been parodied on Saturday Night Live you can’t be considered a credible contestant anymore. Sanjaya seems like a nice enough kid (though when he gives that massive, toothy grin I’m always afraid he’s about to eat Ryan Seacrest’s head), and maybe he actually can sing, but watching him is cringe-inducing. Each performance is more forced and desperate than the previous.
As far as I can tell Sanjaya’s ongoing success can only be attributed to one of three things:
A) Someone in his family owns a telemarketing firm in India and requires all their employees to vote for him each week
B) Idol has a huge NAMBLA following
C) People are confused and think they’re still voting for the new Keith on that Partridge Family show
Actually, at this point I hope that Sanjaya makes it to Disco Week because that’s when I think he’s really going to shine. Picture him strutting out in a big ‘fro, blue eye shadow, platform shoes and white satin pants, and putting the fire to some Gloria Gaynor. Now THAT would be entertainment!
