tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post114360305791984064..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: 21st Century, boyAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143690323336323012006-03-29T22:45:00.000-05:002006-03-29T22:45:00.000-05:00Well, next week is "country" week. Is Nickleback ...Well, next week is "country" week. Is Nickleback now a "country" band?Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143661936700369802006-03-29T14:52:00.000-05:002006-03-29T14:52:00.000-05:00Performance order has never been chosen at random....Performance order has never been chosen at random. though it's allegedly not done to favor any one contestant. Basically, the goal is to start and end each episode as strongly as possible, which is why the first performer is usually good and up-tempo, and the best performance closes the show on a high note. (The producers decide the performance order after watching dress rehearsal.) Doesn't always work out that way, either because someone does much better or worse in the live show than they did in rehearsal, or because the best person is someone who closed the show recently. <BR/><BR/>In a nod to fairness, they do try to move the performers around from show to show; most of the singers from the second half of Stevie Wonder Night, for instance, performed in the first hour of '50s Night. The producers can occasionally cheat the order in the early part of the finals: Chris went last in two out of three weeks, but because one of those was in the semis, it didn't "count." <BR/><BR/>But the producers have always, always had the means to subtly help or hinder contestants, whether it's giving Chris that laser light show and smoke machine on "Higher Ground," or sticking Clay with a boring song (I think it was "Vincent") in one of the season two episodes where the judges chose what the contestants sang. Another example: Bo Bice, one of the producers' two favorites last year, wound up in the bottom two after half-assing his way through a cut-down of "Freebird," and during the results show he acted like he didn't care if he went home. The following week's theme was announced as Disco Night, but somewhere in the rehearsal process, the producers decided to do everything they could to save Bo, so they changed the theme to the much more nebulous "'70s Dance Night," which gave him an excuse to sing "Vehicle," which barely fit that theme but wouldn't have been allowed at Disco Night, and he rocked the house with it.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143658144522574122006-03-29T13:49:00.000-05:002006-03-29T13:49:00.000-05:00Yep, Alan... a very off night. You say last year's...Yep, Alan... a very off night. You say last year's 21st century night stunk as well? Then that does it... I lay the blame on all the suck-ass songs being written nowadays. Clearly pop songwriting is a dying art.<BR/><BR/>I give Paris the best-performance edge over Taylor for the night. Yeah, she was doing Beyonce, but as ever this little girl demonstrated that she's ready to hit major-league pitching. She's ready to be out there.<BR/><BR/>Nice to see Taylor simply render a well-done vocal without the spastics.<BR/><BR/>I wasn't feeling McPhee this night, but we did get a hiney shot courtesy of the cameraman, for which I'm always grateful. (Well, almost always... because we also got a hiney shot of Mandisa.)<BR/><BR/>And while I'm judging the women on such shallow bases, did you notice Kellie Pickler's before-song interview? One, she looks real different without the makeup. Two, it appears she's been dwelling near the doughnut table.<BR/><BR/>But I will say that "Suds in a Bucket" is a great song title, in the way that "Snakes on a Plane" is a great movie title.<BR/><BR/>Poor Lisa Tucker. I've always had a certain fondness for her, because she looks like the prettiest girl in most people's high school... the kind of girl I always got a crush on. Sure enough, she's a homecoming queen in real life.<BR/><BR/>But as someone recently pointed out in print, Lisa seems like the high-school beauty who goes to college and is shocked to discover that she's now just another face in the crowd, no longer the standout. Her flummoxed face-making during last night's judges' commentary brought to mind the voice of Stewie Griffin: "Life isn't what you thought it would be." Buh-bye, Lisa. See ya on stage at Knott's Berry Farm.<BR/><BR/>It was a good night for Paula Abdul, because she was spot-on about Elliott Yamin. Funky white boy. But his vocal was a little rough... clearly a bit of strain going on, as will happen as the competition proceeds. He sounded markedly better during that little sliver of dress-rehearsal footage. He's still my boy. And since I downloaded an mp3 of his performance of "Moody's Mood for Love," I'll never lose sight of what he's capable of.<BR/><BR/>Now Alan, you say he went last as a vote of confidence from the producers?? Surely in a TV competition with a prize at stake, the order of performance is chosen at random... as there is an advantage to performing last and a disadvantage to performing first. It's random, right? How else could they avoid accusations of shenanigans, favoritism, etc., as well as disgruntled contestants?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143648944708428472006-03-29T11:15:00.000-05:002006-03-29T11:15:00.000-05:00My issue with Paris isn't just about her age. Fant...My issue with Paris isn't just about her age. Fantasia was only a couple of years older, and she pulled off all kinds of womanly songs. (There are exceptions to a lot of rules. In general, plucky white girls shouldn't sing Aretha, but I loved Kelly Clarkson's version of "Respect.") When Paris does songs from older eras, she doesn't seem as much like a kid as she does on contemporary songs. Maybe it's just that I've seen Beyonce sing that song, do those dance moves, and there's just no comparison. Beyonce oozes sex out of every pore when she does a number like that; Paris seemed like a very well-rehearsed kid. Technically, the singing and dancing were perfect, but that's all it was: a lifeless copy. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the proper spelling, Adam. And you're right that the performers generally struggle most when given broad themes that allow them to stay in their respective boxes. Problem is, ever since the fiasco that was Showtunes Night last year, I think the producers are afraid to ever again do a specific theme that forces their favorites out of their comfort zones. Stevie Wonder has a huge catalog that in theory had something for every niche; ditto the '50s. I'm guessing we're only a week or two away from Songs From the Year You Were Born Night, followed by Songs With The Letter E Night, Songs You May Have Once Heard on the Radio Night, Songs With Rhyming Lyrics Night, etc. <BR/><BR/>The sucky thing is that most of the really memorable "Idol" performances have been on out-of-the-box theme nights: Kelly doing "Stuff Like That There" on Big Band Night, Clay doing "Solitaire" on Neil Sedaka Night, Fantasia's "Summertime" (a song she'd never heard before) on Movie Soundtrack Night, etc. Sometimes the only way to find out who has what it takes to actually have a music career is to make people do something they're not familiar with.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143647978183712622006-03-29T10:59:00.000-05:002006-03-29T10:59:00.000-05:00It's melisma.The problem last night was that every...<A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melisma" REL="nofollow">It's melisma</A>.<BR/><BR/>The problem last night was that everyone was too much in their comfort zone, and no one was trying to show the outer limits of their talent or push it into a different genre. The thing that most amused me last night was counting the number of times Bucky shifted his microphone between hands; the thing that scared me most was the threat of seeing Ace's nipple.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02113168955236758821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143647839390714322006-03-29T10:57:00.000-05:002006-03-29T10:57:00.000-05:00Agreed on Paris, Kenji. If she had walked in as an...Agreed on Paris, Kenji. If she had walked in as an unknown entity and given that performance, Simon would have loved it. If he didn't already know that she's only 16 - and more importantly have in his head the small, cute voice and manner she has when not singing, he would never have thoughtg of it as a little girl imitating Beyonce.Tosy And Coshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11466315384515717261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143647042130080432006-03-29T10:44:00.000-05:002006-03-29T10:44:00.000-05:00Alan:I couldn't agree more with your skepticism ab...Alan:<BR/><BR/>I couldn't agree more with your skepticism about the proliferation of melismatic singing among pop stars. Sometimes a little simplicity is welcome. Katharine apparently sang a Christina Aguilera song, however; I don't think I've heard the original, but isn't Aguilera another singer who does a lot of oversinging of that sort? So in a way (and again, keep in mind, I haven't heard the original song), maybe Simon had a point. Whether that's a good thing is a different story, and I essentially agree with you about her performance; I thought Katharine was much better last week.<BR/><BR/>My man Taylor was probably one of the better ones last night, though: at the very least, he seemed to me to really feel the words, and he also kept his dance moves to a minimum. I liked it.<BR/><BR/>I have to challenge you (in a friendly manner, of course), though, on Paris. Now, I think last week she performed "Fever" and you were a little suspicious of just how much young (17-year-old, I believe) Paris could really bring to such a song. And this week Simon calls her a "little girl trying to be Beyonce." Is she doomed to never be taken seriously because of her age? B/c, I mean, her singing voice is certainly something to hear...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143644076969563212006-03-29T09:54:00.000-05:002006-03-29T09:54:00.000-05:00I may have misspelled it, but it's that singing te...I may have misspelled it, but it's that singing technique where you embellish a note by stretching it out forever and singing 15 different notes inside it. Basically, it's the annoying thing that every pop singer has been doing ever since Whitney Houston sang the national anthem at the Giants-Bills Super Bowl. When Randy Jackson goes on and on about how he wanted to hear some "runs," that's what he's referring to. Me, I prefer people who can sound good just hitting the notes as written.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1143643187487767472006-03-29T09:39:00.000-05:002006-03-29T09:39:00.000-05:00Please excuse my ignorance, but what is 'meliasma'...Please excuse my ignorance, but what is 'meliasma' (see McPhee's review)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com