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| The best, the worst of ‘Idol' |
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| Wednesday, 23 May 2007 | |||
It's a simple question, one sure to be debated at water coolers, coffee houses and beer kegs aplenty over the next couple of weeks. Was this, the sixth season of “American Idol,” the worst? A number of reasons exist on both sides of the argument, and though there's really no way to provide a definitive answer — though scientists somewhere are sure to be working on that — it's always fun to pretend. With that in mind, 210SA presents its reasons why this “Idol” season was the least entertaining yet ..... and why it wasn't. THE VERDICT
Personality: Or lack thereof. Sure, fan favorites like Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis all seem like nice people, but is there really anything interesting about them? Aside from Doolittle's resemblance to Harriet Winslow from “Family Matters,” Sparks being the daughter of former NFL player Philippi Sparks and Lewis' beat-boxing and tattoos, there isn't a whole lot to remember about the final three on “Idol” Season Six. Compared with memorable contestants from seasons past, including Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood, this season's crop of rather bland singers just doesn't stack up. The ratings don't lie: Viewership for the May 8 final four performances was down 12 percent from May 9, 2006, when the fifth season's final four competed. And though the next night's results show was up 1 percent from the same 2006 show, that still works out to an overall dip in the ratings. That May 8, 2007, performance show also marked the lowest rating for an “Idol” Tuesday show in two years. Sanjaya: When the most fascinating finalist also is the worst singer — by a wide margin — that's never a good sign. WHY IT WASN'T THE WORST Diversity: OK, so it wasn't the most diverse cast the show has ever seen. That title would probably be reserved for “Idol” Season Five. Even so, this season of “Idol” did feature a young talent (Sparks), powerful vocalists (Doolittle and LaKisha Jones), a rocker (Gina Glocksen), pretty boys (Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson) and a bombshell (Haley Scarnato). There was a little something for everyone, unless you wanted another twitchy, gray-haired blues singer. And really, who wants another one of those? Sanjaya: For making us care about a rather blah season, and for giving us the “ponyhawk,” we salute him.“American Idol” seasons ranked from first to worst: Season Five: Six of the final 12 contestants have had albums debut in the Billboard Top 10. Season Four: Winner Carrie Underwood is arguably the biggest star “Idol” has produced. Season Three: Finalist Jennifer Hudson later won an Academy Award ..... and she only placed seventh. Season One: Aside from winner Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini's hair, there just wasn't a whole lot to remember. Season Two: At least Ruben vs. Clay provided an interesting finale. Season Six: It's a close call, but a few years down the road, this will be the one where people ask, “Hey, who was on that season?” Clint Hale | 210SA |
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