I’ll admit it: I like “American Idol.”
The Fox show, which is in its ninth season, is television’s most popular show, based on ratings, yet many people, especially males my age, will never admit to liking it.
Most will deny liking it, and many will say they loathe it. Probably because it’s guilty-pleasure television, and liking any guilty pleasure is never hip.
I don’t care about being hip, although I do enjoy plenty of hip shows like “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Lost,” “Dexter,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Friday Night Lights.” I would rather be unhip and able to watch “American Idol” twice a week, than be hip and not see it.
Why do I like such an unhip show like “American Idol”?
Mainly because of the music. I love it when amateur musicians nail a song, make it their own, and show the world they deserve a music career. David Cook, last year’s winner, did it constantly, and it was an amazing experience watching him grow and become more confident on a weekly basis.
I also like the show to see most of the judges rip on bad performances. Some of the people that make it to the voting stages of the show don’t deserve to be there, and it’s quickly evident they lack the star power to become successful pop artists. Most of the judges – Paula Abdul doesn’t count because her job is to be the nice person that finds something good to say about everybody – will let these people know when they perform poorly.
I usually always agree with Simon Cowell, the most honest judge. He refuses to overhype better-than-average performances and he’s not afraid to tell people that they should be voted off. Sometimes he’s wrong, but that’s rare, and he’s not afraid to admit it when he is after watching some performances again.
But one of the best things I like about the show is its predictability. Normally, this would be bad, but not in this case.
I like knowing beforehand what each judge will say after a particular performance. It’s fun telling my wife what I think the judges will say or who will get voted off.
It makes me feel psychic when I’m right. It also makes me think I can be psychic when it comes to other things in my life, and although I’m not, it’s a fun feeling to have. “I will buy a lottery ticket today, because I have a feeling I’ll win,” I often tell myself after correctly guessing the person that gets booted off. Until the lottery numbers are drawn and I find out my psychic abilities haven’t won me millions of dollars, my imagination is in the Bahamas spending money I don’t have.
The show’s predictability also leads to genuine surprises when something unexpected occurs. When Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry and Melinda Doolittle were kicked off in past seasons, the shock generated good water-cooler conversations, and nothing is better than having a good subject to talk about with other people. And the fact that two of these three people have been amazingly successful since then shows the public that it’s not always right.
Predictability has also allowed a contestant this season to use it to her advantage. Tatiana Del Toro was one of the craziest people to ever be featured on the show during the audition stages, and it got her a lot of camera time. She laughed like a maniac, got emotional anytime anyone even so much as sneezed, and annoyed everyone, especially me. I couldn’t stand her during the auditions and was looking forward to her emotional breakdown when a.) the judges sent her packing, or even better b.) voters kicked her to the curb.
To my surprise, when the voting stage began this week, Del Toro was a normal person who actually had a decent voice. She wasn’t the same crazy person she had been. The judges couldn’t figure it out and encouraged her to be crazy. They know what works for ratings, and seeing a normal person with a decent voice was not what they had in mind.
At first I thought she saw herself during the auditions and toned down, but then I realized she’s been playing everybody since the first time she was on camera. She knew her looks were fairly ordinary and her personality wasn’t outstanding, so in order to get screen time she did what she knows the producers of the show like to predictably feature – people that aren’t normal.
As a result, she will probably make it to the final-12 round. She will need to rely on her voice to make it any further, and although she has little chance of winning the contest, she gets an “A+” for playing everybody.
The paper went to press before the results show, but to show it’s predictability, I will name the three contestants that make it to the final-12 round. They will include Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Del Toro.
After my psychic prediction comes true, and The Gazette’s readers see my amazing ability, I will purchase a lottery ticket. And hopefully next week, I will be retired early and enjoying a winter vacation in the Bahamas.
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