I read on-line this morning that American Idol results have been fixed...that Danny Gokey, Lil Rounds, Adam Lambert and Alexis Grace will be named among the final four contestants -- and that Adam Lambert and Lil Rounds won't win. After watching the way Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, who takes 97% of his cues from Simon, I am inclined to think that the rumours are true. If you don't believe me, watch how Randy typically flails when he is called upon to speak first, and then pay attention when the first assessment falls to Simon: watch him shoot his opinions over to Randy and then listen to Randy, a minute later, repeat those opinions. I have seen Randy all set to go one way in his judgement and completely turn it around based on what Simon has said. In fact, so seldom does Randy Jackson have an opinion that strongly differs from Simon's, I wonder why we need both of these men on the panel.
More than that, look how slated the judges' final selection demographics were -- eight guys and five girls who, together, looked like an ad for an upbeat Seventh Heaven spin-off. (I think there would have been more women/fewer men -- and higher ratings, pity the thought -- had Tatania del Toro not sung Saving All My Love For You for the third time in a row.) Also note that the first contestants voted off the show were, and will likely continue to be, the ones Simon is urging viewers to vote off the show: Jasmine Murray, Jorge Nunez, Megan Joy Corkrey and Anoop Desai -- all of whom were hand-selected by the judges, and selected despite the judges knowing that there were stronger singers they might have chosen. For example, why was Ricky Braddy not among the finalists? How engineered did that omission feel? He out-sang at least one-third of the final contestants, and the excuses Simon and Randy used for ousting him were so lame that I can't come up with a better expression for it than that.
Clearly, the show's producers and judges have an enormous vested interest in outcomes. And demographics being what they are, the judges' favourites appear to change from week to week, depending on ratings and buzz, and on the way they want to spin everything. (And while I'm at it, why does Simon have to be utterly cruel to these young adults who are so nervously standing up on a stage in front of millions of people? Is he such a fashion icon, such a Generation X Factor guru, such an enormous vocal talent that he has to keep belittling and demeaning the singers he once pronounced brilliant?) Furthermore, we keep hearing that Kara DioGuardi was brought in as a replacement for Paula Abdul. While that may be ultimately true, I think she was also brought in as a means of keeping the votes cleaner and splitting the umbilical cord that conjoins Randy and Simon. In the meantime, while we're out here waiting for the world to become reasonable and fair, I think the inside mantra will continue to be
Simple Simon says, put your hands on your head...
The 1910 Fruitgum Company
