Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Paige threw her chances on Idol?
Otherwise, how is it that this girl with third-grade laryngitis who sang beautifully two weeks ago, and last night exited with more powerful vocals than several of the other contestants combined, managed, as the judges said, to sound like five different people on Tuesday night?
Something smells fishy to me.
It’s not merely that her vocals that were strong, but she seemed so ready to go, so at ease, so assured, the instant her final song got underway, as if to say, “Yes, I’m leaving Idol. But record producers, here I am!”
I have a fantasy that Paige’s parents made a final decision, unbeknownst to the producers or judges, that their daughter was not to move forward into the tour (she is quite young, after all); that Idol was too much for her, and for them; that the overarching nature of the show is too cynical. And with that, sweet and dutiful Paige threw in the towel.
Of course, she had earlier rocky moments in a performance or two, it’s true…but I think she was hoping that voters would chalk her Tuesday night performance up to just another botched number and let it go – let her go – at that.
No matter, something sticks in my craw (where is my craw?) about this. Her exit performance was simply too fabulous, too happy, too composed – too different from the young woman who had performed, unbelievably badly, twenty-four hours earlier.
Speaking of Idol and duplicitous behaviour, does anyone else wonder, when Kara and Simon are sidling up to one another, if – as two people who have been in the music business for a long time – some of this new-found closeness has to do with their wanting to keep Ellen in her newbie place, the two pros thereby diverting the voters and audience members away from TV’s most popular day-time (and now night-time) host? And while they’re at it, why not kill two birds with one stone by tamping down last year’s rumours about Simon and Paula?
And what’s up with Simon’s sudden reliance on Kara’s opinions? Is he trying to subtly undermine, or perhaps even disengage from the power of American Idol – doh dee doh dee doh – here I am, not quite knowing what I’m saying – thereby affecting Idol ratings when he leaves next year?
I have to say that, in my view, this is the dullest run the program has had since I began watching it a few years ago, and it isn’t entirely because of the contestants. I think many of the top ten are great, extremely likeable, singers. But there’s something absent in the overall chemistry of the show, and I think much of that has to do with the hand-picked nature of this year’s program, which leads me to wonder about motivation.
On the other hand, perhaps Simon finally understands that the best service he can offer the contestants, and the show, is for everyone to give solid, constructive criticism. Let’s face it, Kara’s commentary is often spot on, and as much as I like Randy, I find “Yo, dog!” completely ineffective critique.
And speaking of deferring, why am I sitting here rambling on inanely about American Idol when I have a thousand other more important things waiting? What is wrong when a woman my age has nothing more functional to do than criticize a reality show? Why am I so completely obsessed, so utterly consumed, in fact, by anything that smacks of disingenuousness; unfairness; mismanagement? I wonder, Freud.
Anyway, it’s true. Time's a’wastin’ and I have work to do. But you can be sure while I am mopping and dusting and editing and writing, the rusty wheels in the back of my head will be churning out this tune: Paige threw her chances on Idol. Paige threw her chances on Idol.
