I had kind of made myself a promise this year not to get caught up in the "American Idol" craze, so I refused to watch it for a few weeks. I recently broke that promise last week, due to curiosity.
Among my reasons for really being at odds with this show are::
#1. "American Idol" is more of a popularity show than it is a genuine talent contest. Why else would good singers get booted off and marginal singers remain?
#2. Simon's particularly scathing attacks on individual performers, who are up on stage doing something he probably doesn't have either the nerve or talent to do himself. At least, Randy and Paula are experienced musicians, but Cowell has never, to my knowledge, sung or even played a tambourine publicly. It really grates on my nerves when he trashes good performances.
Take, for instance, Syesha Mercado's recent performance of "I Will Always Love You". I thought she took the song and made it her own, but, instead of judging her performance on its own merits, Simon compared it to Whitney Houston's version.
I mean, come on, EVERY song on "American Idol" was sung by somebody else first!
Anyway, take a listen and see what you think.
