American “Idol”

I didn’t really like American Idol.

I didn’t watch Season 1 and have no idea what the hype is with Rueben Studdard. I did hear the name William Hung and even watched his hilarious audition. Even he wasn’t immune to the download, “free-loaders” community. But then again, he isn’t worth the price of a blank cd yet alone an album.

It took a fantastic season 5 that got me hooked. I still smell conspiracy but looking from at it from the perspective of the label company, Taylor Hicks needed the win more than Chris, Kath or Elliot did. Season 6 became a comedy for me and the main story was Sanjaya. His survival story overlapped the seemingly lacking of talent in that season. No offense to Jordin but had she been in the company of the participants a year earlier, she would have been packing her bags much earlier. It would either be a toss up between her and Kellie Pickler, which surprisingly was never in the bottom 3 until her elimination.

This season is quite a surprise for me. Carly Smithson is without a doubt a professional recording artist that bombed so badly that her story is used as a case study for economics under-grads. No joke! And it is a bit shoddy that her label company at the time was MCA, the same time Randy Johnson was working there. I thought this was for amateurs? For normal people who didn’t or don’t have the chance to show case their talents.

Fine, Chris was in a band, Kath took singing lessons and Taylor is high on crack. That I can tolerate but an ex-signed artist? That smells. But what pisses me even more, what happened to Samantha Sidley? I think she’s a talented singer and looking at the girls that made it through, she could have at the very least get into the top 4. I’m probably only saying this because she’s quite the cutie but nevertheless I stand fast to my beliefs that she should be on the show.

She has her band and I think she’ll achieve something in her lifetime but being on the show would have given her an express lane to stardom. Samantha, where ever you are, in the words of Paula after her third sniff, you are a breath of fresh air and I just love you (waves hands in the air while Simon thinks he’s getting lucky tonight).