American Idol
American Idol is an amazing show that's captured the American audience, but this season, the whole franchise is in jeopardy due to a hateful group of people that are deliberately trying to sabotage the competition.
There is a website called "Vote for the Worst" that tries to convince people to vote for the worst singer left in the competition. That person this season is clearly Sanjaya. A sweet 17 year old kid who actually has some talent, but is clearly outclassed by all of the other competitors remaining, as well as the other finalists who have been voted off due to this prank. A guy like Sundance for example, who clearly had potential and a big voice was dispatched while Sanjaya remained.
Those that have already been eliminated aren't the only victims in this. Sanjaya himself, a bright eyed 17 year old is being mocked and ridiculed in the media. It's not his fault, but he will undoubtedly have to live with the embarrassment of being the butt of an ugly joke for the rest of his life. Why do we do this to such a seemingly nice kid? Why do we take pleasure in his failures? What kind of person takes pleasure from such a thing?
It amazes me how silly, foolish, and hateful our society can be. This also happened with the NHL All Star game when a group decided to start a website called, "Vote for Rory." The NHL allowed fans to vote for anyone they wanted to be in the all-star game, and Rory Fitzpatrick, a below average defenseman with one goal, in like, six seasons, became their boy. Disregarding the fact that if they were successful, they'd be robbing a player who earned and deserved a spot, a chance to play in the All-Star game.
How hateful are we? What other explanation can there be aside from liking to watch people fall, mocking people, and destroying something good?
It reminds me of an episode of Sopranos called, "The Happy Wanderer." It was one of my favorite episodes. Anyway, in this particular episode Tony Soprano is explaining that he has hate in his heart and he can't rationalize it, saying, "I see a guy walking down the street, whistling, happy, and I want to break his face in. How sick is that? I should say, good luck to him. I'm happy for you. But instead, I want to break his nose. What are you so happy about!!!"
People in America love American Idol. If you don't, that's your right. Trying to sabotage the show, though, just seems like such a hateful thing to do and I can't imagine that anyone who does that genuinely feels good about it afterwards.
It's a crying shame when a small group of people ruin things for the rest of us. It's a shame because they often get away with it, as they have this season with American Idol and how that site www.voteforrory.com also came close to making a mockery of the NHL All-Star game.
Frankly, it's not all that much different from what terrorists are trying to accomplish. They want to take your liberties and your freedom away from you. They've accomplished a lot, and anyone who's ever been to an airport since 9/11 should understand that.
Terrorists don't want you to be happy. They don't want you to enjoy things and if they can find a way to destroy something you enjoy, they'll try.
Obviously making a comparison between American Idol and terrorism seems absurd, and it is, but it helps illustrate my point. If enough hateful people thought this prank was a good idea and ended up backing the winner, it would destroy the show. Completely destroy it in it's current form. The most likely scenario would be that America would no longer get to choose the winner. Either that, or the show would be cancelled entirely.
I really hope that doesn't happen and Sanjaya is eliminated this evening. I actually really like him and think he's shown a lot of maturity in what has to be a tormenting experience for him. I want this nightmare to be over for him. I have empathy for him because he seems like a good soul. A little naive, but this world would be a much better place if everyone had a heart like his. He doesn't deserve this. I just hope that the "American Idol terrorists" don't hurt him so badly that it hardens his heart and changes him as a person.
There are some amazingly talented singers left in the competition and I think everyone will he happier when the Sanjaya saga is over. At least, everyone except the owner of the website "vote for the worst" and his followers.
Here’s my take on the remaining contestants:
Blake Lewis- I'm a huge fan of reggae and I love his vibe. Very different, and extremely talented. Didn't really like his song choice this week, it was a little boring for me. With it being Gwen Stefani week, I would think he'd have better options with more of a reggae vibe.
Phil Stacey- My wife loves this guy and I think he's great too. His song choice this week was absolutely perfect. Every breath you take is an awesome song and I thought it was perfect for him. Much better than that whole Leanne Rhymes debacle.
Gina Glockson- I was never a big fan but she is growing on me, especially with this weeks performance. She totally nailed it. She needs to stay “rocker” and if she does that she could have a shot.
Haley Scarnato- She is outclassed in every way. She seems like a really nice girl, very attractive, but she doesn't have the voice to match the other contestants. I don't even remember what she sang and that's actually what Simon said, it was a forgettable performance.
Jordin Sparks- She is awesome and spunky. Funny thing is, I thought her song choice was horrific this week. "Hey baby, Hey Baby Hey," seemed more like something Blake Lewis could pull off. I also didn't like the outfit, it was a little weird for me.
Lakisha Jones- She's been slipping recently but should be a safe bet to make the finals. I think she should stick with more soulful songs and should also show off that big voice EVERY week. We've seen her do other things now, so I think she needs to go with what she's best at, belting it out.
Chris Richardson- I actually like this guy, kind of a Justin Timberfake if you will. His voice is a little nasily, but I like his R & B vibe. I don't think he's going to be around too much longer though.
Chris Sligh- Without a doubt, the funniest and wittiest person in the competition. I totally got what the judges were saying this week, he was never following the beat despite a pretty good vocal, IMO. I actually think I.Q. wise, he is the smartest competitor left and it shows with his song choice as well as the way in which he handles the judges criticism.
Sanjaya Malakar- His voice just isn't big enough. He has kind of a Michael Jackson thing going on, but without the power and the "wow" factor. His last couple performances just seemed so weird. They all have actually. I think he'd be better off with ballads and love songs and belt it out when he should.
Melinda Doolittle- Are you kidding me? Back up singer? Please. Melinda is unbelievable. She brings it each and every week. Week to week she puts more emotion into her performances and nails it every time. If she doesn't make the final, well, it would be a travesty. I will say one thing, though, her being "surprised" after each performance when the judges tell her they loved her is starting to become more and more difficult to believe. She HAS to know by now that she's good, and I'm a little suspicious about her "just glad to be here" attitude.
There is a website called "Vote for the Worst" that tries to convince people to vote for the worst singer left in the competition. That person this season is clearly Sanjaya. A sweet 17 year old kid who actually has some talent, but is clearly outclassed by all of the other competitors remaining, as well as the other finalists who have been voted off due to this prank. A guy like Sundance for example, who clearly had potential and a big voice was dispatched while Sanjaya remained.
Those that have already been eliminated aren't the only victims in this. Sanjaya himself, a bright eyed 17 year old is being mocked and ridiculed in the media. It's not his fault, but he will undoubtedly have to live with the embarrassment of being the butt of an ugly joke for the rest of his life. Why do we do this to such a seemingly nice kid? Why do we take pleasure in his failures? What kind of person takes pleasure from such a thing?
It amazes me how silly, foolish, and hateful our society can be. This also happened with the NHL All Star game when a group decided to start a website called, "Vote for Rory." The NHL allowed fans to vote for anyone they wanted to be in the all-star game, and Rory Fitzpatrick, a below average defenseman with one goal, in like, six seasons, became their boy. Disregarding the fact that if they were successful, they'd be robbing a player who earned and deserved a spot, a chance to play in the All-Star game.
How hateful are we? What other explanation can there be aside from liking to watch people fall, mocking people, and destroying something good?
It reminds me of an episode of Sopranos called, "The Happy Wanderer." It was one of my favorite episodes. Anyway, in this particular episode Tony Soprano is explaining that he has hate in his heart and he can't rationalize it, saying, "I see a guy walking down the street, whistling, happy, and I want to break his face in. How sick is that? I should say, good luck to him. I'm happy for you. But instead, I want to break his nose. What are you so happy about!!!"
People in America love American Idol. If you don't, that's your right. Trying to sabotage the show, though, just seems like such a hateful thing to do and I can't imagine that anyone who does that genuinely feels good about it afterwards.
It's a crying shame when a small group of people ruin things for the rest of us. It's a shame because they often get away with it, as they have this season with American Idol and how that site www.voteforrory.com also came close to making a mockery of the NHL All-Star game.
Frankly, it's not all that much different from what terrorists are trying to accomplish. They want to take your liberties and your freedom away from you. They've accomplished a lot, and anyone who's ever been to an airport since 9/11 should understand that.
Terrorists don't want you to be happy. They don't want you to enjoy things and if they can find a way to destroy something you enjoy, they'll try.
Obviously making a comparison between American Idol and terrorism seems absurd, and it is, but it helps illustrate my point. If enough hateful people thought this prank was a good idea and ended up backing the winner, it would destroy the show. Completely destroy it in it's current form. The most likely scenario would be that America would no longer get to choose the winner. Either that, or the show would be cancelled entirely.
I really hope that doesn't happen and Sanjaya is eliminated this evening. I actually really like him and think he's shown a lot of maturity in what has to be a tormenting experience for him. I want this nightmare to be over for him. I have empathy for him because he seems like a good soul. A little naive, but this world would be a much better place if everyone had a heart like his. He doesn't deserve this. I just hope that the "American Idol terrorists" don't hurt him so badly that it hardens his heart and changes him as a person.
There are some amazingly talented singers left in the competition and I think everyone will he happier when the Sanjaya saga is over. At least, everyone except the owner of the website "vote for the worst" and his followers.
Here’s my take on the remaining contestants:
Blake Lewis- I'm a huge fan of reggae and I love his vibe. Very different, and extremely talented. Didn't really like his song choice this week, it was a little boring for me. With it being Gwen Stefani week, I would think he'd have better options with more of a reggae vibe.
Phil Stacey- My wife loves this guy and I think he's great too. His song choice this week was absolutely perfect. Every breath you take is an awesome song and I thought it was perfect for him. Much better than that whole Leanne Rhymes debacle.
Gina Glockson- I was never a big fan but she is growing on me, especially with this weeks performance. She totally nailed it. She needs to stay “rocker” and if she does that she could have a shot.
Haley Scarnato- She is outclassed in every way. She seems like a really nice girl, very attractive, but she doesn't have the voice to match the other contestants. I don't even remember what she sang and that's actually what Simon said, it was a forgettable performance.
Jordin Sparks- She is awesome and spunky. Funny thing is, I thought her song choice was horrific this week. "Hey baby, Hey Baby Hey," seemed more like something Blake Lewis could pull off. I also didn't like the outfit, it was a little weird for me.
Lakisha Jones- She's been slipping recently but should be a safe bet to make the finals. I think she should stick with more soulful songs and should also show off that big voice EVERY week. We've seen her do other things now, so I think she needs to go with what she's best at, belting it out.
Chris Richardson- I actually like this guy, kind of a Justin Timberfake if you will. His voice is a little nasily, but I like his R & B vibe. I don't think he's going to be around too much longer though.
Chris Sligh- Without a doubt, the funniest and wittiest person in the competition. I totally got what the judges were saying this week, he was never following the beat despite a pretty good vocal, IMO. I actually think I.Q. wise, he is the smartest competitor left and it shows with his song choice as well as the way in which he handles the judges criticism.
Sanjaya Malakar- His voice just isn't big enough. He has kind of a Michael Jackson thing going on, but without the power and the "wow" factor. His last couple performances just seemed so weird. They all have actually. I think he'd be better off with ballads and love songs and belt it out when he should.
Melinda Doolittle- Are you kidding me? Back up singer? Please. Melinda is unbelievable. She brings it each and every week. Week to week she puts more emotion into her performances and nails it every time. If she doesn't make the final, well, it would be a travesty. I will say one thing, though, her being "surprised" after each performance when the judges tell her they loved her is starting to become more and more difficult to believe. She HAS to know by now that she's good, and I'm a little suspicious about her "just glad to be here" attitude.
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