Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Lisa Tucker and Ace Young were in the bottom three again on American Idol, and many were surprised when Katharine McPhee joined them on center stage. That is, everybody but judge Simon Cowell, who said he felt anybody could have gone home that week, based on the lackluster performances. So it didn't surprise him at all. He admitted that, on the playback, Katharine McPhee's performance hadn't sounded as good as it did in the studio.

I must agree. Katharine McPhee may be talented, but she has proven herself to be very uneven. She has very good weeks, and then she has weeks that are, at best, mediocre. I think she's probably cost herself a loyal fan base because people don't know what they're getting from week to week.

It was, however, Lisa Tucker who went home, as many had predicted, especially when she chose to sing a popular Kelly Clarkson song and then failed to deliver. If you're going to perform a song by a former American Idol winner, you have to knock it out of the box or you're demonstrating why you shouldn't win.

Katharine McPhee fans should take heart. Every single one of the American Idol winners, I believe, at one time found themselves in the bottom three, including my favorite winner since I've been watching, Fantasia Barrino. The contestants who went on to win used that outcome as a motivation: striving from then on to do their best.

Others, like Ace Young, let it dishearten them and slowly work closer and closer to their time to leave.

As for Bucky Covington, who many predicted would leave last night, clearly he's got more of a fan base than anyone anticipated. Next week will not be his week to leave, since it's country week, which should be his strongest week. Still, his days on American Idol are likely to be numbered, since there's little love for him in the American public. Ultimately, that's going to be his undoing.

Could it be that the people who had been voting for Kevin Covais switched their allegiance to Bucky? It's unlikely but possible.

And now some related American Idol thoughts. A lot of people criticize tough judge Simon Cowell for not couching his criticism in kinder words. True, he often puts things harshly, but more often than not, I tend to agree with his reasoning for making these comments.

The truth is, nobody will improve if they think every performance is great and they only have nice judge Paula Abdul gushing, "You inspire my soul! I just love you! You're fantastic!" It's like going to a poetry workshop and passing around a poem and nobody writes any comments except to say how great it is. If your poem really is that great, they should at least be able to specify what they liked so you can guide it to improve your future writing.

Paula Abdul, however, seems to have different goals. She wants to mitigate the blows from the other judges, to buoy people up when they're feeling low.

And negativity for its sake alone is no more helpful. At least Simon is specific in his comments about what he doesn't like. When judge Randy Jackson doesn't like someone, he usually says something like, "I don't know, dog. It's just all right for me."

The singers who do best take the criticism to heart and try to improve their performances. They learn and grow, and as a result, they grow on the audience.

When Simon saw Katharine in the bottom too, rather than saying, "American made a mistake," he took the opportunity to point out how vulnerable all the contestants are. Hopefully, they will take this warning to heart and step up to the challenge.

More on American Idol:

Musings on American Idol Season 5 (2006)

Musings on American Idol Season 4 (2005)

Musings on American Idol Season 3 (2004)

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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