Please bear with me cuz it's gonna be more like a series of different mini-articles.
Over the past two weeks, despite all the declarations of the contestants of their camaraderie, I have sensed two distinct camps. I don't feel that 19E's original posturing for a good (Gokey) vs. Evil (Lambert) show-down had anything to do with it. I just think it had do with the natural division of personalities.
Starting last week when they announced disco week, I felt that my theory would be either proved or disproved last night. I feel it was indeed proved. Camp Lambert has created almost a "Survivor-like" alliance. It's not as viciously calculated with the cut-throat coming at the end when fellow alliance members start to throw each other under the bus. It is however an alliance that is calculated to get the remaining three members of this camp as far as possible. Camp Lambert is (obvious to some) Adam, Allison and Kris. Previous members of this camp I believe to have included Megan.
That leaves Camp Gokey with Danny at the helm with his minions Lil and Anoop. Previous members? Sarver.
Giraud seems to waffle between the two camps. Last night he obviously chose Gokey and that was a mistake on his part.
What I read from Camp Lambert is that Adam does work like a very polished mentor, albeit Auntie Adam to Allison and Big Brother Adam to Kris but the other two have input also. All three have prior professional performance experience and they all had hurdles to clear. Adam? Toning it down and bring the Zodiac Show into a more palatable AI level of the stratosphere. Allison? Trying to become sixteen again. Currently she is not a rocker for the teenie crowd. Adam and Kris have more teen-aged fans that Allikat. Kris got on to the national stage and froze. Despite his club gig experience, he suffered from some really bad stage fright at the beginning.
So how does this Awesome Threesome feed and nurture each other? Kris gets Adam to a calmer place. He's admitted that he is the laid-back one to Adam's manic side. This was a rooming match that was made in heaven. Allison gets the big brother thing from Kris and the maiden aunt/best gf thing from Adam. And PLEASE this is not a diss to Adam's assumed sexuality. Yes, I am quoting stereotype here but it is meant in the most respectful and complimentary way possible. Also, Allison brings the playful spirit of a kid. She's all kinds of adorable fangirling over Zac Efron and both the guys encourage that in her. Finally Adam the ability to match song, arrangement, fashion and staging immaculately not only for himself but for fellow musicians.
What did we see last night? Adam tells Kris..."Ok you got over the stage fright a couple of weeks ago. Last week you found your comfort zone again. This week...take a risk." Kris picks the perfect song, goes all Jason Mraz with it and I think he was Number One last night.
Allison - glams it up. Brings out her inner baby-drag queen that we saw in the Circus video. Takes on song that is too old for her physical self but speaks to that inner 30-year-old, takes a sheet of 40-grit to it and she comes in Number Two by my taste.
Adam - he challenges himself this week and ends up needing the other two after his performance. We all knew this would be a "strip down week" for Master Lambert. He likes rollercoasters and he seems to have found a pattern that works. Problem was the song he picked this week he was too connected to. I sensed a real uneasiness in him when he was forced to do "stool" time with Seacrest and post-performance I feel it was because he wanted to do some meditation to prepare himself for the road he was going down of his own choice and volition. Adam Lambert over-connected with the song. He took himself to a very dark, broken, hurting place and it affected him and it affected me. I hope that Kris was there for him last night when they got "home" because I have a feeling it was a rough one for Adam. He was the solid Third Place for me.
If these three continue to work together the way they are now, I believe that we will see three more Tuesdays like we did last night. The sad thing is that there will not be a three-way tie. It will be very painful for me to watch as they say good-bye to the third side of the triangle and worse still when two are left on the stage with Seacrest dragging out the agony of who is "The Next American Idol". Whoever those two are, they will be earnestly happy for the one that takes top honors and for as rough as that night will be, I predict that the three will wake up the next morning and get a conference call that includes Megan and start making their plans for tour.
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Why Simon beat down Lil
I have been involved in the business now for over two years. Although only about half-way down the rabbit-hole at this point (and aiming for the bottom), it finally dawned on me last week why Simon is on the panel year after year. What he says may sometimes be idle twaddle or even mean-spirited. He is most times succinctly out of step with the other judges. I've come to the conclusion that this is thoroughly planned out. Why?
Let's look at Lil. From the first bad critique, what she should have done was gone back to the mansion and sat down with herself and decided "who is Lil Rounds as a musician, recording artist, performer?". She should have gone to people like Gokey, Lamert, Iraheta, Allen, Giraud and McIntyre for advice as all these people had been working on real careers before they resorted to AI to try to find the break they were craving.
Once she decided who "Lil Rounds" was then she should have sat down with Ricky Minor and the arrangers and really figure out what are good songs and arrangements for her. The band and the seasoned Idols should also have helped her with understanding stage wedges (monitors) and how to work with the sound people so she could hear the music and stay on pitch. Bottom line is that she needed to find herself and then her balls.
Instead, week after week after week, we've watched her let the judges wear her down. Instead of digesting the criticism and letting it nourish her to fight another round, she swallowed without chewing properly, got indigestion and spewed it back at the judges. She'd get home each week deflated and defeted. Her attitude would be "Am I going to get this one by them this week?" instead of owning the song, the stage, etc. Lil Rounds can't figure out who Lil Rounds is because all she believes in is a dream. She just doesn't have the strength or conviction to become a pop star. If she thought what the AI judges put her through was tough...she'd crumble in the studio with a pissy producer and a cranky engineer, or dealing with a b***chy booking agent and grumpy TM on tour.
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Where the thought process went after the "Lil Thang"
I look at Danny, Allison, Adam and Kris...these four are completely dedicated and invested in reaching their goal. They've all known the Dark Side of the Force and have the chops not to let it beat them down. They also have what it takes to put out some decent albums. I'm not thrilled with Gokey. I think he needs a decent gospel label to be able to get more than two albums into the market. Kris will prove stand the test of time like Mraz, Jackson, Matthews...those types of music listeners can never get enough good acoustic rock. And Kris is a singer-songwriter. I think he's got some good original stuff in him.
Allison and Adam are both going to be at the mercy of collaborators. But if label execs, producers and the musical team do it right...those two will evolve, re-invent and invent themselves and their music for a lot of years.
As for the rest of the Top 13? Well they're gone for a reason. They were forgettable or in the cases of Matt and Anoop will be. Matt and Scott both need to be studio musicians for now and if they grow in the right directions will retire very well-off producers. Scott could be a good writer/arranger. Alexis? Well I didn't see enough of her to make a call but she and Megan both seem a bit more dedicated to their children than their music careers and that is commendable. Kids need their folks and life on the road is a tough one. Definitely not a place to raise little ones. Sarver? I keep just forgetting him. That was how much of an impression he made on me.
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Which will bring us down to the Final 5 tonight. I sincerely hope America (and Canada) got their collective heads out of their collective asses when they started dialing and texting. Sadly I make my votes based on more knowledge and a different point of view than most. I'm looking at who, at the end of the day, besides having a great voice has a marketable package...the look, the personality and the tenacity. I admit that all art is subjective so where I like Rembrandt and Monet, you will like Picasso and Dali. Even food...I hate artichokes and you love them. Teenies are going to vote for Kris cuz he's that cool guitar player in your math class cute or Adam cuz he's that smokin' hot goth boy you don't stand a chance with. The 18-25 crowd is all over the place. There's something for everyone's taste. And the "adults"...same thing...some like steak and potatoes (Gokey) other's have a more adventurous palate Adam or Allison. The frat boys are voting Anoop right now. The kids raised on the New Mickey Mouse club might throw a few sympathy votes at Giraud cuz he reminds them of Justin Timberlake.
Anyway, in my opion, after 9 p.m. EDT, we should be left with Adam, Allison, Kris, Danny and Anoop. Let's see how it plays out.