Why "Idol"’s Worst Season Ever May Not Be Such A Bad Thing
AP
Simon Cowell may give a Chicago kid the thumbs up this season.
Is this the worst season ever of “American Idol”? A lot of people seem to think so, particularly after America jettisoned three of its most talented contestants from the Top 12 last week.
Simon Cowell seems to have checked out, already committed to launching "The X Factor," a talent show set to launch next fall. Paula Abdul and her loopiness are gone. Some critics wonderif the long-running hit has run out of steam.
"We've looked to a ragtag group of 24 singers to reassure us that Idol's still got a little life in it yet. We wanted them to assure us that it's not yet time to leap off this carnival ride, shrug our shoulders, and shout ''Thanks for the memories!'' as we run full-tilt toward that monster rollercoaster the British guy with the deep V and the sunburned chest is erecting on the other side of the fairground," wrote Michael Slezak of EW.
But the easiest and best explanation is that the contestants just aren’t very good. “Idol” has suffered through a handful of season with lousy contestants. Sometimes, that’s just the luck of the draw. Shows like “Idol” and “Project Runway” are only as good as the talent of their respective casts. And when the cast stinks, so does the show.
But with “Idol,” there’s a growing sense that the show has finally exhausted America’s once seemingly limitless pool of singing talent. A lot of the performers they booted in earlier rounds were sad because they had already tried out three times. Well now, what are these two-time losers doing advancing so far on the third try? Is it because there’s no one left to turn up? No more diamonds in the rough?
This is a good thing. It means that, contrary to what we may believe, there are people out there who are famous because they DESERVE it. Simon once noted that they were lucky to find Kelly Clarkson, and not the other way around. And it’s true. People like Clarkson really ARE one in a million, and that makes what they do all that much more special. If there were this inexhaustible supply of potential superstars out there, that would make superstars a bit more unexciting than they really are. It’s comforting to know that there are not a million musical geniuses lying around who just haven’t been discovered yet. It may not be good for “Idol”. But it is a good thing for those of us who believe in the rarity of true music icons.
