News / Entertainment
American Idol: Male Contestants Continue to Bore
In a the highly predictable world of American Idol, the ten male contestants opted to offer their dedicated songs to the usual suspects, i.e. parents, grandparents, girlfriend, boyfriend?. While Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson appeared a little more pleased than last week there wasn’t an overwhelming feeling that the next American Idol would be coming from this group. Had one of the guys really wanted to make a marke they could have dedicated a song to Antonella Barba, as hot as Barba is right now a male contestant could have eased in to the next round with a cover of Def Leopard's "Photograph" or the J. Giles Band classic "Angel is a Centerfold."
Sappy dedications and no personalities will make the top six males fodder for the ladies. One after another the males went the sentimental route and sang something that a former Idol would have sung. It appeared as if they were following a recipe on how to win the contest instead of being original. Even when an attempt to be original was made it seemed scripted and overall boring.
Phil Stacey dedicated his song to the Navy band back home. While they have encourage encouraged him throughout the contest his choice of song, “Missing You,” might not have been the most appropriate for a pack of military men. Why not just sing some Village People next week? Lucky for Phil he’s actually a decent guy and likeable which is better than most of the guys left.
“Let’s Get it On” is a great song and probably has its merits as a song to dedicate to a loved one, but not your parents. Jared Cotter thought it a wise choice to show how much he appreciated his mom and dad by singing one of the most sexually charged songs of the 70’s. Not sure if that makes you an American Idol or a strong candidate for patricide.
AJ Tabaldo chose to dedicate “Feeling Good” to his parents. The song was originally written for the 1966 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd and after the song it seemed as if Tabaldo earned decent marks for his performance. To his credit, Tabaldo actually displayed a hint of personality in his performance,
Sanjaya Malakar dedicated his song to his grandfather, and unless that grandfather is Michael Jackson nobody knew what he was doing. Dressed like he was ready to sing something from Thriller Malakar thought he’d be crafty and sing “Steppin Out With My Baby” from Irving Berlin. None of the judges bought in to the routine or the choice of a song made popular in 1948 and all but told him to start packing.
Chris Sligh sang the Ray LaMontagne hit “Trouble” as a dedication to his wife. While it lacked originality, it was sung last season by American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, he did do a decent job. Simon was impressed as were Paula and Randy but that’s not saying much.
Calling your girlfriend fun to be around might not be the best way to start a dedication but after Nick Pedro’s performance on Tuesday he has an excellent chance to spend more time around her. A truly boring version of “Fever” inspired and convinced almost nobody.
Blake Lewis continued the parental dedication show with his rendition of Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity.” Had he truly wanted to be original Lewis could have gone with a more obscure track off the Travelling Without Moving album but nonetheless he did a good job adding in his own beats and trying to make it his own. He’ll make it through without much problem but shouldn’t get to comfortable.
Brandon Rodgers dedicated “Time After Time” to his grandmother. The sentimental card was pulled once again and this one appeared just as scripted as the others. If the song is boring nobody cares, as Simon told him it’s a singing competition, it’s not a feelings competition. Rodgers does have some talent and that will keep him in the competition but if his choices remain the same he won’t last long.
Dedicating a song to your grandmother better be funny and Chris Richardson atleast followed that script. Singing the Jason Mraz hit “Geek in Pink” was exactly what the boring show needed. It brought a bit of life to the night and actually showed a singer having fun with a song rather than staging an act. The judges all agreed Richardson would be safe.
Sundance Head? How does somebody named Sundance Head dedicate a song to a 2 ½ year-old son? And then opt to sing “Mustang Sally.” Well it may have been a smart move in some way to keep viewers interested in his son. Most people will remember him as a father and not want to boot him off.
