Thursday, February 12, 2004
Idol-Mania
This season of American Idol promises to be the most watched because of the sheer amount of vocal ability from each semi-finalist. There's just so much talent in the first round alone that it's almost painful to see only two of the eight graduate to the finals. From Round One, my two picks are:
Matthew Metzger - Despite not being very photogenic, this guy is definitely a presence on stage. He's got this uncanny ability to mask his relatively weak singing voice (compared to the other seven) with sheer style and grace. As much as I hate to admit it, American Idol is as much a popularity contest as it is a singing competition. Metzger has the look and the voice of a pop star. He's got my vote.
Fantasia Barrino - Without a doubt, they saved the best for last. This woman is just going to breeze through the competition and end up at least in the top four. With a confidence that simply amazes, she was able to own the stage and have her audience lapping up her every note. The only thing I see going against her is that fact that she's a mother and children (even one!) are usually not a good thing for a rising star.
It really saddens my heart to see the rest go, however. Before Fantasia's performance, I was rooting for 16-year-old Diana Degarmo, then afro-queen Jennifer Hudson and finally Celine Dion/Britney Spears lovechild Katie Webber. I simply loved the way they stood their ground and belted out their songs. It was pure and genuine, without a hint of arrogance. They just expressed themselves as aggresively as possible through their songs and I thought they were great.
I can't wait to see what the upcoming weeks promise.
This season of American Idol promises to be the most watched because of the sheer amount of vocal ability from each semi-finalist. There's just so much talent in the first round alone that it's almost painful to see only two of the eight graduate to the finals. From Round One, my two picks are:
Matthew Metzger - Despite not being very photogenic, this guy is definitely a presence on stage. He's got this uncanny ability to mask his relatively weak singing voice (compared to the other seven) with sheer style and grace. As much as I hate to admit it, American Idol is as much a popularity contest as it is a singing competition. Metzger has the look and the voice of a pop star. He's got my vote.
Fantasia Barrino - Without a doubt, they saved the best for last. This woman is just going to breeze through the competition and end up at least in the top four. With a confidence that simply amazes, she was able to own the stage and have her audience lapping up her every note. The only thing I see going against her is that fact that she's a mother and children (even one!) are usually not a good thing for a rising star.
It really saddens my heart to see the rest go, however. Before Fantasia's performance, I was rooting for 16-year-old Diana Degarmo, then afro-queen Jennifer Hudson and finally Celine Dion/Britney Spears lovechild Katie Webber. I simply loved the way they stood their ground and belted out their songs. It was pure and genuine, without a hint of arrogance. They just expressed themselves as aggresively as possible through their songs and I thought they were great.
I can't wait to see what the upcoming weeks promise.
