I’m normally rather quiet on non writing stuff on my blog (which is probably why the blog gets quiet from time to time), but this time I couldn’t keep my mouth/keyboard shut.
Ok, I’m actually merging three rants into one. Why? Because they happened on the same night.
First, let me admit - I’m an Adam fan. The boy could pick up a book and sing the words to any tune and I think I’d like it. (Adam, wanna sing one of my books to me?) He has a voice and talent like nobody’s business, and in my albeit useless opinion, he’s the best AI has ever had in it’s 8 year history!
Rant #1. Last night on AI, he sang Cryin’. A great song. A great performance. Only we couldn’t HEAR the first verse. Why? Because the guy on the mixing board didn’t know how to set mic level. The backup singers were louder than he was. It made the song sound horrendous and even I cringed! Thank heaven by the 2nd verse the problem was fixed, but what the heck took so long? Made me wonder if Mr. Mixing Board wanted to ensure HIS competitor won instead of Adam. Really bad. Dude should be fired if Adam gets voted off tonite.
Rant #2. Judges needed to back off last night. They looked like a bunch of squabbling children. I know Kara was trying to “Fit in”, but all she managed to do was look stupid. And Simon made things worse by giving his blatant support to a singer. Doesn’t he know that when he does that it always backfires? Then he realized what he did, and tried to fix it - making things even worse!
Rant #3. A friend (bless her ever loving heart, this is not her fault) posted on a board that while she thinks Adam is the best singer, she thinks Danny should win. Huh? Her reason? Adam was going to get a contract anyway, so why not give someone else a chance.
Let’s take this in a different comparison. We all know what the Kentucky derby is, even if we don’t watch it, right? I had the pleasure
of seeing it this year - something I’ve done only once or twice before. This year, the horse that started in the last place ended in first by several lengths. Now, as I indicated, I’m no expert so can’t remember the number of lengths. But Mine That Bird took off like something I’ve never seen, weaving in and out until he was in the lead, then belted for home plate. This was the jockey’s second win at the Derby in three years.
So once Mine that Bird was the definite winner, should he have backed off so another horse could prove himself? After all, the Jockey had already proven his skill, and the horse now had his part in history for such an awesome comeback. Let’s do it! Let’s just pull up before he reaches the finish line. We already know he performed superbly and would receive all the recognition for such fame. Why not give the win to someone else? Blasphemy you say?
Let’s take it from a different perspective. The Golden Heart is a wonderful award. It’s like the Oscars of unpublished
romance authors. Let’s say the list of Golden Heart finalists is shown and we find that one of them has recently received a 5 book sale based off her entry. (I’m not saying this happened, just creating a fictitious example) She now has her agent, a publisher, and is set for an awesome career. Why don’t we just pull her entry from the GH so someone else can win? Would that be fair?
No.
So why is it fair to want to take away something someone has earned to “Give someone else a chance”? This world isn’t a fair place, and I understand that. But if we have the opportunity to show fairness, why not? Is it right to rip the rug out from under one person because they have proven themselves worthy of the honor of winning something just because they proved themselves? My Dad always
said no matter what, do the best at what you do. I always got it in my head that best meant you received a reward - either the satisfaction of a job well done, or, as in the case of American Idol - coming in FIRST if your best is better than the other competitors. What kind of society thinks it’s okay for number 2 to win a competition?
Admittedly, had Adam entered AI four times in a row and won all four years (Something that can’t happen) I might say “Hey, give someone else a chance!” But if Adam deserves it, then dang it, he should win it!
Now for the Opinion part of our show:
I’m not a huge Danny fan. I find both he and Kris a bit on the boring side. Their songs have never really tugged at my heart, they’ve never shown a huge range of talent. They are both good at what they do, but their voices don’t have the quality of Adam’s. For me, they are both forgettable. This time next year I won’t even remember their names. Heck, I just learned Danny’s name a few weeks back. Kept calling him “that other guy”.
I think Adam has earned his place in history as the winner of 2009 American Idol. The only error ever heard on any of his performances is caused by the poor mixing of the mics. He sings better than Michael Jackson on one of Jackson’s own songs, and manages to make such cult wonder songs as “Play that funky music” sound current. Tell me who else can do that?
So, for this one time American Idol Rant, Adam, my hat’s off to you - and yes, I’m well over 30 for those who think only the youngsters like Adam. Way to show the world that a rocker (even sometimes a punk rocker) can sing. Rock On!