-or- the shtick is wearing thin
I completely missed season one. I was entirely disinterested.
Caught some of the auditions of season two and found them quite funny, so we started watching. And our enjoyment of American Idol was born.
We watched regularly all through season two, cheering on those we liked and agonizing over those who should have left the scene earlier. We enjoyed it, and didn’t feel embarrassed at all. It was fun, it was entertaining.
We were excited for season three. It started, and we watched regularly. But something was missing. We didn’t enjoy it nearly as much, didn’t really care about who won, and by the end were sort of Idoled out.
This season we started watching again. And that was when it hit me. For me, at least, American Idol had become American Idull. One word sums it up:
Boring.
Sure, there are some contestants who don’t fit the standard Pop Star mold. But the program is forcing them into it the best it can. After all, for all the talk of wanting something original from the judges, they simply are liars. What they really want is marketable. But that doesn’t sound as nice as original. Come on, this is cookie-cutter, pre-fab music. Originality doesn’t fit well into that formula.
Then we have the judges. They have simply become caricatures of themselves. First we have Randy. “Dawg”, “pitchy”, “you brought it”, and “it was aight” are all we get from him. Wishy-washy.
Paula has become the facially paralyzed champion of the chumps. Praising performances that deserve a guffaw at best, trying to sound enraged at Simon (all while maintaining that wrinkle-free placid look), and just generally ensuring that no one can (or at least should) take her seriously anymore. Sad.
And finally, the judge everyone loves to hate, Simon. Truth be told, I agree with him more often than not, but his act is wearing thin too. If I were to listen to him, I would think that he spends all his free time in karaoke bars. The least he could do is come up with something new to say. Predictable.
So what was, two seasons ago, fun and entertaining has now become dull and pedestrian. Bow down before your American Idull overlords. They are here for you.