Posted on 05/08/2006 4:22:13 AM PDT by silent_jonny
Next, the contestants tackle the Coronation Songs of Suck. Let's see how they did.
Katharine McPhee - "My Destiny" written by Hanne Sorvaag - Katharine sang the first 2/3rds of this song passably. This was your typically banal Idol coronation song filled with cliched phrases like "Dream come true," "Every moment led me to this," "I didn't give up" and "I owe it to you...I made it through." Every coronation song is the same: If-Only-You-Believe-a-Moment-Like-This-Tonight-Inside-Your-Heaven-Will-Be-My-Destiny. Every year it's the same. At this point, the question is--how successfully can the contestant sell this dreck? Unfortunately for Katharine, the song was not in her comfort zone--a power ballad that had Katharine losing the melody as soon as she went for the high notes. As always. Even the choir didn't help. The judges were kind. After Randy complemented her look (code for "you sucked") he said "I didn't like the song, but I liked you." Paula said "That isn't your fault." As Simon began to speak, Katharine looked scared to death. But he was kind too. "I'm sorry Katharine, but you went from brilliant to quite good in one song....everyone who wants to vote for Kat vote and remember the second song."
Taylor Hicks - "Do I Make You Proud" written by Tracy Ackerman, Andrew Watkins and Paul Wilson - Taylor's coronation song was slightly less horrifying, but still a power ballad, still filled with the same trite phrases. Props to Taylor for making something out of it, though he didn't have much to start with. At least for Taylor, unlike Katharine, he had an arrangement he could work with, even if on principal the song was all wrong for him. He could at least sound decent singing it. Ok, except that he totally missed the note when the key changed. But still, he managed to Taylor-up the song enough so that it didn't sound completely alien. I'm sad this is going to be his first single, and I fear for what else the producers are going to force him to sing when he makes his album. I think I'll go listen to my pre-idol Taylor mp3s now. Randy was all you-made-it-your-own dawg. Paula said, "You're better than the song" That's the understatement of the season. And Simon simply said, "You've just won American Idol." And so he will.
Katharine's coronation song did her no favors. She didn't, and couldn't choose the song, but with a toned down arrangement, she would have fared better.
Based on tonight's performances, Taylor won. I think, at this point, that's a prediction that's safe to make.
COMMENTARY
By Craig Berman
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 11:04 p.m. ET May 23, 2006
When Taylor Hicks is crowned the "American Idol" champion on Wednesday night, he'll have a long list of people to thank. First and foremost among them should be the people responsible for writing Katharine McPhee's original song.
After each singer re-covered two songs they had performed earlier in the competition, each closed the show with what would be their debut single. Shockingly enough, both were given ballads. "Idol" may talk a good game about trying to be hip and relevant, but in the end the debut single is always a safe, boring, inoffensive choice. Can't be having Hicks shake those hips in his MTV debut!
If she wins, McPhee might want to check the fine print on her contract to see if she can get a quick rewrite, because even her biggest fans would have a hard time purchasing her song unless it got a total overhaul. The California native who looks the part of an "Idol" even if she doesn't always sound like one got saddled with "My Destiny."
The tune sounds a bit like Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This," if that No. 1 single was even more boring and insipid. It also required her to start in a key that was at least one octave lower than she normally performs, making her sound like a little girl imitating her father. The result was a huge mess. Even Randy Jackson essentially said the song itself stunk, which won't make the producers very happy.
Hicks' selection wasn't much better, another ballad called "Do I Make You Proud?" But the thing with Hicks is that he's a good enough performer that he can do a whole lot to sell a mediocre song. He can take a crappy melody and maudlin lyrics, add his usual so-stiff-that-they're-endearing dance moves, and come up with something that has the audience on its feet. Because of that, he ended Tuesday's show as the clear favorite.
It's doubtful that anyone responsible for bringing "Idol" to the airwaves ever envisioned that a gray-haired soul singer from Birmingham would even be a contender to win it all. But barring a major upset, that's what's likely to happen on Wednesday night. One note of consolation for the loser will be the presence of Clay Aiken at the finale, an illustration that losing the "Idol" battle doesn't necessarily mean an end to the possibilities of a successful career in music. No word on whether Season 1 runner-up Justin Guarini will be there as well.
Katharine McPhee, 21, Los Angeles: McPhee entered the night as the underdog, and needed a dominant performance to have a real chance at winning. That didn't happen.
She opened the show with an encore performance of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." When she first performed the song a few weeks ago, it was her best effort of the year. She couldn't match that effort this time around, and had to make up ground on Hicks from the beginning.
Her second song was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," which the judges loved for the second week in a row. Of course, the fact that she just sang the same song last week may not do her any favors, but she made up some ground on Hicks despite the fact that the vocals seemed to impress Simon and company more than they did the audience.
That left her in position to make a strong case for her candidacy with her original song, but the songwriters did her no favors and she didn't help herself with a blah performance. Other than her parents, it's doubtful that anyone could quote one lyric from the song 10 minutes after the show ended, because it was so horribly bland. It's doubtful that even Kelly Clarkson could have made it sound interesting, but McPhee certainly wasn't up to the challenge, and it probably cost her the title.
Grade: B
The judges, "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree": "I'll give it a 'good' with a small 'g,' I think, because this occasion is bigger than that song." – Simon Cowell. The judges, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow": "You've made every girl proud who wants to dream and aspire to be you." – Paula Abdul
The judges, "My Destiny": "I got three things for you. You look amazing. You sounded really good. I did not love the song." – Randy Jackson
Odds of winning: 25 percent. Paula Abdul said on "Access Hollywood" before the show began that it's a huge asset to be the favorite of the teenage girls texting their votes in. Of course, Paula also said that Chris Daughtry would be in the finals and 40 million people belonged to the Church of Mandisa, so her word isn't exactly gospel.
Taylor Hicks, 29, Birmingham, Ala.: Hicks didn't do anything to lose his status as the favorite. While he wasn't perfect, he was good enough to win.
The geriatric Alabama native opened the show with "Living for the City," a shrewd call in that his original version of the Stevie Wonder song was far enough in the past that the performance seemed fresh. It was enough to give him the early lead despite the fact that he wore a velvet purple smoking jacket that even Liberace wouldn't have been caught dead in.
His second song was Elton John's "Levon," a choice that didn't make it easy for him to win over the crowd. He played it a little too safe with his stage movements, which made it a duller than usual performance.
He closed the show with "Do I Make You Proud," and for his fans the answer had to be a resounding "Yes!" The song itself isn't going to win any awards, but Hicks sold it with every fiber of his being. All season long, he's been the best at making himself stand out, and this final effort likely sealed the deal to win the "Idol" title.
Grade: A-
The judges, "Living for the City": "You know what I love about you? Stevie [Wonder] is the hardest thing in the world to sing, but you don't care how hard it is, because you made it your own." – Randy Jackson.
The judges, "Levon": "What may be 'pitchy' to you [Randy] is the essence of what Taylor is." – Paula Abdul
The judges, "Do I Make You Proud": "Assuming that I was right and the show was tied [heading into the final song], you just won 'American Idol'." – Simon Cowell
Odds of winning: 75 percent. Hicks has done better than McPhee throughout the competition, and he did better on Tuesday night as well. While nothing is certain, and there's always the dreaded telephone glitch to worry about, Hicks is in great position to be crowned the next 'American Idol' winner.
Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.
© 2006 MSNBC Interactive
But it would be great reality tv, wouldn't it? Another shocker for the ratings.
He's just great!
I actually thought he looked great.
NOT. What the heck is wrong with just listening to him sing?
The geriatric Alabama native opened the show with "Living for the City," a shrewd call in that his original version of the Stevie Wonder song was far enough in the past that the performance seemed fresh.
Chris Daughtry - 250,513 - 253,568 - 258,187 +4,619
Elliot Yamin - 268,879 - 271,115 - 274,520 +3,405
And the Final 2:
Katharine McPhee - 149,648 - 153,066 - 159,639 +6,573
Taylor Hicks - 773,440 - 792,489 - 835,848 +43,359
The dude is popular on the AI boards.....
Not exactly a thrilling night all around, though nowhere near as bad as last year's finale when everyone in the entire production was sick. Nevertheless, I was singularly unimpressed with both contestants last night.
Kat started off well; while it was with a relatively easy and safe number, I think it was a good choice given the other two she was singing, to show contrast and her "fun" side. Her second number was a mistake -- she had just performed it last week, and very, very well... it was going to be hard to live up to that standard, and she didn't. it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good. "Someone to Watch Over Me" would have been a better choice, in my opinion. The song they wrote for her was horrendous -- essentially, every bad cliche that Kat needs to avoid rolled into a single song, including all sorts of strange register changes -- and she isn't good enough to make a bad song sound good.
Taylor left me pretty cold as well. I couldn't get into his first number at all -- all I could think (especially with the hideous purple jacket) was "bad Vegas act". He then came close to butchering "Levon" in his second number. He finished well on his custom song, though the beginning was so dull I barely was able to pay attention to the rest, and it was hard not to wonder how Kat would have compared if she had gotten to sing the same song instead of the piece of crap she was given.
I would have given the first two rounds to Kat, and the third to Taylor. Taylor wins the night on the strength of the last number.
That aside, I still don't think Taylor is "American Idol" material. I know I'm in the minority here, but I really don't buy into this mantra that Taylor just "feels" the music, yada, yada, yada. To me, he copies the mannerisms of people like Ray Charles and Joe Cocker, but doesn't have the same intuition as to when to use those mannerisms -- they just seem to be tucked in randomly in his singing. I don't like the way he crafts his phrasing, and with one or two exceptions, has completely failed to "sell" me on his songs. He's different, to be sure, but to me he is a novelty that will wear off soon.
Katharine, on the other side, isn't exactly prime "AI" material either at the moment. She's had consistency troubles and really needs to find a focus on the type of music she sings well. Where I think Kat is the preferable winner here is that she has the potential to grow into the mold of an "American Idol" once she gets a good producer behind her. When she has nailed her numbers, she's nailed them. She'll produce a great studio album, and I think she'll continue to improve in live performances as time passes; the summer tour will be great for her in that respect.
Bottom line: Taylor may win the contest, but I still back Katharine as the better long-term prospect.
Imus was pimping them big time in the morning. He loves anyone who expresses hatred for our President AND the war.
I only tried to get through for an hour and ahalf.....I didn't make it through ONE time for Taylor.
LOLOL.....I've been careful not to mention my obsession to my grown kids, lest they decide ole Mom needs to be committed.
LOL!!
Wait till you hear Elliott on the Idol Encore CD.......he's better than you can imagine. No wonder everyone was shocked when he was voted off and McPhee stayed.
OMG that could be true. Taylor fans jammed the phones....and Kats votes are sporadic and they ALL get through. This is disheartening.
Over/under on how many people audition with this song next year?
Yes the ending was SO much better. I think I heard Nick La????? wrote his song, Jessica S. ex. The words were good, I didn't like the arrangement. But Taylor did make it better in the end.Couldn't remember how to spell Nick's last name.
Taylor melted my heart with his last song.
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