Blunderbuss

American Idol: "All I Want" - Ford Video Review

(crossposted at flaring muzzle)

Watch the video here.

This is a fun and really quite ingenious video that makes the most of its kitch campfire theme. Sure, it's insipid and almost painfully inoffensive, but what I love about it is the way it plays with the personas of the various idol contestants, and also how it positions certain contestants as frontrunners while marginalizing others.

For example, even though nearly everyone is shown singing, the video begins with Chris and his guitar--he is clearly leading this campfire sing-along, just as he is clearly leading the the entire show both in popularity and accomplishment. (I'm a Bucky fan, but even I must acknowledge that Chris deserves to take the grand prize.)

Having Bucky pop his head out of the back of the truck while reclining is pretty funny--something tells me that some fans would very much enjoy finding themselves in the back of that truck, and the producers of AI certainly certainly aren't above cultivating Bucky's good-old-boy image!

Lisa is the ingenue of the piece and she appears appropriately sweet and innocent. The camera loves her and her warm smile is clearly meant to embody the innocent fun of the campfire in the woods with one's friends.

There are two trios of contestants that serve as sort of generic "friends" of Lisa's who aren't given much to do and don't recieve much screen time.

First there is Melissa, Kellie, and Paris popping out from behind some plastic trees. They are barely there and all but disappear into the crowd in the campfire scene that follows. (If this were a slasher film these three would be the first victims--in fact, poor Melissa really was the first to go from the Top Twelve.)

Then there is Mandissa, Elliott, and Talyor, apparently returning from a fishing trip. It's interesting that the video casts three of the strongest voices in the competition in such minor roles. All three are unquestionably excellent singers, but (how to put this delicately?) they do not have the same pin-up star looks as some of the contestants. (Though, personally, I think Mandissa is gorgeous.) Could it be that the producers are subtly distancing themselves from these three here?

In between the presentation of these two groups, Kevin shows up, alone in the woods except for a faithful bunny rabbit that follows him. This is hilarious on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin. Kevin fans, pay attention: you are being mocked by that little bunny rabbit! This is also, no doubt, a joke about Kevin's status as "sex symbol"--the bunny being a rather obvious nod to his would-be "playboy" status. His silly hat and stand-alone status mark him as basically the mascot of the Idol gang, which, at this point, he has clearly become.

The real drama begins with the appearance of Ace's "Bigfoot" character (who seems to have more than his fair share of marshmallows) and the appearance of sexy State-Trooper Katharine. The video hints at what really goes on between teenagers at midnight campfires in the woods with this pairing--and the cute play between the "naughty" (and sweaty) "monster" Ace and "stern" Katharine flirts with turning this innocent campfire into something a little more PG. It doesn't completely go there, though, because in the end, Ace's "bigfoot" is unmasked and Katharine's stern park ranger is integrated into the circle and it's all innocent fun.

The interplay between Ace and Katharine is also a cute play on the Beauty and the Beast story on several levels: Katharine's character is presented as the Beauty who "tames" the Beast (turning Bigfoot into Ace), but Ace's unmasking is also a sort of Beauty and the Beast joke because the "Beast" turns out to be "beautiful" after all. Also, notice how Katharine only smiles after a now-revealed Ace smiles at her--as if she were the "beast" who needed to be tamed all along!

There's something highly appropriate about the roles this pair is cast in--especially Katharine who (despite ocasional giggling fits) comes across as a bit of a snob, even though she's no doubt a very nice girl. (And of course, Ace has been working the cuddly-bear angle pretty intensely since his earliest appearance.)

All-in-all, a very entertaining (and revealing) commercial.

Some final thoughts:

The constentants who get significant individual screen-time are: Chris, Bucky, Lisa, Kevin, Katharine, and Ace.

The rest of the constestants are put in two groups, presented (more or less) in increasing degrees of talent: Melissa-Kellie-Paris and Mandissa, Elliott, Taylor.

My theory: the judges want either Chris, Bucky, Lisa, Katharine, or Ace as the next American Idol. And they want Kevin to stick around for awhile on the show because he is entertaining as a foil for the others and in no danger of actually winning. They want to acknowledge the greatness of Mandissa, Elliott, and Taylor, but don't want to be stuck trying to market them. And they want Melissa, Kellie, and Paris to quietly fade away.

posted by albatross @ 10:41 AM 0 comments

American Idol: Top 11

(crossposted at flaring muzzle)

It's too bad Melissa left so soon. She wasn't the very best, but she was a very good and certainly much better than some of the remaining contestants. Still, this was probably an easier way to go than it could have been. The lyric flub and the sore throat allow her the dignity of having an excuse for going home this early.

The big news of the results show last week for me was that Bucky not only survived but survived in fine style--not even in the bottom three! GO BUCKY!!! And not only that, but we were treated to what can only be described as the most hilarious face-off in Idol Results Show History: Prettyboy Ace versus ubergeek Kevin. Oh, the look on Ace's face when Ryan told him that he was in the bottom three. The ranking was preposterous, of course. Ace is a far superior candidate to fill the role of "Idol" than Kevin. But I would be lying if I said that there wasn't a petty, sadistic part of me that didn't thoroughly relish this primetime "revenge of the nerds." Clearly the Idol producers were delighted as well, orchestrating things so that poor Ace had to squirm at center-stage for nearly the entire show. Classic.

Also interesting was Lisa's presence in the bottom three. This was a surprise to me at first, but in retrospect I can see why she hasn't connected with viewers. Her performance last week was the first performance of hers that I actually didn't enjoy that much--I didn't feel the confidence from her performance that I usually do. Hopefully she'll be able to return to her comfort zone next week.

One final point: this was one of the most fascinating and enjoyable results-shows I can ever remember seeing on AI because, aside from Melissa's departure, its results were truly surprising and yet felt like they were a perceptive reflection of the performances. Simon was right when he said that he'd done a good job of training US audiences to be good judges. (Of course, many no doubt didn't need Simon's training!)

posted by albatross @ 10:36 AM 0 comments

American Idol: Top Twelve - Almost Perfect

(crossposted at flaring muzzle)

I missed the results show last night, but when I found out who got turfed, well... All I can say is: I'm very pleasantly surprised by the results.

After the perfomances on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was certain that Melissa, Kinnik, Will, and Kevin were headed home. I didn't even dare to hope that the two most unwatchable contestants -- Ayla Brown and Gedeon McKinney -- would be going home instead of Melissa and Kevin. Melissa gave a dull performance this week, and though she is actually very good, I expected that America may have been looking for an excuse to ditch the girl-next-door. I also thought that Kevin's painful Il Divo Jr. charm had (finally) worn out everyone's patience, not just mine. But, hey, if it means saying goodbye to "robotic" Ayla and "odd little thing" Gedeon, it's a fair trade-off in my book.

The remaining Top Twelve match up almost exactly with my own wish-list, which, after this week's performances remains topped by Bucky Covington and Mandissa. The more I hear of the contestants, the more confident I am that these two are the ONLY two that I would spend money to listen to. (My wife and I were BOTH wandering around the house on Thursday singing Mandissa's "I'm Every Woman," and Bucky's song was a gem of scratchy-melodic grace, as usual.) Yes, yes, Lisa Tucker and Elliott Yamin have beautiful voices, Chris Daughtry is a consummate rocker, and Kellie Pickler is a perfect country "minx," but I find Bucky and Mandissa more appealing than the best of the rest by a longshot.

The performances this week also sealed my opinion of several other popular performers. Talented nut Taylor Hicks is now officially unbearable. I actually have to look away from the TV. And goggle-eyed Betty Boop Katharine McPhee is almost as bad. She has a beautiful voice but geez, simmer-down already. Oh yes, and let's not forget Ace Young. On second-thought, let's.

My revised Top Twelve (Categorized):

The Best

1. Bucky Covington

2. Mandissa

The Great

3. Elliott Yamin

4. Chris Daughtry

5. Lisa Tucker

The Good But Potentially Forgettable

6. Kellie Pickler

7. Paris Bennett

8. Melissa McGhee

The Talented But Insufferable (and Often Excruciating)

9. Katharine McPhee

10. Ace Young

11. Taylor Hicks

Misplaced

12. Kevin Covais

posted by albatross @ 1:18 PM 0 comments

American Idol: My Top Twelve (In Order)

(crossposted at Flaring Muzzle)

How to rank them? I'm basing this not strictly on the talent of the performers, but on the likelihood that I would actually shell out $$ for one of their albums (something I have yet to do for any Idol winner).

1. Bucky Covington - he might not technically be the best singer in the competition, but I love his voice. If he were packaged correctly (alt rock/country), I would buy.

2. Mandissa - I don't care whether she was "a bit pitchy" during her "Cry" performance or not. That song was a knockout and so's Mandissa. I would buy.

3. Elliott Yamin - unbelievable voice, but could Idol package him in a way that wouldn't nauseate me? Unlikely. He won't win, but he will have a career, so here's my advice for Elliott: don't let them strangle you with horrible Disney songs. They may win Academy Awards, but they suck hard. If his material is as amazing as his voice, I probably would buy.

4. Lisa Tucker - The Next Natalie Cole. She will sell records, and she should. I've really enjoyed her performances. Chances are, I'd probably buy.

5. Chris Daughtry - the favorite to win, and I'm impressed by his performances, but he's a front man for a band, not a solo artist. Also, I'm not much of a straight-up rock fan. I wish him well, but probably wouldn't shell out.

6. Melissa McGhee - smokey, sexy voice, but lacking a bit in the charisma department. I've enjoyed all of her performances, but I'm not sure they've convinced me that I'd actually shell out for an album.

7. Ace Young - Umm, what to say about Ace? He's a marketing dream, he has an okay voice, and his doe-eyed, carefully rehearsed, "confessional" spots about his "beanie" and other personal trivia make me want to vomit. Still, once he gives the family-friendly act-a-thon a rest and with an interesting set of producers behind him, he might almost be bearable. If he wins, though, we'll all have to live through at least a couple of years of excruciating schlock before really getting to know this cat.

8. Paris Bennett - what's not to like? Not sure I'd buy, though.

9. Kellie Pickler - talented, adorable, and sexy--but enough with the Southern Country girls already!

10. Katharine McPhee - great voice, could be a hot pop artist. I might buy her album if she went in a Kelly Clarkson direction. But, then again, I didn't buy Kelly's album. If they make her a chanteuse, however, there's no chance at all. There's something that bugs me about this girl--and I don't just mean her mother.

11. Taylor Hicks - the man is undeniably talented, but... Dissing Taylor is sort of like kicking a puppy, but I just cannot STAND his euphoric whoops, grins, and autoerotic hugging. The Rain Man has his fans and will do just fine. He certainly deserves to be in the top 12. I wish him well--just...somewhere far away from my TV screen.

12. Kinnik Sky - barely hanging on, but potentially more watchable (and listenable) than any of the other holdouts: Ayla Brown, Will Makar, Kevin Covais, and Gedeon McKinney. The rest of this lot just don't do it for me.

posted by albatross @ 1:02 PM 0 comments

Top Twelve

It has been proposed to me that it is not too early to produce a wish list for the unfolding of the American Idol competition proper. In that spirit, I advance the following top twelve, culled out of the remining sixteen contestants, and ranked for their degree of desired staying power: (Note: this is NOT a prediction)

To be dispensed with next week:

Ayla. She's amazingly and irritatingly self-satisfied. Who wouldn't be, if beautiful, tall, multi-talented, and from an aristocratic family? Yet, apart from her magnificent self-esteem--which Simon commented on last week--there is nothing especially going for her.

Kevin. I like geeky boys, but he's unfortunately not terribly attractive at his age. There's hope, though, that he might ripen with years.

Kinnick. In a competition with such charismatic African-American women singers, she's unfortunately a little forgettable.

Gideon. Though he is an entertaining performer, I have to agree with Simon that he's creepy, both in his smile and in his religiously-fueled egotism.

"The Idols":
Number 12 - Melissa McGhee. She's cute and talented but is a little too girl-next-door and has poor posture, as albatross pointed out to me.

Number 11 - Will Makar. He impressed me this week with his sonorous choirboy voice, and I'm a little curious to see more, but ultimately uninterested. Peter Brady was always my favourite.

Number 10 - Ace Young. The dreamy, pothead, skiing Colorado boy is not a type I find especially appealing. Can't you just see him going to Burning Man, and impressing the girls by touting some book by Carlos Castaneda and talking about how he's really getting to understand himself/the cosmos? Sorry, but it's such a cliche.

Number 9 - Mandisa. This is getting harder. I like Mandisa's power and warmth, but she doesn't give me the shivers.

Number 8 - Taylor Hicks. Buddy let me down last week, with that rendition of Easy, which was desperately artless with all of its out of place woo-hoos. And then, he didn't even seem to be listening to the judges telling him he had to raise his game. I think he's getting smug.

Number 7 - Kelli Pickler. Her high profile here rests solely on her performance last week of "Give 'Em Something to Talk About," particularly the moment in that clip they keep showing where she throws her hair in front of her face. It was a revelation of unabashed and genuine female abandonment that is rare on camera--absent, indeed, in this culture of managed and fetishized female sexuality. But I doubt she's going to be able to reproduce the effect on demand ad infinitum. It's too fragile and precious to survive the camera, I suspect.

Number 6 - Lisa Tucker. I think she's really great, but too young and "wholesome" to be a really sexy and saucy American Idol. And I guess that's how I like my pop stars.

Number 5 - Chris Daughtry. Yes, he's talented, charismatic, and essentially a lovely person (the clips with the step-children warm my heart, as they would any woman's.) But as someone said, he sounds the same as every rock singer of his type and class.

Number 4 - Bucky Covington. The boy revealed last week a really beautiful intensity and vulnerability--though I don't know the song, his Garth Brooks had to be better than Garth Brooks's. But I suspect he won't be able to reproduce that effect every week, and Southern Rock isn't really my thing anyways.

Number 3 - Paris Bennett. I'm convinced the girl is a real talent; still, I'm unsure of how much genuine soul she can dredge up at her age.

Number 2 - Elliot Yamin. Almost every week he reveals some really intense and poweful new vocal talent. But I fear that he's ultimately an underdog, not really capable of throwing off sufficient "star quality" radiance to make use of the American Idol platform. Essentially, I think he might be an "Indie" artist, who needs a more subtle and sophisticated vehicle.

Number 1 - Katherine McPhee. I am a (primarily) straight woman, but this girl makes me quiver a little with her bottomless sultriness and her confidence in her gift. I like someone who can focus so much on the moments of her performance, because she's so fundamentally sure of her control over the whole of it. How far can she go?

posted by ottoline @ 12:11 PM 0 comments

Anti-Ad #1: Evil Empire of Starbucks

So, I'm trying to chill out at Starbucks when I glance down and encounter this on my cup:

The Way I See It #53

Be exceptional. Make tremendous efforts to be extraordinary. What a privilege to be here on the planet to contribute your unique donation to humankind. Just make sure you do so...

I'm sorry...OR WHAT? Maybe I don't FEEL extraordinary today. Or how 'bout this, Mr. Coffee Cup: maybe my contribution - my unique donation to humankind - will be to launch a crusade to oust Starbucks from smug middle-class neighbourhoods everywhere. You're part of the problem, Starbucks, not the solution!! You and your fuck-wit homilies for twelve-year-olds and brain dead homeowners. Damn you and your tasty coffee and your damn comfy chairs. If it weren't for those chairs, I'd find somewhere else to buy my coffee...I would!

This amused me, at least:

posted by albatross @ 9:42 PM 0 comments

American Idol: 4 for 4, plus a bonus!

(crossposted at flaring muzzle)

Brenna Gethers

Heather Cox

David Radford

Jose "Sway" Penala

Good job, America. My sentiments exactly.

It's a good thing, too, that poor Kevin Covais got the heads-up that he may, in fact, NOT be America's next great sex symbol, much less its next singing sensation. It'll make the bad news next week a little easier to weather.

posted by albatross @ 4:41 PM 0 comments

American Idol: Who Goes Home Tonight??

This week, ottoline and I agree:

Bye-bye:

David Radford
Jose "Sway" Penala

Heather Cox
Brenna Gethers

posted by albatross @ 5:32 PM 1 comments

American Idol: New Bucky Fan

(crossposted at Flaring Muzzle)

Like, HUH?!? I enjoyed Bucky Covington's top twelve performance a week ago, but I loved his Garth Brooks song tonight--and I'm speaking as someone who normally doesn't even like Country. What a fantastic voice: alternately smooth, rough, and deep. He seems to have listened to the judges suggestions last week to sing more and not make-with-the-scratchy quite so much--though I love the scratchy too. GO BUCKY!

Honorable mentions: Elliott Yamin (his song also blew me away--sensational) and Chris Daughtry (Simon, Randy, and Paula said it all--the man's a professional; his songs just aren't quite my thing; still, amazing performer; confidence and talent like that is always easy to watch). I also have to give Gedeon McKinney credit for a great performance.

Slipping: Ace Young (not good tonight, despite the finessing that Randy and Paula attempted in their comments; painful falsetto--Simon spoke the truth); Tayor Hicks (I had to acknoweldge his talent last week, but I can barely stand to watch him perform, and this was not a good song tonight).

Barely Hanging On: Will Makar

Done: Kevin Covais, Jose "Sway" Panala, David Radford

posted by albatross @ 9:10 PM 0 comments