wordsmith1223
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« on: April 02, 2004, 11:02:04 PM » |
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This appeared in a column, County Lines, in the Breese, Ill., Journal, on March 25, 2004, by Lynn Venhaus:
"It all started two summers ago, when my friend Lisa told me about this “American Idol” show on Fox, so I tuned in midway and was immediately hooked on the unique talent show competition. We’d call each other up to say who we were voting for and critique the performances. I voted for Kelly Clarkson and yes, I will admit I gave Justin Guarini a couple phone votes, too, but that was before he got way too full of himself. I thought Tamyra Gray was also going places. The show became a phenomenon, and the second season started just a few months later in January 2003. From the get-go, I liked the easy-going big black guy from Alabama with the Luther Vandross vibe and the geeky yet charming kid from North Carolina with an amazing set of pipes, so I voted for Ruben and Clay quite a few Tuesday nights. I was eventually won over by Kimberley Locke, my sister’s favorite, too. On the finale, when Clay hit that last note of his terrific version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” I was certain he had won, but I wasn’t going to be upset if “The Velvet Teddy Bear” won either. When I tried to vote that evening, I just got busy signals. We all know how it turned out, but it hasn’t hurt Clay to be the runner-up. Well, cut to a year later and all three “AI” vets have big careers, hit albums, concert tours, award nominations, national celebrity, and all because the American public embraced them. Since we helped them become stars, we feel like we have a part in their success. They’ve all had makeovers and now have handlers, stylists, and publicists in their entourages, but somehow, they still seem genuine, and grateful. I hope that doesn’t go away. Their talent is undeniable, but they have those unpretentious, fun-loving personalities that are refreshing in today’s edgier, sleazier pop music. Maybe nice guys don’t finish last. Feeling like proud aunts, my friend Lisa and I went to the Kelly Clarkson-Clay Aiken concert at Savvis Center in St. Louis Sunday night. I figured the crowd would be a lot of teenage girls and moms, but was surprised to see quite a few dads and teenage guys in the audience, too. My observation is that people really like Kelly but they love Clay. As he moved through the crowd singing “Kyrie” as his opening number, it was shrieking pandemonium by hundreds of teenage girls, just like other teen idols who’ve come before. But let’s hope his career is longer than Leif Garrett and Shawn Cassidy. Kelly, the down-home Texas girl with an excellent vocal range, and Clay’s aw-shucks humility attract fans of all ages, and a trio of gray-haired grandmothers in “Aiken #1” T-shirts were several rows over. They were having a blast. Clay’s a natural entertainer, looks like he’s been doing this for years, and I see him Broadway-bound someday. He’s certainly grown in showmanship from his first “American Idol” performances to now, where he can really sell a song and have lots of fun with the crowd. Dare I say it was wholesome, with some surprisingly good choices of music covers by Clay, like Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” James Taylor’s “Carolina on my Mind” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” Kelly did a nice job with a Reba McIntyre song whose title escaped me. Lisa and I left with our fantasies of being back-up singers – the absolute coolest job in the world – intact. (If you want to see Clay perform on TV, he’ll be the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” this Saturday, with “Will & Grace’s” hilarious Megan Mullaly, who plays Karen, as the host. It’s a rerun, and it’s impressive.) I think people are surprised to find out how good some of those “American Idol” kids are. They come out of nowhere, from places all across the U.S. Seventy-thousand, mostly disillusioned, young people audition, and it gets down to a dozen, who have to endure rigorous rehearsals, rejection pressures, and life in a fishbowl all the while trying to get America to root for them. Some come out with lives forever changed and capitalize on a lucky break. Fame may not be fleeting for Josh Gracin, the number four guy from last summer (the married Marine), who has a country song on the charts and his country album’s coming out soon. Third runner-up Kimberley Locke’s album’s out this week. Clay’s new single featuring “The Way” and “Solitaire” is climbing the charts. And cute kid RJ Helton, from Season One, has an album out this week, too. Now the American public is in the beginning of the third “American Idol” competition, and the judges say this set of 12 finalists is the best yet. Who’s next for their dreams to come true? I’m predicting LaToya London as the winner, but there’s some good folks in George Huff, Jasmine Trias, Jennifer Hudson, Diana DeGarmo, and I even like the big guy, football player Matt Rogers and that goofy Jon Peter Lewis. Will they overshadow the previous winners? Hard to say, but it’ll be interesting for the next two months. I’ll get real tired of the product placements, those drawn-out results shows, the bad song choices, Randy saying “dawg” and Ryan Seacrest. But a show that makes a media darling out of rejected William “She Bangs” Hung is as fascinating as it was the summer of 2002 when it captivated a nation despite all those boy-band wannabes (EJ, AJ, et al). And most of the time, I agree with Simon, which is kinda scary, but he gives a reality check, sometimes too brutal and blunt, instead of fake praise. At least it’s more fun than watching backstabbers and gold-diggers on those other reality shows.
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