Singing Competitions

A conversation with kdpity got me thinking about the different singing competitions on TV right now.  I watched The X Factor and am currently watching The Voice and American Idol.  The X Factor was just a hot mess.  The numbers were overproduced, the mentors were more interested in fighting with each other, and the talent was overshadowed.  I thought Melanie Amaro was a worthy winner and definitely a talented singer, but the whole show was just a mess.  Hopefully they will scale back a bit for the second season and pick useful mentors to replace Paula and Nicole.  I'm also happy they got rid of Steve Jones.  Good-looking guy, but so painfully awkward.  It actually makes me appreciate Ryan Seacrest and how hard his job really is.

I watch The Voice mainly for the coaches.  They are actually mentoring, and it's great that they are current, very successful artists.  The blind auditions are also pretty fun, although that only lasted for a few weeks.  The Voice's main problem is the pace.  They're still in the battle rounds while American Idol is already a couple of weeks into its live shows.  So far my favorite contestants that survived the battle rounds are Erin Willett, Lindsay Pavao, Tony Lucca, and Jamar Rogers.

American Idol is still the king, and watching The X Factor actually made me miss American Idol.  Unlike The Voice, though, I watch American Idol for the contestants.  I usually skip over the judges' comments, because I find them pretty useless.  The pre-performance segments with Jimmy Iovine and the week's mentor can get pretty annoying, too.  Last night's style segments with Tommy Hilfiger was just dumb. American Idol does have the problem of sticking to the same boring themes over and over again, and to do old songs.  My favorites so far are Phil Phillips, Colton Dixon, and Jessica Sanchez.

American Idol - Finalists

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile.  I was really busy with unpacking stuff then our whole family got sick.  But we're all on the mend, the house is looking better, so now I have more time to blog.

We didn't have television for the first month, so I'm behind in a lot of shows.  I finally started watching the top 11 on American Idol, and was impressed at the group of contestants this year.  My favorite was Jessica Sanchez and Colton Dixon.  Jessica has such a powerhouse voice, and taking on "I Will Always Love You" that first week was so brave.  I thought her performance of "Turn the Beat Around" wasn't that bad, and I normally hate that song.

Colton marches to his own beat and it's very refreshing.  He's a great singer and entertainer, and I hope he stays true to himself and what he likes.

Other favorites include Joshua Ledet and Hollie Cavanagh.  How cute were Hollie's parents this week?  Love them.  Joshua's performance of "When A Man Loves A Woman" this week was fantastic.

I think Elise and Erica are talented, but they are not connecting with the viewers.  Elise definitely needs to improve her attitude.  I think Skylar Laine has the potential to be better than Lauren Alaina from last season, as long as she can keep her screaming in check.  Heejun is funny, but please pick other songs.  The 90s ballad thing is getting overdone with him.  Cute parents and girlfriend.

Philip Phillips is very good.  I can't believe how well he sang after just having surgery.  He is also very unique and hopefully he will continue to get better.  Deandre Brackensick has great hair, but unfortunately his hair has been more memorable than his singing.

Excited about the top 10 - can't wait to see what future weeks will bring.