Spoiler alert if you record the show like I do. And, yeah, American Idol is one of my many guilty pleasures along with Ru Paul's Drag Race and Top Chef. Tonight, nine contestants were up for elimination and one of the obvious potential finalists, Pia Toscano, got sent packing.
So, once again, the flaws in the show are glaring. When you allow the American public to vote in a competition like this you can almost bet on a bad choice.
Pia Toscano, granted, was one of those diva-style singers I detest. Well, that style at least. Like rap, I was hoping America was done with that stuff back in the '90s, and maybe this result is final notice for divadom; but, that aside, the girl could REALLY sing. After all, American Idol is a singing competition despite the chosen genre of the singer.
Whatever happens after this though, Pia Toscano will have a huge recording career. I'm sure there are plenty of people talking to her right now who are thankful that she won't be bound by any contracts with Idol other than their summer tour.
I think what happened tonight is that the vast majority of people voting on Idol are young, white girls. Period. The other two hopefuls in the bottom three were a black male and a kinda Latino, ethnicy looking male. The highest vote getters, your top six, are all white.
You can further add into the mix that the other two in the bottom, Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone, set my gaydar off like nobody's business. Not totally sure about Stefano but Jacob is so obviously gay and in denial that it's just silly. There was an awkward little clip on this evening's show where he flirted with a rather large black girl in the TMZ studios that was as uncomfortable as going back and watching old movies where Rock Hudson kisses Hollywood's most famous leading ladies.
Maybe you remember Adam Lambert and that whole scene with him being gay. America caught on to that late in the season as if it wasn't obvious from day one and I think America is getting a little more sophisticated with their advance gay warning systems.
Just a side note, I stopped watching last season after my favorite, Siobhan Magnus, got sent home way too early and the god awful and talentless Lee Dewyze ended up winning so I'm glad I stopped in time.
The big deal though is that Idol does get careers launched and gets people discovered. Sure, they usually end up in the kind of trajectory where people are writing made for radio pablum for them to fill our ears with but still ... I enjoy that there is that kind of opportunity for talented people who want that sort of path to be able to pursue it. Good for them.
But to think that an elimination by voting system is going to get you the best is just way off base. I'll just keep saying George W. Bush every time the benefits of a democratic system are mentioned.
I'd like to add a little comment about a remark Jacob Lusk made on the show. The performances this week were taken from anything from an artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To say that the term "rock and roll" is used loosely here is an understatement. Jacob Lusk was at first going to perform rock and roller Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" but backed out over moral concerns. And yes, he's that much in denial.
So, he went with rock and roller Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Being asked about the choice to change songs he said that if he was in the bottom three this week it would be due to America's inability to look in the mirror at themselves. Let me just say that, if I was gay, I'd be the loudest, proudest queer on this planet. And I think it's high time Jacob Lusk took a look in his mirror and started being real about himself and encourage other gay kids who watch Idol that you don't have to live that kind of closeted life just because of your religion and your family.
He needs to do himself and his future wife/beard a favor and man up and grow a pair. Don't get me wrong, the kid is a mind-blowingly phenomenal talent. Maybe the best singer who has ever been on Idol. It just sets gay people and especially gay teens back years when guys like him are afraid to face the man in their mirror.
In other news this week, great movie came out on DVD, "I Love You Phillip Morris" starring Jim Carey and Ewan McGregor. It's got a pretty good bit of graphic guy on guy sex stuff in it and I'm already getting the anticipated Bible Belt feedback at my work.
For all the gay people out there who have to deal with straight folk douchebags on a daily basis, please let me apologize. I know that you know that we're not all like that but I'm sure it's easy to forget from time to time.
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