"American Idol:" Some songs should be banned
On Wednesday's auditions for "American Idol," Von Smith sang an extremely loud, overwrought and show-offy version of "Over the Rainbow." Forget any sense of nuance or tenderness or heartache. No, Smith just ripped his lungs out, cascading notes up and down, to show the power of his voice. (This morning, I heard it again and -- in just listening to it and not watching the screen -- it sounded even more excruciatingly over-the-top than it did last night.)
Which brings me to this topic: A colleague shared with me Entertainment Weekly's "12 Songs That Should Be Banned from the Show Forever!"
I'll start with "Over the Rainbow," only because I love the song and disdain how it gets clobbered by most AI wannabes. I'd also ban any versions of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston songs because AI wannabes usually sound like limp imitations compared to those two divas.
What songs would you banish from AI?
Comments:
Can I banish AI altogether?
Posted by: Heather at January 15, 2009 2:50 PM
Sorry, Heather, only the American viewing public can do that buy turning off the show.
Now that I think of it, I'd also like to ban the show's opening theme music. It's always been pretty lame.
Posted by: felicia matlosz at January 15, 2009 2:55 PM
I'm all for banning "Over the Rainbow," Felicia. An interesting thing about that song: Last week when I interviewed Carl Topilow, conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, he says that song is consistently ranked as the most recognizable movie-related song of all time.
I'd ban the "God Bless the U.S.A." genre, too.
Posted by: Donald Munro at January 15, 2009 3:41 PM
All Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson songs. No more Aretha, Whitney, Mariah or Christina either. All the contestants do is butcher them and make me cringe. Oh, and no more Bon Jovi, please; the "Wanted" massacre Tuesday was all I could handle.
Posted by: Kathy at January 15, 2009 3:49 PM
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