It's another three days until the top four performers sing again on American Idol, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about the show. I've got a few thoughts that I'd like to share with you about the show and one of them is regarding the voting process that takes place each and every week. American Idol relies on viewers to call into "866" toll free numbers to place votes for their favorite contestants. Either that, or viewers can also send text votes for their favorites. But those two methods are the only way viewers can vote for their Idols. Voting via phone is also restricted to just American viewers of the show. Just think how many votes each contestant could receive if they accepted international votes? I realize that's probably not an economical thing to do and it could possibly sway the votes for a contestant that has ties or ancestry with a particular international country. But think of the possibilities that could exist if people internationally could also vote for singers on American Idol. The show is already broadcast around the world as it is; why not let the international folks vote, too?
I think one of the things that is dogging the show at this point in time is having the competition turn into a popularity contest. Let's be honest, for most of this season, the worst singers left have stuck around for far too long compared to those with really good vocals. You can make the case that Syesha Mercado belongs in the top four based on the past few weeks. But prior to that, did she really have any memorable performances worthy of her sticking around for as long as she has? And how about Jason Castro. The last two weeks have not been stellar weeks for him and only a couple of his performances were truly memorable since he's been in the top 12. The same can be said for Brooke White (who left this week) and for Kristy Lee Cook who lasted far longer than a lot of people imagined. Meanwhile, exceptional singers like Michael Johns and Carly Smithson get the boot far sooner than anticipated. I know they always preach about voting, voting, and voting and not to let your favorite go sooner than they ought to. But voting over and over again for two straight hours week in and week out gets to be rather tedious. This is why I think there should be a change in the voting process with American Idol.
Now I don't follow Dancing with the Stars all that closely, but sometimes I can't avoid watching it (particularly if I'm over at my parents). I don't know the exact voting procedures that are in place, but from what I've heard, voting takes place not only by phone, but through the internet. So for those people who don't want to keep dialing their phones, the internet could be another option. Also the judges on Dancing with the Stars have a say in who gets to stay and who goes. I know their votes are only a certain percentage of the overall pie, but they do have a say. Now I realize this will probably be a difficult task for Paula Abdul if the judges ever get to have a say as to who did the best because she usually thinks all of them do well. But I think it's something that needs to be looked at. American Idol is trying to reach out to fans and ask what they can do better to keep the viewers interested and not bailing out each season. I've witnessed the public outcry on various internet message boards after a favorite like Michael Johns or Carly Smithson gets voted out. Some people vow never to watch the show ever again. Chris Daughtry's shocking elimination in season five was the most surprising moment in the show's history. I think some people haven't even recovered from that incident and it's already been two years. I think you will see that ever since season five, the ratings for the show have been on a gradual decrease. I know it makes the show unpredictable when there's a shocking elimination, but for the overall integrity of the show, I don't believe it's necessarily a good thing. It turns people off and they never watch the show again.
One thing that has bugged me about this season is the lack of any contemporary and current songs. In season's past, we've had a Billboard Top 100 songs week and even during Country Week, contestants have sung current country hits. That has largely been lacking this season and it's been a big disappointment for me. I mean sure, we were able to see contestants sing recent songs during the auditions and Hollywood Week, but ever since then, current songs have been lacking from the competition. I realize that there's more difficulty in trying to gain the rights to sing these songs, but for the majority of those artists, they are more than willing to comply because it gives their songs more exposure. But the producers of the show seem to be more reluctant to go that route now and that's unfortunate. That's not to say songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's aren't great because there are a countless number of classics during those decades. But it would be nice to hear a contemporary week for a change. I guess having the Idols sing Mariah Carey songs is about as contemporary as they come this season.
So as things are shaping up, it appears we are in store for a David vs. David finale. This is exactly what I want and I think having both David's in the finale will be extremely good for the show. You are pitting two contestants that are largely opposite of each other but perform exactly how they intend to perform each and every week. They are staying true to who they are and they have coveted the largest fanbases of any contestants this season. Unless David Archuleta is able to pull off an amazing, heartfelt performance like he did with Imagine during the semi-final round, I just don't see him winning the overall crown. David Cook has been leading the votes every week since Idol Gives Back (according to Dial Idol) and his songs have been consistently number one compared to all the other Idols on iTunes. He is truly the front runner and I believe the only way he can be defeated is if he majorly screws up between now and the finale (i.e. messing up his lyrics or sounding incredibly bad). That's not to say I wouldn't like Archie to win the entire thing because I would. He's been my favorite ever since the semi-finals and I really believe he's deserving of the title. But if he ends up being the runner-up (or is shockingly eliminated in the next couple of weeks), I still believe he will be alright and get a record deal out of this experience. As I said, he has a tremendous fanbase that is especially loyal and will follow him throughout his post-Idol journey. But whichever David ends up winning, I'll be happy either way.
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