I totally agree with some posters comments that this year's talent has fallen extremely short of the first two years. I still stand by the fact that Fantasia is an above average singer and THAT IS IT! She only seems as good as she does because she is consistantly in tone, unlike most of the others. However, her sound is completely unoriginal.
If you go back and watch the first few episodes from this season, all the judges talked about was raising the bar and finding a singer with that special, unique tone. I think the only person that would have qualified in those catagories this year happened to be one of the poorer talents. That being John Stevens, and Leah LaBelle to a lesser extent. Although they didn't have powerhouse voices and a range you could raise a herd of cattle on, their voices were unique. The rest of the singers in the top twelve range from just plain bad (Matt) to slightly above average (LaToya and Fantasia.)
I do think Latoya is a great singer, but has a terrible personality and seems very arrogant on stage. I get the feeling she thinks the contest is just a formality until she wins.
As far as comments made by others on this site about Simon trying to sway votes, of course he does. That is the job of the judges. In fact, Ryan Seacrest often introduces the judges as "the people who will help America decide who to vote for." Most Americans have no idea what they want. They arbitrarily and lackidazically make choices and then ##### about the results of those choices. i.e. George W. Bush.
While I agree that the top 32 this year weren't all potential award-winners, there were much better singers who didn't make it at all. I will also contribute this lackluster top 12 to contenstants who really don't seem to take this very seriously. Camille, Leah and George seemed to be the only ones who really cared about it and they're all gone. Not that I'm saying they were the best, but I would rather see their dedication and emotion than the rest of these druids we're left with.
That being said, I'll give my rundown on the remaining four and see what people think:
Jasmine: Cute, not a bad singer. Who cares?
Diana: Good singer. Doesn't know how to control her voice and make it work for her. Fake personality. No one's real personality sucks that bad.
LaToya: Great Singer. No personality. A lot of people who will never be famous are great singers. She has nothing special. Doesn't help her image that she's already married and has two stepchildren.
Fantasia: Above average singer. Unoriginal tone. Has much more personality that the rest, but still not a very good personality. However, she does come accross as genuine. Horrible image to start a career. A single, teenage mother of a toddler.
I predict LaToya to win, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if Diana wins. I don't really care because whoever does win will fall of the face of the earth within a year. And that is a professional opinion. I have credentials.
Comments and e-mails welcome.
cciranni@adelphia.net
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