'Idolatry': Who can break up the Siobhan-Crystal party on 'American Idol'?

I enjoyed Didi alot more than Siobhan or Crystal this week. Siobhan doesn’t have the gritty rock voice for paint it black. It sounded too smooth and kind of pageanty until the screech at the end. But Didi was great through the whole song. I think Crystal might be suffering from the opposite problem of most of this year’s contestants: She’s played too many shows. She seems almost weary of getting up there and playing one more song.

The way that the judges and producers are pushing their “Predetermined Top 2″ on the audience and the voters is really frustrating and, in my opinion, unnecessary. Its only the first week of the Top 12 and they are already pushing the Siobhan vs. Crystal finale. This is unfair to the rest of the 9 contestants who also deserve a fair shot at making the Top 2 or even winning. American Idol is supposed to be an open competition determined by the viewer votes, and by influencing voters to vote a certain way and making it so clear how the outcome is going to turn out, the show is only hurting itself by reducing its own credibility and taking away from the unpredictability of reality television. Perhaps this could account for the RATINGS DECLINE?

Actually, I think that it is definitely about time for a girl-girl finale. It would be an interesting change to see two girls in the Top 2. But I don’t believe that the judges and producers should be so explicit and adamant about trying to ensure who those Top 2 will be. In fact, if they keep on pushing Crystal vs. Siobhan so hard, someone just might pull a Kris Allen on them – and my money’s on Didi Benami. The ridiculous amount of hype and pimping around Crystal is somewhat reminiscent of the situation with Danny Gokey, and her attitude and confidence could turn people away as arrogance. The Grumpy McGrumperson faces and attitude at the results show when the Top 12 was revealed was also not particularly appealing. Ultimately, viewers are likely to tire of her and her self-assurance and all the overwhelming praise, and she just might bow out at third like Gokey did.

Like Adam Lambert (with less vocal control), Siobhan is strange, theatrical, and dramatic. While she might be very memorable, she is also extremely polarizing, and that is what led to Adam’s second-place finish. While his fans were incredibly passionate, there was also a significant faction of viewers that hated him passionately and couldn’t stand his performances. In the end, he just couldn’t relate to and connect to enough people, because for a lot of viewers, there was just too much strangeness and drama.

Kris, on the other hand, flew under the radar for most of the first half of the competition, but he was actually the most commercial and the only one who had a place in the music industry market. He had a strong Jason Mraz/John Mayer vibe, just like Didi is reminiscent of artists like Taylor Swift and Colbie Caillat but with a stronger, more unique voice. Like Kris, Didi also has been very low-key throughout the competition so far, and despite delivering strong performances, she has never been pegged as a frontrunner. She has the same humbleness and likeability that Americans found endearing in Kris, and both are more attractive and more mainstream, which could be what made Kris appealing in the public vote. In fact, if online video streaming is any indication, Didi already has a clear lead over the rest of the contestants. For pretty much every week of the competition, on all YouTube channels posting performance videos, Didi has always had the highest view counts. Oftentimes, the number of views on her videos have surpassed those of the other contestants by a significant number (On one channel, Rhinannon has 350,000 views, while Crystal’s Give Me One Reason holds second place with around 280,000).

Producers are actually making a huge mistake by prematurely anointing Crystal and Siobhan as winner and runner-up (or “Front Runner and Dark Horse” as they’re framing it now). The reason is, both are novelty acts that have no marketability in today’s current music industry. They will not fit into the popular music scene today. There are thousands of Crystals that fill the indie music scene (or your local subway station) and none of them have achieved any notable success. Why would she be any different? There’s nothing unique or special about her.

And while Siobhan might have some of the weirdness or quirkiness that has given artists like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha massive success and popularity, she is lacking the Charisma, Edginess, and Coolness that allow them to pull it off. Lady Gaga and Ke$ha have a certain coolness factor and charismatic qualities that make their acts work. Siobhan, on the other hand, is really just another awkward theater geek. Vocally, she doesn’t have the same range or technical abilities as Adam Lambert, and she is often pitchy and off-key. I’m actually surprised that the judges haven’t slammed her with the dreaded “It was THEATRICAL” or “You should be on Broadway, but you’re not a recording artist” criticism yet. Over-the-top dramatic performances does not make a good singer/musician/recording artist. Moreover, she has no idea who she is musically and has no musical style or genre. What kind of artist is she supposed to be? Is there any sensible link between her song choices thus far that suggest what kind of album she would make?

Producers should actually hope that Didi pulls a Kris Allen and ends up in the Top 2, because she is far more commercial and marketable than the Predetermined 2 and has a much better shot at longevity and success in the popular music industry. She has clearly defined the kind of artist that she is, and moreso than the artists that Crystal and Siobhan will be, she is the type artist that can actually sell albums or sing songs that could play on the radio, because she is not only current and contemporary, she is also mainstream and accessible. A lot of people won’t be able to “get” whatever it is that Crystal and Siobhan dish out, but Didi is far more commercial, and audiences will have an easier time connecting to her and her music.

How can there be an Idolatry without an Allison Iraheta mention or video. Just doesn’t seem right.

@jessanjill
ok i am international and i love crystal and siobhan no matter if they have dreadlocks or not. to begin with its about the power of their voice and style. And what you think we are that shallow or dumb outside the u.s. to like someone because or their dreadlocks. you are probably one of those people who doesn’t know anything about other countries.

let’s not forget siobhan has not had any formal vocal training…lee sounds a lot like the boss….can hear him singing rosalita