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AI & Superstar USA
I can't believe I forgot to watch Superstar USA last night! I did catch their "image makeovers" on Monday, though. That guy with the head was really scary-looking. It was more than just being half bald--he looked like he'd had a forehead graft or something.
AI was about what I expected. It has struck me that contestants in this show often aren't judged against each other, but against the audiences expectations. If they were really judged against each other, Diana wouldn't have a ghost of a chance of beating Fantasia.
Remember when I said I wanted to hear Diana next to Kelly Clarkson, so people could hear what a good white singer sounds like? Sunday's special "AI: The Phenomenon" included footage of Kelly singing during the finals. Wow. Diana DeGarmo can't touch her, and she would have given Fantasia and the other black divas a run for their money.
So back to last night. Diana was just awful. Her low notes (on every song, not just "Don't Cry Out Loud") were practically inaudible. Her middle range was frequently out of tune, sometimes very badly. And her high notes, as always, were just shouting on key. Her last note on the first song was cracking rather alarmingly, and it went downhill from there. She just doesn't know how to sing!
Fantasia, by contrast, had great intensity, moves well on stage, and knows how to sing (not shout) a song. Yes, her first song was stupid and had a stupid arrangement, but her performance of it was good. Her "yeah yeah" habit is annoying, but hardly a fatal flaw.
So, I voted (or tried to) for Fantasia. I had a very hard time getting through until 10 pm Pacific time, when Eastern and Central voting closed. After that it was almost alarmingly easy. I couldn't vote for the full four hours, either. If Fantasia were to (heaven forbid) lose to the talentless teenager, I will feel partly to blame.
tm
PS Jana Riess, author of "What Would Buffy Do?" and a presenter at that Buffy symposium, is a friend of mine. She does non-Buffy-related stuff too.
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