"V" for "Versus" on Idol

Quick Update: Sleepy. So sleepy. Oh, and hello new followers! Don't think I didn't notice you.

Song Stuck In My Head: “S and M" by Rihanna. So, a couple kids blasted this song during a club yesterday…with our 70-something year old advisor RIGHT THERE. Thankfully, I don’t think she listened to the lyrics, but still….

With American Idol being the top singing competition on TV, you can expect that there will be a lot of conflict and heat. Between contestants. Between judges. Between fans. But it seems like the show has a lot of odd clashes going on right now that weren’t intended by the producers. Let’s discuss.

Randy Jackson vs. both J-Lo and Steven. This past season or two, with no Simon Cowell to be rational, Randy Jackson has had to go from “Dawg!” to “Dude…”. Meaning, with Steven Tyler usually finding some crazy way to say how good someone sang or J-Lo fangirling over every song, he has to be the rational and honest critic. The bad cop. 

In a dramatic turn of events last night, that turned around because J-Lo has slowly been getting more critical - and Randy gets to defend the people again. It’s all very confusing, we know. But it’s good to see some judge conflict here and then.

Hollie Cavanagh vs. Musical Genres. All contestants have found their niche by now. Skylar: country sass. Phillip: artsy bluesy rock. Elise: power pop/rock. Joshua: rock and soul. And Jessica: big-voiced diva.

But it seems there aren’t really any open spots for little, blonde, and blue-eyed Hollie Cavanagh. She’s adorable and sings strongly, but has no exact genre to her. She might be any given high school’s best singer, but on a reality show like this that just doesn’t cut it.

Joshua Ledet vs. the Fans (Not His, Everyone Else’s). Mr. “Fantasia” has really proved himself to be more than a simple soul singer. He’s a performer above anything else, and hit his stride last night with his funky take on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and insane ballad “Ready For Love".

Unfortunately, the boy’s fan base isn’t nearly as big as his talent and he has ended up in the bottom three a few times. Though Phillip Phillips is still my ultimate fave, I’d like to see Joshua make it a little farther than the Top 6. He’s that talented.

Elise Testone vs. Herself. I love Elise. I love how she mixes the roughness of Janis Joplin and Alanis Morisette in with a bubbly Colbie Caillet attitude and diva flair. The judges love it. Her fans, though there might not be that many, love it. But Elise? She doesn’t always seems sure. Every critique from the judges seems to hit her like a slap. Every wrong move or wrong note freaks her out for half the song. She’s beyond talented and knows what she’s doing, but nerves can get the best of us.

Phillip Phillips vs. the World. Everyone followed a very unspoken formula for last night, since the goal was to sing one Queen song and then sing one song of their own choice. Everyone had a spicy, loud/yelled, and pumped up Queen tune. And then everyone slowed down and had a dramatic, tear-filled ballad.

But never Phillip, who walks at his own pace. His queen song, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, was a fun rock moment in the middle of the wrong concert. And then he took an inventive take on Dave Matthews, who’s he compared to about every week, taking such a huge risk that he nearly gave Jennifer Lopez a heart attack.

Phillip Phillips never follows the other contestants or the show’s standards. As Randy put it, he’s already a true, matured artist who seems to have outgrown the overproduction and dramatics of Idol. And hey, he hasn’t even been in risk of elimination yet, not even on bad weeks. Coincidence?

Later.