Another Idol Indulgence

I hope I can be forgiven for my attachment to such a puerile show. But...

Tampa native Melissa McGhee was voted off tonight. One of the three people who I've voted for in the past (so now it's down to two), because along with Mandisa she was the only non-Taylor Hicks singer who's CD I could have conceivably spent money on. People called her voice "smoky" at times, which I suppose is okay; I'd use "sultry," but it's the same thing. I'll miss her presence on the show, and I hope she gets a chance to find work in the music biz anyway.

That said, while Melissa never developed a fan base (outside of Tampa, anyway) and was consistently one of the lower-rated performers, there are performers still on the show who are less interesting, less talented, less capable singers. Kevin Covais is the case in point. I liked the kid at first because I'm a dork, too. But lately Kevin's little "I'm a sex symbol" act, and his disdain for Simon Cowell's accurate criticisms have worn out their welcome. There may be eight other contestants left whose albums I wouldn't buy, but Kevin is the only guy there who's voice and performance style would make me change the radio station. His continued appearance on the show is largely the work of a website and underground movement known as VFTW, or Vote For The Worst. I don't support the website or movement but I also don't disagree with what they're trying to do.

In a way it's comforting that they didn't pick Melissa, since it's recognition that she wasn't bad. And after all, one of the 12 (11 now) has to go home every week and I think we all knew (as Melissa herself did) that she wasn't going to be in the top 5, if even the top 10. VFTW works on the theory that the producers are generally massaging the votes to ensure that certain people stay on and certain people go home; Melissa was never a production favorite, like Kinnik Sky. People without large immediate fan bases are quickly eliminated, not just because people don't vote but because if the top idols didn't have large preexisting fan bases the show's ratings would dip. VFTW tries to keep incompetent or unpopular people on the show to wreck the formula, and you can't really fault somebody for sticking it to the man. But Kevin really has become quite tiresome, and the VFTW crowd's fallback, Kellie Pickler, already has a huge following because of her talented snow job (the accent, however, is not fake, as anyone who listened to her sing Stevie Wonder last night can verify; I am very good at a lot of accents, and I still cannot sing convincingly in more than one or two. Kellie's accent is at least 75% real; the rest of her story, not so much). I think the group would be well advised to consider as a backup Ace Young, who really can't sing very well and apparently has support only an inch deep.

Anyway. As long as Taylor Hicks and Mandisa stick around the show will remain interesting. Though if they make Taylor color his hair, why I'll... I'll... complain.