We listened to Randy specifically, but also to Paula and Simon to a degree that this season of American Idol was its best ever in terms of overall talent. Randy said from the very beginning that this was the best final 12 contestants the show had fielded.
I received a comment that calls into question Randy's assertion. It's a good comment, so instead of linking to it, here it is:
I think the show stunk this year,I don't think the talent was as good as the other previous years. I have watched every show and I voted every week.But I'm done watching the way the judges treat the young people is terrible. WHAT DOES AMERICAN IDOL REALLY MEAN???? This should have nothing to do age,color or sex of a person. I don't think they give anyone a chance,the judges decide on who they want to win and thats it. Your votes doesn,t mean anything. I am very upset with the whole show and I'll never watch again. SIMON IS A VERY RUDE PERSON. For him to say Fantasia was the very best they ever had on the show wasn't fair to Kelly,Justin,Ruben,Clay and Diana.
Was this the best field of 12 in terms of overall talent? Or was it the worst? Is Fantasia the best contestant ever? Or not? These are all interesting questions.
Here is my viewpoint, but since talent is in the eye and ear of the beholder, it's impossible to come to a consensus over the "best" or "worst" of any of these seasons or performers.
Was this the best season in terms of most talented performers in the final twelve?
That's a tough call, but I'd have to say I think yes. During season one, I was a fan of Kelly and Tamyra and sometimes a fan of Justin. Kelly and Tamyra were the most consistently talented, but Justin could pull a song from a hat and really impress me. So, in my judgment, three out of ten were finds; the others weren't. Sorry Christina Christian fans, she just didn't do it for me, and she still doesn't. (There were only 10 finalists in season one for those who didn't watch.) So that's a percentage of 30%.
In season two, the only finalists who impressed consistently and constantly were Clay and Ruben. I adored both of them from their group performances to the finale. Kimberley Locke had her ups and downs, but she proved herself to be the most talented of the women (after Frenchie got dumped, but that's a rant I've had before, so I won't go there.) Trenyce was the only other finalist who I felt had enough great performances to outweigh the poor ones. I think Vanessa might have developed into a decent singer, but when you're booted first, you don't get the chance to prove anything. Now remember, this was the season of Carmen, Charles, and Kim Caldwell. So, adding Trenyce into the mix, four out of 12 is 33%.
Now season three. Of the twelve, I believe that Fantasia, Diana, LaToya, Jennifer and George all were quite talent-worthy. Amy was too, but never had the opportunity to show it, aside from country night. Jasmine had potential, but had really only one performance that blew me away, and that was on the first night of final-12 competition. So omitting Jasmine, but adding Amy is six out of 12 for 50%. But, even if you omit Amy, that's still a 42% talent score.
So, in my conclusion, half of this year's finalists brought with them talent as opposed to the 33% or less of the previous seasons. That's why on this score, I agree with Randy. However, I did not enjoy this season as much as I enjoyed season two. During season two I developed much more of an emotional attachment to my favorites. I adored Clay from the moment I first saw him. When I heard him perform Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me during the wildcard show, that was it. His was the most breathtaking voice I had heard in a very long time. And his transformation was such fun to watch. And then, as the season progressed, I began to adore Kim Locke. Her transformation outdid Clay's. And so, when I watched last season, I really ... really ... wanted them to do well. This season I had no one clear favorite. (Except, of course, Amy.) So there wasn't the emotional investment in this year's competition that had existed the previous season. So, for that reason, I do not believe that this season was as good as last.
Is Fantasia the best contestant ever on Idol. I took Simon to task over this remark <FONTSIZE=2> because I felt it was ill-timed and flat-out wrong. It's his opinion, of course, and he's entitled to his as much as I am to mine. Fantasia is wonderful. She's unique, and she's quirky, so I think that makes her possibly the most original of the American idol contestants. But the best? No. And, considering the fact that just weeks before Simon made this proclamation, he was doing the talk show circuit promoting LaToya as the best, makes me take his Fantasia remark less seriously.
So that's what we think. So, what do you think?
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