HELLO AMERICA!—I have rather strange feelings about three shows that previously were favorites of mine, “The Voice,” “American Idol” and “Dancing With the Stars.” In all cases the judges are more interesting than the talent this season.
Unfortunately, I find myself tuning in to see the “Voice’s” Levine and Blake Sheldon will say to each other during a break or even during the performance of one of the singers. They make it fun and the audience anticipates what might be said later in the show. However, I must admit that having Usher and Shakira return as judges was a great decision. They all compliment each other and that’s important.
The “Cold as Ice” number performed by Jeremy Briggs and Clarissa Serna was a hot performance. Both singers matched each other perfectly. We felt Shakira’s dilemma when forced to choose one of these performers. Even though her selection was Clarissa Serna, the audience wasn’t too upset because Adam had sense enough to “save” Jeremy Briggs.
Of course, Adam didn’t have a problem building his team. He quickly made sure to pull Delvin Choice with him after hearing Caleb Elder up against Delvin sing “The Man.”
As for “American Idol” I like Malaya Watson, she is pretty decent and shows a lot of promise. The show is lucky to have Harry Connick, Jr. as a judge. The guy knows and understands music and it’s good for the performers. Keith Urban is also a plus for the show as well as Jennifer Lopez. Even though they might disagree at times, they do it with class, knowledge and genuine concern for the performer.
Again, the producers of “American Idol” should retire Randy Jackson. The man is a total bore. He’s a good base player and that’s it. He really doesn’t add anything interesting to the show. He’s like a bad commercial; you can’t wait until it’s over.
The verdict is still out for “Dancing With the Stars.” The idea that Billy Dee Williams is one of the dancers makes it interesting, but after viewing his premiere performance, it is doubtful that my friend will survive more than one show. As for the show, there are no genuine, exciting celeb performers, but we will have to see how they might be able to build the usual drama that has worked rather well in the past – after all, this is the world of television.
By Michael St. John
