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'Idol,' 'Stars' Had Their Moments This Season, But Proof Of Sizzle Drop Was In The Puddings
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Published: May 22, 2008
Watching the two-hour, we'll-be-right-back-after-the-break, final editions of "America Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars" had some viewers pulling a Bart Simpson.
"Is it over yet? Is it over yet? When the hell will it be over?"
Despite all the media hype about America's supposed love affair with these two reality competitions, both seemed to plod along to predictable conclusions this week.
Suffering from reality burnout this year, I was mildly interested in "Dancing" as long as Priscilla Presley was performing, and that was only because plastic surgery has made her face look like a death mask that might come unhinged at any minute.
From the get-go, "Idol" seemed destined to be a showdown between the two Davids. The competition got interesting for a couple of weeks when Syesha Mercado started to blossom and show some of her spunky personality. But it was too little, too late.
Too much of "Idol" was tiresome: Host Ryan Seacrest's jabs at Simon Cowell's masculinity; Randy Jackson's catchwords "pitchy" and "dawg"; Paula Abdul's lapses of mental prowess.
I wanted to comb David Cook's intentionally crafted wild hair, and I winced every time I saw David Archuleta sing with that pained look on his face.
It became desirable to watch "Idol" in short spurts. Just check out the songs, skip the banter, catch the judges' reviews and flip away fast before the commercial breaks.
"Dancing" also is one that can be watched in fast-forward mode.
Could this be the year that "Idol" jumped the shark?
That would be ironic, since the caliber of talent this season was supposedly better than in previous seasons. Could it be that "Idol" needs quirky contestants such as Sanjaya Malakar (and his many hairdos) or soul man Taylor Hicks to hold our interest?
Granted, I'm just a jaded critic and not a 15-year-old girl who sees Archuleta as a junior McDreamy. I see him as vanilla pudding and Cook as alternative vanilla pudding.
DANCE FEVER: The presummer onslaught of reality competition has begun. "American Gladiators" is off to an unimpressive start on NBC.
The Hulk Hogan-hosted "Gladiators" had impressive ratings during its winter run, when the writers strike was still on. Coming back May 12, it tanked, dropping 68 spots in the rankings compared with January.
"So You Think You Can Dance?" cranks up at 8 tonight on Fox. This is "American Idol" for dancers. The big problem here is that national fame is not likely to be a part of the payoff.
Professional dancers just don't get the same adulation as the top pop singers. And they don't make as much money. But that didn't stop the 15,000 dancers who auditioned in seven cities.
More than 120,000 auditioned for this year's "Idol," but producer Nigel Lythgoe has said that more people think they can sing than dance.
"If you are tone-deaf, you don't know you are tone-deaf," he says. "You can sing in the shower; you can't really dance in the shower. A lot of people know they can't dance."
Even so, the washouts from the "Dance" auditions will be shown first, just like on "Idol," the other show that Lythgoe produces.
Lythgoe, a former dancer, serves as judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" along with actress-dance instructor Mary Murphy and a series of rotating guest choreographers.
SUMMER FODDER: Another summer reality series, "Last Comic Standing," returns to NBC at 9:30 tonight with host Bill Bellamy. It opens with the obligatory audition episode featuring a lot of really bad comics. "America's Got Talent" returns to NBC on June 17 with host Jerry Springer.
TUNE IN TONIGHT
Ugly Betty, 8 p.m., ABC
In the season finale, Betty weighs the pros and cons of her romantic entanglements. Lindsey Lohan and Naomi Campbell are guest stars.
Grey's Anatomy, 9 p.m., ABC
In a two-hour season finale, the big medical problem is how to safely remove a boy stuck in concrete, but there are plenty of personal problems for the staff.
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