Season Six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer concerns Buffy’s troubles with finding her way in the world. After dying (at the end of season five), and being resurrected, Buffy is having some problems finding her purpose in life. In the musical episode, “Once More With Feeling,” she sings that she just wants to “feel” and that she wants “something to sing about.” Spike sings to her, “Life's not a song/ Life isn't bliss/ Life is just this/ It's living.” (I know that sounds uber-corny, but trust me, the show is masterful at making the trite meaningful. Plus the way Spike – James Marsters – looks at Buffy at this moment is enough to make your socks melt).
ANYWAY, I love me this stuff, but as many times as I watch this episode, I’m always left sitting there thinking, “Come on Buffy, what the crap? You have super-slayer powers, a dreamy dude worshipping you, a stylish yet affordable wardrobe, cool friends, and perpetually shiny and bouncy hair. What is it you’re sad about again?”
And then I am spiraled into self-reflection, because I know it’s true that I complain too. But I know I shouldn’t. I have a lovely life. I am paid to read books that interest me and to talk about them and write about them in a beautiful place with smart people. I think of my friend Maggie at Mizzou who would talk about how she drove a forklift for ten years before coming to grad school. And why am I complaining again? And as much as I complain about teaching, it brings me incredible joy. Seriously. I woke up at 5:30am this morning because I was so excited about creating a lesson plan centered on Jeopardy. That’s joy.
So I’ve decided to just not complain anymore, because every time I complain, I am giving myself permission to be ungrateful for the good things I’ve got. I am giving myself permission to NOT “be here now,” to NOT “be mindful,” to live in some fantasy world where I’m thinner, have a car, and everyone thinks I’m smarter than they are.
I am currently reading Thomas Merton’s Zen and the Birds of Appetite, and I find that Merton makes a similar point: “I might suggest a fourth need of modern man, which is precisely liberation from his inordinate self-consciousness, his monumental self-awareness, his obsession with self-affirmation, so that he may enjoy the freedom from concern that goes with being simply what he is and accepting things as they are in order to work with them as he can.”
So here are some ground rules:
1. I am only allowed to “complain” to people who can do something about it. So if for example, I have a problem with a professor, I am only allowed to talk to the professor about it. This will also keep me from gossiping.
2. I am only allowed to complain about things that I can change or that can be changed (the wisdom to know the difference, etc.)
3. Before I complain, I’m going to think about how my complaining might come off to someone who, for example, has to work 60+ hours a week in customer service for less money than I make. In short, I want to look at myself the way I look at Buffy.
4. I am allowed to debate, analyze, and criticize for the purpose of furthering my own beliefs or for the benefit of others. For example, I can criticize a book we read for class, and discuss what I don’t like about it, but I am not allowed to complain that we have to read it in the first place.
We shall see how this works. I’m already feeling more positive.
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
That Quiet Kid
It happens every semester.
There is one student (in my mind, usually male) who never talks. Sometimes he's in the back, sometimes he's in the front, but he just sits there and stares (sometimes under the brim of a baseball hat).
Then, inevitably, this kid writes a brilliant paper. And everything you said on the first day of class about the importance of participation, about how you have to talk to learn, about how we're all in this together and you have to contribute to learn right along with everyone else, etc. doesn't make sense. Because this kid said like one or two things the entire class thus far and yet seemed to get it more than anyone else.
I was always baffled about why this happened, up until this last week reading Living Speech by James Boyd White. White argues that much of what we say is "dead" speech -- cliches, empty phrases, chatter, propoganda -- it lacks meaning and life. He discusses briefly Quaker church services and Trappist monks, both of which are marked by silence. In a Quaker church service, everyone sits in silence until someone feels as though he or she has something meaningful to say. Similarly, the monks take a vow of silence not to alienate others but to clear away the clutter of daily life, to perhaps hear God better. (Though perhaps not as erudite of an example, there's an episode of Buffy where everyone loses their voice -- a similar point is made about how little of what we say actually means anything.) I mentioned this (the silent student, not the Buffy ep) to my professor, who remarked that studies of gifted children show that they spend a good portion of their day staring out the window.
I believe in silence in the classroom. After I ask a question, I usually let the silence stretch for quite some time -- silence gives students time to think. Sometimes you can't just answer a question right off the bat. Sometimes you need to look at your notes, or the reading, or the book, or sometimes you just need to stare out the window.
There is one student (in my mind, usually male) who never talks. Sometimes he's in the back, sometimes he's in the front, but he just sits there and stares (sometimes under the brim of a baseball hat).
Then, inevitably, this kid writes a brilliant paper. And everything you said on the first day of class about the importance of participation, about how you have to talk to learn, about how we're all in this together and you have to contribute to learn right along with everyone else, etc. doesn't make sense. Because this kid said like one or two things the entire class thus far and yet seemed to get it more than anyone else.
I was always baffled about why this happened, up until this last week reading Living Speech by James Boyd White. White argues that much of what we say is "dead" speech -- cliches, empty phrases, chatter, propoganda -- it lacks meaning and life. He discusses briefly Quaker church services and Trappist monks, both of which are marked by silence. In a Quaker church service, everyone sits in silence until someone feels as though he or she has something meaningful to say. Similarly, the monks take a vow of silence not to alienate others but to clear away the clutter of daily life, to perhaps hear God better. (Though perhaps not as erudite of an example, there's an episode of Buffy where everyone loses their voice -- a similar point is made about how little of what we say actually means anything.) I mentioned this (the silent student, not the Buffy ep) to my professor, who remarked that studies of gifted children show that they spend a good portion of their day staring out the window.
I believe in silence in the classroom. After I ask a question, I usually let the silence stretch for quite some time -- silence gives students time to think. Sometimes you can't just answer a question right off the bat. Sometimes you need to look at your notes, or the reading, or the book, or sometimes you just need to stare out the window.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dear John Krasinski
Dear John Krasinski,
You make me laugh every week in The Office. Oh, how I love your well-timed eyebrow raises, your joshing dork-charm, your floppy hair. Because you are my TV boyfriend, I have vowed to support you in your career. If (when) we get married, my last name won’t even sound that different.
But John, I cannot support your first major motion picture, License to Wed. Robin Williams? And not dark One Hour Photo Robin Williams, or paternal Good Will Hunting Robin Williams, or even inspirational Dead Poets Society Robin Williams! We’re talking Patch Adams Robin Williams! RV Robin Williams! Dear Lord, John, have you seen Bicentennial Man? Or -- *gasps, dry heaves* -- Flubber???!!!
Now I know Mandy Moore is really pretty. And I know that being in a rom-com will pay the bills and maybe land you a nicer, better part, perhaps a buddy-cop movie, or a Serious Drama. But you’re better than this, John. You deserve better. (Incidentally, I forgot the title and had to look it up on IMDB, which should tell you something. I was also going to re-watch the trailer to get more fodder for this post, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. In fact, I don’t know that I need to. That image of you dancing ridonkulously as well as the terrifying eyes of the fake twin babies will be burned into my consciousness for weeks.) In the future, and for the sake of our relationship, please stay away from the Krapinski.
Luv,
Faith
You make me laugh every week in The Office. Oh, how I love your well-timed eyebrow raises, your joshing dork-charm, your floppy hair. Because you are my TV boyfriend, I have vowed to support you in your career. If (when) we get married, my last name won’t even sound that different.
But John, I cannot support your first major motion picture, License to Wed. Robin Williams? And not dark One Hour Photo Robin Williams, or paternal Good Will Hunting Robin Williams, or even inspirational Dead Poets Society Robin Williams! We’re talking Patch Adams Robin Williams! RV Robin Williams! Dear Lord, John, have you seen Bicentennial Man? Or -- *gasps, dry heaves* -- Flubber???!!!
Now I know Mandy Moore is really pretty. And I know that being in a rom-com will pay the bills and maybe land you a nicer, better part, perhaps a buddy-cop movie, or a Serious Drama. But you’re better than this, John. You deserve better. (Incidentally, I forgot the title and had to look it up on IMDB, which should tell you something. I was also going to re-watch the trailer to get more fodder for this post, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. In fact, I don’t know that I need to. That image of you dancing ridonkulously as well as the terrifying eyes of the fake twin babies will be burned into my consciousness for weeks.) In the future, and for the sake of our relationship, please stay away from the Krapinski.
Luv,
Faith
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Vox Populi, Vox Dei
Or, the voice of the people is the voice of God. Here at Things Other Things, I’m always trying to be responsive. So I’ve decided to take a moment today to respond to some of the insightful feedback nuggets you nice folks have left for me.
In re: My post on Why TV is better than the Movies, Lesley astutely points out that a major downside of TV is that it gets abruptly canceled. I too have felt the sting of early cancellation! Curse you NBC for taunting me with the potent intellectualism of Studio 60, for once making me believe that America Is Real Smart, and then yanking out the carpet of Sorkin Speak! May your fall lineup rot like Olive Garden leftovers! A pox upon your house, HBO, for delightfully unraveling the mysteries of Carnivale only to tie up so tantalizing few by the end of season two that I was forced to get my fix of Biblical metaphor from *gasp*Network TV. (In fact, reflecting on those two shows in particular, I can see that both seemed to suffer for being too smart. Lesson today is that people hate smart.)
Anyway, I see Lesley’s conundrum, but I don’t think that movies necessarily do a better job of creating satisfying endings. For every Sixth Sense, there’s a The Village. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of a movie with some burning unanswered question due to lazy filmmaking. The best examples I can think of are Lost in Translation and The Piano. “What?” you’re sitting there thinking. “What about?” Or “Whatever happened to?” My point is that TV shows often get cancelled and thus never end, but movies do not necessarily have more satisfying or effective closure. Thanks for this comment Lesley, and for being my friend even when I was a nerd in high school.
In re: My post on Why I Like Rosie, JR writes that just because someone is loud and obnoxious does not mean they are an effective communicator; therefore, Rosie’s rants on the View don’t actually accomplish anything. I would agree with JR that she’s not making any converts. I would argue that Rosie draws attention to issues that the American public prefers not to think about, and certainly doesn’t wish to discuss in the comfort of a morning talk show. I’m concerned that we live in a society where none of our popular culture reflects the Real World we live in. In our parents’ day, folks like Bob Dylan topped the charts with songs that talked about, for example, the complicated ethics of war and peace: “How many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man?” I randomly turned on the radio today to hear Fergie pondering the age-old question: “How come every time you come round my London London Bridge wanna go down?” With the exception of maybe Jon Stewart (and even he uses humor), can you think of any popular entertainers who consistently address Dylan’s issues? And this is why although Rosie isn’t a solution, she’s certainly a step in the right direction. However uncouthly, she can (London) bridge the gulf between the Paris Hilton-obsessed public and the troubles of the world it inhabits. Thanks for reading my blog, JR. I hope your London Bridge always goes down (Or something. I don’t actually know what that phrase means. As the Good Book says, “To the pure, all things are pure” Titus 1:15).
In re: My post on my favorite American Idol perfs, Kristin has helpfully alerted me to a circa 2002 Kelly Clarkson performance, which, like Kristin, is pretty fabulous. Watch it immediately! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64S5Rn9mlxs
In re: my post on Ian McEwan’s Saturday Jennifer writes (NOT because she’s procrastinating studying for comps, of course) about McEwan’s simile of the smell of hay drying in August. Jennifer objects that she would actually think something like this, but that hay dries in May, not August. Well, Jennifer, McEwan’s character lives in London, which may affect the time he dries his hay (those zany Brits! Drying hay year round!) Or perhaps he, like most of us, wouldn’t know when hay dries, and this is just another example of McEwan messing up point of view. Jennifer also writes that it is a trademark of modernism to write about the mundane in a grand way. She is correct, and I thought I said that in the post. If I wasn’t clear, what I meant was that McEwan is trying to achieve an effect of postmodernism by writing about the mundane, but his modernist impulses keep overtaking the writing. If you’re going to be pomo, for crying out loud, just be pomo, don’t try to dress it up. I’m saying that the writing feels torn between the two and is the worse for it. And I was going to make the connection not only to Ulysses, but also to Mrs. Dalloway, thankyouverymuch, but then I got tired and remembered I was supposed to be on vacation. Thus, Jennifer, I will allow you to cook me dinner sometime and I will pontificate for you to no end (or at least until dessert).
Thanks for the comments, folks! Please keep writing!
In re: My post on Why TV is better than the Movies, Lesley astutely points out that a major downside of TV is that it gets abruptly canceled. I too have felt the sting of early cancellation! Curse you NBC for taunting me with the potent intellectualism of Studio 60, for once making me believe that America Is Real Smart, and then yanking out the carpet of Sorkin Speak! May your fall lineup rot like Olive Garden leftovers! A pox upon your house, HBO, for delightfully unraveling the mysteries of Carnivale only to tie up so tantalizing few by the end of season two that I was forced to get my fix of Biblical metaphor from *gasp*Network TV. (In fact, reflecting on those two shows in particular, I can see that both seemed to suffer for being too smart. Lesson today is that people hate smart.)
Anyway, I see Lesley’s conundrum, but I don’t think that movies necessarily do a better job of creating satisfying endings. For every Sixth Sense, there’s a The Village. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked out of a movie with some burning unanswered question due to lazy filmmaking. The best examples I can think of are Lost in Translation and The Piano. “What?” you’re sitting there thinking. “What about?” Or “Whatever happened to?” My point is that TV shows often get cancelled and thus never end, but movies do not necessarily have more satisfying or effective closure. Thanks for this comment Lesley, and for being my friend even when I was a nerd in high school.
In re: My post on Why I Like Rosie, JR writes that just because someone is loud and obnoxious does not mean they are an effective communicator; therefore, Rosie’s rants on the View don’t actually accomplish anything. I would agree with JR that she’s not making any converts. I would argue that Rosie draws attention to issues that the American public prefers not to think about, and certainly doesn’t wish to discuss in the comfort of a morning talk show. I’m concerned that we live in a society where none of our popular culture reflects the Real World we live in. In our parents’ day, folks like Bob Dylan topped the charts with songs that talked about, for example, the complicated ethics of war and peace: “How many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man?” I randomly turned on the radio today to hear Fergie pondering the age-old question: “How come every time you come round my London London Bridge wanna go down?” With the exception of maybe Jon Stewart (and even he uses humor), can you think of any popular entertainers who consistently address Dylan’s issues? And this is why although Rosie isn’t a solution, she’s certainly a step in the right direction. However uncouthly, she can (London) bridge the gulf between the Paris Hilton-obsessed public and the troubles of the world it inhabits. Thanks for reading my blog, JR. I hope your London Bridge always goes down (Or something. I don’t actually know what that phrase means. As the Good Book says, “To the pure, all things are pure” Titus 1:15).
In re: My post on my favorite American Idol perfs, Kristin has helpfully alerted me to a circa 2002 Kelly Clarkson performance, which, like Kristin, is pretty fabulous. Watch it immediately! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64S5Rn9mlxs
In re: my post on Ian McEwan’s Saturday Jennifer writes (NOT because she’s procrastinating studying for comps, of course) about McEwan’s simile of the smell of hay drying in August. Jennifer objects that she would actually think something like this, but that hay dries in May, not August. Well, Jennifer, McEwan’s character lives in London, which may affect the time he dries his hay (those zany Brits! Drying hay year round!) Or perhaps he, like most of us, wouldn’t know when hay dries, and this is just another example of McEwan messing up point of view. Jennifer also writes that it is a trademark of modernism to write about the mundane in a grand way. She is correct, and I thought I said that in the post. If I wasn’t clear, what I meant was that McEwan is trying to achieve an effect of postmodernism by writing about the mundane, but his modernist impulses keep overtaking the writing. If you’re going to be pomo, for crying out loud, just be pomo, don’t try to dress it up. I’m saying that the writing feels torn between the two and is the worse for it. And I was going to make the connection not only to Ulysses, but also to Mrs. Dalloway, thankyouverymuch, but then I got tired and remembered I was supposed to be on vacation. Thus, Jennifer, I will allow you to cook me dinner sometime and I will pontificate for you to no end (or at least until dessert).
Thanks for the comments, folks! Please keep writing!
Monday, May 28, 2007
Why I’ll Miss Rosie
Rosie O’Donnell’s recent stint on the View got me thinking about the days (mid-90’s) when I used to watch her talk show. I remember that I really liked her talk show, and because I can’t stand the View, I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly was so appealing about it (to eighth-grade Faith). What I remember first and foremost was that she was a pop culture fan, like me. When famous people came on, she got star struck just like I did at home, and because she was so star-struck she didn’t try to make the show as much about herself (like say, Jay Leno, who will cut off an interviewee at any chance to make his own joke). It seems that now Rosie has devolved into self-caricature, which is why it’s so easy for people to make fun of her. Clearly, she understands that she was brought to the show to play a part.
It’s also one of my pet peeves when people complain that Rosie (or other celebrities) are “political.” I say that in a country where half the population doesn’t vote, anyone famous being political is a pretty good thing. I liked that she said controversial things about the war on TV, because at least it got people talking about major issues and she was the rare host who could go from talking about the war to talking about American Idol intelligently.
(But Faith! All Rosie ever does is yell! And all anyone else does is yell back! How is this at all effective?)
First, let’s be honest, the reason people kept talking about her and Hasselbeck’s showdown was that it was between middle-aged women who (if we are to take a cue from shows like Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart) are apparently only supposed to talk about the latest summer BBQ recipes and slimming pants. It’s the men in suits on Crossfire who are supposed to yell at each other! Furthermore, maybe I think that rhetoric doesn’t have to be persuasive to be effective, and maybe I think that it’s good that people are finally shouting about something that really matters.
It’s also one of my pet peeves when people complain that Rosie (or other celebrities) are “political.” I say that in a country where half the population doesn’t vote, anyone famous being political is a pretty good thing. I liked that she said controversial things about the war on TV, because at least it got people talking about major issues and she was the rare host who could go from talking about the war to talking about American Idol intelligently.
(But Faith! All Rosie ever does is yell! And all anyone else does is yell back! How is this at all effective?)
First, let’s be honest, the reason people kept talking about her and Hasselbeck’s showdown was that it was between middle-aged women who (if we are to take a cue from shows like Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart) are apparently only supposed to talk about the latest summer BBQ recipes and slimming pants. It’s the men in suits on Crossfire who are supposed to yell at each other! Furthermore, maybe I think that rhetoric doesn’t have to be persuasive to be effective, and maybe I think that it’s good that people are finally shouting about something that really matters.
Monday, May 21, 2007
People that have been irritating me lately
1. People that complain about the price of stamps. The United States Postal Service is the best friggin deal around. What if I showed up on your doorstep and told you that for 41 cents – forty-one cents! – I will PERSONALLY DELIVER your belated Christmas card to your Aunt Josephine in Tulsa. Yes, it may take two days, and yes I may bend the corners slightly, but it will get there. You would do a happy dance and tell your neighbors – then you would tell me I’m crazy. What else can you buy for 41 cents!? Even the quarter machines outside WalMart now charge at least two quarters for the metal snake ring that turns your finger green.
2. People who are on my favorite stairclimber at the gym and aren’t even using it properly. You’re not supposed to hunch over! This places too much stress on your shoulders! At least if you’re going to make my day more difficult, do it with proper spinal alignment!
3. People who think they are saving the environment by buying a Prius. You know what saves the environment and is free? WALKING. Don’t tell me you’re saving the environment if you’re just trying to be trendy.
4. People who Prefer “Film” over Television. If someone told you they were a “film” buff, able to clean out entire Jeopardy categories like “The Talkies” and “Cinema,” what would you think about them? Now, what if someone told you that they watch 30 hours of TV a week? I’ve had a problem recently with people judging me because I like TV. No, maybe I LOVE TV. I’d like to clarify: I don’t like According to Jim, or Will and Grace, or The Hills. I like smart shows, like Buffy, Studio 60, The Office, Veronica Mars, 24, Freaks and Geeks, and most recently HBO’s Carnivale. And yet I am judged. I firmly believe television is becoming a superior art form to movies. First, the extended time period of television allows you to become closer to the characters, to become more involved in the storylines, and to create allegiances to the idea of the show. (It is this kind of loyalty that makes people (me included) line up to see garbage like Spider-man 3.) Television is like one sequel after another! Buffy can explore a hundred themes because it has seven years to do so – a movie barely has two hours. And now in an age of Tivo and DVD and streaming video, television has lost all of its past inconveniences. (And I’d still rather save up to buy a series on DVD than pay outrageous movie ticket prices – AND I can’t watch the movie again or sell it on Amazon if I get bored with it. Television also doesn’t need the kind of commercial success of film (although it doesn’t hurt). Even shows with little to no commercial success typically get to stick around for a good 20 episodes or so, whereas movies rarely see a green light without endless rounds of audience testing.
5. People who don’t realize the dangers associated with being a small female. I was recently denied full funding for a travel grant because I didn’t share a hotel room. Apparently, I was supposed to find a stranger and lock myself in a strange hotel room with them for two days to cut costs. Don’t even get me started on poorly lit sidewalks or entire campuses with few emergency phones.
6. People who don’t stop for me in crosswalks. Please, let me get out of YOUR way.
2. People who are on my favorite stairclimber at the gym and aren’t even using it properly. You’re not supposed to hunch over! This places too much stress on your shoulders! At least if you’re going to make my day more difficult, do it with proper spinal alignment!
3. People who think they are saving the environment by buying a Prius. You know what saves the environment and is free? WALKING. Don’t tell me you’re saving the environment if you’re just trying to be trendy.
4. People who Prefer “Film” over Television. If someone told you they were a “film” buff, able to clean out entire Jeopardy categories like “The Talkies” and “Cinema,” what would you think about them? Now, what if someone told you that they watch 30 hours of TV a week? I’ve had a problem recently with people judging me because I like TV. No, maybe I LOVE TV. I’d like to clarify: I don’t like According to Jim, or Will and Grace, or The Hills. I like smart shows, like Buffy, Studio 60, The Office, Veronica Mars, 24, Freaks and Geeks, and most recently HBO’s Carnivale. And yet I am judged. I firmly believe television is becoming a superior art form to movies. First, the extended time period of television allows you to become closer to the characters, to become more involved in the storylines, and to create allegiances to the idea of the show. (It is this kind of loyalty that makes people (me included) line up to see garbage like Spider-man 3.) Television is like one sequel after another! Buffy can explore a hundred themes because it has seven years to do so – a movie barely has two hours. And now in an age of Tivo and DVD and streaming video, television has lost all of its past inconveniences. (And I’d still rather save up to buy a series on DVD than pay outrageous movie ticket prices – AND I can’t watch the movie again or sell it on Amazon if I get bored with it. Television also doesn’t need the kind of commercial success of film (although it doesn’t hurt). Even shows with little to no commercial success typically get to stick around for a good 20 episodes or so, whereas movies rarely see a green light without endless rounds of audience testing.
5. People who don’t realize the dangers associated with being a small female. I was recently denied full funding for a travel grant because I didn’t share a hotel room. Apparently, I was supposed to find a stranger and lock myself in a strange hotel room with them for two days to cut costs. Don’t even get me started on poorly lit sidewalks or entire campuses with few emergency phones.
6. People who don’t stop for me in crosswalks. Please, let me get out of YOUR way.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
An Open Letter
Our relationship is based on a cycle of abuse. You get my hopes up, and send them crashing to the ground. Week after week, I come crawling back to you, and you consistently fail me. It’s been so long since you thought about my needs. After our encounters, I walk around in a storm for a week, telling everyone I hate you, saying I’ll never let you back in my life, that we’re through For Real This Time, and yet every week, I find myself in your grip. You tell me that I’m wrong, prove to me that you couldn’t care less about what I think. You’ve done this for FIVE years now – you get me excited about our relationship and then you break my heart. You are such a waste of time.
I’m speaking, of course, about this season of American Idol. I have liked American Idol before America even did. I remember watching previews for it in the summer of 2002, between my sophomore and junior years of college, and distinctly thinking that it would be important for me to watch this show. But this season and last season to some extent have become more caricature than anything else. The excitement of American Idol comes from that feeling of discovering raw talent – where one moment a contestant seemed to be just another awkward teenager in an uncomfortable top, the performance makes them come alive somehow and you get to share in that moment of greatness. So:
Faith’s Favorite Overlooked American Idol Performances
I’ve selected these performances because they have in some respect stayed with me. I YouTube them in the wee hours, typically after a particularly dismal AI week (which has been much of this season). My other criteria is that when I hear the original on the radio, I think of this performance. For your assistance, I've included YouTube links to all the performances.
George Huff “Take Me To the Pilot” George Huff was probably best known for a calf bounce, painfully evident in the clip because he bounces in and out of the screen. Still, he had a great smile and an infectious enthusiasm that marked him as one of the few performers in recent memory that seemed to actually be having fun (I'm looking at you Underwood!).
LaToya London, “Somewhere” Perhaps a bit oversung, but I love this song and this episode has my favorite celebrity judge of all time: Quentin Tarantino. You wouldn't think Tarantino would be all up in the American Idol, but if you think about his role in pop culture, it kind of makes sense. He too is a student of pop culure.
Chris Daughtry, “Walk the Line” I loved Chris, which is why he finished fourth. Chris came in a line of “Rockers” on AI, including Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis. But Bo was just all right for me. He sorta seemed to sing the same song every week. Something country-rock ish. But Chris has a great sense of self, meaning you could give him some ridiculous theme (American Songbook? Jigga what?) and he could come up with something like this.
Clay Aiken, “This is the Night” I have long since given up trying to defend my affection for Clay. Yes, it’s cheese. And yes, I love it. Would someone please cast this boy as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat already?
Tamyra Gray, “A House is Not A Home” Everyone and their mom has performed this song on AI at some point, but Tamyra’s understated version is absolutely the best.
Carrie Underwood, “Alone” Not a fan of the Underwood. Don’t love country music, and she always had a deer-in-headlights look that I found off-putting. It was this performance, however, that showed her range, and made me wish she hadn’t gotten pigeonholed as Country so soon. Also check out the cool shoulder twitch. Carrie Underwood also had a knack for making it look easy. A lot of contestants are up there working it and it shows -- you end up feeling kind of sorry for them and you want to let them take a nap. She pulls off those top notes without sounding shrill (I'm looking at you Jordin!)
Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This” Okay, okay, so the performance I like is technically after she already won it. Kelly is one of the most consistent Idol performers ever. Before Idol became the extended Ford/Coke commercial it is today, before 17 bamillion people started voting every week, before the flashy lights and backup bands and celebrity judges, there was just Kelly, excited that she’d won a record contract. Watch it and try not to get choked up. (Also note the presence of Season 1 Seacrest co-host Brian “The Dunk” Dunkleman – whatever happened to that dude?)
Now, here's where the "making connections" part comes in. Compare ANY of those performances to Blake’s supposed “breakout” “You Give Love a Bad Name," which Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly (who should know better!) has called "audacious and unexpected." This person is in the FINAL TWO? Do you see why I'm upset?
I’m speaking, of course, about this season of American Idol. I have liked American Idol before America even did. I remember watching previews for it in the summer of 2002, between my sophomore and junior years of college, and distinctly thinking that it would be important for me to watch this show. But this season and last season to some extent have become more caricature than anything else. The excitement of American Idol comes from that feeling of discovering raw talent – where one moment a contestant seemed to be just another awkward teenager in an uncomfortable top, the performance makes them come alive somehow and you get to share in that moment of greatness. So:
Faith’s Favorite Overlooked American Idol Performances
I’ve selected these performances because they have in some respect stayed with me. I YouTube them in the wee hours, typically after a particularly dismal AI week (which has been much of this season). My other criteria is that when I hear the original on the radio, I think of this performance. For your assistance, I've included YouTube links to all the performances.
George Huff “Take Me To the Pilot” George Huff was probably best known for a calf bounce, painfully evident in the clip because he bounces in and out of the screen. Still, he had a great smile and an infectious enthusiasm that marked him as one of the few performers in recent memory that seemed to actually be having fun (I'm looking at you Underwood!).
LaToya London, “Somewhere” Perhaps a bit oversung, but I love this song and this episode has my favorite celebrity judge of all time: Quentin Tarantino. You wouldn't think Tarantino would be all up in the American Idol, but if you think about his role in pop culture, it kind of makes sense. He too is a student of pop culure.
Chris Daughtry, “Walk the Line” I loved Chris, which is why he finished fourth. Chris came in a line of “Rockers” on AI, including Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis. But Bo was just all right for me. He sorta seemed to sing the same song every week. Something country-rock ish. But Chris has a great sense of self, meaning you could give him some ridiculous theme (American Songbook? Jigga what?) and he could come up with something like this.
Clay Aiken, “This is the Night” I have long since given up trying to defend my affection for Clay. Yes, it’s cheese. And yes, I love it. Would someone please cast this boy as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat already?
Tamyra Gray, “A House is Not A Home” Everyone and their mom has performed this song on AI at some point, but Tamyra’s understated version is absolutely the best.
Carrie Underwood, “Alone” Not a fan of the Underwood. Don’t love country music, and she always had a deer-in-headlights look that I found off-putting. It was this performance, however, that showed her range, and made me wish she hadn’t gotten pigeonholed as Country so soon. Also check out the cool shoulder twitch. Carrie Underwood also had a knack for making it look easy. A lot of contestants are up there working it and it shows -- you end up feeling kind of sorry for them and you want to let them take a nap. She pulls off those top notes without sounding shrill (I'm looking at you Jordin!)
Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This” Okay, okay, so the performance I like is technically after she already won it. Kelly is one of the most consistent Idol performers ever. Before Idol became the extended Ford/Coke commercial it is today, before 17 bamillion people started voting every week, before the flashy lights and backup bands and celebrity judges, there was just Kelly, excited that she’d won a record contract. Watch it and try not to get choked up. (Also note the presence of Season 1 Seacrest co-host Brian “The Dunk” Dunkleman – whatever happened to that dude?)
Now, here's where the "making connections" part comes in. Compare ANY of those performances to Blake’s supposed “breakout” “You Give Love a Bad Name," which Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly (who should know better!) has called "audacious and unexpected." This person is in the FINAL TWO? Do you see why I'm upset?
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