Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Maybe I am a champion of local heroes, but I am really sad that Charles Grigsby has been erroneously voted off of American Idol by America tonight.
He has a velvety smooth voice that reminds me of Stevie Wonder. His personality is stellar and he is a cutie to boot. It doesn’t hurt that he is from Oberlin, Ohio – home to the famous music school by the same name, and a mere hour drive from our home in suburban Cleveland.
Charles really nailed it when he sang “Ribbon In the Sky”, a Stevie Wonder ballad, which propelled him to the final twelve.
But this past episode he sang a terrible song from the movie The Wiz, originally done by Michael Jackson called “You Can Win” – it was to be his downfall. The song was so obscure, even Eric had never heard of it, which let me assure you is significant. Obscurity or not, the song also had the misfortune of having a terrible melody, so it was a no-win situation all around.
What was most endearing was watching the other contestants reaction to Charles’ expulsion. The girls were tearful and the boys were visibly shaken having to say goodbye to one of their own.
Paula Abdul shed tears. Mind you she is a thoughtful and sensitive judge, but she was considerably upset by this choice.
Compared to the first American Idol, it seems the producers and those involved with the show are attempting to create a cohesiveness within the group. It’s only going to get harder to say goodbye to your favorites each week.
My pics are either Trenyce or Ruben – but I like Clay and Joshua too. To be honest I like pretty much all of them – but Julia and Kimberley are my least favorite and I can’t help but casting aspersions on to them. Julia has mental problems and Kimberley is bitchy and really does have a shitty personality. Sometimes Simon is right. In fact, Simon is often right.
