I should add that the Bob Jones University connection probably didn’t help. My wife and I aren’t of the same race. I know not every student at Bob Jones University necessarily believes what its trustees believe. They’ve even had major civil rights leaders like George W. Bush and John McCain speak there during the South Carolina primary so it obviously tolerates a greater diversity of opinion than school policy would suggest. If you want to know what I mean, just ask Karl Rove a couple push poll type questions about Senator McCain’s family. I just figure that now that Simon’s laid down the gauntlet to Ryan about “doing the news”, I’d love to see Ryan ask Chris Slime something like,”Well, how do you feel about Jared Cotter or A.J. Tablado’s families,” or “I know you’re very uncomfortable with gay people like my pal Tim Hardaway and me, but could you say a little something about it for America?”
Here’s my take on some of the other guys:
Rudy Cardenas: Simon treated him like he was Hugo Chavez. At the same time, Simon may have been right. His Free Ride cost him.
Paul Kim: He wanted America to forget William Hung and then managed to not even outlast Sway Penala. I was pulling for the Seoul Brother purely out of racial solidarity, but when you start the competition by telling everyone about your gimmick what’s that say about what you think about your own singing? I think he shot himself in his bare foot. By the way, I don’t have HDTV, so when he was doing the sing out, it looked like he was wearing shoes. One other thing. You know those old Asian discos where everyone was maybe two or three years out of style. Why is it that Paul Kim set off that vibe? Oddly enough William Hung did too.
Sundance Head: He seemed so tiny behind that giant mike. It even shrank what I thought was a huge though apparently erratic voice. The show seems to be making him a villain of sorts. Vote for the Worst has already claimed him. He started as Taylor 2, but now he’s Scot Savol with weird facial hair. Poor family. Dad got knocked off the charts by the Beatles. Son gets knocked off of TV by A J Tablado and Nick Pedro? I do look forward to next week when Sundance does Electric Light Orchestra.
Article comments
1 - Ricky
Elliott and even Chris are way better than all the guys combined this year. Aside from Blake beat-box Lewis, nobody really stands out, no distinct voice. Just annoying. As for the girls, for me, there are at least 4 very very strong contenders.
2 - chancelucky
Ricky,
If I were to do a hundred word version of the review, that's pretty much what I'd say.
3 - Joyntex
The only season AI has been able to hold my interest the entire time and get any of my votes is season 5 and that is because of Elliott. He not only needs to phone home, he needs to come home!! There are some very talented girls this year but the special "spark" for me just isn't there like it was last year.
4 - chancelucky
I certainly understand your feeling that way Joyntex. Personally, I'd give them another couple weeks just to see how some of the contestants develop. At this point last year, very little was known about Elliott.
5 - chancelucky
I came across one of Chris Sligh's blogs that still appears to be online. He does, in fact, make his differences with Bob Jones University and his personal views quite clear there. On this particular issue, I'm happy to say that I'm glad to have found out a bit more about him. He comes across as a thoughtful fellow in his blog, something different for a would be Idol. I still didn't find the apology all that sincere though.
6 - Erik
Hi. I really enjoyed your article, but I found your comments about Chris Sligh and Bob Jones University incredibly cruel. Please understand that BJU is the largest private liberal arts college in South Carolina, and the student body consists of students from over forty foreign countries. Again, I found your article very interesting. However, please stop look at large universities monolithically and keep an open mind when it comes to individuals whose beliefs, ethnicities, or backgrounds are unfamiliar to you. (By the way, Senator McCain has never spoken at BJU. He almost did back in 2000, but the George Bush/Alan Keyes controversy happened before he actually visited).
7 - chancelucky
Erik,
thanks for your thoughtful comment. I had looked a bit into Chris Sligh after I posted the article and had posted a comment above yours acknowledging that Mr. Sligh seems to have repudiated some of BJU's policies that I object to.
I also spent some time looking into BJU itself. The school did not admit blacks until 1974 and only after the IRS threatened to take away its tax exemption. The University's defense was that it sincerely believed that God forbade the mixing of the races.
The interracial dating policy was in place until the year 2000 after George Bush spoke there. McCain was going to speak there in 2000 until a BJU professor apparently spread rumors that McCain's non-white adopted child was illegitmate.
In 1998, the school threatened to arrest a homosexual alumnus if he appeared on campus.
I won't get into some of the tangles it's had over Catholics and Mormons.
I do understand that the University now permits interracial dating and that the student body and faculty have always been diverse.
I shouldn't assume that anyone associated with Bob Jones University is necessarily racist, anti-gay, or religiously intolerant. I do recognize that there's a diversity of opinion in any institution or community. At the same time, the school itself has a pretty sad record in these areas.
I don't know that it's cruel to bring these facts up. It wasn't fair of me to impute some of these things to Chris Sligh just because he went there. I, however, have no trouble criticizing the instuttion.
8 - mamoucheca
i think the show wuz better last year but i have a feeling a girl is gonna win cause they seem lyke their doing betta than the boyz but its it anyone handz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9 - chancelucky
I think most everyone is guessing that one of the ladies will win this year, but I don't think it's anyone's ballgame.
I would be really shocked if any of the following won.
1) alaina alexander
2) antonella Barba
3) Nicholas Pedro
4) Sanjaya Malakar
there are at least 4-5 others who are basically just a matter of when they get eliminated and not can they win.