Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

At the beginning of the American Idol season, I would have predicted that Paris Bennett would go the distance. True, she started out strong. So why is it that she has appeared again and again in the bottom three, and last week, in the bottom two? Just why was she the one cut last night?

Two reasons: consistency and song choice. Not so much consistency as a singer. Her talent has been consistently strong. But from week to week, as the finalists did different themes, she submersed herself so much in the themes it was hard to tell who Paris was.

One week, she was dressed head to toe in black leather to rock out. The next, she might be wearing a classy dress. Another, she'd be dressed in stylish young fashions.

Just like her outfits, she leaped from one style to another without investing much sense of her own style, of who she was.

If anything hurt her, most of all, it was song choice. She seemed to have no clue what sort of song would be most appropriate for a 17-year-old singer with a cherubic face. Continually, she chose songs that were too old for her, and she seemed to pay no attention to the lyrics, smiling her way through songs like "The Show Must Go On" by Queen, which is anything but a happy song.

She did the same thing when she sang "The Way We Were", and amazingly, that week she said she chose the song because she was 17. But the song talks about lost love from a very distant perspective. It's not a song a young person would sing.

What really killed her chances on the show was last night's performance of "Kiss" by Prince, which was just ridiculous. First of all, it's not a song that's made for showing off vocals. She danced around, but tried to play it sexy instead of just cute and fun. I'm sure I wasn't the only viewer so discomfited by this that I couldn't imagine voting for her.

Of course, Paris has talent. She has personality, and she does have a future. No doubt, there will be Paris Bennett albums and many opportunities. Really, at this stage in the game, none of the finalists can truly be considered a loser.

As Paris exits, only one woman is left in the competition, Katharine McPhee. Will we have an all male top three? That depends on next week's performances. Katharine, however, hasn't been in the bottom three as often as Elliott Yamin, so it's her game to lose. If Elliott can turn in a performance that will attract more than just his loyal voters, you just might see an all-male top three.

More on American Idol:

Musings on American Idol Season 5 (2006)

Musings on American Idol Season 4 (2005)

Musings on American Idol Season 3 (2004)

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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