Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
I watched "Fame" last night. The finals were beginning, and I was really looking forward to my chance to vote for my favorite.
Even though I thought I knew who I would pick, I watched all the contestants to make sure I voted for the right one.
They were all good, but some of them definitely didn't do as good as they did the first time around, in the semifinals.
Garry Adams and Moy both faltered during their songs, and even Serena Henry, who seemed like a pop goddess her first time out, had seemed nervous and was moving around too much.
As far as I was concerned, it was between Brandon O'Neal and Harlemm Lee, both of whom have super smooth voices and are comfortable with dancing, but when Harlemm came out, I was blown away. His voice is incredible, and he has a lot of confidence and agility on the stage. He's a little quirky, throwing in almost martial arts style moves, but I like that he's got his own personality, a genuine quality. What they might consider "a triple threat" -- singing, dancing and personality. I am definitely rooting for him. Even one of the celebrity judges, Carnie Wilson, said she hopes that he wins.
In the group dances, you simply couldn't keep your eyes off him, despite the acrobatic moves of some of the dancers around him. He's just super smooth. I'm absolutely convinced he has some sort of martial arts background, because he has that sort of agility and grace. And every time he opened his mouth to sing, it was incredible. As the old "Saturday Night Live" sketch would say, "It was like butter."
I made sure to write down the correct phone number to vote for Harlemm and waited patiently until the end of the show, which was when you were allowed to start voting. You only had two hours to do this in.
Of course, I tried right away and the number was busy. I tried back again and again, but the number was still busy. When I finally got through, I got a message that said they were no longer taking calls from this time zone because they'd taken the maximum number they could receive from that time zone! Well, that hardly seems fair. They make it seem as if you're going to be able to vote for your favorite and have some say over whether or not they stay in the contest, and then they artificially decide how many calls to take from each time zone. If you can't get through in the brief window it takes for the maximum number of calls to be filed, your vote means nothing. At least, that's how I understand it.
Now, I have every reason to believe Harlemm will continue on. The fact that his phone number was that busy is a good indication. He's probably staying in for the next round, because what they're doing is eliminating the two people with the least number of votes.
But I really do want Harlemm to stay in, because he has a raw talent that is really something special. With just a little coaching, I'm sure he'll excel. He's like an Asian version of Prince.
I didn't expect to become so interested in this show; I really only turned it on out of curiosity and because I used to like the "Fame" series. I still wish there were some way more of them could get a prize out of the deal, because they all work so well together and all dance so well together. That communal spirit was what the original "Fame" was all about for me. So I hate to see just one person picked, but I understand that's the concept behind the contest.
They are offering a strange option in this contest: a "spoiler" slot, where you can send in a tape of yourself singing and dancing and possibly get a chance to be a last minute entry in the competition. They showed some of these tapes last night, and I don't know if they were the best or the worst of the bunch, but not one of them looked like they could compete with the finalists. I mean, I took eight years of ballet and two years of belly dancing, and I wouldn't send in a tape of myself!
At any rate, I'll be watching the next installment of "Fame," at 8 p.m. next Wednesday on NBC, and root for my favorite: "Go Harlem! Go Harlem! Go!"
More thoughts on "Fame":
May 29, 2003 - Fame, Remember My Name!
June 26, 2003 - Planet Harlemm
July 5, 2003 - The Music of Love
July 10, 2003 - Magical Harlemm
July 24, 2003 - And the Winner Is...!
August 1, 2003 - Long, Strange Day
Moral:
"Fame" is addictive.
Copyright
2003 by Alyce Wilson
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