Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
Two more Fame contestants were eliminated last night, and my favorite, Harlemm Lee, is still in. Yay!
To stretch out the suspense about who was left, they had all 12 contestants on stage. One by one, they'd read out the name of someone who was going to continue on. That person would perform and then they'd bring everyone out to select another name.
Most of the contestants seemed, once more, to be suffering from nerves.
Serena Henry turned in a stronger performance than she had the week before, as did Raymond Lee and Alex Boyd. But Brandon O'Neal, who last time had given a smooth performance, this time gave a very uneven one.
Harlemm Lee did "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, which he started out slow and dreamy and then, punctuated with hand claps and a bouncy jump, launched into the refrain at tempo. His voice never wavered, strong on high or low notes, and he added his quirky dance moves. When he finished, the audience, including his excited family, were screaming and cheering.
This time, judge Carnie Wilson, commenting about his performance, said, "Next time I'm going to wear a shirt that says 'Planet Harlemm,' because where did you come from?!" It was clear she meant it as a compliment.
This time it was easy to get through to register my vote. I don't know if this should be a concern or whether they've simply fixed some sort of problem with their phone lines. Or perhaps fewer people were watching, now that summer vacation season is upon us. I got through to Harlemm's line and heard a greeting that said, "Hi, I'm Harlemm. Thanks for voting for me. Remember that dreams really can come true." I don't know who's going to be eliminated next time, but I hope he gets to continue on.
I've had some thoughts about who's been eliminated so far, and it almost goes against what you would expect from the mainstream American public. All the traditional pretty boys were eliminated right at the start, except for one, Alex Boyd, who has talent. The same for the skinny white girls. Only two skinny white girls are left, and one of them, Shannon Bex, looks a lot like Britney Spears. This may be more of a curse than a blessing at the end.
I was a little sorry to see they'd voted off Garry Adams, because in the semifinals I was impressed with his potential. He was clearly the cream of the crop from the group of semifinalists he competed against. But now, pitted against everyone else, he doesn't quite measure up. He's very athletic and very personable, but his singing is uneven. He has trouble holding a note. It's either that his confidence is wavering or he kept choosing songs that were too complicated for his vocal range.
The other contestant who was eliminated, Lauren Hildebrandt, didn't surprise me because she hadn't made much of an impression on me. And so even if she's an excellent singer and dancer, she can't be much of a triple threat.
But we all know who is, and he comes from Planet Harlemm.
More thoughts on "Fame":
May 29, 2003 - Fame, Remember My Name!
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:
There's nothing like an incredible performer.
Copyright
2003 by Alyce Wilson
What
do you think? Share your thoughts
at Alyce's message board (left button):
