Featured Video: Britain’s Got Talent

Never, ever judge a book by its cover.

American Idol vs. The Voice

I’m going to state right here, right now that I am not a big fan of American Idol. I don’t particularly have anything against it; I just don’t really enjoy watching it. I did love the first season, and I still enjoy some of Kelly Clarkson’s music. I’m really glad that she’s been able to be as successful as she has. But after that, I pretty much stopped watching. I caught clips here and there, but nothing kept my attention. Other than Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert, I can’t even tell you who has won any of the other Idol seasons. (What’s that? Oh, Adam didn’t even win? My bad.)

Taken in Ireland at a performance/dinner we attended.

So, as much as I don’t care about American Idol, I was surprised that The Voice caught my attention…and kept it. My favorite thing about this show is the blind auditions – the judges can ONLY judge you on your voice, not on your looks. And let’s talk about the judges a little bit, shall we? I love Christina Aguilera’s music, and I’ll admit that she was a big reason why I tuned in to watch the first episode last year. I also love Maroon 5, and I can’t get “Forget You” out of my head all day if I hear it on the radio. Oh, and, um, Blake. Yeah, I don’t listen to country music. Now, before you hang me out to dry, just know this…I love this guy. I became of fan of him because of this show. I follow him on Twitter and everything.

So, let me give you a run down about why I like The Voice better than American Idol. I’m not trying to start anything here, and I don’t like the comparison any more than diehard fans of either show. I just want to share my opinion and hopefully get some casual Idol watchers to fall in love with The Voice like I did.

American Idol is all about weeding through the average Joe to find that next big star. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but after ten years I’m a little tired of some of the contestant’s antics. I literally cannot look at the TV when someone is trying so hard to sing well and is just not pulling it off.

The Voice, on the other hand, has already screened the contestants that we see on the show. They’re the best of the best. They don’t all get in, but they all have an excellent shot at it. Some of them are average Joe’s, but some of them have opened up for Grammy award winning artists and are just trying to land a solo career. Go them.

American Idol is judgmental. I’m not saying that it is all the time, but I’ve seen more than my fair share of episodes to know that they get ratings because of the negativity. That’s why Simon was hired and that’s why he’s so popular. People love controversy.

The Voice is positive. For the most part. Sometimes the judges bicker, but that’s normal. On the whole, though, they’re very kind to the contestants. They tell them what they need to improve upon, and generally say that they’ve done a very good job anyway. They tell them that they were “this close” to pushing their button, but just didn’t quite connect with them or the song.

American Idol has limits. This may or may not be a good thing. Either way, if you’re younger than 15 or older than 28, you can’t participate. They also don’t allow duos or groups.

The Voice only says that you have to be at least 15 years old. They also allow duos – which is pretty neat! It’s all about the voice, and not about other irrelevant information (like that pesky idea that you might be too old to have a music career).

American Idol judges are not all singers. That doesn’t mean that they don’t know the business, but would you rather buy your pizza from an authentic Italian or from Pizza Hut? (Note: I love Pizza Hut. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m getting quite hungry. Road trip, anyone?)

The Voice judges are incredibly talented – and have the credits to prove it. Adam is the lead singer of Maroon 5 and has won three Grammys. Blake has had 10 #1 singles and is currently the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. (Cool fact: His wife, Miranda Lambert, is the current CMA Female Vocalist of the Year.) Cee Lo has won three Grammys himself and Christina has won five. (THESE are the authentic Italian pizza makers, people.)

American Idol sends its contestants off to do their thang, and the judges patiently wait for the next round to critique them. There’s very little – if any – interaction, although they do try to offer constructive criticism when they can.

The Voice is made up of teams – each judge gets his or her own selection of contestants and works with them one-on-one. How many people can say that they’ve personally learned from Christina, Blake, Adam, or Cee-Lo? Not many! They even bring in mentors for added help – Blake brought Reba last year!

(This next, and last, point is related to the previous one, but I think it’s important enough to stand on its own.)

American Idol judges don’t get anything when a contestant wins the show, except for the usual fame and fortune that is to be expected from something like this. It’s all “Congratulations!!” and onto the next season.

The Voice works in such a way that each coach must each get rid of the same amount of contestants as his or her fellow judges. That means that by the end, each judge is left with a single person to go head to head with the other contestants. That also means that the coaches are fighting tooth and nail to make sure their person wins (and that means they’re dedicated to this individual’s success). After all, these guys already have fame and fortune. They want the bragging rights.

And as a side dish to that main course, let me just mention that the relationships don’t end once the season is over on The Voice. The judges still communicate with their contestants – and not just the final four. Dia Framps didn’t win last year (she came in second – you can read about her here), yet she has a successful record deal. Blake (her coach) even sings a song on there with her.

Now, none of this is to say that The Voice is perfect, because it’s not. Sometimes I get a little tired of the banter. I wish Christina would let the others talk more often. Sometimes I really, really like a contestant and they aren’t chosen. Other times, I don’t hear anything that I like in a singer and then you have the judges fighting over them. The show isn’t flawless, but it’s good enough that I’m hooked despite its flaws.

So, do you prefer American Idol or The Voice? Maybe you don’t care about either, and that’s fine, too! Did I convince anyone to at least check out an episode of The Voice? If so, let me know in the comments what you think!

(You can watch the first season here, and the beginning of the second season (which is currently airing) right here.)

Featured Video – Doo Wop Shop’s Disney Medley

So, I think I have a thing for Disney Medleys now. It all started back here when I posted about Heather Traska’s amazing video.

I’ve got another one for you!

This one is from the Doo Wop Shop, which is a group from the University of Massachusetts. They don’t have the crazy editing skills that Heather does, but this video is funny. And these guys are obviously talented. They sort of act out the stories as they sing it, which makes this video even more awesome than it already was. Check ‘em out below.

(If you’re adverse to laughing and cheering people, check out the studio version in the link below the video. It isn’t as funny, but it is a lot clearer.

 

Studio version.

My favorite songs are the first one and the last one. Favorite singers? That’s tough because they all have very unique strengths. Christopher Kazarian is such a powerful singer (plus he has ROCKIN’ hair), but I have to give props to Ron Vorce, too. I mean…he sang from The Little Mermaid and KILLED it.

Which ones did you guys like best?

Rising Stars: Jackie Evancho

There are a lot of talented people in this world, you just have to know where to find them. I’ve already told you about the dangers of YouTube and how it holds a destructive power for me. There is so much talent on that website alone, that I’m surprised it doesn’t crash the servers on a regular basis.

Ironically, that’s not where I found this next artist. My mom called me into the living room one night, while she was watching TV and eating dinner. (Don’t judge. And I didn’t leave her high and dry – I was studiously writing!)

“Wait!” she said, before I made it all the way over to her. I stopped. “Don’t look at the TV.”

“Okay,” I said, slapping my hand over my eyes. “What?”

“Listen. What do you hear?”

What I heard, though I didn’t know it at the time, was Jackie Evancho. It sounded like she was singing opera. It was definitely in another language. Her voice was rich, deep, and practiced. The voice of an older woman with years of experience, I thought.

Wrong.

Jackie Evancho is eleven years old. ELEVEN. This kid can sing. And I’m not talking about belting out runs like Christina Aguilera, which would be talent enough. No, this girl is a “classical crossover” artist, whatever the heck that means. To me, it means that she sounds far older than her years. People train their entire lives and they don’t have HALF the talent that Jackie has.

Isn’t that just incredible? This type of music isn’t usually my cup of tea, but Jackie’s voice in otherworldly. Here’s another great one:

She also appeared on America’s Got Talent, which may be where you recognize her name from. There are videos on YT of her time on there.

One more thing that I love about her – almost as much as her voice – is the wisdom and age in her eyes. She doesn’t act like a child, for better or worse. She’s calm, respectful, and very thoughtful for a little girl. I worry that she might be growing up too fast because of her talent, but I think it has more to do with just being an old soul.

I’m not one for cheesy lines and sappy moments, but can I just say that we’re incredibly lucky to share the earth with her. I can? Good. I’m not taking it back.

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