As I channel-surfed last night, I suddenly caught sight of a slightly homogenized (no pun intended, honest!) Lady Gaga making a star turn on American Idol as a mentor for the show’s latest hot-to-trot contestants.
The segment was so engaging that I stuck around, ‘til the final curtain fell, and the credits rolled.
The Pop Diva's stab at mentoring on American Idol was vastly entertaining!
For those of you unfamiliar with the feature, the producers for the top-rated entertainment show regularly invite a high-profile performer to coach a handful of the finalists behind-the-scenes, as they gear up for the final stretch of the competition.
Surprisingly, the Pop Diva turned out to be quite an effective coach, provided the talent had the capacity (and intelligence) to take heed of the seasoned pro’s advice that is.
An old phrase springs to mind in this instant case:
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!
For example, when I first tuned in, a pretty lounge-style singer was in the throes of botching a tune because she was missing the whole essence of the song.
When Lady Gaga offered up a suggestion with the specific aim of rustling up a little sizzle to the contestant’s otherwise dull performance she balked.
For example, the Pop Diva instructed the young lady to imagine that she was evil when she belted out her rendition of a well-known hit.
Instead of playing with the idea, and applying it, the contestant underscored how inexperienced she truly was by virtue of her childish remarks.
“Oh, I’m not evil. So, I can’t be that,” she awkwardly responded, or something to that effect.
Subsequently, the young songbird found it a difficult challenge to utilize the novel tool offered up, or even give it a chance and run with it.
“Imagining” she was an evil seductress, for starters, may have helped the aspiring recording artist muster up a sexier gutsier quality to her voice which may have drummed up the right emotions - and thus - set her on the track to success.
In a nutshell - she didn’t get “it” - or the indescribable something most artists strive to attain.
The Hollywood hopeful’s failure to grasp the concept cinched it for me.
The finalist would be a lousy actress from the get-go, in my estimation, you betcha!
Can you imagine an actor (or performer) without any imagination to draw on?
In contrast, a second artist took the advice given, and soared to the top of the heap as a result.
Unfortunately, he suffered during his live stage performance because of his lack of experience, which stuck out like a sore thumb.
For example, when he first appeared in the rehearsal hall before the mentors, his version of the olden-goldien hit - "Love Potion No. 9" - was pretty wimpy.
Boring, too.
If I was the songwriter, as punishment for butchering my tune, I would have strung him up by the balls (provided he had some, of course) and belted out 100 Manilow tunes.
It was obvious the green vocalist didn’t even take the time to dissect the lyrics, or try to fathom the heartbeat of the catchy pop winner (which happened to be one of my own favorites).
Once the advice was given, though, he whipped up a stage performance that was light years ahead of the one he originally conjured up on his own.
In a nutshell?
The kid confirmed on-camera that he had no interpretative skills – and most certainly – lacked the talent to compose his own original material or mess-around with someone else’s in a recording studio.
In addition, he made a mistake common to inexperienced performers, at the early stages of their careers.
For example, he struck a pose on stage, tore into the song, and knocked them dead right out of the gate.
Unfortunately, he “killed” a good thing when he failed to leave them begging for more.
"Love Potion 9 " impacted and excited the audience at first, then mid-way dropped off in the wow department when it dragged on – and on – and on.
Was that over-the-top highly-stylized piece ever going to end?
Maybe he's related to the director of Inland Empire?
When fans start glancing at their watches, you know the artist is in trouble.
In a parting shot, I would like to make a comment to smarty pants (Scottie) too.
The silly digs you made about Lady Gaga emphasized what a hick you truly are!
You don’t have "Lady Gagas" where you're from?
Have you never heard of entertainment gadgets such as the radio, CD player, or the ubiquitous old boob tube gracing every romper room across the country?
Have you been hiding under a rock all your life?
Talk about arrogance and an overblown sense of self importance.
Get real, kid!
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