An "Idol" who's neither American nor undiscovered
Today on the Chicago Tribune blog The Watcher, TV critic Maureen
Ryan exposes an American Idol contestant who has already made
an album. Carly Smithson, highlighted on last night's episode
of Idol, released a major-label album in 2001 under her maiden
name, Carly Hennessy. She got through to the Hollywood round
on Idol in 2005, but had visa issues (she's Irish) and had
to leave the show.
Apparently her MCA-backed album failed to launch her career:
It sold only 378 copies in its first week. So she's still
trying to get that big break.
Is this a cover-up on the producers' part, or no big deal?
Says Ryan,
True, the singing contest is inevitably going to feature
people who have had professional careers and recording contracts.
But there’s a difference between someone who’s
been a backup singer or had a few self-released or indie
albums and someone who’s had major backing from one
of the biggest record labels in the world.
Isn’t this competition about discovering fresh new
talents? Smithson was hardly undiscovered. Fine. Just tell
people that.
I guess that's just it; it depends on what the competition
is about and how you define fresh. Yeah, she made a record,
but not many people heard it — it's like that tree
falling in the forest. Only more tuneful. How "undiscovered" can
you be, anyway, in the MySpace age?
If American Idol exists to give worthy talent a boost, maybe
it shouldn't matter how elevated the singers already are
when they audition. It's still a boost; just a less hefty
one. But I agree with Ryan that the producers should "just
tell people that" instead of pretending we're still
in a guileless age of community talent shows.
Apparently there are a lot of contestants with professional
backgrounds this year, so the producers should probably address
the issue now rather than later. (Ryan suggests they're hoping
it will really blow up, so they can reap the ratings benefits
of another controversy.) They could even divide the contestants
into two tiers — I'll bet viewers would still end up
voting for the ones they like best. And experience is only
one factor in likability (see Melinda Doolittle).
Here's that video Smithson made several years ago:
Carly Hennessy video
I didn't make it through the first minute of that (it is
decidedly not my groove), but I wouldn't mind seeing whether
she can sing other things. She can keep a tune and has a
fairly decent voice. And that's what I really want to see
on American Idol, especially after last year! Wait, speaking
of last year, maybe Carly is too much like a Haley Scarnato.
Ick.
I suppose this is more evidence that American Idol is totally
fixed from day one. That's what my dad always said — but
he also said, "Doesn't mean they can't sing. Just means
there's no point."
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