Carly Smithson: American Idol Season 12 Top 10 Review
Carly Smithson performed Total Eclipse of the Heart, originally performed by Bonnie Tyler in 1983. Unfortunately, our viewing audience immediately noted that the back-up singer out-sang Carly.
There's no question Carly has a great voice and a unique presence. The question is more about the audience of American Idol, which is mostly pre-teen to teenage kids and soccer moms. Most of their votes are going to go to bubble-gum pop princess type Kristy Lee Cook and annoyingly adorable 17-year-old David Archuleta.
Carly is more like a clone of Celine Dion, and while Celine is a diva in her own right with an amazing set of pipes, she has somewhat worn out her 15 minutes of fame. I don't know about you, but the last time I heard about Celine, she was appearing on Oprah and performing in Canada. Celine, and singers who emulate her, don't have the staying power with today's pop generation -- the ADD-afflicted, IMing while also listening to the radio and watching Idol on DVR teenagers who power the pop music machine. They're better suited to the "light rock" soccer moms and dentist office elevator music stations.
Add in to this the fact that Carly really already has had her shot -- and missed horribly, to the tune of about $1 million of failed advertising and promotion by record label MCA Records. Sure, a few other Idol finalists have also had brief record deals, but Carly's was the most publicized.
While Carly certainly still has a shot, and likely won't go home tonight, she has to compete with the likes of Archuleta, rocker-phenom David Cook and Michael Johns (after his amazing performance last night, he's put a little fire to the feet of the other contestants).
Sources
Irish Idol: Smithson's Secret Past, Lindsey Parker, http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/13980/irish-idol-smithsons-secret-past
Published by Kelly Russ
Kelly is a public relations/communication professional with eight years experience in the corporate, academic and nonprofit worlds. Favorite weekend activities are watching college football and visiting k... View profile
- Carly Smithson's Total Eclipse of the Heart on American Idol is a DisappointmentFrom the beginning auditions, I have considered Ireland native Carly Smithson to be one of the front-runners in Season 7 of American Idol.
- American Idol Season 7, March 25: Michael John's PerformanceThe astounding performance by Michael John on last night's episode of American Idol had the entire crowd up jumping and clapping to "We Will Rock You."
- American Idol Review: Carly SmithsonCarly Smithson performed a so-so rendition of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" last night.
- American Idol Season 7 Review
- Review: American Idol Season 7 Premiere
- Big Changes for American Idol Season 7 Hollywood Week
- Review: American Idol Season 7; The Hollywood Week Episode
- Review: American Idol Season 7: Top Ten Male Performances
- The Male Contestants in American Idol: Season 7
- Carly Smithson's Performance May Have Let Down Fans
3 Comments
Post a CommentMost top performers want to be featured on Oprah - whether it's Mariah, Whitney, Beyonce, or even up and coming superstars like Leona Lewis. Oprah has a lot of power. A book she declares to be good on her show ends up on the best selling list. She has a huge core of housewives who watch her show and listen to her word like the word of god.
and PS - Miss celine is still selling out stadiums and arenas across the globe on her current tour right now
You cannot expect an artist to remain popular and on the charts for all time, but once they go they should not all be relegated to being called a "has been" or "washed up" or that was just their "15 minutes of fame". Celine Dion is one of the 3 best selling female artists in the world OF ALL TIME. In other words she will go down in history. Regardless of whether or not she doesn't sell one more record after today (which she still is selling millions and hitting top ten across the world) she will still go down in history. In fact she is going on a world tour right now for a new album.
I realize a lot of people dislike her music, but you have to give credit where credit is due. She's sustained a career in French and English since she was 12 (over two decades) and to insinuate that her "15 minutes of fame" is over is like saying that she's someone like Debbie Gibson or Tiffany from the 80's, or New kid's on the block for goodness sakes. She's simply one of the 3 best selling (if