American Idol in My Coffee
March 1, 2008 · Print This Article
Hi. My name is Melissa. And I’m an American Idol addict.
It all started back in season one. My mother, of all people, turned me on to Idol. “Melissa, you’ve gotta watch this show,” she said. I sat down and took a gander. After a few minutes I turned to my mom and said, “This show is way too cheesy for me.” I snorted and made a few more derogatory remarks. Then Kelly Clarkson
On the Wagon
During seasons two and three I got on the wagon. Total Idol sobriety. I spent my weeknights writing and being productive and sneered at the people who couldn’t fight the urge to watch. Idol was just a way for America to mainline pop culture. It disgusted me. I watched 24 Hour Party People
And then season four came along.
The Fall
At first, it was easy to resist. I’ll admit that I’ve got problems, but people who watch the auditions, they’re like dragon chasers. Even I’m not that hardcore. But when it came down to the top 24, I got sucked in. Someone had sprinkled Ryan with stardust, Randy was dope, Paula
I started checking the American Idol message boards. I was scouring the Internet and downloading pirated videos of the performances. I did it in the wee hours, I did it at work. I started to think I could lose my job. And when people gathered around the water cooler to talk about the Idols, I stiffened up, and tried to act casual. “Yeah, I watch it sometimes.” I had to maintain my composure. When Constantine got voted off, I had a hissy fit. And that’s when I knew it had gone too far. It was only supposed to be something I did for fun, a social activity. But the truth was, I’d sunk so low that sometimes I watched Idol at home, alone.
Carrie Underwood
My Cup Overfloweth
I always think of the auditions like soda beer. You know, something like Coors Light. That’s not my kind of poison. I’m more of a dark ale girl, maybe a little red wine every now and then. I need substance and flavor. But by the time season five started, I’d gotten so desperate, I hit the cheap stuff. Watched the auditions. Felt like a loser. My standards were shot, my credibility ruined. I figured I might as well go out and buy the entire Backstreet Boys
By that time, my entire family and most of my friends were in it too. Even my grandparents. I don’t know, maybe it’s genetic. I thought about getting help. I even looked into some twelve-step programs, but season five had a stellar lineup. I was hitting it so hard, the entire season became a blur of jaw-dropping acts juxtaposed against what Simon so charmingly refers to as “ghastly karaoke performances.” I don’t know who’s taking more meds, me or Paula. I promised myself that after season five, I’d kick the habit completely. But that show is crack. I was such an Idol junkie by the time season six started, I had completely given up. Now it’s just part of who I am and what I’ve become. And I’ve started smoking and consuming large amounts of caffeine between seasons, just to hold me over.
I don’t think there’s any hope left for me.
But you don’t have to go down the same path I did. Now that I’m starting to accept my addiction I want to help others. I think the key is abstinence. Stay away from Fox on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Take up a healthy pastime like crocheting or painting by numbers. Make that your anti-drug. And when someone asks if you want to come over and watch Idol, for God’s sake, just say no.
content rss
This was a fun one so feel free to try it. Oh and try dancing on a bar sometimes too....
That image is really cool. Great photo and graphic job on that one.
Jason Castro is by far and away my choice for the American Idol winner. If it weren’t for him singing from my all time favorite Jeff Buckley album, you could not have roped me into watching it.
Hey Everybody, I will tell you a secret about Melissa, she is a phenomenal singer!
Yes, Jason Castro is freaking awesome! Definitely a new personality for Idol. I also like Brooke, who did a phenomenal job singing Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” Right now my vote would go to David A., the young singer with the old soul. But I’m not voting. I swear.
Hey Melissa!
I’m not much of an American Idol fan but I do enjoy reading your blog posts. If you get some spare time and want to do a fun little writing exercise I’ve posted up Coffeeshop Confessional on my blog. It would be great to see what you come up with, but I know you’ve got a lot going on, so no pressure.
Keep up the good work here!
Hey where are all the Idol fans?
@Brady, thanks. I’ll definitely go check it out!
I’m an Idol fan….*waving my hand in the air*
I’m not really a fanatic mind you, but I’ve been watching since it started. I too like Jason Castro (as I mentioned in another post, loved his version of Hallelujah). I think David A, might be tough to beat though, but the male singer I really have my eye on is the Aussie guy. I don’t have all their names all straight sorry. Sorry again about my memory lapse here but, the night he sang the song when Randy made the comment after, that his performance reminded him of the late Michael Hutchence from INXS. It was freaky in a way cause when I watched the Aussie guy perform, I thought the exact same thing as well.
Last years Idol, Daughtry was my man! I loved, loved his performance on the show with the band Live!
Every year I say I’m not going to watch it, and every year I get sucked in. I’m 100% hooked on this show and not proud of it, as you can probably tell. However, I am a HUGE music lover. I love all kinds, from punk to pop and everything in between (world, folk, R&B, classical, rock). I love it all. I can appreciate raw gritty music just as easily as a great entertainer with a fabulous voice. Idol is kind of cheesy, but it’s definitely entertaining and they do get some pretty good talent.
This season, the contestants are stellar, in my opinion.
And, um, I could NOT stand Daughtry. He came off as super arrogant. Someone like Kanye West can pull off the arrogance act, because he’s truly a genuine talent. Daughty was just a nobody and acting like he was one of the Beatles (and they don’t even act that way!). No buddy, sorry. Step off and let Taylor and Katherine do their thing. Sorry!
Somehow, I missed this post when I first checked out your new place. So this is an apology for a late comment.
In January, when I was in the throes of multiple crises including where was my hope for a writing career going, my brother used the Idol process to illustrate a possible scenario. Then he suggested that I might benefit from watching a season. Now I haven’t gotten around to it (mostly I’m not a TV watcher) but his description of the “candidates” and your imagery about the shows have gotten me to think about it. Maybe.
@Deb, Idol, and other shows about people making it in the entertainment and other highly visible and competitive industries are really good learning tools. I believe that being successful in a creative industry requires a very complex set of skills. For example, what exactly was it that made the Beatles so revolutionary? What did they have that made them so special? Since American Idol is about evaluating talent, it can be useful to a writer if just to assess the way performance (publishing) comes across. You start to see how important things like confidence, stage presence (voice), and song choice (topic) really are. On Idol, sometimes the person with the best voice gets sent home because some other key ingredient is missing. I think that can definitely be applied to writing.
It’s unfortunate that sometime, really talented singers leave, more because of it being a popularity contest than a talent contest. Perhaps that’s one little beef I have about the show sometime, but I’m an avid watcher. I too find the talent quite good this season.
Hmm, not a Daughtry fan I guess huh, LOL….Funny, he didn’t strike me as really being arrogant, and I’m certainly not ever fond of that type of behaviour. Sorry to say, now I wasen’t a real big fan of Taylor Hicks, lol (*runs and hides*).
I’m curious Melissa, like some have mentioned, did you feel it was arrogance or over confidence that might have caused Josiah Leming not to make the top 25? I really would have liked to see him make the show. Doesn’t the show sometime bring back someone they call the ‘wild card’ or something like that? I really liked that kid and his singing, and I thought he had a really interesting sounding voice–and Simon faught to try to keep him! I’d sort of like to see Idol maybe bring Josiah back as the wild card, and I believe I heard that the Idol message boards were wanting him to come back and voting to bring him back on the show too. I also like the name Josiah, lol.
@Jan, No, not a Daughtry fan at all. I actually think Elliott Yamin had the best voice during that season. I did like Taylor though in retrospect he wasn’t really right for Idol.
Is Josiah Leming from this current season? I did not watch the auditions so I can’t really comment. I usually start watching during Hollywood week because I seriously cannot listen to all those hair-raising auditions. This year I missed Hollywood week too. Maybe that’s a good thing!
That is too funny! I used to be REALLY addicted to American Idol. Finally, I had to ween myself off of it- much like myspace…lol
@Janelle, I’m seriously addicted. Sometimes, like on a Sunday night, I’ll be all, “I wish Idol was on tonight. And every night.” That’s when I hit YouTube and watch reruns of the performances. I’ve got it bad.
As for MySpace, I cured that addiction by simply replacing it with blogging out in the greater Internet.
Awww, two of my biggest addictions in one title post - coffee and American Idol. Constantine’s one of my all-time favorites, too - along with Chris Daughtry, Bo Bice, David Cook, Michael Johns, Jason Castro, Ace Young, and Carly Smithson.
The themes have kind of sucked cold witch knees this year (Dolly? Mariah? Showtunes? Poor boys?) . The fact that David Cook has still kicked proverbial but, inspite of the girly themes is a real sign of his talent.
@Joi, To this date I think Kelly Clarkson is by far the best singer they’ve ever had on the show. I like a lot of the ones you’ve mentioned, though I wasn’t a fan of Daughtry or Ace Young. Right now, I think David Archuletta has it in the bag
Who do you think will win this year?
Yes, the themes have been horrendous. I don’t know what the show’s producers are thinking.
I must admit, reluctantly, that I DO watch this show.
American Idol is like a car crash. You know you shouldn’t look at it, but for some reason, you can’ t help yourself.
When they’re down to the last few contestants (like they are now), I kinda lose interest. Everyone is equally good, I find it’s all pretty much the same sanitized pop-star singing.
I like it best earlier on, when they’re still trying to seperate the wheat from the chaff. You never know what you’ll get in the next audition. It could be the next superstar, or someone who sings like a leaky bagpipe.
This is when Simon is at his best. I love to watch him be a prick.
I love it when indignant contestants yell back at him and storm out of the room. I love it when he and Paula snipe at each other.
That’s what makes the show for me.
(The singing isn’t too bad, either).
@Friar, I’m the opposite. I like it when it gets down to the top ten and I find this season especially exciting because they are one of the most talented groups Idol has ever had. However, something up and the show is pretty strange this year.
Paula… I can’t even comment on her recent blunder in public. Ugh. I do love Simon (except when he rips on my favorites). You like the drama, it sounds like
I pretty much watch for the talent. I’m a huge music lover.
Who’s your current favorite of the remaining contestants?
At least this year they’re allowing them to play musical instruments. I think that’s a big step forward.
Not just anyone can sing and play at the same time.
Not even Britney. Or Madonna. Or Celine Dion….
@Friar, I agree, and I was very happy that Idol has started allowing instruments in the performances. That has certainly changed things considerably. I doubt Jason or Brooke would have made it as far as they did without them. And they are among my favorites.
Madonna does play a little guitar by the way. Saw her do it in concert