[American Idol-izer] Top 2 Perform
After weeks of auditions, pulled sponsorships, label changes, throwing fun contestants under the bus, the final performances are here at last. Thanks to the announcement that American Idol is ending next season, the final two contestants performances are unfortunately under a more rigorous microscope than usual. It's definitely unfair to them, but then again, the show's always been kind of unfair. I'm sure the news will pull in some more viewers than usual this final week, at least. But if last night was indicative of what we could look forward to for the final season, I'm not sure what to do anymore.
At the top of the hour, due to the weird scheduling shenanigans this season (which I hope get fixed next go around), the Top 3 was whittled down to the final two as Jackie "Jax" Cole was eliminated. I considered the fact that Jax might unceremoniously be let go in third place, but I never thought it could actually happen. I was as broken up as she seemed to be, and the thought of yet another interesting contestant going home instead of the plain white dudes hurt so much. Only serving to reinforce how boring this season has been, Jax was sent home without getting to perform her possible coronation song. It's a damn, damn shame and only helps AI's naysayers.
So a very boring final bout between Nick Fradiani and Clark Beckham, we got three songs: Encore of a favorite performance (or "Flashback"), one chosen by series creator Simon Fuller, and the final winner's coronation song. Read on for the recap.
Gonna miss you, Jax.
Why RuPaul's Drag Race is the Best Reality Show on TV
I've spent the greater half of my life watching bad reality television. Through dating shows like Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and Daisy of Love, to game shows like Survivor, Real World/Road Rules Challenge to I Love Money, to singing competitions like American Idol and The Voice, and even quirky fashion shows like Face Off and Project Runway. While each of those shows is interesting in their own unique way, there's only one show on TV that provides all of the fun and drama of these shows in one cohesive, and fabulous package: RuPaul's Drag Race.
Through the years this series has become one of my most anticipated each year. Drama, humor, style, singing, dancing, quirk, and it's all very pleasing to the eye. Say yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas, Queen.
Though RuPaul's Drag Race has flourished on Logo (a network notably featuring positive queer media), it deserves a much bigger audience than it has. It's found a cult following on the channel (that still can't be found in HD, sadly) running eight seasons and has no signs of stopping for good reason. I mean, even with a semi lackluster current season, its weirdness has transcended all entertainment into pure artistry. For example, just this past week, the five remaining queens had to establish two looks based on Hello Kitty all in the name of brand recognition. The lesson the queens needed to learn was how to further establish their Drag brand while still maintaining good relationships with other properties. So the queens had to both design a "Hello Kitty Eleganza" runway look along with a brand new Hello Kitty character. Awesomely enough, this wasn't even the weirdest challenge the contestants had to face this season (that has to go to a dance number while dressed as a half man/half woman). Every challenge is all according to RuPaul's wavering whim. Whatever the Queen says goes, and it makes for some fantastic TV.
Drag Race stands above all reality television because it's satirical of other reality shows, yet never once directs that lens at its contestants. While some of the humor and drama may be manufactured (this is reality TV, after all), it's never meant as derogatory. We're meant to laugh with the show than at it, and that's something the rest of these shows can learn something from. Drag Race is indeed a serious competition, with real stakes and pride on the line, but it's so much fun. Regardless of whether or not these Queens win or lose, every Queen seems legitimately thankful for the experience. There's just so much to learn for those of us on the sidelines as well. Over the years I've learned proper make up and costuming techniques, how to work a runway, and how to own the skin you're in. Even after all of these years, I still find new takeaways from each episode. And even if the show's message of confidence and power doesn't reach you, you'll at least learn some killer one liners.
As the latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race winds to a close, why not go ahead and hunt down and episode or two? Seasons 4-6 are on Hulu Plus, and you can currently find new episodes of the show Mondays on Logo at 9/8c. There's bound to be something you'll like as it's completely impossible to be disappointed by Drag Race. On a show where everything is cranked up to 11, and where lip sync battles are the most dramatic thing you see all year, your life will definitely change.
It's time you joined the cultural phenomenon.
American Idol Ending After Next Season
It's been a rough few years for American Idol. Thanks to an onslaught of competitors, weird backstage shenanigans leading to a few winners fading into obscurity, and a struggle to catch the right demographic, the show is a shadow of its former superstar making self that helped us find the goddess Kelly Clarkson. If you haven't followed my weekly segment, American Idol-izer, I've been a fan of the show since its inception. I've stuck it out through the good times and bad, and I've noticed quite a few changes over the years. And this season in particular has been through the roughest changes, leading to one of the most boring seasons in series history.
With the writing on the wall, it was a matter of time before the show would come to an end. According to Variety, American Idol is premiering its final season in January 2016 with all of the current judges and showrunners in tow. It kind of makes sense only because I assume the program is hemorrhaging money. Without Coca Cola and the former Interscope records, I'm guessing either the current record studio in charge, Big Machine, nor Fox wanted to pony up the difference. But that's just wild conjecture. I've got some more to say about the show's decline over the next couple of pages.
[via Variety]
[American Idol-izer] Top 3 Perform
American Idol has been particularly rough this season. I'll attribute most of it to growing pains since lots of factors screwed over the programming: Big Machine Records took over for Interscope (and ousted Jimmy Iovine as mentor, replacing him with Scott Borchetta), Coca Cola pulled their sponsorship after a decade of product placement, and Fox forced it to a single night in order to give space to Empire. So I've been sounding like a broken record each week (does that analogy mean anything to the kids?) because I can't help but mention how awkward and terrible this all is for everyone involved. I'll be going over this season in better detail in a separate post, so stay tuned for that.
The reason I bring this up is because it's done quite a number on these poor contestants. They've been put through the ringer this season, and with the finale next week, the fatigue is starting to show more and more. This week, the Top 3 contestants had three songs: Scott Borchetta's choice, Hometown Dedications, and Judges' Choice. All four of the remaining Idols sang regardless of whether or not they were going home at the end of the evening. The four of them also got the big homecoming parade they do every year, so it was a bit weird but not as awkward as I expected.
And after weeks of playing "The Comeback Kid," Rayvon's run has finally ended. Going home in a respectable fourth place and even enjoying all sorts of things like the hometown visit and three swan songs, Rayvon ended his run on a falsetto. He fought for his place, and as much criticism as I've given him over the weeks, I can't fault that effort. On the next few pages, I'll get into American Idol XIV's Top 3 night.
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How The (British) Avengers Inspired a New Age for Women on Television
Last week saw the release of one of this summer's most anticipated blockbuster sequels, Avengers: Age of Ultron. In Britain, the first Avengers movie was renamed Avengers Assemble, due to a much loved, if sadly little recognised these days, '60s television program beating the comics to the original title on these shores by two years. The series was Sydney Newman's first major hit, with his second being the more widely celebrated Doctor Who. Starting out as a gritty spy thriller, the British Avengers came to define the swinging sixties through its playful embrace of abstract imagery, empowered women in risqué clothing, and intrinsically English sense of humour.
Manny Pacquiao Fights for Us
Guest editorial by Jordan Garcia.
The question any Filipino gets asked when a Pacquiao fight is looming near is, “Where are you watching the fight?” It’s never “Are you watching the fight?” It’s a universally understood truth that we watch his fights. We don’t have to know anything about boxing. We don’t even have to know who he’s fighting. All we need is the time and place, and we cheer like hell. It doesn’t even matter that he’s hundreds — sometimes thousands — of miles away, everyone has that one Auntie that yells as if he can hear her. Nothing brings my multi-generational Filipino family together quite like a Pacquiao fight.
The way in which we celebrate each fight is rooted in the Filipino culture of hospitality. We open up our homes to anyone who needs a place to watch it. We bring enough food to feed a small army and force everyone to “eat, eat.” And of course, there is no shortage of laughing as loud as humanly possible, most of the time at things that aren’t even funny. These are all things that Philippine-born and American-born Filipinos can relate to even when they can’t relate to each other. But the deeper connection with Pacquiao is the sense of pride that we feel knowing that he is “one of us.”
Many times growing up, I’d be shopping with my grandmother, and we’d run into a complete stranger who happened to be Filipino. It took me years before I actually realized that these people weren’t part of my extended family. I always assumed that we were related because of the ease my grandma would talk to them. The conversations were long, and if that stranger happened to work at wherever we were shopping, it would end with the request of a “Filipino discount” and a light chuckle. This is how I learned you should never be shocked what one Filipino will do for another. If family was measured by what you would do for someone, these strangers would be considered family.
It wasn’t until the first time I heard someone say that Filipinos are “so ridiculous” because of the way we cheer for Pac Man that I realized why Manny being a stranger in my family was so important. I’ve heard this comment a few times since then, and when I glance over, it’s always some “American” (and by "American," I of course mean white person) I’ve laughed to myself each time. When you don’t understand what it’s like to be marginalized as a group, you aren’t forced to have pride the way that we are.
If you’re a person that read that last sentence and thought to yourself, “Marginalized is too strong a word,” allow me to educate you.
Are you aware that there was a Philippine-American war that ended with the US occupation of the country as a territory? Many historians say this drastically changed the cultural landscape of The Philippines. Did you know that Filipinos are the third largest immigrant group in the United States behind Mexicans and Chinese? Knowing that, can you relate Filipinos to anything besides Manny? Marginalized, by definition, is to treat as insignificant or peripheral. Not just Filipinos, but Asian-Americans as a whole are treated as insignificant in this country. That is why Manny being “one of us” is so important. He is the hero that brings us into significance. He makes The Philippines and its culture a focal point.
The greatest part, for me as a Filipina, is knowing that Manny is just like those Filipino strangers at the market. Manny is so excited for his upcoming fight against Mayweather that he wrote a song about it, “Lalaban Ako Para Si Filipino” in English that translates to “I Will Fight for the Filipino.” That’s what Manny would do for us. He fights for us for the same reason we cheer for him. We’re proud of who we are and we’re fighting for our significance.
The Windy City Avengers: Chicago's Mightiest Athletes
This post was originally posted on our affiliate site, City on the Take.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is in theaters worldwide, and needless to say I am filled with unbridled excitement. I had the wonderful opportunity to see the midnight premier late last night. Everyone, comic book fans or not, should go see this movie.
With everything going on in the Chicago sports world, I couldn't help but make correlations between the Avengers super heroes and Chicago's super athletes. The Blackhawks have made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Bears are going to select the 7th overall pick in their own city, the Bulls just stomped the Bucks out of the NBA Playoffs and the Cubs and White Sox are in full swing for their respective seasons.
I know a lot of people who dig comic books, but aren't so much into the sport scene. On the contrary I also know loads of people who are quite into sports, but don't care much for the comic books and comic book movies/tv shows. I'm hoping to marry the two. It's time that both worlds meet each other, and no better time to do it during than what will be the biggest box-office opening since the last Avengers movie.
To those looking to kill some time between periods, innings, quarters, or draft picks I urge you to read this. For those that are bored out of their mind waiting in line for the midnight premier of the Avengers, check this out and open up your mind to the world of sports. The sports and comic book world are full of so much joy, life and entertainment. If you're not into one, try the other. If you're into both, well we may very well be best friends already.
I know you all can't wait to dig in, so I present to you The Windy City Avengers: Chicago's Mightiest Athletes on City on the Take.