Thank goodness that the audition episodes are finally over on “American Idol.” It’s mildly amusing to see mildly delusional folks display their complete lack of singing skills, but those episodes quickly start to seem very formulaic: There are about four singers who are decent (albeit they’re usually all cut from the same Mariah-Carey-esque, show-offy mold), mixed in with a bunch of talentless folks who don’t know just how talentless they are.
Speaking of talent contests, the “Idol” folks should import Jessica, the most promising contestant on UPN’s otherwise pallid “The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott.” Jessica, who hails from Chicago’s South Side, blows me away every time I hear her smoky, bluesy voice; she reminds me not of the endlessly copied Carey but the legendary Aretha Franklin. And there’s no higher compliment than that.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])