Tag: crystal bowersox

I’ve already posted an article that describes how Didi Benami was eliminated on Wednesday night’s “American Idol” but now, following in the steps of other news sources, most notably the April 2 issue of “Entertainment Weekly,” I’m going to sound off on the ejection of Didi (et. al.) and what’s happening to drag “American Idol” down the tubes in this, the worst season it has ever experienced.

The show premiered in June of 2002. It has been a rating blockbuster every year since. However, this year, the ratings have plummeted, dropping from 25.8 and 25.5 million to 22.9 and 20.5 million (www.entertainmentweekly.com, p. 38, “Why Can’t the New Idols Sing” by Michael Slezak). At first, I thought the low number of hits on Associated Content for “American Idol” articles could be blamed on competition from the winter Olympics. Then, the winter Olympics ended and the truth emerged.

There were many mistakes made this year, from letting Paula go as a judge, (when audiences apparently loved her particular brand of ditz), to letting it be known that this is Simon’s Swan Song Season. I’m not sure that “American Idol” audiences have ever really taken to Kara. She seemed like “the fifth wheel” last year, and that feeling continues. On top of which, as one critic put it, her constant game of “touchy feely” with Simon becomes distracting to the judging of the contestants and doesn’t seem very mature or professional to be showcased, week after week, on a major television show.

For whatever reason, this year’s crop of “American Idol” contestants is just not that good. There are perhaps 2 to 4 contestants left singing at the end of March with major star potential (Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Lee DeWyze and Casey James), but there are more still singing that are just plain pitiful.

Point Number One:

The refrain heard over and over again (said to the contestants by the judges) is, “You picked the wrong song.” I would like to offer this comment: why don’t the Powers That Be help the contestants pick the song(s) a bit more? If you were planning a party…say a wedding…the DJ would have the songs picked and would mix them up: some slow, some fast. There seems to be no one telling the current crop of lesser talents that it is probably not a good idea to have 10 very gloomy acoustic songs in a row. Why not help the singers out a bit? Require that ½ of the contestants sing something upbeat one week (while the other half can sing slow things) and then switch it around the next week? There seems to be no rhyme or reason for the gloomy, slow ballads that we are subjected to, week after week, song after song. If the show drags, it is because the song selections are admittedly not that great, but they could be, with a little help from the brass at the top. Who’s in that control booth, anyway, and why don’t they step in and give the poor kids some guidance here?

Point Number 2

So many of the songs being sung have been done to death over the years. It is rumored that Katie Stevens wants to sing “Over the Rainbow.” The pitch-challenged contestant, a perennial cellar dweller in the bottom three for the past several weeks, would only be about the umpteenth person to do this song. It was suggested in the “E.W.” article that perhaps a song could be “banned” from the competition once it has been sung by another artist in another year. I mean, come on: Kimberley Locke, Katharine McPhee, Jason Castro sang “Over the Rainbow” in seasons 2, 5 and 7. Do we really want to hear the pitch-challenged Katie sing it this year, too? As Michael Slezak put it, “Ask yourself if you really want to hear Rendition Number 147 of ‘Feeling Good.’” Other “Idol” contestants have already covered twenty-four of the sixty songs performed during the season 9 semi-finals on live shows. That’s a lot of hearing the same song(s) over and over and over.

Point Number Three:

Simon is always hugely critical of “cheesy” treatments of songs on the show, so what’s with the cheesy “group” numbers? Tonight’s (3/31) was “Kung Fu Fighting” and it wasn’t pretty. Why not eliminate the group singing, as the contestants often seem to be struggling with the choreography and nobody likes a bunch of amateurs bumping into one another doing lip-synched poorly chosen songs. As Slezak referred to them in his article in “E.W.”, the “never enjoyable for the audience or the contestants group numbers. So which sadist insists on keeping this cheeseball tradition alive?”

Point Number Four:

This year, the judges seem particularly indifferent. Randy takes forever to mumble an opinion and, tonight, Kara made a particularly catty remark about Simon right to his face (“I know who Simon’s in love with: himself.”) At times, the arrangement of the 4 has changed, with Ellen starting out near Simon and then removing herself to the far right, near Randy. Makes you wonder. Ellen always tries to say something pleasant, but telling one contestant that it’s nice she didn’t fall down is, for sure, the lamest of compliments after a particularly horrific vocal performance (Paige Miles’). My favorite night to illustrate this was March 30^th, when Simon actually said, to Tim Urban, the least-gifted of all the contestants vocally: “I don’t think it makes any difference what we say…You’re not gonna’ win. You’re gonna’ smile. The audience is gonna’ vote for you. Nobody cares. You’re gonna’ be here next week. So, well done.” That’s about as indifferent and desperate a statement of the show’s situation as we’ve heard. And the show’s Number One Judge and one of the originators of the program articulated it.

Point Number Five:

This year’s Mentors. What is the deal this year with the inability to find any really talented and noteworthy mentors? Has everyone heard that the show is going down the tubes, so the Celine Dions and the veterans like Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart have said, “Don’t call me; I’ll call you”? Tonight’s musical mentor was Usher. Last week, the show was reduced to using Miley Cyrus, all of 17, to mentor the likes of a really talented singer of 28 (Crystal Bowersox). I remember the year that a hologram of Elvis sang with Celine Dion, which was a spectacular special effect. Why nothing of that caliber this year? And, as another writer suggested, why not get a REAL mentor who is a producer of today’s music and would come in and work with the contestants for the entire week, rather than just someone who drops by, hugs each of them, and then sits in the audience beaming and/or plugging his or her new release.

Point Number Six:

Idol Gives Back. What happened to the idea of “American Idol” being a force for good in a troubled world? We’re more troubled now than the years when the show used its clout to try to relieve suffering around the world, and yet the show has done less of this philanthropic humanitarian sort of thing than ever before. It’s a shadow of its former self in every sense of the word. Oh, yes, there were some token moments, but nothing like the year the show dedicated itself to really making a difference in a world of disasters, natural and other. And this year, the word is suffering perhaps more than ever and the show is doing less than ever to address noble causes.

Point Number Seven:

I’ve written about this before, so please don’t think it’s a new theme for me. I think my first article was called “Some Ideas for Songs That Don’t Suck on ‘American Idol.’” The well has gone dry for theme nights like Country & Western or Rhythm & Blues. There was Beatles night this year, and that was okay, but perhaps the show needs to dig into the catalogues of some other artists of that caliber, in order to avoid the boring offerings we’ve been presented with this year. It seems as though, most nights, there is one ballad after another, usually from someone clutching a guitar, many of them off-key. It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. When it comes down to reggae versions of “Under My Thumb” by Tim Urban and Judge Kara Dio Guardi says, “I’ve got to applaud you for doing something so incredibly different with the song,” there are those, like Michael Slezak and me who say, “No, you don’t have to applaud mediocrity.” I think my comment after that night, in the subtitle was, “Reggae, Tim…Really?”

Point Number Eight:

The contestants who either didn’t make it on when they should have (Angela Martin, Jermaine Purefoy) or made it, but were kicked off when others who are far, far less talented remain are epidemic this year. Lilly Scott, Kristen Epperly, Todrick Hall are, unfortunately, in the majority this year of contestants gone too soon who could sing rings around Tim Urban on his best day. Contestant Crystal Bowersox was even quoted as saying of Epperly and Scott, “I really did not expect them to go home at all.” Supposedly 18,000 fans of Alex Lambert have been collecting petition signatures to put him back on the show. I suspect that Angela Martin was not allowed to advance because of her brush with the law, and I have an issue with putting contestants on the air in the first place, (like the young man who held up a bank with a b. b gun and served time for it), and then making them disappear because it would be a bad thing to have a felon as an “idol” to American youth. Why let the poor guy even think he was going to get a fair shake? Not to mention the fact (although I will) that the people who put this show on need to get their standards for “amateur versus professional” straight. I heard that the curly-haired young man (Chris Golightly) who was cut (thereby allowing Tim Urban to be called back) was cut because he did not reveal a previous recording contract. There was also a talented Irish contestant in Chicago who was not allowed through because of a fear of visa problems, yet, in other years, we had the tattooed lady of Ireland, as some of you may remember, and she had had a previous recording contract. The rules seem to be very flexible, as indicated by the fact that Michael Lynche is still on the show and in the top ten, even though his mother, who worked for the Orlando “Sentinel” somehow let it slip that he was going to be a finalist in the top twelve, and then his father confirmed it. Both were big “no nos”, but the “rules” that are in place seem to be only selectively enforced. To this viewer at home, recording contracts aside, I fail to see how you are an “amateur” if you have been performing on Broadway in “The Color Purple” (Todrick Hall) or, as with Adam Lambert last year, in a number of other Broadway shows. Mind you: I’m not saying keep the Adam Lamberts OFF. Far from it. I truly miss the caliber of an Adam Lambert or a David Cook or a David Archuleta. I’m just saying that the standards are very strange, not well explained, and very selectively enforced. The rules don’t seem to apply to all contestants. It reminds me of the novel Animal Farm where all animals are equal, but “some animals are more equal than other animals.” All contestants are equal, but some contestants seem to be more equal than other contestants. That just seems unfair.

Point Number Nine:

Too much style over substance. The worst offender, this year, was Tyler Grady, the Lizard King wannabe, who, thankfully, was gone early. His posing as Jim Morrison was hopelessly jejeune, but, to be fair, he was given a lot of mixed signals from judges like Kara DioGuardia early on. You can’t encourage a guy to become a clone of seventies singers like Morrison and tell him how “cool” he is and then turn around the next week and severely criticize him for doing what you just praised in him the week before. The film of Tyler showing up to sing in a bathrobe and cowboy boots shows what happens when you tell an amateur that he is so “cool” and he starts to believe his own press, when it’s premature.

Point Number Ten:

Don’t make the losers sing again. I’ve always found this hideously cruel. Where is the humanity in saying, “You’re gone. We don’t want you. You’re a loser. Now go out there and smile and sing well.” Come on, Folks. Let’s show a little compassion here. Just go with the clips and performances from happier days and let the poor reject slip out a side door and drown his or her sorrows. This year’s Lambert boy was in tears. Katelyn Epperly didn’t hold up that well, either. Only Todrick Hall, the Broadway veteran, seemed to have the attitude, “I know I’m good, and it’s too bad you couch potatoes out there can’t empathize with my obvious talent. Screw you!” And Todrick left us with a great performance, while most have not.

This year, I feel like the entire “American Idol” season is being decided by teeny-boppers who are twelve and wouldn’t know whether the boy they swoon over and vote for, is flat or sharp and could care less about anything more than the extremely superficial issue of his “cuteness.

But, then, given the fact that the professional singers who performed this night (3/31), P. Diddy Sean Combs and Usher gave us “style over substance” performances, what did I expect?

If Paige Miles Survives Cut on “American Idol” (2/23/2010) It Will Be “Against All Odds”

By Connie Wilson

On March 24, 2010

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

Crystal Bowersox keeps emerging as the clear front-runner, with Lee Dewyze and Siobhan Magnus still coming on strong, as well, on “American Idol.” Also good this night were Michael Lynche (split decision), Aaron Kelly (recuperating from laryngitis) and Casey James (another split decision). Before I give you some of the judges’ comments, let me give you some of my own comments.

I have a dear friend who has watched “American Idol” almost as religiously as I have watched over these past several seasons, and we both are so horribly disappointed in the level of talent and the injustice of the voting public (the Inmates have seized the Asylum) that she (out in Denver) told me that the only one she can discuss the show with is her 13-year-old niece, as everyone else who is an adult of any age has already quit watching the show, and she will be next.

Why? Because, this year, most of the talent is not that talented, with a few notable exceptions (thank God.) We both bemoaned the loss of Denver’s own Lilly Scott, who was far better than either Paige Miles or Katie Stevens.

Here’s another thought: Why would “American Idol” feel that a 17-year-old legacy entertainer (Miley Cyrus), who is arguably only marginally more talented than the contestants and simply has inherited this opportunity for fame from her famous father (Billy Ray Cyrus) and his show biz connections, be called in to “mentor” the contestants? Is the adult talent pool really so sparse that “American Idol” has to rely on a girl who is (literally) at least 11 years younger (and much less talented in every way) than someone like Crystal Bowersox? What conversation brought her name to the fore, over veterans like Barbra (Streisand) or Cher or, if you want more current names, Pink, Colbie Callet and/or Norah Jones. Why Miley Cyrus? It was ludicrous, and, watching her “critique” the likes of Crystal (and, really, anyone over the age of 17), while wearing the shortest shorts I have seen on television in a long time, I had the feeling I was watching television in some other country…probably some Latino version of “A.I.”

The night opened with Simon commenting that this was the worst possible night to get cut, because, if you make it into the Top Ten, you go on tour, and that means some money. The songs this night were to have been Billboard Top of the Chart songs, and Billboard has been around since August of 1958. As Simon said, “This is probably the worst night to go.”

So, who is going to go?

If there is any justice, it will be Paige Miles, who was, quite simply, awful. She looked nice (as Ellen said) but she sounded horrible. She couldn’t find the key in rehearsal and that “lost-in-the-jungle” world of flat in rehearsal just returned with a vengeance as she sang the Phil Collins song “Against All Odds.” Here were the judges’ comments: Randy – “That was honestly terrible. Nothing came together at all.” Ellen: “You didn’t fall down and that’s a good thing.” “Kara: “It was the worst vocal that I’ve ever heard from you, and probably the worst of the season.” Simon: “It was as though there were five of you singing that song, and it got progressively worse. That song, I think, has just killed you.” When asked, afterwards, by Ryan Seacrest, her reaction, Paige said, “I’ve been trying to find that song that I can sink my teeth into.” Well, Paige, this ain’t it! Pack your bags.

The next really bad vocal was Didi Benami rendering “You’re No Good” which Simon rather callously called an ironic thing for her to be singing. Having said that, Randy said, “I loved it.” Ellen said, “You’re just so good. I love you,” and Kara lauded her greater expression. Me? I thought she was bad and I agree with Simon.

Then there was “Glee-boy,” also known as Tim Urban, who came out attired in a Charlie Brown-like horizontal-striped polo shirt with a lavender jacket, jeans and white sneakers and proceeded to do a flashy little slide across the stage as he sang “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Randy called his vocals “boring” and Ellen said it reminded her of an “audition for a high school musical. Corny.” After saying that, she then remarked that, “There’s a large group that will love that and then there’s me.” You AND me, Ellen. Kara said, “You took the song and acted like you’ve already made it and you haven’t. You have a lot of work to do.” Simon, weighing in with the cruelest words of all, said it was “completely and utterly pointless and silly. You have zero chance of wining right now.

However, if you thought those words were tough, Simon told Katie Stevens, the hopelessly tone-deaf contestant who, week after mind-numbing week is off-key (Let’s just call it what it is and quit using the euphemism “pitchy,” shall we?), “You sucked the soul out of that song.” The song was “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and Randy added, “It wasn’t good, Man.” Simon (and all) did comment on Katie’s “new look” which featured a much more girlish sleek hairstyle. In Simon’s tactful words, she had abandoned the “pageant horror” look and the difference was as great as that between “chalk and cheese,” which is a British expression, methinks.

Lee Dewyze, who sang the Boxtops “The Letter” did a credible job, I felt. I enjoyed the fact that Lee wasn’t crouched behind his guitar wearing some horrible woodsman-fell-that-tree outfit or a knitted cap. He had on a nice suit and looked like a true Michael Buble artist and sang well. He was moving around on the stage (although he kept using the same left hand gesture over and over) and Ellen used the analogy of a favorite pen that has been running out of ink and said, “My favorite pen is back. That was fantastic!” Kara, too, enjoyed Lee’s “owning the stage. The progress is tremendous. Believe that you’re good.” Only Simon demurred, saying, “You’re doing something quite corny.” I beg to differ, Simon. Lee was good tonight.

Aaron Kelly, the extremely young (16) singer from Sonestown, PA, who suffered from laryngitis and tonsillitis during the week rose above his illness to sing “I Don’t Want to Miss A Thing” and Simon pronounced him as “very brave,” saying,”You’re a little try-er, aren’t you? There is zero chance that you are gonna’ go home.” I think Simon is right in Aaron’s case, and Randy said, “Thank God you came on the stage” (as he followed “Glee” boy Tim Urban) and “I’m a fan.” Ellen, too, said, “You were pitch perfect and you’re in 3^rd grade or something. You are so good.” Kara felt it was the “Best song of the night” and a “good attempt.” Aaron should be safe for another week.

Michael Lynche, the big man, did a falsetto, soul vibe-y version of “When A Man Loves A Woman” while attired in a velvet jacket, with string accompaniment. I liked it and so did Randy, who liked the R&B soul vibe and said, “I loved it.” Ellen felt it was “a safe choice, but said, “This woman loves this man.” Kara, however, pronounced it “boring and lounge-y, over-indulgent and too many riffs.” Simon, also, felt it was a song that one would hear 30 or 20 years ago, nothing current. While partially agreeing, Michael did sing it well. He should stay, although he should not win, ultimately. If he does, he’ll be the next Ruben Stoddard, and look where his career has gone.

Casey James sang Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love,” a song I love, and Randy said, “I believed it.” Ellen felt it was “the best vocal of the night.” Kara said, “We just saw another level. It is all there. Everything.” Simon, however, rained on all their parades, complaining, “That song was old-fashioned 25 years ago when it came out.” Yeah? And? Your point, Simon? Casey’s guitar prowess earned some kudos, with one comment being that he might well be the best guitar player the show has seen.

Saving the best for near last, Crystal Bowersox’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” was, quite simply, the best of the night. Randy said, “That’s the way you do it. This is what it’s about.” Ellen said, “Consistently great,” but begged for a little more connection with her audience and we all learned that she would probably perform without her guitar next week. Kara urged her to “let go completely” and Simon said, “I wouldn’t change anything. Up until now, we have listened to a karaoke competition. I’ve seen you progress all over the place.” He said her version of the song was actually better than one sung by Pink that he had heard.

I mustn’t forget to mention Siobhan Magnus, who looked totally different than her normal flat hair look tonight. She had teased hair and a much sexier vibe. The singing was still great, though he warned her about always ending on a screechy high note. Andrew Garcia was his usual not-very-good self, but he keeps hanging in there, for some reason I do not understand.

The competition staggers onward. Rather than have to listen to something as bad as Paige Miles’ version of “Against All Odds,” I’d like to pit the 6 best against one another right now, and that means: Crystal, Lee, Siobhan, Aaron, Michael and Casey. Just lose Didi, Paige, Tim, Katie and Andrew as quickly and painlessly (for the audience) as possible. Please. I beg of you. Don’t make me listen to that last quintet again.

Crystal Bowersox Continues to Shine on Girls’ Night (3/09/10) on “American Idol”

By Connie Wilson

On March 9, 2010

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It’s so tempting to use that clichéd division for Tuesday night’s Girls’ night on “American Idol,” but I’m not as cruel as Simon, so I’ve chosen The Good, The Bad and the Okay as my categories. To spare you a lot of reading, the shorthand version of my opinion is this:

The Good: Crystal Bowersox and Didi Benami.

The Bad: Katie Stevens and Paige Miles.

The Okay: Everybody else, which means Siobhan Magnus, Lacey Brown, Katelyn Epperly and Lily Scott.

March 3, Wednesday: Crystal Comes Charging Back on “American Idol”

By Connie Wilson

On March 4, 2010

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

“American Idol,” March 3, Wednesday, Girls’ night:

Best of the night: Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly.

Worst of the night: Didi Benami, Haeley Vaughn, Katie Stevens.

Just okay: Michelle DeLaMor, Lacey Brown, Paige Miles.

Prediction: If Crystal stays healthy, the group mentioned above will be the last 4 girls standing.

I hope that everyone stays healthy!

March 2nd: Crystal Bowersox’ Illness Forces Boys to Sing For Their Supper First

By Connie Wilson

On March 3, 2010

In Music, Pop Culture, Television

The big news on March 2, 2010 (Tuesday) was that the boys had to compete first (rather than the girls as originally scheduled) because of a medical emergency that took female contestant Crystal Bowersox to the hospital. No further details about the Ohio native’s health could be gathered, even by Internet search of such papers as the Toledo Free Press. . (Crystal is from Ohio).

Jill Hudson, spokeswoman for “American Idol” said that the show’s policy was not to comment on the personal lives of the contestants.

The best vocal performances for the night were turned in by Lee DeWyze (also a Chicago contestant, as was Crystal), Michael “Big Daddy” Lynche, and Casey James. Most of the rest of the boys were various levels of forgettable, insipid or terror-struck.
Most likely to be cut this week?

If singing is the criteria (and not good looks) Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban and—if Simon is right—-Jermaine Sellers. However, with the lackluster, uninspired, flat performance of John Mayer’s “Gravity” that Northpark, Illinois native John Park turned in, he’s not out of the woods, either.

Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, both Chicago picks, were emerging as crowd favorites and gifted performers. Let’s hope that Crystal’s front-runner status is not jeopardized by her hospitalization and that she is able to compete on tomorrow night’s (March 3^rd’s) show.

“American Idol” Pares Field to Ten on Feb. 25, 2010

By Connie Wilson

On February 26, 2010

In Music, Pop Culture, Reviews, Television

What’s to be said about the “American Idol” Thursday night program, where 2 boys and 2 girls were axed?

General observations: I was glad to see Tyler Grady go, but, in a way, he was right when he said that the “advice” to quit being a Jim Morrison poseur came “too late” to help him. Kara absolutely crowed about how “cool” he was during the early stages of the competition, and I think Tyler had enough of a big head before that. The film of him practicing in cowboy boots, white socks and a bathrobe pretty much says it all. I was not sorry to see him go. The “cuteness” and “humbleness” factor saved the other lowest vote getter, Alex Lambert. It is poor Alex who had only performed about 3 times in local coffee shops, before his Idol audition. Obviously, Tyler has been posturing as the Lizard King and others for a while. Simon said he acted as though he had gone to “Rock Star School” on the boys’ night. So, good-bye, Tyler, and don’t let the door hit you in the fake leather pants on the way out.

The other boy eliminated was Joe Munoz. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, but that didn’t work for him. He needed some of the animal magnetism of Casey James or the cute fresh-faced attractiveness that kept Tim Urban in the competition, when he was definitely one of the weakest, vocally.

Now, as to the girls’ elimination. Big mistake there. Eliminating Ashley Rodriguez, one of the prettiest of the girls who had the “total package” and who can be found singing as Ashley Benami online, seemed unfair. I have to admit, after saying that, that her farewell song did not really move me. None of the girls really stood out much (although I liked Crystal Bowersox), except that Katy was way off key during her entire performance and seemed to be channeling her elderly grandmum. I do not understand how she was able to stay, while Ashley was voted off.

Last girl to go was the blonde rumored to be Tim Teabow’s (Florida quarterback) girlfriend, Janell Wheeler. There was a quick shot of Janell making a funny face, which just made her appear unattractive. Then a quick shot to Mom. Janell was never going to win this thing, so I can live with her sudden death in the competition, but she seemed better, to me, than some others.

As I was driving all the way across the state of Illinois (width, not length), I was listening to Adam Lambert’s album and to Melinda DoLittle’s album. I was immediately nostalgic for last year’s great talent, especially after both Allison Irahito and Chris Allen performed. This year’s crop looks very pale and dull, by comparison. I looked forward every week to seeing what outrageous thing Adam would do THIS week. And Allison, the gutsy Hispanic rocker chick, was equally intriguing. I even pine for the days of the Dueling Davids: David Cook and David Archuleta.

Even the “hits” on AC are down this year, which may be due to the Olympics in Vancouver, or it may just be that this year’s crop isn’t cutting it

There is no one in the entire crowd, with the possible exception of Crystal Bowersox (for the girls) and Lee DeWyze (of the boys) who I really even care to hear sing again. I’m not that “ga ga’ over Casey Jones. Big Daddy Mike Lynche isn’t doing anything much for me. I did enjoy watching Todrick Hall own the stage, but I had no idea what he was singing (and, as the judges said, neither did they).

I was happy to see 2 things I had said echoed by Simon Cowell: 1) Angela Martin should never have been cut and (2) this year, the girls are stronger, which he was quoted as having said in the New York Post. After mentioning that, however, I am very disappointed in almost all of the girls, so far. I do think that Katelyn Epperly will step up, as Crystal Bowersox already has, but I really pine for the Dueling Davids and/or Adam Lambert/Allison Irahito days. And when Simon leaves? What then?