AI: 5/9 - The Final Four
Not a bad hour of performances, but neither was it a stellar one. The themes of Nashville (C&W) and the Philly sound (Gamble & Huff) were, respectively, so-so & good — and I was glad that they got Nashville out of the way first, as I thought (and about which I was proven correct) that the Gamble/Huff songs would yield better performances.
Last night’s performances proved and/or solidified two things in my mind:
- Bo IS this season’s American Idol. He’s the star — even if he doesn’t win the battle that is the competition, he will win the war that is having the most successful music career. So I have spoken, so shall it be!
- Carrie IS this season’s Nashville Star. She’s a C&W star who will eventually experience some crossover success, but make no mistake about it — her future belongs in Nashville. It’d actually be a shame if she wins AI, because she might make a few missteps in starting out her career as a result. Besides, she’s not better than Bo, and neither is she really better in the Pop genre than Vonzell or Anthony.
As for last night’s performances, Bo was only ok with his Travis Tritt C&W song, and completely owned the evening with his performance of For the Love of Money. Carrie did much better with Sin Wagon (though I must admit that I think that Amy Adams did a better job with it in AI-3) than she did with If You Don’t Know Me, which shouldn’t be a shock — although I was a little surprised with just how poorly she did on the Philly song. Vonzell did not have a typically strong Baby V outing. I didn’t like the C&W song all that much, but her performance of Don’t Leave Me This Way was much better. They hinted at the fact that something happened that caused Vonzell no small amount of grief/angst/upset, which could explain why her performances were off (and even Simon eased off on criticizing her), so it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any sympathy support that goes her way. Anthony did ok on the C&W song, and totally nailed If You Don’t Know Me, making Carrie’s rendition look/sound even worse. It was a gamble, doing the same song as a front-runner like Carrie, but Anthony won the bet & had it pay off big.
Based on last night’s performances only, I think Carrie deserves to go home, with the overall performance order being:
1. Bo
2. Anthony
3. Vonzell
4. Carrie
Taking into account the entire competition to date, as well as what I think the voting public is thinking, I think that Vonzell is most at risk, with the following order of last night’s performances:
1. Bo
2. Carrie
3. Anthony
4. Vonzell
So, while I don’t think it’s necessarily correct/right, I think we’re going to be wishing Vonzell a fond farewell tonight (although I wouldn’t be shocked if it were Anthony… Bo or Carrie, however, would shock me.).
-ghp
Malaise
I’m feeling blah. I’m feeling like America in the late ’70s — I’ve got a Carter-esque malaise going. The weather has something to do with it, I’m sure, because I’m feeling the effects of NW Indiana’s bipolar weather of late (where we went from hot to freezing & back to hot again). My head’s all congested, my sinuses are not happy, and I’ve got the nice headache & chest tickle/cough to boot.
But I’m also in a bit of an intellectual & theological malaise as well, and that’s actually more disconcerting than the weather-induced physical “blahs” to me. I want to blog, but I’m having a difficult time putting any structure on what I’m thinking, particularly regarding things theological. The ongoing turmoil in the LCMS (summaries can be found here, here, and here, as I just don’t feel up to going into detail at this point…) has become almost as wearying as it is profoundly disturbing. The LCMS is sliding headfirst into heterodoxy. Even worse, it would appear that this slide is being purposefully encouraged by the synodical leadership and willingly allowed/followed by the bulk of the synod (i.e., official members & laity).
I can’t really put any more structure on it at this point than to state that I’ve got a really bad feeling about all this. Things are not going to end well for historic Evangelical Lutheranism’s (i.e., Lutheranism as defined by the Book of Concord) representation in/by the LCMS. I’ve said before that I’m a confessionalist and not a synodicalist, and I stand by that even more strongly today. At some point everyone associated with the LCMS is going to have to face up to how this man-made entity has fallen away from orthodoxy (a great summary can be found here…) and either act upon the truth or ignore it & hope it goes away (ala the many good folks who have stayed in association with the ELCA against all evidence that that church body is horrifically heterodox, if not outright apostate.).
I pray for us all, but especially that I may be given the strength & courage to keep my family on the straight & narrow, even if (when!) it means that hard choices be made.
-ghp
Good Things
Yesterday evening was one of the times when it’s a joy to be on the Board of Elders at Heritage Lutheran Church (LCMS). I had the great honor & privilege of assisting in the examination of two of our eleven confirmands. It was a joy to see that these two young ladies had not only learned the letter of the lessons during their two years in confirmation classes, but that they had indeed given great thought about what those lessons truly meant and will continue to mean throughout their lives.
They were nervous, as is quite understandable for a 13 y/o who is having to be examined in the presence of her parents, Pastor, & Church Elder. That nervousness, though, did not preclude them from a clear confession of that which they have learned from the Small Catechism. These young ladies have been blessed with good Christian parents and a wonderfully caring Pastor. They have also been blessed with the knowledge that Confirmation is not a graduation - i.e., an end to learning. No, these young ladies are armed with the knowledge that staying in the Word is a life-long journey — one in which God’s Means of Grace are active tools through which the Holy Ghost keeps us safe in the steadfast faith that was given to us at our Baptism.
Yes, evenings like last night gladden my heart, and give me encouragement & hope about the continued strength & vitality of the Church Militant, even as I continually hope & yearn for the arrival of the Church Triumphant.
-ghp
AI: 5/4 — Requiem
Well, Scott’s gone. After his best performances of the competition. Ah, the irony…
I don’t disagree that it was time. I could’ve been happy if he’d gone last week, this week, or next week, as I do think that he’ s in the 4-5-6 range of the Top 12 — not Top 3, certainly, but still very, very good.
But what impressed me most about Scott was how much he grew & blossomed over the course of the competition. He learned, he adjusted, he became more confident & self-assured, and it showed on stage. He started out as the Gump/serial killer-looking guy who sang like a choirboy, moved on to being the average Joe, 9-to-5-er with a dream (not to mention a dad who said he’d never be a singer…) that pretty much any/everyone could relate to, and ended up with what we saw the last two nights — a guy with real chops who will undoubtedly get the opportunity to make his dreams come true on some level.
How very cool.
He’s not the American Idol, of that there is no doubt. But neither is there any question that he’s one of the best stories of AI-4.
Good job, Scott! And best of luck in whatever you do from here…
-ghp
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