Some might call me an "American Idol Psycho." I prefer to call myself an "American Idol Aficionado." I've been to a total of four American Idol-related concerts in the past year and half, and I watch every episode religiously, analyzing them like a pro with Kelly and Becky, my cousins and partners in crime.
We all rooted for Kelly Clarkson the first season, cheered for Clay Aiken the second season (my cousin Becky prefers to be called a "Claymate" herself) but this year, we are having a little more trouble finding an idol to root for. At times we would rather root for American Idol reject William Hung than cheer on some of the top finalists on the show, especially the one who has roots close to home.
For the past few weeks, I have been sitting in front of my television in disgust, watching our own home-grown boy, 16-year-old John Stevens ruin another innocent song as well as Buffalo's good name.
I am not upset that he forgot the words to "King of the Road," or that he squeaked his way through Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" (out of all the amazing Elton John songs he could choose, his choice of "Crocodile Rock" is beyond me). I am more upset because, despite his very poor performances, Stevens gets through to the next round every week partly due to the support from the people of the Buffalo area.
I am a Western New York native and a daughter of one of the biggest Bills fans of all time (you can catch him and all of my uncles at Lot 1 Poll 7, their trademark tailgating area at Ralph Wilson Stadium).
I, better than anyone, know how much Buffalo has been through. You can't say things like "Wide Right," or "No Goal" in my house with risking an hour-long discussion on why Buffalo seems to get shafted in every sport, every year. And don't even try to mention Scott Norwood, or Scott No-Good, as my dad and brothers refer to him, because it brings my family to tears.
So I, like most Buffalo area fans, was ecstatic to hear there was a Buffalo kid representing us in the third installment of American Idol. But as the weeks passed, I grew annoyed with the young chap from East Amherst. I agree that he has a unique voice and that the competition needs to change its image, but I am appalled that each week, Stevens executes sub-par performances and sails on to the next round - although last week he came close to elimination.
Even though he is from Buffalo, I don't think he deserves half the votes he's getting from the people here. This kid needs to have something more than just his hometown in common with me for me to vote for him. He actually has to have some sort of consistent talent and some form of personality.
Granted that my family and I do root for teams like the Bills and Sabres when they aren't performing their best, but when these things happen, the players are punished for it. The Sabres won't make the playoffs or win the Stanley Cup and the Bills won't get a free pass to the Super Bowl just because they are from Buffalo.
Is John Stevens really what we want as a symbol of Buffalo pride? Do we really want a below-average singer to show America and the world what Buffalo is really about? Would we really want the Bills and Sabres to win the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup without being the most talented and deserving competitors out there?
I didn't think so.
Since Stevens has such a unique voice, I doubt this will be the last time he will be in the spotlight. I encourage him to continue working on his art, take a few voice lessons, have a few birthdays, and then come back.
Buffalo and the world will appreciate it.
But for now people, lay off of those phone votes for a second and really think about what you are doing.
Do we really want this competition to turn into a big joke? Because that's what will happen if we keep voting for Stevens. Listen to contestants like George Huff or La Toya London. Does Stevens even come close to these singers' voices or onstage personality? No. John Stevens has trouble having a simple conversation with talking head Ryan Seacrest, not to mention he can barely do the two-step.
So please, I beg of you, stop voting for an amateur when you can be voting for an idol.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
