*is flabbergasted*

[rj_anderson]

Yes, I admit it, I watched World Idol last night. (Our Christmas celebrations are the 24th and the 27th, so the 25th was a pretty slow day around here.) Some of the contestants were unbelievably bad, others were just mediocre, and our boy Ryan came through with a competent but not show-stopping performance. It looked depressing like Kelly Clarkson, whose voice I really don't care for at all any more and whose performance utterly failed to inspire me, was going to win. But then, last of all the performers, came this stocky, round-faced Norwegian guy with messy blond hair and a humongous gap between his teeth. You could practically see the looks of amused tolerance on the faces of all the judges, and indeed the world audience... but then he started to sing.

And he was amazing.

By the time he'd finished the judges didn't know what to do with the guy, you could tell. Most of them made disparaging comments about his appearance -- called him a hobbit, said that if there were a "Middle-Earth Idol" he would definitely win, that kind of thing. They admitted he was a good singer, but said that for this competition, with all the pretty people around, he was something of a dark horse.

To which I say, feh. I liked Ryan, I voted for him, and I was happy he won Canadian Idol, but even after listening to some song snippets I really haven't felt motivated to buy his CD. Kurt Nilsen, though -- as soon as I heard his performance of U2's "Beautiful Day" I wanted to run right out and buy his solo album -- only I can't, of course, without getting it as an import and paying an exorbitant amount of money, which is really not something I'm prepared to do, even for music I like.

However, I managed to track down three singles and a couple of videos of Kurt's on the web today, and I'm already hooked on his original single "All You Have To Offer" (you have to register with that site to see the video, but it only takes a minute, and it's worth it, really).

Anyway, yeah. If there's any justice, Kurt will win World Idol. And in so doing, prove all the judges who think that music should only be made by Barbie dolls (*cough*Simon*cough*) to be the idiots they really are. Let's hear it for hobbits!

Comments

[seemag.livejournal.com]

I only saw Kurt last night and he *was* amazing. The Belgium guy? The one just screaming "yeah, yeah, yeah"? What was that all about? They didn't do the Kelly Clarkson snippet here, so I have no idea what she sounded like, but I watched her on Christmas Idol and I hate to say, but I didn't like her rendition of my favorite carol, "O Holy Night."

[roobarb.livejournal.com]

I agree, we watched it this afternoon and i was stunned at how bad some were and by the hobbit guy :-) he was brill

I think I'll be voting for hobbits this week

[roobarb.livejournal.com]

though I did like the voice of the girl who sang in her own language, I could see how she won her country's pop idol

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

...Disparaging? Dicko wasn't being disparaging with the Middle Earth comment. That's the highest praise I've ever seen him give a contestant's appearance.

(Not that he can talk. I was a bit worried by the resemblance between Dicko and Smeagol.)

(But I love him anyway, my funny little squid man.)