The Chill Factor

I've decided that this is what it comes down to for me -- which singer actually gives me the chills when they perform. There was a great article in this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine which said that some TV is "Ear TV" and some TV is "Eye TV". Of course, at the moment, I can't remember who wrote the article and thus cannot give credit where credit is due. But suffice it to say that the explanation is rather simple. Some TV is so mediocre that you hardly watch it and might be listening to it while doing something else and that gives us "Ear TV". On the other hand, if you are mesmerized by something and follow every minute, then that is classified as "Eye TV". Lost, for example, can only be classified as Eye TV because if you take your eyes off the set, you'll definitely miss something important.

Such is the case when watching American Idol. You can listen to most of it while doing something else but, every once in awhile, something catches your ear and forces you to watch and listen or, in the case of the One Republic song, Stop and Stare at the TV. That's exactly what happened to me during last night's broadcast of American Idol. I halfheartedly listened to most of the contestants until Michael Johns came on singing Queen's We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. I have already stated that I am a huge fan of his and think he has a great chance of winning and his performance last night is one of the reasons I feel this way. In one word, it was "amazing" and Simon Cowell felt the same way telling him that he had actual star quality when singing that song.

Then we come to David Cook, this season's male rocker. He sang Michael Jackson's song Billy Jean but sang the Chris Cornell version of it. Lest you think I'm way up on my rock music, I have no idea who Chris Cornell even is but I feel obliged to give him credit for his rendition of this song. To say it was amazing would be an understatement. It was unbelievable. I even rewound it so I could listen to it again. Itunes sells these songs as soon as the show is over and I will definitely be purchasing this one as well as Michael Johns' performance.

Disappointments last night were Jason Castro and David Archuletta. Hasn't anyone told Archuletta never to sing a song no one has ever heard of? Simon even made a comment to this effect insinuating that it might have been David's "stage Dad" father who picked the song.

This is what makes American Idol so exciting. There are so many different types this season. Brooke White, another favorite of mine, is reminiscent of Carly Simon. David Cook reminds me of Daughtry. Michael Johns reminds me of so many different performers as he really can take on so many different personas on stage.

But it all boils down to one thing for me and that's the "chill factor" and only two performers did it for me last night....Cook and Johns. I guess I'm a rocker at heart. (Did I really just type that)?