What a weird first week for American Idol, and what a disaster to pick a theme (songs of the 1960s) for the contestants’ first nights in the spotlight. Why not let them stay in their individual comfort zones at least for the introductory week, the better for us to get to know them by letting them do their thing (whatever it may be) without a period straitjacket? Of course, the fact that more than a few were battling the flu didn't help matters. (You can find Nina's complete Idol recap here.)As with Tuesday’s boys’ night, Wednesday’s inaugural ladies’ night was a decidedly mixed bag, with too many personalities held in check by overcalculated (and often miscalculated) performances. It’s not that these people — girls or guys — can’t sing. It’s just that in their first week out, they needed to prove they could bring down the house, not just make it through a song. Too few lived up to that challenge. Too few proved that they’ve &#...
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