Fame #7: The Mediocrity Drones Along

I have an apology to make to all of you. I have failed you. I just couldn't bring myself to write an article about Fame last week. It was weak of me, I know. But after I watched the show, I was so unimpressed I just didn't know where to begin. I began to dread the thought of hashing out the words, painstakingly picking the phrases to convey my feelings of disappointment. I simply couldn't force myself to do it and since I am on vacation in reality, I thought I would give myself a vacation from Fame, too. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Mea culpa. My only excuse is that if YOU had to watch this drivel and then spend valuable hours of your life, hours lost forever, writing about it, you'd take a break, too! I'm starting fresh this week and I've rededicated myself to telling you about Fame so that you don't have to waste your life watching it. It's a public service. Really, you should all be thanking me. Here's the play-by-play:

Allyson Arena: She should have been gone this week as far as I'm concerned. Last week's performance of "Material Girl" was so terrible there simply weren't enough words to describe how bad it was. Her singing was so nasal that I'm actually not convinced that she opened her mouth at all. Even she admitted that she didn't think she would advance this week. As for this week's performance, it was better than last week but not up to the level of the best in the group.

Justin Jacoby: I think Justin thought he was on his way out this week. There was something about the way he looked into the camera during the dramatic pauses (you know, the ones during which you could go to the bathroom, fix a snack, read your kid a bedtime story, AND knit a sweater for grandma). He seemed pretty scared, like his homeboy confidence had completely evaporated. I have no ability to judge rap, but my husband happened to be listening while Justin was on stage. He likes Eminem a lot, and his comment, unsolicited by me, was that Justin was "horrible." I can only say that he seemed less energized and his words didn't seem to flow very well.

Serena Henry: She has one of the best voices in the competition and will likely be in the top three. Having said that, every time I hear her sing I feel like I'm in the audience for Showtime At The Apollo. She does so much in the way of vocal acrobatics that it gets hard to follow her. I wish she would tone it down a bit and focus on having a little more clarity. She is talented, but I think she gets tripped up in herself and doesn't shine as much as she could.

Alex Boyd: Alex has been getting better and better since the beginning of the competition, but he stalled tonight. His moves are starting to seem tired, and what was suave a couple of weeks ago feels very lounge lizard now. His voice wasn't as smooth as it has been in previous performances, either. Overall, he was pretty forgettable.

Shannon Bex: I like Shannon, but not because she has a great voice. She is unafraid. She mixes things up and doesn't do what you expect. Her performance last week of "Can't Fight the Moonlight" was subpar at best. I think a petition should be started to get that song permanently wiped from the playlists of all talent competition reality shows from now on. I think Shannon did an acceptable job this go-round with a song, “Fighter,” by Christina Aguilera. I've never heard the song before; my niece had to tell me who did the original. I feel old.

Harlemm Lee: I love Harlemm! How can you not? He sang “Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston and slamdunked it. Ironically, he's the only diva on the show. What else is there to say? Top three for sure; maybe the top dog.

Moy: She seems to be getting better since her first finals performance, which was terrible. Still, she hasn't managed to recapture the sparkle she had in her semi performance. I think she has a shot at being in the top three, if we don't see any more major screw-ups from her.

Brandon O'Neal: Brandon is starting to grow on me. He is getting better all the time. His vocals remain smooth, and he seems to be getting more comfortable on the stage during his non-dancing moments. He gave a solid performance tonight and seemed genuinely pleased to be moving on.

That means Raymond Lee and Jamisen Tiangco are hitting the road. I'm not surprised by the departure of either. I couldn't possibly have called it last week, though, because there were so many terrible performances to choose from. Shannon, Allyson, or Justin could have easily gotten the boot instead. I'm a little sorry that Raymond didn't make it through one more round, though. His performance last week was his personal best, no doubt. He was starting to blossom and I wish we could have seen more of that process. Jamisen should have been gone the week before last as far as I'm concerned. She's pretty and has a decent voice, but Simon Cowell would have a field-day with the likes of her. Good luck to both of them.

So, what's the answer to the $64,000 question? It's hard to call who will make the exit stage left trip next week, but I'll do my best. The worst performances for me were by Allyson and Justin. I could see Alex in the bottom two as well. If the whole rap shtick works for one more round, then I would say Allyson and Alex will be the bottom two. Check back next week to find out who moves on!

Nicole is a homeschooling mother of two who watches reality shows purely as an escape mechanism and writes to preserve her sanity. Feel free to contact her at nicole_albertson@hotmail.com as it will be the only adult contact she has all day.

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