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American Idol: Season 6 Finale Performance Show - The Top 2
Koch Vision // Unrated // May 13, 2008
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Review:
When "American Idol" hit the airwaves in 2002, it was the biggest reality TV hit in years, even managing to bring Paula Abdul back into pop culture for the first time since she danced with MC Skat Kat in 1989. The series even managed to get past the legendary stumble of "From Justin to Kelly", a "Glitter"-like stumble featuring the two finalists of the first season.
However - and maybe it's just me - "American Idol" has gone from one of the biggest TV hits in years to, "Is that still on?" The newsmedia has gone from being more interested in the contestants to more interested in covering Paula's going off the rails (and then down the hill, which is covered in greater detail in her reality show on Bravo).
Still, despite Paula's bizarre behavior (although, according to Paula in her reality show, it's because people don't realize what a "gift" she is), there's still no denying that there are some talented singers that find their way into the series after the multi-week nightmare that is the auditions, which seem to focus more and more on the tone deaf armies that turn out to get their fifteen minutes (or, more accurately, their fifteen seconds.) While the series seems to be trying to freshen itself up after eight seasons (the songwriting contest and more recently, letting contestants play instruments ), the series still needs to alter the formula more to keep from starting to feel stale. The series could take more of a look behind-the-scenes at the industry and what it takes to be a success to break things up a little and not just be performance, performance, performance.
This disc offers only the final episode of the sixth season, which sees beatboxing Blake Lewis going up against Jordin Sparks. Denise Richards also apparently has a cameo role, as she's clearly visible sitting behind Simon. The performances, which included Blake doing something like a human remix of "You Give Love a Bad Name" and Jordin taking on Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" and both taking on the song that won the songwriter contest portion of the show, "This is My Now". The performances are generally entertaining, although aren't quite among the best that the series has had to offer over the years.
The DVD
VIDEO: This episode is offered in 1.33:1 full-frame by Koch Vision. Picture quality was surprisingly good, and remained a tad better than broadcast quality. Sharpness and detail were consistently very good, even during wide shots and scenes in the audience. A few minor touches of artifacting were spotted, but as a whole, the picture looked quite crisp and clean. Colors remained bright and bold throughout the program, appearing well-saturated and clean.
SOUND: The presentation is in stereo. Audio quality is fine, with clear, bold vocals. While I've had issues in the past with backing score/music sometimes overshadowing the singers, the audio here seemed nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: Promo featurettes featuring Sparks and Lewis (essentially, extended versions of the overview featurettes that are shown in the series), some not that funny bloopers and finally, "How to Audition For American Idol" (a short primer, featuring thoughts from producer Nigel Lithgoe, contestants and the judges.) This material is on the second disc, but there's no reason why this couldn't have all been included on the first platter.
Final Thoughts: While I've grown a little tired of "Idol" over the years, this is a decent presentation of the finale of season six (additionally, since it's already not far from season 8, why wasn't the most recent season finale offered up first?) We get fine audio/video quality and a decent set of supplemental features. A rental for fans, who should save up for if/when full seasons are released.
When "American Idol" hit the airwaves in 2002, it was the biggest reality TV hit in years, even managing to bring Paula Abdul back into pop culture for the first time since she danced with MC Skat Kat in 1989. The series even managed to get past the legendary stumble of "From Justin to Kelly", a "Glitter"-like stumble featuring the two finalists of the first season.
However - and maybe it's just me - "American Idol" has gone from one of the biggest TV hits in years to, "Is that still on?" The newsmedia has gone from being more interested in the contestants to more interested in covering Paula's going off the rails (and then down the hill, which is covered in greater detail in her reality show on Bravo).
Still, despite Paula's bizarre behavior (although, according to Paula in her reality show, it's because people don't realize what a "gift" she is), there's still no denying that there are some talented singers that find their way into the series after the multi-week nightmare that is the auditions, which seem to focus more and more on the tone deaf armies that turn out to get their fifteen minutes (or, more accurately, their fifteen seconds.) While the series seems to be trying to freshen itself up after eight seasons (the songwriting contest and more recently, letting contestants play instruments ), the series still needs to alter the formula more to keep from starting to feel stale. The series could take more of a look behind-the-scenes at the industry and what it takes to be a success to break things up a little and not just be performance, performance, performance.
This disc offers only the final episode of the sixth season, which sees beatboxing Blake Lewis going up against Jordin Sparks. Denise Richards also apparently has a cameo role, as she's clearly visible sitting behind Simon. The performances, which included Blake doing something like a human remix of "You Give Love a Bad Name" and Jordin taking on Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" and both taking on the song that won the songwriter contest portion of the show, "This is My Now". The performances are generally entertaining, although aren't quite among the best that the series has had to offer over the years.
The DVD
VIDEO: This episode is offered in 1.33:1 full-frame by Koch Vision. Picture quality was surprisingly good, and remained a tad better than broadcast quality. Sharpness and detail were consistently very good, even during wide shots and scenes in the audience. A few minor touches of artifacting were spotted, but as a whole, the picture looked quite crisp and clean. Colors remained bright and bold throughout the program, appearing well-saturated and clean.
SOUND: The presentation is in stereo. Audio quality is fine, with clear, bold vocals. While I've had issues in the past with backing score/music sometimes overshadowing the singers, the audio here seemed nicely balanced.
EXTRAS: Promo featurettes featuring Sparks and Lewis (essentially, extended versions of the overview featurettes that are shown in the series), some not that funny bloopers and finally, "How to Audition For American Idol" (a short primer, featuring thoughts from producer Nigel Lithgoe, contestants and the judges.) This material is on the second disc, but there's no reason why this couldn't have all been included on the first platter.
Final Thoughts: While I've grown a little tired of "Idol" over the years, this is a decent presentation of the finale of season six (additionally, since it's already not far from season 8, why wasn't the most recent season finale offered up first?) We get fine audio/video quality and a decent set of supplemental features. A rental for fans, who should save up for if/when full seasons are released.
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