Results 21May08

And the best man definitely won. All along I've felt David Cook was the clear winner, and I was confused by the judging last night. Enjoyed the ZZ Top collab. The whole show was fairly enjoyable. Nice of Simon to apologize.

If you've been following this blog, I'd like to say thank you for reading my comments. Several of you have written to say you learned something about singing from reading my assessments of the singers and their performances. That was really why I started this blog. At times I regretted that decision since it forced me to watch all the Idol shows and make notes on every singer and every song... but on the other hand I felt it made me take a more intensive interest in the shows that before.

One thing I would like to say is that, if 10 out of thousands and thousands of auditioners end up on AI, and tour with the show.... this is a good indication of what percentage of people make it big in this industry.

The good thing about Idol is that it does offer some talented people the chance for exposure. I don't always agree with the judges choices on the road to the top 24, but I am not in the room with them, hearing & seeing the complete audition.

The bad thing about Idol is it makes thousands of kids think that fame = success, and that all they need is a shot. What you need is time & experience. What you need is skill. What you need is practice. Nothing is instant. Even your American Idol, who, besides having to rehearse 3 songs for the last night of the competition, also had to rehearse duets, ensembles, a piece with ZZ Top, and the winning song, do media interviews, etc., all this week.

It kinda reminds me of when I was a young girl, dreaming of boys and marriage. My father wisely said to me "too many girls focus on the wedding. Marriage is what happens after the vows."

Winning American Idol, or making any step forward in your career, is not the end. It is the beginning of hard work, of having to sing when you aren't well, or sign autographs when you are dog tired, or get on the bus to go to the next gig when all you wish is to be home with your wife and family.

Lastly, you don't have to win AI or even get on AI to live your dreams. Have a clear vision for yourself, find out what it is you need to know to achieve the next level and set out to learn that. Don't expect anyone to come along and pluck you out of obscurity. Study creativity, look for inspiration, network like crazy, and build a supportive team around you. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you can't look yourself in the face. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you haven't got people you trust to share your success with. Fame and fortune mean nothing if you aren't following your heart. It's more important to get up every day and spend that day doing something that you love, than it is to have people scream your name in an arena. If those things go together, that's great. But it's the passion and the drive and the work and the experience that will get you there.

Anything is possible, if you are willing to do the work.

see you next season,
Vikki Flawith
www.vikkiflawith.com
www.myspace.com/vikkiflawith