Hello, goodbye

The Jennifer Hudson Attack: this was a coordinated effort

From the Barbara Walters Oscar Special, where Hudson told us ad nauseum how she was going to win this Oscar "for my grandmother," to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich declaring February 26 "Jennifer Hudson Day in Illinois" (NapervilleSun) it's become apparent there's a full-scale campaign in effect to inject Jennifer Hudson into the mainstream, and it feels really contrived.

You could tell the celebrity audience at the Oscars felt the same way via their cold reception during her acceptance speech; like we were going through the motions: Okay, she's won, get her off the stage.

Simon Cowell was right: she's good, but nothing special.

Having talent isn't enough, you have to be different. If you can't improve on what's already been done, why waste our time? Having this boring "my grandmother's smiling down from Heaven" famous for being famous, non-celebrity shoved down our throats is just intolerable.

But Cowell's a hypocrite too, because that's all American Idol promotes: people who don't stand out, and more often than not, singers who perform modern songs which make heavy and frequent use of an effect Merryweather likes to call the "Gospel yodel."

What is music?

Rhythm, melody, harmony.

All three are pushed aside by the Gospel yodel. It strips the individuality out of every song to which it's applied. You can't appreciate this style of singing because it's not about music; it's vocal acrobatics--a physical exhibition that's only loosely related to music. If you've heard it once, you've heard it forever. Gay men love it because it's like watching a powerful woman have a break down and pull her hair and tell her story, like an episode of Dynasty. But it's a boring demonstration for the rest of us; Renee Zellweger's singing in Chicago was more interesting, and that's saying a lot.

There are a million other vocalists out there capable of applying the Gospel Yodel to a million other songs as proficiently as Jennifer Hudson. It's generic. No one ever says "You're ripping off Whitney Houston" or Mariah Carey, or Joss Stone, or Christina Aguilera, though they all sound alike. But anyone modeling their sound after Curt Cobain, or Led Zeppelin, or Pink Floyd, or Thin Lizzy, or the Beatles (Oasis, Jet) gets a slap on the wrist for being unoriginal.

We live in a society where diversity is suppressed and mediocrity celebrated, and Jennifer Hudson slips in neatly between the soap operas and reality shows.

She's boring, but that's what America likes, so it's okay. - danni