American Idol Spoiler Watch for Christopher "Chris" Golightly
Justin Guarini All Over Again?
American Idol 9 featured Christopher "Chris" Golightly as the last contestant for its televised episode of the Los Angeles auditions. Chris has a backstory and decent vocals. Simon did not find him all that great, but Kara loved him. The funny thing about that backstory is that Kara openly said he had the right backstory. This is hilarious. Fans know that Idol uses backstories to build interest and ratings, but they do not often have a judge come right out and admit it. One other interesting thing to note is that the folks who release American Idol spoilers have said that Chris made the Top 24. So we will likely be seeing more of Chris for at least a few more weeks.
Chris looks a bit like Justin Guarini, what with his curly hair and all. His backstory is that he was an orphan. Not sure why this is such a big deal, but some people fall for this kind of stuff all the time. Living with a biological parent is not exactly a walk in the park all the time, either. Some people are not fit to be parents and may even be better off in foster care. But some fans will eat this up. In Chris's case, though, it might not do him much good. He comes across more like a crybaby than anything else.
Kellie Pickler had a vaguely similar backstory. Her parents were a mess. Dad was in and out of prison, and Mom abandoned poor Kellie. So Kellie was mostly raised by her grandparents. Pickler fizzled out in the Top 6 of American Idol 5, but that backstory may have helped her. It certainly was not her singing that got her that far.
Speaking of judges, the show might as well have people like Ellen come on as judges. After all, if a judge like Kara is not going to use her musical knowledge to judge contestants (focusing on a backstory, instead), then there is not much point in bringing on knowledgeable judges. Just find the best personalities for TV.
Katy Perry got in a good dig against Kara, saying that this was not a "Lifetime movie." Katy was rather crude to Kara throughout the show, but that was probably planned from the beginning to spare the audience the usual boring routine that Kara brings by herself. Thank God for Ellen, who should provide a welcome diversion from Kara's constantly talking about backstories, focusing on looks, calling contestants like Megan Joy a "package artist," etc.
Speaking of talent, Chris Golightly certainly has a nice voice. As Simon said, though, it seems that there is nothing distinctive there. If the spoilers are correct, Chris did make it. However, that doesn't say much about how he performed in the Hollywood auditions. Loads of bad singers have been put through to the voting rounds. It is common knowledge that the show is building a cast, not so much looking for the 24 best singers. What role Chris fills this year is not clear, but the backstory probably has something to do with it.
In the end, it is hard to say how Chris will do in terms of performance and how he will do on the show. His odds appear to be low to possibly in the middle in terms of becoming an American Idol favorite and taking the crown. His backstory can only help him, and he has shown a nice voice. The overall talent level is still a question mark. Chris has a very slim chance of winning this year unless he can show something more unique than hair that reminds people of Guarini and a voice that reminds Simon of a boy band.
