Lessons from AI Live!

July flew by--lots of work, of both the family and, eh, work-related variety. One of last month's highlights was going to see American Idol Live with my family--all fun and no work, though I have to admit thinking "this would make a great blog post" several times during the show. From Lisa Tucker's amazing transformation, Kellie Pickler's hilarious one-liners and Chris Daughtry's razor-edged vocals, this show was all about POW. And seeing the crowd's response to the acts, the gimmicks and the true talent was almost as entertaining as the show itself. Here's what made me think of WU:

Inspiration. Regardless of your feelings for Mandissa, the woman radiates positive energy. Nice line, "Aim high to make your dreams turn into reality!" I admit to liking Kellie Picker's line better, though: "If I'd known I could make it this far, Ida stopped flipping burgers a long time ago!"

Authenticity. (You know this is my favorite word, right?) Loved Bucky and his black hat and that he didn't give a flying newton what it was doing to his hair. And now I know why Paula loved Elliot so much; this guy is as real as they come, and the crowd LOVED him for it.

Selling points. The clear lesson behind the crowd's screeching as Ace paraded around the stage unbuttoning his shirt--sex still sells. Yeah, I know, that point was never in question, but I was still bowled over by the ginormous estrogenic response whenever he batted those five-mile-long lashes of his. Shrieks and signs and whimpers, oh my! (My son calls Ace Mr. Pretty Pants, by the way. Does testosterone-driven defensiveness actually begin at age 8???)

Character growth. How cool it was to see the transformation of Lisa Tucker as soon as you put a keyboard in front of her. Not only can this 16-yr old sing, she can play extremely well (and sings better when playing, I think). She completely won the crowd over with some Elton John classics. One of the best performances of the night.

Rhythm. Paris Bennett could teach everyone a thing or two.

Contest Shmontest. It doesn't matter that you didn't win the show, Chris. The crowd marks the long-term winner every time. I'd say Daughtry has a great career ahead of him. Now about those low scores from that writing contest you entered...

Connections. Know your audience, and touch when you can. Taylor's romp through the crowd was classic. Maybe now I understand why big name authors still bother to show up for book signings!

Free mint chocolate chip Pop Tarts. 'Nuff said.

Write on, all!