By sennelier
I've taken a look at other posts on the AI forums this morning, particularly the general, and I'm a little disturbed at some posters' apparent disregard for the disparity in the performances last night. I give Diana kudos for her talent and her grace under pressure, but all that said, she did not come through last night for whatever reason; likely a combination of fatigue and nerves. If Fantasia does not win tonight, following week after week of consistent, often brilliant performances, then America continues to cast their votes for the wrong reasons.
I was disturbed to see that Diana apparently had a "sympathy vote" contingency because the judges were truthful regarding her less than stellar performances. I don't know what they hear in the live audience but over the TV (and yes, I have a music background) I heard Diana struggle with flat notes, sloppy articulation, poor phrasing, and an inability to connect with the audience. When Diana was singing with the choir, she was almost shouting amidst a random group of people...when Fantasia sang with the same group, she united them with the power of her voice and made the whole group more powerful than they were alone.
If I were Tamyra, I wouldn't let anyone other than Fantasia record that song, because she made it a powerful, inspirational anthem and not simply another over-the-top, bland solo.
Although I'm not a Diana fan, I respect her abilities and her growth over the course of the season, and I was very open to the possibility of her blowing the roof off the Kodak Theater last night. She didn't and she knows she didn't. I just hope the vote went to the woman who did.
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