Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sophia Wackerman, now Sophia James, advances to the Top 20 on American Idol (NBC Photo)

Not Sophia Starr in honor of her late mother, as Katy Perry suggested when she auditioned.

But Sophia James, in honor of her brother.

Oh, and Makayla Phillips has pet rats and a collection of 200 comic books.

And Doug Kiker, the garbage man who went viral with a great audition, has gotten his teeth fixed.

That’s about all the news from American Idol’s first “This Is Me” episode that aired Sunday night.

The show promised unseen performances and footage, but delivered so little of the former that it could post just three video clips to YouTube.

It did deliver pointless repeats of auditioners who didn’t even earn a golden ticket.

And more performances with so many interruptions and so many voice-overs that it’s difficult to judge those performances.

In other words, Idol could have and should have done much better by putting the focus on talent and performances rather than backstory as it buys time during the coronavirus crisis.

Sunday’s show did, once again, illustrate that Idol has assembled a very talented Top 21.

And it did help balance things out in terms of airtime since some contestants have enjoyed much more screen time than others.

By the end of next week’s “This Is Me” Part 2, every member of the Top 21 will have been featured in a bio segment.

Makayla Phillips with her pets, Bada and Bing

Well, there are reports that Idol plans to wrap up Season 18 with four Sunday episodes in which contestants will perform from home and judges will judge remotely.

I hope that’s not the case. It would mean mass eliminations every week. It would turn the show into little more than a popularity contest and offer underdogs no chance to gain momentum.

It would, in my opinion, be a disservice to that very talented cast.

Better to wait, at long as it takes, and provide those singers the full schedule of live shows it planned before filming shut down. And a proper showcase for their talent.