# American Idol (Top 8) 4/13/2011



## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

NO Pia .. but still 8 left


----------



## barryb (Aug 27, 2007)

I rather enjoyed last nights show.

I really didn't like Stephano too much, at least until last night.


----------



## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

So good to see Pia gone (she was my least favorite other than Haley).

Casey is fantastic and I think the best. Scott will have trouble in the industry because there are about 4 other guys that sound exactly the same on country radio today.

I say, "Boot Haley. Quickly!"


----------



## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> So good to see Pia gone (she was my least favorite other than Haley).
> 
> Casey is fantastic and I think the best. Scott will have trouble in the industry because there are about 4 other guys that sound exactly the same on country radio today.
> 
> I say, "Boot Haley. Quickly!"


I'll admit I haven't had a chance to see the show yet, but another girl gone? I think it's time to boot some of the guys.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Scotty should of stuck with his 1st song choice...He brutally butchered George Strait's "I Cross My Heart." I'm not a country expert or huge fan (Ironic, since I'm in Texas? :lol, but a lot of my country buddies were in agreement that he did a disservice to George.


----------



## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

Dial Idol has Casey at the bottom


----------



## NOVAK69 (Apr 14, 2011)

Haley is the best in my book


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

I haven't seen the episode again so I might change my mind later. I just wasn't blown away by anybody. Maybe it's the fact that _Pia_ was gone, thus no anticipation.

Hope _Haley_ and _Jacob_ make it through - otherwise, I don't care who goes home.


----------



## Richard (Apr 24, 2002)

Jacob or Stefano should be the next to go...

I don't think James will make it much further either, probably won't be this week, but in the next few maybe.


----------



## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Lauren did pretty good.

Stefano did better than I thought.

Casey = Toast (time to pack your bags)

Jacob was extra humble last night. Guess he learned to keep his foot out of his mouth.

All others, business as usual.

Bottom three tonight: Casey, Paul and Haley.

Casey "save wasted" Abrams is going home.


----------



## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

I'm going with Scotty


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

JACKIEGAGA said:


> I'm going with Scotty


Hope you're right.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

To me....the most interesting thing will be the vote count.

Last week it was 55 million....if it takes a major nosedive in numbers, it would seem the "Pia is gone, so we're no longer interested" effect has taken hold. :shrug:


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> To me....the most interesting thing will be the vote count.
> 
> Last week it was 55 million....if it takes a major nosedive in numbers, it would seem the "Pia is gone, so we're no longer interested" effect has taken hold. :shrug:


I agree, but if it takes a dive, will Fox report the voting totals ...

... or will they keep it to themselves?


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Henry said:


> I agree, but if it takes a dive, will Fox report the voting totals ...
> 
> ... or will they keep it to themselves?


I guess it's part of the "suspense" of tonights vote show. If they fail to mention it...that would seem to also indicate they don't want to talk about it.

As much as this season has been a surprise improvement in many ways...last week's results *may* have been several steps backward.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

It doesn't appear Pia's departure affected ratings. 


> American Idol's 7.1 adults 18-49 rating was down 3% vs. last week, but final adjustments have been increasing the preliminaries in recent weeks, so it will likely end about even. So much for those expecting a decline after Pia was kicked off.


http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...behavior-rises-better-with-you-hits-low/89303


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> It doesn't appear Pia's departure affected ratings.


The impact of that would likely not be until starting today and going forward...but they already dropped yesterday.


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> [...] If they fail to mention it...that would seem to also indicate they don't want to talk about it.


Understand.

What they _don't_ say could be just as telling.


----------



## Holydoc (Feb 18, 2008)

Well my rankings (though it seems to not matter since I never had Pia even in the bottom 3) have the following three on the bottom:

Haley - butchered Blondie. Song choice... song choice...song choice. Shame since I had her on top last week.
Jacob - more gospel? Too over the top with runs and note emphasis.
Paul - last but also least? I just don't get it.

Honorable mention:
Casey - still playing wolfman. Too many face contortions, growls, and grunts. He sings so well but always seems to be a caricature of himself.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

I miss Pia... 

*PAUL:* Not as bad as usual, but still... :sure:

*LAUREN:* BEST OF THE NIGHT!!

*STEFANO:* Stefano is usually hit or miss... glad to hear him do another good job. Inferior to the original, but a good job nonetheless...

*SCOTTY:* NOOOOOO!!!!!!! MY EARS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED (I want to use another word, but I'll stick to violated). Scotty is like this season's Sanjaya... except I think Sanjaya had more talent. Pia's gone and Scotty is still in the contest?! When did I enter "The Twilight Zone" and how the heck do I get out of here?!?!

*CASEY:* I am not familiar with this song. I talked to people who were, and they didn't like it. Other than the first part of the song, I thought it was alright. I do think that picking an unfamiliar song was a dangerous gamble, and it may come back to bite him in the butt.

*HALEY:* Not the best song choice, but she nailed it nonetheless.

*JACOB:* Love Jimmy's comments about Jacob... as well as the fact that he gave Jacob great advice regarding his song choice. The first one was horrible, but the second one was one of Jacob's better performances. Yeah, there were parts I disliked, but overall, it was pretty good.

*JAMES:* I'm not really familiar with the song, but I enjoyed it nonetheless...

*BEST OF THE NIGHT:* Lauren
*WORST OF THE NIGHT:* Scotty

*BOTTOM THREE:* ???????????????
In a world in which Pia goes home FAR TOO EARLY, who the heck knows?!?!

I really enjoyed Lauren's performance, but other than that, the night was kind of boring in my eyes. I miss Pia... 

~Alan


----------



## peak_reception (Feb 10, 2008)

Very underwhelmed by last night's show. The judges continue to rave but the performances don't warrant it. 

Paul was physically lively this week, I'll give him that, but the vocals were not strong. 

Lauren was just boring and I'm a fan, sort of. I think she has a load of potential but she never just cuts loose and loses herself in the song. She's just too young for this competition. 

Stefano was also very lively this week and put everything he's got into it. If only Lauren would do the same. Problem is, Stefano only has half of Lauren's potential. Didn't do much for me. Better than last week though. 

Scotty showed some flaws this week with intonation issues and strained high notes. Also didn't seem as involved as he's been in past weeks. Of course none of that will matter to his fan girls who vote 500 times per episode for him, so does it really matter? 

Casey followed his off-beat jazzy siren this week with the stand up base and wildly anachronistic Nat King Cole number "Nature Boy." I liked his assertion of doing what is true to him but have to admit it bored the stuffing out of me, plus the face-pulling and grunts and growls were back, none of which are helping him with most of the public imo. But he gets some extra credit for originality at least. 

Haley had just an ok outing. There wasn't much to do with that song and that's just what she did, i.e. not much. Steven of course enjoyed it because he could try looking up her dress; poor creepy Steven just can't help himself. 

Jacob is never boring but he is uncomfortable to watch and listen to, both for the visual histrionics and the vocal indulgences. He's never really learned to rein it in. He tries, but then the Gospel creature within suddenly erupt out of him like a scene out of an Aliens movie, and there's no stopping it once it escapes. This week it actually kind worked at the very end, but usually it's a disaster when Jacob goes all in as he did with "Alone." 

James is the one and only contestant this week who I was genuinely entertained by to the extent that I just smiled and enjoyed his performance all the way through. It was also the first week where I wasn't thinking "Adam Lambert Lite." The vocals were also pretty solid and he showed real passion which most of the other contestants don't.

Except for James I found this week's show boring.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> Scotty should of stuck with his 1st song choice...


AGREED!! I didn't think it sounded bad...



sigma1914 said:


> He brutally butchered George Strait's "I Cross My Heart." I'm not a country expert or huge fan (Ironic, since I'm in Texas? :lol, but a lot of my country buddies were in agreement that he did a disservice to George.


I own "Pure Country" on DVD, and the soundtrack on cassette (still need to replace my cassette with a CD). It's one of the GREAT love songs, IMHO... HOWEVER, Scotty is no George Strait...

I watched the show last night with my Mom and Grandmother, and I got a big kick out of the look of horror on my Mom's face whenever she heard them say Scotty was going to sing a song from "Pure Country." She was hoping that it would be an up-tempo song like "Overnight Male," and I was HOPING against hope that he would at LEAST pick "Heartland," but I knew deep down that it'd be "I Cross My Heart." My Mom had to leave the room because Scotty was butchering it so badly... I didn't watch the show live, so when my Uncle who stopped by when Haley was singing had already seen the rest of the show, and we talking about how horrible the performance was... 

Oh yeah, I'll give Jennifer a pass since she's not really into Country music, but Steven and Randy should have known better than to rave about his performance... it was horrible.

~Alan


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> To me....the most interesting thing will be the vote count.
> 
> Last week it was 55 million....if it takes a major nosedive in numbers, it would seem the "Pia is gone, so we're no longer interested" effect has taken hold. :shrug:


I'm expecting the vote number to go UP!

People will realize that NO ONE is safe, and will vote MORE because of that.

I know I voted more last night... if Lauren or James goes home tonight, it won't be because of me!  

~Alan


----------



## rkr0923 (Sep 14, 2006)

Bye Bye Jacob


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Alan Gordon said:


> I'm expecting the vote number to go UP!
> 
> People will realize that NO ONE is safe, and will vote MORE because of that.
> 
> I~Alan


On the other hand....last week there was a clear national outpouring of disgust in the results...often resulting in people bailing from the entire process and show altogether.

Heck - even the poll voting here has dropped from past weeks.

This was a hot topic at my company offices in another state this past week - to a person (over 100 people that follow Idol) all said they're done watching for this year. They had a "show of hands" poll at a company social event.

I sure wouldn't expect anything resembling a total vote increase.

Guess we'll find out soon enough.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> On the other hand....last week there was a clear national outpouring of disgust in the results...often resulting in people bailing from the entire process and show altogether.
> 
> Heck - even the poll voting here has dropped from past weeks.
> 
> ...


I wrote out a response, then accidentally deleted it. I'm not in the mood to type it all out again, so I'll just say I'm very open to the possibility that I'm wrong, and that you may indeed be correct, BUT I also think it's very possible that some people may realize that if they don't take control of this show now, we'll end up with the "teeny-boppers" running the show (more than they already are)...

~Alan<~~~~~~~~~Watching Pia on Ellen right now...


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Alan Gordon said:


> I wrote out a response, then accidentally deleted it. I'm not in the mood to type it all out again, so I'll just say I'm very open to the possibility that I'm wrong, and that you may indeed be correct, BUT I also think it's very possible that some people may realize that *if they don't take control of this show now, we'll end up with the "teeny-boppers" running the show *(more than they already are)...
> 
> ~Alan<~~~~~~~~~Watching Pia on Ellen right now...


That actually may already have happened...


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

In general, the judges gave very little negative feedback to contestants that could have used it. It almost appears as if they have compromised themselves.

My take (after the second viewing):

_Paul_: OK. Could have done a bit better. Thankfully he didn't lug an instrument on stage. He was free to waltz around the stage - which is what made him one of the early favorites.

_Lauren_: What was that: Rockabilly? I don't think _Miley Cyrus_ qualifies to be anyone's role model, much less serve as a musical source. Didn't care for it, but I'm not 16 either.

_Stefano_: My ears get the feeling that this young man is always one note below the top of his range. He reminds me of David Archuleta and Brooke White, always looking pained and reaching out for that note. Not a good showing.

_Scotty_: Makes a good impression of _Randy Travis_. Is there a prize for that?

_Casey:_ I'm not a Jazz fan, but I liked his rendition of Nature Boy. I don't see Nat turning over but I sorta liked it. What I didn't like was the judges fawning over him just to justify having used the one and only "save".

_Haley_: She didn't butcher the number ... but it didn't improve her standing either.

Jacob: His vocals were the best of the night. Good choice of song there _Jimmy_ and _Will_. Now teach that trick to _Jacob_, ok?

_James_: Aloof, over-confident, self-absorbed. Me, me, me, right down to ignoring the judges while taking bows and pointing, at the audience. That's it, _James_, boor yourself right to the top.

_Pia:_ Missed you, girl.

_Bottom Three_: Anyone but Haley and Jacob.

_Going Home_: Don't care.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> That actually may already have happened...


Well, I certainly think it has... but I think that AI can still survive to make changes next year...

The people I've talked to regarding Pia's departure has stated that if Scotty or Jacob wins, they're done. I don't think Jacob will get the teeney-bopper vote, but I do believe Doug may have been onto something when he predicted Scotty will win. 



Henry said:


> _Lauren_: What was that: Rockabilly? I don't think _Miley Cyrus_ qualifies to be anyone's role model, much less serve as a musical source. Didn't care for it, but I'm not 16 either.


If given a choice between listening to the majority of Miley Cyrus' music or Scotty McCreery, it'd be a toss-up as to which punishment I would accept before killing myself.

That being said, I have MP3s of a couple of Miley's songs... "The Climb" being one of them, the duet with her father ("Ready, Set, Don't Go"), and "Party In The U.S.A." Now I fully admit that PITUSA is a piece of Pop fluff and the only reason I have it is because I like the beat, but the other two songs are good... in spite of her.

Was Lauren's performance perfect? No. She held the microphone too far away from her mouth as she was singing a couple of times, and I think the volume of the band was too high. Was it her best performance? Probably not, but it was still the highlight of the night for me.

LOVED Jimmy's digs at Miley though... 



Henry said:


> _Scotty_: Makes a good impression of _Randy Travis_. Is there a prize for that?


Winning "American Idol?"

Seriously though, did Randy Travis kill your brother or something? Song, perhaps?!

I only ask because otherwise you seem to be incredibly harsh to Randy Travis, and my assumption is that he must have done something to you?!  

~Alan


----------



## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

I just listened to the Lauren and Scotty "studio versions" on iTunes. Both sounded great. Scotty has a great recording voice.


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

Alan Gordon said:


> Well, I certainly think it has... but I think that AI can still survive to make changes next year...
> 
> The people I've talked to regarding Pia's departure has stated that if Scotty or Jacob wins, they're done. I don't think Jacob will get the teeney-bopper vote, but I do believe Doug may have been onto something when he predicted Scotty will win.
> 
> ...


:lol::lol: you have me in stitches here. :lol::lol:

On the contrary, Alan, I happen to like Randy very much. He's the real deal... it's the knock-offs that I don't like (aka Scotty).


----------



## Richard (Apr 24, 2002)

Pia DESERVED to go home last week. This week's didn't. That is all.


----------



## camo (Apr 15, 2010)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> That actually may already have happened...





Alan Gordon said:


> we'll end up with the "teeny-boppers" running the show (more than they already are)...


13-Year-Old Girls Ruining American Idol Vote


----------



## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Not too surprised to see who was voted off last night. However, not my first choice.

By the way, Haley looked hot last night. I think I’m in love.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

The announced 3 million less votes in the very beginning...on the heals of pleading on performance night how Pia's departure last week made each vote critical to the results...down the slippery slope of losing viewership it goes....


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> The announced 3 million less votes in the very beginning...on the heals of pleading on performance night how Pia's departure last week made each vote critical to the results...down the slippery slope of losing viewership it goes....


The ratings didn't drop, though. Final numbers show it was the same. 


> As expected, American Idol was adjusted up a couple of tenths from the preliminary adults 18-49 ratings to a 7.3 adults 18-49 rating, the same as last week.


http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...up-breaking-in-minute-shedding-adjusted/89416


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> The ratings didn't drop, though. Final numbers show it was the same.
> 
> http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...up-breaking-in-minute-shedding-adjusted/89416


The voting dropped - the people who actually care enough to spend the time to vote. Those are their real followers.

Not a good testimony to the Pia debacle and the way the system is set up at this time. I bet they've had 10 think tank meetings about that topic already internally at Fox.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> The ratings didn't drop, though. Final numbers show it was the same.
> 
> http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...up-breaking-in-minute-shedding-adjusted/89416


The voting dropped - the people who actually care enough to spend the time to vote. Those are their real followers. There was a 5 1/2% drop in votes in one week.

Not a good testimony to the Pia debacle and the way the system is set up at this time. I bet they've had 10 think tank meetings about that topic already internally at Fox.


----------



## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

My wife tried to vote numerous times last night. She said the lines were always busy. She was not able to cast a single vote. I don’t remember the last time this happened. Let’s remember, they can only count votes that get through. I bet more people tried to vote than the results show. I’m sure there must be a "vote ceiling" due to phone H/W limitations. Even if 200 million people tried to vote. I doubt all 200 million would get through due to the limited voting window.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> The voting dropped - the people who actually care enough to spend the time to vote. Those are their real followers.
> 
> Not a good testimony to the Pia debacle and the way the system is set up at this time. I bet they've had 10 think tank meetings about that topic already internally at Fox.


Ratings outweigh votes.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> *Ratings outweigh votes*.


Respectfully disagree.

Based on what?...I bet American Idol doesn't thing so....

Anyone can turn their TV on FOX if nothing is on at the time to count in the view ratings.

Voting - that requires interest and effort beyond just one remote control button.

If it happens again (another drop), then the trend will be solidified.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Respectfully disagree.
> 
> Based on what?...I bet American Idol doesn't thing so....
> 
> ...


First, you claim ratings drop...they didn't. Now, you say that voting dropped as if that matters.
High ratings mean more money...How many times people vote doesn't get advertisers to pay a premium price. Ratings are EVERYTHING in TV.


----------



## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

My problem with this season:

Overall the talent is better, but there's not one outstanding voice that I'm rooting for (YMMV).

In the past, there was usually at least one person that I looked forward to hearing sing and this year there's not a single one.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> To me....the most interesting thing will be the vote count.
> 
> Last week it was 55 million....if it takes a major nosedive in numbers, it would seem the "Pia is gone, so we're no longer interested" effect has taken hold. :shrug:





hdtvfan0001 said:


> On the other hand....last week there was a clear national outpouring of disgust in the results...often resulting in people bailing from the entire process and show altogether.
> 
> I sure wouldn't expect anything resembling a total vote increase.





hdtvfan0001 said:


> The announced 3 million less votes in the very beginning...on the heals of pleading on performance night how Pia's departure last week made each vote critical to the results...down the slippery slope of losing viewership it goes....





sigma1914 said:


> *First, you claim ratings drop...they didn't. Now, you say that voting dropped as if that matters.*


Me thinks someone needs to re-read before debating an incorrect point.

My previous posts were about voting - I saved you the time to hunt them down - listed above.

Never cared about ratings, since the *voting count trend *demonstrates the loyalist trends more than overall TV ratings. If we see another drop of that size or greater next week...a losing-interest trend will be pretty obvious at that point.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Me thinks someone needs to re-read before debating an incorrect point.
> 
> My previous posts were about voting - I saved you the time to hunt them down - listed above.
> 
> Never cared about ratings, since the *voting count trend *demonstrates the loyalist trends more than overall TV ratings. If we see another drop of that size or greater next week...a losing-interest trend will be pretty obvious at that point.


Never cared about ratings? Hmmmm.



hdtvfan0001 said:


> The announced 3 million less votes in the very beginning...on the heals of pleading on performance night how Pia's departure last week made each vote critical to the results...down the slippery slope of *losing viewership* it goes....


Find me a TV exec that doesn't think rating$ matter the most.


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

sigma1914 said:


> Never cared about ratings? Hmmmm.
> 
> Find me a TV exec that doesn't think ratings matter.


You've obviously missed the key point.

The most loyal viewers are those who vote. That is the heart of the show, and the key to its success. If folks diminish in vote counts, that demonstrates the show is in trouble.

For that very reason...they don't announce the viewers on the show...they announce the number of voters. Ratings count to the advertisers and producers.


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> My problem with this season:
> 
> Overall the talent is better, but there's not one outstanding voice that I'm rooting for (YMMV).
> 
> *In the past, there was usually at least one person that I looked forward to hearing sing and this year there's not a single one*.


Yeah, I remember Season 9. First it was _Andrew_, then _Lilly_, then _Lacey_, then _Big Mike_ ... then out of sheer desperation it was _Siobh_an before _Lee_ took it. :nono2:

But this year is different ...it's _Pia,_ no one else is on my list, just _Pia_. She's gone , you say? That's ok, she's HI (_Henry's Idol_) for the year. America can have whomever claims him/herself AI for 2011.


----------



## Maruuk (Dec 5, 2007)

Great to see talentless, hoarse, pitchless Paul bite the big one! Finally.

Painful to watch Casey continue his strained mugging/wincing/eye-bugging as he tries to hit notes. He's no jazz singer, that's his fantasy. Jazz singers must have GREAT voices. Game over. That was fake high-school level jazz, not real jazz. He's mildly entertaining and I'm glad he's still around for amusement value, but hasn't got the equipment for what he's pitching.

Haley's "Call Me" was brutal. Weak karaoke stuff. Debbie Harry ought to scratch her eyes out for that.

Scotty really had something going with "Everybody's Talking". His decision to run and hide back under the safe as milk George Strait rock resulted in pure boredom. Flat as a pancake. You could hear America snoring for the duration.

James: obnoxious, idiotic self-indulgent howling drek. Please leave, now. LOVED Jimmy's snark line: "Where's the chorus?" "That WAS the chorus!" Jimmy just stares at him blankly. What a riot. Iovine is awesome, helps make up for Simon. Will just comes off as hipster dufus who likes to cuss in every sentence as a substitute for wisdom. Waste of everybody's time. And that other great interchange, James: "We all know that you can't hear a hit on the piano, only when it's all produced!" Jimmy: "WHO can't??? How do you think I got here, huh punk?" James came off as SUCH an arrogant, clueless ******.

Jacob has learned to reign in the mannerisms some but he's still unpleasant to watch, and listen to. It's a package all mixed up with hardcore church music and unnaturalness onstage and an uneven vocal delivery that just leaves you head-scratching. El paso.

Lauren totally ruled, and I hate that kind of "NASCAR gal lifestyle" music. But her great voice and warmth and comfort on stage just kill. She's the Idol, game over.

Stefano was terrific, but does anybody want or need an Al Martino/Johnny Fontane in 2011??? If only he had a Doc Brown DeLorean and a buddy named Rocco!


----------



## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

It's way too 80's for America to hear now so it'll never happen, but Haley could probably do quite well with this song:


----------



## Maruuk (Dec 5, 2007)

That's not a singer's song. It has little, short, shout phrases, all wrong for Idol. And Haley's not a rocker. Besides, it's an awful song.

Haley's painted herself in a corner and the clock is ticking. At her best she does this super-dated "Red Hot Mama" growl-blues thing. That just doesn't fly commercially any which way. Haley's the semi-cute bluesy lounge singer you see all across America singing cover songs in bars. There's no niche for her to score in, unlike Scotty and Lauren. 

James THINKS there's a niche waiting for him, but he actually sucks at heavy rock/metal. Hasn't got the right rasp/scream/raunch to his voice. Daughtry has it. Adam Lambert has it. Robert Plant had it. You know it when you hear it. James ain't got it.

Casey should be a musician. But he has no look, sound or moves to be a star performer. But he is without question a good musician. He'll do fine.


----------



## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

My comments are simple: not unhappy at all with the choice for who leaves this week. I actually heard the slightest bit of criticism from the judges, and that's a start. Casey's beginning to rub me the wrong way though... there's something about his smirk that leaves me feeling a little slimy and I don't know why. I do agree that the crop who are left are probably forgettable and probably won't have Carrie Underwood-sized careers after leaving the show. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of Pia, though. I think that she has something of the same quality that Jennifer Hudson has... very likable but quite talented.


----------



## peak_reception (Feb 10, 2008)

Maruuk said:


> James: obnoxious, idiotic self-indulgent howling drek. Please leave, now. LOVED Jimmy's snark line: "Where's the chorus?" "That WAS the chorus!" Jimmy just stares at him blankly. What a riot. Iovine is awesome, helps make up for Simon. Will just comes off as hipster dufus who likes to cuss in every sentence as a substitute for wisdom. Waste of everybody's time. And that other great interchange, James: "We all know that you can't hear a hit on the piano, only when it's all produced!" Jimmy: "WHO can't??? How do you think I got here, huh punk?" James came off as SUCH an arrogant, clueless ******.





> James THINKS there's a niche waiting for him, but he actually sucks at heavy rock/metal. Hasn't got the right rasp/scream/raunch to his voice. Daughtry has it. Adam Lambert has it. Robert Plant had it. You know it when you hear it. James ain't got it.


Not a James fan?


----------



## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Maruuk said:


> That's not a singer's song. It has little, short, shout phrases, all wrong for Idol. And Haley's not a rocker. Besides, it's an awful song.


I alluded to the fact that the song is probably all wrong for America (now) .. not just Idol. I still think Haley would do a good job with it .. 

Besides, nothing wrong with bringing some creativity to the arrangement ....


----------



## Maruuk (Dec 5, 2007)

Jimmy would be going "Where's the chorus?!"

Haley: "That WAS the chorus!"


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

peak_reception said:


> Not a James fan?


I don't like him, either. Too much grandstanding. It didn't take long for me to consider his musical talents a distant second to his personality. :nono2:

I do like Haley, though.


----------



## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

I'm in the anti-James camp, too.


----------



## peak_reception (Feb 10, 2008)

For the most part James Durbin is Adam Lambert light, but at least he's not boring. Not as much can be said for a lot of the rest of this year's crop. Most of them are competent but kind of boring. Jacob is not boring but he is hard to listen to (especially with eyes open). Too much melodrama.


----------



## Maruuk (Dec 5, 2007)

Yeah, at least James brings a ton of energy (crazy energy, but energy nonetheless) that's lacking in any of the other performers.

Haley's ok, but sure needs the right song this week. What's the genre?


----------



## peak_reception (Feb 10, 2008)

Something for you to get excited about this week Maruuk: 

Songs of the 21st Century!


----------



## Maruuk (Dec 5, 2007)

Harumph, as per usual it lets each performer stay smack square in their own safe little genre bubble. Gretchen Wilson, George Strait, Nora Jones, Michael Buble, etc etc. Same old same old.

Clearly Idol recognized the advantages of keeping singers in their comfortable niches, but it removes from the audience the fun of the brutal crash n' burns when the performers hit the genre wall. Everybody sounds "just fine" week after week. 

Back when everybody had to sing a narrowcast type of material each week, things got pretty wild n' crazy, and thus way more fun.

This has just become "American Lounge Idol". It's a tour of every slick bar singer in Vegas. A bunch of pros doing cover songs entirely appropriate to their individual talents, night after night after night. At least we get to skip the cover charge.


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

Maruuk said:


> Harumph, as per usual it lets each performer stay smack square in their own safe little genre bubble. Gretchen Wilson, George Strait, Nora Jones, Michael Buble, etc etc. Same old same old.
> 
> Clearly Idol recognized the advantages of keeping singers in their comfortable niches, but it removes from the audience the fun of the brutal crash n' burns when the performers hit the genre wall. Everybody sounds "just fine" week after week.
> 
> ...


It's still entertaining to watch ... maybe not to your exalting standards, but good enough for most of us.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Hutchinshouse said:


> My wife tried to vote numerous times last night. She said the lines were always busy. She was not able to cast a single vote. I don't remember the last time this happened. Let's remember, they can only count votes that get through. I bet more people tried to vote than the results show. I'm sure there must be a "vote ceiling" due to phone H/W limitations. Even if 200 million people tried to vote. I doubt all 200 million would get through due to the limited voting window.


I didn't have a SINGLE busy signal all night (until the voting closed for the East Coast as I was watching the show delayed).

As I may have stated before, if Lauren or James had gone home on Thursday, it wouldn't be my fault! 



spartanstew said:


> My problem with this season:
> 
> Overall the talent is better, but there's not one outstanding voice that I'm rooting for (YMMV).
> 
> In the past, there was usually at least one person that I looked forward to hearing sing and this year there's not a single one.


I still feel anticipation for Lauren and James' performances, but nothing compared to the anticipation I felt for Pia's performances...

I like some of the other contestants, and I enjoy some of the performances, but the anticipation simply isn't there...

~Alan


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

_James_ and _Lauren_ don't do much for me ... but of the two, I genuinely like _Lauren_ - I just don't care for her as much as I do _Haley_.

When _Pia _was on board, I stayed glued to the tube, but as the lyrics say, _"...there's no future in a memory..."_, nowadays I look forward to _Haley_ and _Jacob_. I also anticipate _Casey_ (but just out of curiosity lately). The rest I consider fodder.


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Henry said:


> _James_ and _Lauren_ don't do much for me ... but of the two, I genuinely like _Lauren_ - I just don't care for her as much as I do _Haley_.


Haley is OK... I didn't care much for her at first... she's had a few decent performances, but I've never really been excited by any of her performances... though I do give her credit for giving her duet performance her all on Thursday night.

I haven't fully agreed with every song choice James has made in the competition, nor can I say the same for Lauren (her first two performances on the stage were particularly "blah"), and she still hasn't really "let loose" on stage, but they are still the only two left who I really care about watching...



Henry said:


> When _Pia _was on board, I stayed glued to the tube, but as the lyrics say, _"...there's no future in a memory..."_, nowadays I look forward to _Haley_ and _Jacob_. I also anticipate _Casey_ (but just out of curiosity lately). The rest I consider fodder.


Jacob has really only done one performance that impressed me. A couple that were "OK," and a few that was only marginally less painful than a Scotty performance. He really doesn't do anything for me...

Stefano has great vocals, but his habit of failing to connect to the song pulls him out of the running, and though I have been enjoying Casey's performances these past few of weeks (last week less than the last two), I don't get excited.

~Alan


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

My comments in green...



Alan Gordon said:


> Haley is OK... I didn't care much for her at first... she's had a few decent performances, but I've never really been excited by any of her performances... though I do give her credit for giving her duet performance her all on Thursday night.
> 
> _Haley_ had me when she sang _LeAnn Rimes' "Blue"_ during the Top 13 telecast. It was a moving piece yet to be equaled by anyone. I'm sure it's been tried, but not quite there yet - or at least that's what my dormant goose-pimples are saying.
> 
> ...


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Henry said:


> Haley had me when she sang LeAnn Rimes' "Blue" during the Top 13 telecast. It was a moving piece yet to be equaled by anyone. I'm sure it's been tried, but not quite there yet - or at least that's what my dormant goose-pimples are saying.




SERIOUSLY?!

I thought it was a decent performance, but I think it's been bested at least a couple of times...



Henry said:


> Jazzy number (Moanin') with Casey was very good and the judges just couldn't say enough about it.


It was a definitely a highlight for Haley... who unlike a few of the other contestants haven't really experienced a "highlight" until then... though after hearing Scotty's half of the duet earlier, anything would have seemed like a highlight. :nono2:



Henry said:


> As far as I'm concerned James disqualified himself with us (wife and I). His voice range is astronomical and we both love Lambert. You'd think we would gravitate towards James immediately - but because of his continual grandstanding, we didn't. There's nothing this young man can sing to bring us around.


I still don't see what you see in regards to James. I didn't like the way he came off on camera during the earlier appearances, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with his vocals then either, but he's really proven himself (to me... and a few others who didn't care for him at first either) on the big stage.



Henry said:


> Like I've said before, I like Lauren - but not her singing style. Wife is OK with her but, like me, doesn't see her batting at the confetti. The girl hasn't a mean bone is her body. I wish her well, but not the win.


It's true that Lauren doesn't appear to have a mean bone in her body (a relative of mine knows her, and it doesn't APPEAR to be an act)... which means she'll need to toughen up if she wants to have a successful career, BUT I think she has the most "potential" of anyone still left in the competition.



Henry said:


> Jacob would probably make a fine singer if Jimmy & Co. would just leave him alone. Everybody on the show keeps bombarding the poor man with advise he hasn't asked for. What we end up seeing is a confused singer trying to please everybody but himself. I only wish they'd turn their attention to James instead - although I'm pretty sure he'll self-destruct on his own.


Everyone I know thinks Jacob improves considerably when he listens to Jimmy (and company)... in fact, without Jimmy (and company), I suspect he'd already be out of the competition.



Henry said:


> Yeah, I know what you mean. Stefano falls nicely in the "fodder" category. No sense wasting keybord time on him.


I hate to use the term "fodder" as I like Stefano, but I sadly cannot disagree with the statement. I'd still throw off Scotty and Jacob before him, but Stefano should have left long before many of the girls who already left. 



Henry said:


> Casey bears watching. He's indebted to the judges (as are they to him). He's done some good stuff in the past (including the auditions) and as a male singer, has the potential to reign in more than his fair share of the female teennybopper vote.


A month ago, I would have disagreed... but he has been quite good these past few weeks... but I still don't see him as THE "American Idol."

~Alan


----------



## Henry (Nov 15, 2007)

My comments is green...



Alan Gordon said:


> SERIOUSLY?!
> 
> Yep.
> 
> ...


----------



## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

Henry said:


> Point to one ... oh, never mind. I'm already sure I'm not going to like it as much.
> 
> Beauty (heard or seen) is in the eyes (and/or ears) of the beholder. So sorry you didn't appreciate the number. Subjective to the senses, no doubt.


I'm currently listening to it... it's good... not as good as the original, but VERY good. One of my favorite (if not my favorite) Haley performances... but I still stand by my earlier comments.



Henry said:


> Same comment, except for Scotty, I want to see him go, but I got a feeling he's got the voting girls wrapped around his little finger. Little me-too talent, but good looks?


I laughed at Doug Brott earlier in the season... now I too am afraid that Scotty may win the whole shebang. That scares me...

The sad thing is, I know some grown men and women who like him (didn't know that until recently), and I just want to yell at them and tell them to buy a box of q-tips and clean their dang ears... 



Henry said:


> OK ... let's just agree to disagree on him.


I think that's going to have to be the case. He's still one of my two picks for AI...



Henry said:


> Agree, right after Haley.


We'll just have to agree to disagree on that! 



Henry said:


> Time for him to go then. It's not a training school; it's American Idol.


It's Scotty's time to go (past time), but Jacob would be next on my list...

... that being said, it kind of is a "training school." Look over the history of AI... and you'll find multiple contestants who HAD the talent, but didn't know what to do with it... and watching AI allow'd you to see them evolving on stage (and a few de-evolve)...



Henry said:


> Yes he has ... or are the judges just trying to save face (for using the single Save) and treat him with kid gloves?


NOPE! He has improved...

~Alan


----------



## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Lots of *good performances *this week - but almost none were *great*. These remaining folks are playing it too safe week after week now...so perhaps more "exits of surprise" may still come soon. It's been a long time since a "wow" was seen.


----------

