# American Idol 2011



## peak_reception

Can't you just feel the excitement in the air? :grin:


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## digitalfreak

That show needs to just die already.


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## Stuart Sweet

Oh boy, this is starting out great. Look, I'm no Idol-worshipper myself. I tried it last season and was repulsed. But I refer you to the following in the TV Show Talk forum rules:



> Don't "thread crap."
> Thread crapping means posting negative comments in threads created by fans of a show, simply to anger them. This does not mean you cannot be critical of a show, but it must be constructive criticism.


This thread will probably be around for several months, we tend to have these long rambling conversations on this show, so let's start off polite.
Thanks.


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## peak_reception

Well, to be fair to df, mine was a kind of self-crapping thread comment anyway. 

I hope that this season is absolutely amazing but somehow I'm not feeling optimistic. Last season did a lot of damage to the brand, and all the changes this year... well, the jury's still out.


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## Hutchinshouse

Looking forward to it. My DVR already set. This will be a make or break year for AI.


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## Art7220

Yeah and there better be DL links here. A little early for this thread though don't you think?


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## peak_reception

Art7220 said:


> ... A little early for this thread though don't you think?


 First show is tomorrow night.


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## Stuart Sweet

Yes, I would normally not allow the thread so early, but historically we've done it this way and it works. 

I probably won't be watching, as I'm still recovering from last year, but I wish you all the best.


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## Chris Blount

It's going to be interesting this year with Jennifer Lopez. I heard she could be a real handful and likes to pick fights.


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## barryb

AI is one of my guilty pleasures.


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## Doug Brott

I'll be there ..


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## Scott Kocourek

I have watched this show since season 2 and I don't believe I will be watching this year. Last season was brutal and I just don't see it getting any better.


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## ffemtreed

Well I stopped watching last year about 2/3's of the way into it but I'll give it another shot this year since there are so many changes. 

I will say I am going to miss Simon thought. He was the only judge that usually told it as it was. I hate the cheer-leading these judges do, they aren't there to support the contestants, they are there to give feedback to the singers. Quit blowing smoke up their behinds.


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## Doug Brott

"Well, hell fire, save matches &@$! a duck and see what hatches." -Tyler

5 minutes in and this is gonna be different.


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## Davenlr

Yea, I loved it. Totally different this year. Not the same old Simon crap.


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## Earl Bonovich

Doug Brott said:


> "Well, hell fire, save matches &@$! a duck and see what hatches." -Tyler
> 
> 5 minutes in and this is gonna be different.


That was a great line.


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## Chris Blount

It really shows how negative that show was with Simon. Lot more fun so far.


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## dmspen

Steven Tyler was great. He was funny, a little crude sometimes, and honest with the contestants. It seems like Randy kind of caves to Tyler and Lopez. It almost seems like all 3 are more lenient than past panels.

Never heard the word Karaoke, or self-indulgent...I wonder if they'll have guest judges?


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## Doug Brott

50 people made it through (If I heard right) .. Maybe the producers decided to send more singers through this time around than knuckleheads. It's possible it was a "too many" situation early on, but they really may be looking at this year differently and want to get the best product on the stage for the final 10 or 12 or 14 (whatever they come up with)


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## peak_reception

Doug, you can start a new thread if you want. This one started out off on the wrong foot (my fault). 

I'll be watching the first show soon to see what the changes have brought/wrought. 

Last year was such a dud. I was doing a crossword puzzle the other day and came across a clue with some of the letters already filled in from other words. The clue was 2010 American Idol Winner. I had something like... 

__ E __ D__ __ Y __ E 

...and I still couldn't for the life of me figure out who it could be. That's how swiftly last year's winner passed from memory (and believe me I'm not bad at crossword puzzles) :grin:


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## ffemtreed

peak_reception said:


> Doug, you can start a new thread if you want. This one started out off on the wrong foot (my fault).
> 
> I'll be watching the first show soon to see what the changes have brought/wrought.
> 
> Last year was such a dud. I was doing a crossword puzzle the other day and came across a clue with some of the letters already filled in from other words. The clue was 2010 American Idol Winner. I had something like...
> 
> __ E __ D__ __ Y __ E
> 
> ...and I still couldn't for the life of me figure out who it could be. That's how swiftly last year's winner passed from memory (and believe me I'm not bad at crossword puzzles) :grin:


I couldn't answer either of the past two winners if asked in a trivia game.

last night was pretty good. I think Tyler's act might get old though. I am curious to see how its going to play out during the live shows.

I have a bad feeling they are turning more of the focus on the judges rather than the contestants. At least they toned down the bad acts this year and showed more people that had some talent.


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## Maruuk

Lopez was terrific! A vast improvement over Paula, and less manic and fake than Kara. She seems natural, and is fun to watch. Dog is da Dog.

The creepy old man with the turkey neck and the raspy old-man croak is scary. Make him go away, mommy!

Problem is, they haven't updated this brutal, flat, painful-to-watch, endless a capella early-audition phase at all, which has me AND Lopez saying (as she did last night), "I can't take this! How do I get off this show???"


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## Chris Blount

You know what's interesting? It almost seems like Randy doesn't belong there anymore considering the tone that has been set between the other two judges. Almost like they should have started with a completely clean slate. I wonder if Randy feels out of place.


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## Maruuk

Good point, he did seem oddly irrelevant last night. A third wheel. There's no chemistry between him and Lopez.

Part of the problem is there's no leader anymore. No one's sure who's supposed to call for the vote, so they all just kind of step all over each other about who goes first.

The obvious central problem is one you could see coming long ago: you've now got 3 "nice guys", pleasant, helpful, courteous folks with zero foil, no pushback, no conflict. Nobody to work off of. It's like Dean Martin, Bud Abbot, George Burns, Ricky Ricardo and Dicky Smothers on stage together. Where's the funny guy???


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## Doug Brott

I thought Tyler was hilarious ..


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## Chris Blount

Maruuk said:


> Good point, he did seem oddly irrelevant last night. A third wheel. There's no chemistry between him and Lopez.
> 
> Part of the problem is there's no leader anymore. No one's sure who's supposed to call for the vote, so they all just kind of step all over each other about who goes first.
> 
> The obvious central problem is one you could see coming long ago: you've now got 3 "nice guys", pleasant, helpful, courteous folks with zero foil, no pushback, no conflict. Nobody to work off of. It's like Dean Martin, Bud Abbot, George Burns, Ricky Ricardo and Dicky Smothers on stage together. Where's the funny guy???


Well put and all true.


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## AntAltMike

I set up the broadcast HDTV feed for an American Idol "viewing party" held in conjunction with the local Fox affiliate at Madam Tussaud's wax museum in Washington, DC. It wasn't clear to me what interactions might be taking place between these viewing parties and either the network or local broadcast, so I planned on watching the show for the first time in my life, but fell asleep early in the show and missed nearly the whole thing. Did the national network telecast show the viewers at the viewing parties, like ESPN does with the guys at Joe's bar watching the game on ESPN, or was their involvement just local?


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## spartanstew

Tyler was a nice addition, but I'd gladly trade Lopez (who is absolutely terrible) and Jackson for Simon.

IMO, they were more "rude" last night than Simon ever was. At least he would just tell people they were terrible (which was always true), instead of just laughing at them.


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## Doug Brott

Simon had his fair share of (duly justified) laughing .. Heck some of the duds were really funny even when they didn't realize it.


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## Maruuk

What bothered me tonight was basically all 3 were always in complete agreement with each other. Thus you lose any back-and-forth dialog about the singer's performance which would be a lot more interesting. 

And on a few very marginal performances, all 3 chimed in with Paula-esque fawning and gushing. There's no adult in attendance to provide producer-level critique to counter the love fests. No reality check.

Most folks forget Simon was mainly a record producer at the highest level. Major skill set, great depth of musical and commercial expertise. Hundreds of millions rode on his critical and tough decisions in the studio.

These three are all basically just performers, or ex-performers. Randy has done a little producing, but more as a musician, not a full-time in the studio producer. Thus they identify way too much with the performers, and it's hard for them to be articulate as to performers' shortcomings. They've been on the wrong side of the mixing console. That's what made Simon so valuable. The optimum background for an AI judge is producer, not performer.


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## Chris Blount

Maruuk said:


> What bothered me tonight was basically all 3 were always in complete agreement with each other. Thus you lose any back-and-forth dialog about the singer's performance which would be a lot more interesting.
> 
> And on a few very marginal performances, all 3 chimed in with Paula-esque fawning and gushing. There's no adult in attendance to provide producer-level critique to counter the love fests. No reality check.
> 
> Most folks forget Simon was mainly a record producer at the highest level. Major skill set, great depth of musical and commercial expertise. Hundreds of millions rode on his critical and tough decisions in the studio.
> 
> These three are all basically just performers, or ex-performers. Randy has done a little producing, but more as a musician, not a full-time in the studio producer. Thus they identify way too much with the performers, and it's hard for them to be articulate as to performers' shortcomings. They've been on the wrong side of the mixing console. That's what made Simon so valuable. The optimum background for an AI judge is producer, not performer.


Good points. FOX probably hates these three. The network is going to spend a fortune on airline tickets this year.

It's going to be interesting to see what the network does with Steve Tyler when they go live. The feed is going to have to be on a long delay.


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## Doug Brott

Apparently the Judges this year saw more talent than ever (more got past the Stadiums into the audition room). Nigel said in an interview that they started @ 10am and sometimes didn't finish until after Midnight. Seems like the odds of finding someone good was actually higher and they simply didn't have enough time to show the bad auditions this year.

FOX makes a killing on this show .. They could probably bring a thousand people to Hollywood week and not even feel the dent .. especially considering they aren't paying Simon's exorbitant salary this year. Heck, they're one Judge down and likely (I don't know) Steven & Jennifer combined don't add up to what Simon made last year. They've got a few spare dollars.


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## Doug Brott

Chris Blount said:


> It's going to be interesting to see what the network does with Steve Tyler when they go live. The feed is going to have to be on a long delay.


I'll never see it .. I'm on 3 hour delay already .. :lol:

Still, I'm sure the 7-second censor will have 4 or five people ready to push a button if necessary. 

Even in his work here, Steven seems like he can be a professional about it all. I doubt he'll mess up during the Live TV portion, but I'm sure when the TV is off (but the mic is still on) he'll offer some FCC-illegal commentary. :grin:


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## Stuart Sweet

Well....

We didn't watch last night. We're definitely skipping the audition phase, but we may pick up when it goes live. Hard to say right now. Last year was pretty rough.


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## BattleScott

Stuart Sweet said:


> Well....
> 
> We didn't watch last night. We're definitely skipping the audition phase, but we may pick up when it goes live. Hard to say right now. Last year was pretty rough.


Likewise. I think AI has pretty much run it's course. The concept, format, everything is just very tired. The next few seasons will just be a revolving door of judges to try and maintain interest. I think there will be a spike in the ratings early based on the new judges, but they will finish the season down in the ratings again.

"Fonzie is fast approaching the ramp..."


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## sigma1914

BattleScott said:


> Likewise. I think AI has pretty much run it's course. The concept, format, everything is just very tired. The next few seasons will just be a revolving door of judges to try and maintain interest. I think there will be a spike in the ratings early based on the new judges, but they will finish the season down in the ratings again.
> 
> "Fonzie is fast approaching the ramp..."


Down in the ratings again? "American Idol finished its ninth season as the most-watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show."


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## Stuart Sweet

Understood there, but isn't it true that it's lost viewers and ratings for the last two years? Granted it's a long fall from where they are but it seems like the trend is going in the wrong direction.


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## Maruuk

It's way down this season especially in the 12-28 demo. I mean, you stick in an ugly 62 year old croaking geezer perve, a pleasant middle-aged has-been soccer mom, and an aging fat ex-rocker, and you gotta expect some serious youth decay.

At least this year they're not gonna Barry-Manilow/Paul-Anka it up again when they get to Hellyweird. They're supposed to actually have them sing RELEVANT pop songs, things you might actually download on iTunes.

However, it's not helping them at this audition stage to have guys singing songs in Spanish and girls singing show tunes. I like what Lopez said to one idiot who sang some crazy opera thing: "Have you ever seen this show before???"


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## Maruuk

AI is like the slowly sinking Titanic. Every year its producers say "It still towers above all the rest!"

Yeah, that's because its stern is stuck way up in the air.


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## sigma1914

Yes, it's down, but still #1. Their 26 million viewers on Wednesday & 22.9 million on Thursday are damn high.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...y-american-idol-10th-season-starts-down/79478



> The 10th season of American Idol premiered down 18% among adults 18-49, drawing a 9.7 rating compared to the 11.8 rating for last year's Tuesday premiere. That's more than the 10-15% seasonal ratings decline that has been typical in recent seasons. Idol's 26.1 million average viewers was down 13% from last year's premiere 29.945 million.


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## Doug Brott

Maruuk said:


> It's way down this season especially in the 12-28 demo. I mean, you stick in an ugly 62 year old croaking geezer perve, a pleasant middle-aged has-been soccer mom, and an aging fat ex-rocker, and you gotta expect some serious youth decay.


You can't get higher than #1 which is where AI started yet again this year. 

The problem with AI is EXACTLY what you are implying with your colloquial description .. The past couple of years it's been all about the Judges and the singers were secondary. So far this year, singing is front and center and both camp and Judges are secondary.

Unless for some reason the wheels completely fall off .. this show will probably be #1 for the season yet again and will possibly have more viewers this year (in the end) than it did last year which was by far the most mediocre season of all.

While skipping the auditions is good if that's not your thing .. This years auditions (after 2 nights) are much more about the good singers than they have been in some time. There is still the yahoo every once in a while, but the quantity of yahoos is slim.

Heck the most revealing part last night had one singer and the guys all showing there abs (or gut in Randy's case :lol but the singer was good.


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## Chris Blount

I agree that viewership is down but it's still quite a popular show. There is no denying that. I watch every year because for me it's fun. I like the format and enjoy evaluating the technical aspects of the show (how segments are edited, videography techniques, etc). The people behind the scenes are very good at what they do. I learn something new every year and incorporate a lot of their techniques into my own video projects. What amazes me is how fast they crank that stuff out. 

Other than that, I usually pick one or two singers to root for. If they get voted off early, I skip through the remainder of the season.


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## Maruuk

Don't they take many months to edit these shows together? What we're seeing now actually happened last Summer.

I do the same with my faves, especially a hot babe fave. The last couple of years, they've been voting off the babes early leaving guys with skanks and...guys. And frankly shockingly weak guys at that. By the last month last year I was dead bored.

Yeah, I think this year they're going to hone in bigtime on seriously great singers. The girl last night with the challenged kid that made Lopez cry had a really great voice. They've been rightly criticized for promoting losers lately, and that is one area you can tell they're going to address.


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## Stuart Sweet

Doug, it's nice to know that the auditions are better than the sideshow from last year. I'm not sure I can really deal with it but it does raise hope that the rest of the season will be improved as well.


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## jerrylove56

Seems to have run its course. Too many top singers in years past sent packing too early for my likes. Just almost by looks one can tell who will win or be forced on the viewers.


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## BattleScott

sigma1914 said:


> Down in the ratings again? "American Idol finished its ninth season as the most-watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show."


Yes, down in the ratings again. They lost viewers for the 2nd straight season, finished with the lowest 18-49 rating in series history and the worst average viewer rating since season 1. Additionally, they lost the time slot battle with DWTS a few times last season.


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## Doug Brott

BattleScott said:


> Yes, down in the ratings again. They lost viewers for the 2nd straight season, finished with the lowest 18-49 rating in series history and the worst average viewer rating since season 1. Additionally, they lost the time slot battle with DWTS a few times last season.


Maybe that's why they moved to Wed/Thu this year .. :grin:

Everything is down so comparing AI this year to last year isn't really comparative of AI. That's an industry trend (TV industry) unrelated to the show itself. Compared to other shows, it's still #1 so I'd ask .. Why would dropping the #1 show on TV make sense regardless of ones personal feeling about the show?

(I know you didn't particularly say it should be dropped, but some have)


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## BattleScott

Doug Brott said:


> Maybe that's why they moved to Wed/Thu this year .. :grin:
> 
> Everything is down so comparing AI this year to last year isn't really comparative of AI. That's an industry trend (TV industry) unrelated to the show itself. Compared to other shows, it's still #1 so I'd ask .. Why would dropping the #1 show on TV make sense regardless of ones personal feeling about the show?
> 
> (I know you didn't particularly say it should be dropped, but some have)


I wasn't comparing anything to last season. Those stats are for 2009 and 2010, and they are strictly for the show itself, not how it fared against competition. While the show is still #1, it certainly is not heading in the right direction. The early numbers from this season certainly support that as well. I thought there would be a small jump in the ratings with all the hype around the new judges but even that didn't happen.

Also, you have to remember that being #1 is not as important as those viewer numbers, the advertising rates are based on those viewership numbers (especially the 18-49 group), not the position.


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## Maruuk

Has one contestant sung a contemporary pop song yet? It's all showtunes and old R&B and stuff from 30 years ago. Yet they're supposed to be competing to become a CONTEMPORARY pop vocalist. I've never understood this show's total disconnect between the content and the aspiration!

No wonder 18-49 is in the toilet!


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## peak_reception

The 30 second skip button just got a big workout. Made it through the opening episodes tonight. 

I think that it was a wise decision to start with some good singers. If they hadn't then the there's a danger that the audience would write off the show as a parade of clowns. So giving some legitimacy out of the gate was important. 

The judges were never a focus for me so I didn't expect much either way from the changes there, but there is a difference in chemistry. A more positive vibe without Simon which is both good and bad I suppose. Good in that the contestants aren't treated like dog pooh. Bad in that there isn't anyone left on the panel to 'tell it like it is' when that is sorely needed. 

I did find Steven Tyler hard to take in the first episode. Visually he looks so chewed up and spat out, especially next to J-Lo. His awkward reactions and comments also made me squirm a little. But there was also some refreshing honesty about him, and obviously he lives and breathes music. By the 2nd hour I was thinking he wasn't so bad after all, but they are definitely going to have to rein him in when the show goes live... if they can. 

J-Lo I enjoyed right from the start and continued to enjoy right to the end ;-) Seems like a very nice person too. Who cares if she has trouble saying no to contestants. America can take care of that part just fine. So far so good. 

I always liked Randy and nothing changed there. Good. 

I didn't hear any contestants who made me eager to hear more from them, but there were quite a few decent ones with potential and/or something unique about them. 

Kind of shocking was the one girl who wanted to become a Broadway pop star and ended up crying and begging to be sent through to Hollywood. Shocking that she was sent through that is. I suppose it will make for good TV during Hollywood week as the show is guaranteed another emotional Chernobyl for America to behold. 

I find the back stories premature and boring. I mean, we haven't even heard them sing and we're supposed to start caring about who they are and how they got there? Not me. Give me a reason to think they belong there first, then give me their stories. 

All in all, not a bad start. Honestly I was expecting worse. The real test will come when we actually hear what kind of talent they have or don't have this season. A.I. needs a star. The show may not survive two years in a row of pretending that mediocre talent is really top shelf talent.


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## Maruuk

It was amazing last year how the really cute and talented girls (Siobhan for one) all got voted off by the last 3 weeks. They were left with an amazingly mediocre set of folks by the end.

Let's face it, the real idol has to be very good-looking AND have a great voice AND know how to project to an audience. Last year, NONE of the finalists had ANY of those traits!

I'm selfish, if I don't get some serious babe action on this show, I am outa here. Beautiful girls with beautiful voices that know how to sell a song. And so far, they're batting ZERO in that dept.

But I agree about Lopez, she's a pleasure to watch and projects a lot of intelligence, warmth and playfulness which is sorely lacking. Plus she's hot in a MILFy sorta way. She just needs somebody to argue with, but she's got two lapdogs at the moment.

I suspect that halfway through the season they're gonna finally realize they need an adult POV and they'll bring in a tough record producer to play the Simon role. They'll call it "guest judge" or something. Tommy Mottola or Tom Dowd or Trevor Horn or whatever serious heavyweight made guys who've been there and done that and take no guff from mere "performers".

Film directors feel the same about actors. Necessary evils, the equivalent of trained seals with attitude problems who eat expensive fish.


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## Doug Brott

peak_reception said:


> Kind of shocking was the one girl who wanted to become a Broadway pop star and ended up crying and begging to be sent through to Hollywood. Shocking that she was sent through that is. I suppose it will make for good TV during Hollywood week as the show is guaranteed another emotional Chernobyl for America to behold.


Oh this girl is going to make great TV .. that's why she was put through. She didn't sound THAT bad, but she also wasn't the best either. My take on her is that she is a comedian that can sing. She was very comfortable in front of both the Judges and the camera and her waterworks look (nicely) contrived to me.

Honestly, I was saying (to myself) that she should be put through because she did such good comedic work up there. Now, to get past Hollywood week she'll have to step it up a notch. Maybe she can .. maybe she can't.


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## Doug Brott

Maruuk said:


> It was amazing last year how the really cute and talented girls (Siobhan for one) all got voted off by the last 3 weeks. They were left with an amazingly mediocre set of folks by the end.


Siobhan never would have made it to the end last year. She didn't have it in her. Yeah, there were moments, but the fact that you could see it gnawing at her (even at her best) you had to know something was wrong in her head .. I haven't heard what she's up to now, but I hope she's improved herself because she always had the potential. AI just creeped up on her too fast last year.

I was most disappointed when the tall girl, Lilly Scott was booted.


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## Maruuk

Siobhan mopped up the floor with the rest of that flotsam and jetsam last year. But the voters vote for all kinds of weird special interests: sex (theirs), sex (appeal), race, religion, ethnicity, regional loyalty, cultural loyalty...talent is way down on the list of determinants.

Expect Fox to give the judges way more leeway this year to counter the moron voters. Not just one reprieve, but a way to keep the real winners in the race longer. Fox has a pantload of cash to lose if they don't. They don't need yet another "David Cook"!


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## peak_reception

> They don't need yet another "David Cook"!


What's needed is another nascent star like Carrie Underwood, but they are few and far between.


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## peak_reception

Was watching the NFL playoff games this past weekend. What's his name from last season of American Idol ( _ E _ D _ _ Y _ E) performed at halftime of the game in Chicago between Da Bears and Da Packers. They showed a bit of it (of course it was a FOX broadcast) in order to plug A.I. Couldn't hear it/him very well though, sort of like back on the show last year. 

More entertaining was the singer of the National Anthem at the start of the game. I guess he's the regular singer for the Chicago Black Hawks. He's all business and belts out the song with aggressive gusto. The Chicago fans love him. 

Better still was the Anthem singer in Pittsburgh for the Jets vs the Steelers. A well-known personage this time in the form of Martina McBride. She did a beautiful job with it.


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## ffemtreed

peak_reception said:


> Better still was the Anthem singer in Pittsburgh for the Jets vs the Steelers. A well-known personage this time in the form of Martina McBride. She did a beautiful job with it.


I thought the same thing when I heard it. Very classy yet still put her own touch on it.


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## Maruuk

It's odd, but most of the female Idols go on to fit only in Country Pop. And the males in el blando Pop Rock.

No Alt/Rock, no R&B, no Hip Hop, no Folk, no Blues, No Opera, no Dance/House, in short...nothing interesting. Just the two most generic pap categories possible. 

I suspect this arises from the show's previous slavish insistence on dead genres. And on the Lowest Common Denominator principle inherent in the voting.


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## BattleScott

Maruuk said:


> It's odd, but most of the female Idols go on to fit only in Country Pop. And the males in el blando Pop Rock.
> 
> No Alt/Rock, no R&B, no Hip Hop, no Folk, no Blues, No Opera, no Dance/House, in short...nothing interesting. Just the two most generic pap categories possible.
> 
> I suspect this arises from the show's previous slavish insistence on dead genres. And on the Lowest Common Denominator principle inherent in the voting.


It's simply the nature of "popular" music. Popular music today is primarily "new country (females)" and "souless-R&B (males)" ( I have a copy-right on that term). The winner of a public-vote (or "popularity" contest) show like AI is certainly going to come from the most popular music market.

Those truly interested in pursuing, and truly talented in other genres are not going to be those that wind up competing on AI.


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## Scott Kocourek

After saying I would not watch, I will be watching tonight. Milwaukee, WI auditions along with some here saying it's pretty good, I hope they make WI proud tonight.


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## Scott Kocourek

I watched the first half last night and the show was far better than I expected, for starters I think Steven Tyler was very good for the show. Tyler may bring this show back to where I can enjoy it again.


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## Maruuk

If the winner always gravitated to the most popular (read: lucrative) market, that would be hip hip/R&B (from Kanye to Jay-Z to Eminem all the way over to the The Black-Eyed Peas), or pop-dance a la Gaga or Ke$ha or Katy Perry or La Roux. None of the contestants ever come close to those genres either in auditions/competition OR in their career as winners.

Since Ye Olden Days of Fantasia and Ruben, it's been nothing but Whitebread Blandomatic Safe Muzak for Elevators.

Love the way Idol avoids Rap like the Plague, like it doesn't exist. The 800 lb. ethnic gorilla in the mist. You can say Rap isn't singing, but for the last couple of years many rappers have been either singing themselves for part of the song or alternating with a female singer. But I forgot: Rap doesn't exist. Never mind.


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## Maruuk

Tyler has been showing up sober and relatively subdued. That makes him barely tolerable. I was expecting his usual endless mugging, yelling, shrieking and not-funny drunk riffs.

Doesn't Lopez have the prettiest smile on Earth? And since she's sitting down all the time, you can at least imagine she doesn't have Oprah's butt.

I was surprised the Dog was so negative last night. Clearly the producers told him to toughen up without Simon to hold down that fort.

Tyler exposed his musical weakness last night. The girl he called "way pitchy" but then relented after Dog nixed her was not lacking in intonation at all. Her pitch was fine. That's why you want producers, not performers as judges.


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## peak_reception

I thought last night was less entertaining than last week (maybe because the novelty of new judges wore off?).

*However... * there were some really good singers shown/heard, for a change. I thought the girl of African origin (yellow&red dress) revealed some beautiful soul. Also, the kid toward the end of the show who was very plain-looking but there was nothing at all plain about his singing which was startlingly good. The last guy from Chicago with his fiancee injured in the accident. All Excellent.

Some others showed solid potential too, including the girl from California with the rhyming name, the Harvard grad/White House intern, the Bar Mitzvah singer wearing the hat, the accountant with a very un-accountant like individuality to his voice. All quite promising.

The young kid with the deep country voice who kicked off the show didn't do much for me. Rich voice but boring, at least for now. Maybe next season or beyond.

Just on the basis of tonight's show alone I am feeling optimistic now about the talent they've got for this year. Looking forward to hearing some more.


----------



## peak_reception

> Tyler exposed his musical weakness last night. The girl he called "way pitchy" but then relented after Dog nixed her was not lacking in intonation at all. Her pitch was fine. That's why you want producers, not performers as judges.


I didn't think so either. She kind of bent some words and rolled some phrases, but it wasn't out of tune. People thought Allison Iraheta from Season 8 sang out of tune for the same reason(s) but she didn't. Similar thing.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

I have never really followed this show since it started....but she-who-must-be-obeyed here has been a loyal viewer from the beginning.

Unlike previous years where the judges banter has been borderline lame and uncivil, having to sit aside Mrs HDTVFan this week actually didn't cause any nauseousness (for a change).

The chemistry with the judges, as well as their diverse personalities...is downright....not too painful...


----------



## peak_reception

Entertaining show again tonight, but did they find any standouts other than the final girl? Didn't sound like it to me. And the final girl, though good, wasn't on par with the best from Milwaukee imo. 

There was one other girl they showed who was very real, and sang from her heart, but the most memorable thing about her for me was her surprising boyfriend, which supplied the funniest scene of the season so far.


----------



## sigma1914

Vote For The Worst has released the list of finalists. *DO NOT CLICK LINK IN SPOILER UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW!!*



Spoiler



Here it is: http://www.votefortheworst.com/story/666795/fallen-angel-gabriel-figured-out-the-rest-of-the


----------



## ffemtreed

sigma1914 said:


> Vote For The Worst has released the list of finalists. *DO NOT CLICK LINK IN SPOILER UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW!!*
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Here it is: http://www.votefortheworst.com/story/666795/fallen-angel-gabriel-figured-out-the-rest-of-the


Joes Place Blog is where to be if you want to see any spoilers.


----------



## sigma1914

ffemtreed said:


> Joes Place Blog is where to be if you want to see any spoilers.


Thanks ffemtreed. I checked their list, both are the same.


----------



## Doug Brott

sigma1914 said:


> Vote For The Worst has released the list of finalists. *DO NOT CLICK LINK IN SPOILER UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW!!*


VERY Minor spoiler (no names) for clarification of above spoiler


Spoiler



The list is the Top-40 .. The "real" finalists list will be much smaller and it's unclear how it goes from 40 to lesser at this point


----------



## Paul Secic

peak_reception said:


> Can't you just feel the excitement in the air? :grin:


The show is a waste of time!


----------



## sigma1914

Paul Secic said:


> The show is a waste of time!


:nono2:
[post=2687891]2687891[/post]


Stuart Sweet said:


> Oh boy, this is starting out great. Look, I'm no Idol-worshipper myself. I tried it last season and was repulsed. But I refer you to the following in the TV Show Talk forum rules:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Don't "thread crap."
> Thread crapping means posting negative comments in threads created by fans of a show, simply to anger them. This does not mean you cannot be critical of a show, but it must be constructive criticism.
> 
> 
> 
> This thread will probably be around for several months, we tend to have these long rambling conversations on this show, so let's start off polite.
> Thanks.
Click to expand...


----------



## Chris Blount

Paul Secic said:


> The show is a waste of time!


That really depends on who's time you are talking about.


----------



## spartanstew

and your definition of waste.


----------



## Doug Brott

Paul Secic said:


> The show is a waste of time!


So is posting in a thread about a show that you care nothing about ..


----------



## ndole

I was worried that the first episode was going to be the direction of the whole audition phase. They were letting too many through, and being too nice. They edited out all of the really awkward funny ones that make this part of the show so much fun to watch. I'm glad to see that they've reversed course on that.


----------



## Henry

I'm enjoying the season, but I don't really care for the auditions (on any season). My wife seems to like them (the auditions) so it's just my personal opinion.

The addition of _Tyler_ and _Lopez_ has been well recieved, at least in my household. We haven't mentioned any of the old judges by name nor have we made any comparisons between the old show and the new one. We sorta want Fox to surprise us.

If it goes on pleasing viewers They'll have one huge success on their hands.

_Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, _and _Lee DeWyze._ 

Wonder who's next?


----------



## Maruuk

The folks who come in second and third have been faring way better than the winners lately! Daughtry, Kelly Pickler, Adam Lambert...all LOSERS!


----------



## Henry

Maruuk said:


> The folks who come in second and third have been faring way better than the winners lately! Daughtry, Kelly Pickler, Adam Lambert...all LOSERS!


+1,000

And I'm also sure _Clay Aikin_ would agree with that.


----------



## Maruuk

Hey what are folks' thoughts about wheeling a severely handicapped girl out for ratings? I can see both sides frankly: It's wonderful that challenged folks aren't hidden away and they can be part of life and receive love and affection like anybody else. Yes, it's extremely heartwarming. It was great she got to have that experience. And unquestionably her husband is an amazing guy for not pulling a Gingrich. All of that is true.

But on the other hand, I have friends who are furious about the exploitation angle--Fox is selling pimple cream and penis pills and Ford Fiestas off the direct emotional exploitation of this unfortunate individual. It's manipulative paraplegic porno and entirely inappropriate.

I can see both sides. You guys?


----------



## sigma1914

Maruuk said:


> Hey what are folks' thoughts about wheeling a severely handicapped girl out for ratings? I can see both sides frankly: It's wonderful that challenged folks aren't hidden away and they can be part of life and receive love and affection like anybody else. Yes, it's extremely heartwarming. It was great she got to have that experience. And unquestionably her husband is an amazing guy for not pulling a Gingrich. All of that is true.
> 
> But on the other hand, I have friends who are furious about the exploitation angle--Fox is selling pimple cream and penis pills and Ford Fiestas off the direct emotional exploitation of this unfortunate individual. It's manipulative paraplegic porno and entirely inappropriate.
> 
> I can see both sides. You guys?


As a disabled person, I didn't care one bit. They brought in others as sympathetic stories, too. The cancer friend at the end of last night.


----------



## ndole

I didn't have a problem with them bringing the girl out in particular. But I don't like the whole sympathetic stories aspect of the show altogether. Why does that have anything to do with a singing competition?


----------



## Doug Brott

It's all part of the emotions .. Part of what makes the show what it is.


----------



## peak_reception

That guy is one of the Top 40 according to the site linked to by sigma. His name is Chris Medina, so it's a good bet that we will see more of his fiancee too. I hope she continues to heal and improve. 

And the girl of African origin in the yellow and red dress I liked so much is also on the list which I was glad to see. Her name is Naima Adedapo.  

But the plain-looking kid I thought sang so great... 
Not on the list.  His last name was Dangerfield which i remembered because of the association with Rodney D. How could he not make it?! Maybe he can't read music, something as basic as that....


----------



## spartanstew

Maruuk said:


> Hey what are folks' thoughts about wheeling a severely handicapped girl out for ratings? I can see both sides frankly: It's wonderful that challenged folks aren't hidden away and they can be part of life and receive love and affection like anybody else. Yes, it's extremely heartwarming. It was great she got to have that experience. And unquestionably her husband is an amazing guy for not pulling a Gingrich. All of that is true.
> 
> But on the other hand, I have friends who are furious about the exploitation angle--Fox is selling pimple cream and penis pills and Ford Fiestas off the direct emotional exploitation of this unfortunate individual. It's manipulative paraplegic porno and entirely inappropriate.
> 
> I can see both sides. You guys?


The worst thing about the early stages of IDOL, IMO is the back stories. All I want to hear at this point is the people singing, good and bad. On Wednesday night, at about the 17 minute mark of the show, they had only shown TWO singers. There were 117,000 hopefuls on hand on Thursday and we were able to hear about 15 of them. That's ridiculous. Most of the singers that make it to Hollywood, we never even get to hear during the first rounds.

Since I fast forward through all that crap, I end up watching the show in about 10 minutes.

Not only does it give a bit of an unfair advantage to whomever the producers decide to showcase, it's also worthless information if the singers don't move further into the competition.

So, to answer your question, it didn't bother me that the girl they brought out was handicapped, but I don't think they should be bringing ANYONE out except the singers. I don't need to see their moms, dads, brothers, uncles that are in jail, nieces that have cancer, or anyone else.

Just back to back singers.


----------



## Maruuk

Good points. A daughter of a good friend went to AI/Hollywood last year and lasted many rounds. She's seriously gorgeous, has a great voice (she's a recording artist), super smart, and a great personality. And she was 16, something the judges love to fawn over. Bottom line is, they showed her for 10 seconds outside in San Francisco after she won the Hollywood ticket with her mom and relatives (no audio), and that was it. Period.

Never showed her singing once, even though she got cut in the very last round of the judges' cuts. They never even showed her in any of the ensembles in Hollywood.

She and her mom are very bitter about the experience and how she was treated. I can see them not showing the obvious losers, sure. The really funky-looking folks with weak voices and zero stage presence. They're a waste of our time. Yet AI insists on showing us _those_ folks week after grinding week.

But to not let America decide on a prime candidate, never even let America SEE her on stage once??? There must be a lot of Devon Baldwins we never get to see. But the show's producers decided we should see 101 family heartbreaks, skanks singing completely out of tune, and 300 lb. hookers giving us the finger instead.

The Jerry Springer exploitational freak show aspect wins out over the talent component every time.














This is a girl you DIDN'T get to see perform at all. Cut at the final 36. RU kidding me???


----------



## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> It's all part of the emotions .. Part of what makes the show what it is.


+1 ... they do it every year.

I'm liking the show very much. As much hoopla as there was over _J-Lo_, it's _Steve_ who seems to be making the big splash. I wish AI would put up an on-line adult version of the show (that means no beeps) so some of us could really enjoy his colorful metaphors.

And as strange as it may sound, I don't miss any of the _other guys_... not yet anyway.


----------



## peak_reception

Didn't care for last week's show(s) much. A couple of good country voices but nothing else (that they let us hear). The woman who followed Randy J. around the partition, refusing to take no for an answer, was kind of funny, but I can't remember anything else about the show(s). 

Hopefully tonight will be more memorable. 

Is this it for the audition phase? I hope so. The Hollywood group sings are usually pretty entertaining. On to Hollywood!


----------



## BoJackson999

After all of the auditions for American Idol, I have to say I'm really excited for Hollywood. This years talent has been great! I definitely have my pick for the two frontrunners. In my opinion, it's Lauren Alaina, from the Nashville audition, and tonight's James Durbin!


----------



## Henry

peak_reception said:


> [...] Is this it for the audition phase? [...]


Yes, if you don't consider Hollywood week part of the auditions.

I don't think that many of those contestants that are a part of Hollywood week, should be part of Hollywood week. But it usually happens every year and I don't suppose this year will be any different.


----------



## peak_reception

That's a good point. I should've said, the city tours audition phase. Hollywood is still part of the auditioning, as you say, but it feels more like the meat of the show to me, or maybe just more entertaining. A lot of the contestants don't deserve to be there, true, but some of them contribute more than their fair share to the entertainment factor (I'm thinking 'emotional meltdown girl' for this year). 

I thought last night's show had some very memorable voices. For example, that 'baby talk' singer toward the end; all wrong for AI but could definitely find work in the studio in some fashion, either musically or otherwise. At first I was smiling, almost laughing out loud because she sounded so surprisingly weird, but then when she played her guitar and sang at the same time, wow, what a difference! The musicality and spontaneity was striking. There were some certified recording artists who sang in the baby talk genre in the 1920s, such as Helen Kane who sold a lot of records for Victor. 

Was James Durbin the Tourette Syndrome guy who sang last, last night? I was done with sob stories by the time they got around to him, but he does have quite the voice and range. Not my personal favorite but he will bring something unique to the show. 

The one who I think was really praised beyond all reason was the girl from Colombia who sang Summertime. Yes she is gorgeous, confident, and musically secure. But she mangled the simple beauty of the songl, ruining line after line with her relentless impositions. I don't question her musical ability but I do question her taste. There's a fine line between 'making a song your own,' and ruining a song by turning it into an exercise in self-promotion (more about the singer than about the song). Put more simply, this was one of those performances which might have been described in the past as "self-indulgent." Still, it will be interesting to see what else she can do. 

The contestant who I thought was unfairly destroyed beyond reason was the first guy with long hair who had the exchange with S. Tyler. 
I mean, c-mon, was he really as bad as Steven made him out to be? Not to my ears. For some reason Steven comes down very hard on contestants in his style/genre. He did the same thing to that other girl with the tattoos, saying she was "pitchy" and dismissing her like she had nothing at all to offer. The guy last night was a little off in places, but some of that was because he was putting a different spin on the song. And some of it nerves, which is to be expected in such auditions. Personally I thought he sounded spontaneous and brought something unique. I was very surprised to hear Steven rip him up after he sang. Both tattoo girl and long-haired guy were many times better than a lot of other lesser performers that Tyler ooh'd and ah'd over. 

All in all a good show except for the relentless, sob stories which are self-parody by now for the show.


----------



## Henry

The sob stories will continue, I fear. It's part of the package.

I really haven't chosen a favorite. This season I'm going to wait until the top (_n_) contestants are picked.

Although the auditions are glorifying some of the singers, AI has a history of not showing you the most promising contestants. This leads to one watching the Hollywood episodes without a fully-loaded magazine, and as usual, a surprise when they end.

For us viewers, the real pay-off is the certainty that at the end of these episodes we will have our complement for the rest of the series without the revolving door of faces.

I don't like the city-to-city coverage - never have. As usual a whole bunch of bad singers are sent through with us knowing full well that they will not survive the auditions. To me, that fills a young man or woman with a false sense of success, and guarantees some teary departures. That shouldn't happen, but we all know it's part of the process.


----------



## peak_reception

Henry said:


> The sob stories will continue, I fear. It's part of the package.


 Last night seemed to be especially heavy on them though, it seemed to me.



> I really haven't chosen a favorite. This season I'm going to wait until the top (_n_) contestants are picked.


 I wouldn't say I have "favorites" yet either, just some who have made a positive first impression on me to the point where I remember them and look forward to hearing more.



> Although the auditions are glorifying some of the singers, AI has a history of not showing you the most promising contestants. This leads to one watching the Hollywood episodes without a fully-loaded magazine, and as usual, a surprise when they end.


 After last year I think they're showing us all they've got in order to maintain interest. I would be very surprised, though pleasantly so, if there was a potential star who they've not shown at all so far. This year they needed to prove that they have talent. So far so good 



> I don't like the city-to-city coverage - never have. As usual a whole bunch of bad singers are sent through with us knowing full well that they will not survive the auditions. To me, that fills a young man or woman with a false sense of success, and guarantees some teary departures. That shouldn't happen, but we all know it's part of the process.


 And success.


----------



## spartanstew

Henry said:


> The sob stories will continue, I fear. It's part of the package.


God, make it stop.

I just want to see people sing. I don't care if they were raped repeatedly when they were younger, or that they grew up in a cave with hyenas, or they're a crack baby. I just don't care.

Can they sing or not?

And how can anyone have a favorite yet? Of the couple of hundred in Hollywood, I haven't even seen probably 25% of them.

There's a good chance that the best singer (and possibly my favorite) hasn't even received any airtime yet.


----------



## peak_reception

Here's the voice of Helen Kane from the 1920s:






Also, what happened to this guy?


----------



## Maruuk

It was pretty shocking that they axed the cute Hispanic guy from the Bronx who had a great voice yet KEPT the crazy fat Black chick who kept mugging and freaking out like a lunatic, and who had a mediocre voice at best. Doesn't say much for the judge's abilities. Does say a lot about the producer's priorities: "We need more crazy people acting out!"

And for whatever reason, they seem to be axing all the really cute girls. The leftovers are real skanky. Don't see one that either looks like an Idol or could keep me hanging in towards the finals. It's looking like a bad year for straight male viewers.

Tyler has surprised me with his low-key demeanor, he's fairly tolerable. There just isn't any chemistry between JLO and Dog. They fall kinda flat every week.

Getting to Hollywood early is great, but get a band behind em, fer cripes sake. This a capella thing gets old quick.

Next week's Glee stuff is always interesting, but kind of unfair. Many of these singers are not about chorus singing or choir, yet suddenly they have to arrange a whole vocal arrangement with harmonies and all. That is mega-tough for solo singers, very unfair to them. Harmonies is a whole other skill set. And dancing certainly is as well. How many Country stars, or Alt-Rockers have to DANCE on stage?


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Unfortunately (for me )...this has been a staple viewing program in this household. Its gonna be on here with or without my interest, if you catch my drift.

The few bits and pieces I've seen passing through the family room when its on has actually made me laugh at times, and also surprised at how Mr. Tyler and Ms. Lopez have carried themselves on the show. Never expected either to do the job they seem to be doing...better.

Every year the clowns come out for the early weeks of the program, and I hear plenty of laughing in the other room where it's being viewed. Nothing really new there. I suspect once they narrow things tot he top 24...folks will have a good idea on how the show will really go this year.


----------



## peak_reception

> "We need more crazy people acting out!"


 Yes, that's definitely a big part of the formula. Notice that they let meltdown girl through for the group sing, but didn't show her audition.



> Getting to Hollywood early is great, but get a band behind em, fer cripes sake. This a capella thing gets old quick.


 Having someone sing alone is the only way to evaluate what they've got. Anyone can hide behind a band.



> Next week's Glee stuff is always interesting, but kind of unfair. Many of these singers are not about chorus singing or choir, yet suddenly they have to arrange a whole vocal arrangement with harmonies and all. That is mega-tough for solo singers, very unfair to them. Harmonies is a whole other skill set. And dancing certainly is as well. How many Country stars, or Alt-Rockers have to DANCE on stage?


The group songs are always entertaining. Are they unfair? Oh, probably, but the judges already know who they want to keep and who they want to dump, so I doubt that it makes much difference what the groups do except give the judges a good excuse to keep this one or discard that one.

As for the dancing, I don't think they're judged on that. It's just something extra the group can do if they want to. If one group does an awesome dance but sing like junk then they are not going to be preferred to another that sing great but hardly move. Good movement is like a bit of extra credit but in no way a major factor. Heck, that Disney-like young Victoria Huggins girl danced all across the stage while singing her audition and it didn't get her anywhere with the judges. [I think they were afraid if they were to let her through then America would vote her right into the top 5 and they couldn't let that happen].

I would like to hear a duet between the girl with the squeaky high folk-style voice and the young country guy with the ultra-low voice. :lol:


----------



## BattleScott

Maruuk said:


> Hey what are folks' thoughts about wheeling a severely handicapped girl out for ratings? I can see both sides frankly: It's wonderful that challenged folks aren't hidden away and they can be part of life and receive love and affection like anybody else. Yes, it's extremely heartwarming. It was great she got to have that experience. And unquestionably her husband is an amazing guy for not pulling a Gingrich. All of that is true.
> 
> But on the other hand, I have friends who are furious about the exploitation angle--Fox is selling pimple cream and penis pills and Ford Fiestas off the direct emotional exploitation of this unfortunate individual. It's manipulative paraplegic porno and entirely inappropriate.
> 
> I can see both sides. You guys?


If there is anyone who should be chastised for exploitation, it should be the family. If they did not want her situation to be put in the limelight, they should not have taken her there and told the producers about the "story". I thought Steven Tyler's lean and whipser was a very genuine personal reaction to the situation that he intended to be between the two of them only. If anything, I thought the production of the scene was far less exploitative than the family using her in the first place.

But all of that is assuming that she was taken against her will or without knowing, which I highly doubt. She seemed very aware of what was happening and I am sure she was a willing participant and was likely very happy to be able to help support him in any way she could.


----------



## Henry

Based on last night's episode, there's plenty of young talent for this season. I'm looking forward to it.


----------



## Doug Brott

I'm certainly looking forward to next week .. It was kinda at this point last year that the season really started to fall off the rails. I'm getting the feeling that that won't happen this time around. Even though a lot of the folks are really young, they seem to have a much wider variety of sounds this time around from deep-voice-guy to Jaycee (baby face) Badeaux.

Plus, there's a girl not far from here that's still in the competition ..


----------



## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> I'm certainly looking forward to next week .. It was kinda at this point last year that the season really started to fall off the rails. I'm getting the feeling that that won't happen this time around. Even though a lot of the folks are really young, they seem to have a much wider variety of sounds this time around from deep-voice-guy to Jaycee (baby face) Badeaux.
> 
> Plus, there's a girl not far from here that's still in the competition ..


We had a young girl from Denver that made it to Hollywood, but got canned in yesterday's episode. And so it goes. Lots of promising talent left to insure a good season ... I hope.


----------



## Bradcny

Is it just me, or does bespeckled Idol contestant Clint Jun Gamboa look like those old WWII caricatures of Tojo?


----------



## spartanstew

Looks more like your avatar.


----------



## Bradcny

"spartanstew" said:


> Looks more like your avatar.


Only if my Avatar had hair.


----------



## Maruuk

The moustache kinda blows it for me. But if we made him shave it off as war reparations and he was say 20 years younger, I can see the connection.

I'd say the vocals both male and female are stronger and deeper this year than last, especially that new Black Bald Guy, he's off the hook! But for me, no hotties of the female persuasion to speak of. They're not all skanks, just a ton of...blahs. Not one really gorgeous girl with talent. Always disappointed when the crop comes in babeless. One average-looking (or much worse) girl with an ok voice after another. ZZzzz.

Can _anybody_ beat BBG? Not so far.


----------



## peak_reception

Sounds like there is a lot of good talent this year. I'm encouraged and looking forward to hearing more from them in extended clips, not just kibbles and bits. Beatles Week showdown should really separate the wheat from the chaff. 

Am I the only one who thinks it's rather cruel to keep letting Ashley the emotional basket case through, round after round, even after it's pretty clear to anyone with ears that she is not up to par. I understand that she makes for good TV but she's not emotionally stable and her already fragile state will only deteriorate more the longer she's strung along as if she has a reason for still being there. Other than for 'good' TV. I don't mind when they screw around with the fat-heads or mean ones, but this girl is not far from a nervous breakdown and they're stoking the fire for it. And as if that wasn't enough, she's also taking spots away from much more talented singers like the Chelsea girl from Nashville who could really sing. 

They shouldn't keep putting Jaycee (or however it's spelled) Badeaux through either. Yeah he's a cute kid, and has a nice voice, but come on, that's ALL. There's no artistry there whatsoever. Give him another 5 or 6 years, then we'll see. He's no 
Justin Bieber, that's for sure. Not even close. 

I agree that the "black, bald, guy" (Jacob i think) was pretty amazing for what he did. But I also suspect that he is so entrenched in that gospel sound world that he won't fare well at all in other genres. Man did he give 1000% though, and went stratospheric with some of those riffs. He's definitely got the chops. Versatility though? We'll see. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my favorite part of the whole show on Wednesday night when bearded dude came out with a double string bass. Great Stuff, I loved it! The guy is so unique, so Un-American Idol, I'm liking him more and more every time I see/hear him. Not only talented, but creative and completely unique. Yeah, I'm really liking that guy. 

They're really putting together an interesting group this year. Even the ones I don't personally care for (not my style) I have to admit they can sing (with a few exceptions). 

Definitely shaping up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than last year's field. 

Bring on the Beatles!


----------



## peak_reception

American Idol is back! Great show last night, made two hours go by like ten minutes (with the help of the 30 second commercial skip function of course). 

All it took was talent, which showed up in abundance on Beatles night. There are so many talented singers this season. I can think of about a dozen contestants this year who would've (could've, should've) won last year had they entered then. 

James Durbin sounded fantastic in his song. 

Karen Rodriguez was very strong. 

Jacob Lusk (aka "G.B.B.") was out of his element but ended his group song beautifully. 

Haley Reinhart has a unique spin on things and is always interesting. 

Naima Adedapo has such a strong and soulful quality, yet vulnerable too. A potential star. 

Lauren Turner, hadn't really seen her before last night but she really delivers the goods. Her "Let It Be" was of "Wow" quality. The muscle guy singing with her faded into the background. 

Tim Halperin and Julie Zorilla did a keyboard duet which was superb. 

Paul McDonald and Kendra Chantell (sp?) made for a very unique take on "Blackbird" and it was top drawer. Paul is kind of like a nascent Paul Simon. 

Lauren Alaina didn't have her best performance last night but she is special. 

Same with Casey Abrams, but even when he's so-so, he's good. 

Chris Medina got cut. The only surprise and disappointment of the night, but listening to his last chance performance in L.A. I can understand letting him go. It was flat (as in uninvolved). 

Aaron Sanders was the other big surprise for me. The guy can flat out sing, really good, really solid.

I look forward to hearing more from all of these singers in the weeks to come. Great Stuff! 

After last season I was ready to stop watching, but this season has already shown, at least to me, that all it takes is some great singing to bring back the fun to American Idol.


----------



## sigma1914

I'm pretty disappointed in the final 24. After seeing some great young talent, like The Minors, we're stuck with some questionable picks. Half the guys are horrible, but there's some solid girls. Here's the top 24:



Spoiler


----------



## peak_reception

Sorry to see that my attempt to start a new thread instead of continuing with the one that started out so negatively (by me), was nixed.

Sigma, I agree that the girls are *much* stronger than the guys this year. I don't mind that there are some less than sterling singers among the guys, unless they keep advancing week after week, undeservedly. The flip side of about half of them being mediocre is that about half of them are good or very good. That's six more than last year! :grin:

And the girls... There are some polished gems, and some diamonds in the rough. Not a single clunker among the Top 12 in your spoiler. A couple who are not to my personal taste, but all at least talented, and about half of whom are potential stars imo.

Beatles Week was a great show and promises more to come, imo.


----------



## peak_reception

p.s. with the guys field weaker than the girls this season, it's too bad that the kid in Milwaukee with the last name Dangerfield dropped out (wasn't eliminated). He could've made a good run, imo.


----------



## BoJackson999

Overall I was happy with the top 24. I'm glad that Lauren Alaina, James Durbin and Brent Loewenstern made the cut! I really wish that Chris Medina and Jacee would have made it too. Jacee was such a sweet kid. I'm sure he will be back next year. Are you happy with the top 24?


----------



## peak_reception

BoJackson999 said:


> Are you happy with the top 24?


 Yes 

Another thought springs to mind from Beatles night(s):

Randy Jackson gave Jacob Lusk (gospel guy) the single worst piece of advice in the history of American Idol, telling him to put the pedal to the metal and blow it out at every opportunity. That approach worked with God Bless The Child but it will result in an epic fail and early exit if he keeps going like that.

That guy who worked with the Beatles (Iovanne?) had it right when he said that "Over-singing is the worst thing you can do." If Jacob can learn to _control_ his gift then he can go places. If he follows Randy's advice then he'll just be remembered for one great gospel performance and ensuing flame-out in season 10 of American Idol.


----------



## Henry

We really enjoyed the two-parter. Lots of singing talent to hear. Too soon for us to compare their respective talents as these kids will have a lot of time to grow and wow us musically.

To all of them we say _"Break a Leg!!!"_


----------



## sigma1914

I can't figure out why none of these kids were picked, especially Deandre.


----------



## rkr0923

cause they sounded like crap would be my guess


----------



## sigma1914

rkr0923 said:


> cause they sounded like crap would be my guess


Some experts disagree.


----------



## VDP07

rkr0923 said:


> cause they sounded like crap would be my guess


Epic analysis.


----------



## Doug Brott

I think it boiled down to which 15 year-olds to keep if you want to know the truth. It seemed (to me) that the ones that made it farther were doing it on their own where this group had mommies help. I'm not saying it's bad because these kids are still young and will do great, but who do you give the nod to? The ones that stand on their own two feet or the ones still working there way out of the nest? There are only 24 spots after all.


----------



## sigma1914

This is amazing and touching...Check out Chris Medina's new video and song.
http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/02/watch-chris-medinas-what-are-words-video-premiere/


> He may not have made it into the top 24, but American Idol contestant Chris Medina's has had a new song written especially for him! Inspired by the story of Chris' fiancée, Rodney Jerkins wrote "What Are Words" and Chris has already released a video performing the new song!


----------



## Henry

That (post # 116) opens up a can of worms, _sigma_. 

The selection process can cover a host of things; everything from maturity (as _Doug_ points out), to voice range, personality, balancing the genre, and good ole marketability.

I'm pretty sure the producers we have this year would prefer another _Underwood _over another_ Hicks_. It's one way of telling us that the producer/judges shakeups were the right things to do at this stage of the series' life.

With 2/3 of the judging staff being first-year rookies, I have to believe that the likes of _Lythgoe_, _Warwick_ and _Fuller _are very much involved in the selection process at some level, albeit a quiet one.

But, so far, I find little to criticise about the present 24.


----------



## sigma1914

Henry said:


> That (post # 116) opens up a can of worms, _sigma_.
> 
> The selection process can cover a host of things; everything from maturity (as _Doug_ points out), to voice range, personality, balancing the genre, and good ole marketability.
> 
> I'm pretty sure the producers we have this year would prefer another _Underwood _over another_ Hicks_. It's one way of telling us that the producer/judges shakeups were the right things to do at this stage of the series' life.
> 
> With 2/3 of the judging staff being first-year rookies, I have to believe that the likes of _Lythgoe_, _Warwick_ and _Fuller _are very much involved in the selection process at some level, albeit a quiet one.
> 
> But, so far, I find little to criticise about the present 24.


I'll wait till after week 1 to really see who was picked. The two guys that I just don't like are Scott "Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low" Mccreery and Jordan "Sing for me, no, I'm changing groups" Dorsey. Scott has a unique county voice that just isn't American Idol-ish, IMO. Guys like him & Bucky Covington are perfect country idols and would be great for Nigel's new CMT country music show he's working on.


----------



## Henry

sigma1914 said:


> I'll wait till after week 1 to really see who was picked. The two guys that I just don't like are Scott "Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low" Mccreery and Jordan "Sing for me, no, I'm changing groups" Dorsey. Scott has a unique county voice that just isn't American Idol-ish, IMO. Guys like him & Bucky Covington are perfect country idols and would be great for Nigel's new CMT country music show he's working on.


Like I said earlier, it's too soon (for me, anyway) to start comparing singers.

Who knows, America may be ready for another Underwood ... then again, maybe not ... in which case I hope they're not in the mood for another
Sparks or DeWyze. :eek2:

All I was paying attention to was their voices. I can't find any of those selected not being deserving. They can sing, period. Any opinion to the contrary is simply subjective on my part. And that's ok, too, but just a bit premature, I think. 

All I can remember is a guy singing while playing the bass and a girl with a pretty voice to complement her pretty face, lots of 'em. No names yet, just mugs. 

We'll see how it pans out over the next few weeks.


----------



## Doug Brott

sigma1914 said:


> I'll wait till after week 1 to really see who was picked. The two guys that I just don't like are Scott "Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low" Mccreery and Jordan "Sing for me, no, I'm changing groups" Dorsey. Scott has a unique county voice that just isn't American Idol-ish, IMO. Guys like him & Bucky Covington are perfect country idols and would be great for Nigel's new CMT country music show he's working on.


If Scott Mcreery doesn't actually end up singing somewhere, he will end up on the Radio or doing voice overs.

I like the guy and am interested to see how he puts his flair on things. Jordan? Unless he does something so off the hook that there's no choice, I think he'll be out after the first round next week.


----------



## peak_reception

sigma1914 said:


> This is amazing and touching...Check out Chris Medina's new video and song.
> http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/02/watch-chris-medinas-what-are-words-video-premiere/


Thanks for posting that sigma. The song has really grown on me. It's a simple song, yes, but some of the best songs are simple songs. Chris does a nice job with it, kind of straight at first, but then really picking up steam about halfway through. One effective choice was to sing the first chorus in head voice (mostly) and then the second chorus in full voice and emotion. Chris copes pretty well with all the high lines which are challenging for most guys who aren't natural tenors.

The only turn off for me is the producer/song-writer (i assume) shown in a few of the shots hovering nearby for self-promotion. Is he cashing in on the whole thing? Probably. If Chris is cashing in too then more power to him. This is his chance, with or without a brain-damaged fiance, and he's making the most of it as he should.

He was on The Tonight Show last night and performed the same song, not quite as well as in the video but still pretty darn good considering the venue and the nerves that would be involved for most people suddenly in a giant spotlight like that. He even sat down with Jay and talked about American Idol, auditioning, his fiance and her accident, the song, etc. Quite a sit down, and then across the stage to sing his song. He's got guts, that's for sure, and seems very centered.

Idol producers (and judges) must be kicking themselves for not keeping him on the show. He might end up with the best-selling single of anyone on the show this year.


----------



## Maruuk

Agree, nixing Medina was insane. The judges have already made some terrible calls, throwing out some ace talent and keeping real losers.

On the looks issue, the AI judges have ALWAYS been super hypocritical on looks. They kind of come off like looks mean nothing, but then they throw out dozens of comments like "Well, look at you, you've got the whole package!" and "Wow, you've got the look, and the voice! You may go all the way!"

And I totally agree--to be an IDOL implies you've "got the look" as well as the voice and showmanship to sell your complete package. But looks are critical piece of the puzzle. Even though the judges have always been 100% contradictory on that issue.

Thus though I agree this years crop of females have some good voices, I don't see any "look". They all look like Wal-Mart shoppers this year, no Idol-level stunners. No Katherine MacPhees, no Siobhans, no knockouts to speak of. And it's that magic confluence of looks and voice that really makes an Idol. 

Adam Lambert, Kelly Pickler, Daughtry, Katherine MacPhee, they all have that combo happening, they have that Idol magic whether or not they win AI or not. Usually the best DON'T!

I call this year's female crop the Glee season: a bunch of semi-skanks who graduated from performing arts schools who can sing brilliant karaoke knockoffs, dance, emote and do perfect harmonies, but they all look like somebody's sister who you hope you don't get stuck on a blind date with. Where's the glamor?


----------



## sigma1914

Maruuk said:


> ...
> 
> Thus though I agree this years crop of females have some good voices, I don't see any "look". They all look like Wal-Mart shoppers this year, no Idol-level stunners. No Katherine MacPhees, no Siobhans, no knockouts to speak of. And it's that magic confluence of looks and voice that really makes an Idol.
> 
> Adam Lambert, Kelly Pickler, Daughtry, Katherine MacPhee, they all have that combo happening, they have that Idol magic whether or not they win AI or not. Usually the best DON'T!
> 
> I call this year's female crop the Glee season: a bunch of semi-skanks who graduated from performing arts schools who can sing brilliant karaoke knockoffs, dance, emote and do perfect harmonies, but they all look like somebody's sister who you hope you don't get stuck on a blind date with. Where's the glamor?


Siobhans? Seriously? Siobhan is not a knockout whatsoever. She's plain & extremely awkward. You'd be lucky to find guys who think she's hot.

As for these girl, there's a few hot ones:
Julie Zorrilla









Pia Toscano









Haley Reinhart









Kendra Chantelle


----------



## peak_reception

Yup, they look pretty good to me too, even though that's not what's important to me in this competition. The others are physically attractive too; Naima Adedapo (stunning in her blue gown on decision night), Michelle Rodriguez (stunning smile and figure), and Lauren Alaina (fresh and cute), all hotties in their own way. Even Thia Megia, Tatynisa Wilson, and Ashton Jones are not bad looking, though less talented than the others.

The only girl who is kind of average looking is Lauren Turner, and she is one heckuva good singer. I hope she goes far.

The guys are much "skankier" on average this season than the girls. Who Cares. There's another competition where looks are the most important thing; The Miss America Contest.

As for the judges being hypocritical on the issue over what makes a _complete_ American Idol (as if there really is such a thing  ), maybe they're just acknowledging that looks are still important to a lot of the people who watch and vote. I don't think the judges care one bit what a contestant looks like. I know I don't. The producers probably do b/c they have to try to rope in the largest possible audience, which includes the shallow ones who only care about looks.

For those of you still trying to match names with faces, here is the line-up since it's no longer a secret:

http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_10/


----------



## Doug Brott

Something of note for those disappointed in last season ....

ew.com


> *THE TALENT*: Despite the renovated set, new judges, and expanded voting process, the most notable change this season is the singers themselves. These guys are much better than last year's crop. Sorry, Lee DeWyze, but you wouldn't have stood a chance.


----------



## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> Something of note for those disappointed in last season ....
> 
> ew.com


I agree with that ... it's an excellent group of kids.

I also humbly opine that since season 6 the outcomes, although not rigged, were somehow manipulated. If the kid was popular and had marketability, he/she won. No proof of that, of course.  It's the only thing that could explain the sudden reign of so much mediocre talent.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Doug Brott said:


> Something of note for those disappointed in last season ....
> 
> ew.com


Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I'm still not 100% committed to trying this season, but it does set me a little bit more at ease.


----------



## chevyguy559

I was going to give this season up, since I thought Simon was the show, plus I liked Kara....but decided to give the audition episodes a shot, and now I'm hooked. The amount of talent this season is AMAZING!


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Good to hear.


----------



## Doug Brott

Yeah, and the Judges are a different vibe .. Honestly I think it's better as in the past 2-3 years the show has been more about the Judges than the contestants. I don't feel that way this year. Even Randy looks much more comfortable with Steven and Jennifer than he has recently.

The changes really do seem to have breathed more life into the show.


----------



## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> [...]The changes really do seem to have breathed more life into the show.


+1 ... Can we have a weekly thread? This season has three shows a week. I think _peak_reception_ was on the right track.


----------



## peak_reception

One of the most entertaining and trenchant commentators on American Idol, Michael Slezak, has a new gig at TV-line where I just found him today with a new short video series on some of this year's more interesting A.I. contestants.

There are four video clips and they're all worth watching, The last one is more about Melinda Doolittle and her career if you are a fan (she's his guest this week). The first three clips are laugh out loud funny (and true). 

http://www.tvline.com/2011/03/idolo...e-american-idol-season-10-top-24/#more-196124


----------



## Maruuk

I don't know, the girls above all have a fake, plasticky show-biz thing going on that turns me off. 

Which raises an interesting new issue: the movement in the girls (haven't seen this yet in the guys) towards very trained professional-level performers--good examples being those two girlfriends from that NYC school of performing arts. They are de facto professionals trained at a VERY expensive pro-performer's school.

Thus they have all those slick, trained moves down, they come off as Vegas entertainers. With all the charm and naturalness you'd expect from a headliner doing 4 shows a night. They have all the extreme exaggerated facial expressions down like trained puppets: creepy.

Idol is gradually moving towards non-amateurs, real pros with record contracts and deep experience on stage. In the past, Idol has always desperately tried to hide that some of their artists were already recording artists. Trying to fake the whole amateur thing when they were not.

To the extent there are still most of the guys relatively amateur, and some of the girls, that's a good thing. Who wants to see the frickin cast of Glee out there every week?


----------



## barryb

James Durbin: way to put Santa Cruz on the map buddy!


----------



## peak_reception

James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, and Casey Abrams, were the stars of last night. No one else even came close. I still think that Tim Halperin can do some great things but he was so underwhelming last night that I'm afraid he might not even survive the first cut.


----------



## Henry

Had to download _"I Put A Spell On You". _


----------



## sigma1914

James Durbin bothers me on so many levels. I'm sorry, but I don't buy the Asperger's diagnosis and I'm not alone. I also question his Tourettes, as well, after seeing his old interview posted on TMZ with his former glam rock band where he had no "ticks" or twitches. He also bragged of writing songs about wh*res and having s*x with them. Add in the fact that he set up a donation fund for his family...something's fishy about this guy.


----------



## peak_reception

You're not alone sigma. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But just going by the singing, he was definitely in the top three last night.


----------



## sigma1914

peak_reception said:


> You're not alone sigma. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way. But just going by the singing, he was definitely in the top three last night.


He'd be a good front man, for sure. He's like a straight version of Lambert.


----------



## BattleScott

I am enjoying this season far more than the last several. I'm watching WKRP classics on my laptop with earbuds in while my wife watches AI! I did remove them just long enough to hear mini carrot-top slaughtering "Light My Fire" and Steven Tyler applaud it. The show is dead to me now...


----------



## machavez00

I think this guy is Loewenstern's dad


----------



## VDP07

BattleScott said:


> I am enjoying this season far more than the last several. I'm watching WKRP classics on my laptop with earbuds in while my wife watches AI! I did remove them just long enough to hear *mini carrot-top slaughtering "Light My Fire"* and Steven Tyler applaud it. The show is dead to me now...


That performance was my "Car accident/Train wreck" couldn't look away moment of the season so far. And talk about socially awkward, he's painful to watch at times.


----------



## BattleScott

machavez00 said:


> I think this guy is Loewenstern's dad


Warriors - come out to Playyyyy yaaayyyy!!!!

Top 5 greatest movies of all time.


----------



## spartanstew

My top 6 from last night:

James
Casey
Jovany
Jacob
Stefano
Brett


----------



## Henry

I don't recognize them by name yet, but I'm really enjoying the season so far. I don't think I've seen this much talent or had so many choices for a favorite before ... and the girls haven't even sung yet!

Looking forward to tonight's episode and the one tomorrow.


----------



## peak_reception

Henry said:


> I don't think I've seen this much talent or had so many choices for a favorite before ... and the girls haven't even sung yet!


The girls are amazing. The strongest group in years.
Am really looking forward to hearing them tonight.


----------



## Doug Brott

For the Guys I see the following 5 moving on:

James
Casey
Jacob
Robbie
Scotty

The two I thought sounded the most polished just using last nights performance as a Judge were Scotty and James. Interestingly, the only performance that I didn't like was from Stafano. That's not to say I thought all of them were good. There were a few of the guys that did exactly what Randy was saying .. Just singing the cover while bringing nothing extra .. Jovany, Jordan, Tim

Two words that I found oddly missing from the show last night .. "Forgettable" and "A'ight"

One word I found oddly present in the show last night .. "****" .. At least Steven had the bullet to cover his mouth while talking, and, well, now I know why they pre-taped the show :lol: (while still being presented in Live format of course).


----------



## Doug Brott

Will be interesting .. how many wildcards are going to make it? 1, 2, 3, 4 .. Will it be via another show or will it just happen and extend the number of weeks to perform. They shoved 12 performances into a 90 minutes show (quite nicely I might add since they had the benefit of not being live) .. The could shove 16 performances into a 2 hour show (under the same constraints).

The "round" number that might make sense is 5 guys .. 5 girls .. 5 wildcards (guys or girls picked by Judges). Maybe I'm just rambling and the cat is already out of the bag but I don't know .. :lol:


----------



## Paul Secic

barryb said:


> James Durbin: way to put Santa Cruz on the map buddy!


I don''t watch any network nonsense.


----------



## Steve

New to this thread, so forgive me if it's already been discussed, but what a difference a year makes!

I resisted watching any _Idol _this year until they got to 12 and 12, and I was totally blown away by the quality of the singing and performing. Looks like the new judges did a fabulous job selecting talent... I heard at least 5 boys Tuesday night that were arguably better than either Lee DeWyze or Kris Allen, IMHO. And some of those girls were incredible, especially that 15 year-old.

Even thought I thought I'd hate them, I was impressed by Tyler, JeLo and what appears to be a more thoughtful Randy, though he's still an incurable name-dropper! :lol: I found them to be a very likable and thoughtful panel.

I, for one, am very happy _Idol _is "back", and apparently better than ever! Just my .02.


----------



## peak_reception

The real shame is that in response to last year's bloated roster of low-talent wannabes, the producers this year decided to chop down the numbers dramatically after the Top 24 sing once.

But this year the roster is full of talent and about 3/4 of them (5/6 of the girls) deserve more time to sing their case with the American public.

Alas, the hasty butcher's approach will commence tonight and some talented kids will become dog food before they ever really have a chance. Opening night is one tough gig and I'm sure that nerves were a factor for many of them. Imo, they deserve at least one more chance, having tasted the big stage, but Idol says no because they were burned too badly last year when this year's policy would've been perfect. A shame.

Considering the opening night jitters I thought the girls did great for the most part. And anyone who wasn't up to snuff (Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta, you know who I'm talking about) was immediately exposed as not belonging there. The other flame out -- Rachel Zevita -- at least gave us something entertaining, which in my book automatically qualifies her for another chance. A chance she probably won't get unfortunately. And if she does, then someone even more deserving won't get _her_ chance.


----------



## Steve

peak_reception said:


> The real shame is that in response to last year's bloated roster of low-talent wannabes, the producers this year decided to chop down the numbers dramatically after the Top 24 sing once.


Agree. Would be nice if the judges could save at least four, and perhaps eliminate the bottom two next week. That would get them down to 10 performers, with 10 weeks to go.

I'm hopeful the fact they didn't specify _exactly_ how many were going to be saved was to wait and see how well the singers performed on the first two nights.


----------



## peak_reception

Steve, you should've heard Beatles night.

Listen to these two duets.

1st is Bye Bye Black Bird with Paul McDonald and Kendra Chantelle:






2nd is Don't Want to Leave You Now with Julie Zorilla and Tim Halperin:






There is now a good chance that 3 or 4 of these singers could be chopped tonight.


----------



## Steve

peak_reception said:


> Steve, you should've heard Beatles night.
> 
> Listen to these two duets.
> 
> 1st is Bye Bye Black Bird with Paul McDonald and Kendra Chantelle:


Wow. Very nice. I thought they were both better in _Blackbird _than either was last night. Based solely on this week's performances, I wouldn't pick either of them to go on, to be honest.



> 2nd is Don't Want to Leave You Now with Julie Zorilla and Tim Halperin:


Ditto these two.



> There is now a good chance that 3 or 4 of these singers could be chopped tonight.


I think poor song choices may prove to be their undoing, which goes to your point. Would be nice if they had at least one more chance to choose a better song.


----------



## peak_reception

Hey Maruuk, was Haley Reinhart sexy enough for you last night?


----------



## HDJulie

peak_reception said:


> The real shame is that in response to last year's bloated roster of low-talent wannabes, the producers this year decided to chop down the numbers dramatically after the Top 24 sing once.
> 
> But this year the roster is full of talent and about 3/4 of them (5/6 of the girls) deserve more time to sing their case with the American public.
> 
> Alas, the hasty butcher's approach will commence tonight and some talented kids will become dog food before they ever really have a chance. Opening night is one tough gig and I'm sure that nerves were a factor for many of them. Imo, they deserve at least one more chance, having tasted the big stage, but Idol says no because they were burned too badly last year when this year's policy would've been perfect. A shame.
> 
> Considering the opening night jitters I thought the girls did great for the most part. And anyone who wasn't up to snuff (Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta, you know who I'm talking about) was immediately exposed as not belonging there. The other flame out -- Rachel Zevita -- at least gave us something entertaining, which in my book automatically qualifies her for another chance. A chance she probably won't get unfortunately. And if she does, then someone even more deserving won't get _her_ chance.


I agree 100%. And what really sucks is that the 12 who will go home tonight cannot ever try out for Idol again. Those who were cut before this point can come back, but no one who's made it to voting can ever come back. I hope some of these kids try out for X-Factor. I really don't understand why the haste to cut to 12 contestants. Did they have too many audition episodes?


----------



## rkr0923

Thought I heard the judges were saving 2.....so there will be 12 total. IMHO, the girls sucked bad last night, other than the last one.


----------



## Holydoc

My choices for top 10 are:

Guys:
Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Jacob Lusk, Scott McCreery, Clint Gamboa (will not make it because of group episode) so Robbie Rosen takes his place

Ladies:
Lauren Turner, Lauren Alaina, Thia Megia, Pia Toscano, no idea on last one...


----------



## Henry

I loved last night's song #12 _("I'll Stand By You")_, didn't care for 1 thru 11 -- so much for _Jimmy Lovine's_ mentoring. But even though the song selections were bad, the singing was good throughout and showed promise. IMO the guys took the week by storm although the _Toscano _girl held her own.

I absolutely loved the Blackbird duet and it's too bad that although they have to do them (duos and trios) during auditions, they are not required to do them during the rest of the competition. Something strange about that.

I agree with most of the comments stemming from the shake-up of the show. Some things seem ignored while other irregularities are bound to work against the contestants. But by the same token, we need to give them a chance to see how everything fleshes out. Who knows, we might just like what we (continue to) see.


----------



## sigma1914

Henry said:


> ...
> 
> I absolutely loved the Blackbird duet and it's too bad that although they have to do them (duos and trios) during auditions, they are not required to do them during the rest of the competition. Something strange about that.
> ...


I'd guess it's done to test their ability to harmonize and sing with others for the Idol's tour they do.


----------



## peak_reception

Here are the Top 12 girls and my take on how they did last night: 

Ta-Tynisa Wilson -- would have felt right at home with last year's crop; bad karaoke. Bye.

Naima Adedapo -- very good singing but she needs to tone down the on-stage theatrics. Too much mugging for the camera. Too much "Hey, Look At Me I'm A Diva Now!" Better to need toning down than toning up though.

Kendra Chantelle -- not too memorable. what did she sing again? I just barely remember it being passable. I'm afraid she won't get another chance.

Rachel Zevita -- definitely memorable but not in a good way. Still, she entertained, which is more than can be said for Ta Ta. 

Karen Rodriguez -- way too beauty pageant self-controlled. Some nice singing though, in both English and Spanish. Somehow it kind of worked, if a little boring, but she'll need to bring more if she wants to stay in. But uh-oh, she may not get another chance... 

Lauren Turner -- I like this plain-looking but talented singer. I didn't care for her song though. Not many people can go "angry" on their opening night and expect the people to love them. Casey Abrams may have pulled that off but he is one-of-a-kind (and it was tongue-in-cheek with him). I hope we get to hear her again because she's got a lot to offer. 

Ashthon Jones -- Sang ok but it wasn't anything special for me. Just very good karaoke. With this year's field she'll need better. May not get that chance though... 

Julie Zorrilla -- Another beauty pageant type singer with some talent, but this song, as with her performing arts school buddy, didn't do anything for me. She's nice to look at, nice to listen to, but this year that's not enough. Will she get another chance? 

Haley Reinhart -- I get the feeling that a lot of guys will like her and a lot of girls will hate her. She certainly plays the sex kitten on stage. Her performance was way over the top but for the most part her singing was quite good. Only one higher note in the middle which she didn't quite land right. She landed all her sexy moves though! Hot? Ridiculously hot? Just ridiculous? Take your pick. 

Thia Megia -- Quite a contrast to the one just described. Very smart and gusty move to open a capella and she pulled it off nicely. A breath of fresh air among some of the other 'cats in heat'.

Lauren Alaina -- I'm a fan. She is so Kelly Clarkson-like it's scary, but she is also that talented and I expect her to make it to the very end, if not win the season. Cute, fresh, real, and a very good singer. So natural on stage, and has the pipes too. I will look forward to hearing her every week. 

Pia Toscano -- I would only place her in the middle of the pack of what we heard last night. It was good but a lot of the higher notes sounded strained. She held on to them but it seemed like she wouldn't for a few of them. She is a good singer, no doubt, but not a great one imo. The great ones have such naturalness and ease about them. Pia has to work. She's a hard worker, and does well, but I just don't see her moving up to great. Hopefully she will prove me wrong. She did well enough to continue, no doubt about that.


----------



## Doug Brott

rkr0923 said:


> Thought I heard the judges were saving 2.....so there will be 12 total. IMHO, the girls sucked bad last night, other than the last one.


Unless it's been leaked somewhere on the Internet I don't think they've actually said how many wildcards there will be. I'd expect at least 2 .. an easy option is each Judge can save one person which would create a Top 13. I think if they wanted to they could go as high as a Top 15 but probably they won't go that high.


----------



## sigma1914

Doug Brott said:


> Unless it's been leaked somewhere on the Internet I don't think they've actually said how many wildcards there will be. I'd expect at least 2 .. an easy option is each Judge can save one person which would create a Top 13. I think if they wanted to they could go as high as a Top 15 but probably they won't go that high.


They've said 2 wildcards a couple times during the shows.


----------



## Steve

sigma1914 said:


> They've said 2 wildcards a couple times during the shows.


I thought Ryan was careful _not_ to say how many might be saved last night. I could be wrong, but I think they're playing it by ear.


----------



## Henry

sigma1914 said:


> I'd guess it's done to test their ability to harmonize and sing with others for the Idol's tour they do.


Yeah, that and the results-night group number. Still, duos and trios are enjoyable to the ear and test the contestant's ability to harmonize. If they use it to pass the auditions, why not in the competition?


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## Henry

Steve said:


> I thought Ryan was careful _not_ to say how many might be saved last night. I could be wrong, but I think they're playing it by ear.


Every time I heard him, he used the plural word "wildcards" without a number.


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## sigma1914

If anyone has Tuesday night's show on DVR, check the beginning...I could of swore he said 2.


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## rkr0923

Thats what I thought I heard to Sig
The X-Factor will have groups and solos


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## Henry

sigma1914 said:


> If anyone has Tuesday night's show on DVR, check the beginning...I could of swore he said 2.


I have the Tuesday Show on DVR ... I looked at the intros and ... he explains that on Thursday they will reveal the results of the Tue and Wed voting.

Five guys and 5 girls will be the finalists, to be joined by the Judges' wilcard choice_*s*_..., again, he used the plural of the word and there was no number before or after.


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## sigma1914

Thanks Henry...I must've zoned out. :lol:


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## rkr0923

Havent there always been the final 12 tho.....guess thats what I was going on


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## machavez00

update the page for results
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol_10#Semi-finals


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## sigma1914

machavez00 said:


> update the page for results
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Idol_10#Semi-finals


It's lacking wild cards.


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## machavez00

I know. I thought one girl was in for sure, then it changed to bottom 14.


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## sigma1914

machavez00 said:


> I know. I thought one girl was in for sure, then it changed to bottom 14.


Naima, Julie, Stefano deserved advancing IMO.


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## peak_reception

sigma1914 said:


> Naima, Julie, Stefano deserved advancing IMO.


Ashton certainly didn't. She was awful.

But America did a good job.

I think the judges gave themselves each a save.

Randy picked Ashton, Steven picked Naima, and Jennifer picked Stefano.

.


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## rkr0923

Don't like Ashton at all....she can't even sing and her "your gonna love me attitude" stinks
I miss Simon


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## Doug Brott

Ashton was WAY the wrong choice. America will vote her out first just watch. 

America did good. I do have to say, though. This was by far the best results show in the history of American Idol (save a finale). Whoever came up with this concept hit a home run. Sucks for those that had to go, but these are some top notch singers. Looking forward to next week already.


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## Doug Brott

sigma1914 said:


> If anyone has Tuesday night's show on DVR, check the beginning...I could of swore he said 2.


Just watched an ad from Mondays Chicago Code. It clearly states Top 12.


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## Maruuk

peak_reception said:


> Hey Maruuk, was Haley Reinhart sexy enough for you last night?
> 
> Haley's only semi-cute, she needs to lose 10 lbs. and with that huge mouth and teeth and all. Nothing special. Certainly no Katherine McPhee. Or even Siobhan-level. Doing that Barbie Doll Alicia song was pretty plastic and bloodless.
> 
> What's the spoiler limit--when can we talk about the Big Cut?


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## Steve

Doug Brott said:


> Ashton was WAY the wrong choice. America will vote her out first just watch.


For sure. She sang the whole song out of tune. I only started watching this week, so if they were basing it on the body of her work to date, she must have been awesome in Hollywood. Otherwise I'm lost as to what they saw last night that I didn't. I wish Lauren Turner (aka Bette Midler) had been given a second chance instead.

I'm very happy for Stefano and Naima. Both definitely belong there, IMHO.

And poor Robbie Rosen. He sang his heart out. I liked his cover of _"Sorry..."_ better than the original. He told its story well. Wish they had gone with 14 instead of 13, kept him around another week and just let the voters decide who should stay, because I'll bet out of the 6 who sang last night, America might have picked Stefano, Naima and Robbie. Just my. 02.


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## Stuart Sweet

Well, I've got it recorded. I'll jump in tonight and try to make it through. I was pretty bruised by last season, but I'm willing to give it a try.


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## Doug Brott

Steve said:


> For sure. She sang the whole song out of tune. I only started watching this week, so if they were basing it on the body of her work to date, she must have been awesome in Hollywood. Otherwise I'm lost as to what they saw last night that I didn't.


That's just it .. From what was shown in the previous weeks .. Robbie ALWAYS beat Ashton. He did so again last night. If you ask me, Robbie should have been taken ahead of Ashton. Heck, if you ask me, Ashton was one of the least deserving to be in the sing-off at the end.

Now, don't get me too wrong. While there may have been others that didn't make the top 24 that deserved it, Ashton did well enough to make the top 24. So she's not a slouch singer. I just think from the talent that was available, that Robbie should have gone first. And, you're right. If they had gone with a top 14 (perhaps with a double-elimination week later) and kept Robbie I wouldn't have as much of an issue with the choice that was made.

As for Lauren (Bette Midler) Turner .. Her "up your's" personality wasn't playing well on stage. Sing or not she turned off both the public and the Judges. Rachel took a hit after her performance, and I think that her being cut early will help her. I still look for her to find her way into the biz (possibly acting) but you could tell she was deflated after she (in her mind) left it all out there and then the Judges just laid into her. It carried over into the results show which (I think was many days after the performance was taped).

On the guys side, Clint dug himself a hole that he couldn't get out of. I'm sure he realizes it now, but what is done is done. Jordan .. well he made a big big mistake. Hopefully the other contestants learn from it. Brett .. The guys going to be an interesting performer in years to come. He's probably not quite ready at 15, but being on the show should open a few doors for him in the future.

Tim was a victim of what Simon would call "forgettable" more so than anyone else this week.

Well, this is a good group. Thia did a million times better than I thought she would have done and took a risk that no one else took. Gotta give her props for that and she's a local(ish) girl. Glad she made it through.


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## Steve

Doug Brott said:


> [...] Well, this is a good group. Thia did a million times better than I thought she would have done and took a risk that no one else took. Gotta give her props for that and she's a local(ish) girl. Glad she made it through.


I loved Thia's performance this week. Also this one on the _Idol _site. She's already this year's Allison Iraheta, in my mind. Probably not going to win, but certainly going to build a following, IMHO.


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## Henry

sigma1914 said:


> Thanks Henry...I must've zoned out. :lol:


Happens to the best of us. 

I guess last night's show answered our question. Two of my favorite male singers didn't make it, but the ones that really count the most did.


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## Doug Brott

Well, in the end, everyone is going to lose except for one person .. It's still a good group all-in-all.


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## peak_reception

Henry said:


> Two of my favorite male singers didn't make it...


 Which two if you don't mind me asking?


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## peak_reception

Personally I thought Kendra Chantelle sang the best of those trying to stay in the competition after being left out. It started out badly because she was singing so low that no one could hear her, but then it built and built to the finale which was something like the end of a 4th of July fireworks show where they shoot up everything left. She's the only one of the dozen or so booted off who I would actually pay money to go hear perform in (preferably) a coffee house (or better yet, a brew pub) type venue. And if Paul McDonald is performing alongside her, all the better. That girl has some artistry.


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## Maruuk

Gotta say, the only one of all these pretty good lounge singers that really stood out was Thia. She has an extraordinary voice, and projects a really nice persona. 15, RU kidding me? That's crazy good.

They promised that this year they'd get away from all this lounge and karaoke crap and force them to sing actual contemporary material. Like...WHEN? Last night's Wild Card swan song material was right out of a Barbra Streisand song book. Ridiculous. You had to be over 50 to know any of those tunes.

Having said that, that video of JLO's was truly embarrassing. Trying to be Ke$ha at 45 or whatever she is is downright worthy of an SNL Digital Short. I half expected Andy Samberg to pop out singing an Autotune Coca Coal ad in Spanish. Weak song, laughable video, dated, tired, wannabe stuff not worthy of JLO's beauty and talent.

Stop trying to be 18 JLO. Be the beautiful songstress you can be. Posing as a ghetto gangster moll at 45 is pathetic. I guess Sony dropped her for lack of sales and she's desperately clinging to some kind of pop icon status. Tunes and videos like this are simply nails in the career coffin, not doorways to reinvention.

Plenty of middle-aged female singers have viable careers. Without resorting to taking it in the Digital Shorts.


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## RACJ2

Doug Brott said:


> Ashton was WAY the wrong choice. America will vote her out first just watch...


I agree, America will vote her out. I almost feel like they were just trying to add a little more diversity in the competition. She really didn't sound very good at all.


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## peak_reception

> Having said that, that video of JLO's was truly embarrassing. Trying to be Ke$ha at 45 or whatever she is is downright worthy of an SNL Digital Short. I half expected Andy Samberg to pop out singing an Autotune Coca Coal ad in Spanish. Weak song, laughable video, dated, tired, wannabe stuff not worthy of JLO's beauty and talent.


You're right about the video. She must have been embarrassed having that shown to America (or at least should have been embarrassed). Pure Trash.

So Maruuk, what do you think of the guys? Still a fan of Jacob I assume? Who else, if any? For me, the guys had more personality (on average) this year, while the girls had more actual singing talent (on average). I'll take the singing, even if a lot of it is "lounge" fare as you say. But three of the guys have personality _and_ pipes.


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## Maruuk

Good to remember the judges aren't hearing those voices nearly as cleanly and succinctly as we are at home. They get all the echo of the hall and the crowd cheers and who knows what mix where they're sitting. Ashton's intonation was very weird. Her notes were all over the place. At one point I couldn't tell what key she was singing in! 

But it was great to lose emo carrot top boy and that Andy Samberg guy and the Bette clone horror and a whole load of mediocre folks. A good cull to be sure.


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> Which two if you don't mind me asking?


Don't mind at all, _peak_ ...

I would have liked to have seen _Clint_ and _Robbie_ in the Top 13. Also, I don't think _Karen_ should have won a spot over _Kendra._ And I hope _Scotty's _stay is a short one. _Ashton? Tsk, tsk, tsk_

But, the good news is that _Paul, Pia_, and _Jacob_ are in it.


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## peak_reception

Henry said:


> Don't mind at all, _peak_ ...
> 
> I would have liked to have seen _Clint_ and _Robbie_ in the Top 13. Also, I don't think _Karen_ should have won a spot over _Kendra._ And I hope Scotty's stay is a short one. _Ashton? Tsk, tsk, tsk_
> 
> But, the good news is that _Paul, Pia_, and _Jacob_ are in it.


Clint? Clint?? Clint, as in June Bug Gamboa, the King of Karaoke???

Sorry i asked  but I agree with the rest of what you said.


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> Clint? Clint?? Clint, as in June Bug Gamboa, the King of Karaoke???
> 
> Sorry i asked  but I agree with the rest of what you said.


:lol: Yeah, the King of Karaoki. One of the few who could keep James' high notes honest.


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## sigma1914

Henry said:


> Don't mind at all, _peak_ ...
> 
> I would have liked to have seen _Clint_ and _Robbie_ in the Top 13. Also, I don't think _Karen_ should have won a spot over _Kendra._ And I hope Scotty's stay is a short one. _Ashton? Tsk, tsk, tsk_
> 
> But, the good news is that _Paul, Pia_, and _Jacob_ are in it.


I hope Scotty is out quick, too. If him and James get booted, then I can tolerate a full show. James really drives me bananas with incessant screaming on every song, not to mention my earlier comments on him.

My early favorites never win & I'm wrong every year. :lol:


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## peak_reception

> But it was great to lose emo carrot top boy and that Andy Samberg guy and the Bette (Midler) clone horror


 I defended her as long as I could b/c she _can_ sing, but she was apparently determined for America to not like her. Oh well, so be it.

Andy Samberg? meaning Robbie?


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## peak_reception

> James really drives me bananas with incessant screaming on every song, not to mention my earlier comments on him.


 He's irritating alright, but that's all part of the fun (for awhile anyway).


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## peak_reception

> Haley's only semi-cute, she needs to lose 10 lbs. and with that huge mouth and teeth and all.


 Her mouth and teeth are only about half as big as Naima Adedapo's. Paul McDonald could perform a concert in there.:grin:


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## Henry

sigma1914 said:


> [...] My early favorites never win & I'm wrong every year. :lol:


Yep, tell me all about it...

Lacey Brown in Season 9
Lambert in season 8
Carly in season 7
Melinda in season 6
Kat McFee in season 5 ...

Always the bride's maid ... as they say.


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> He's irritating alright, but that's all part of the fun (for awhile anyway).


Agree ... it's residuals of the Lambert Effect. 

I was hoping Jun (who didn't make it) and Jacob would cancel him out. James can sing, so my issue with him is not based to talent. There's something about him that makes me feel I'm being had.


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> Her mouth and teeth are only about half as big as Naima Adedapo's. Paul McDonald could perform a concert in there.:grin:


 I think she's cute.


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## JACKIEGAGA

Pia Toscano
Hot looking and she can sing


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## Doug Brott

sigma1914 said:


> I hope Scotty is out quick, too.


I bet Scotty got the highest # of votes .. He's likely around for a while.


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## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> I bet Scotty got the highest # of votes .. He's likely around for a while.


I could say the same for Pia.


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## Maruuk

Not so much. Kind of a Barry Goldwater in drag thing. But to each his own. More power to ya!


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## machavez00

Doug Brott said:


> I bet Scotty got the highest # of votes .. He's likely around for a while.





Henry said:


> I could say the same for Pia.


TaTa and Scotty had the top Dial Idol scores.
http://www.dialidol.com/asp/predictions/predictions.asp


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## sigma1914

machavez00 said:


> TaTa and Scotty had the top Dial Idol scores.
> http://www.dialidol.com/asp/predictions/predictions.asp


Then why isn't she in the Top 13?


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## Maruuk

Dial Idol is a very indirect wild-guess process that is pretty unreliable. They just measure the busy-ness of the different 900# call-in phone lines and contrast and compare.


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## Henry

Doug Brott said:


> Just watched an ad from Mondays Chicago Code. It clearly states Top 12.


I was watching something off archive and saw the same promo. It definitely said 12. I guess something changed between the day they aired the promo and the day they televised the episode. Thirteen is better than 12, and I hope they don't resort to a double elimination.


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## Maruuk

Wasn't it SUPPOSED to be 12 but the judges called an audible and felt they needed to save 3 not 2?


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## Stuart Sweet

Well, I watched. Was I incredibly impressed? No. But I was far more impressed than last season.

Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


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## Henry

Maruuk said:


> Wasn't it SUPPOSED to be 12 but the judges called an audible and felt they needed to save 3 not 2?


It looks that way, _Maruuk._


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## peak_reception

Maruuk said:


> Wasn't it SUPPOSED to be 12 but the judges called an audible and felt they needed to save 3 not 2?


It's pretty obvious (at least to me) that the judges decided to give themselves one save each, thereby avoiding last minute infighting over who stays and who goes. Of course they pretended to 'hash it over' a bit for the cameras, but the three instead of two thing made it easy for them.


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> It's pretty obvious (at least to me) that the judges decided to give themselves one save each, thereby avoiding last minute infighting over who stays and who goes. Of course they pretended to 'hash it over' a bit for the cameras, but the three instead of two thing made it easy for them.


If they follow last year's example, we're in for a double eliminaton. Most likely soon.


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## peak_reception

Or maybe just Ashton, hopefully. 

Is there a theme or anything set for next week yet?


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## Henry

peak_reception said:


> [...] Is there a theme or anything set for next week yet?


This is all I could find...
____________________________________________________________ 
*American Idol: "Top 13 Finalists Compete" - 8/7c (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)*

*ALL-NEW / 2-HOURS*

THE TOP 13 FINALISTS PERFORM LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME ON AN ALL-NEW "AMERICAN IDOL" WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, ON FOX

The AMERICAN IDOL TOP 13 finalists perform LIVE for the first time hoping to impress the judges and the nation. After the performances, it is up to America to vote. Tune in to see who amazes the judges and who falls flat.

Host: Ryan Seacrest Judges: Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler 
In-House Mentor: Jimmy Iovine

_[Courtesy: Fox.com]_
______________________________________________________________

No theme announced ... is this a new approach?


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## VDP07

peak_reception said:


> It's pretty obvious (at least to me) that the judges decided to give themselves one save each, thereby avoiding last minute infighting over who stays and who goes. Of course they *pretended to 'hash it over' *a bit for the cameras, but the three instead of two thing made it easy for them.


Pretended to "hash it over" while conveniently using J-Lo's new music video as filler whilst said "hashing it over" took place.


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## Henry

VDP07 said:


> Pretended to "hash it over" while conveniently using J-Lo's new music video as filler whilst said "hashing it over" took place.


Conspiracy theorists, eh? :lol:

We've been told repeatedly that we were going to see the new JLo video ... they also said that multiple endings were taped and that either we (the audience) or Steve and Randy (can't actually recall) would pick the winning ending.

We saw the video, but they didn't say which ending won. Now does that sound like the day-to-day for a show like AI? No, it doesn't and I expect some form of closure on that this week.

To me, it wasn't a put-on. They were stuck on a choice and decided to add one more finalist. The pow-wow was probably to get the network's ok while the video was playing. With the clock ticking, the director most likely and hurredly decided to scrap the end-of-the-video-thingy to buy some time to consult with Fox.

The good news is that they were able to finish the show on time.


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## peak_reception

The best ending for that video is the one where no one buys it. :grin:


----------



## Henry

peak_reception said:


> The best ending for that video is the one where no one buys it. :grin:


:lol: It really wasn't that good. :lol:


----------



## Maruuk

Wait, you mean we were supposed to actually CARE whether or not the ugly old bald guy in the video wins out over the disco chorus boys at the end or not??? They're kidding, right???:nono2::nono2:

JLO in the silver body suit was pure Cher/Vegas stuff. Seriously tasteless and hideous. What, are they prepping JLO to join Cher and Gaga and Madonna and Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand in pandering to the gay clubbing community since they will support a female after she loses her looks? Very bad move in JLO's case, she has way more class and talent than to need to start that form of musical prostitution. What's next, a private performance for Momo Ghaddafi?


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## HDJulie

Who *was* the bald guy singing the song with her in the video?

The video reminded me of that Miley Cyrus "I Can't Be Tamed" video.


----------



## Steve

HDJulie said:


> Who *was* the bald guy singing the song with her in the video?


I think it was this guy, a rapper named "Pitbull".


----------



## Henry

Maruuk said:


> Wait, you mean we were supposed to actually CARE whether or not the ugly old bald guy in the video wins out over the disco chorus boys at the end or not??? They're kidding, right???:nono2::nono2:
> 
> *JLO in the silver body suit was pure Cher/Vegas stuff. Seriously tasteless and hideous. What, are they prepping JLO to join Cher and Gaga and Madonna and Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand in pandering to the gay clubbing community since they will support a female after she loses her looks? Very bad move in JLO's case, she has way more class and talent than to need to start that form of musical prostitution. What's next, a private performance for Momo Ghaddafi?*


 Have a seat ... take a deep breath ... count to ten ... nine ... eight ... seven ... six ... five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... there. Better?


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## Maruuk

Seriously, when "Pitbull" came on the screen I was pretty much convinced this was an SNL Digital Short satire of a Ke$ha video, especially when JLO came on mimicking her idiotic dance moves. Then slowly it dawns that...omg...she's actually serious...

I know Sony dropped her and maybe this was their parting shot at her. A Leonard Pinth Garnell "truly stinking video ready for the garbage can"...









"Even _we_ were better than _that_, JLO!"


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## Maruuk

Good point about the music format this week. Another week where they can "pick their own"? Some of these folks need that desperately as they're "one-trick ponies". Force them into another genre and they'll crash and burn. Idol seems very reluctant to force their little hothouse flowers into the cold multi-genre light of day this year.

Yet ironically all of the AI stars who went on to fame were all single-genre performers. What's the point of insisting that a singer cover 9 different styles? Are they going to be expected to do that as recording star Idols? Certainly not. They'll be immediately typecast into one style or another and left there for their entire career.

Versatility is a non-issue with Idols. Yet the show pretends it counts for something. Franky I for one do not want to hear Kelly Clarkson rap or hear Daughtry sing Defying Gravity from Wicked.


----------



## Holydoc

Maruuk said:


> They'll be immediately typecast into one style or another and left there for their entire career.
> 
> Versatility is a non-issue with Idols. Yet the show pretends it counts for something. Franky I for one do not want to hear Kelly Clarkson rap or hear Daughtry sing Defying Gravity from Wicked.


Not necessarily true. Many current singers have crossed the genre from rock to country to pop. A smart artist will attempt to showcase their songs where their audience is.

For instance Kelly Clarkson (since you mentioned her) is mostly Pop Rock/Pop. However she has performed the country genre several times at the CMA and has sung duets with Reba McEntire, Rascal Flats, the Wreakers, Martina McBride, and even with Jason Aldean that went to number 1 in the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Not to mention the many times she performed songs like the National Anthem.

Being versatile means being able to jump into whatever Genre that pays the rent. Heck even Kid Rock did a country song.


----------



## Maruuk

You're confusing long-revised genre boundaries with artist versatility. Country/pop IS one single genre now. After Shania and Faith basically scorched the Earth while laying down the law on that. Though many artists had been breaking down the walls long, long before that. Kelly Clarkson does one thing, and one thing only. And its name is country/pop. Same as Shania and Faith and Gretchen Wilson. It's a genre, a lifestyle, and they even have their own brand of auto racing.

TV shows have been encouraging single-genre artists to genre-bend for one-off TV appearances for a while now. But they're still single-genre artists. And of course the newest ploy is the mashup of two unalike artists on one song a la what Leno is doing in the last 5 minutes of his show every night and what they're doing on the Grammys.

It's mildly amusing, but the artists just go back to their single-genre the next morning.

Kelly Pickler doesn't _need_ a second genre. Nor does Kelly Clarkson or Daughtry or Adam Lambert. They do one thing, then they cash the check.

Versatility is for losers.


----------



## TheRatPatrol

No discussions about last night performances? Or is there another thread for that?

I liked Lauren, Casey, James, Pia and Scotty. All the others put me to sleep.


----------



## Holydoc

TheRatPatrol said:


> No discussions about last night performances? Or is there another thread for that?
> 
> I liked Lauren, Casey, James, Pia and Scotty. All the others put me to sleep.


Those are my exact same top five as well but not in that order. I would place it as Pia, Casey, Lauren, James, and Scott.

I am worried about how long Scott will survive though. With a voice like Randy Travis and the lack of creativity to change up a song, I am not sure there is much hope he will win the competition.

Casey worries me a bit because I can see him going the way of Taylor Hicks.

It is still early but I still am leaning towards Lauren. We shall see.


----------

