Any Idol fans?

[Lara]

Unfortunately, we don't get TCM We used to.

[JSPhoto]

I can't get cable OR sat here. The cable ends 1/4 mile away and the cable companie claims it costs $12,000 to run it to my house....and the neighbors won't cut their tress down so a sat will work......Oh well.

JS

[ken1953]

Well, sitting here watching it and only Elliott is left to sing. So far, I have to agree with Simon, there hasn't been a decent performance all night long. I think Paris, so far, has been the closest to a good performance. Well, Elliot is now singing and he rounds out the night with a mediocre performance, so I guess I have to say this week sucked!! Vote them all off!!! hehe
Ken

[walterick]

Yeah I was going to post and say they all pretty much sucked tonight but you beat me to it Mandisa to me is the best, voice and performer. Paris was good, Chris was good, the rest were okay. It's like, if they don't have a coach working with them every week they blow it? They must have all been reading this thread...

Lisa, Bucky, Ace, and Eliot are the next 4 to go imo.

[walterick]

I missed the results show last night. I was suprised to hear that Katherin was in the bottom 3. I always thought she was top 5.

What's Bucky still doing in there?

[walterick]

Hmm... is it just me or are the contestants getting steadily worse every week?

Here's my take on the contestants. Though I may be talking to myself at this point...

Taylor: great performer & great entertainer, poor performances the last few weeks
Mandisa: my favorite until last night, I think she has a great stage presence and the best voice in the bunch
Ace: his rendition of MJ's "Butterflies" was awesome, since then I think unless he's using his falsetto he's subpar. I also think someone reinforced his "seduction" look to the point that he has grown accustomed to using that instead of singing the song
Bucky: please get this kid off my show.
Paris: true star power, she's got what it takes. I don't like her "I've got this competition won" attitude though.
Chris: dude belongs in front of a rock band. Glad to see he could sing last night. Look for him to be in the next Pearl Jam.
Kelly: dumb dumb dumb. Dumb dumb dumb. I hear her sing well every few episodes, but she can't hold it.
Eliott: I thought he brought it up a notch last night. I'm ambivalent about his singing though.
Katharine: ah, sweet Katharine. I had to hide my expression from the gf last night. My new favorite, and the only one to improve weekly imo. She has star power. My biggest problem with her is, we already have a Kelly Clarkson!

Okay, done talking to myself

[paulnj]

ManDIESEL was voted off for wearing clothing that made her ass look bigger than it is.. and it's big!

Poor clothing choice got her, not poor song choice.

BTW... Paris does not have that I'M HERE TIL THE END attitude, she is just a young girl who loves to sing.. and boy can she.

WHY IS BUCKY THERE STILL??????? Get rid of ACE too ;)

[ken1953]

I really hate that they throw these performers into areas that they are not comfortable in. I couldn't believe the bottom 3 last night...the best "technical" singers with the best voices were all in the bottom 3.
I think the only reason Bucky made it was because it was "country" week and he did an o.k. performance. But nothing to make him "IDOL" material. Oh well...
Paris...her only problem is that as you said...she's only 16...Like many younger people, she may be getting tired of all the negatives thrown at her because she hasn't had to deal with a lot of that kind of attitude in her life, because she is so good. A few more years of people like Simon and she'll build that hard shell needed to survive in a competition like IDOL.
I liked Ryan's comment to Simon...He's not there to judge the song...he's there to judge the performance and although I frequently agree with him on many technical aspects...I think he lets his personal "judgement" interfere with his "professional duties"!
Oh well...only 2 performers did well this week, and they were the ones who should stick with country when this all over!!!
Ken

[walterick]

Mandisa can't help it if god made her booty big She was the best singer imo, and got booted because it was country week.

Paris urks me, I don't know why. I think she needs to get some years under her belt first. I think she is probably the best singer up there now. But she needs to start hitting it, like the rest of them do.

YES get rid of Bucky and then Ace! And once Elliott goes I think you have a competition full of stars!

[walterick]

Ken our jaws hit the floor when they announced which group was the bottom three. We thought that Paris's group was sure-fire safe. Like you said, they had the best technical singers. I guess the producers did a good job of raising the drama

I agree about Bucky. If it had been Queen week this week he'd be toast. I secretly wanted to see him get booted off during Country week Man, I'm mean!

[Stillsky]

Hmm, personally I find it hard to believe that out of hundreds of thousands of entrants for Idol, the contestants they picked are the best? There has to be better singers.

There is so much more talent, but American Idol isn't really about talent, it's about money and marketing. Not only that, but Paula Abdul is one of the people that decides who's in. Based on her career, I wouldn't consider her one of the top candidates for the position she's in on that show. The sad fact is that they have 3 people who were, at best, mediocre in their respective fields of the music business deciding this country's best talent. Most of the real talent wouldn't bother showing their face at an American Idol audition.

[paulnj]

I am not a ghetto booty hater at all, but man oh man.... that outfit must have been picked a few weeks ago by STEVEY WONDER. It made her rump look twice as big. She also had the most rediculous song that wasn't making her voice shine.

Dude... we can arm wrestle to see who's right about that young nubian princess Paris ;) She has a very good voice and (usually) entertains too.

I was also hoping Bucky hit the streets on country week, because his song BLEW. Why didn't anyone sing "The King is Gone", "Choices", "He stopped loving her today" or "Cold Hard Truth" by George Jones ;) That was a sham !!!

[Lara]

There is so much more talent, but American Idol isn't really about talent, it's about money and marketing. Not only that, but Paula Abdul is one of the people that decides who's in. Based on her career, I wouldn't consider her one of the top candidates for the position she's in on that show. The sad fact is that they have 3 people who were, at best, mediocre in their respective fields of the music business deciding this country's best talent. Most of the real talent wouldn't bother showing their face at an American Idol audition.

I think you hit the nail right on the head on both the money and marketing.
The judges are useless. For all they are worth, they should just record their two opinions and have them played back. They needn't show up for the shows.

[walterick]

Dude... we can arm wrestle to see who's right about that young nubian princess Paris ;) She has a very good voice and (usually) entertains too.

Dude, you're so on Bring it to Phoenix boy!

I agree about Mandisa's outfits. She wore black in the first several shows and it helped deemphasize that bootay. But I still think she's a great singer and a beautiful lady who didn't deserve to be kicked off last night

Paris is a great singer and performer, I'm not arguing that with you. She's just a bit young

[walterick]

The judges have value. They were chosen to 1) bring sensationalism to the show, 2) bring professional opinions to the show. I think they accomplish both One thing they do NOT do is decide who goes and stays though. They can certainly influence people's votes, but it's the voters out there who pick the winners. If the judges had their way, I doubt that you'd be looking at the lineup you're looking at now.

It really is a brilliant concept, if you think about it. Have America vote for the person they like, then give that person a recording contract. Think they're going to sell records? You betcha

[Lara]

What about the option to vote for any given singer as many times as you want? Not fair and I don't get it.

The problem with the judges opinions is, they always say the same dern things. I don't find them helpful or professional about it. All Paula does is gush 99% of the time.

[ken1953]

"Right on dawg!!! You're in the dawg pound tonight"...I think you hit the nail on the head Lara...hehe...Simon hasn't said anything different in the past 4 seasons...at least I don't think he has!!! He's there to inflame controversy and build ratings...the man people love to hate!!! As for the other 2...they are the straight men to Simon!!! Having a background in Music Education and many years singing...I wonder sometimes where they are coming from. I'm not sure if Randy or Paula really understand sharp vs flat!!! With Randy...it seems every time some one is off pitch...to him...they are "sharp", but many times...IMHO...they've been flat...not enough support to get right on pitch...and that is usually more common than sharp, especially when nervous. Oh well...they've achieved what they wanted and that is to get ratings!!!!
Ken

[Stillsky]

The judges have value. They were chosen to 1) bring sensationalism to the show, 2) bring professional opinions to the show. I think they accomplish both One thing they do NOT do is decide who goes and stays though. They can certainly influence people's votes, but it's the voters out there who pick the winners. If the judges had their way, I doubt that you'd be looking at the lineup you're looking at now.

It really is a brilliant concept, if you think about it. Have America vote for the person they like, then give that person a recording contract. Think they're going to sell records? You betcha

I have to disagree with a few points. I'm not trying to attack you here, it's just that I'm a professional musician and feel very strongly about the quality, or lack thereof, of that show.

The reason I say that the judges decide who stays and who goes is because it's up to them to decide who makes it beyond the audition phase. So, no matter what, you'd be looking at a lineup that's only there because of the judges.

As far as professionalism...perhaps where music marketing is concerned, that would be true. Of course they're going to sell records! Consider what they're judging. If they were judging based solely on someone's musical talent, the show wouldn't be a hit at all and there'd be no money to make. That's not what they judge. They are professionals at making money through music, and the only music that makes the money is what you already listen to on the radio. During the auditions, they pick the people that have sounds similar to the already-popular singers because they know that it will make money. This is how record labels think and operate. Simon has stated plenty of times in interviews that appearance and look play a large role in how he makes his mind up in the auditions. It's trendy marketing, and trends sell huge. If you have a certain trendy look about you and half a voice, you're a shoe-in.

[walterick]

As far as professionalism...perhaps where music marketing is concerned, that would be true. Of course they're going to sell records! Consider what they're judging. If they were judging based solely on someone's musical talent, the show wouldn't be a hit at all and there'd be no money to make. That's not what they judge. They are professionals at making money through music, and the only music that makes the money is what you already listen to on the radio. During the auditions, they pick the people that have sounds similar to the already-popular singers because they know that it will make money. This is how record labels think and operate. Simon has stated plenty of times in interviews that appearance and look play a large role in how he makes his mind up in the auditions. It's trendy marketing, and trends sell huge. If you have a certain trendy look about you and half a voice, you're a shoe-in.

I don't disagree with you much here. I am not at all trying to defend the integrity of the show or that of the music industry for that matter. I see the show for what is and can enjoy it despite my distaste for the pop music machine. Don't forget however that the winner of the 2003 American Idol was a gospel singer!

American Idol is good at what it does, which is bring entertainment into homes, give a few kids a shot at stardom, and make a lot of money. And you have to admit that in that, it is brilliant!

[Stillsky]

I don't disagree with you much here. I am not at all trying to defend the integrity of the show or that of the music industry for that matter. I see the show for what is and can enjoy it despite my distaste for the pop music machine. Don't forget however that the winner of the 2003 American Idol was a gospel singer!

American Idol is good at what it does, which is bring entertainment into homes, give a few kids a shot at stardom, and make a lot of money. And you have to admit that in that, it is brilliant!

Well, I admit that it is a good source of entertainment for those that are into it. Sorry if I came off snobbish. I just get real worked up when it comes to music =P

[walterick]

No worries, that is why we have an off-topic forum! I appreciate discussion like this.

It sounds like you have a lot to say about music. If you want to make a rant about the music industry, consider starting a thread here about it. I for one would read it and I'm sure many others here would agree.

[paulnj]

Well.... who wants to see a 50 year old woman trying to belt out tunes and shake the money maker..... not me pal

Show tunes are my thing, nor is Liza ;)

[walterick]

Well.... who wants to see a 50 year old woman trying to belt out tunes and shake the money maker..... not me pal

Oh, come on, have you seen Cher recently?

Sorry, too easy

[ken1953]

Wow...where did this Kellie come from!!!!!!!! whew...awesome...I want more!!!!! YooHoo!!!!
Ken

[walterick]

Pickler? I thought she looked a little scarey last night! ;)

We voted for Chris and Taylor. No real standouts last night for us though. At least Taylor did a lap around the stage like the old days

So who's it goona be tonight Ken? I say Ace, Bucky or Elliott. Though it seems all the 13 yo girls are the ones voting so it could be Paris for all I know