# American Idol 1/27-29 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256 "2009-01-27T18:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/21 "2009-01-28T07:06:17Z")
I think the audition aspect of the show loses its appeal a little more after each season. We know that the auditions are heavily dramatized. Really, how many deluded singers can we see and buy the fact that they’re all clueless? Especially when they walk in singing a Whitney, Mariah, or (God forbid!) Minnie Riperton song. The guitar guy revealed himself to be a complete asshole. Telling your mom “don’t touch me!” after you bombed the audition when she came out there to support you? Not the most sensitive move, dick. I agree that the “get a persona” girl storyline was weak. We knew she was good enough to get to Hollywood, and it was dumb to make it look as if she was a borderline case. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/22 "2009-01-28T09:17:11Z")
Ryan Seacrest, who I’ve always liked, went up another notch in my book when he dressed down whiny guitar guy on camera. “That’s your mother. You don’t treat her like that.” It struck me as very honest and spontaneous. Good on him. “Second Chance Girl” was the standout of the evening. I’ve already forgotten the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/23 "2009-01-28T13:26:20Z")
“Loving You” girl cracked me up: “But I hit the note good that time!” I wish they’d made the “Imagine” guy sing it again, but straightforwardly. But then I wonder if he’d have been able to… If I were a judge, and had to listen to talented people sliming melisma all over everything, I’d ask them to sing Happy Birthday _as written_ before I’d let them through. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/24 "2009-01-28T13:42:35Z")
Yeah, Cara can go now. She adds nothing to the show. She’s a total bitch famous for writing top-40 tripe. Dare I say it, but I like Paula better. As far as the show last night, they really concentrated again on the bad auditions. I don’t get at the end of the show we see tons of people with golden tickets that we only see 2 or 3, but we see 5-8 morons. I do like Seacrest and the scene that Sam Stone mentioned above, but as far as this year goes, I don’t have anyone I’ll be looking for in the Hollywood round. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/25 "2009-01-28T13:57:52Z")
I think they sent the Second Chance girl out because it’s (relatively) easy to imitate someone and sound pretty good (as she was doing with Cara), but when you’re asked to be “yourself” it can reveal a lot of vocal issues. They did that last year with the girl they sent out to learn a Dolly Parton song- she clearly had a decent voice, but everything she sang sounded _exactly_ like the artist who performed the original song. When she only had a few hours to learn something, she sounded more like “herself” (which wasn’t so bad either). When I did HS/College/Community theater, I was famous for this- my own singing voice is okay-ish, but give me a fairly well-known role, and I can typically knock it out of the park (ended up getting the role of the Phantom that way- the guy they’d chosen wasn’t doing well _at all_ and I finally lost it and demonstrated what it _should_ sound like; the director thought it was amusing and ended up doing an all-female PotO show, which certainly makes the dynamics somewhat odd). I think this is part of what gets a lot of folks cut during Hollywood week- they’re great in the audition because it’s something they’ve practiced endlessly and is in their comfort zone, but it takes a LOT of talent to work outside that. Seconding the kudos to Ryan for slapping down Guitar Boy. Nearly makes up for trying to high-five Blind Guy. 😃 So far the only one I’ll be rooting for is Stevie. Maybe the girl who Cara recognized- the one who went to Hollywood at 16 and realized what a horrible place it is for a kid- as well. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/26 "2009-01-28T13:58:40Z")
I really didn’t like anybody much. Least of all Imagine Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/27 "2009-01-28T14:31:12Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > “Loving You” girl cracked me up: “But I hit the note good that time!” That always reminds me of the scene in “Family Ties” where Meredith BB’s character goes into labour while singing on the fundraiser, and she screams in pain just as she’s trying to sing a note she couldn’t get before; the stage hand tells her - “You really nailed it that time!” 😃 > [@](#): > > I wish they’d made the “Imagine” guy sing it again, but straightforwardly. But then I wonder if he’d have been able to… If I were a judge, and had to listen to talented people sliming melisma all over everything, I’d ask them to sing Happy Birthday _as written_ before I’d let them through. Happy Birthday is hard! When my family gets together and sings it, it sounds like a pack of dogs howling along. So yeah, good plan. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/28 "2009-01-28T16:16:38Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Happy Birthday is hard! When my family gets together and sings it, it sounds like a pack of dogs howling along. So yeah, good plan. You mean not everybody’s family breaks into 4-part harmony when singing it? Then again, it’s not like it’s news that my family is filled with a bunch of freaks… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/29 "2009-01-28T19:33:29Z")
Well, my family breaks into four (or more) part _something_, but harmony isn’t the word for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/30 "2009-01-28T21:52:59Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Yes, I get that. It seemed glaringly obvious to me. What I don’t get is why they made her come back. I’d say her first appearance clearly showed her to be in the 99th percentile, and should have won her a golden ticket then and there. What did she need a “second chance” for? I think they knew she could give a great audition and wanted to see if they could draw out an ASTOUNDING audition (not sure it reached that level). The most memorable grade I ever got on a paper in college read “A+ excellent” and under that “You can do better !” \*. I got the feeling that they wanted her to do her best and not just be good enough to go to Hollywood. Just the vibe I got. \*True, he didn’t make me do it over. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/31 "2009-01-29T01:07:38Z")
I would totally go Mormon for the Osmond guy. He’s purrrrrrrty. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/32 "2009-01-29T01:10:18Z")
Osmond is purty. Reminds me a bit of Anders from BSG. He should NOT be on this show, though. Can’t his ginormous rich family get him a record deal? ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/33 "2009-01-29T01:16:23Z")
Osmond boy was so generic. Boring. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/34 "2009-01-29T01:16:53Z")
Drain Bead: One would think so, unless they want all their billions of relatives to “make it on their own.” I think he deserves a chance more than the already-failed-record-deal girl they put through (even though I like her), or Michael/Carly from last year. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/35 "2009-01-29T01:21:49Z")
They’ve let worse through than the furry guy. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/36 "2009-01-29T01:24:02Z")
What happened to bunny guy? Our electric went out for a few minutes. We liked him, but not the actual bunny. (Not that he’s a winner, but we want to see him one more time.) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/37 "2009-01-29T01:25:30Z")
I can’t stand anyone who talks about “sharing my voice.” ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/38 "2009-01-29T01:26:59Z")
Frankie is so annoying. It really pisses me off that I like her voice. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/39 "2009-01-29T01:27:57Z")
Frankie is a Winehouse clone–not sure if she’ll be able to do anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256/40 "2009-01-29T01:30:05Z")
Divorced girl is my favorite female so far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-1-27-29/483256.md?page=3)