American Idol 4/20-21

[crypto]

@Rachael_Rage

I don’t disagree with your final sentence, but Kris Allen (YOUR. American. Idol.) gets a bad rap here. First, no way in hell Adam would have thrown the competition, and certainly not for the reason you stated. He wanted to win. But he understood - and stated many times - that making it all the way to the finale was as good as winning, and that’s true. Adam was signed to the same label as Kris (and Allison) immediately after the season ended, so he was under the same level of obligation, more or less, as the winner. He even had to record that godawful single. OK, maybe he didn’t have to say he was going to Disneyland or whatever, but otherwise pretty much the same deal. Regardless, everyone in the top ten is under the thumb of the Idol machine until the tour is over, so if you have a problem with Idol politics, you’re certainly not going to throw yourself under the bus for second place.

I didn’t mean to imply that Adam threw the competition. On the contrary, he was excellent as always.

If I remember correctly, Adam had been in a Broadway production before being on AI. (Is this correct?) Anyway, he seemed so far ahead of everyone else, very polished, very confident… almost like AI threw a ringer in the competition. Someone from AI saw him on stage, had him come on the show, and Adam agreed to do it as long as he wasn’t saddled with whatever the winner owes the AI machine.

I wasn’t aware that finishing second was the same as finishing first in the competition regarding AI obligation. If that’s so, my theory is flushed. Maybe Chris DID get the teenage girl vote to win it.

Anyway, this year’s crop is very boring. Maybe it’s the song genres they’ve had to choose from. Whatever it is, I have fallen asleep each week. :o (that’s a yawn)

[StarvingButStrong]

@Stink Fish Pot

Whatever it is, I have fallen asleep each week. :o (that’s a yawn)

I haven’t fallen asleep, but…

While I watch TV I have a book or magazine on my lap to read through commercials. (Yes, I watch live! <gasp>) With this show, once I lose interest in a performance I go back to reading. This week I didn’t watch a single one of seven’s songs all the way through.

[well_he_s_back]

I Still think David Cook was the best male singer/performer to come out of Idol.
Not everybody likes him, sure, but everybody does NOT think Lambert is all that great. I can’t stand Lambert’s style of singing and can barely make it through one of Lambert’s songs. just my opinion and all that.

[Sam_Stone]

@Southern_Yankee

Who was the all-star band backing Mary J.? Some of them looked familiar but I couldn’t place them. Was that Travis Barker on drums? Who was playing the double-neck guitar? I thought she did a pretty good job on StH.

I never noticed that Siobhan had legs like that before. She’s only one that those silly outfits flattered.

From what I can remember:

Double-Neck Guitar: Steve Vai
Guitar: Orianthi
Drums: Travis Barker
Bass: Randy Jackson

And of course, playing with Joss Stone was the great Jeff Beck. That was my favorite performance of the night.

[salinqmind]

@well_he_s_back

I Still think David Cook was the best male singer/performer to come out of Idol.
Not everybody likes him, sure, but everybody does NOT think Lambert is all that great. I can’t stand Lambert’s style of singing and can barely make it through one of Lambert’s songs. just my opinion and all that.

Well, we can disagree on Adam Lambert.

But David Cook? Yeah, I do agree there. I remember about half way through the season he was on, and he just leapt out at me in his quiet way and stole my heart. Not in a silly “OMG he’s HAWT!” way, either. (Same with Bo Bice back when he sang acapella.)

[bobkitty]

@Batsinma_Belfry

As for any “suffering” that Crystal may or may not be doing…, maybe she misses being away from her kid and husband.

I don’t believe she’s married. I do think she misses her kid, but so did Andrew, so does Mike (has he had any real time with his brand-new baby??), so did any number of other contestants over the years who have had spouses and children. What happens when she goes on tour? What happens when she’s in the recording studio for weeks at a time?

My objection isn’t that she’s silly for being homesick. My objection is her giving up and saying ‘what’s the point?’ Seriously? If you don’t know what the point is, you don’t need to be there. Stick with performing in subway stations and clubs and supporting your kid that way, instead of- god forbid- sticking with a competition that’s already secured your place in popular culture. You don’t like the attention? WTF did you think was going to happen? This is not the first year of AI. There are dozens of stories from people who have Been There talking about the attention and how it’s difficult.

As for the fellating judges…, when Sioban sings amazingly, she too gets fellated. It’s just that she’s only been good lately and not amazing.

But even when Siobhan’s good- or decent- they don’t say so. Is it so difficult for them to say ‘that was a’ight, dawg’ when it’s actually all right? Her performance Tuesday was better than what she’s done in a couple of weeks, and she still got dissed with stuff like ‘I don’t know who you are’ and ‘Thou Shalt Not Take On Whitney and Mariah.’ It’s stupid feedback.

And if she had the creativity to ask for a didgeridoo, she probably would’ve gotten one. THAT’S the difference between Crystal and Sioban. Crystal knows what kind of singer she is because she’s been doing this for years.

I’m going to have to strongly disagree on this… the didgeridoo added nothing to the performance other than- as Randy said- a distraction. There was no point whatsoever to it; it didn’t tell us more about Crystal as an artist, didn’t show that she knows more about what kind of singer she is- do you think when she was touring on her own prior to her AI audition that she was carrying a didgeridoo player with her?

She picks songs that fit her voice and style. Sioban hasn’t figured out what kind of singer she wants to be. She’s paying too much attention to what she thinks the judges want her to do, instead of picking songs that showcase her abilities.

Again, I disagree. And if it’s true that Siobhan has been paying too much attention to what the judges want her to do, it’s because that’s a meme that’s beaten into every contestant. Look at the ongoing argument between Kara and Simon about Katie- Simon complimented her through the roof when Katie sang in the genre he thought was best for her, and Kara tore her to pieces. Vice-versa was also true. Hell, look at Kara’s dumbass comment to Siobhan week after week, mentioned above… ‘I don’t know who you are.’ Siobhan hasn’t changed her style or vocal technique significantly over the course of the competition, but all of a sudden the judges want to pigeonhole her into a neat little category. Why are we surprised when she struggles against it?

And what you refer to as Crystal ‘picking songs that fit her voice and style,’ I call lazy. If it was going to work for her, she wouldn’t need the massive AI machination to be successful. She’s been touring already, and performing since she was 10… she’s in her niche and isn’t going to leave it, so why would she put herself through the pain and misery of the competition- so awful that she was fairly serious about leaving?

Crystal will win, and that gets a big old ‘meh’ from me- I don’t really care, since as has been pointed out time and again, the winners aren’t the only ones who can be successful. I just really get het up at people who intentionally put themselves into situations that are designed to significantly improve their lives, then whine and threaten to quit when it’s not all they dreamed it would be. Especially when it’s really been a cakewalk for them,

[infinitii]

@well_he_s_back

I Still think David Cook was the best male singer/performer to come out of Idol.
Not everybody likes him, sure, but everybody does NOT think Lambert is all that great. I can’t stand Lambert’s style of singing and can barely make it through one of Lambert’s songs. just my opinion and all that.

Anybody remember Constantine Maroulis? He was my favourite male vocalist from American Idol.

[OpalCat]

@Stink Fish Pot

If I remember correctly, Adam had been in a Broadway production before being on AI. (Is this correct?)

I think he’d been in touring productions but not actually on Broadway.

[Hal_Briston]

@Stink Fish Pot

If I remember correctly, Adam had been in a Broadway production before being on AI. (Is this correct?)

Not exactly – he was a member of the Broadway touring company for Wicked, but he’s never actually performed on Broadway.

Edit: Wow, I was afk for a while before posting that, wasn’t I?

[BigBertha]

@infinitii

Anybody remember Constantine Maroulis? He was my favourite male vocalist from American Idol.

Yes, I am embarrassed to admit i had a crush on him and why i went to the idol Tour that year.

[Cat_Whisperer]

@Sam_Stone

<snip>
And of course, playing with Joss Stone was the great Jeff Beck. That was my favorite performance of the night.

Mine, too. I said to Jim, “I don’t know who that is singing with Jeff Beck. I’m pretty sure it isn’t Joss Stone,” who we had just seen performing on Craig Ferguson. :smack:

Mary J. Blige and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Allstars doing “Stairway to Heaven” was alright, but she doesn’t have the voice for that, either. She hit more of the notes than Alicia Keys, though, for what that’s worth.

[PunditLisa]

AI didn’t record this week, so I watched a few on the AI website. I tell ya, that’s the way to watch the show. It’s incredible the amount of filler they can create in one hour, all the while limiting the actual singing to 2.5 minutes.

[Nzinga_Seated]

@Brynda

Could they have put her in a more unflattering outfit, though? Nothing against big girls, but her butt and thighs looked like they belonged on a totally separate body, like perhaps a parade balloon.

It’s possible she chose that outfit because it *played up *her butt and thighs. I swear to you on a stack of bibles, there is a huge culture that she is a part of that really puts a big butt and thighs on a pedestal.

I sometimes watch Project Runway, and Michael Kors says, *“No woman in the world wants to have her butt made to look bigger!” *and it reminds me that I live in a truly parrallel universe.

I agree that she sounded god awful. Usually, I find her voice quite good, though I don’t like her music.

[Cat_Whisperer]

I actually like Alicia Keys’ music; I just prefer the studio version, where they’ve been able to clean up her completely mediocre singing.

[Hal_Briston]

@PunditLisa

AI didn’t record this week, so I watched a few on the AI website. I tell ya, that’s the way to watch the show. It’s incredible the amount of filler they can create in one hour, all the while limiting the actual singing to 2.5 minutes.

That’s why I don’t participate in the watch-along snark – I never start watching until the show is over. The Tuesday show takes about a half-hour to watch, and you can burn through a results show in 15 without missing a damn thing. I fucking love DVR.

[Cat_Whisperer]

Two words - rickey.org. Two words and a punctuation mark? Anyway, he puts up the videos of people performing about five minutes after they have performed. I do like seeing the judges’ comments, though, so I usually watch on tv.

[Sam_Stone]

@Hal_Briston

That’s why I don’t participate in the watch-along snark – I never start watching until the show is over. The Tuesday show takes about a half-hour to watch, and you can burn through a results show in 15 without missing a damn thing. I fucking love DVR.

Amen. I absolutely could not watch American Idol without it. I skip all the bio/sob story crap at the beginning of each performance and any other filler. Your numbers look about right - I get through the main show in 20-30 minutes, and the results show in about 10-15 minutes. If the performances are lousy, I do even better than that. Last week I ‘watched’ the Tuesday show in about fifteen minutes. I listened to the full performances from Crystal and Lee and Casey, and everyone else had me hitting the fast-forward button anywhere from 10-30 seconds into their performance.

[Rachael_Rage]

@Stink Fish Pot

I didn’t mean to imply that Adam threw the competition. On the contrary, he was excellent as always.

If I remember correctly, Adam had been in a Broadway production before being on AI. (Is this correct?) Anyway, he seemed so far ahead of everyone else, very polished, very confident… almost like AI threw a ringer in the competition. Someone from AI saw him on stage, had him come on the show, and Adam agreed to do it as long as he wasn’t saddled with whatever the winner owes the AI machine.

I wasn’t aware that finishing second was the same as finishing first in the competition regarding AI obligation. If that’s so, my theory is flushed. Maybe Chris DID get the teenage girl vote to win it.

Yeah, I got what you were saying, it’s just that there wouldn’t be any reason for Adam to come on the show if he didn’t feel like he needed it. Even forgetting about the record deal, second place has to endure the same grueling schedule, intense media scrutiny and endless interviews with brain-dead morning DJs as the winner, and indeed everyone in the top ten all the way through August, which means over a year solid of living in the Idol bubble: Curfiews, no talking to the press*, having to live in close quarters with Danny Gokey… Nobody would sign up for that unless they really wanted it.

Conspiracy theories about ‘ringers’ and vote-rigging come up every year (not that I’m accusing you of this, I’m off on a tangent now) but like most conspiracy theories, reality is a lot more boring. Yes, Adam got cast because he was talented and polished - he had a great audition and AI producers recognize good TV when they see it. And it is a singing competition, so it makes sense that if you’ve got a particular talent you’ve probably done something with that talent - taken vocal lessons, been in a band, cut an indie album, performed on stage, etc. So casting people with some experience in the business isn’t unusual. It doesn’t mean, by any stretch, that they’ve “made it.”

And there’s not much point in producers finding ringers for the show when it’s proven again and again that Idol voters like underdogs and watching people grow and improve over time rather than voting for the same front-runners every week. Just ask David Archuleta.

This is exactly how Kris won. Kris got better and better each week, while Adam peaked early and plateaued. A high plateau, mind you, but take a poll and most people would agree that ‘Mad World" was his most memorable performance, which was pretty early in the finals. Kris’s personality was so ego-free he was easy to overlook, so each time he delivered a creative, flawless performance it had an impact simply because this pretty boy that you couldn’t remember from last week was really freakin’ good. Adam couldn’t merely be good - he had to be mind-blowing. So Kris had two things going for him in the finale: more mass appeal (he probably picked up some of the Gokey voters) and momentum. And, yeah, probably a lot of power-texting teens.

However, I don’t know if that will be the case this year. I was sure Crystal wouldn’t win simply because of the front-runner curse…except there doesn’t seem to be any one else who is surprising or growing each week to knock her out of the confetti shower. Everyone else is either doing pretty much the same thing every week or is really uneven. Crystal may be the one who wins simply because she is always good. But I still think she only seems that good because she’s in such a weak field. She would have been a top 4 or 5 candidate - at best - in the past two seasons, but this year it’s hard to imagine anyone beating her.

ETA: *no talking to the press during the show; talking to almost nobody BUT press after the finale. Ugh.