# American Idol 4/25 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189 "2006-04-25T19:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/141 "2006-04-26T16:11:43Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] Is Andre bind? No really, what’s up with him? [/QUOTE] Good Lord… :smack: I apologize to all. Posting while drunk is bad, mmmmkay. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/142 "2006-04-26T16:15:23Z")
[QUOTE=ISiddiqui] Frankly I think Ruben could wipe the floor with these guys… no contest. It’s a weak field this year. [/QUOTE] I think that’s just nostalgia. I mean, let’s be perfectly honest here: 1. The Season 3 runnerup was Carmen “Yodel” Rasmussen, who in this season would have been lucky to make the Top 10. 2. Ruben Studdard has vanished for a reason. I liked him too but towards the end of Season 2 he was struggling. 3. You do remember Constantine, right? Who made the top 6 last year despite not having much in the way of actual singing talent? 4. And where’s Fantasia Barrino, anyway? 5. And when you find her, can you ask her if she knows where Justin Guarini is? Come on, is Chris Daughtry not a LOT better than Constantine? Can Katharine McPhee really be worse than Carmen? Isn’t Elliott Yamin pretty much Clay Aiken without the Manilow vibe? Ace Young was bad this year, but he still wasn’t as bad as Corey Clark. Melissa McGhee was bad, but she was way better than Mikaylah “Miqckailaah” Gordon. And we weren’t subjected to a crooner in the top 12 this year, thank Christ. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/143 "2006-04-26T16:16:05Z")
[QUOTE=Rebecca DiMwitter] Out of curiosity, for those folks who believe Paris is singing songs “too old” or “too sophisticated in meaning” for her age, what WOULD you have her sing? [/QUOTE] Well, I like her singing the standards and jazzy stuff. She really knows how to sing those and spice them up with a little personality. When she comes out there and just stands there, belting some shlock by Barbra Streisand or Bette Midler, it comes off as a little bit old lady, and lacks the personality she has when she’s doing more jazzy songs. I don’t think it’s necessarily just about the age of the music. As for being too sophisticated in meaning … well, first off, what do 17-year-olds know about love? I’m not saying I don’t think teenagers can’t be in love (I began dating my husband at 17), but when she sings a song like “Memories” smiling her little face off, it comes off as “I have no idea what this song means. I’m just singing it loudly and trying to look cute.” A song about love lost and heartbreak isn’t really appropriate for her. She’d be better off singing something about innocent love. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/144 "2006-04-26T16:16:36Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] Good Lord… :smack: I apologize to all. Posting while drunk is bad, mmmmkay. [/QUOTE] How are you feeling this morning? Heh. I thought Chris absolutely was wonderful! (Who didn’t know that? ;)) Elliot was great. I liked Kat. Not-so-good: Paris and Taylor. Sucked the root: The Pickler ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/145 "2006-04-26T16:29:31Z")
[QUOTE=Dolores Reborn] How are you feeling this morning? [/QUOTE] _size reduced due to the searing pain behind my eyes_ Now thats just cruel… I seem to remember mashing the keypad of my phone in an attempt to vote for Elliot. Then again, perhaps I was calling a VD clinic in Peru. I really have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/146 "2006-04-26T16:47:49Z")
I remain convinced that I’m watching an entirely different airing of this show than most of you guys. . . Best of the night; **Elliott** by a long mile. His voice is incredible and he’s looking better and better every week. Next best I actually thought was **Katharine**. I’ve even listened to it again, as an mp3 so as not to be distracted by the boobage and beauty, and it still sounded really good to me. She’s a bit weak in her lower register, but it wasn’t even close to the train wreck the judges bashed her for. Next best was **Paris** , who, as she was singing, I said to my husband, “She sounds an awful lot like Gladys Knight tonight,” with which he completely agreed. Interesting to learn that Gladys did, in fact, record that song, which is probably the arrangement Paris was covering and why she’s being complimented for at least not sounding like Barbra. I still wasn’t wowed by her for some reason, though. There’s something missing there that I just can’t put my finger on. I’m absolutely certain that she’ll grow into her singing voice and have a stellar career, though. **Chris** follows her for multiple reasons. First of all, his vibrato SUCKS. It makes me want to smack him across the face to make it stop. Second of all, he GLOWERED and SCREAMED at me during a love song! That Death Stare into the camera is way worse than Katharine’s bedroom eyes thing she does. And he didn’t even bother to follow the instruction he got to sing more from his diaphragm and did the whole song from his head. There’s a pretty voice in there, he simply doesn’t have any clue how to use it. **Taylor** was almost as bad as Kellie. Horrid. Out of tune, off key, awkward hand gestures. If that was him “doing his best,” it most certainly “wasn’t good enough.” Not by a longshot. And I _like_ Taylor and would probably buy his CD when he puts one out. I just pray this craptacular song ain’t on it! **Kellie**. zzzzzzzzzzz I think that has to be the single worst AI performance ever. Ever. If she’s not out tonight it’s a travesty to whichever other, clearly more talented conestant is. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/147 "2006-04-26T17:18:15Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] 1. The Season 3 runnerup was Carmen “Yodel” Rasmussen, who in this season would have been lucky to make the Top 10. [/QUOTE] In the interest of **Fighting Ignorance** , I would just like to point out that: (1) Carmen-the-Goat-Girl was from Season 2; (B) she finished 6th in that season (the actual runner-up was Clay); (iii) _Hi, Opal!_ (I never thought I’d actually _do_ that, but there you go); (d) she wasn’t actually voted into the finals, anyway – she was Simon’s personal Judge’s Choice finalist, and something for which I’ve never forgiven him. The Season 3 runner-up was Diana _“… Who?”_ DeGarmo. I agree with everything else, though. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/148 "2006-04-26T17:34:29Z")
[QUOTE=rockle] In the interest of **Fighting Ignorance** , I would just like to point out that: (1) Carmen-the-Goat-Girl was from Season 2; [/QUOTE] Of course she was; I was thinking of Diana DeGarmo, another very young blonde. Katharine’s better than Diana. And she’s better than Carmen was too. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/149 "2006-04-26T17:39:37Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] _size reduced due to the searing pain behind my eyes_ Now thats just cruel… I seem to remember mashing the keypad of my phone in an attempt to vote for Elliot. Then again, perhaps I was calling a VD clinic in Peru. I really have no idea. [/QUOTE] Were you playing the American Idol drinking game? That’s a pretty dangerous thing to do. I hated Ickler’s hair. I think she cut her own throat by choosing Unchained Melody and then kuntryfying it. Simon has said it’s his favorite song and I think he only ever complimented one person who performed it on the show, Clay Aiken. He hates to see the song butchered. I’m hoping that two crap performances in a row will be her swan song, but now I am worried that I didn’t vote enough for Paris. I also wish Paris had chosen a different song. I think she could have chosen something in her jazz/blues niche and blown the top off the joint. “Memories” is an annoying song - I had enough of it in the '70s. I was a bit surprised by the judges criticism of Kat it wasn’t that bad but I agree, don’t do Whitney unless you can do it better and even Whitney can’t do Whitney anymore. Whomever helps the contestants out with song choice needs to stop them from taking on these songs. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/7cd45c/32.png) [@\_Deep\_F\_ied](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Deep_F_ied)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/150 "2006-04-26T18:19:50Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] Were you playing the American Idol drinking game? That’s a pretty dangerous thing to do. [/QUOTE] What is that? Take a shot everytime Randy says “dawg”? Chug a beer every time Paula says something completely uncomprehensible? Actually I got off work a little early and started hitting the JD a bit too hard and by the time AI came on I was plastered enough to be argueing (good naturedly) with Lady Fried that Andrea wasn’t blind but instead being overly dramatic. Ya, ya… I know. :wally At least I had fun paying off the bet to her. ::wink wink:: ::nudge nudge:: ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/151 "2006-04-26T18:50:24Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] I think that’s just nostalgia. I mean, let’s be perfectly honest here: 1. The Season 3 runnerup was Carmen “Yodel” Rasmussen, who in this season would have been lucky to make the Top 10. 2. Ruben Studdard has vanished for a reason. I liked him too but towards the end of Season 2 he was struggling. 3. You do remember Constantine, right? Who made the top 6 last year despite not having much in the way of actual singing talent? 4. And where’s Fantasia Barrino, anyway? 5. And when you find her, can you ask her if she knows where Justin Guarini is? Come on, is Chris Daughtry not a LOT better than Constantine? Can Katharine McPhee really be worse than Carmen? Isn’t Elliott Yamin pretty much Clay Aiken without the Manilow vibe? Ace Young was bad this year, but he still wasn’t as bad as Corey Clark. Melissa McGhee was bad, but she was way better than Mikaylah “Miqckailaah” Gordon. And we weren’t subjected to a crooner in the top 12 this year, thank Christ. [/QUOTE] There may be nostalgia, but then there is going WAAAAY on the other side. Elliot pretty much Clay Aiken?! Are you nuts? Now I like Elliot and disliked Clay, but Clay could sing the pants off (no pun intended ;)) Elliot. Also, I’d have to say that Constantine was probably better than Kellie this year (though I do think she’s cute). Ruben, while limping to the finish line in Season 2, is still better than these guys. As mentioned, Carmen was Season 2 and finished 6th (and was very much a Kellie Pickler type in terms of SDMB reaction). Fantasia hasn’t released anything since winning, but you can’t say she wouldn’t do well in this field? As for Chris Daughtry, why compare him to Constantine? Unless you think he’s gone this week? He’s much more likely to be in the Top 3, so compare him to Bo Bice (who I do think was better). And I still do believe this year is a weak field because we don’t have that one performer (at least one) who just wow’s people. Kelly Clarkson, who did become an absolute star, was that person in Season 1. In S2, Ruben and Clay filled that role, but Jennifer came on to that podium late. S3 had Fantasia. S4 had Bice and Underwood. S5 has… who? In every other season but this one you had at least one performer who just made you say ‘wow’. I just don’t see it in this one. The closest ones are Katherine and Elliot, but both have personalities of a brick and haven’t yet blown me away with a performance yet. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/152 "2006-04-26T18:53:17Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > Every year, people start off saying how the talent is so much greater than any of the previous seasons, but always it comes back around to this. I’ve seen 3 or 4 episodes of this top twelve and frankly I haven’t seen one performance that I would classify as any better than mediocre. I don’t think any of this year has a snowballs chance in hell of having a career. > [@gig](#): > > I don’t know. I was thinking back to Ruben and he doesn’t seem as strong as a few of the top folks here. In all honesty, I don’t really remember a lot of the performances. I suppose I shouldn’t have said that the 5 of the top 10 in any other year could wipe the floor with these ones but people like Clay or Kelly Clarkson, you could tell, would have some sort of successful (key word) singing career. Clay might not end up being a pop star but he’ll make money on broadway or somthing like that. There is not one person who I could see making a career as a singer in any capacity on this years show (short of Chris singing in a hard rock band). ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/153 "2006-04-26T19:01:31Z")
[QUOTE=«Ðëëp¤F®ïêd»™] What is that? Take a shot everytime Randy says “dawg”? Chug a beer every time Paula says something completely uncomprehensible? [/QUOTE] Well, there is [this](http://www.yirmumah.net/taylor-hicks-the-drinking-game/)… ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/154 "2006-04-26T19:05:40Z")
:smack: In my last post, I meant to say KIMBERLY came on strong at the end in S2. I don’t know why I put Jennifer down. ---
**Author:** ![marymargaret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@marymargaret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marymargaret)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/155 "2006-04-26T19:12:28Z")
For those of you that are well-versed in music, is Elliott’s singing as good as the judges say? He sounds good to me, but to be honest I don’t have much of an ear. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/156 "2006-04-26T19:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=ISiddiqui] In my last post, I meant to say KIMBERLY came on strong at the end in S2. I don’t know why I put Jennifer down. [/QUOTE] If you mean Kimberley Locke here, I can explain it: Jennifer Hudson and Kimberley Locke were both pretty girls with actual hips and big voices. I loved them both. ---
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/157 "2006-04-26T19:57:51Z")
[QUOTE=RachelChristine] Does anyone know of any sites where you can get video clips from past seasons? I’d love to watch some of my favorite performances again and also see some of the people from before I started watching. I’m not having any luck searching for them. [/QUOTE] Try [Ricky](http://www.rickey.org/blog/) I always get the MP3’s from him, but he has video files, too. OK, I haven’t decided if I’m going to renew yet, so this may be my last post - here goes. Best to worst. Chris - I agree with the general gist here, a good job with a weak song. Still my choice to take it all. Katherine - Sorry, her performance did not deserve the trashing it received, particularly on this rather weak night. I hate the original song, but I think she sang it well, and I wasn’t even looking at the screen when she sang. Elliot - Good performance, terrible arrangement. I think, though, just based on popularity, he may be in danger tonight. Paris - I’m still not feeling the Paris love, and I hate the song. She did a workmanlike job, but I find myself yawning when she’s on the screen. Taylor - It was a great choice of songs for his voice, and he butchered it. He acted like he had never been on stage before. Not good. Kellie - I didn’t think she could have gotten worse after last week, but she did. She used to be a favorite, but it’s like she lost whatever talent she had before. Having said that, I don’t think she’s going home. She has never been in the bottom three before, and her “base” is likely to be really energized to vote after the verbal comments last night. Overall - I am surprised it is still so close after all these weeks. IIRC, in the previous years there have been one or two clear leaders by this stage in the competition. Although I would put Chris ahead, the very wide range of opinions I have read on this and other boards makes me believe he is no where near a shoe in. Did anyone catch what was being said when they forgot to turn off the judge’s microphones while the recap was being played? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/158 "2006-04-26T20:37:14Z")
Kellie’s going home. She’s been coasting on her “charisma,” or whatever you call the non singing part of her appeal, such as it is. But there’s no room for coasters at this stage of the game, and she’s just not bringing it anymore. Her not-even-trying-ness is becoming more and more apparent, the more chaff is shed. “Unchained Melody” is maybe one of my 10 or 20 favorite songs of all time, and she just made me bored. Speaking of bored, Chris needs to go home next. He long ago found one narrow little way to sing, and just is too arrogant or ignorant or something to be curious about learning more about his “instrument” and becoming a real _singer_. It’s too bad; lots of talent, but minimal musical experience, have left him complacent and boring. Go home. Taylor needs to step up. The sore-thumb schtick worked to get him this far, but he’s gotta really bring it now. More coasting here. He needs to sell every song, and he’s just not. He’s phoning it in. The final threat will be Kat, Paris, and Elliott. Kat has a HUGE potential, but she needs to work harder, now, to come in at the top. She’s coasting a bit too, and is better than she’s been. That said, the judges were high last night: she was brilliant. Paris is gonna be huge star. She’s as good, at sixteen, as Gladys Knight in her prime. She just needs some maturity in her phrasing and delivery. Elliott’s will be the first album I buy. He’s a jazz singer for the ages, ask me. He’s been listening to the stylist too, which, good. I’m not a fan of goatees, but it’s a good choice for him. It somehow disguises his deformed jaw. Sucks he can’t fix those teeth, but they’re not THAT bad. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/159 "2006-04-26T20:49:49Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Kellie’s going home. She’s been coasting on her “charisma,” or whatever you call the non singing part of her appeal, such as it is. But there’s no room for coasters at this stage of the game, and she’s just not bringing it anymore. Her not-even-trying-ness is becoming more and more apparent, the more chaff is shed. “Unchained Melody” is maybe one of my 10 or 20 favorite songs of all time, and she just made me bored. [/QUOTE] Yeah, exactly. She may have technically been OK but there was no life in her empty eyes. David Foster said it can be really boring if not done right, and clearly his addition of The Note didn’t help any. Please let her go home before Elliott and let it not be a looks thing. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189/160 "2006-04-26T20:49:58Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Elliott’s will be the first album I buy. He’s a jazz singer for the ages, ask me. He’s been listening to the stylist too, which, good. [/QUOTE] It seems to me he’s the hardest-working person (and most humble) on the show. Everyone else at this point seems to think they’re good enough on their own and don’t need the help. Elliott takes the constructive criticism and really works hard to make himself better each week. I think that’s a big part of why he’s my favorite this year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-4-25/354189.md?page=9)