Guess America isn’t ready for an overweight Idol who wears her religion on her sleeve and has highly questionable taste in clothes. No surprise there.
Dang. I never thought she was going to win, but I expected her to at least outlast Ace or Bucky.
Re. the judging (I had a much longer post on this, but it didn’t go through for some reason): There’s clearly a lot of bad blood here, and for whatever entertainment value it provides, that’s not good for the judges or the show. I’m telling you right now, it’s going to get very ugly sooner rather than later if nothing changes.
If they have to stay, my suggestion is to keep them quiet during the actual performances, then at the end of the show, have them talk about what they actually know about. Simon Cowell is a producer. Let’s see that angle. Who does he think is teachable? Who would be a public relations nightmare? Who’ll look good/bad on a CD cover? Who can do a 9-city tour? Who can perform live in front of 20,000 fans? Paula Abdul knows all about the pop idol lifestyle; she can give her insights on how it would affect each of the contestants. And Randy Jackson could hit the streets and get the word on who the favorites are, who’s in trouble, and who actually has a chance of selling CDs.
Remember, these people have no say whatsoever on who gets eliminated, and the vast majority of voters don’t even know what the hell things like “making the song your own” and “pitchiness” mean, much less vote along those lines. Their sole purpose, once it’s down to 24, is to entertain and (possibly) inform. So instead of having them constantly at each others throats, why not get some use out of them?
Weird idea that just occurred to me: Mandisa tearfully cries out to God, “You said you wanted me to win!” God replies, “I did. But I’m not the one who decides.” (Geez, the things this show does to a guy… )
Oh, yeah, I don’t think Cowell created the show. I think it’s Simon Fuller’s baby. (Or the other guy. Nigel … Lythgoe?) In fact, I think Cowell was threatening to leave last year.
I’m a little surprised here, too. However, I don’t think the God-stuff turned people off that much. I’m more agreeing with foolsguinea that she just didn’t deliver enough powerhouse performances the last few weeks to put her over the other favorites.
You’ve been saying this for weeks, now, and I think you’re fighting a losing battle here. I understand what you’re saying about making the judging more effective and relevant, but it won’t work dramatically.
It is a game show, but it still has to have some sort of dramatic structure. People watch the show to watch the performers, full stop. The judging, along with Ryan’s nattering and the stupid videos and whatnot, are simply time filler between performances, so it creates little valleys of dramatic tension, if you will, before the peaks of the performances when everyone gets interested. If, on the other hand, you watch 9 (or 8 or 7…) performances back-to-back, then 5 minutes of the judges delivering their verdicts, that’s a big yawn. Nobody really cares what Simon Cowell thinks, they just pretend to because it fills the time between Elliott and The Pick. Faced with 3 talking heads at the end of the show, everyone would turn off the TV after the last song and forget to watch “House.”
As for your (I think it was yours) suggestion earlier to have the judging occur after each performance as always, but backstage out of earshot, it still presents a problem. Everything they say may be useless and annoying, but there’s still something dramatic about them sitting right there, tearing down (or lifting up) the contestant in front of God and everybody. Delivering critiques off stage wouldn’t have the same oomph.
I am right with you on wishing for an end to the Ryan/Simon hatefest, and the banishment of “pitchy” henceforth and forever, but I think the best we can hope for is for someone to give Randy a thesaurus for his birthday.
Oh come one, of course we do! We want Randy and Paula to get on with it, so we can hear how Simon slams down on the person. This is why Simon is so damned rich today and has so many appearances on shows. Because we CARE what he has to say, whether we want to boo it or applaud it.
Without Cowell, American Idol just becomes Star Search.
I’m having a tough time staying interested this year. I don’t hate any of the singers. They all bore me. I still love Taylor’s voice and would probably buy an album, but I’m bored.
Queen songs? That hurts me. I dread.
Ace: Killer Queen
Chris: Innuendo
Elliott: Urk.
Paris: Under Pressure
Katherine: Somebody to Love
Bucky: You’re My Best Friend
Kellie: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Taylor: I Want to Break Free
Just caught the show. Man, what is going on here? Elliott in the bottom three was no surprise, but Paris? Man, I really hope this is a thought-she-was-safe deal (and if that was the case, everyone definitely should know better now).
As for Mandisa, I think it was all the little things. One so-so performance. Too limited ability. The whole “diva” mystique. General credibility problems, epecially with that shoe stunt. Her, ah, bulk, which almost certainly turned off some voters, along with questionable fashion choices. (Wynona Judd isn’t that fat, and her success wasn’t dependent on votes.) And of course that religious fervor we recently learned about. Any one of these probably wouldn’t have knocked her out, but together, it was just too much to overcome.
Next week looks like a total wild card. I won’t even think of venturing comments until it’s underway.
vaderspal - Sorry if I was getting repetitive. I try to avoid this, but it can be tough. Seriously, the only reason I care at all is because I have to watch, otherwise I can’t comment. (Is there a term for this? I’d think there is one.) I think I’ll just tape it from now on.
I don’t have a cite or anything (This is an American Idol thread in Cafe Society. I don’t need one. ), but I heard once that Simon, Randy, and Ryan are actually friends and hang out together after the show. The booing of Simon by Randy and the banter between Ryan and Simon is just an act. Paula is the one who’s the outcast of the group, apparently because she’s a drunken idiot both on and off the show. I have no idea if that’s true or not, but I heard it somewhere.
I love Queen but I fear next week could be another Stevie Wonder style train wreck. This group just doesn’t seem to have the talent or the chops to handle really challenging vocals. Freddie Mercury can be hella tough to sing. He was really, really rangy and a power-singer to boot. He wrote outstanding melodies but they’re not easy to sing. I think (like with Srevie Wonder) this lot will have their hands full just trying to carry the tunes. will probably not be able to put a lot of interpretive stamp on the songs and will never sound as good as Freddie Mercury anyway so it’ll just seem kind of sucky.
Having said that, I agree it would have been a kick to hear Mandisa sing “Fat Bottom Girls.”
I hope nobody does “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” That song is played on this show. I wonder if Chris will do the Metallica version of “Stone Cold Crazy.” Actually, that might be a pretty good song for Taylor. Chris should do “Another One Bites the Dust.”
I guess Pickles wll have to leave her box next week. She should do “Tie Your Mother Down”
Paris should do “Don’t Try Suicide.”
Bucky should do the Highlander theme.
Ace should do “I Want to Break Free”…like Freddie Mercury…in a dress.
Kat should do “Killer Queen.” I think she has the chops for it.
Elliot should do something croony like “Sail Away Sweet Sister.”
Virtually every bit of “Banter” is scripted, at least at a contingency level. I’m just floored that people take the show’s dialogue as proof Seacrest and Cowell hate each other. They probably share a case of beer after the show while counting their money.
I think that during the initial auditions this year we got a little taste of what the judges are actually like behind the scenes. I believe this is the first time they kept rolling tape after the contestants left the room and there was a few times we’d see the usual schtick of Simon telling someone they sucked while Paula and Randy would act put out by his “rudeness.” Then when the auditioner left the room, we’d see Randy and Paul laughing and making snarky remarks of their own.
I don’t think Simon is putting on an act. I think he really is as cynical and misanthropic as he appears. I think it’s (to some degree) Randy and (to a huge degree) Paula who are putting on the act. The producers probably don’t want the judging to seem too cruel, so thy encourage the judges to to a “good cop/bad cop” thing with Simon. I also think the back and forth between Seacrest and simon is probably more of the same. Seacrest’s job is to “stand up for” the contestants when Simon eviscerates them, but I doubt he sincerely cares that much. There are times when you can tell that even Seacrest is tired of a contestant’s act. I think he’s getting there with Pickler. I bet if you could evesdrop on Ryan and Simon after they’ve had a couple of drinks in a bar you’d hear Seacrest cracking on the contestants worse than Simon.
How many times did I tell that Mandisa to stop wearing jeans? Count me as one of the dissapointed as per her not being there to sing Fat Bottomed Girls.
I wonder how Queen is gonna work out. On the clip it seems as if they are all rocking out quite nicely. My wishlist:
Ace: Radio Ga Ga (Cuz that’s exactly what he has to offer)
Bucky: Don’t Stop Me Now (Cuz that’s what he’s gotta be thinking after not making the bottom 3 this week)
Elliot: Somebody To Love (Cuz I love his voice and want to hear him sing this song)
Chris: We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions (Cuz I think he’d get the whole audience on their feet with it.)
Taylor: Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Cuz he’d rock it out.)
Katharine: Seven Seas of Rhye (Cuz I don’t like her and I want her to suck.)
Paris: Under Pressure (Cuz it’ll be a hoot seeing her dress like Vanilla Ice.)
The Pickler: FLASH Aaaaaa (Cuz I don’t like her either and want her to suck.)
)
), but I heard once that Simon, Randy, and Ryan are actually friends and hang out together after the show. The booing of Simon by Randy and the banter between Ryan and Simon is just an act. Paula is the one who’s the outcast of the group, apparently because she’s a drunken idiot both on and off the show. I have no idea if that’s true or not, but I heard it somewhere.