It reinforces the reality that at the end of the day this is a popularity contest, not a talent contest. Not that I mind the result: I got sick of Melinda’s wide-eyed “gorsh, you mean I can sing?” schtick a while ago – though to give credit where credit is due, she did tone it down a bit when Simon told her to cut it out.
It also means Jordin wins it at a walk.
I have read other sites and talked to other people who watch and they are all rooting for Jordin. It seems to me that Jordin really is more popular. I don’t think there needs to be a fix.
Tear them, tear them! Come, brands ho! Fire-brands: to Blake Lewis’s house, to Sanjaya’s’; burn all: some to Chris Sligh’s house, and some to Abdul’s; some to Simon’s: away, go!
AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!
Look how they massacred… my Melinda…
Oh well, I’m over it.
One thing’s for sure: Melinda’s not going to be working at IHOP anytime too soon. I think she’ll outsell whoever wins.
I like Blake, but just no way in hell is he a better performer.
The problem is that Jordin and Melinda have such a similar fanbase. They’re both supertalented Mo-Town by way of Nashville by way of Broadway buxom belters. That had to have split the vote. However, I think all three will have careers, but Melinda will be by far the break-out star. (Jordin’s phenomenal though- I keep forgetting she’s 17, same age as Sanjaya.)
Actually, ever since Clay Aiken got away from them, 19 Entertainment and SonyBMG get first refusal on all Idol Contestants. And given that what few CD sales there are these days seem to go to the older crowd, I doubt Cowell is going to let Melinda get away any time soon.
Yeah. I like Simon Cowell, but his line “It’s a singing competition, not a popularity contest” is bullshit. It’s both. Melinda should be quite proud of her performance, and like Daughtry and Aiken, she may well outshine whoever wins the contest. At this point it doesn’t matter at all.
I mean, Ruben Studdard won a few years back, and Clay Aiken was runner up. Does it matter a whit? Aiken seems to have had the more successful career. I’m sure he’s pleased with how things turned out.
Jordin and Blake clearly appeal to the young crowd, but are good enough to register with older listeners. (Jordin especially.) While I don’t quite agree with Barry Gibbs’ assessment of Jordin’s talent, she has the whole package. She’s a great singer, she’s charming, she’s at ease with the public image… and she’s only seventeen! Blake has the boy band market cornered, and he’s very creative.
While I admired Melinda’s singing from a technical perspective, I felt she sang all of the songs the same way - really old school R&B. Not terribly modern sounding, and I don’t think she could pull off the other songs without making them sound like old school R&B songs. Even though people panned Jordin doing “A Woman In Love,” I thought that her voice adapted well to a Streisand-type torch song.
Stylistically Melinda always looked the same as well. Kind of a Deniece Williams/Stephanie Mills kind of quality… they can’t do “vamp” or “sexy.” Jordin doesn’t, but she could. If I was a record exec I would be excited about the possibilities of marketing Jordin. She could be the girl next door, the teen idol… then she could be sexy… then she could be the more mature Anita Baker style artist.
No reason to gnash teeth here, America. It wasn’t like Melinda won’t tour or get the visibility she needs to become huge if the American public decides that they really love her voice. She’ll be perfectly fine.
I’m glad I didn’t watch, because the neighbours would have had me tossed out for all the hollering. Stupid, stupid contest. I gave up on it when they voted Jennifer Hudson off and I’ve given up on it again. It is a popularity contest but in the end it’s immaterial because, like Clay and Chris and Jennifer and other ‘also-rans’, Melinda will have great success when Blake sinks below the horizon. Jordin will do ok, but she needs more years, more experience, and more training to be a truly great singer. I was enjoying “I Who Have Nothing” last night until she went screechy again. She just hasn’t got the chops yet.
Music is a function of sound. And nobody sounded as good as Melinda.
Blake? I said it last week: beat-boxing is a musical talent to pretty much the same extent as air guitar is a musical talent. It’s what people do in the bathroom, in front of the mirror. Knock it off, it’s embarrassing to watch/hear you.
Well, it looks like my Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are clear next week. Anybody wanna go bowling?
I’m in. Stupid show.
Disagree.
I’m sorry, is that an order?
Well, no. You’re not the boss of me.
Wait, Idol is still on? Judging by the media here in Phoenix, Jordin Sparks won weeks ago.
I am too! Now get me a sammich!
That well and truly sucks. Last night, when Melinda was singing, I was doing the fangirly pose for a woman. Which has never happened before.
But did anyone catch Ryan, at the end of the post-song blather with Elliott, roaring, “And MELINDA GOES HOME!”? Yes, I know he meant we were going to see her hometown visit, but somehow I knew it was deliberate. Then, when he asked her to step forward, I knew. And I knew more when he tallied up her votes. Crimeny. We wait all season for a Shocking!Boot! and it has to be this. Well, let her go. Let her get the last laugh, Daughtry style. I got my winner last year, and look how that turned out.
And how about Elliott, huh? I love his voice. I want to cure Mr. Rilch’s cigars with it. And he was so adorable, I kept looking for the little tag that says “Boyd’s.” Having seen him makes me feel less bad about Melinda. And now I can just enjoy the finale. I like Blake, but I know he won’t win.
Ok, I’m just curious… what’s up with Taylor Hicks? He won last year, I wonder what is up with him. I hear more of Daughtry and Katherine and now Elliot than him.
Which goes to show, Melinda still has a good future in front of her.
Right about this time every season (well, every season I’ve been able to make him watch so far), my husband will start trying to tell me that AI voting is “fixed”, and the real reason someone goes home is because AI producers want to keep things approximately even along race and gender lines to appeal to the widest possible demographic. So last night, with two black girls and one white boy, it was obvious a black girl would go. Now, with one white boy and one black girl left, the black girl will win because a white boy won last year.
Of course, it’s pretty easy to call the competition at this point! I think Jordin will win because she deserves to. But I can’t tell that to my husband because he just nods and says, “Demographics.”
I might have to hurt him.
How could you- Randy reminds us at least once a week!
I thought Elliot Yamin looked ridiculous and sounded bad. The song sucked, too. It’s interesting to note that even though he made it to- what- 3rd place last year? Put him out there into the spotlight after all the Idol fanfare has faded and frankly, he’s at an amateur level. I suspect Blake will suffer the same fate. He has a big fan base due to the momentum of the show, but in a year, he’ll be beatboxing as an opening act for Sir Mix-a-lot.
Also, it’s time for Ryan Seacrest to go. The taunting and evil-eye he kept giving Simon last night were just flat out weird. And camera cues of Simon indicate that he clearly is fed up with it. The little text-messaging munchkins that skew the show results might like it, but I doubt that many grownups do.
I think it may be time for Idol to change its format if indeed, as someone said on page 1, the kiddies are stealing music rather than buying it. I know the show loves touting its bazillion-million vote numbers each week, but unless the production company wants to be in the business of giving away second-rate music to young Internet junkies, then it should limit votes to one per phone number calling.
Well, I’m bummed. But Melinda is going to do well. As much as I didn’t want to see it, Jordin has youth on her side. I’m not sad to see that she’s going to win, but she’s not the best. Not by a long shot.
Beat Box Boy needs to beat it. Bo-bop-bee-schwoop his ass to da door.
Those who have followed Idol from the start should already know that the best singer doesn’t always win (coughTaylor Hickscough). And when the best singer does win (Reuben, Fantasia), it doesn’t always mean success for them. Melinda’s kind of the new Reuben, if you ask me. Great singer technically, but when you put them on an album, or on a concert stage, nobody’s buying because they’re boring. I think America made the right choice on this one. Of course, she could be the next Jennifer Hudson or Chris Daughtry, but I doubt it.
It was good to hear from Elliott again. I was hoping to hear something more jazzy from him though, and if that song is an indication of what his album is like, I won’t be buying. Anyone have it? Do you like it?
GMA this morning had a whole passel of shocked people wondering what happened last night. I’m not an avid GMA person, but this was funny watching them all in shock.