# American Idol 5/18 to 5/19 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921 "2010-05-18T18:48:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/41 "2010-05-20T01:52:21Z")
I was, but missed Crystal and Lee’s homecomings due to a DVR fail. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/42 "2010-05-20T02:08:08Z")
Anticlimactic, and more manipulation in the announcement. Crystal was an afterthought. I’m going to text vote for her next week, and I haven’t voted since season 5. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/43 "2010-05-20T02:13:48Z")
I get being overwhelmed with the emotion of the homecoming, but Lee needed to suck it up a bit, sheesh. No surprises tonight, still feeling old that I didn’t know who either of the musical guests were. Bah, get off my lawn. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/44 "2010-05-20T02:15:54Z")
The only one I’m, well, let’s call it “worried” about after AI is Lee - he just doesn’t seem to have the star stuff. I think he’ll end up as a producer or something, because being a front man seems so horribly uncomfortable for him. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/45 "2010-05-20T02:46:39Z")
Gotta wait another hour, but I’d be happy to see spoilers. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/46 "2010-05-20T03:15:01Z")
Yeah, it matters so little to me, bring 'em on. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/47 "2010-05-20T03:51:07Z")
It was… Casey James, Kara’s Boy Toy, that went home tonight. Crystal and Lee in the finals next week ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/48 "2010-05-20T04:10:14Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Anticlimactic, and more manipulation in the announcement. Crystal was an afterthought. I’m going to text vote for her next week, and I haven’t voted since season 5. Okay, since the whole “Idol” thing is such a foregone conclusion this week, please take a moment to educate me about Seacrest’s catchphrase: _Standard text-messaging rates apply._ Does this mean that if you have a phone with pre-paid unlimited texting, you can’t vote? What are standard text-messaging rates? ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/49 "2010-05-20T04:15:20Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Does this mean that if you have a phone with pre-paid unlimited texting, you can’t vote? What are standard text-messaging rates? I think it just means you pay whatever you normally pay for text messages. If that’s nothing, then you pay nothing. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/50 "2010-05-20T04:26:57Z")
Oh, okay. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/51 "2010-05-20T07:16:30Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > The more I think about it, the more pissed I get about the blatant manipulation regarding Lee. He was good, could have been great if it were less bombastic and he didn’t have an epic fail of a falsetto, but it didn’t give me chills even though the whole thing was clearly designed to. It was a manufactured moment, which is really no moment at all. Yeah. I sort of hate the expression “have a moment” on this show anyway. These are the kind of people who would sell children’s hopes and dreams if there was a market for it. And that Hallelujah scenario was so carefully labored that I couldn’t really enjoy it regardless. “Moments” should be a thing of inspiration and spontaneous genius. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/52 "2010-05-20T08:39:23Z")
Something I thought of tonight while watching the travesty that is American Idol Season 9: I wonder if the judges were pimping Lee because they want Crystal to win? I wonder if they figured that if Lee left, Casey would pick up Lee’s votes and possibly beat Crystal, but if Casey left, his votes were more likely to go to Crystal because they’re both better than Lee and are both authentic ‘classic rock’ types. And Casey was much more likely to come out with a couple of performances that would legitimately blow people away, just in time to launch him into the winner’s circle. Lee probably doesn’t have that capability. But we’ll see soon enough - we’ll know if the jig was up for him if next week suddenly they turn all effusive on Crystal and lay into Lee for doing pretty much what he’s been doing all season. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/53 "2010-05-20T10:50:30Z")
That’s my hope too, but my guess is that they know Lee is more malleable than Crystal, and her diabetes is a liability. If Lee wins, he will be the worst winner they have ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/54 "2010-05-20T10:52:49Z")
I really wonder if Casey already got picked up by a record label (is that term still used even though records have gone the way of…most of my childhood things?). Anyway, if he already got signed, or offers to get signed and didn’t WANT to be tied into the whole AI thing. He could have dialed back his performances (and who knows, the judges may have helped him out of it) so that he could walk away clean into a much better deal that was more suited for him. In that vein, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lee won. Of the three left, he is the one who needs the support the most. Career-wise, Crystal will be better off losing. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/55 "2010-05-20T13:04:38Z")
> [@Salem](#): > > I really wonder if Casey already got picked up by a record label (is that term still used even though records have gone the way of…most of my childhood things?). Anyway, if he already got signed, or offers to get signed and didn’t WANT to be tied into the whole AI thing. He could have dialed back his performances (and who knows, the judges may have helped him out of it) so that he could walk away clean into a much better deal that was more suited for him. > > In that vein, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lee won. Of the three left, he is the one who needs the support the most. Career-wise, Crystal will be better off losing. This is a common misperception. The entire top 10 is beholden to the Idol contract through the end of the summer tour. Also, as I understand it, the Idol company (19E) has the right of first refusal for ALL contestants through the top 24, which keeps any of them from making agreements with ANY label until their Idol contracts expire. Last year 19E snapped up the top 1, 2 and 4 contestants immediately (Kris, Adam & Allison Iraheta). Later on there was a burst of “let freedom ring” tweets from folks like Junot Joyner and Alex Wagner-Trugman (top 36 contestants who didn’t make the finals) when their Idol obligations expired. I can’t remember when this was - maybe August? I believe shortly after that the 3 and 10 placers (Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver) signed with their non-Idol affiliated country labels. The point is, once you sign up for Idol, you’re part of the Idol machine for at least a full year. So sandbagging yourself in the finals does nobody any good. ETA: This got me wondering if idol will even bother signing ANY of the finalists. I mean, they have to sign the winner, so they will do their best to pimp the winner they think has the most commercial potential. I have no idea if they think that’s Crystal or Lee, but whoever comes in second, I wonder if they’ll even bother offering them a contract. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/56 "2010-05-20T13:04:55Z")
Once you make the top 10, you CANNOT sign with anyone else. 19E gets rights of first refusal, and they make you wait until after they sign the winner. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/57 "2010-05-20T13:13:54Z")
Too late to edit again, but just to clarify, I **think** Idol has signed the top two finalists - at least - to recording contracts every season going back to Season 5 (the three last year, the Davids the year before, Jordin & Blake in Season 6, Taylor & Katharine McPhee AND Chris Daughtry in Season 5…). Before that I didn’t follow the show much, but even in Season 2 didn’t both Clay and Reuben get signed? I’m just not sure there’s any evidence that there’s a sufficient fan base to support whoever of the two finalists this year doesn’t win. I think if they had a way out of it they’d not bother signing either one of them and just try to forget this season ever existed. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/58 "2010-05-20T13:16:18Z")
A whole season, and I finally realized that Lee DeWyze and Adam Richman were separated at birth. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/59 "2010-05-20T14:13:19Z")
Well, there goes THAT theory!!! 😃 Thanks for the info, I really thought it was only the winner that was tied. Is the winner’s contract longer than the others? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921/60 "2010-05-20T16:46:04Z")
Casey looked genuinely happy during his sing-out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-18-to-5-19/539921.md?page=4)