# American Idol 5/23, This Is It! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936 "2006-05-23T18:46:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/161 "2006-05-25T03:51:28Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Remember – a person can be smart, but people are stupid. And people are making this choice. Different and entertaining versus bland and soulless? Taylor doesn’t stand a chance. [/QUOTE] Sometimes it’s very, very good to be wrong. 🙂 ---
**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 25, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/162 "2006-05-25T04:16:10Z")
Did anyone with the East Coast feed get to watch a FedEx commercial? I don’t watch Superbowls, so that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in _years_. Or am I just out of touch because y’all got to watch it in February (or whatever month that football thingy is on)? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/163 "2006-05-25T04:40:10Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Sounds about right. Some of y’all are connected in other circles… how did the voting break down? [/QUOTE] According to [DialIdol](http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/Predictions.asp), Taylor won by a comfortable margin. I don’t know how the DI scores translate into percentages, though. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/164 "2006-05-25T04:54:17Z")
Random thoughts: - Did someone punch Meatloaf in the throat before he came out? That was the worst thing that ever was. - When Elliot was singing I commented to my wife, "Uh, someone kill the backup singer’s mic. She’s terrible. Moments later: ladies and gentlemen, Mary J. Blige. - Hasselhoff was crying because early testing reveals a potentially huge follow for Taylor in Germany. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/165 "2006-05-25T04:57:58Z")
Whoops, hit submit too early… - Is Clay the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts next year? - How many marbles did Toni Braxton have in her mouth anyway? ---
**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 25, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/166 "2006-05-25T05:03:22Z")
[QUOTE=vaderspal] Is anyone watching the “red carpet” show on Fox right now? It’s such a train wreck. I don’t know where they unearthed these hosts. [/QUOTE] They are the hosts of _Good Day L. A._, the morning news _cum_ entertainment show on the Fox affiliate here in the Los Angeles Basin. As the only time I watch the local Fox affiliate is during the Sunday evening cartoons, all I know of them is from commercials for the program. They strike me as vapid in the commercials, and they weren’t changing my mind with the red carpet stuff. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/167 "2006-05-25T05:56:37Z")
Well THAT was about the most fun 2 hours I’ve had watching TV in a loooooooong time. I’d buy that on DVD. Hilarious that they put Toni Braxton on right after Ronetta; seemed particularly apt. And I SAID that Elliott should do Jarreau’s “We’re in this Love,” so I’m grateful somebody did it. Taylor woulda knocked it outta the park, but it wouldn’t have been quite so hetero a duet with him and Al. Interesting that the black hole of suck in the middle of the show, the only slow moment, was Carrie Lastyear. She just don’t measure up. And I started to fast forward throught the faux-Aiken bit, it was just too mean, but then when the realy Aiken came on I had to back up and watch it. That was just great TV, I’m sorry. And it was really great somehow, don’t ask me why, to see the Cowboys again. That just tickled me pink and purple. Now if THAT show don’t win an emmy for the best variety show in YEARS, there’s no such thing as the emmys. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/168 "2006-05-25T06:45:57Z")
Wow. Reminded me of how cool Melissa McGhee’s voice is, & how strikingly beautiful Lisa Tucker is. And that Ace isn’t so bad when he’s not rearranging the melodies _upside down._ Too many group medleys, too much of the stuff with the eliminated people. I wanted to see each of the Top 12 get to sing with a hero of theirs. Oh well. Prince was all right. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/169 "2006-05-25T06:48:04Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] Too many group medleys, too much of the stuff with the eliminated people. [/QUOTE] I mean, with the losers who never made the top 24. (Though the cowboys were cool, & did well.) I’d rather see Ayla & Gedeon again, or even Bobby Bennett. Glad the O’Donohue twins at least got an appearance. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/170 "2006-05-25T06:49:26Z")
[QUOTE=KSO] Has anyone gone to one of those AI shows? The tour, I mean, not the TV show. [/QUOTE] I haven’t gone, but my friend worked at the local arena duing one of the shows. She loves AI and was excited to work the show, but said she ended up putting in ear plugs after about 15 minutes. Apparently, it’s one big vibrato filled, 2 hour diva fest. The headliner that year was Fantasia, who spent her entire set SCREAMING. My friend said even the fans were covering their ears. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/171 "2006-05-25T11:52:07Z")
Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol! Oh, it feels so good to have the right person win for a change! Good show, overall. High point: Clay walking out behind that goober. Low point: Man, I Feel Like a Woman. Man, I feel bile rising in my throat just thinking of it. I’m putting Meatloaf on my list for Celebrity Death Pool next year. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/172 "2006-05-25T13:00:48Z")
[QUOTE=Lama Pacos] Oh man. What a beautiful, hysterical two hours of trainwreck. It felt kind of like what you see at the end of the tunnel right after you die. Kat! Taylor! Lisa Tucker! Carrie Underwood! Elliot? Is that you, Mary J. Blige? Bad Clay Aiken guy! Real Clay Aiken guy! Toni Braxton! Woo! Gramps! I’m coming for you…! Mandisa! Kevin Covais! Burt Bacharach! Dionne Warwick! Those three “cowboys”! Prince?! [/QUOTE] That made me truly laugh out loud — I lurves me the 70s, and that show was wonderfully over-the-top! Really fun and exciting! Last year (or the year before) when Donna Summer joined the contestants & then sang, it was like OHHHHH, that’s why none of them have contracts, you’re supposed to have a VOICE. This year’s group was a big step above that, but still, I loved Greg Kot’s [description](http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0605250155may25,1,1687720.story?coll=chi-news-hed) "Class act Burt Bacharach smiled wanly at the piano while contestants butchered his harmonically complex pop tunes, before Dionne Warwick strolled out for “Walk on By” and took them all to school. " And Mary J. - HOLY SHIT - that woman is amazing! Ms. Blige did “I Will Survive” on the Today Show’s Friday concert series a few years ago. I was supposed to be getting dressed to go to work. Instead I had to sit down, 'cause I was shaking and crying. BTW, Pauler’s not the only one who’s so affected by music, and it has NOTHING to do with booze (personally I don’t even drink). It’s really tedious reading the constant criticisms of her emotionality. Some of us are just that way. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/173 "2006-05-25T13:08:54Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] That made me truly laugh out loud — I lurves me the 70s, and that show was wonderfully over-the-top! Really fun and exciting! Last year (or the year before) when Donna Summer joined the contestants & then sang, it was like OHHHHH, that’s why none of them have contracts, you’re supposed to have a VOICE. This year’s group was a big step above that, but still, I loved Greg Kot’s [description](http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0605250155may25,1,1687720.story?coll=chi-news-hed) "Class act Burt Bacharach smiled wanly at the piano while contestants butchered his harmonically complex pop tunes, before Dionne Warwick strolled out for “Walk on By” and took them all to school. " And Mary J. - HOLY SHIT - that woman is amazing! Ms. Blige did “I Will Survive” on the Today Show’s Friday concert series a few years ago. I was supposed to be getting dressed to go to work. Instead I had to sit down, 'cause I was shaking and crying. BTW, Pauler’s not the only one who’s so affected by music, and it has NOTHING to do with booze (personally I don’t even drink). It’s really tedious reading the constant criticisms of her emotionality. Some of us are just that way. [/QUOTE] To be fair, it’s not only the crying. It’s the slurring of the words and the inability to sit upright in her seat and the incoherence. Those things make me think she’s high. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/174 "2006-05-25T13:38:49Z")
> [@KSO](#): > > What happened to Ayla? Didn’t she get booted after Michelle or whatever her name is? I think Melissa beat Ayla out to make the top twelve and then was the next to go. Meat Loaf is one of my all-time favorites and that was just so sad. Well, he’s still got his acting career. That shirt made Mary J. Blige look like her boobs were leaking. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/175 "2006-05-25T14:04:06Z")
Wooo! That was great! I don’t have a computer at home so I’m late to the party. It was really great last night seeing everyone around town so happy. Stuff like getting to see the weatherman do the Taylor “Woo!” move and little things like that. Especially after last year’s let down. I will say this: I don’t particularly like Carrie Underwood. However, I thought she was beautiful in that prom queen kind of way last night. Too bad if I hit on her she would probably try to give me a bible or something. Well, that and then there’s the married thing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/176 "2006-05-25T15:58:15Z")
I had other things to do/watch, so only switched over a few times: once to see Dionne Warwick and switch back quickly (Though not quickly enough. Still saw her.), once to see Prince (I thought it was an impersonator at first. Holy crap that was awesome. Prince!), and once to see Taylor win. I’m happy it was Taylor, even though I pretended not to care this week. Anybody but Kat really would have been okay. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/177 "2006-05-25T16:12:34Z")
Oh one more thing: Did anyone else see…I think it was Toni Braxton…anyway, the one in the short white dress singing with Taylor, she took his hand at one point and put it on her body, then yoink! ol’ Taylor pulled his hand away like he’d burned it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/178 "2006-05-25T16:19:16Z")
I know doodlysquat about Toni Braxton…is she always like that? Is it her normal vocal style to drop all consonants from the lyrics, and sing random sequences of vowel sounds? A pretty impressive array of star power (including representatives of geezerdom), though. An indication of the phenom that is American Idol. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/179 "2006-05-25T16:44:16Z")
I thought Mary J. was pretty good, but I’ll tell ya. 60 Minutes compared her to Billie Holiday. Not even close. Dionne was nostalgically great. I love all those songs. But she is no longer a great voice. Meatloaf was just pathetic. Prince…ahhhh…I like him. Weird dude, but I just think he’s great. All in all, a great ending to mediocre entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936/180 "2006-05-25T16:56:30Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Dionne was nostalgically great. I love all those songs. But she is no longer a great voice. [/QUOTE] Yeah, unfortunately…she backed out of all the high notes; and on the final note of the final song she tried 3 or 4 different notes and still didn’t find the right one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-5-23-this-is-it/357936.md?page=10)