# American Idol: First 8 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584 "2004-02-11T03:07:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/21 "2004-02-11T17:19:13Z")
> [@moi](#): > > I don’t mean to be daft, but “votes”? You can vote more than once? Yep. As many times as you can get through. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/22 "2004-02-11T17:24:38Z")
You can vote as many times as you can call. Looks like we have mostly similar tastes here - Fantasia doesn’t do it for me, but neither does Macy Gray. I’d have said “a young Eartha Kitt”, though. Simon’s right in that she’d make it even without the show. Katie should make it through with a great stage presence adding to a great voice. Diana might instead, but the one who doesn’t will be in the wildcard round anyway (Clay was, remember?). Jennifer has some Kim P/Frenchie power to her, but not that much control. The rest need to go apply to Carnival Cruise Lines or just give it up. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/23 "2004-02-11T18:04:12Z")
I’m still holding out for Michael Keown. Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![Jurhael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@Jurhael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurhael)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/24 "2004-02-11T18:44:32Z")
See, the thing is, I LOVE Macy Grey, so that could be one reason I like Fantasia. One thing though, Ruben was never an underdog and he won AI. But, then again, there’s Clay and I think there were enough people who hated him to vote a ton for Ruben. I was among the ones who did. I didn’t hate Clay. I just liked Ruben better. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/25 "2004-02-11T19:02:47Z")
I’m not saying Fantasia’s going to walk away with this thing. The reason she was so impressive last night was because she was lumped in with such a lackluster group. Diana was the only other one who seemed to have some confidence and presence (and I can’t get past her age either, **moi** ). Fantasia behaved like she’d been on stage all her life. And I don’t even know who Macy Gray is. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/26 "2004-02-11T19:07:40Z")
Oh, and one more thing… No more ragging on the “She Bangs” guy, Ryan Seacrest! ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/27 "2004-02-11T20:39:00Z")
> [@Jurhael](#): > > See, the thing is, I LOVE Macy Grey, so that could be one reason I like Fantasia. The problem here, though, is that the world already HAS Macy Grey. Fantasia can’t do anything BUT Macy Grey impersonations. She does it really well, but is that really what we want to hear? Get someone with the potential to be a little more original, or, at the least, not a carbon-copy of an already successful singer. I liked Diana the best - I think she can look older, and her voice is really amazing. To pull off that performance as the first singer in the first group - impressive. As for the rest - I liked Katie, despite her "perfect package"look. Out of the guys, Erskine was the best, though the song was pretty weak last night. I didn’t much care for the other singers. They were all good, but I hope other groups have something better to offer. I’m in Canada, so I can’t vote anyways - my opinion doesn’t matter 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/28 "2004-02-11T21:34:29Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > Oh, and one more thing… > No more ragging on the “She Bangs” guy, Ryan Seacrest! There’s an article about him, [William Hung](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/11/BAGCM4U0UR1.DTL), in today’s San Francisco Chronicle. Apparently he’s famous in Singapore and has a fan site. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/29 "2004-02-11T21:54:52Z")
Wow. I just don’t know what to think about that. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/30 "2004-02-11T23:57:09Z")
Wow. I’m completely thrown by this whole vote-early, vote-often thing. 😕 > [@mnemosyne](#): > > I liked Diana the best - I think she can look older, and her voice is really amazing. See, I think this is part of the issue for me: She’s 16, and I don’t want her to look like the 20 year olds of the show. I also just worry about what such a quick rise to fame would do to a 16-year-old girl. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/31 "2004-02-12T01:03:46Z")
About a half-hour to go for the results show on the East Coast. I HOPE Matt doesn’t get through because of his looks… I thought he was awful… butchered one of my favorite songs. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/32 "2004-02-12T01:29:42Z")
I didn’t watch the first series, and last year, I missed a bunch of episodes and caught up after the final twelve had been chosen. So how does this go? 32 semi-finalists—eight perform each week, with two from each group voted to stay—then two wild cards? That only makes ten. Last year it was twelve. ??? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/33 "2004-02-12T01:35:10Z")
4 Wild Cards… just like last year for 12. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/34 "2004-02-12T01:46:10Z")
ARGH! Matt’s ‘looks’ got him over Jennifer in the Top 3… bad voters, bad ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/35 "2004-02-12T01:48:57Z")
Matthew? C’mon! ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/36 "2004-02-12T01:58:26Z")
At least they fixed it in the end: Diana and Fantasia move through, my top 2 ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/37 "2004-02-12T13:34:16Z")
Woohoo! My top two made it through. ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584/38 "2004-02-12T14:47:14Z")
Count me in the ones who can not believe Matthiew made it to top 3… I am mad they cut Katie! I really liked her… Perfect pop princess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-idol-first-8/228584.md?page=1)