OK, you call yourself “the Cynic”, I get it. But geez, that’s a bit harsh, don’cha think?
Some of these final 24 contestants are just kids. Do you really want to have them stand there on national television while Ryan announces, “27 million votes came in and they don’t like you!” Might as well hand them the razor blade right then and there.
I think I’m done watching, too. I’ve only ever watched sporadically, and after this year’s round of auditions, I’m fairly disgusted. It’s obvious these people are screened before they ever get to the judges, and it seems very cruel to me to let through people who have no chance, just so they can be trashed on-camera by the judges. I’m not in favor of meaningless cruelty. (Now meaningful cruelty…:D)
Was I the only one who noticed the theater lobby had a Christmas tree lit up? That would seem to indicate these eliminations were indeed in December.
And as much as I dislike the evil audition part of the show (tricking untalented people to appear on camera for the sole purpose of humiliating them), I think it is a bit premature to say there is no talent on the show this year.
As has been mentioned, we haven’t even seen some of the singers perform a full song yet! My guess is that they have a few very talented people that they are waiting to present and blow audiences away.
The producers are not stupid, and they haven’t had huge ratings for years based upon luck. They know how to work an audience.
Oh darn. I just finished telling someone who works on the show that he was totally disposable. I only really watched the Taylor Hicks season all the way through, though, so I’m not the best judge. I think I may be sucked into this season…
Not watching, either. No TV connection, or I probably would be, though this season I can’t muster up enough enthusiasm to find alternate ways to watch.
If the producers wanted to prevent another Sanjaya (and they do), the easiest way would be to change the elimination system (as suggested above). But they don’t have to go far for the perfect system – So You Think You Can Dance is produced by the same company: and their bottom 2 are selected based on America’s votes, and the judges kick one of them out.
No more Sanjaya…no more “vote for the worst” shenanigans.
As I understand it, though, their approach this year to Prevent Sanjaya II was to select a field heavily weighted with semi-pros: people who have sung professionally and/or previously had record deals. It seems like this reduces the charm of finding diamonds in the rough, previously undiscovered talent. It just makes the show more of a launching pad for singers who’ve already begun their careers.
I think the key to making this show interesting again is to focus on making good TV, not on finding who they want to market and can mold into a successful money-making machine. After all, that seems to backfire on them frequently.
Now, that’ll never happen. The potential revenue stream from the perfect popstar is too tempting. I’m sure that they could pack the Top 24 with people who are good singers and also interesting, but they keep loading in the Underwoods/Picklers and the boring R&B/soul melisma artists. And I will vote to elect DKW as the new Idol producer! Amen to that. The coolest thing we’ve seen so far this season was Josiah rocking out on Grace Kelly, IMHO. How cool was that? A kid who sounds contemporary, who is a songwriter and plays his own instruments well, and a quirky, fun, imaginative song–a song that came out only last year! The kid may have his haters, and he sure did fall apart on “Stand by Me,” but the unpredictability is what makes this show good TV.
I want someone I can really root for when he or she pulls off an amazing performance. That’s why Melinda lost last year–everyone came to expect a solid performance, and by the end, no one was blown away anymore. I want to see growth and depth developing over the weeks. I want a story I can be swept up into.
Oh, and I’m not talking about the stupid manufactured sob stories–I mean the story of the making of a performer. The story of really finding your voice. Maybe I hope for too much, but I’m going to watch this season until I’m bored. May it be sooner or later.
As a producer, I would worry about Josiah being too high maintenance. He claimed the band wouldn’t listen to him when the singing coach said they asked him five times to tell them how he wanted to sing the song. He couldn’t discipline himself to get enough rest, and so he went on stage with a weak body and a weary mind. He got into a funk and fell to pieces, sobbing until his eyes were swollen. And all of it was pointless and avoidable. I think he lacked the maturity to do the work.
Agreed, but it would’ve been some good TV! 
Seriously, though, you have to wonder why someone at 18 is a complete loner living in their car. It seemed to me that he was very difficult to work with. Although that’s not uncommon in the music industry, it usually applies to people who’ve made it. Maybe Idol’s serving of humble pie will benefit him.
I don’t necessarily mean they should have put him through (though I personally would had liked to see it, meltdowns or not–and as an aside, maybe they could have worked on him a little, helped him get over some of the immaturity? I think we have the potential for real growth on this show, as I said above.), but I’m sure there are other people out there who are trying out with unusual or memorable performances, and they’re not all that bad. It’s only particularly disappointing in his case because they let him have so much screen time and then dropped him. I got a bit attached to him and was already wondering how he would fare on Disco night. 
Stupid show!!! :mad: I can’t believe it has me in its clutches!
Possibly. He could be a real jerk or something, and the cameras were just kind. Then again, doesn’t he have, like, 9 brothers and sisters? I’d probably leave home too. He’s from Tennessee, right? Maybe his family are some sort of religious nuts, what with all the kids. I could be wrong about that, but I’m sure I read it somewhere.
Don’t be so sure. Vote for the Worst was around before Sanjaya I’m sure they’ll be ready to roll for this season too. They had Taylor Hicks as their boy all the way, and that dumbass won!
All they would need to do (I think I muddled my own point) is let America vote, which determines the bottom 3 – then the judges kick off one of those 3.
Vote for the Worst and brain-dead tweens could possibly keep a Sanjaya out of the bottom 3 for a couple of weeks, at the most; then he’d be toast.
That’s a really good idea.