Questions for American Idol watchers

Cafe Society
1

How faithfully do you watch?

Do you vote?

Do you buy any of the contestants’ music or see them on tour?
My answers:

I’ve watched every season except the Clay/Ruben year. I only saw the last few shows of that one (and the disappointment was crushing enough, TYVM).

Though I enjoy the show and discussions every week, and occasionally have strong opinions, I have never ever cast a vote. My ex-husband called in a few for Kelly Clarkson, and I agreed with that.

I have also never spent a penny on any of the music, not being much of a music buyer. I’m still listening to tunes on cassette for the most part. My mom bought Clay Aiken’s CD, and I taped Invisible from it, but after a while I taped over it.

2

How faithfully do I watch? First season I started watching when I was flipping the channels and saw some terrible auditions- didn’t know what it was until I had seen the auditions a couple weeks in a row. Didn’t watch any other season except maybe part of the last season, and I’ve watched every ep this season, I think, and I hate myself for it. This is my support group.

Do I vote? Never have.

**Do I buy their music or see them on tour? ** Nope to both- I don’t like most of the pop music that is the hallmark of their popularity; I’m more into it to mock and snark at the performances and to be flabbergasted at the upsets.

3

Watch every show. Don’t vote. Bought Daughtry’s CD. (Will buy Melinda’s.)

4

I watch nearly every show, nearly every performance. I don’t vote. I don’t buy this kind of music, but I would buy Melinda if her album is the kind of music I think she does best (old standards, blues and jazz).

I’m a rocker, for the most part. And not at all in love with country.

5

Seen bits and pieces of past years. This is the first year I’ve seen all the shows (well, zip and scan through them via DVR).

Never ever voted and never ever will.

Never bought any cds and probably never will. My wife bought the 2nd Kelly Clarkson one.

6

I’ve seen every show since the first show of season one.

I’ve voted if I felt strongly about the contestant (Kelly C, Bo Bice, Blake/Melinda)

I haven’t purchased any CDs, but my husband bought Kelly’s 2nd CD, claiming it was for me, but it ended up in HIS car for a few weeks after he bought it.

I saw the Carrie Underwood season tour. It was surprisingly good, but unfortunately the show I went to was after Bo Bice had surgery, so he was a no-show.

7

I watch somewhat faithfully. But, not like Sopranos or Deadwood. I don’t care if I miss episodes, and occasionally do.

I’ve never even considered voting.

I’ve never even considered buying a CD or seeing them on tour.

I’m there for snark as much as anything, but I really go enjoy the good performances, and I think there are plenty of them.

8

Started watching regularly during the 2nd season, although I did watch the last two or three episodes of the 1st season. I watch every week and grouse along with everyone else in the weekly threads. I even watch when I’m on vacation, provided I have access to American TV (we usually vacation in the Caribbean, so it can be sketchy).

I vote sometimes. I voted this season until Gina was voted out. Haven’t voted since. Might vote again, depending on how I feel at the time. I know I voted for Constantine while he was on, and I voted furiously during the Carrie/Bo finale (but Carrie won anyway).

Bought Daughtry’s CD, and Bo’s, and I really like them both, but for different reasons. I also bought Kim Locke’s CD, and downloaded one of Carrie’s songs (“Before He Cheats,” which I think is deliciously trashy, and not so country that I want to stab myself in the head with a fork).

Not that you asked, but I will probably start watching whatever soap opera Constantine is supposed to be on (“The Bold and the Beautiful,” I think). He amuses me oh-so-very much.

9

I watch most every epsiode. I don’t vote and have never bought any product. I would sooner get a root canal than go to one of the concerts.

10

This is the first year I’ve watched it. I guess I’m hooked by the ‘what will they do next’ factor, but I generally dislike the music and the way they kill the energy of the songs and turn them into MOR.

I’ve never voted, and never will.

I might buy Melinda’s album, if the songs on it are okay. That’s about it.

FWIW, I liked Rockstar Supernova much better. The performances were WAY better - even most of the weak singers who were booted off early were miles ahead of this bunch. They had a real rock band behind them, and let the contestants play instruments if they wanted to. Of the contestants last year on Rock Star, I’ll buy anything Storm Large puts out, and I’ll buy albums from Zarya, Magni, Dilana, and Josh if they put good songs on them.

For example, this was the most ‘American Idol’ of the contestants on Rock Star: Dana Andrews singing ‘High Road Easy’. And here’s her doing something softer - Nirvana’s ‘About a Girl’. She was one of the ‘weak’ ones who got booted fairly early. She’d eat the lunch of most of the contestants on Idol this year.

11

If I’m home I usually have it running in the background while I’m writing or something. I sort of enjoy seeing if my review is close to either Randy or Simon. Incidentally, I’m usually pretty close to Simon. I don’t really care if I miss an episode.

I’ve never voted.

Nothing on earth could make me purchase their tour music or go to one of their concerts.

12

I’m a fairly faithful watcher – it depends on whether I have to work the next day. Didn’t begin watching until Season 4 (Carrie, Bo, et. al). I wasn’t too thrilled with last season and lost interest in the middle of it. This season is starting to head in the same direction.

I’ve never voted.

I’ve never bought any CDs or gone to any of the concerts.

13

How faithfully do you watch?
Usually every week. Sometimes I miss an episode or two (like last night’s). I started watching part-way through the first season and have watched every season since.

Do you vote?
No. I used to when my husband worked late on Tuesday nights. I don’t want him to laugh at me, so I don’t anymore.

Do you buy any of the contestants’ music or see them on tour?
No. Honestly, the music on American Idol is not my type of music. I’ve considered buying Daughtry’s CD but unless I hear something more interesting than the songs that have been on the radio so far, I won’t. I do like a few Kelly Clarkson songs. I’m with Sam Stone about liking Rock Star much better. That’s my kind of music!

14

How faithfully do you watch?
Every week. Guilty pleasure. I usually do not watch the results show, though–I just come here to find out who got voted out.

Do you vote?
Can’t. Canadian. (I’d watch Canadian Idol, but Ben Mulroney makes me want to throw things at the television.)

Do you buy any of the contestants’ music or see them on tour?
Maybe. Tour, no, not likely to hit Canada. But I would buy music from the contestants, depending on the material. I hate syrupy pop and dance music, so despite liking, say, Katharine McPhee’s voice, her album didn’t appeal to me. I keep an eye out for music by contestants, but it’s not just voice for me, but material that matters.

15

How faithfully do you watch?
Every week. Have for the past - eh - maybe three seasons? I’m not real sure. Husband is watching this season as well.

Do you vote?
I did a couple times this year only.

Do you buy any of the contestants’ music or see them on tour?
No way.

16

How faithfully do you watch?

I only started watching the 2nd to last episode of season 1 (had never even heard about it before then). I’ve caught every episode since then, even if on video or Tivo if I wasn’t home to watch it live.

Do you vote?

I remember voting for someone on the Season 1 show I saw, but being such a noob, I had no idea you could vote more than once, so I voted, hung up and that was that. I honestly can’t even recall if I voted for Kelly or Justin!

I then voted like a fiend for Clay Aiken in Season 2. I’d literally hit redial non-stop for the whole 2 hours, or until I fell asleep, whichever happened first. I’ve never, ever been that vigilant since.

George Huff was my guy in Season 3, and I did vote for him on redial every week, but not nearly as rabidly as I did for Clay. I quit voting after he was eliminated, as I hated everyone else in that season. I voted for Carrie Underwood in Season 4; split my votes in the early stages of Season 5 between Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin, then switched to voting exclusively for Elliott; and this season I’ve voted only a handful of times, but they’ve all been thrown Jordin Sparks’ way.

Do you buy any of the contestants’ music or see them on tour?

You wouldn’t catch me dead at one of the “Official” Idol tours – they strike me as gigantic high school talent shows. And since I usually can’t stand more than 1 or 2 contestants from each season, subjecting myself to the hokiness and just plain bad singing from the less talented ones would be worse than chewing aluminum foil while scraping my fingernails down a chalkboard.

However, I kept reading the reviews of the tour Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson did together, and every one of them raved, so I decided to see that one. Clay Aiken didn’t disappoint – he really does put on a spectacular show and is extremely entertaining and fun. Kelly, on the other hand, while having a beautiful voice, was as boring as all heck.

I’ve purchased the following Idol CDs:

Clay Aiken, Measure of a Man
Clay Aiken, Merry Christmas with Love
George Huff, My Christmas EP
Elliott Yamin, Elliott Yamin

I will probably buy whatever Melinda Doolittle puts out, and depending on what type of music she records, Jordin Sparks’ first CD. I’d go see Elliott Yamin in concert in a heartbeat.

17

I’ve found myself watching this season because of the Sanjaya thing. Otherwise I find the audition eps mildly diverting but lose interest when the real competition begins.

Obviously I’ve never bought a CD. Some of those Kelly Clarkson songs were pretty catchy.

18

I’ve watched faithfully for the past four seasons. I watch every week except for one Tuesday a month when I actually leave the house after work. I’ve tried to dial in once or twice to make sure my favorite’s line is busy. I haven’t bought any albums and wouldn’t go to the show, but albums I would consider are Daughtry’s, Bo Bice’s and Melinda’s.

19

I watch off and on. Last night I watched a baseball game. I never voted but I think I might vote for Sanjaya from now on.
Never bought any music from an idol.
I like the first couple weeks best. I like the crappy singers. Sanjaya could qualify for the rejected group.

20

I started watching last year. Since I’m Canadian, I can’t vote. I bought Chris Daughtry’s cd, and I plan to buy Elliott Yamin’s.

RockStar is really superior, but looking for a person to join a Rock band is quite far removed from finding a possible pop idol. BTW, I have bought 3 Storm Large cds, one Ryan Starr, one Dilana (a mistake- it’s very pop, I’m hoping that her next will be better). I’ve attended a Ryan Starr concert, but none of the others have come to Montreal yet so far as I can tell.

As for this year’s AI, I probably would buy a Melinda album, or perhaps a Blake if it’s not too gimmicky, but that’s about it.