I love this whole “much ado about nothing” with regards to American Idol and the so called worst contestant Sanjaya. Supposedly two forces are out there trying to get this guy crowned; Howard Stern and votefortheworst.com.
I think its hysterical; the guy gets my vote. I’ve had enough of this high-school system. Subverters unite! Vote for Sanjaya!
sigh Why do you want to torture the poor kid? He’s not going to win, the fans that vote for the good singers will eventually overpower those voting for Sanjaya. In the meantime Sanjaya, who seems to be a sweet innocent kid, is put through torture, you can already see it on his face during eliminations. He won’t win but he’ll last longer than he should and other people who feel sorry for him because of this will vote for him, too. But he will have to hear all the shocked responses when someone better than him goes home before him, he has to hear the judges say “America got it wrong” every time he gets to stay, he has to hear the TV talk shows and radio make fun of him and gets to read the same stuff in newspapers and on the internet. Do you seriously think that’s fair to a sweet young kid that was just pursuing a dream? It’s heartless to do this to the kid.
It’s not hurting the producers of American Idol. It gets them publicity, they get more people calling in and texting votes, it’s money in their pockets. They have no worries of him winning and having to promote him because it won’t happen. The real Idol fans will be voting for people like Melinda and Lakisha and eventually when the other singers are whittled down and maybe Sanjaya is still there suffering, the votes won’t be split as much and the true Idol fan’s votes will outnumber the Vote For The Worst voters. Also Idol always has the right to toss out blocks of votes they feel used power-dialers. So basically VFTW and Stern (who’s an unoriginal idiot) are only punishing a poor kid and some other singers who probably wouldn’t win anyway but deserve to stay on longer than they will. Yeah, that’s really going to shake up the Idol producers. :rolleyes: Way to go.
The continued presence of Sanjaya gives me hope that given the choice between being a smart-ass, and paying proper “respect” to a fucking talent show on TV (*), a great number of people go with “being a smart-ass.” If Sanjaya wins, there’s still hope for America.
(*) Yes, I am a fan of that “fucking talent show on TV”, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be iconoclastic about it.
Okay, you know my motive; but about the people who actually like Sanjaya for his voice and looks? I guess “they got it wrong” too, because only you know what’s good. Get off your high horse. If the kid has such a thin skin he had no business entering the contest in the first place.
If he was older, I might agree with you. He’s 17. And using a kid who’s in over his head for your amusement is pretty damn calloused.
Let’s quit with the hyperbole.
“using a kid. . .for your amusement.”
Come on. . .it’s season 5 (or 6) of Idol. There’s not a chance in hell he didn’t know what he was getting into, and there’s not a shred of evidence that any over-voting for him is actually damaging to him or his psyche (even though Wile E seems to find a “tortured look” on his face during eliminations).
He’s getting his 15 minutes. If he wanted to pull out of the show, he can.
As it is, it’s a bit of a larf on the producers of the show, and viewers who actually vote, and take their vote way too seriously.
Came in here thinking you guys would be talking about the girl who’s going on a hunger strike until Sanjaya gets voted off…
My problem isn’t what it does to Sanjaya. I think he may need this life lesson, given that he is willing to share home movies of himself as a hula dancer. My problem is with people like Melinda and Lakisha, certifiably high calibre performers for whom this is a serious matter. If he somehow got into a position to knock out one of those, I hope that either he has the good sense to quit or else Idol has the good sense to put him out, citing something from the contract that shows like that use for situations like this. Taylor Hicks winning was bad enough. Sanjaya winning might be the end of Idol. Practical jokesters don’t comprise enough people for continued advertising revenues.
Where did you get that I’m saying only I know what’s good? I actually never said the kid stinks or can’t sing like lots of other people have said. The only thing even close to that was my saying that Melinda and Lakisha were the good singers which I guess you assumed to mean that I had deemed everyone else crappy. Maybe I should have said they were the “better” singers, but still that’s not solely my opinion.
As for Sanjaya, I think he has a nice voice and I actually liked him a lot in the early auditions, but the more the singers have to perform the more obvious it becomes that he doesn’t have the performing experience, vocal range or comfort on stage to hold up against the others. Unlike some other singers the show has had that were his age or younger he’s just not very experienced or polished. Maybe even in a few years he might be good enough to win but I don’t think that’s likely to happen during this season and trying to force it may put too much pressure on the kid. Yeah, he may actually have some people voting for him because they like him. Heck, as I said I like him, but I don’t vote for him because I don’t think he has the talent to win and keeping him in longer just “for fun” doesn’t do him any favors.
Sure, there’s no evidence that he gets upset when others are eliminated and maybe I am wrong about the look on his face at those times. Maybe it isn’t as obvious yet and he has to last as long as John Stevens did before it becomes painfully obvious. But pardon me for attempting to have some empathy for a fellow human.
Yeah, he knows what he’s getting in to and like many people he may have a little conceit involved. Just about anyone would take a shot like this and willingly quitting would not be an easy thing when this is looked at as your one shot at the big time, whether you’re ready or not.
It seems to me rather cruel to keep the kid on the show as a larf for a bunch of people that don’t even like the show. As I said before, it isn’t hurting the show at all, sure it’s probably upsetting some of the more gung ho fans (I gave that up a while ago) but the one who could be hurt the most is the kid.
By the way, I am not arguing this for the show or because I think this stuff is ruining the show. It’s a piece of fluff, I know that, I don’t even get involved enough to vote anymore. I am arguing this because I actually really like the kid and I don’t want to see him hurt by this.
Whatever. I’m pretty sure being on prime time TV on one of the highest rated shows on earth has its upside.
What he “was getting into” was a talent contest with a potentially abrasive judge. He couldn’t possibly have foreseen that he’d end up being a pawn for the anti-AI crowd.
Whether or not he has been damaged doesn’t really matter; this campaign against him is still cruel no matter how you try to rationalize it.
He will leave when the script calls for him to. I’m sure he appreciates every dollar of the scale pay he is getting. At least he should be able to afford his SAG dues now.
Potentially abrasive??
What could your point possibly be?
First of all, we’re all presupposing he is. I don’t necessarily believe it. Almost every one of the guys this year is terrible, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the sweet guy with the nice smile gets some kind of vote. Really, I don’t think he’s very good, but I didn’t think Sundance, or Brandon, or any of the others was much better.
For a conspiracy, get back to me when he out-lasts Lakeisha.
Second, your point about what they signed up for. . .a “potentially abrasive” judge. You mean a definitely abrasive judge that will judge your dress, your body, your hair, your attitude, your speaking voice, your dancing, everything. This show has found someone to out-right HUMILIATE every single year. Pickler and her dumbisms. The weird cowboy who went in the ocean with his jeans on, the black brothers who committed crimes. At this point, there is nothing off-limits fro AI, and there’s no one going in who doesn’t know it.
At this point in the game it really doesn’t matter who gets voted off and who gets crowned the winner.
If Melinda gets voted off this week or wins the whole thing it’s not going to make a big difference. She’s already gotten the attention she needs to get a recording contract and there’s probably a dozen labels that would jump on the opportunity to do so.
If Sanjaya gets voted off this week or wins the whole thing it’s not going to make a big difference. I think the winner is entitled to a contract to put out one album or something like that but that doesn’t guarantee success. Whether he wins or not it’s doubtful he’s going to have a career 2 years from now.
Look at contestants like Ruben and Clay Aiken. Ruben won yet Clay seems to be the more successful one. Same for Chris Daughtry. He didn’t win but still has a #1 single. Jennifer Hudson has an Oscar. Where is Fantasia??
It may even be more beneficial for Melinda to get out now so she can start a career and put out an album while she’s “hot”.
My point is that I don’t believe that “reality” TV is as realistic as the producers of it would have you believe.
Sanjaya has a nice smooth voice for both of the notes he can sing.
Leaving aside these questions of authenticity- is it true that these kids get paid? It seems like they would get some kind of stipend, but one of the glories of reality TV is allegedly that you only have to pay the winner, becuase it’s a game show. But is there some kind of appearance fee that everyone gets?
I think you’re right that it doesn’t matter (too terribly much) for the contestants, but I think it matters for the show. If gimmicks like Taylor Hicks, and Lisa Simpson pinups like Sanjaya, keep knocking out performers like Chris Daughtry and Melinda Doolittle, the show could lose a lot of viewers, particular the finales. And in fact, that’s what VFTW’s stated goal is — to punish the producers by hurting the show.
Which is why ratings are at a all time high. As long as it appeals to the young demographic, whether they screw up the voting or not it will continue as a success. At least in terms of ratings. I like the first 3 weeks or so when the crappy singers are on. I would vote for the worst singer competition.