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Author Topic: American Idol
jeniwren
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Really? Who do you think should have won, Brinestone?

I only caught bits and peices last night. It looked like a better finale than last year's, which felt over-inflated with a bunch of stuff that wasn't remotely entertaining. The parts I caught were mostly entertaining, including the silly awards. Though I thought the duet with Meatloaf and Katharine was just strange. It illustrated to me that she really needs to do musical theater, not pop.

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Kristen
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quote:
I'm such a Taylor (grey hair) fan. Anyone who plays a blues harmonica rendition at his audition is cool by me.
My first post in the thread (besides the header). [Big Grin] I am totally pleased with the outcome of this season, although Taylor's single is just awful. Once he actually releases a cd in which he has input, I am going to buy it though.
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Narnia
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As far as Taylor winning, I'm ok with that. He was consitently good. I'm not a fan of the soul style, but he has lots of talent and there wasn't a week when he didn't do well. He put everything on the line and danced like a maniac every time. He's a real showman (though I don't much like his dancing either. [Smile] ) and I have to admire and respect him. He will sell albums, and concert tickets. He'll be a success and that's the whole point.

While I'm completely loyal to Katharine (cause I think she's great), I think it was clear that she should not have been in the final two. Yikes!! If there were to be a girl in the final two I might have picked....Mandisa. Paris. Even Lisa knocked my socks off last night. She has a lovely talent and all three of those ladies are equal to or better than Kat. Paris and Mandisa are much more comfortable on stage....anyway, blah blah. [Smile]

quote:
Though I thought the duet with Meatloaf and Katharine was just strange. It illustrated to me that she really needs to do musical theater, not pop.
It illustrated to me that Meatloaf shouldn't be singing anymore at ALL! He can't carry a tune in a bucket in his old age and they left Katharine singing the harmony part with him on a lousy, flat, lousy melody. There was nothing Kat could do to make herself look good during that duet. Poor thing.
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James Tiberius Kirk
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"Sooooouuuuuuuuul Patroooooooooooool!"? Am I thhe only one who thought of Braveheart?

I was surprised-- it actually held my attention for two hours.

--j_k

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Jon Boy
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On a related note, Narnia, I much preferred Elliott's rendition of "One" to Mary J. Blige's.
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SC Carver
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Thought both of them missed the introversion of Bono's version. And as a huge U2 fan I couldn't stand it, but I thought most of the duets sucked.

I thought Talyor and Katherine both showed they desevered to be in the finals. They both seems much more "on" when singing than the others.

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Synesthesia
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I'm happy Taylor won. I like him.
But I really hate medleys.

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Elizabeth
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SC,
What it made me think was, "what a poor showing for American Idol this year."
I love Taylor, but I tend to agree with Simon that he basically a good bar singer.
I was disappointed by Mandisa, my heroine of the season.
All in all, I was bored this year.

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Farmgirl
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*pain* *agony*

I watched the 2007 Seattle try-outs last night

*pain* *agony*

Tell me when it is down to the top 24 of something, and maybe I can stand to watch it again. I hate seeing people embarrass themselves.

FG

(I didn't find a new thread for 2007, so my apologies is there is one)

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Shmuel
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The Top 24 is scheduled to get underway on February 20th.

I'm enjoying it so far, even the cringe-worthy bits. (There was a point in the final performance last night where I was looking at the screen from between my fingers, it was so bad, but I was simultaneously thanking the producers for letting it stretch on. There is a sublime quality to the truly awful.)

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Synesthesia
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I feel rather band for the people who go up there open their mouths and sound like they are tormenting cats.
Especially that one dude singing Unchained Melody or something, causing me to yell OH NO, NOT THAT SONG! NO!

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Brinestone
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I just realized that I never answered jeniwren last year. I think Chris or Katharine should have won.
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Fitz
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Everyone around me says watch this show in the early stages, because it's so funny. Granted, people making fools of themselves is amusing for a few minutes, but is it really necessary to have 4 hours of it in one week?

I watched on Wednesday, and I've watched a couple of these early episodes from past years as well, and I've noticed a sharp decline in the amount of singers who are good enough to make it actually getting any air time. I think they should have more of a 50/50 split between the good and the bad, as they have in past years.

Also, what a scam this whole thing is. I remember an episode from one or two years ago where they showed that they have a pre-screening process for who actually gets in to audition. Obviously they're allowing bad singers in for the entertainment value, but then you get the judges moaning about how they're so sick of these people auditioning. Like hell they are. It's all calculated, but I guess the producers know what they're doing, as so many people seem to enjoy it. Myself, I can't watch more than half an episode a year of these early stages.

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jeniwren
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I thought the Seattle auditions were more entertaining than the ones from Minneapolis. I was cringing at those...but maybe it's because I live here and feel it's a fair sampling of the weirder side of our region. It didn't make me cringe because I have known too many people just like them. I especially liked the software engineer from Utah...you just can't write a character to be as purely geeky as that guy. I bet he's a great programmer. [Smile]

I also thought that Simon, Randy and Paula were much kinder to the Seattle auditioners than the ones in Minn. I thought they were especially kind to the seriously attractive-challenged mom and daughter twin set. And that girl from Snohomish who needed to lose 100lbs and the pink body suit...that was just weird. They were much nicer to them. It's one thing to see people embarrass themselves...it's another to see them taunted cruelly. I found the Minn auditions more unwatchable for that.

I think it's funny that Seattle was ranked one of the most fit cities in the country because it sure didn't show in the American Idol auditions.

Ruth, I liked Taylor, but in retrospect, I think Chris should have won. I got Taylor's CD for Christmas and still haven't listened to it...which probably says something.

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Morta
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It does seem like they are making an effort to only show the bad. I do like to see the gems among the others though. I absolutely love the kid with the big, floppy hair (sorry I don't remember his name, to much hotness last night, I think) and his sister. They were both adorable and sang really well.
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Geraine
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When I watched the brother and sister whos father is from India audition, American Dreamz popped into mind. They reminded me so much of Omar's two cousins. The sister was hot [Smile] (Dont tell my wife I said that)

(For those of you that havent seem American Dreamz, its a satire of American Idol, in which Omar, a muslim contestant, is recruited to make it to the finals and then blow himself and the president up. Its quite a funny film, although Im glad I just rented it)

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Shmuel
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Quoth Fitz:
quote:
I watched on Wednesday, and I've watched a couple of these early episodes from past years as well, and I've noticed a sharp decline in the amount of singers who are good enough to make it actually getting any air time. I think they should have more of a 50/50 split between the good and the bad, as they have in past years.
They work with what they've got. I've been watching it since the first episode, and the number of singers put through in Minneapolis and Seattle this time around was below average. I'm hoping the good singers show up in their later stops.

With that said, there has never been anything close to a 50/50 split between the good and the bad. I think you may be romanticizing the past a bit. The first phase of Idol has always been all about the trainwrecks, with the occasional good one left in to spice things up.

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Fitz
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Well, like I said, I speak from the somewhat limited perspective of only watching a couple episodes a year. My recall (not romanticizing, I don't think I care enough about the show to go that far) is that I saw a lot more good singers in the past. You're right, it was probably never 50/50. After I stopped watching yesterday, I periodically flipped back, and not once did I happen upon anything other than an embarrassment. Maybe, as you say, it's mostly a case of a lack of talent in those cities this year.
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Perplexity'sDaughter
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I'm not really a big fan of American Idol;last season I tuned in-literally- just in time to watch them announce the winner and that was it.

I do like to watch the auditions though. I hate to admit it, but my favorite part is watching the horrible singers. Does that make me evil?

Eh, anywho, they're showing the auditions from Memphis next week and I'm pretty excited, since I might see someone I know;Memphis is a 30 minute drive from where I live.

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Seatarsprayan
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I never watched American Idol before, but I watched most of So You Think You Can Dance, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I hated it. I felt bad for all those crazy people they make fun of, and Randy was needlessly cruel, much worse than Simon. I was expecting Simon to be worse after all I heard.

I missed the early auditions for SYTYCD season 1, and I didn't like a lot of the ones from season 2, but this seemed much, much, much worse. Much more mean.

I won't say it wasn't fascinating, because it was, in a sociological sense, but it wasn't entertainment. I set Tivo to just record Tuesday instead of setting a season pass, so I didn't record Wednesday's show. I was actually glad about that.

I'll check in again when they go to Hollywood. Sadism isn't fun for me, and that's not just what it is but what they're *trying* to do.

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Farmgirl
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I really got into season 2 and season 4, but not the other seasons of Idol.

Definately I think SOME of the bad acts are "plants" -- these people either aren't for real, or wouldn't make it through the pre-screening process, and the fact that they are putting them on for air time is just stupid. The "amish" guy was most likely a network plant.

That said, I also really like the brother/sister, that both made it. But it makes me sad that they will be competing against each other; they seem so close and I hope the competition doesn't sour their sibling closeness. They should just go off on their own as a duo.

FG

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Lupus
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I've never really thought Simon was all that mean. He is blunt...but sometimes people need that. If people start arguing back, then he can get nasty...but many times Simon says what many people think, but are to nice to say.

As for the auditions, the prescreeners generally only let through those who are very good or those who are very bad. And lets face it, there are more truly terrible singers than there are really great ones. I've knew a couple of people who tried out who were pretty good singers (but not amazing) who did not make it to see the judges.

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Shmuel
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quote:
Originally posted by Farmgirl:
Definately I think SOME of the bad acts are "plants" -- these people either aren't for real, or wouldn't make it through the pre-screening process, and the fact that they are putting them on for air time is just stupid. The "amish" guy was most likely a network plant.

A pleasant notion, perhaps, but I have more faith in the human capacity for self-delusion and depths of awfulness. One of the more notorious season 2 rejects sometimes sings at a local karaoke place, and I can assure you that he's quite real. There's no need for network plants when people are lining up to help.

(There is a known case of a radio station sending somebody in as a stunt, in season 3. Simon voiced his suspicions at the time and turned out to be right. No indication of collusion, though.)

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Elizabeth
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I'm with Farmgirl.
I think they are plants. There are probably a lot more mediocre people than anything else.

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Shmuel
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The other problem with the "plant" theory is that one needs to assume that the inevitable followup articles in local papers are in on the conspiracy.
quote:
Originally posted by Farmgirl:
The "amish" guy was most likely a network plant.

That may come as a shock to his fiancé...

There's an interview with him from a local morning show here; currently it's the second post down. (He's not actually Amish, though it's his nickname and he identifies with the lifestyle.) It's entertaining; I'd go listen.

...and of course there are more mediocre people than anybody else. As Lupus said, there's never been any secret made of the fact that the pre-screeners select the very best and the very worst to bring before the judges from the thousands of people who show up in each city. Mediocrity isn't nearly as much fun to watch.

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Farmgirl
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Wow - thanks for the links Shmuel.

So do some people really know how bad they are and are just wanting their "15 minutes of fame" anyway?

FG

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Shmuel
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quote:
Originally posted by Farmgirl:
So do some people really know how bad they are and are just wanting their "15 minutes of fame" anyway?

This would not surprise me. [Smile]
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Elizabeth
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Yes, FG.
In fact, I think it is more likely than the plant theory, but then that just makes the American Idol people look really dumb in my eyes.

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