American Idol Season 8

[Ksyrup]

Because I don't like it, of course!

I don't think it's about changing it wholesale, but at least expanding beyond the stereotypical parameters would be a start.

[MizzouRah]

When almost every song my 13 year old downloads has an "explicit" and "clean", it's a sad generation of music, imho. Of course she is only allowed the "clean" version.

Not that I didn't listen to some Easy E and PE in my day.. but I do miss rappers like Run DMC and Eric B and Rakim.

[Ksyrup]

Next week's theme/guest:

Next week, the Top 7 finalists – Kris Allen, Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert and Lil Rounds – take the stage Tuesday, April 14 (8:00-9:01 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) to perform songs of the cinema under the guidance of director Quentin Tarantino in an “Idols at the Movies”-themed performance show.

Tune in the following night Wednesday, April 15 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) to find out if the judges use their save or if America sends another finalist home. Also, Season Three finalist Jennifer Hudson returns to the IDOL stage to perform her new single, “If This Isn’t Love,” and Miley Cyrus will sing “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”

[Sun Tzu]

I want to see what would happen if you locked Quentin Tarantino and Lars Ulrich in a room when they're both in a pissed off mood. Weenies.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wife and I fast forwarded through Flo Rida last night, but we wondered why they bleeped out his speech at the end. I'm assuming he was advertising a site/number to get concert tickets. If you invite a guy to sing, shouldn't you let him get out his advertisement?

[Ksyrup]

Interesting answer here from Scott:

Why Scott doesn’t wear sunglasses like other visually impaired musicians, “I’m glad you asked that, and I’ve never answered this question before, so this is all off the top of my head. I have not had an urge to wear glasses like that. A lot of what I’m trying to do is break barriers and break the perceived notions about blind individuals. The biggest thing I can think of is, you never see how Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles get on stage. Stevie Wonder kind of magically appears there and then the lights dim and he’s gone. I always think: What if someone was in a wheelchair? Would they wheel them out, take them out of their chair, sit them on a sofa, and then turn the lights off and do the same thing when they’re done? You know, I carry my cane around. I can’t always on the show, but if you ever see me in concert, on tour, you’ll most likely see it. It’s been on television all over the place. That’s one thing. I think it helps people to be aware that, Oh, he needs help, and he may need some assistance. I’m not above asking for assistance at any time if I do need it. I think that trying to hide that — wearing the dark shades, not that that’s bad — but that’s what people have come to expect that. They may be a little stand-offish. They may not know how to respond. I think that by me not going that route it’s hopefully bridging the gap between the visually impaired and everyone else and letting them see that it’s just another attribute of me. You know, my hair is dark blonde, my eyes are blue, and I’m visually impaired!”

[Easy Mac]

I have given up hope that the judges are giving actual opinions. Iraheta made my ear-a-hurt-a

[Easy Mac]

I think Adam was trying to air fuck God.

[Easy Mac]

My rankings
Kris
Adam (voice only, he again molested the song)
Anoop
Danny
Matt
Allison
Lil

Actual bottom 3: Anoop, Matt, Lil

[adubroff]

I though that was a very strong night again. This is a talented group, not a real weak sister left. I'm pretty curious how others distinguish, because there wasn't a standout good or bad performance. I liked Allison fairly well. I think she's rounding into form and will be a strong presence late. I thought Anoop was excellent, maybe the best of the night and definitely one of his best. I thought Kris and Matt were uneven, but less uneven than they've been. Either or both are subject to bottom 3 status, and both could go without me really batting an eye. Danny was strong, but boring. Adam was ok but for him ok is awful. He didn't go too far tonight, he just wasn't that great. No danger though. I think Lil was better than she's been and far better than Simon gave her credit for. I think she was more than credible tonight. I'm not sure she's built up enough credit with the audience to ever be safe, but she doesn't deserve to go based on this week.

I'll go on a limb and say Kris goes.

[rowech]

Thought this week was horrible. Bored to tears.

For me, Allison and Adam standout every week above the others.

Second group of Matt, Kris, and Matt all are solid but don't impress me.

Third group of Anoop and Lil aren't in the same class as the other five.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by rowech

Thought this week was horrible. Bored to tears.

For me, Allison and Adam standout every week above the others.

Second group of Matt, Kris, and Matt all are solid but don't impress me.

Third group of Anoop and Lil aren't in the same class as the other five.

I personally think Lil is a clear step below Anoop and should, based on overall performance, go home.

I'm not sure that's how the voters will feel though. Kris hasn't seemed to do as well in the voting as I think he should, so I fear he could be in danger with Randy's idiotic comments.

[Thomkal]

I wonder how much Kris picking a less well-known song will hurt him. It also seemed like he was forgetting/mumbling words at times. I still like him, but wouldn't surprise me to see him go off of that. Matt can go anytime now, I just don't see how he can win at this point. Lil needs to go, she did put more of an original spin on the song this week but she's out of her league at this point. I could see Anoop making Final 3 because he's popular with the fans, but Danny, Allison, and Adam almost seem like a lock for the Final 3 at this point, especially with the judges save still out there.

[Solecismic]

Only two things are supposedly certain in life: death and taxes. And, while someone is probably getting sent home on Tax Day tomorrow (unless it's one of the women, in which case the judges will use the ill-advised save button), we've learned American Idol has produced several new certainties.

One, Matt Giraud will over-sing every note. Two, one of the contestants will be encouraged to sass Simon. Three, Danny will receive more praise than he deserves. Four, someone will mention Allison's age. Five, Adam will perform a song as if he is channeling Mr. Mistoffelees (yes, I had to use Wikipedia to get that spelling correct). And six, I will become annoyed by the continually declining Idol production standards.

So I'm going to use some of this space to, once again, rant about just how badly the producers are running the show this year. This is the top-rated show on television, though it's losing an astonishing 15% of its key demo from last season - a season when everyone watched less television because of the strike. Last week, it ran about ten minutes over, so most people watching did not see Adam Lambert's excellent pimp-spot performance.

This week, they decided to cut out half of the judges' commentary. And still it ran a couple of minutes past the scheduled 9:01. Now this is the round of seven. There are only 14 minutes of singing. How in the world can that not fit into 61 scheduled minutes?

There was even plenty of room for extended commentary from this week's stunt mentor, Quentin Tarantino, who can chew more scenery than Alan Alda at an anti-war convention. But, somehow, it still didn't fit. There were 23-24 minutes of commercials, which gave the show a bit of the feel of CBS' NCAA basketball tournament coverage. All that was missing was Chris Webber calling time out while Lil Rounds put on a little rant of her own about Simon's dislike of her eminently tacky rendition of Bette Midler.

I'm just shocked that Idol, which somewhat works because of the relationship between the contestants and the judges, would arbitrarily limit Simon to commenting on only half of the singers. And Randy didn't even get to say, "yo dawg, you worked it out." I feel cheated. Adding the fourth judge was stupid, but this is an even stupider response. Why not just send Kara to the Caribbean for a few weeks and claim she's drying out from a near-lethal exposure to "chops," something she seems to experience every week?

I thought the singing stunk tonight. Yes, this is a solid group of seven. But problems abounded, and I'm going to be forced to give top billing to a singer I'm completely sick of hearing. And I was already in a bad mood, given my web site has been down all day, and my host provider seems blissfully unconcerned. That, and taxes are due tomorrow.

So, on to a more taxing version of the Solecismic Ratings:

1. Anoop Desai. He's not terribly rangy, but he got off to a nice start with a soft rendition of a Bryan Adams song. It was decent for a change. Not really close to what I'd expect from a top performance, but it will have to suffice for tonight. Score of 80.

2. Kris Allen. He's remarkably consistent in his ability to blend in with the musical scenery. I thought he turned in more of a interpretation and performance than usual, but it had a couple of rough patches. It was not nearly as bad as Randy claimed, and I kind of wish Simon had a chance to chime in. I'm glad he decided against playing his imaginary guitar. Score of 75.

3. Adam Lambert. Simon nailed this one - it was a lot like many of the musical numbers in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was over the top, a prancing and overly feminine parody of a rock anthem. The problem was Adam wasn't really acting in the slightest. He had a total disconnect with the song, and, as a result, took all the life out of "Born to be Wild." Still, he can sing. Score of 73.

4. Danny Gokey. His tone was very nice tonight. I think he mushed the words and struggled badly with the beginning. It was an odd, uncomfortable arrangement of "Endless Love," and I think he lost the meaning of the song with his strange points of emphasis. Score of 71.

5. Matt Giraud. Matt chose to put everything in his considerable library of riffs into just two minutes of a nice and complex, but relatively plain Bryan Adams song. He also chose to murder the melody a few times, with pieces that weren't just a little flat, they were off by a full note or more. There are times I think he's making it up as he goes along. It didn't work tonight. Score of 65.

6. Allison Iraheta. She got a lot of praise tonight. I don't think it was deserved. Part of the problem was a horrendous arrangement of the Aerosmith song she chose. She sounded tired and breathy, and completely out of touch with the song. She lacked control, and should stay away from this type of song entirely. Score of 64.

7. Lil Rounds. Poor Lil. She took on Bette Midler's Rose, and, for reasons I'm not sure even Tarantino understood, she chose to switch to gospel half-way through. The first half was boring, the second half excruciating. And she missed an extraordinary number of notes. She is definitely getting worse every single week. Score of 53.

Expected Bottom Three: Matt, Allison, Anoop.

Who Should Go: Anoop.

Who Will Go: Matt.

[IrishHand]

Just out of curiosity...how do you rate Lil dead last by a notable margin, then have Anoop (rated best) as who "should" go with Matt as who "will" go?

Seems inconsistent...but what do I know?

[Raiders Army]

I thought Kris did a good job tonight.

Did anyone else catch Simon imitating Kara talking to the microphone while she was doing her review (of I think Matt)?

[Solecismic]

The who should go is based on my cumulative ratings for the season (Adam 87, Danny 81, Allison 78, Matt 70, Lil 68, Kris 68, Anoop 61). Anoop would have to win the next two weeks as well not to be the one I want gone.

The who will go is a prediction based on my expectations of the voting. I have not fared well with these this season.

[Thomkal]

I agree with you Jim on the arrangement on Allison's song. I thought it was an adult contemporary version of an Aerosmith song, which is so far removed from the original. It was way too slow for her and didn't have much rock to it.

[MJ4H]

Kris >>>>> danny > adam > allison >>>> anoop >>>>>>>>>>>>> lil >> matt

Easy. I can see moving danny/adam/allison around in the 2-4 spots. The rest I thought were pretty clear.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Kris >>>>> danny > adam > allison >>>> anoop >>>>>>>>>>>>> lil >> matt

Easy. I can see moving danny/adam/allison around in the 2-4 spots. The rest I thought were pretty clear.

Idol threads are not as fun anymore when I agree with you so much .


One thing I realized tonight though..

I'm starting to turn on Danny pretty quickly. Getting very much the "oh, this again" feeling from him that I have with others in the past. Every time he gets up there I know exactly what is going to be - basically the same thing every week. That does not entertain me.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I'm starting to turn on Danny pretty quickly. Getting very much the "oh, this again" feeling

Same here. And I pretty much forget his performance by the time the show is over. Even when he's in the pimp slot...

[Lathum]

Has anyone hear seen Jesus Christ Superstar?

Adam would play a kick ass Judas

[Lathum]

The fact that they only let 2 judges talk was horrible and shows Paula is gone next season. And they still ran over on time!

This was one of the worst episodes of Idol ever. It was beyond boring, can someone please sing an upbeat song and take a chance please.

It was an hour long snooze fest of poorly sung ballads.

And WTF was Lil thinking singing The Rose. There are some songs you don't do and thats one of them.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by adubroff

I though that was a very strong night again. .

are we watching the same show?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Has anyone hear seen Jesus Christ Superstar?

Adam would play a kick ass Judas

Yup. I still predict that is where he ends up (maybe one hit on the charts, then acting gigs on Broadway and possibily television).

[GrantDawg]

This week I almost totally agreed with Jim (for a change). Anoop did by far his best job of the season, but still has absolutely no chance of winning.

My only change from Jim's rankings would be to put Matt at the bottom.

[Danny]

I think it was an overall strong week.

I enjoyed Danny, but he is kind of the same each week yeah. Still I'd buy his album.

I thought Anoop sang his song very well and I liked him.

I really enjoyed Kris, although I wish he had not gone for the high note at the end again.

Allison was really good in the second half of the song, but the first half was too slow with not enough energy put into it

I didn't care for Matt this week. And Lil can go home

Finally, I really enjoyed Adam's performance actually and I have for the past four weeks now after not initially being a big fan.

Overall, I actually like 6 of the remaining contestants (all but Lil), so for me this a strong season.

[Danny]

So my overall rankings for the week after re-listening to a few performances

Kris

Danny (2-4 is pretty interchangeable today)
Adam
Anoop

Allison
Matt
Lil

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Yup. I still predict that is where he ends up (maybe one hit on the charts, then acting gigs on Broadway and possibily television).

Definitely.

Adam Lambert Was on the Short List for The Broadway Production of Spiderman


It looks like Adam Lambert is going to have a busy career once Idol is over, whether he wins or not.

According to MTV (read article HERE), Adam was in consideration for the lead role in the upcoming Broadway production of Spiderman, according to casting director Bernie Telsey.

Telsey says he’d gladly consider Adam for “a bunch of shows,” especially now that he has national name recognition.

[Ksyrup]

I have to say, I love Adam's singing. Not just his vocals, because he's long since proven he's the best vocalist on AI ever (even better than Doolittle), but I love his performances, too. Last night he had me hoping that before this season ends, he'll come out in full Geoff Tate circa 1986 regalia and do a split-screen version of Screaming In Digital. I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, because he'll go too far on this show and has too much invested in the stage for him to "come to the dark side," but that's really where he belongs. We need more vocalists like him in metal.

I'm surprised by all the Kris Allen love. I thought the first half of that song was terrible. He proved exactly what Simon has been saying about him - no confidence, lack of star quality. He mumbled through the first part of the song, and at one point, a single back-up singer overshadowed his vocal. He ended better, but I was not impressed. I agreed with Randy that it wasn't good.

I missed Simon's comments about Lil because we had 2 things recording at 9pm and the TV automatically switched on us, but it sounds like he didn't like it and she talked back to him? Awesome. She needs to go. I thought she was terrible. I am shocked that AI so completely whiffed on this season's choice for African-American R&B singer. Only reason she's stuck around so long is because she's getting that demographic vote - this is kinda like the reverse of the Fantasia/Jennifeer Hudson/Whatshername year, when everyone was crying racism because those 3 fell into the bottom 3 on the top 5 show and Hudson got sent home. No, it wasn't racism, it's just that they all 3 split the vote. This year, Lil's got it all to herself. And check out DialIdol to see what that means. But she sucks, big time. She can't hold a note in tune, she always trails her phrases off flat, she does the R&B singer thing like a pale imitation of somebody/everybody each performance.

If she doesn't go, I think Kris or Matt should go. Neither of them have a chance, ultimately, anyway. Anoop, too, but I thought he was fairly good tonight.

[Danny]

Have you heard the original of Kris' song? I thought he did very well giving a really good song more relevance.

[Ksyrup]

No, never heard it. If a really good song is irrelevant, how can it be good to begin with? Relevancy on this show just means "changed so that kids who listen to the radio might want to buy it," and since I don't really care about that kind of stuff, I'm not sure relevancy is, um, relevant to me.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No, never heard it. If a really good song is irrelevant, how can it be good to begin with? Relevancy on this show just means "changed so that kids who listen to the radio might want to buy it," and since I don't really care about that kind of stuff, I'm not sure relevancy is, um, relevant to me.

By relevant I meant putting his own style on it. Some of the best things about this year's contestants is you know who they are. If you randomly heard a Danny, Adam, or Kris Song you would know it was them instantly. That is probably true (though Adam and Danny the most) with everyone left outside of Lil actually.

[Ksyrup]

That may be. I've never heard the original so I don't know how he changed it up.

[Danny]

I just checked Dialidol and wow

[Danny]

If it turns out that way I hope the judges use their save.

[Ksyrup]

Doesn't really surprise me, except where Lil is. But then again...producers have been pimping her all season, she hasn't lived up to it, so they gave her the pimp spot, which always seems to work wonders. I bet it also helped her that her comments to Simon may not have been seen by everyone. Allison wasn't great, but she went first, so she slipped a little, and Matt/Kris are pretty much bottom 3 fodder from here on out, I think.

[Danny]

Can't believe Lil is above Adam though. I guess I can understand Kris being low since he did pick an unknown song.

[CleBrownsfan]

Is there a way to watch last nights show? One link I clicked I had to fill out a survey and figured it wasn't the "offical" AI link....

nevermind - I found it

[wade moore]

I know I'm in the minority on this board, but I really like Kris. I hope that he lasts a little while longer as I think he is better than Lil/Matt/Anoop.

That being said, I don't see any way that the final two is anything other than a combo of Adam/Danny/Allison.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I know I'm in the minority on this board, but I really like Kris. I hope that he lasts a little while longer as I think he is better than Lil/Matt/Anoop.

That being said, I don't see any way that the final two is anything other than a combo of Adam/Danny/Allison.

I would agree with that. I don't particularly like Kris, but he's definitely better than Lil and Matt (he's likeable, but I don't get the appeal, personally), and while I think Anoop is a good singer, he just doesn't have any kind of star quality/demographic appeal that makes him a contender at all.

I also think that tonight and the next 3 weeks, we're just arranging the order of exit for Kris, Lil, Anoop, and Matt. It's possible Adam could make a "planned exit" as has been rumored that Daughtry did, but we'll see.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

So I'm going to use some of this space to, once again, rant about just how badly the producers are running the show this year. This is the top-rated show on television, though it's losing an astonishing 15% of its key demo from last season - a season when everyone watched less television because of the strike. Last week, it ran about ten minutes over, so most people watching did not see Adam Lambert's excellent pimp-spot performance.

Totally agree with this. It's hard to believe the producers had any plan for implementing a fourth judge given the trainwreck this season is turning out to be. Not even the foresight to downsize gracefully from 120 minute shows, to 90 minutes, down to the manageable 60 minute shows, like Dancing With the Stars has perfected? And there's no way anyone could make me believe they planned to have a week when the star judge, Simon, doesn't even get to critique half the performers. If Nigel Lythgoe left the show on somewhat bad terms (and I have no idea if that's true or not), then he's got to be chuckling about the debacle this season has been, in terms of production.

The other thing I'd point out is how bad the band has been up to now. Before, they were operating on a skeleton crew that helped to make the vocalists sound like karaoke; then last night, they did things like destroy my eardrums at the end of Allison's songs by apparently putting 42 mics on the cymbals, and having the backing vocalists overpower Kris Allen nearly all the way through his song. And then there's the arrangements they foist on some of these people. Hard to suggest they are trying to help some of the more aimless/clueless, who just know how to sing but can't do much else.

I'll be shocked if they don't can Kara (the obligatory "she's in such demand that her schedule won't allow her to be around next season") and don't do something to tighten up the production (maybe bringing in someone who has a clue).

[rjolley]

I'd like to see some changes next season. They should have a week where the judges choose the song and the contests have to sing their version of it. Also, to get away from the "you chose the wrong song" comment they use so much, have the judges pick 3 songs for the contestants to pick from for a few weeks so we're judging them on how the judges think they should be marketed.

[RedKingGold]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I know I'm in the minority on this board, but I really like Kris. I hope that he lasts a little while longer as I think he is better than Lil/Matt/Anoop.

That being said, I don't see any way that the final two is anything other than a combo of Adam/Danny/Allison.

I get the feeling Kris might stay around longer than people think (like top 3 or even top 2).

Apparently the teeny-boppers love him. Has he even been in the bottom three yet this year?

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Mustang

The 'save' will be used in week 7 no matter who is voted off.

I still stand by my prediction..

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'll be shocked if they don't can Kara (the obligatory "she's in such demand that her schedule won't allow her to be around next season") and don't do something to tighten up the production (maybe bringing in someone who has a clue).

I like the old Paula that would throw out comments like 'you look nice, that was nice, everything was nice'. But now with Kara on the show, there seems to be this oneupswomanship critique that is going on between her and Kara. I swear all of Paula's comments are scripted before the person even sings. I would not be surprised if 10-15% of the show's actual content was Kara and Paula talking.

[MJ4H]

I personally wouldn't want to remove song choice as a potential criticism.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I personally wouldn't want to remove song choice as a potential criticism.

I have no problem with criticizing song choice, but the reality is, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes that affects song choice. As some previous contestants have suggested (and a couple of people this year seemed to allude to), the song choices are very limited and there appears to be an element of "drawing straws" to the process that makes it very unfair for the critique to be hinged on wrong song choice. There have been comments/allegations that they are given 3 producer-chosen songs and sometimes, they don't even get to pick which one of those they get to sing, if someone else gets it or the producers choose otherwise.

So, in that context, "wrong song choice" as a criticism is almost entirely invalid. Perhaps, failing to make the song your own or so other criticism that goes to the arrangement is more valid, but outside of a couple of people each season (Adam, Blake, Daughtry, Doolittle, Cook, etc.), I don't get the feeling most of these people really understand much about arrangements and leave it up to Ricky Minor or their advisors, aside from maybe some generic "I'd like to do it with this kind of vibe" input.

[Ksyrup]

I know we mentioned it earlier in this thread, but the Rockstar show was so much better in this regard. Not only were they upfront about having a limited number of songs, but we saw them fight/barter over song choice and then watched them rehearse, so we could get a feel for who had a vision for how they wantted it arranged, and who the band was doing all the work for. And the main criticism they'd get for song choice on that show was not fighting for the songs they wanted and taking something that didn't fit them, or arranging it poorly.

[IrishHand]

The impression I've gotten from ex-Idols is that Idols get to pick three songs from a relatively short list and then submit their choices to producers, who then decide which of the three they will actually sing.

Originally Posted by Mustang

I swear all of Paula's comments are scripted before the person even sings.

The only way she's capable of putting together a coherent sentence is to break open the fortune cookie before the performance, memorize the one-liner during the commercial break, then try not to forget it while she's doing her high-school dance during the actual performance (not like she was a top choreographer in the 80s or anything).

In all seriousness...I can't remember the last time Paula contributed anything of value. So saying...my impression from the Idol fanboards is that Kara is despised by a sizeable portion of the fan base while Paula remains quite popular (generally right behind Simon in unscientific voting). Useless though she may be (objectively), it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Kara decided to move on to other things (code for "why don't you go ahead and quit"). Clearly, their production team isn't capable of handling four judges, nor is it a good idea anyway.