American Idol Season 8 - Page 17

MJ4H · 05-07-2009, 11:14 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if Kris is way more popular than people think, myself. I'm sure teenaged girls think he's a dreamboat. I still think popularity-wise, it is Adam, Danny, Kris at this point, though. I personally like Danny better though and hope he wins just on personal preference.

wade moore · 05-07-2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I wouldn't be surprised if Kris is way more popular than people think, myself. I'm sure teenaged girls think he's a dreamboat. I still think popularity-wise, it is Adam, Danny, Kris at this point, though. I personally like Danny better though and hope he wins just on personal preference.

I think Kris is closer to the pack than most people on here think as well. I think that with a good Kris performance and a mediocre Danny performance that it could be a Kris/Adam final.

Danny · 05-07-2009, 11:42 AM

I think the finals will be Adam vs Danny/Kris as Danny and Kris share some of the same voting blocks. In the finals I think Danny will beat Kris as he picks up most of those votes.

mh2365 · 05-07-2009, 12:53 PM

Slash should of beaten Danny to death with his guitar on stage for putting freaking runs into Schools Out ... geez what a douche

IrishHand · 05-07-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

KSyrup's post is why I kept my response to IrishHand short and sweet.

Some do speculate that there are shenanigans (we've fought about it here before), but to say, "Idol has been pretty clear/consistent that "bottom 3" is a theatrical/entertainment distinction, not the three people who received the fewest number of votes." is just false.

Perhaps I worded that too strongly - but the fact remains that Idol has NEVER said that the bottom 3 are the three people who received the fewest number of votes. Most similar shows (DTWS, for instance) explicitly admit that the bottom 3 are NOT the three people who received the fewest number of votes. Idol remains calculatingly silent on the issue. Seacrest studiously avoids mentioning votes except when discussing the one person being voted off.

There are significant and legitimate reasons that they would want to "play" with the bottom 3 to increase suspense and viewership. There are no countervailing reasons for playing it straight and parading out the 3 people with the fewest votes. Legally, they can certainly do what they want - their disclaimer has the normal "portions of this show not affecting the outcome have been edited". The sole weekly outcome is who goes home. *shrug*

Quote:

For the record - I believe the bottom 3 are the bottom 3 vote getters.

For the reasons noted above, I think it's irrational to believe that the bottom 3 are the bottom 3 vote getters. So saying, Lythgoe basically agrees with you (recent interview):

Quote:

Adam may not have been one of the Bottom 2, says the show's former producer. "They wouldn't lie about it; they're always honest with you," says Nigel Lythgoe, previously the executive producer for the first seven seasons of "Idol" and currently the executive producer and a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance." That being said, it doesn't mean the show won't take some liberty with the order that the other two low-vote receiving contestants are told to sit down, he says.

After the votes are collected and tabulated by AT&T and the show's survey firm, Telescope, "all we're told at the end of the day is, 'Here are the Bottom 3,' " he says. "And we make whatever we can out of that and turn it into a show."

...

Since "Idol" never specifically states who the second- and third-lowest vote getters are, any conclusions that the audience draws from the order that they're sent to the safe stand is purely "up to the public at home."

If you accept, as I do, that offshore betting odds are the most truthful odds out there, then there is basically no chance that Lambert was bottom 3 last week. The iTunes sales result reinforce that.

Or maybe I'm wrong - maybe Idol voters aren't as "brand-loyal" as one would think, maybe they do change their votes on a weekly basis and the bottom 3 is legit. *shrug* I just know that if I were running the most popular show on TV, I'd do everything in my power to make the story as compelling as possible - and a legit bottom 3 doesn't do that unless the weekly voting really is quite erratic.

MJ4H · 05-07-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishHand

but the fact remains that Idol has NEVER said that the bottom 3 are the three people who received the fewest number of votes.

bzzt

ADAM REALLY WAS IN THE BOTTOM 3 - New York Post

IrishHand · 05-07-2009, 01:30 PM

Ex-producer =/= American Idol, but point taken (and quoted in my own post above).

mh2365 · 05-07-2009, 04:35 PM

Last night Ryan said before announcing that the three that were safe were in no particular order ... made a point of saying it ... so all we really know is that Allison go the lowest # of votes ...

MJ4H · 05-07-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishHand

Ex-producer =/= American Idol, but point taken (and quoted in my own post above).

I apologize, I missed that part of your post.

Mustang · 05-07-2009, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mh2365

Last night Ryan said before announcing that the three that were safe were in no particular order ... made a point of saying it ... so all we really know is that Allison go the lowest # of votes ...

People believe what they want. He could have sung a song about how everything was random, put up banners saying everything was random and had Obama create a message about how everything was random and the next day you'd still have people saying.. "WOW, DANNY WAS IN THE BOTTOM 2!!!!!"

Ksyrup · 05-07-2009, 05:33 PM

Last night was a rare occasion, and they only reason they were so clear is because they didn't separate them into safe and bottom 2/3 (or other divisions they've made over the years), they just started naming who was safe from the beginning. Danny could have been the top vote-getter for all we know. But they don't usually do that - when Adam was bottom 2, they were purposely vague about it and let everyone believe he was actually 4th.

wade moore · 05-07-2009, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IrishHand

For the reasons noted above, I think it's irrational to believe that the bottom 3 are the bottom 3 vote getters. So saying, Lythgoe basically agrees with you (recent interview):

Did you read what you quoted?

He just says you can't make any assumptions about of the bottom three, who is 2nd from last and who is 3rd from last.

IrishHand · 05-07-2009, 06:03 PM

Yes - my impression was that Lythgoe's basic statement (that the bottom 3 are legit) concurred with your belief, as expressed in an earlier post, that the bottom 3 are legit.

Am I missing something?

IrishHand · 05-07-2009, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I apologize, I missed that part of your post.

An acknowledged danger of my sometimes overlong posts.

wade moore · 05-08-2009, 04:31 AM

I think I skimmed past as MJ4H did

.

Ksyrup · 05-11-2009, 07:31 AM

Judges' pick song spoilers:

Spoiler

Ksyrup · 05-12-2009, 08:06 AM

Danny is getting a ton of bad press over his aborted attempt to sing Billie Jean at his homecoming last week. The YT video is making the rounds at breakneck speed. Coming on the heels of the Aerosmith debacle, he's coming off as a clown right now. It would be horrible for AI if this guy wins, as he is becoming more and more like the Taylor Hicks cartoon character. I even read two separate instances where he was compared to Sanjaya.

Here's the video:

Mizzou B-ball fan · 05-12-2009, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It would be horrible for AI if this guy wins, as he is becoming more and more like the Taylor Hicks cartoon character. I even read two separate instances where he was compared to Sanjaya.

Is there anyone who thinks that Danny or the girl even has a chance to win this. I think this is little more than the Adam Victory Tour at this point.

Mustang · 05-12-2009, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Is there anyone who thinks that Danny or the girl even has a chance to win this.

Kinda harsh on Kris aren't ya?

Mizzou B-ball fan · 05-12-2009, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang

Kinda harsh on Kris aren't ya?

LOL.....sorry. I didn't watch last week and assumed the other contestant had made it through. That's what I get for being a casual viewer this season.

wade moore · 05-12-2009, 09:00 AM

Personally, I think Kris has a better chance than Danny at this point.

Ksyrup · 05-12-2009, 10:48 AM

This is an incredibly in-depth and interesting article that discusses how much sway the producers' decisions have in determining who advances on AI, based on the number of promo pieces and face time eventual contestants get. It's long as hell, but the meaty parts are worth it:

Editorials and Articles Archive - WhatNotToSing.com - The American Idol Internet Database

Indecent Exposure

Ever wonder why the producers don't show the backstory of every semifinalist?

10 May 2009

Hello, dear. I'm Mildred, the Head Nurse here at Fox Sanitorium. So kind of you to visit. I know they'll be very happy to see you...that is, they would if we didn't have them pumped full of enough sedatives to kill a rhinoceros. We got them from Paula.

All three were brought in last night. We received a 911 call from the cleaning lady at the WhatNotToSing.com office. She said she found them on the floor of the conference room, in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. The youngest one had a piece of paper in her hand with some sort of colorful chart on it, but we're not sure what it means. It's a real medical mystery. The toxicology reports came back negative, and no one else in the building was sickened. We even ruled out Swine Flu – well, sort of. When we said the word "swine", one of them opened one eye and gasped, "Simon?".

Hmm? Oh, yes, it would be great if you could help us diagnose what's ailing them! That way we can give them the best possible treatment. Here's all of the evidence that we've been able to piece together so far.

See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me

A few months ago, WNTS asked its readers for help in determining the exact level of pre-semifinals exposure of every contestant on American Idol. They said it was part of a study on, um, an idle matrix. What's that? Idolmetrics? Such a funny word! But yes, I believe you're right. Anyway, most Idol fans have long believed that the more early exposure a contestant is given, the more likely they are to survive deep into the competition. Those poor What-Notters wanted to see if the conventional wisdom was true and, if so, exactly how much of a benefit this promotion was worth.

Unfortunately, gathering the data turned out to be a little more difficult than they anticipated. No dear, Season One wasn't much of a problem at all. Their researchers, particularly a Mr. Ian, did a phenomenal job digging up the original audition and Hollywood shows from 2002. But, Season Two and parts of Season Three were very troublesome. Some live-blog transcripts of their early shows can be still found on the Internet, but they didn't always jive for one reason or another. Plus, by now the producers had added all sorts of additional footage to their Idol Rewind episodes, like LaToya London's audition. Sadly, WNTS's people couldn't even agree on the original exposure levels of the likes of Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, much less many of the one-and-done semifinalists.

In the end, they collected reliable information on 192 of the 230 semifinalists to date. They felt that this was enough to proceed. They began by distributing the contestants into five groups, based on how much screen time he or she was given prior to the semifinals:

None – The semifinal performance was the first time (for all intents and purposes) anyone heard the contestant sing. Examples include Kelly Clarkson and Jason Castro
Minimal – The contestant was heard singing only briefly, such as a snippet of an audition or as part of a group performance in Hollywood. Examples: Bo Bice, Elliott Yamin
Hollywood – The contestant's first significant airtime came in Hollywood or immediately after (e.g., AI3's "Best Of The Rest" episode.) This was the smallest of the five groups, which included Jessica Sierra and David Hernandez
Audition – The contestant's audition was aired in full, plus perhaps a brief on-site interview with Ryan Seacrest. This was the largest group, whose members include past champs Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and David Cook
Promo – The contestant was the subject of an in-depth promotional / backstory segment that aired in addition to his or her audition. I hear that some of you Idol fans refer to them as "pimp pieces". Fantasia Barrino and Carrie Underwood are in this group, along with Chris Daughtry, David Archuleta, and, ahem, most of the Season Eight finalists.

As it turned out, the first three groups were too small to work with, so the WNTS people combined them into a supergroup called "Late/None". That gave them three comparable-sized sample sets: those contestants whose backstories had been promoted heavily, those who'd only had their audition featured, and those whose first exposure to America came very late, if at all.

I've Just Seen A Face I Can't Forget...

We've learned that the actual study was performed in two parts. The first was a standard Isolation Of Variables exercise, similar to what they'd done several months earlier for factors like sex, age, hometown region, and ethnicity.
It took our patients very little time to determine that, on the surface at least, the conventional wisdom was right. Here's a graph we found taped to their conference room wall.

Figure 1: The number of contestants in each of the three groups, and the number of episode appearances they made. Data is through the AI8 Final Four
As you see, the 56 contestants who'd been given big promotional segments made a total of 375 appearances on the show, which works out to a mean of 6.7 episodes per singer. If those nice Idol producers pimp you in January, and if the semifinals start in mid-February as usual, you're a huge favorite to last into at least April. The 70 contestants who had audition-only exposure lasted 4.3 weeks on average, and the Late/None group lasted just 2.6 episodes. Blink and you might miss them.

Next, the WNTS people looked at the approval ratings of each group. After all, if the producers are promoting a contestant heavily, it's surely because he or she is going to be really terrific, right? Well, it turns out that the pimped contestants' performances are the most liked...but something really strange turned up too...

Figure 2: Approval ratings and elimination rates for each of the three study groups. Though promoted and unknown contestants have comparable ratings, members of the latter group are dismissed far more rapidly.

Isn't that funny? The Promo group has the highest average rating at 51.8, but the Last/None group is less than a point behind at 51.0. The Audition group is miles behind both. Yet, the 'unknown' contestants go home one-and-a-half times as fast as the Auditioners, and over two-and-a-half times that of the Promos! The Idol producers and judges often assert in interviews that early exposure is grossly overrated, and that all that matters on their show is how well a contestant sings. Well, I'm no math expert, but based on these results I'd have to say that those folks are, in medical terms, distended with fecal matter.

Finally, the WNTS team looked at how exposure, even after taking approval ratings into account, affects a person's survival chances in any given week. They did this with their earlier Idolmetric studies too, and here's a recap of what they found.

Male contestants are 4.2% more likely to advance to the next round than female contestants, given performances of equivalent approval ratings.
Northeast contestants are 5.4% less likely to advance than contestants from other regions
White contestants are 5.8% more likely to advance than black ones, and 9.2% than those from smaller ethnic or racial groups.
The age of a contestant makes no significant difference.

Those percentages might not seem very large, but bear in mind that they're on a per-week basis. Over the course of a 12- to 14-week competition, they add up tremendously. So what effect does early exposure have on the survival rate? Dear, perhaps you'd better sit down.

Promotional Piece contestants are, on average, 20.2% more likely to advance each and every week than those in the Late/No Exposure group, given comparable performances. Similarly, Audition-only contestants are 14.0% more likely to advance each week than those who did not have their audition aired.

Good heavens, dear, are you okay? You suddenly turned rather pale. Deep breaths, slowly now: in-out-in-out. Feeling better? Yes, those results are staggering, aren't they? Everyone always assumed that promoted candidates had an edge, but I doubt that many people expected it to be that cavernous. Kelly Clarkson is the only winner to come out of the Late/None group, and it appears she'll have that distinction to herself for a very, very long time.

Which of those two charts was the one that made your friends so ill? Well, actually, neither. That didn't happen until the second part of the study.

Forever In My Heart

The WNTS people were left reeling by that 20.2% figure, but they held out hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Perhaps the effects of early promotion wore off over time. It may be that the if the producers pimped you heavily, all it meant was that you were far more likely to make it from the semifinals to the finals, at which point contestants might begin to advance and fail on their own merits, not on their backstories.

Our doctors aren't quite sure what happened next. All we have is this chart, which our hapless victims were apparently studying when they collapsed.

You think you know what it means? Splendid! Oh, they calculated what percentage of each group was still alive in the competition after each of the first nine rounds? So that means after singing one time, 89% of the Promo group had advanced, compared to only 61% of the Audition ones, and less than half of the Late/Nones. Yes, I get it now.

I think this means that just six Promoted contestants have ever gone out in the first round: AI3's Jonah Moananu, Briana Ramirez-Rial, Jesus Roman, and Noel Roman; and AI8's Kai Kalama and Nick Mitchell. And, half of those were in the third season's infamous second semifinal group, the episode with the lowest average approval rating ever.

Let's see, after five rounds...heavens, am I reading this right? Over half of the 'pimpees' were still alive, but only one in seven of the 'unknowns' were?! In a Top 24 year, surviving five weeks would correspond to making the Top 10, which in turn means making the Summer Tour. Semifinalists whose backstories were spotlighted are four times as likely to get that far. Do you suppose the producers know about this? I mean, I know they're really nice people and that they'd never play favorites or anything, but if they wanted to, they could really stack the deck.

From five weeks on, it seems if America decides they like a lesser-promoted contestant, they'll stick with them for awhile. Nobody from that group has ever been eliminated between their seventh and tenth performances. But then again, just eight of the original 66 Late/Nones made it to that point: Clarkson, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, Bo Bice, Elliott Yamin, Jason Castro, and of course, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta from this year.

It does appear that the magic of the Audition-only group does indeed fade away. By the tenth week, which is roughtly the Top 5, they and the Late/Nones are virtually tied. But the Promo group is still at 38%. The benefits of a pimp piece are so strong, they give a contestant a head start that essentially lasts forever. Almost two-fifths of pimped contestants survive to the multiple-song weeks.

Hmm? Well, now that you mention it, yes – I imagine that percentage was far higher before this year, when 19E dished out a record 15 promotional segments to ensure they got the Finals they wanted. And it would have been higher still had not Allen and Iraheta both gone on their surprising dark-horse runs and knocked out so many of the producers' favorites. At least fifty percent, you say? Please calm down, you're starting to hyperventilate again. You almost sound like Kara.

Wait, what horrible thing did you just realize? Ah. Year in and year out, one of the most widely-requested changes to American Idol is for the producers to show the backstory of every semifinalist. The Idolsphere practically gets on their hands and knees and begs for this, and it seems like such a normal, fair, and easy thing to do. Yet for some strange reason the producers never act upon it.

And now you understand why. It's because pimp pieces are the most devastating long-range weapons in the producers' arsenal of manipulation. They give 19E up to a 50-50 shot of getting a preferred candidate deep into the competition. They'll never relinquish control of that raw power. It's why Bikini Girl, a mediocre piece of fluff who had no prayer of making the Top 36, got over 20 minutes of prime airtime this winter, enough for at least ten promotional segments. And, as long as millions of gullible Idol viewers willingly take the bait hook, line, and sinker every year, nothing will ever change! What's that? "Two words: This Totally Sucks!"? Oh no, now you really sound like Kara!!

Oh! Doctor House, Doctor Wilson, please come quickly! Another visitor just collapsed! Have the orderlies add a bed to the WNTS ward, and I'll start an I.V. drip of sedatives, stat. Good thing I have Paula on speed dial.

Easy Mac · 05-12-2009, 07:50 PM

Kanye west?????

Easy Mac · 05-12-2009, 07:52 PM

I want to marry Kris Allen in a completely heterosexual way

wade moore · 05-12-2009, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

I want to marry Kris Allen in a completely heterosexual way

I have officially voted for an American Idol contestant for the first time.

Solecismic · 05-12-2009, 09:11 PM

Once again, on the Incredible Shrinking American Idol, the contestants performed one song less than they have at this stage in past seasons.

Why? I can only assume producers genuinely believe we want to see Simon and the female judges wrestling during the breaks more than we want to hear people singing.

In fact, I believe Fox has announced "Celebrity Judge Wrestling" for the 2009-2010 fall season. Although MTV might sue for patent infringement based on that claymation show they ran a few years ago.

Their first guest celebrity wrestling judge will be Kanye West, who is reportedly incensed that Randy Jackson said Kris Allen's rendition of "Heartless" was better than the original. Kanye is now refusing to clear any songs for Idol, and will stage a protest outside the Fox studio tomorrow in the incredibly unlikely event Kris isn't voted off the show.

Tonight was a difficult night to assess because there are three competent, different, and slightly flawed singers remaining in the competition. Choosing between them is more a matter of taste than anything else.

All six songs were performed well, not that much difference between top and bottom. At this point, I'd be satisfied with any of the three winning, but this has not been a great season.

1. Kris Allen. Hardly anything separates 1 from 3 tonight. Randy and Kara chose "Apologize" from One Republic, and it was right in Kris' wheelhouse. A very soft, jazzy tune that was marred only by fairly weak ventures into the world of falsetto. I saw nothing wrong with the arrangement - it's what Kris is going to do down the road.

Kris impersonated Kanye West in his second song. I'd like to give him more credit for proving he can go it alone with an acoustic guitar, but it wasn't all that enjoyable. He had odd inflections in places, especially in the hippy-hoppy pieces of the song. It was like he was imitating something that doesn't come naturally for him at all. But his tone was good, and he showed a few tricks he hadn't shown in the past. Scores of 84 and 77.

2. Adam Lambert. Simon chose a U2 anthem for Adam's opener, and while he had a nice, controlled beginning, he soon put his entire kitchen sink full of ability into a very frenetic second half. It would be absolutely exhausting listening to an Adam album, especially if he indulges himself in this manner.

Adam went back to Aerosmith for his second song, and, while the vocals themselves were awfully good and the song had a high degree of difficulty, I think he lost his connection with the song, and the result was screaming and vampy and not terribly convincing. He was almost making fun of Aerosmith, definitely treading that line. Scores of 80 and 78.

3. Danny Gokey. Paula's choice of Terence Trent D'Arby was the weak song of the night. It was just too loud for Danny, and it didn't show his range at all. There was a long, rather pointless interlude where he was scatting with a random saxophone player. Given the limited exposure Idols are given this season, it's hard to excuse that decision.

Danny returned to his stronger roots on his own, going with "You Are So Beautiful" from Joe Cocker. While he was a little breathy, his tone was excellent and he showed why he's been a favorite since the beginning. Well, maybe that does have a lot to do with all the long features focusing on his personal tragedy immediately before the tryouts. Scores of 70 and 85.

Expected Bottom 2: Kris and Danny.

Who Should Go: Kris, based on weaker performances in earlier weeks.

Who Will Go: Kris.

zums · 05-12-2009, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

I have officially voted for an American Idol contestant for the first time.

Ditto. Absolutely loved it and cant wait to get an mp3 of it.

Swaggs · 05-12-2009, 09:41 PM

I haven't been following AI too closely this season, but have been watching the past few weeks (the songs, not the comments or results). I think Kris's first song was really the only impressive performance of the night and I thought Adam (who has been awesome everytime I have heard him) was really disappointing with "One."

MJ4H · 05-12-2009, 10:23 PM

Adam was awful with the Aerosmith song. He was okayish with the U2 song. Kris was really good with both, but Danny's second song was the best of the night (first song wasn't really his fault, I think he did what he could with it).

1. Danny, 2. Kris, 3. Adam. The judges were on crack thinking Adam's two performances should sail him through. Complete nonsense. He got destroyed tonight.

Danny · 05-12-2009, 10:55 PM

I liked both performances by Kris, especially his second, I may vote for him

Danny · 05-12-2009, 10:59 PM

I'll expand by saying that I have never voted for someone AI, but if I do tonight, it will be him.

Lathum · 05-12-2009, 11:02 PM

Kris was by far the best tonight.

Drake · 05-12-2009, 11:07 PM

I'm just watching the video online now since I missed AI tonight...

All I really have to say is this: it's a good thing I didn't watch this show live, 'cuz I'd have put my foot through my television with the abomination Lambert created from "One".

Seriously, it was like he was just trying to piss me off by the end.

Lathum · 05-12-2009, 11:11 PM

I think Lambert may be playing the lose onn purpose game

wade moore · 05-13-2009, 03:32 AM

Welp... DialIdol isn't particularly helpful.

Ksyrup · 05-13-2009, 06:26 AM

Nothing all that great tonight.

I thought Adam's One wasn't very good, although I'm not a big U2 fan anyway, so I wasn't thrilled with the choice. He screwed with the melody too much. And the Aerosmith thing was just silly, reminded me of the Adam Sandler SNL spoof where he sang every "early period" (thanks for the gift that keeps on giving, Kara!) Aerosmith song the same way.

Paula really screwed Danny on that first song, simply because who knows that song? And the scat thing was stupid, totally agree with Simon. Wasn't all that taken with his second one, either, but it was better than the first.

Kris...the judges really tried to go out of their way to screw him over, not directly by telling him he sucked, but almost condescendingly, like they were trying to telegraph to the audience that he was just there for third place and to buck up, you've got a great career ahead of you even though you're going to get voted off tomorrow. I'll just say it - Kara fucking sucks and I wish they'd axe her ass before the finale. I just hate everything about the way she acts up there. She's the perfect embodiment of the transparent schill of a production this show has become. So, I guess in that sense, she's at home.

But anyway...I wasn't familiar with either of the songs he did - the first one, he couldn't handle the falsetto, so I thought it fell a little flat (for me for him, dawg). The second one, I can't really compare because I've never heard the original but I thought it was pretty good. I thought he was the most consistent of all three last night, though. I hope the DialIdol results are accurate, just so AI doesn't get what it wants. I mean, Simon yesterday on a talk show said Kris shouldn't be in the finals because he can't compete with Adam! They are so pushing Danny, the next Taylor Hicks, that it's infuriating. I hope it backfires.

Thomkal · 05-13-2009, 06:49 AM

I wasn't as thrilled with Kris's performances as the rest of you I guess. I like him and he's had some good moments over the course of the show, but I don't think any of them came last night. They weren't bad-just not great. His falsetto was bad in the first song and it really would have held more emotional impact if he ditched the piano and sang it sitting on the stage, and then chose a song I wonder how many people knew, and I think that's going to hurt him. And even without knowing the second song, like that Tears for Fears song Adam did a few weeks ago, I didn't particularly like it.

Adam seemed to be in cruise control last night-wouldn't rank either of his as his best either. Like how he started the U2 song, then it went downhill from there and the Aerosmith was ok. Have to say I'm getting a bit tired of that yell he does-it sounds almost exactly the same no matter what song he's singing and he really doesn't need to put it in every song he does.

Danny was handicapped by Paula's song choice a bit, but I thought he did a decent job with it. I wasn't bothered by the bit with the saxophone like some were. I thought his second performance was the best of the night, and may be what gets him in the Final 2. He hasn't been in the bottom 3 yet, so he's definitely got a solid voting block. But he hasn't really "soared" in a while, so that's a bit of a disappointment. I'd also like to thank the Idol producers for not talking about Danny's widow for several weeks running now.

Ksyrup · 05-13-2009, 07:07 AM

After the backlash Danny got for the wife thing, and the final straw being his buddy pulling what looked like a staged moment where he held up a picture of the wife as a tear ran down his cheek, I think it was in both Danny and the producers' best interests to cut all references to her. Particuarly since it was obvious they wanted him in the finals. If he had kept up with that, it would have negatively impacted his voting, I think.

lordscarlet · 05-13-2009, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomkal

I wasn't as thrilled with Kris's performances as the rest of you I guess. I like him and he's had some good moments over the course of the show, but I don't think any of them came last night. They weren't bad-just not great. His falsetto was bad in the first song and it really would have held more emotional impact if he ditched the piano and sang it sitting on the stage, and then chose a song I wonder how many people knew, and I think that's going to hurt him. And even without knowing the second song, like that Tears for Fears song Adam did a few weeks ago, I didn't particularly like it.

Caveat here, I don't know "Heartless" either, but...

Billboard Hot 100: #2
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-hop: #4
Billboard Hot Rap Tracks: #1
Billboard Pop 100: #4
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: #1

wade moore · 05-13-2009, 11:07 AM

It was also performed last year on either Idol or SYTCD (by Kanye), I don't remember which.

Easy Mac · 05-13-2009, 11:35 AM

It was this season on Idol

Ksyrup · 05-13-2009, 12:42 PM

Yeah, I FF right through Kanye, I believe. I didn't even recognize the OneRepublic song until I heard the chorus. I was wondering who they were - first time I'd heard the name was on Idol earlier this season.

wade moore · 05-13-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Yeah, I FF right through Kanye, I believe. I didn't even recognize the OneRepublic song until I heard the chorus. I was wondering who they were - first time I'd heard the name was on Idol earlier this season.

FWIW that song also was performed on Idol... last year?

Or was it SYTYD?

ISiddiqui · 05-13-2009, 12:57 PM

It is kinda weird, IMO, hearing someone not knowing "Heartless" while obviously being interested enough in pop music to watch AI.

Thomkal · 05-13-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wade moore

It was also performed last year on either Idol or SYTCD (by Kanye), I don't remember which.

oh was that the song he did? I turned the channel after the first few words.

Mustang · 05-13-2009, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It is kinda weird, IMO, hearing someone not knowing "Heartless" while obviously being interested enough in pop music to watch AI.

I didn't know Heartless. I just attribute that more to not caring about Kanye West.

Ksyrup · 05-13-2009, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It is kinda weird, IMO, hearing someone not knowing "Heartless" while obviously being interested enough in pop music to watch AI.

I don't care about pop music (at least not 95% of what they perform on this show, or 100% of what the contestants produce after the show) or know much of anything about pop music of the past 2 decades (pretty much anything after I left high school, aaside from what I couldn't help but hear). I just enjoy the fact that AI is a TV show about music, period. I'd much rather watch a reality show about singer/songwriters performing original music, but I don't think there's much of an audience for that. So, it's AI by default.

SteveMax58 · 05-13-2009, 02:27 PM

Thank God I'm not the only one who thought Adam's version of "One" was bad...I found it to be a complete abomination TBH. And funny Simon was knocking Kara & Randy about song choice (which I agreed, but thats beside the point)...I would have thought "Pride (In the name of Love)" would have been a better choice for Adam. His Aerosmith song was meh...lots of note holding, not much else. I grew to really like Adam's dynamic vocal abilities this season, but this was exactly what Simon normally would have called "over-indulgent" performances. Clearly he's in the tank for the guy.

Danny's first song was screwed from the selection...and I was severely disappointed in his second. It wasn't bad, per se, but he could have put some real power behind it and he just didn't. Similar to Adam...he looked like he was just "ho-humming" until he could just hold a note forever. Disappointing to me, as he was one of my favorites this year...albeit in a really down year IMO.

Kris was the best by far to me...and I'll add to that statement that he was not one of my favorites at all this year. But he showed up and was reasonably pleasant to hear (despite not knowing either of his songs).

Ksyrup · 05-13-2009, 02:42 PM

I think Danny's voice is going at this point in the competition. It just sounds worn, breathy, and way too raspy.

weegeebored · 05-13-2009, 03:35 PM

I still don't understand all of the love for Kris unless you're a teenage girl (see David Archuleta). It seems that the AI people like to call him humble, as in "Humble Kris". My wife and I prefer to call him "Mumble Kris". Oh. Wait a minute. I think I actually made out a word or two in his last performance.

05-07-2009, 11:14 AM	#801
MJ4H Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hog Country	I wouldn't be surprised if Kris is way more popular than people think, myself. I'm sure teenaged girls think he's a dreamboat. I still think popularity-wise, it is Adam, Danny, Kris at this point, though. I personally like Danny better though and hope he wins just on personal preference. __________________ My YouTube channel My Twitch channel My Sharona Last edited by MJ4H : 05-07-2009 at 11:14 AM.

05-07-2009, 12:53 PM	#804
mh2365 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: louisville	Slash should of beaten Danny to death with his guitar on stage for putting freaking runs into Schools Out ... geez what a douche __________________ "I'm the root of all that's evil, yeah but you can call me cookie"

05-07-2009, 04:35 PM	#808
mh2365 H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: louisville	Last night Ryan said before announcing that the three that were safe were in no particular order ... made a point of saying it ... so all we really know is that Allison go the lowest # of votes ... __________________ "I'm the root of all that's evil, yeah but you can call me cookie"

05-07-2009, 05:33 PM	#811
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Last night was a rare occasion, and they only reason they were so clear is because they didn't separate them into safe and bottom 2/3 (or other divisions they've made over the years), they just started naming who was safe from the beginning. Danny could have been the top vote-getter for all we know. But they don't usually do that - when Adam was bottom 2, they were purposely vague about it and let everyone believe he was actually 4th. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-11-2009, 07:31 AM	#816
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Judges' pick song spoilers: Spoiler Judges choice song spoilers: Danny Gokey - “Dance Little Sister” by Terence Trent D’Arby - via Paula Abdul Kris Allen - “Apologize” by OneRepublic - via Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi Adam Lambert - Either “One” by U2 or “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaac via Simon Cowell (we think) __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-07-2009, 11:42 AM	#803
Danny Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	I think the finals will be Adam vs Danny/Kris as Danny and Kris share some of the same voting blocks. In the finals I think Danny will beat Kris as he picks up most of those votes.

05-07-2009, 01:30 PM	#807
IrishHand Mascot Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Annapolis, MD	Ex-producer =/= American Idol, but point taken (and quoted in my own post above).

05-07-2009, 06:03 PM	#813
IrishHand Mascot Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Annapolis, MD	Yes - my impression was that Lythgoe's basic statement (that the bottom 3 are legit) concurred with your belief, as expressed in an earlier post, that the bottom 3 are legit. Am I missing something?

05-12-2009, 08:06 AM	#817
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Danny is getting a ton of bad press over his aborted attempt to sing Billie Jean at his homecoming last week. The YT video is making the rounds at breakneck speed. Coming on the heels of the Aerosmith debacle, he's coming off as a clown right now. It would be horrible for AI if this guy wins, as he is becoming more and more like the Taylor Hicks cartoon character. I even read two separate instances where he was compared to Sanjaya. Here's the video: __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-12-2009, 10:48 AM	#822
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	This is an incredibly in-depth and interesting article that discusses how much sway the producers' decisions have in determining who advances on AI, based on the number of promo pieces and face time eventual contestants get. It's long as hell, but the meaty parts are worth it: Editorials and Articles Archive - WhatNotToSing.com - The American Idol Internet Database Indecent Exposure Ever wonder why the producers don't show the backstory of every semifinalist? 10 May 2009 Hello, dear. I'm Mildred, the Head Nurse here at Fox Sanitorium. So kind of you to visit. I know they'll be very happy to see you...that is, they would if we didn't have them pumped full of enough sedatives to kill a rhinoceros. We got them from Paula. All three were brought in last night. We received a 911 call from the cleaning lady at the WhatNotToSing.com office. She said she found them on the floor of the conference room, in convulsions and foaming at the mouth. The youngest one had a piece of paper in her hand with some sort of colorful chart on it, but we're not sure what it means. It's a real medical mystery. The toxicology reports came back negative, and no one else in the building was sickened. We even ruled out Swine Flu – well, sort of. When we said the word "swine", one of them opened one eye and gasped, "Simon?". Hmm? Oh, yes, it would be great if you could help us diagnose what's ailing them! That way we can give them the best possible treatment. Here's all of the evidence that we've been able to piece together so far. See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me, Heal Me A few months ago, WNTS asked its readers for help in determining the exact level of pre-semifinals exposure of every contestant on American Idol. They said it was part of a study on, um, an idle matrix. What's that? Idolmetrics? Such a funny word! But yes, I believe you're right. Anyway, most Idol fans have long believed that the more early exposure a contestant is given, the more likely they are to survive deep into the competition. Those poor What-Notters wanted to see if the conventional wisdom was true and, if so, exactly how much of a benefit this promotion was worth. Unfortunately, gathering the data turned out to be a little more difficult than they anticipated. No dear, Season One wasn't much of a problem at all. Their researchers, particularly a Mr. Ian, did a phenomenal job digging up the original audition and Hollywood shows from 2002. But, Season Two and parts of Season Three were very troublesome. Some live-blog transcripts of their early shows can be still found on the Internet, but they didn't always jive for one reason or another. Plus, by now the producers had added all sorts of additional footage to their Idol Rewind episodes, like LaToya London's audition. Sadly, WNTS's people couldn't even agree on the original exposure levels of the likes of Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, much less many of the one-and-done semifinalists. In the end, they collected reliable information on 192 of the 230 semifinalists to date. They felt that this was enough to proceed. They began by distributing the contestants into five groups, based on how much screen time he or she was given prior to the semifinals: None – The semifinal performance was the first time (for all intents and purposes) anyone heard the contestant sing. Examples include Kelly Clarkson and Jason Castro Minimal – The contestant was heard singing only briefly, such as a snippet of an audition or as part of a group performance in Hollywood. Examples: Bo Bice, Elliott Yamin Hollywood – The contestant's first significant airtime came in Hollywood or immediately after (e.g., AI3's "Best Of The Rest" episode.) This was the smallest of the five groups, which included Jessica Sierra and David Hernandez Audition – The contestant's audition was aired in full, plus perhaps a brief on-site interview with Ryan Seacrest. This was the largest group, whose members include past champs Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and David Cook Promo – The contestant was the subject of an in-depth promotional / backstory segment that aired in addition to his or her audition. I hear that some of you Idol fans refer to them as "pimp pieces". Fantasia Barrino and Carrie Underwood are in this group, along with Chris Daughtry, David Archuleta, and, ahem, most of the Season Eight finalists. As it turned out, the first three groups were too small to work with, so the WNTS people combined them into a supergroup called "Late/None". That gave them three comparable-sized sample sets: those contestants whose backstories had been promoted heavily, those who'd only had their audition featured, and those whose first exposure to America came very late, if at all. I've Just Seen A Face I Can't Forget... We've learned that the actual study was performed in two parts. The first was a standard Isolation Of Variables exercise, similar to what they'd done several months earlier for factors like sex, age, hometown region, and ethnicity. It took our patients very little time to determine that, on the surface at least, the conventional wisdom was right. Here's a graph we found taped to their conference room wall. Figure 1: The number of contestants in each of the three groups, and the number of episode appearances they made. Data is through the AI8 Final Four As you see, the 56 contestants who'd been given big promotional segments made a total of 375 appearances on the show, which works out to a mean of 6.7 episodes per singer. If those nice Idol producers pimp you in January, and if the semifinals start in mid-February as usual, you're a huge favorite to last into at least April. The 70 contestants who had audition-only exposure lasted 4.3 weeks on average, and the Late/None group lasted just 2.6 episodes. Blink and you might miss them. Next, the WNTS people looked at the approval ratings of each group. After all, if the producers are promoting a contestant heavily, it's surely because he or she is going to be really terrific, right? Well, it turns out that the pimped contestants' performances are the most liked...but something really strange turned up too... Figure 2: Approval ratings and elimination rates for each of the three study groups. Though promoted and unknown contestants have comparable ratings, members of the latter group are dismissed far more rapidly. Isn't that funny? The Promo group has the highest average rating at 51.8, but the Last/None group is less than a point behind at 51.0. The Audition group is miles behind both. Yet, the 'unknown' contestants go home one-and-a-half times as fast as the Auditioners, and over two-and-a-half times that of the Promos! The Idol producers and judges often assert in interviews that early exposure is grossly overrated, and that all that matters on their show is how well a contestant sings. Well, I'm no math expert, but based on these results I'd have to say that those folks are, in medical terms, distended with fecal matter. Finally, the WNTS team looked at how exposure, even after taking approval ratings into account, affects a person's survival chances in any given week. They did this with their earlier Idolmetric studies too, and here's a recap of what they found. Male contestants are 4.2% more likely to advance to the next round than female contestants, given performances of equivalent approval ratings. Northeast contestants are 5.4% less likely to advance than contestants from other regions White contestants are 5.8% more likely to advance than black ones, and 9.2% than those from smaller ethnic or racial groups. The age of a contestant makes no significant difference. Those percentages might not seem very large, but bear in mind that they're on a per-week basis. Over the course of a 12- to 14-week competition, they add up tremendously. So what effect does early exposure have on the survival rate? Dear, perhaps you'd better sit down. Promotional Piece contestants are, on average, 20.2% more likely to advance each and every week than those in the Late/No Exposure group, given comparable performances. Similarly, Audition-only contestants are 14.0% more likely to advance each week than those who did not have their audition aired. Good heavens, dear, are you okay? You suddenly turned rather pale. Deep breaths, slowly now: in-out-in-out. Feeling better? Yes, those results are staggering, aren't they? Everyone always assumed that promoted candidates had an edge, but I doubt that many people expected it to be that cavernous. Kelly Clarkson is the only winner to come out of the Late/None group, and it appears she'll have that distinction to herself for a very, very long time. Which of those two charts was the one that made your friends so ill? Well, actually, neither. That didn't happen until the second part of the study. Forever In My Heart The WNTS people were left reeling by that 20.2% figure, but they held out hope that maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Perhaps the effects of early promotion wore off over time. It may be that the if the producers pimped you heavily, all it meant was that you were far more likely to make it from the semifinals to the finals, at which point contestants might begin to advance and fail on their own merits, not on their backstories. Our doctors aren't quite sure what happened next. All we have is this chart, which our hapless victims were apparently studying when they collapsed. You think you know what it means? Splendid! Oh, they calculated what percentage of each group was still alive in the competition after each of the first nine rounds? So that means after singing one time, 89% of the Promo group had advanced, compared to only 61% of the Audition ones, and less than half of the Late/Nones. Yes, I get it now. I think this means that just six Promoted contestants have ever gone out in the first round: AI3's Jonah Moananu, Briana Ramirez-Rial, Jesus Roman, and Noel Roman; and AI8's Kai Kalama and Nick Mitchell. And, half of those were in the third season's infamous second semifinal group, the episode with the lowest average approval rating ever. Let's see, after five rounds...heavens, am I reading this right? Over half of the 'pimpees' were still alive, but only one in seven of the 'unknowns' were?! In a Top 24 year, surviving five weeks would correspond to making the Top 10, which in turn means making the Summer Tour. Semifinalists whose backstories were spotlighted are four times as likely to get that far. Do you suppose the producers know about this? I mean, I know they're really nice people and that they'd never play favorites or anything, but if they wanted to, they could really stack the deck. From five weeks on, it seems if America decides they like a lesser-promoted contestant, they'll stick with them for awhile. Nobody from that group has ever been eliminated between their seventh and tenth performances. But then again, just eight of the original 66 Late/Nones made it to that point: Clarkson, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, Bo Bice, Elliott Yamin, Jason Castro, and of course, Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta from this year. It does appear that the magic of the Audition-only group does indeed fade away. By the tenth week, which is roughtly the Top 5, they and the Late/Nones are virtually tied. But the Promo group is still at 38%. The benefits of a pimp piece are so strong, they give a contestant a head start that essentially lasts forever. Almost two-fifths of pimped contestants survive to the multiple-song weeks. Hmm? Well, now that you mention it, yes – I imagine that percentage was far higher before this year, when 19E dished out a record 15 promotional segments to ensure they got the Finals they wanted. And it would have been higher still had not Allen and Iraheta both gone on their surprising dark-horse runs and knocked out so many of the producers' favorites. At least fifty percent, you say? Please calm down, you're starting to hyperventilate again. You almost sound like Kara. Wait, what horrible thing did you just realize? Ah. Year in and year out, one of the most widely-requested changes to American Idol is for the producers to show the backstory of every semifinalist. The Idolsphere practically gets on their hands and knees and begs for this, and it seems like such a normal, fair, and easy thing to do. Yet for some strange reason the producers never act upon it. And now you understand why. It's because pimp pieces are the most devastating long-range weapons in the producers' arsenal of manipulation. They give 19E up to a 50-50 shot of getting a preferred candidate deep into the competition. They'll never relinquish control of that raw power. It's why Bikini Girl, a mediocre piece of fluff who had no prayer of making the Top 36, got over 20 minutes of prime airtime this winter, enough for at least ten promotional segments. And, as long as millions of gullible Idol viewers willingly take the bait hook, line, and sinker every year, nothing will ever change! What's that? "Two words: This Totally Sucks!"? Oh no, now you really sound like Kara!! Oh! Doctor House, Doctor Wilson, please come quickly! Another visitor just collapsed! Have the orderlies add a bed to the WNTS ward, and I'll start an I.V. drip of sedatives, stat. Good thing I have Paula on speed dial. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." Last edited by Ksyrup : 05-12-2009 at 10:51 AM.

05-12-2009, 07:50 PM	#823
Easy Mac Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Here	Kanye west?????

05-12-2009, 07:52 PM	#824
Easy Mac Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Here	I want to marry Kris Allen in a completely heterosexual way

05-12-2009, 09:11 PM	#826
Solecismic Solecismic Software Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Canton, OH	Once again, on the Incredible Shrinking American Idol, the contestants performed one song less than they have at this stage in past seasons. Why? I can only assume producers genuinely believe we want to see Simon and the female judges wrestling during the breaks more than we want to hear people singing. In fact, I believe Fox has announced "Celebrity Judge Wrestling" for the 2009-2010 fall season. Although MTV might sue for patent infringement based on that claymation show they ran a few years ago. Their first guest celebrity wrestling judge will be Kanye West, who is reportedly incensed that Randy Jackson said Kris Allen's rendition of "Heartless" was better than the original. Kanye is now refusing to clear any songs for Idol, and will stage a protest outside the Fox studio tomorrow in the incredibly unlikely event Kris isn't voted off the show. Tonight was a difficult night to assess because there are three competent, different, and slightly flawed singers remaining in the competition. Choosing between them is more a matter of taste than anything else. All six songs were performed well, not that much difference between top and bottom. At this point, I'd be satisfied with any of the three winning, but this has not been a great season. 1. Kris Allen. Hardly anything separates 1 from 3 tonight. Randy and Kara chose "Apologize" from One Republic, and it was right in Kris' wheelhouse. A very soft, jazzy tune that was marred only by fairly weak ventures into the world of falsetto. I saw nothing wrong with the arrangement - it's what Kris is going to do down the road. Kris impersonated Kanye West in his second song. I'd like to give him more credit for proving he can go it alone with an acoustic guitar, but it wasn't all that enjoyable. He had odd inflections in places, especially in the hippy-hoppy pieces of the song. It was like he was imitating something that doesn't come naturally for him at all. But his tone was good, and he showed a few tricks he hadn't shown in the past. Scores of 84 and 77. 2. Adam Lambert. Simon chose a U2 anthem for Adam's opener, and while he had a nice, controlled beginning, he soon put his entire kitchen sink full of ability into a very frenetic second half. It would be absolutely exhausting listening to an Adam album, especially if he indulges himself in this manner. Adam went back to Aerosmith for his second song, and, while the vocals themselves were awfully good and the song had a high degree of difficulty, I think he lost his connection with the song, and the result was screaming and vampy and not terribly convincing. He was almost making fun of Aerosmith, definitely treading that line. Scores of 80 and 78. 3. Danny Gokey. Paula's choice of Terence Trent D'Arby was the weak song of the night. It was just too loud for Danny, and it didn't show his range at all. There was a long, rather pointless interlude where he was scatting with a random saxophone player. Given the limited exposure Idols are given this season, it's hard to excuse that decision. Danny returned to his stronger roots on his own, going with "You Are So Beautiful" from Joe Cocker. While he was a little breathy, his tone was excellent and he showed why he's been a favorite since the beginning. Well, maybe that does have a lot to do with all the long features focusing on his personal tragedy immediately before the tryouts. Scores of 70 and 85. Expected Bottom 2: Kris and Danny. Who Should Go: Kris, based on weaker performances in earlier weeks. Who Will Go: Kris.

05-12-2009, 09:41 PM	#828
Swaggs Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000	I haven't been following AI too closely this season, but have been watching the past few weeks (the songs, not the comments or results). I think Kris's first song was really the only impressive performance of the night and I thought Adam (who has been awesome everytime I have heard him) was really disappointing with "One." __________________ DOWN WITH HATTRICK!!! The RWBL Are you reading In The Bleachers?

05-12-2009, 10:23 PM	#829
MJ4H Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Hog Country	Adam was awful with the Aerosmith song. He was okayish with the U2 song. Kris was really good with both, but Danny's second song was the best of the night (first song wasn't really his fault, I think he did what he could with it). 1. Danny, 2. Kris, 3. Adam. The judges were on crack thinking Adam's two performances should sail him through. Complete nonsense. He got destroyed tonight. __________________ My YouTube channel My Twitch channel My Sharona

05-12-2009, 10:55 PM	#830
Danny Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	I liked both performances by Kris, especially his second, I may vote for him

05-12-2009, 10:59 PM	#831
Danny Head Coach Join Date: Jul 2001	I'll expand by saying that I have never voted for someone AI, but if I do tonight, it will be him.

05-12-2009, 11:02 PM	#832
Lathum Favored Bitch #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: homeless in NJ	Kris was by far the best tonight.

05-12-2009, 11:07 PM	#833
Drake assmaster Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Bloomington, IN	I'm just watching the video online now since I missed AI tonight... All I really have to say is this: it's a good thing I didn't watch this show live, 'cuz I'd have put my foot through my television with the abomination Lambert created from "One". Seriously, it was like he was just trying to piss me off by the end.

05-12-2009, 11:11 PM	#834
Lathum Favored Bitch #1 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: homeless in NJ	I think Lambert may be playing the lose onn purpose game

05-13-2009, 06:26 AM	#836
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Nothing all that great tonight. I thought Adam's One wasn't very good, although I'm not a big U2 fan anyway, so I wasn't thrilled with the choice. He screwed with the melody too much. And the Aerosmith thing was just silly, reminded me of the Adam Sandler SNL spoof where he sang every "early period" (thanks for the gift that keeps on giving, Kara!) Aerosmith song the same way. Paula really screwed Danny on that first song, simply because who knows that song? And the scat thing was stupid, totally agree with Simon. Wasn't all that taken with his second one, either, but it was better than the first. Kris...the judges really tried to go out of their way to screw him over, not directly by telling him he sucked, but almost condescendingly, like they were trying to telegraph to the audience that he was just there for third place and to buck up, you've got a great career ahead of you even though you're going to get voted off tomorrow. I'll just say it - Kara fucking sucks and I wish they'd axe her ass before the finale. I just hate everything about the way she acts up there. She's the perfect embodiment of the transparent schill of a production this show has become. So, I guess in that sense, she's at home. But anyway...I wasn't familiar with either of the songs he did - the first one, he couldn't handle the falsetto, so I thought it fell a little flat (for me for him, dawg). The second one, I can't really compare because I've never heard the original but I thought it was pretty good. I thought he was the most consistent of all three last night, though. I hope the DialIdol results are accurate, just so AI doesn't get what it wants. I mean, Simon yesterday on a talk show said Kris shouldn't be in the finals because he can't compete with Adam! They are so pushing Danny, the next Taylor Hicks, that it's infuriating. I hope it backfires. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-13-2009, 06:49 AM	#837
Thomkal Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Surfside Beach,SC USA	I wasn't as thrilled with Kris's performances as the rest of you I guess. I like him and he's had some good moments over the course of the show, but I don't think any of them came last night. They weren't bad-just not great. His falsetto was bad in the first song and it really would have held more emotional impact if he ditched the piano and sang it sitting on the stage, and then chose a song I wonder how many people knew, and I think that's going to hurt him. And even without knowing the second song, like that Tears for Fears song Adam did a few weeks ago, I didn't particularly like it. Adam seemed to be in cruise control last night-wouldn't rank either of his as his best either. Like how he started the U2 song, then it went downhill from there and the Aerosmith was ok. Have to say I'm getting a bit tired of that yell he does-it sounds almost exactly the same no matter what song he's singing and he really doesn't need to put it in every song he does. Danny was handicapped by Paula's song choice a bit, but I thought he did a decent job with it. I wasn't bothered by the bit with the saxophone like some were. I thought his second performance was the best of the night, and may be what gets him in the Final 2. He hasn't been in the bottom 3 yet, so he's definitely got a solid voting block. But he hasn't really "soared" in a while, so that's a bit of a disappointment. I'd also like to thank the Idol producers for not talking about Danny's widow for several weeks running now.

05-13-2009, 07:07 AM	#838
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	After the backlash Danny got for the wife thing, and the final straw being his buddy pulling what looked like a staged moment where he held up a picture of the wife as a tear ran down his cheek, I think it was in both Danny and the producers' best interests to cut all references to her. Particuarly since it was obvious they wanted him in the finals. If he had kept up with that, it would have negatively impacted his voting, I think. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-13-2009, 11:35 AM	#841
Easy Mac Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Here	It was this season on Idol

05-13-2009, 12:42 PM	#842
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	Yeah, I FF right through Kanye, I believe. I didn't even recognize the OneRepublic song until I heard the chorus. I was wondering who they were - first time I'd heard the name was on Idol earlier this season. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete."

05-13-2009, 12:57 PM	#844
ISiddiqui Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Decatur, GA	It is kinda weird, IMO, hearing someone not knowing "Heartless" while obviously being interested enough in pop music to watch AI. __________________ "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages" -Tennessee Williams

05-13-2009, 02:27 PM	#848
SteveMax58 College Starter Join Date: Dec 2006	Thank God I'm not the only one who thought Adam's version of "One" was bad...I found it to be a complete abomination TBH. And funny Simon was knocking Kara & Randy about song choice (which I agreed, but thats beside the point)...I would have thought "Pride (In the name of Love)" would have been a better choice for Adam. His Aerosmith song was meh...lots of note holding, not much else. I grew to really like Adam's dynamic vocal abilities this season, but this was exactly what Simon normally would have called "over-indulgent" performances. Clearly he's in the tank for the guy. Danny's first song was screwed from the selection...and I was severely disappointed in his second. It wasn't bad, per se, but he could have put some real power behind it and he just didn't. Similar to Adam...he looked like he was just "ho-humming" until he could just hold a note forever. Disappointing to me, as he was one of my favorites this year...albeit in a really down year IMO. Kris was the best by far to me...and I'll add to that statement that he was not one of my favorites at all this year. But he showed up and was reasonably pleasant to hear (despite not knowing either of his songs).

05-13-2009, 02:42 PM	#849
Ksyrup This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off. Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: In Absentia	I think Danny's voice is going at this point in the competition. It just sounds worn, breathy, and way too raspy. __________________ M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." Last edited by Ksyrup : 05-13-2009 at 02:42 PM.

05-13-2009, 03:35 PM	#850
weegeebored High School Varsity Join Date: Sep 2006	I still don't understand all of the love for Kris unless you're a teenage girl (see David Archuleta). It seems that the AI people like to call him humble, as in "Humble Kris". My wife and I prefer to call him "Mumble Kris". Oh. Wait a minute. I think I actually made out a word or two in his last performance.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 3 (0 members and 3 guests)