American Idol Season 8

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year.

Mine too.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Glad to see you guys like Danny. Easily my favorite so far. Maybe we won't have any of those old arguments this year.

I'm flattered, but I'm not even on the show, let's try and keep things on topic.

[Raiders Army]

We just got around to watching last Wednesday's episode. I'm not surprised they booted Jamar for two reasons:

1. He's Danny's crutch and they want to see how he'll do on his own.
2. What's his image? I don't get it. He's like Will Smith 15 years ago. The off-kilter hat? The finger tats? gangsta. The tie? The emo look? Make up your mind fella.

Anyhow, I'm surprised the flamboyantly gay guy made it. I have the same problem with him. Tough guy tats and crying about American Idol. I don't buy it.

Also, Kara's earlobes gross me out. She needs some work done since it looks as if she wore huge earrings too long.

[Eaglesfan27]

I didn't see it when people said last week that this 1st group was too overloaded, but I do now. I enjoyed the first 4 performances and think it is a shame that at least 1 of them won't go on. Alexis Grace is my early favorite of the night.

[Pumpy Tudors]

These post-performance interviews are awkward. So this is why TiVo was invented.

[adubroff]

Anne Marie and Stevie might be the worst two people to make it past Hollywood week in my memory. Svenjaya would be embarassed by either of those two efforts. I liked Alexis a lot so far but the rest haven't blown me away...

Actually not Anne Marie...one of the other girls

[adubroff]

Originally Posted by adubroff

Anne Marie and Stevie might be the worst two people to make it past Hollywood week in my memory. Svenjaya would be embarassed by either of those two efforts. I liked Alexis a lot so far but the rest haven't blown me away...

Actually not Anne Marie...one of the other girls

Anne Marie was good...Whomever did Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

These post-performance interviews are awkward. So this is why TiVo was invented.

And I forgot I was watching the recording of it a half hour behind solely for this reason and I have been watching it without fast forwarding until I read this. Thank you.

[Eaglesfan27]

Talk about a plum spot for Danny. Not only does he get to go last, but he is after Tatiana who I'm sure will be a mess.

[Easy Mac]

So it's safe to say little blond and the widower will move on, with anoop and ricky fighting for the wild card. The only question is how many will vote for Tatiana.

[Easy Mac]

The psycho can sing. But damned if she didn't gain 45 pounds.

[Easy Mac]

Danny sounds like what I imagine Carlos Mencia would sound like if he sang

[sabotai]

My pick for best guy was Ricky Braddy, best woman was Alexis and I'd give the 3rd spot to Danny. I'd pick Anoop to go to the whildcard round or whatever that is.

I was very underwhelmed by the women tonight, and if it weren't for the gender rule, I'd put 3 or 4 of the guys ahead before I got to Alexis. What's good about Danny is that he knows what he can and can't do, while it seems like most of the rest of them didn't and picked songs they couldn't do. I'm with Simon in that I'm not buying the hype about Danny, but I'd say he was still in the top 3 tonight.

[MJ4H]

Danny >>>>> everyone else. Braddy was very good, Alexis was aight. Tatiana I thought was surprisingly good. Nobody else stood out to me.

[Solecismic]

I know you've all been waiting for this with bated breath. It's time for the Solecismic American Idol Rankings to kick off its fifth season. Because, if nothing else, you need your musical opinions shaped by a computer game developer.

Last season, I placed my recaps on the Football Frontier and just linked them here. I'm still not completely sure how I want to present the Frontier, so I'm bringing the recaps back to FOF Central in order to encourage more discussion. Even if it's just, "shut up, Jim, I don't care if he has less recording potential than Taylor Hicks, I love him anyway."

Tonight, American Idol debuted a new formula. In past seasons the semifinals had 24 singers, and everyone sang in every round. This season, 36 semifinalists were chosen, and divided into groups of 12. The top three from each group will advance to the finals, plus three wild cards chosen by the judges in what will be hereafter called the Braddy round.

I've thought about this a while, and I don't like the new format. There's just not enough opportunity to develop a following. Instead of the bottom four dropping out this week, or 17% of the group, a full 27 singers (75%) will be voted off the island based on only one performance. And then three will return in what is bound to seem rather contrived fashion.

Expansion seems ill-considered at this point, as well. American Idol is now in its eighth season, and anyone from 16-29 can try out. The pool of extraordinary 16-29s who can succeed in this format gets smaller each year, as the best reach the semifinals and can not participate in future years. It's inevitable that we get a lot of not-quite-good-enoughs from years past. One semifinalist has been to the Hollywood round three times now.

Everyone knows the drill.

This was reflected tonight. Song choice means a lot in the early rounds, and there's enormous pressure to stand out, this year more than ever. This definitely created song choice panic. So not only do we have an expanded and likely much less talented pool, we have singers getting away from what they do best in a somewhat hopeless attempt to manipulate the audience into voting their numbers.

It was a dismal night, even by the lowest of Idol standards. I can't think of a single woman among the six who sang who deserves even a Malubay look at the final 12. At the end of the evening, when Danny Gokey sang and actually sounded good, the judges were so thankful they practically proclaimed him the next coming of Kelly Clarkson herself, forget about the voting, forget about the next 13 weeks.

With that in mind, on to the rankings:

1) Danny Gokey. Tonight was so bad and Gokey's backstory so compelling that by the time Danny sang, he could have belched the Latvian National Anthem and still won the evening. Idol's producers love his story. He's a credible musician whose wife died just weeks before the auditions began. He has a best friend who cries. He seems humble and very likable. The producers gave him the pimp spot to round off the night just in case America hasn't yet made him the overwhelming favorite. I feel manipulated as hell, but he was solid from the start and easily delivered the top performance of the evening. He has range and the ability to riff in the way Idol singers are supposed to riff. He had good stage presence. He will be around for a long, long time. Whether I start hating him as much as I hated Taylor Hicks remains to be seen. Score of 90.

2) Ricky Braddy. It's been a few months and there are likely many new Idol production employees. Ricky is soft-spoken. Couldn't hear him at all in the interviews, the microphone levels were off. He looks like a toothpick with peach fuzz and he comes across as so subtle that where he's supposed to add texture to a song he just appears timid instead. Still, he has a very nice voice and he hits his notes. I wasn't expecting such a soulful performance, he needs to sell that better. Score of 78.

3) Stephen Fowler. Yeah, third with a thoroughly mediocre imitation of Michael Jackson. No, I'm not insane. Third through ninth was just about interchangeable. Stephen was pleasant. Like someone took a computer program and designed an Idol performance. One big, clear note in the middle, one nice riff at the end, a little bit of range, a little bit of soul. I think Stephen can sing. My question is whether he's mentally ready for this competition. Score of 69.

4) Anoop Desai. Like Danny, a huge pre-game favorite. Who wouldn't embrace such an unlikely possessor of such a big voice? It's like having Sanjaya with descended testicles. Sadly, instead of soulful tonight, Anoop was Justin Timberlake. He chose a weak song that made him sound rather goatish and whiny. And he missed more than his share of notes. Fourth today is like tenth on a normal day. A couple more performances like this, and he'll be reduced to a novelty. Score of 67.

5) Tatiana Del Toro. She chose Whitney and she didn't make a total fool of herself. Tonight, that's good enough for number one among the women. Enjoy it, because you'll never see another performance this mediocre at the top of any list as long as Idol is in production. Tatiana was sharp at times, nerves rattled her volume a bit, she didn't go for the big notes that are probably necessary with a song like this. But she was credible, and on a day when all the females truly stunk, she stunk just a little bit less. Score of 66.

6) Brent Keith Smith. It was simple and unchallenging country schlock. For someone who has as much professional experience as anyone in the competition, it was disappointing. He showed very little range, and he appeared to be almost in tears over Simon's criticism, which was definitely warranted. Score of 63.

7) Ann Marie Boskovich. I feel bad for her over the whole makeup flap in the audition rounds. She's basically an attractive figure who should not be in closeups. She's only 22, but when the camera is close, she could pass for 40. She went after Aretha tonight. The song was too big for her, but at least she tried. I thought the judges were a bit harsh, because she wasn't terrible and it was, by and large, a terrible night. Still, she's not moving on to the next round. Score of 60.

8) Alexis Grace. Here, we have the exact opposite of Ann Marie. A very pretty and wholesome appearance that does not fit her singing style at all. She also chose Aretha. She "dirtied" up her look with a modern haircut, pink dye, grimaces that I guess were supposed to appear soulful. She made a lot of noise. At that volume with this type of song it gives the appearance that the singer has competence, but the net result simply wasn't credible. This isn't Alexis and, no matter what she wants or what advice she's receiving, she is not a soul singer. The judges praised her, but I think they did so because she did what they told her to do, not because it worked. She has an excellent chance of advancing because of that praise, but she has 12th place written all over that ridiculous hair dye. Score of 57.

9) Jackie Tohn. Jackie sounded like she needed a good oiling tonight. She decided on a rather weak and quirky Elvis rendition, and she pranced and she squeaked and probably showed she'd be a nice front-woman for a second-rate Rolling Stones cover band. She could take Alexis' undeserved spot in the final 12, only because the producers seem to love her with unbridled passion. But she doesn't have the voice, any more than she has the body for those ridiculous tight pants. Score of 54.

10) Michael Sarver. I didn't get this at all. He sounded like he was groaning in pain and he danced like he had to pee really, really badly. He got considerable praise, because he's a roughneck and all, and I guess we're supposed to think it's fun for a roughneck to have singing talent. But I think the judges missed badly on letting him through, and his performance was just a bad imitation of what other contestants have done in the past. Still, he is so popular on the 'net he might advance. Score of 49.

11) Stevie Wright. The only teenager tonight, Stevie chose a dull pop song, and ended up sounding like she was channeling the Go-Gos without Belinda Carlisle. In other words, it went a little beyond dull and ventured into the embarrassing. Score of 38.

12) Casey Carlson. I have to admit I wanted, like every other red-blooded male in the audience, Casey to nail her performance tonight. She is gorgeous. But what in the hell was she thinking? I can't say anything the judges didn't already say. It was just karaoke, nothing more, nothing less. You have to wonder why the producers didn't simply stop her from performing this song, as they had to hear this in rehearsal and know where it was headed. Score of 24.

Expected to Advance: Danny Gokey, Anoop Desai, Alexis Grace.

Expected Save by Judges: Ricky Braddy.

Deserves to Advance: Danny Gokey, Ricky Braddy, none of the women.

[Danny]

Danny was my favorite of the night as he has been since his audition. I thought his performance was great. The passion he puts into his singing is what I think makes me like him so much. I also like Anoop and hope he advances, but it wasn't the best choice of songs as he can do better. Ricky was also good. Ideally, I would have those three move on.

I didn't care all that much for any of the other performances, though I wish Michael was better as he's a likable guy.

Since a girl has to get through, I guess Alexis. Tatiania actually wasn't bad, but I want her off the show.

[Danny]

Do the judges pick the 3 wild cards at the end or is it America?

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Danny

Do the judges pick the 3 wild cards at the end or is it America?

I had thought it was America from the earlier descriptions of the wild card round, but it now appears to be the judges picking their three favorites, which just makes me hate this format this season even more. I'd like to see some of the guys from this round get a second chance because I think they have potential just chose the wrong songs.

[Thomkal]

I think Danny and Alexis sail through to the top 12, and I've thought since the audition round that Danny was going to win it all-he's got this spiritual vibe that not many Idol contestants of the past have possessed and it's going to serve him well I think.

The battle is going to be for the final spot I think. Do the fans go with popular Michael, Brent, or Anoop who picked bad songs, or go with an out of nowhere guy like Ricky? And Tatiana is going to get some votes for sure and could even win the women half of the battle. I hope she doesn't make it, but she certainly has a chance to advance.

Have to say I'm very disappointed with the songs Michael and Brent chose. Michael should have been singing country. He's got the look, accent, voice, and life story for it already. That Gavin McGraw song has never been sung well on Idol. Brent chose country, (and I hate they put the two country guys against each other in this format) but chose a song with no range, and he didn't sing it much different than the original singer did.

I feel bad for Ricky now after hearing him sing. His lack of exposure during Hollywood week is certainly going to hurt him, and could cost him a slot he perhaps deserved out of this group.

I think one of the more featured men gets the third spot though due to their already built in fanbase.

[Easy Mac]

Dial idols numbers show its pretty solid for Alexis and Danny, with Michael the 2nd leading guy (none of the others had any numbers showing).

[Danny]

I think even if Anoop is not voted in, he will end up being one of the 3 added. He has too good of a voice to not make the final 12.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

9) Jackie Tohn. Jackie sounded like she needed a good oiling tonight. She decided on a rather weak and quirky Elvis rendition, and she pranced and she squeaked and probably showed she'd be a nice front-woman for a second-rate Rolling Stones cover band. She could take Alexis' undeserved spot in the final 12, only because the producers seem to love her with unbridled passion. But she doesn't have the voice, any more than she has the body for those ridiculous tight pants. Score of 54.

LOL.

Is it just me, or should you never pick a Whitney, Mariah, or Arethra song when your chances of going home are so great? Aren't you always going to come up second best?

[Danny]

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Danny

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.

Good point with men doing women's songs. Did you think his version was "better" than Mariah's version? Just because I've heard her version so many times I'd go with hers.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Good point with men doing women's songs. Did you think his version was "better" than Mariah's version? Just because I've heard her version so many times I'd go with hers.

I prefer Cook's version of always be my baby. For Hero, I'd say probably Mariah's version, but the male/female difference is enough where I can enjoy them both without feeling like one is better than the other.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Danny

Danny did well with a Mariah song, as did David Cook last season with Always be my baby. I think women should generally stay away from their songs though.

Ooohhh!!!!! JIMMY'S DOWN! Jimmy might have a compound fracture...Jimmy's going into shock!!

[Danny]

Danny really does sing with a lot of passion and soul. And Danny has a good voice. Danny also has a sympathetic story and Danny seems like a nice guy.

[Arles]

The hot chick singing the police song was probably the worst I've heard at this stage in 8 seasons. I don't know how the band could have gone along with it and it completely hurt their credibility (not that it would have mattered as she was not going to do anything justice - except that outfit ).

Danny and Ricky were good, but I really like Anoop moving forward (but his song choice stunk). Ricky has that Anthony Federov/John Stephens feel to him and I think he's going to a) be on key and b) doing soft ballads each night. Still, I think he's going to hit a wall. Anoop can really sing and could get into Clay Aiken territory from a voice standpoint. Danny seems to have the total package. For the girls, Alexis was the best of a real rough group.

I have to admit, after watching (thankfully with Tivo) last night, I'm glad for the format. If I had to watch another night of Jackie, Stevie, Casey, Brent, Stephen and Tatiana, it would be excruciating. None of these people have a chance in heck of winning, so let's get to the top 12 and start seeing more from the real contenders.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Dial idols numbers show its pretty solid for Alexis and Danny, with Michael the 2nd leading guy (none of the others had any numbers showing).

Hey Easy Mac,

Can you put Dial Idol results in spoilers please for people who would prefer not to know them in advance? thanks.

[IrishHand]

Originally Posted by Arles

The hot chick singing the police song was probably the worst I've heard at this stage in 8 seasons.

QFT, but I will really miss her, um, instrument.
http://americanidle.today.com/files/...son-bikini.jpg

Originally Posted by Arles

I have to admit, after watching (thankfully with Tivo) last night, I'm glad for the format.

Agree 100%. The past couple of seasons, I've dreaded the "top 12 girls, top 12 guys, 2 eliminated per week". After the first week with 4 hours of the top 24, I'm always certain that I have zero interest in hearing over half of them ever again. The current format expedites the process and likely will do a better job of getting to the people I actually care to hear.

Don't get me wrong, it's still flawed (the format) and not really defensible to the extent that you want the show to be a signing contest, but it's better than the previous format imo.

[Ajaxab]

Does the band intentionally suck until they get to the big stage? I thought they were horrible last night and the arrangements, on the whole, did the singers no favors.

[Poli]

Wow. What was Casey thinking? How can you say you did everything in your power to win with a performance like that? Surely at some point during the week you have to just say, "Look, I made a mistake. This song isn't for me" AND CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SONG.

[Mustang]

Last year, I wasn't big on them whoring out Josiah Lemming for ratings since he seemed at least likable, but them putting the screws to Tatianna for the entire show and making her wait was just awesome.

I was really wishing that while Danny was singing, she would have raced onto the stage and grabbed the mic and started singing while security chased her around.

[Poli]

I was wondering where Josiah was this season. I figured he'd be back.

[sabotai]

So is it that every blue-collar person out there voted for Micheal or did he just happen to choose a song that's popular and was an automatic advance (or both)? I just can't see how anyone would put him through ahead of Ricky or Anoop (or most of the rest from last night, including some of the trainwrecks) based on the quality of their performances...

[MJ4H]

I don't get that guy either. I keep being surprised to see him advancing each time he does.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I don't get that guy either. I keep being surprised to see him advancing each time he does.

Maybe it is just the judges having worked their mind control on me, but Michael seems like a very accessible likable guy with a nice family and he has a good voice.

[JSB]

I'm pretty sure that 12 wild cards advance from the first three groups for an additional week of performances where the judges choose 3. So theoretically there is a spot for ALL 9 "losers" from this week in the wildcard round.

[Poli]

I hate this expansion and junk. I wasn't thrilled with the old format...but I have to admit I still don't completely understand this new one.

I agree with Sol as well...it doesn't make sense to expand at this point.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by IrishHand

QFT, but I will really miss her, um, instrument.
http://americanidle.today.com/files/...son-bikini.jpg

If she had only worn that she would not be going home. I would have been voting for her all night.

[AgustusM]

I really like Danny Gokey - his combination of voice, performance, story and general likability have made him my favorite in the three seasons I have watched. I would buy a CD from him right now.

I also really liked Ricky Braddy. I thought his performance was very good and I hope and expect the judges to save him.

Tatina has annoyed me all season and I wouldn't have watched one more minute if she had been picked over Danny at the end. Having said that I was actually surprised at how good she sounded tue night. Still her overwhelmingly annoying personality means she just couldn't go soon enough for me.

Alexis was very good, I am glad she advanced.

I like Michael Sarver, but I thought his performance was not good and he advanced on personality alone. Hopefully he is better next time.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by AgustusM

I also really liked Ricky Braddy. I thought his performance was very good and I hope and expect the judges to save him.

In order for the judge saves to work, there has to be strong justification. Thinking about it, they might have trouble saving Ricky. They came down fairly hard on him, saying he had a good voice but no star quality.

He picked a good song for his strengths, he was good enough to deserve a pass on a very weak night. He just didn't grab a lot of fans.

Ryan pointed out tonight that Anoop was only 20,000 votes short of advancing. The judges pointed out he made a weak song choice. Because of this, Anoop stands out as someone who could potentially receive a save. They're already setting this up.

If anyone's getting one from tonight, it's Anoop, sadly. Ricky's a long shot. No one else can make any case at all. I think they will follow the voting for the most part, and that's why they had Ryan mention how close it was.

[Raiders Army]

I was thinking Tatiana was on Prozac the past two nights.

[Solecismic]

Next week is going to be a challenge for me.

For the last couple of months, I've been dealing with a fairly serious toothache off and on. Hoping to clear the infection with Keflex, but not quite getting it under control.

I finally gave in, and will have the root canal done on Tuesday afternoon. The infection is bad now, so this is going to be rather painful. I may well be in no condition to listen to music by the time the Idols roll on stage (read Vicodin plus a healthy dose of whiskey-and-coke).

Due to the depressed market for PC games, paying for this also represents a challenge.

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

[lordscarlet]

Vicodin+whiskey sounds like a great way to watch this round.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

ROFLMAO.

As far as Tatiana, I think she realized how badly she was portrayed and just made a conscious effort to be more calm, at least until she realized her dream was over and broke down. Either that or she was on Lithium.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Next week is going to be a challenge for me.

For the last couple of months, I've been dealing with a fairly serious toothache off and on. Hoping to clear the infection with Keflex, but not quite getting it under control.

I finally gave in, and will have the root canal done on Tuesday afternoon. The infection is bad now, so this is going to be rather painful. I may well be in no condition to listen to music by the time the Idols roll on stage (read Vicodin plus a healthy dose of whiskey-and-coke).

Due to the depressed market for PC games, paying for this also represents a challenge.

So I've decided to open up pre-ordering for Up and Down the River: The Mississippi Years. Just $20 will get you free updates of this game for life.

Thanks for your support.

I think next week's shows are Wednesday and Thursday, so you should have an extra 24 hours to "prepare"...

[rkmsuf]

banging the crap out of that alexis would be outstanding

[Ksyrup]

I don't consider this a spoiler, but just in case...

Spoiler

How about THIS shit?! (comments at the end courtesy of MJsbigblog):

More clues about next Thursday’s wildcard show from Simon Cowell via USA Today:

Overall, Cowell is happy with Season 8, saying changes to the semifinal structure, including the return of judges’ wild-card picks, will yield better finalists. In next Thursday’s wild-card round, the judges bring back eight or nine singers — not necessarily just from the semifinals — and pick three to round out the Top 12. “I think when we put the 12 together, there will be more personality, more interest and just more diversity,” says Cowell, who wouldn’t specify standouts.

The singers they bring back may not necessarily be from the Top 36. That’s what I figured. The producers are going to wring as much OMG SHOCK from the show as they can. It’s the wildcard y’all! Anything can happen!

[Lathum]

interesting