American Idol Season 8

[Mota]

It's very obvious that the top 13 have been picked around ratings and making an entertaining show, vs. trying to find the best undiscovered talent in America.

And more than every other year, it feels like a giant scam. Vote for whoever you want, but don't worry because the judges will be able to pick whoever they want as well and jam them in there. It is really sad because the terrible way of getting the first 9 did eliminate a bunch of possibly talented people. It's hard picking 3 people out of 12 and expecting America to get them all right. People are going to go for the breakout performance, and interesting stories.

It really aggravates me that they keep asking for "current" or "relevant" performances, but the only song structure that pleases the judges is the 90's diva type song where they have this big money note at the end. Sorry, music just doesn't go like that anymore. If you look at the Billboard 200 right now, you see Taylor Swift, Lamb of God, Jonas Brothers, Nickelback, and a whole whackload of Auto-tune singers. Obviously vocal range is not the #1 priority of today's listener anymore, and what the judges keep looking for is horribly dated.

Also, the addition of the 4th judge after every performance is just too much. The judging actually takes more time than the performance now. It's so obvious that the show is more about the judges bickering than the actual singers on stage.

[Easy Mac]

So, according to Ryan Seacrest on Twitter, Idol does not own 1866-IDOLS-13.... evidently its not SFW. Great job american idol producers!!!

[MJ4H]

hahah that's pretty good.

[Ksyrup]

'Tween audience, a phone sex line, AND the music of Michael Jackson.

THIS...........................is AMMMMMERICAN Idol!

[Easy Mac]

Don't forget, Kanye West mentoring...

[sabotai]

"And be sure to pay attention at the end and be careful because there is a special number for our extra contestant."

Haha.

[Easy Mac]

I'm sorry, but that they never commented on the blind guys singing is ridiculous. He was horrible. He played the piano well, but his singing was horrible. He shouted a crappy song. As a non-blind person, I'm appalled at their treatment of Scott with kids gloves

[Easy Mac]

Megan's breasts are like an overstuffed calzone

[ISiddiqui]

This is when I start to watch the show (I used to watch the prior to the Final 12/13, but it got too boring for me), so here is my top 3 based solely on tonight:

Adam
Danny
Allison

My bottom 3 on tonight:

Scott
Anoop
Jasmine (or Megan, but Megan is seriously hot, so she should stay )

Though I want Anoop to survive since people in my office says he looks like me... then again, that could be the Slumdog effect (do we all just look alike?). Though I hear he has a great personality and people root for him.

I thought Adam was far and away the best.

Don't know the backstories, so let me know.

[adubroff]

Well I ripped Adam last week so I have to give him props this week, he showed that you can take it to the edge without going over and then your performance can be the focal point, not the fact that you took things too far. I didn't think he was the favorite in the competition, Danny was my favorite before tonight....

I thought Matt did a fabulous job with Human Nature, which is a favorite of mine. I would put him second tonight.

I don't really have a third. Not that nobody else was good, but nobody else distiguished themselves on the level of the top two.

[sabotai]

Adam did a better job this week. Still didn't really like it all that much. I'm wondering what's going to happen when he's faced with a few weeks where over-the-top simply doesn't work with whatever genre or theme they go with. I remember one season, Matilda (was that her name?) was supposed to run away with it until everyone found out she couldn't pull off doing anything other than old songs in an old-fashioned way. I'm wondering if the same happens with Adam if and/or when he shows that he can't do anything except musical theater.

As for who should go, Megan and Michael. Possible Scott, Anoop and Jasmine. Megan's hot, Michael does something with oil, I forget, Scott is blind so he'll stay around. Anoop and Jasmine...I don't know. I have a feeling that they have their fans....

I don't know who will go. I honestly don't think I'd be surprised to see anyone other than Danny or Adam (considering their fan bases) go.

[Noop]

Go Noop????

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I don't know who will go. I honestly don't think I'd be surprised to see anyone other than Danny or Adam (considering their fan bases) go.

The woman who went last (with the pink in her hair, I forget her name) could be screwed by the whole "Idols-36" thing.

[Thomkal]

well I thought the majority of the second half performances went downhill from the first half. Megan for that oddball song choice should go yet it suited her oddball personality and performance so who knows. Jorge will likely go unless Puerto Rico saves him. Thought that was very much a "cruise ship" performance like Simon likes to call them.

Anoop, Jasmine, and Matt have enough popularity to save them. Michael surprised me with some unexpected range, but seemed very nervous. Hope he gets to sing country soon. Scott's story is enough to keep him around for a couple more weeks at least while they start weeding out the worse of the bunch. Alexis was a surprise because usually they put the strongest performance from practice into the last spot. She really did overdo it, but she shouldn't be in any real danger of going home.

Adam, Lil, Danny, and Allison were the best of the bunch and are in no danger. Anyone know the twist to the rules they talked about at the end there? Are the judges going to decide to keep one of the two voted out perhaps?

[Ksyrup]

I only saw the last 30 minutes, so...

No one, in a million years, will ever be able to convince me that Megan wasn't forced to do Rockin' Robin. First, no one has EVER done a 50s/60s rock n' roll song on AI credibly, and Simon ALWAYS hates the Elvis-type songs and destroys the contestants afterwards. Even if she's stupid enough to pick it, there's no way her handlers would allow it. If she did choose that, she should go home on general principle. That was painful to listen to, awful to watch, and so far from "relevant" I was embarrassed for her.

I can't handle Giraud's goat vibrato. And I thought the falsetto crap for the last 30 seconds was terrible and horribly off-key.

I really like Adam, but only as a singer in a rock/metal band. He's too grating to be a credible pop artist. He needs music that can rise to the level of his over-the-top vocals, and AI-type music ain't it.

The last chick was meh. The end of that song was a mess.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Anyone know the twist to the rules they talked about at the end there? Are the judges going to decide to keep one of the two voted out perhaps?

I haven't had a chance to check the blogs about this, but my guess is something similar to what they do on So You Think You Can Dance, where the judges have some control over who stays/goes. Maybe the judges get to save someone who would go home, or maybe they get to preemptively save X number of people, and those people can't be voted out, so the next lowest would go if they happen to choose someone who was in the bottom 3? If it involves the judges, it has to involve more control over the process.

EDIT: I just found out they announced 2 people are going home tomorrow. My guess is they have a bottom 3 (or more) based on America's vote, perhaps have them sing-off (like the SYTYCD dance-offs), then the judges will decide the 2 who go home.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Are the judges going to decide to keep one of the two voted out perhaps?

That's exactly what I thought and if so, worst surprise ever.

Though it WILL be interesting if America picks the bottom 3 and then the judges decide which of the bottom 3 go. That would really change things up. Maybe they can call it the Sanjaya rule.

[Solecismic]

I'm a little sad, because I get the feeling I'm witnessing the end of something familiar and comforting. American Idol is not the same show it was in past seasons.

Change is often for the better, but it's also uncomfortable. Idol has stopped pretending it's not commercial and biased. There was always the illusion to hold on to, always more unusual singers and the potential to see something different. Now, they're more up-front about the molding process, and they don't want the voters to screw it up for them.

More change is promised for tomorrow. We've been warned by Simon Cowell himself that we're not going to like it.

So far, this season, we've had a more artificial approach to constructing the top 12. The result has been a top 13 with maybe 11 people who can sing. But it's lost its amateur feel, and in its place, just somewhat amateurish performances by people who should be trainable as professional singers at some point down the road.

There were some quality performances tonight. Only one stood out, and only one stood out as horrendous, so the rankings were rather difficult. I'm adjusting to the new format as well. But I'll present the Solecismic Rankings anyway.

1. Adam Lambert. I have no doubt that I will never purchase a record Adam creates. Listening to him is tiring. What if Mick Jagger decided to produce High School Musical XXVII? Adam is incredibly theatrical, and he has trained his voice to do things voices shouldn't be able to do. I'm not sure that's a good thing. The screaming session in the middle of this song just didn't work for me. But he's awfully good at what he does. I just wonder how the producers are going to market him if he wins this competition. Score of 90.

2. Danny Gokey. Danny has considerable of command of his voice. If I had to compare him to anything Idol has ever come up with, I'd have to say he's what Taylor Hicks would be if Taylor spent a solid year in unending training to learn how to sing on key. It seems very calculated, like someone studied very carefully, learning exactly what it takes to win American Idol. Score of 81.

3. Matt Giraud. I liked this jazzier side of Matt. It's clear he has worked very hard and he has loads of talent. I don't know that he's grabbing the audience. What works in a tiny club, where people choose to spend an entire evening, doesn't really work in 90-second bursts. Common theme for those of us who grew up in the Ann Arbor area - our work isn't quite right for the masses, but we have our niches. Score of 80.

4. Megan Joy Corkrey. One of the joys of past seasons was when someone struggled to find something interesting to perform in a genre she would never sing in a million years. Like Elton John channeling Snoop Dogg, or Vanessa Carlton belting out an Aretha Franklin standard. I'm not sure Megan has enough range to succeed in a singing competition, but I'm really enjoying what she can do. Her performance of Rockin' Robin was pure retro. Not old-fashioned or dated at all. It was not a consistent performance, however. Some of it was as good as anything we heard tonight. Some of it wasn't very good at all. She needs to keep her energy level higher. Score of 78.

5. Michael Sarver. I hated him when he did what he thought he did best last month. Tonight, it was a little more incongruous, this slow-paced boy-bandy sound coming out of a man his size with a tough-guy image. But when he tries to inject emotion and volume, he loses his tone and looks uncomfortable. I don't think he's long for this competition, but he does have a decent voice. Score of 77.

6. Allison Iraheta. Allison went for the pure rocker persona tonight, and it worked very well for her. Every year, the judges ramble on and on about the teenagers who show ability well beyond their ages. Seems a bit silly most of the time. In Allison's case, however, it's a valid rave. I get the feeling she sounded better in person. This type of performance sounds a little monotonous over the air. She's a legitimate singer, though. Score of 76.

7. Lil Rounds. I know we're supposed to love, love, love the screamers at this stage of the competition. Lil was sharp on almost every note. She's just a personality, and the love from the judges feels very artificial. Score of 74.

8. Jasmine Murray. The NFL draft is coming up next month. Every year, we point out a handful of promising juniors who make a huge mistake by ending their college eligibility and declaring too soon. Jasmine needs more training. She has the look, and the talent. She has no polish at all. Her song was nice at times, but she tried too much and the result wasn't all that great. Score of 69.

9. Scott MacIntyre. Scott seems to have a little trouble with voice modulation, and I'm still reminded of Kermit the Frog every time he gets loud. This was just a vanilla song choice, completely unmemorable. He's getting through on back story alone. Score of 67.

10. Alexis Grace. Breathy and loud, Alexis is trying to be something she's not. Alexis is not an R&B screamer. She's just a cute little girl hoping to convince us. The illusion won't last much longer. Score of 65.

11. Kris Allen. Wearing a green-checked shirt, I was certain Kris was trying to camouflage himself. Was he actually playing guitar? Was there actually anyone on the stage at all? Kris needs to be singing with a band, not solo. There's just nothing memorable or unusually talented about him. Score of 62.

12. Jorge Nunez. He's effortless and loud. I'll give him credit for missing slightly fewer notes than he did last week. Slightly less. He has a definite style, though. I wouldn't be surprised if he came up with something good at some point in the competition. But I hope he doesn't last long enough. Score of 60.

13. Anoop Desai. More bad frat-boy karaoke from the all-style, no-substance Anoop. When he gets excited, he misses notes entirely. He needs to take his own advice and Beat It, Beat It, Beat It. Score of 31.

Expected Bottom 4: Jorge Nunez, Kris Allen, Jasmine Murray, Michael Sarver.

Who Should Go: Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez.

Who Will Go: Kris Allen and Jasmine Murray.

[Ksyrup]

They've already said there will be a double elimination this season (just based on the number of weeks left and the extra contestant), so I guess they could fake us out, but it'll still happen at some point.

[Drake]

I really like Anoop, but tonight was just horrible. There are some songs that just should have never been written and performed in the first place. Hell, I can only take the original version as in an ironic "Michael Jackson was such a dork" way.

That said, I get the feeling that AI is almost like a hobby thing for Anoop. For the rest of the folks, music is something that they feel defines them -- something they're heavily invested in. Anoop gives off the vibe that he's really an academic who happens to be able to sing, but if he goes home at any point, it won't really matter to him. It'll still be a great story to tell at faculty mixers.

[rjolley]

Totally disliked Megan's arrangement. She went retro, but it just didn't work. She should've tried a more rock edge to the song. or something. Anything but what she did.

Definitely liked the first half of the show better than the second half. Anyone from Anoop on could go, except for Adam. I thought he was the best of the group.

[ISiddiqui]

Wow... Jim... I think that's the highest I've seen Megan ranked on ANY rankings.

[Eaglesfan27]

I thought it was very interesting when Anoop (least I think it was him) said that he picked his song because he had no choice, and then said, it's not like I'm going to sing Bad. Anyway, I think he, Scott, and Megan were the 3 worst tonight, but Megan looked very hot.

[IrishHand]

Thoughts on tonight:

-not even sympathy votes will keep Scott to the top 4 that another poster anointed on him earlier in this thread. He's really, really mediocre. If he wasn't blind, he wouldn't be here now. Sympathy will take him a few weeks...perhaps longer if someone convinces him to wear sunglasses. Seriously...I can deal with the marginal vocals if I have to in the name of empathy, but the eyes wierd me out. That, and the staring at Seacrest in a really awkward way during the post-judging chat.

-I don't like Lambert 1/2 as much as most people do. Every chance he gets, he goes out and does musical theater (which the judges have bashed for eight years) and gets praised for it. The only thing more over-the-top than his performances are Paula's comments. I realize though that the preordained Gokey/Lambert finals will almost certainly happen.

-I don't know why, but I can't stop staring at Corkrey. I hate tats on chicks. She's incredibly awkward in interviews and she does an awesome Elaine imitation when she dances. But I can't stop staring at her - in a deviant, drooling kind of way. *shrug*

-I liked Giraud's performance more than I expected, but I think that's because he was the only one who picked a good song to cover. I mean, seriously, who picks "Beat It" and thinks they can show off vocal talent?

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I thought it was very interesting when Anoop (least I think it was him) said that he picked his song because he had no choice, and then said, it's not like I'm going to sing Bad. Anyway, I think he, Scott, and Megan were the 3 worst tonight, but Megan looked very hot.

That was Jorge, fwiw.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

That was Jorge, fwiw.

Yeah, I remember it was him now, and I thought he was the most honest any contestant has been. Only a few performers stood out tonight and the rest are all blending together.

[ISiddiqui]

I thought it was funny when they said Anoop picked the song because its his favorite (before his bio went up). Being as I never heard him sing before, I immediately thought, he's singing his favorite song instead of one that fits his voice? Are we doing karaoke now? And then Anoop answered the question: Yep.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I haven't had a chance to check the blogs about this, but my guess is something similar to what they do on So You Think You Can Dance, where the judges have some control over who stays/goes. Maybe the judges get to save someone who would go home, or maybe they get to preemptively save X number of people, and those people can't be voted out, so the next lowest would go if they happen to choose someone who was in the bottom 3? If it involves the judges, it has to involve more control over the process.

EDIT: I just found out they announced 2 people are going home tomorrow. My guess is they have a bottom 3 (or more) based on America's vote, perhaps have them sing-off (like the SYTYCD dance-offs), then the judges will decide the 2 who go home.

That was my thought as well. I think the judges are going to pick who goes home each of the following weeks from the bottom 2 (or maybe bottom 3.)

[Arles]

I think it's funny as Scott and Jasmine sounded exactly like they did in the 36. But, back then, the judges wanted them to advance for their story so they raved. Then, when the competition really starts, they say Scott can't hit notes and Jasmine sounded robotic - you don't say....

For some reason, I found Megan in the top half as well. In fact, I think Jim pretty much nailed the order I would have chosen (might have put Kris a little higher). The women are dreadful and only Megan has a chance to get better. Jasmine will keep doing Whitney/Mariah knockoffs in a copycat manner (and miss some notes). Alexis and Lil will scream their Aretha impressions and Allison will try to do her best Janis Joplin. Oh, for the power female voices who can actually sing in tune and be in key - where have you gone? Given one female has to stick around, my hope is it's Megan (for numerous reasons - but one being she can sing in key without shouting).

I like the guys to this point, but Adam might be too much if this keeps up. I have this feeling he will be covering Foreigner and Meat Loaf in Casinos in 2011. The only hope is that Megan finds her groove, Matt keeps with the Buble/Timberlake style and someone else emerges to give Danny and Adam a run. It looks like the next few weeks could be painful until all the charity cases from the prior round are cleaned out.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

That was my thought as well. I think the judges are going to pick who goes home each of the following weeks from the bottom 2 (or maybe bottom 3.)

That makes sense, for several reasons - one, they definitely seem hellbent on pushing the audience towards certain contestants, even more blatantly than they used to; two, they seem to care more about the show in terms of demographics/stories, so they want to keep "on script" as much as possible to keep certain personalities around until they are ready to dispose of them; and three, early on the producers said they were going to go back to the half-hour vote-off shows, but now they are back to the 1 hour show, and I can only assume that means they decided to do something different. And this may be what they decided to do - which would be ironic, seeing as though Nigel left and now they are going to change to something similar to his SYTYCD vote-off show format.

[lordscarlet]

When I was watching Adam last night all I could think of was Kiss.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

When I was watching Adam last night all I could think of was Kiss.

My wife made the same comment. She said it was like watching Kiss perform Michael Jackson. Still liked him though.

[ISiddiqui]

Oh, btw, if I'm right and it is judges decide who of the bottom 3 leave, I'm trademarking the term "Sanjaya rule". You heard it here first!

[Ksyrup]

MJ has further info on what the twist might be:

Spoiler

Ryan Seacrest interviewed Ken Warwick on his radio program today. Ken says the “new rule” that will be introduced tonight came about to solve a “problem that’s been around since Season 1.”

Ken says they tried the rule out in the French version of Idol first.

According to the Wikipedia entry for Nouvelle Star, in the last series, the judges were able to exercise a one time veto on an eliminated contestant at any point in the competition. The judges used their veto during the first week, sparing a contestant named Kristov, who was eventually eliminated 3 weeks later.


According to poster Valentin432, here’s how the new rule worked in France:

The judge get a veto power, it means that they can save one contestant during the whole season.

It works the following way, after the contestant(s) was eliminated, the judges have a meeting and decide if he is worth saving or not. If they decide he deserved it they give him another chance and the following week they start the show with the same contestants.

[ISiddiqui]

That's interesting.. though not as game changing as I'd consider.

[sabotai]

Spoiler

It'd be more interesting if each judge got 1 veto, but I can imagine that would make the season much longer than it should be (if they each used their veto, that would mean 4 extra shows if a veto means no one gets eliminated).

Maybe if they did it like "Here's the bottom three, does any judge want to use their veto to send a contestant back into the competition?" without telling them who got the least votes, so their would be a risk to using it (they use it when the contestant was not the lowest) or not using it (they don't use it when they are the lowest).

[Mustang]

Are spoilers really necessary if you are speculating on what it might be?

Spoiler

I think the lottery numbers tonight are 1 5 6 8 9 10

[ISiddiqui]

Well seeing it is bit more than just speculation...

[Easy Mac]

Dial Idol result speculation

Spoiler

No surprise that Danny, Adam and Lil are the top 3. However, I'm a bit surprised that Anoop is seemingly safe, and that Scott is not entirely safe. Also a little odd Allison is as low as she is.

[MJ4H]

Watched this episode really late, so just before the results are in, here are my thoughts.



Lil - Not as good as the judges said, but still very very solid. She will be a contender, and a deserved contender.

Scott - The piano helps him a lot. This was the best he had been. The song sucked, though.

Danny - Incredible once again. Easy favorite in my book. Dancing was funny, endearing.

Michael - Awful. Never have seen what the judges see in him. And obviously some members of the public.

Jasmine - Missing pitches, uninspired, boring. Not long for the show.

Kris - Another energetic performance. He's not perfect, but he always surprises me with how good he actually he is. He's the local guy for us here in Arkansas so a lot of people are rooting for him. He's probably a second tier talent in this group, but I'm afraid he'll be gone before that point because he isn't terribly memorable unless you are just a girl that thinks he's cute. Also, HOT WIFE ALERT has been issued (she was UA homecoming queen couple years back I'm to understand).

Allison - Backed up her great performance last week pretty well. Not nearly as good but still very strong.

Anoop - Nah, not much to say here.

Jorge - I didn't think this was as bad as the judges did, but certainly not a standout performace for the evening.

Megan - I liked this a lot better than the judges and most here apparently did. I thought it was actually quite a clever choice for her quirky voice. It showed off what she does well with it and was fun and "youthful" which the judges normally like (even though it is an old song). lol Gordon Ramsey sighting.

Adam - Exciting, which I agree is what is needed for some of these MJ songs. However, he really annoys me a little, and his vocal tone is a bit grating to me. He has a ton of potential, but I think he makes some puzzling decisions, like consistently decided to just start squealing and shrieking over singing. If he keeps off of people's nerves, he should go far. The judges clearly want him to.

Matt - Really pretty boring, missed a lot of pitches. Surprised by judge love for this one.

Alexis - Nice. She made some weird choices of what to do with the melody and it kind of clashed with the accompaniment, but she did well overall and she was hot. I didn't expect the quality here.

edit to add: Jasmine and Anoop should go and probably will.

[sabotai]

Concerning Megan, am I the only one who thinks it's total bullshit that they can pick songs that the artist covered? I mean, she picked a song from 1958 that Michael Jackson covered. If they are doing the songs of Michael Jackson, you'd think they would have to stick with only songs that he originally performed/wrote/etc., not covered.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Concerning Megan, am I the only one who thinks it's total bullshit that they can pick songs that the artist covered? I mean, she picked a song from 1958 that Michael Jackson covered. If they are doing the songs of Michael Jackson, you'd think they would have to stick with only songs that he originally performed/wrote/etc., not covered.

Melinda Doolittle spent an entire season doing it.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Melinda Doolittle spent an entire season doing it.

Melinda, that's who I was thinking of earlier. And I remember she eventually got booted when she was far and away the best singer because people got sick of her doing the same thing.

[Easy Mac]

Is Kelly clarkson preggers, because her ass is huge.

[MJ4H]

I commented, wife said she thinks she's actually slimmed down since last time she saw her. News to me, she looks like a battleship up there.

[MJ4H]

also her songs are beginning to be hilarious

Since U Been Gone
My Life Would Suck Without U

What's her next hit going to be? U R Teh 1 4 Me imo?

edit so this doesn't turn into my twitter account:

Was that comcast commerical completely awesome or was it just me?

[Easy Mac]

Paula's breasts could smother a triceratops

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I commented, wife said she thinks she's actually slimmed down since last time she saw her. News to me, she looks like a battleship up there.

My wife and I had the same conversation

[Raiders Army]

Jorge looks like Calibos from Clash of the Titans.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I commented, wife said she thinks she's actually slimmed down since last time she saw her. News to me, she looks like a battleship up there.

I've noticed over the years, being a huge Kelly Clarkson fan (not really), that she tends to go up and down in weight. There are times I see her on some show and she's almost like a stick figure, and other times I've seen her she looked almost preggers, so I think she's just in an upswing right now.