Rolling American Idol Season 4 thread

[note to Canadian Idol watchers -- this describes Jacob Hoggard, more or less, and look how well he did]

Worst person to get selected: the guy in the rock band. just absolutely terrible.

All of that said. Yes, I watch the show, religiously.

Excellent!

The show is incredibly dishonest, but still, the freak show entertains me.

Those two buddies who appeared to have chromosomal disorders--DUD!

I joked to my wife last night that their rejection should have spirred a cross-country killing spree.

Is it just me, or is Paula slowly turning jaded and mean like Randy/Simon?

The part last night where they suggested that the cannibal chick should eat the twins was awesome.

Other thoughts about the American Idlers

1) Isn't this illegal?
2) Surely it's unethical?
3) Tastes like chicken?

Really, where did she get it? Is this being misreported?

Really, where did she get it? Is this being misreported?

It apparently was for a class of some sort, and was legal and ethical, it seemed.

She said it tasted like bacon.

Right now I'm firmly in wedding ring lady's camp, followed by closely by the 16-year-old who rapped about the streets. Jermaine Dupri needs to get his hands on her so badly.

The balance of "borderline, will this person make it or not?" auditions to "so bad we're supposed to laugh" auditions seems more contrived this season. I mean, yeah, I realize it's not like they just tossed random footage together last season, that they were just as deliberate -- but it feels more deliberate this time. Like there's a secret, Shadow Idol simultaneous with the exoteric American Idol, looking for the next William Hung.

I enjoyed the Snidely Whiplash looking dude who butchered I Put A Spell on You, because I love that song, and I love butchered versions even more than the original.

That 19 year old baptist kid with the dreds will be there at the end. FOX doesn't even try to hide the fact that the show is fake as wrestling anymore...

The Lil' Jon wannabe was brilliant. I used to pretend I didn't like Lil' Jon because I felt I shouldn't like him. After all, all he does is go "HHWHAT??!!??!" and "EEEEYAYUH!!!" over and over again, but I have come to grips with the fact that this is brilliant. Lil' Jon should have an "issues of the day" talk show on MSNBC.

The Baptist kid made me wonder about this guest judge thing, cause "there's no God in rock-n-roll ... or, uh, pop music" was odd reasoning for an American Idol judge. Mark McGrath was one thing, but putting Gene Simmons into a Goldberg machine designed to produce the next Kelly Clarkson seems ... well, it seems like a metaphor I'd use to describe something comically disastrous.

Randy and Paula got pissed at Simon for toying with the guys and with them. The twins, when they left, were pissed because they hadn't wanted to audition together to begin with, and had made a point of dressing differently, registering separately, etc., but the handlers had packaged them as a set.

The little Cyndi Lauper girl can't sing (well she can, but there's such a wobble to her voice). Still, she's cute as pie and will probably get all the way through to the 12.

Identical twin who got shot down in New Orleans but got through with the Donnie Hathaway can sing, but I find his voice annoying.

I promise this the last time I will say anything about this. The girl with the pink cowboy hat, who they told "you're just trying to get on tv" of COURSE that's why she was there. She knew she was horrible, so did the 30 producers who heard her before she got that far. Fake as wrestling...

The housewife who sang Alicia Keys knocked it out.

Yeah, the Cyndi Lauper girl totally got by on cuteness.

The 44-year-old guy who tried to pass himself off as 28 was the show-stealer for me.

"you're just trying to get on tv" of COURSE that's why she was there

Yeah, the judges get so impatient with things like that sometimes that I keep expecting one of them -- not even necessarily Simon -- to bitch about the screeners. Although I suppose that wouldn't be aired. (But isn't the relative transparency -- because it's still more "behind the scenes"-ish than the real contest at the end of the season -- the whole appeal of the early part of the season?)

That's why the obviously faux frustration of the judges at these "bad singers who only want to get on TV" annoys me so much. I understand its part of the formula, but its just fake. Of course, I think the voting is fake too, so do with that what you will.

I kept imagining that the old dude who was pretending to be 28 was Glen Campbell but he didn't sing like Glen.

Fat? Yeah. Ugly? Not really. Lose the glasses, put her in a properly tailored dress - she'll never be "hot" but she'll be presentable, and you can totally work the "normal American gal" angle. And she can really, REALLY sing.

She sure can. And it could be interesting if she gets as far as the live broadcasts; she has one of the three or four best voices, period, of people we've seen so far, but really needs contacts/better hair/better clothes to conform to the "pop star" ideal. I wonder if the public would embrace somebody who sings like she does but isn't all that attractive; Fantasia and Ruben aren't typical star material, either, but the white lady (I don't want to describe her in pure pejoratives, but I honestly can't remember her name) has much more of a euphemistic "image problem" than either of them.

The little Cyndi Lauper girl can't sing (well she can, but there's such a wobble to her voice). Still, she's cute as pie and will probably get all the way through to the 12.

I loved how they made no secret about the fact that she was SO GODDAMN PERKY that she was alienating all her fellow auditions in the lobby.

I stand by what my penis told me.

Because female singers are only worthy if they're boner-inducing.

I don't remember saying that she didn't deserve to win the competition.

I know he was more talented than she was (significantly so, in fact), and the Broadway was working against her, but they seemed to treat her image as the main issue, whereas his was an afterthought. She would have clearly made the next round had she been attractive, but I feel like they judged them under patently different criteria. I know this show is based on subjectivity, but it was striking nonetheless.

(That said, LL Cool J for president!)

America's reaction to Sc0tt Sav0l is going to be really interesting. I forgot how riled up people on Internet message boards can get about American Idol; earlier today I read someone calling him "Scottzi Nazi" for some reason. Whoa!

Last night was pretty mediocre overall, as the judges kept pointing out for us.

I don't remember now who the female contestants are; did that little annoying chick who kept forgetting the words make it?

Amazingly, ONLY PAULA SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND THIS.

That Mikalah loud-talking looks-like-Paula-Marshall-after-malicious-plastic-surgery talks-to-the-judges one must be the Fran Drescher chick. Chris is welcome to use my fist to punch her.

The judges are using kid gloves tonight. When Phil Collins outsings you, it's time to reconsider your dreams of being a singer.

And yeah, they're being nice, but they're also pretty clearly bored. As are the contestants in the audience! Constantine's reaction shots have all been either "I am bored at the pep rally, when can I go out to the parking lot and smoke" or "I am staring through your clothes, hold still."

Also, go 'head, Aloha and willowy black rock girl! You did your things, dawgs. Also one of the Diane DiGarmo/Carmen Rasmussen amalgamations was pretty good... but why were they so terrified and BORING overall?

The farm girl is my Spring Crush Of Shame, I think.

I find Mikalah kind of endearing in a perverse way, I can't put my finger on why. I have to admit, there were three, maybe four, women in the final 12 I honestly don't remember seeing at all in the earlier rounds.

Country corn-fed blonde chick wasn't bad, especially relative to the rest of the night.

I am pulling for Nadia, Bo, Teen Drescher, and at least two others.

and b) that if we voted people OFF instead of voting to keep them ON, she'd totally get the hook tonight. (I guess an if isn't a prediction, really. But as I was typing I wished that I could vote against someone instead of for someone.)

Melinda definitely didn't deserve to go at this stage. Does this mean that Janay had the 2nd lowest number of votes.

Maybe the other contestant will now understand how important song choice is at this point in the competition.

We called Mikalah "George" because she is rather obviously a drag queen.

I fear I must not pass on these descriptions to my co-worker.

A majority of these twelve guys are 25 or older ... interesting.

And the clips do make Guys Night look pretty good. I was bored at the time, but it excerpts well. Constantine really should've done a different song, though. Dude, do "I Remember You"! You know you want to! "Winds of Change"! C'mon!

Simon said that Constantine was good, but that his performance wasn't anything you wouldn't hear from a good bar singer. That was valid criticism, but Bo put on the same performance (with a bit more mustard on it) and Simon was tripping over his compliments.

Nikko was really good tonight.

But it was refreshing to see so many of them stay away from the R&B styles that get caned to death on AI.

Amway skipping through a fucking meadow for "What's Going On": not right at all.

Mario: "No, really, I'm not bald. And I'm going to prove it to you sometime... just not during this pre-show interview or the performance I'm about to give..."

Biggest disappointment: Simon.

Anwar is SHIT HOT right now. You KNOW his little middle school students are loving this.

Why oh why do I watch this show???

I'm a Scott man, so it's good to see that they're making him look more like an actual human being with the sunglasses and chinstrap and so forth.

I think Celena is really cute, but she looks (and IS) soooo much older than the other contestants. That's a big strike against her and her mediocre performances aren't going to overcome that deficit. I think she's going home this week, unless two or three others blow it tonight.

I think Celena is really cute, but she looks (and IS) soooo much older than the other contestants. That's a big strike against her and her mediocre performances aren't going to overcome that deficit. I think she's going home this week, unless two or three others blow it tonight.

Janay was ass, but I have a funny feeling that she will be the one with nine lives this season.

I liked Carrie's performance. It wasn't that big of a stylistic stretch, since she did it in a country-rock style. Keep in mind that I'm in love with the girl so I probably lack the ability to be objective about her at this point.

Aloha and Celena are out, IMO. As for the boys, I'm calling it for David Brown and Joseph Murena. There are some really, really nondescript people occupying the periphery right now.

right now feels like the show is all about Carrie and, especially, Bo Bice !
the country and rock thing is the big surprise this season

They seem to be turning him into Randy Jackson.

Also, she still sounds like Anastasia but at least she didn't look like Anastasia this week.

Finally, the majority of the women are mediocre to terrible (Janay is cute but she is HORRIFYING).

It's the first year they have done this, so that they didn't have a situation like last year.

The Jersey girl is in, I forget which song she did though.

xp - why the fuck did they vote the rockabilly guy out??? That sucks!

I missed the boys! What did Anwar sing?

Not in a good way.

Low points of Nashville Star were probably the two people who brought out instruments (one with a guitar, one with a mandolin), and closed their performances with completely ignorable "solos" that lasted, like, two seconds each. It just seemed totally incongrous to me, and they were both dullards otherwise; I guess they'd been picked just for their mere ability to play instruments. I didn't get that at all.

xp

That's kind of been the speculation from the beginning, although I don't know how it's factored into how they chose the final 24 - there are definitely weaker female candidates than the men thus far, but some of the total female dead weight (Janay, Amanda, Aloha) have actually sung well; Janay is clearly petrified, but only started to show it the last two weeks. I think the bigger issue may be that most of the really good men are older - the age limit being raised means that lot of mid-20's guys with obvious stage/musical experience (ie. Bo, Constantine, Mario) are able to come in and mop up.

But since nobody can predict how AI voters actually vote, Celena Rae could walk away with this thing.

The lesson as always, I'm an idiot.

Some other random thoughts.

I hate Constantine so very, very much. I hate his lack of talent, and I hate the fact that he makes Prince eyes at the camera at every opportunity, and I hate that said prince eyes will carry him deep into the competition.

Janay isn't scared, she just doesn't blink. This is in a way worse than being terrified because she looks terrified at all times. I feel like an American Idol needs to blink on occaision, which does not bode well for her.

He won't win, but I love that anyone sang Whipping Post on American Idol.

And I somehow nailed all four. For what it's worth, David Brown looked unassailable at the very beginning, but this show proved that his initial audition was the apex of his abilities. He was genuinely outclassed.

Lindsey, please bring back the slow husky thing
and I thought Carrie sounded fine this week (not as commanding, original choice etc but she's still got the voice)

Scott didn't deserve it, but the next-weakest man, Nikko, probably saved himself with a great "Georgia on My Mind." Anwar was also really great, and even though Constantine, Bo, Anthony, and Mario were fair-to-middling, I have to think that they've got their fans in numbers that my boy Savol doesn't.

I think that we could easily see the first four eliminations of the final 12 be women. Carrie and Nadia are the only women left with any real chance of winning it, IMHO.

For the second straight week, I was perplexed by the judges reaction to Constantine. This week I thought he was flat (energy-wise, not pitch-wise), but the judges were loving it. Except for Simon, who provided the biggest OMGWTFLOL moment of the season thus far when he called Constantine a Sting impersonator.

Constantine is disappointing me. Right now, Nikko's my boy.

I'm not sure I would bother watching the girls if I didn't have a laptop and the ability to bittorrent anything that happens to be on against AI tonight. Also, I want Seacrest to snap and break a chair over Mikalah's head or something.

The astrology theme was gay in a bad way.

They should just give the title to Anwar now.

The Janay/Carrie double bill should be interesting.

Vonzell and Nadia were nuts to try Aretha and Otis. I didn't think either one was very good, although Nadia was easily good enough to survive in this weak group but Vonzell looked ridiculous in that outfit and deserves to go home just for those crimes against fashion humanity.

Nadia has probably been the best so far, but that's not saying a whole lot.

God, that fucking Aerosmith song.

hah, xpost; it should be subtitled "that fucking Aerosmith song."

Mikalah sang Streisand without actually unclenching her teeth the entire time, even on the glory notes. That was pretty rough.

I think Amanda and Vonzell are gone. I can't bring myself to bet against Janay.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Mikalah and Janay. I've got a really funny feeling about this not being Mikalah's week.

Lindsey brought back the husk, but her performance swung between lethargic and strained
and girl take that mike outta you beautiful face
(eyes without a mouth?)

Mikalah is the Broadway contenda of the bunch - so getta part annd leave the pop to others

Janay, Amanda or Vonzell all candidates to go (even though Amanda's was her best so far)

Favorites right now are Jessica, Carrie, and maybe Bo; soft spot for Lindsey.

He'll be gone soon enough. It's a strong top 12 and almost everyone in it has a personality except for him.

After last night, Jessica joins Carrie on my "I'm in love with them and can no longer be objective about them in any way, shape, or form" list.

Part of me will be rooting for Bo and Constantine because after winning the competition, their debut single would have the best chance of going to #1 than just about anything else on tap for the next six months. Nickelback's reign of terror as the last band to have a rock song at #1 must end.

Oh, forget it. I don't want to fight with you, you big lug. Plus, you know I'm right. And adorable.

I'm starting to love Lindsey. She seems...nice. That's about as well as I can articulate it. I hope she stays, because I think I have a little crush on her. She has such a distinctive voice by AI standards.

Still, independent of how they actually do, I could easily see Lindsey, Jessica, Mikalah, and Vonzell being the next four eliminated. I don't think Scott or Constantine or the other, weaker male contestants are in any kind of trouble in the near future.

I'd rather listen to Janay than Mikalah, but I can more easily imagine Mikalah having a singing career -- Janay should've waited a couple years before auditioning. (Has anyone who's been voted off re-auditioned in a later season? Are they eligible to?)

(x-post)

yes eligible to reaudition. that was the deal in the choice between Amanda and the younger girl who didn't get through. they asked who'd come back and when Amanda said this was the end of the line they went with her.

Mario out for "personal reasons," Nikko back in.

So that happened.

Vazquez tells "Extra" that, "It was a very, very hard decision on my part...'American Idol' was only positive and wonderful with me…but overall, my intuition told me there was things I really needed to take care of, personal areas in my life that I'm trying to keep private…to me that meant that I couldn't continue on with the competition." Vazquez goes on to say, "Everything is great! I'll be expecting some bad press and some good press, but that's what comes with being in the public."

Something about that doesn't smack of pessimism with the "AI" production company's shitty contracts or a record deal from another label (and I'm sure that he has a non-compete clause in said shitty contract).

Either a) that Drudge is right -- first time for everything -- and Mario doesn't want the AI producers to control his career, or b) that Drudge is wrong, that something really IS up with his family, and we should all leave him the hell alone.

Either way, you admit you haven't heard him sing, and you cynically/humorously call the show "American Idiot." So why do you care?

Scott reminds me of this kid in high school who was so laid back and reserved but went fucking bananas-ass buckwild throwing blows every which way the one day someone called him Pudgels. He was the biggest Guy fan I've ever known. He was also really into Najee.

Meanwhile Smeagol* screeches his way into another round. Fuck that.

*I'm so glad someone besides me recognized how much he looks like Gollum. I think me and my sister ruined him for my mom last week when we were all like "mmm yessss, Ssssssimon, my preciousssss!".

Nadia by far the breakout/best performance! she's been a personal fave since "Power Of Love".
Bo and Anwar fairly predictable - Bo's comfort in working the crowd would have been more impressive if the vocal had been exceptional.
Scott's seemed the smaller, yet stronger triumph.
Vonzell: direct, emotive, slightly sharp at times - and better than Jessica's laidback runthrough.

who does that leave? Carrie - another personal fave - she could sing the phone book, but I hope she'll get her confidence back soon.

Mikalah? one of the most dynamic of the bunch - both visually and personality-wise - but vocally doesn't do it for me: winner of Broadway Idol though.

-- The Obligatory Sourpuss
.
.
.
Quite so, T.O.S., except that I was right.

I don't find her nearly as annoying as many posters, but she was one of my least fave singers straight away so maybe that's why I don't care. I'd rather her on the show for entertainment value than one of the ok but bland singers.
I'd trade her to get Lindsey or Celena back in a instant though.

I wasn't really referring to your prediction when I wrote all that upthread, but yeah, sure, if Fox and Drudge are right, then you're right too. But that just means Mario was illegal when he entered the contest, because no one with a record deal (current or former) is supposed to enter the contest. So it has nothing to do with "reality TV isn't real" and more with "dude was fraudulent". Maybe reality TV is fine, and it's people who aren't real!

1. DO NOT CALL ME a misogynist. for i am not.
2. its a joke...relax.

Carrie was great, they were waaaay too hard on Lindsey (not like it matters now that she's gone, but still) and Anthony, Nadia is decent but is hardly a steak among hamburgers, etc.

Bo is still coasting on classic rock, sooner or later he'll have break out of that mold and get stuck doing "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" or "Vision of Love". I can't wait to see what he does with that.

I have no idea what the judges heard in Jessica -- all I could think about was how weak her voice sounded and how much she was getting pwned by the original. Anyhow, she'll obv. be around for another week, so I'm not complaining.

Mikalah is toast.

Christ almighty, eat my nuts.

It's nice to see that their production values for the group commercials remain super-low. Bo Bice and that giant spoon will haunt my dreams for awhile.

but I've seen it happen on American Idol before - one of the best ones go (particularly unjust was last season's loss of Jennifer after her best performance "Weekend In New England". and don't get me started on Rickey!).

so glad to see Carrie return to form/grace.
between Carrie, Bo, Nadia and maybe 3 or 4 of the others, feels like this season has the biggest group of talent. so I still hope we get a whole bunch of the kinds of peak performances occasionally seen on previous seasons.

Bo is singing Collective Soul and I feel old.

(Also: klieg lights 1, mousse 0!)

Constantine seems fixated on breaking the mold and surprising us ... either he's trying to distinguish himself from Bo, or he thinks he can get by with Partridge Family and Bonnie Raitt until the final six or seven, and then turn on TEH RAWK when it really counts.

The problem with themes like "the 90's" is that it leads to Carrie singing Martina McBride, Bo singing Black Crowes, etc. So! Goddamn! Iterative!

xpost - Scott sounds awful early.

Tep, I wouldn't go out of my way to catch the beginning of the show.

That was BC's? I've already forgotten what he sung, but didn't they announce that he was singing Collective Soul? Man, the 90's *were* a long time ago ...

xpost after that performance, Anthony seems done, but I'm sure all the ten-year old girls will vote for him, so who knows. But it's looking like him or Scott at this point.

Vonzell just fucking killed. Loved her Whitney-in-"Bodyguard" outfit/the cheesy slow dissolves; she just officially became my favorite.

(And if they are avoiding them, how many seasons will it take before we're watching "Commercials jingle night" and "TV show theme song night"? Not that I wouldn't love Carrie to do "The Dukes of Hazzard," or hear Mario's version of "He's the Mayor.")

I wanted to punch Randy in the face when he made that "a lot of great singers can't sing in tune in their lower range" comment. IF YOU CAN'T SING IN TUNE IN A INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR VOCAL REGISTER, YOU ARE NOT A GREAT SINGER. Dude should shut the fuck up and go back to playing bass.

In retrospect, this isn't a huge surprise since those sorts of singers live week to week instead of accumulating loyalty from viewers,...

and Nadia in the bottom 3 again is a travesty

kind of bittersweet - but it shows that their showmanship and ambition outstrips their current vocal abilities and control. ...for now

For the amusement of the thread, a quote froma very good friend of mine, to her TV, during Constantine's performance:

"Stop EYEFUCKING me!! I HATE YOU!!!"

My Mom and I had this conv the other week:

me: "Mom, I just got an Idol update: Anwar sang R. Kelly?!"
mom: (wearily) "It was NOT 'IGNITION REMIX.'"
me: "GOD DAMN IT!!"

http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2005/3/robinson.html

Meanwhile, this might be our next overblown controversy:

Rumors of American Idol finalist Anwar Robinson's sexual orientation have been circling for awhile, but AfterElton.com has unearthed a personal ad that should help settle the issue: a quick search of African American community site BlackPlanet.com's personal ads for men-seeking-men in New Jersey brings up a profile for Anwar Robinson, clearly identifiable from photos (the same photos which have also been used on a few of his fan sites).

Nadia smoked. Everyone loved Constantine last week, but I wasn't feeling it ... but this week, I think I understood what others were feeling last week. Randy might be right -- maybe rock isn't his calling after all.

Bo completely choked this week. I don't believe for a single second that he chose his song at random. That was an uptempo rock arrangement and his vocals were all over the place.

Anwar is starting to bug me with the way he tries to oversing EVERYTHING.

Her roommate went to the Chicago production of "Rent" and some people from the cast invited her and her roommate to go out with them. They got drunk in a bar downtown and the roommate ended up going to the hotel room of CONSTANTINE.
Then, a girl from NY in one of her classes was telling the same story, only it took place in New York, and Constantine took a different girl to his hotel room.

I'm betting Scott goes home tonight, for perfectly transparent reasons.

I'm with Blount -- Anthony is still there because the ten year old girls love him, but I have no clue who Scott appeals to. Seriously, does anybody have a theory about this?

The only thing I can think of is the Guys >> Girls disparity this season, which has been hammered into the fans by the judges and everyone else, and Scott is being carried along by the slipstream of this effect.

(Yes, I'm analyzing American Idol. Help me.)

Scott is stinking up the place again, and amazingly he had the exact same angry scowl as a baby.

Anthony was shockingly great!

Bo kinda blew it again ... all along, you just knew that he was DYING to bust out something like "Freebird", and it sounded totally uninspired. If he can't nail his signature tune, then he's got a problem.

Why do the judges always become belligerent when Carrie sings anything other than country?

It looks like Nadia's done for.

Upon further review, this is the case. The audio track was certainly replaced - his vocals are higher in the mix, and the piano part is different. He doesn't turn his head toward stage left, either.

I have missed the last two weeks of AI, since Dr. Who is on the CBC now at the same time.

Look, I don't give a fuck what happens out there, Savol needs to get gone, TONIGHT.

Scott's complete lack of energy and enthusiasm was completely exposed by tonight's theme -- the voters (whoever they are, I still can't figure out who this guy appeals to) must have realized that.

My eyes!

I'm thinking it's Anwar's week to go, though; something about Simon's "regular guy" comment rings so true that I've got this funny feeling that Anthony and Anwar will both go before Scott does. Scott certainly appealed to me at one point by virtue of how out-of-place he seemed.

(Clay Aiken's "transformation" has nothing on this.)

Anthony is frightening me; if he continues improving at the same pace he will be untouchable.

No one has ever been more flagrantly out of tune on AI than Scott. At least not since Josh, that military guy from season 2.

I had to go back and look at some photos of Anthony to see how far he's come, and was sort of crestfallen to see that he wasn't exactly elf-ugly like Clay was to begin with, so his "transformation" isn't quite as astounding as it seemed in my head last night. Morning after indeed.

In addition, he inflects everything with the same irritating quasi-Stevie approach; I'm very lukewarm on Carrie, say (and Constantine to a lesser extent), but at least she has the good sense to sing different songs in different ways, which sets her apart from virtually everybody else in the competition.

I don't think Scott, meanwhile, has had much training at all, and certainly not as much as Anwar. He has a very raw, undeveloped chest voice, which is problematic when he's singing in his lower register, but it's something that could be rectified with practice and knowledge of vocal resonance.

I dunno about Vonzell, though. Sort of like Nadia, I think her problems stem more from lack of breath control than anything else.

xpost - And yeah, nobody touches JPL in terms of mediocrity.

I havent seen this show before but I saw Fantasia performing on it a few weeks ago. How the hell did she win this thing last year? She was like a fucking monster with her "get ugly" routine.

I know fat people are people too but...Scott's hands are just too much for me to handle.

Constantine has "Oh my God, I can't stop looking at this gigantic freak" quality.

So does Scott Stapp.

The commercial with the car made out of paper wasn't nearly as unintentionally funny as Carrie playing guitar.

(I also hate ensemble performances in general)

Erm, yeah. That's true. Not sure what you're driving at, beyond maybe "star quality isn't the end-all, be-all"...?

http://pressroom.hallmark.com/Images/Christmas/2003/Sympathy.jpg

My mom called me while I was asleep and opened with "....did you hear?" I will miss your eyes and blazer collection, but this had to happen. Next stop: SAVOL MUST GO. THEN BO. VONZELL TO THE FINISH.

I sent him a crush!

All those comments I've been making on ILM about silently rooting for Bo and Constantine so that they can get the first #1 rock song since Nickelback ... karma.

Basically Carrie, Constantine and Scott need to feel deeply embarrassed about what they did.

what I liked about Vonzell last night is the peaks were tender and she was glowing(!) - a rapturous vibe...

Well, that was unexpected.

#1 & #2: Carrie & Bo
#3: Scott
#4: Vonzell
#5: Anthony

(Based on his previous performances, he should have been close to winning, but HE WAS ATROCIOUSLY AWFUL ON TUESDAY.)

So we've learned that Anthony and Scott have the most devoted fans, people who will support them no matter what they do. Bo, Vonzell, and Constantine were living week to week -- voter memory of past strong performances could be erased if they had one bad day (like Constantine did). Carrie falls somewhere in the middle -- she's never been in the bottom three, but she's never been bad enough to deserve it.

I guess none of this is a surprise, because the least talented people draw the most devoted fan bases every season.

At this point, I see a top 2 trailer park showdown pitting Bo against Scott. Golly, I just don't know who to root for!

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0427051_bo_bice_american_idol_1.html

I'm convinced that most AI voters are not connected to the webernet and receive most of their news through television news sources (i.e., they only know what Idol wants us to know.) Evidence: Savol is still apparently representative of the American Dream, and Anwar was voted off the moment he unequivocally pranced on-screen, NOT when it was revealed through googling that he was in fact gay.

You googled him! Anyway, yeah, I'm not surprised, he did once say the 90s were a blur for him. I also heard this morning that his GF is pregnant. Big news week for the guy. I doubt either one of these tidbits will hurt him much.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/29/tv.american.idol.ap/index.html

All these "Bo was forthcoming about his previous indiscretions, etc." comments from FOX, I don't know, I have trouble picturing Bo with the AI producers saying "I was arrested twice on drug charges" and the FOX people saying "OK, great, thanks for telling us that".

Who am I supposed to care about?

Bo > Carrie > Vonzell >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Scott > Anthony

When is Carrie gonna sing "Redneck Woman"?

I think the Vote for the Worst thing (votefortheworst.com?) has been pretty widely discredited as statistically insignificant.

I also don't know what it says about nights like last night, when Scott was pretty clearly not the worst contestant.

Her performance SUCKED. She definitely sounded nervous and unsure of herself, and she was missing notes all over the place.

weak night for Carrie - and even though he arguably always does 'his thing' Bo showed he could straddle genres way more easily
(after tonight's urban coke hustler, when's he gonna sing "Life In The Fast Lane" ?)

even when he sings well I don't rate Anthony - too Hallmark

I thought Vonzell was really excellent last week (contra the opinions on this thread) but it still makes me sad to remember Nadia's performance of "As Long As He Needs Me" and wonder...

mega Girls Aloud fan that I am, I recently procured the DVD for Pop Rivals
which added a new fun dimension to that group and the whole music reality TV thing

Yeah, they all were robbed. The final two of Diana and Fantasia was a big letdown.

George was consistently good but never great. During the last four or five weeks he was on the show, he couldn't deliver one single excellent, blowaway performance. Yeah, he still made it to the top five but it was a weak group -- once Jennifer got the boot, it was obvious that Fantasia would win so there's no reason that George couldn't have made it to the final two if he'd excelled in the slightest.

Carrie was great, but she did look nervous, though. And she did miss that last note just a tad.

... and speaking of ballsy, Carrie's following that with AIR SUPPLY? Why didn't she pick a country song? I figured that decision was a no-brainer.

She sounded shaky near the beginning, but nailed it by the end. But she definitely finished last in round two.

I also can't wait to see what insipid Diane Warren-esque ballads have been written for the contestants to slaughter this year. If the tsunami benefit single was any indication of things to come, we're in for some good times.

Bo is a good singer and a natural performer. He'll probably win. I agree with Randy though, he's no rocker. Good singer--yes, and a showman, but there's no edge, none of the desperation that ensures the Stones' 2005 tour is going to sell out stadiums just as they did FORTY YEARS AGO. But, Michael Bolton had a big career too, and that's more who Bo's like. A vocal stylist. I know it will be impossible for anyone on this board to accept, but that's hardly an insult. He could be huge. Bo should also cut his horrible locks. He'll look about ten years younger with short hair. He holds back a bit emotionally too, despite the swagger and leering winks at the audience.

Carrie can really sing, although she needs to stay in her vocal range--the lower register was shaky. She could be a big star, I think, IF she wants to be. Her will seems to be unclear. She hasn't learned to sell onstage the way Bo does so effortlessly. You can see this in her face: Okay, now sing, okay, now emote, okay, now dance--sort of--I really don't approve of dancin' but, okay, well, here goes. So you think for a split second, nah, she ain't got it--then she belts and your hair is blown back. It's all up to her at this point.

Vonzell, like Carrie is a powerful singer who really grabs the song and claims it. But, also like Carrie, she hasn't quite figured out that this is a sales job, the singing is incidental. And in cruel, simon like fashion, she's not as pretty as a Beyonce or a Whitney--she's closer to someone like Celine Dione (although no one is as equine looking as Celine by any means). But Celine can definitely sing. Vonzell's challenge, in the long term, is to cultivate intimacy. If you're not knock out pretty, be more accessible, more loveable in a way. Then when the power of her voice hits, you're defenseless.

I hadn't seen the show since the intitial audition episodes. I was genuinely surprised how good the three finalists were. Simon's management company is feeling really good about this year's crop, as his sunny demeanor last night confirmed.

So it's Bo?

Assuming that this is more than a rumour being used to build hype, it makes me think that Carrie is going home :(

Carrie can really sing, although she needs to stay in her vocal range--the lower register was shaky.

She had never sung in such a low register before last night (I suppose you're referring to the beginning of "Man! I Feel Like a Woman").

Vonzell is good, but she brings a lot of qualities to the table that we've seen on Idol before. Her strongest asset is that she's completely un-diva-like and seems very accessible, very down to earth. But voice-wise -- does anybody think that she's a better singer than, say, Jennifer or LaToya from last season?

American Idol has never had a Bo or a Carrie, which is why I'm rooting for them. Change is good.

Nope, not at all. This doesn't change my opinion that she is one of the better singers in this year's finals.

If this opening number is Bo's debut single, then it sucks. His vocal is no great shakes either, and he doesn't look comfortable singing it.

Bo's "Vehicle" was nice, though. No surprise.

Is she physically incapable of singing in tune?????

Chaki -- results aren't until tomorrow.

Carrie had ENTIRE PHRASES that were iffy, like maybe 55% percent of them.

I HATE HER VOICE SO MUCH.

big fizzle though...
they really make you work for the good stuff -
how many hours did we sit through for the bits that were worth it?

I mean for schlock factor: Anthony, Anwar & KENNY G beat a million bad auditions

that Neko, Scott & George Benson version of "On Broadway" was SLICK

when Nadia got up and rocked "Walk This Way" I was - THAT's what I'm talking bout
that's MY American Idol!

& is Lindsey still hot or what?!

Carrie actually sounded relaxed on her country duet

and Bo was like, FUCK WINNING, I sang with Skynyrd!!!