Idol '08 thread

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 4:10 pm

Ronbo wrote:What Randy said should not happen finally has. It has turned into a gigantic popularity contest, with the predator (dreadhead) staying far longer than he should have. No voice, less personality, and he needs amplification to whisper. Must be the eyes that get the 12 year old girls.

His appeal is wider than that, sadly. I work with a 52 yr old woman that thinks he's a dreamboat...Sigh... And yes, it's the eyes, I am informed.

And that aspect clouds all judgment. He CAN sing, she tells me, despite the fact that, as noted, the mic better not go more than 1/4" away lest he fade away.

He's probably not a bad guy (he's only 20, just a kid), but man is he workin' it. I guess THAT'S his talent.

PS. Not mentioned here is that Christy called Simon a "butt" last night. Even though he laughed last, it was a sufficiently uncomfortable moment – for some.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:32 pm

The Weekenders wrote: His appeal is wider than that, sadly. I work with a 52 yr old woman that thinks he's a dreamboat...Sigh... And yes, it's the eyes, I am informed.

And that aspect clouds all judgment. He CAN sing, she tells me, despite the fact that, as noted, the mic better not go more than 1/4" away lest he fade away.

He's probably not a bad guy (he's only 20, just a kid), but man is he workin' it. I guess THAT'S his talent.

I'm trying to think this one through, and respond intelligently.
Hmmm. I agree that he can sing. I also agree that he sure lacks a mega-watt voice.
And there's something very intriguingly unique about him that piques my interest week after week, whereas David A (for instance) cutie-pie though he is, and with palpable talent, doesn't.
Would I enjoy Jason if he were just a voice? Imagine AI as a recording-only competition, where you don't get to see how the contestants look until the voting has crowned a vocal winner.
Yeah...I don't know, because the way he looks, and his facial expressions are an undeniable part of the appeal. So I'm having trouble separating visuals and vocals out--as if they even are something that you could separate in a pop musician.

Well, as Paula says to someone or other every season: "You ARE the whole package..." Implying that the package has more than one part.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:44 pm

emmline wrote: David A--as much as everyone raves over his skills--still rarely sings anything that I really dig. He could I guess, he just doesn't.

Yeah..this is how I feel. He's almost like a one trick pony...sings the same type of thing week after week. He's technically spot on, but he can't seem to break out of that oh-so-boring genre. Whenever he tries to do something with a bit more of a beat, he falls flat on his face (Beatle's week...). And honestly, despite how cute the teeny-bopper crowd thinks he is, I seriously doubt that they would dig his music either when push comes to shove.

I started this week a bit ignorant as to what Mariah Carey music is all about. I end the week convinced that it ain't for me. I was almost snoring during the song she performed last night, and I can honestly say I didn't enjoy any of Tuesday's performances on the basis of song choice.

You know, when you read her lyrics (which I did after the show for a few of the songs done), she really is quite the songwriter. But as soon as you put the music to it, I find it to be anything but entertaining. I don't like the music, nor do I like her voice. I will agree that she is a talented singer in terms of technicalities, but I'm not fond of the quality[/] of her voice at all. So, no, even after this week, I won't be buying a Mariah Carey album any time in the next millennium. And was she lip-syncing? Mr Izz and I were at odds as to whether or not she was...I think she was. I thought I saw her mess up the lyrics a couple of times, but then it's not like I was really looking that hard.

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:06 pm

Regarding Castro, yeah, he appeals to women of all ages. I watched with my 40-something wife and 50-something sister-in-law last week and both swoon over him. My six-year-old daughter also likes him.

I wouldn't discount him for a weak voice. Kerry Minnear, keyboard wizard and second lead singer of Gentle Giant, had a beautiful weak voice. Derek Schulman sang all of Kerry's lead parts in concert because Kerry's voice was too weak even to be properly miked with all the noise they made.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:08 pm

izzarina wrote:
emmline wrote: David A--as much as everyone raves over his skills--still rarely sings anything that I really dig. He could I guess, he just doesn't.
Yeah..this is how I feel. He's almost like a one trick pony...sings the same type of thing week after week. He's technically spot on, but he can't seem to break out of that oh-so-boring genre.

Is he maybe a little like Michael Bolton?

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:08 pm

FJohnSharp wrote:
izzarina wrote:
emmline wrote: David A--as much as everyone raves over his skills--still rarely sings anything that I really dig. He could I guess, he just doesn't.
Yeah..this is how I feel. He's almost like a one trick pony...sings the same type of thing week after week. He's technically spot on, but he can't seem to break out of that oh-so-boring genre.

Is he maybe a little like Michael Bolton?

Eureka!!!! That's it!!!!!

Ronbo · Post by **Ronbo** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:23 pm

chas wrote:Regarding Castro, yeah, he appeals to women of all ages. I watched with my 40-something wife and 50-something sister-in-law last week and both swoon over him. My six-year-old daughter also likes him.

I wouldn't discount him for a weak voice. Kerry Minnear, keyboard wizard and second lead singer of Gentle Giant, had a beautiful weak voice. Derek Schulman sang all of Kerry's lead parts in concert because Kerry's voice was too weak even to be properly miked with all the noise they made.

Don't even know the name Gentle Giant, so I can't comment on that, but the fact that women swoon over predator is the part that is throwing off the competition. Let's face it, in a one on one contest, he loses to even the least of them. I thought the idea of Idol was to find the "best" singer in the country, and one who has the capacity to be a recording star. Aside from the girls gushing at him, dreadhead doesn't have the singing ability to carry that off, and God knows his personality is as flat as a sheet of paper. You get him as a winner and the entire contest becomes an exercise in pointlessness (as it has in the past). Of six left, there are five who would be better choices than he would. Some of the women have been simply gorgeous, but that has not seemed to carry them past their ability. Something is at work here that is wrong in many ways.

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:27 pm

Broadway theme was always one of the less entertaining shows, and the theme has been skipped in recent years. Having Andrew Lloyd Webber as the mentor helped give it some oomph.

Overall no memorable performances, probably not much change in the rankings and fan base, not on the basis of tonight's songs.

Syesha looked good and sang well, but had the dreaded lead off spot. We will see if she goes back to the "poof" hair style that so many don't like. Conspiracy theorists will say that the producers put her in the lead off spot because they don't see much market potential for a Syesha album and want her out sooner rather than later. If they had given her the finale spot, she might have won over some new fans with tonight's strong performance.

Jason did not sound good and admitted his nerves. Brooke picked a dirge and sang poorly, goofing the start. David Archuleta sang well, with a song that is in the sweet spot for his fan base. Carly brought some energy and sang well, and was a breath of fresh air in a night with low energy. David Cook sounded okay, but not great and had the safe spot at the end.

Bottom three: Syesha, Jason, Brooke, with Brooke going home. From the sound level of the audience squeals, the two David's and Jason have the strongest fan base in the live crowd.

The three men split the teen girl vote. If it were one of these top men against a strong field of women, like it has been in other seasons, it would be a straight shot to the final three for the man. As it is, a woman might sneak into the top three, more on demographics and vote splitting than merit.

Moonlight · Post by **Moonlight** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:25 am

Having watched American Idol faithfully ( almost) these past weeks I have reached the point now that I look forward to hearing what the two David's will sing and dread what the others might come up with. Am I the only one that feels that way?
I am still rooting for David A. to win with David C. a close second. I see great things for both of them in the future. I can't help thinking that David A. is a phenomenal singer for such a young fellow and just needs a bit of maturity behind him. David C. really has something unique to offer and ultimately I would not be that disappointed if he won with David A. in second place.
So..who goes home Wednesday?

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:51 am

Broadway week was not kind to Brooke or Jason. Brooke goes home.

Did you notice how the camera was really tight on Brooke to keep from showing her awkward hand movements? I wonder if the producers like her and want to help her. They could have shown her flailing left arm the entire time but they chose not to.

Also, did you see where she wanted to argue but stopped herself? HA! I love her but she's gone.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:17 am

I really felt terribly for Brooke. You NEVER stop...NEVER. This is like Vocal Performance 101. I knew right then she was in big trouble. SIGH!

And I do know that David A is good, but I'm still so continually bored with him. I really don't think he CAN sing anything (like Randy seems so constantly to say) and I really don't think he'll do well right at THIS point of his career.

The only one I really, REALLY liked last night was David C.....his performance was magical. That one note he hit....wow....that's all I can say. The control he had during it, without going into his falsetto. It was amazing. He's such a rocker...when I found out what song he was doing, I cringed a bit because it's one of my favorites. But he really did it so well. I was blown away, from a vocal standpoint.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:28 am

I probably liked Jason's performance better than most folks did. I was actually expecting it to be terrible and I ended up taking to it somewhat in the way Paula described--like a Joe Cocker type of rendition. I kind of liked it.

Brooke seems to become a less good singer by the week. Why is that?

Carly scrambled her lyrics in a couple spots, but I was glad she did something that was advantageous to her.

I agree with Izz again. David A. sang Think of Me well, and lithely, but it was still a little boring.

I thought Syesha's performance was cute and well done (but did she get off on slightly the wrong beat?) but removed from the Broadway stage context she still lacks something as a performer.

scheky · Post by **scheky** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:58 am

Moonlight wrote:Having watched American Idol faithfully ( almost) these past weeks I have reached the point now that I look forward to hearing what the two David's will sing and dread what the others might come up with. Am I the only one that feels that way?
I am still rooting for David A. to win with David C. a close second. I see great things for both of them in the future. I can't help thinking that David A. is a phenomenal singer for such a young fellow and just needs a bit of maturity behind him. David C. really has something unique to offer and ultimately I would not be that disappointed if he won with David A. in second place.
So..who goes home Wednesday?

See, I disagree. David C is probably the most likely to actually achieve a career of the bunch. He's the original one and certainly is very talented. That said, I think Carly has, hands down, the most raw talent (her voice is absolutely amazing). The others are simply not up to snuff. David A has been given far too much slack because he's so young and cute. His range (not vocal, but style) simply isn't. He's going to end up in third though, as his youth will carry him along still.

Brooke is probably going home tonight. Sad really. I can see her doing the singer/songwriter schtick quite well. She will never be a top-40 star, but could have quite a nice career.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:46 am

Brooke would kick ass if they had a Joni Mitchell night.

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:25 am

emmline wrote:I probably liked Jason's performance better than most folks did. I was actually expecting it to be terrible and I ended up taking to it somewhat in the way Paula described--like a Joe Cocker type of rendition. I kind of liked it.

Oh...I forgot about Jason. You know, I really do like him a lot. He's different...I like the quirkiness about him. He's definitely not the most talented performer on the show, but there is just something about him that appeals to me. And like the Joe Cocker reference that Paula made...Joe Cocker would have never gotten very far on AI based on his voice. In fact, in an interview I heard once, he said that he has to be really careful about his song choices because he knows that he can't sing most of what is out there. The same holds true for Jason. He can take a song and really do something with it, making it different in a really nice way. I think that's what he did last night. So, in other words, I liked his performance.