Discuss, praise, ridicule, and/or mock American Idol performances here.

[Artie]

I hadn't heard about Prince - that'd be more the mark for this show, I think. I just can't see him making the patronizing comments about the contestants the way that Not Kenny Rogers did.

Anyways - Final Four: Katherine, Elliot, Chris, and (God help me) Pickler.

From what I hear, Prince is a done deal and will be on in the next few weeks. His people have explained to him that he is almost irrelevant and he needs to appeal to the new fan base.

I think Taylor will make the final four over Elliot. Taylor has real soul; Elliot sounds artificial. You just have to close your eyes and listen, not watch!

[rb]

I think Taylor will make the final four over Elliot. Taylor has real soul; Elliot sounds artificial. You just have to close your eyes and listen, not watch!

I like Taylor better too; I just don't think 'The Wild And Crazy Guy" persona will carry him through. I've heard some of his own songs (posted as mp3's on his site) and I quite like them, but unless his plan is to show that side of himself when things get a little more winnowed down (thereby 'blowing us away'), I don't see him sticking around much longer. I thought he could have killed during country week, but instead he did a goofy version of a Bob Marley song. I also am not crazy about his tendency to take liberties with melodies; he does it pretty well, but you gotta pay your dues before you start with that, I think, especially when the people who wrote the songs are appearing on the show.

[Big Bri]

It's a "No-Brainer" as to why Queen was on AI.....they're in the middle of a U.S Tour and AI is tons of exposure!! Not that Queen needs any. LOL
I thought Kellie Pickler did a pretty decent job with "Bohemian Rhapsody".And Chris surprised me with doing "Innuendo".That's a great song from a great LP.
Taylor did not do a good job on "Crazy Little Thing"...in fact,he screwed up the lyrics royally.
Brian

[Ron]

Taylor didn't do a bob marley song country week, he surprisingly did "Country Roads" by John Denver.  It was horrid. 

Here's what I don't understand, somebody clue me in.  Why do they always try to outsing like some of the greatest singers of all time?  Say what you want about John Denver but he had a simply beautiful voice, if you're going to sing the song the same way with a similar arangement, you're going to get clowned by the original because it was at least 5 times better.  And I LIKE Taylor.

O.K., last night Taylor did "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", I thought it was alright, nothing special but not horrible or anything.

Kellie is not a very good singer.  O.K. voice, and she's stupid as a rock.  However, she pretty consistantly does pretty much as good as she possibly can, each week.  For instance, she did Bohemian Rhapsody last night.  It wasn't GREAT, but it was pretty good and probably near the top of her ability.  She is going to do very well, and may even WIN the entire competition because of that...What bit of talent she has, she uses every week.  The others are hit and miss, and some think they're much better than they actually are.

I agree about Chris wholeheartedly.  What pisses me off about him (and modern radio-rock in whole) is that it's manufactured emotion.  He's not REALLY mad, he's just acting mad on stage. .. and he's not really hurt, he's just acting hurt on stage.  I do not get the sense that he feels or has been through what he's singing about.  That is such a load of crap, you can hear it in his voice, and you can see it in his face when he's singing.  Sure he's probably got a great voice, but how much longer is he going to put the same spin on every friekin' song?  He thinks he's just the greatest fucking thing ever, and in reality he's just a fake.

Elliott oversings, in my opinion.  He just cannot resist putting little runs and things in everywhere he possibly can, it's the same fault that Christina Aguilera has.  Both good singers, but they overkill it.  Elliott won't win because ultimately he doesn't have much charisma.

Paris did o.k., nothing special.  I agree with Simon, she's so young and cute that it's kind of scary or weird seeing her play dress up and trying to look 30.  The week she sang the Beyonce number was almost sad, she's trying to shake her butt on stage and things when she's just a little 16 year old girl.  Great voice, though. 

I like Katherine, but she strays off key a lot.  Great voice, but she doesn't control it much in the higher registers.  Very beautiful girl, too, she'll probably get a recording contract regardless of if she wins this thing. 

Bucky is pretty bland, he'll be gone in a couple weeks.  I hate how he puts such a strain in every song he sings, he should try singing things more pure every once in a while and see where that goes.

Ace is disgusting to me, lol.  I predict he'll get voted off tonight.  I don't think his problem is 'manufactured emotion'.  I think he really is that big of a sensitive wet noodle.  I can't understand why everybody keeps acting like his falsetto is nice, it's not.

[Ron]

Oh, and I agree with Brian that he shouldn't change up his song for Ace, it's not neccessary.  What he was thinking trying to sing that I'll never know anyways, but I guess Kellie pulled nearly the same thing off, so whatever.  In the end, the only one who even tried to do justice to Freddie Mercury's incredible voice was Katherine, and like I said above she has trouble staying on tune (maybe she can't hear on the stage). 

[Big Bri]

All in all,Kellie Pickler definetly has a future in Playboy or Penthouse.
She's SO naive that Mr. Hefner should have Nooooooooooo problem selling her on a spread!!
B-man

[mark goddard]

Did anyone see Kellie sing Fancy by Bobbie Gentry a couple weeks ago....i actually thought that was her best performance.

[Ron]

I didn't know Bobbie Gentry sang that, I thought she was doing the Reba version.  Yeah, I saw it, I thought it was pretty good although I don't really like the whole message of that song, lol.  Kellie's not incredibly talented but she has had several decent performances, and I haven't seen anybody on the show who's consistantly much better than her.  Taylors great from time to time, Paris is, Elliott is, etc. but every week?  Just about every week Kellie gives about an 8 out of a 10, some weeks Taylor gives a 10, some weeks he gives a 5.  She's much more consistant, although she's never going to be great. 

[rb]

Heh - I didn't know Reba did it at all. I guess I'm missing something with Pickler. Her 'Fancy' was OK in that she was almost able to put some feeling into the verse, before destroying the mood in the chorus. No doubt I'll have a few more chances to get used to her, since she's not going anywhere for awhile (could win it all, if I'm any judge - and I'm not.)

Taylor needs to find tunes that mean something to him, and stick with those. Him and Katherine are the only ones I'd want to see win at this point.

[b.dfzo]

Taylor should win, period.  But, then, I am always for the underdog.  Paris will probably win, unfortunately.  It might be just me, but her style is almost robotic.

[Ron]

Paris will not win.  She's great at jazz; that's her calling.  If she would sing jazz on the show, I'd love all of her performances... but instead she's singing the r&b type stuff that's on the radio now and it won't win her the show, I dont' think.

Chris may win, Taylor may win, and Kellie may win.

I would LOVE to see Katherine win.  She's got a wonderful voice, seems to understand what makes a good song and looks great.  She gets off key a little bit but that's something she could work on.  I think she's the most talented of them all.

If I were going to guess who I think will win, I still pick Kellie as the winner.  I think for the AI audience, she will win.  She looks good, she has a good story behind her, her stupidity is cute (sometimes), she puts a lot of effort into her performances, and she's a good enough singer that she can at least get through a song vocally.  These people aren't looking for the best singer, they're looking for the singer who will sell the most records.


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That's another thing.  Whoever thought this show up, is a genius.  Not only is it the most watched show on t.v.... but they're basically holding a huge survey saying "if we make an album for one of these people, which person will you buy the most of?"  With 25 million people watching EACH NIGHT.... you're guaranteed a double platinum album out of whoever wins.  Everybody says they rig the show.. no they don't!  They just let whoever people vote in (no matter how horrible or how talented) win, and then simply release a cd by that person and make a fin' fortune off of it!  It's brilliant!

[b.dfzo]

Article I found, it is from a few months back, but I feel it still applies:

Paris Bennett, Will She Live Up To The Hype?

Paris Bennett wowed not only the judges during her American Idol 5 audition, but also several entertainment writers.  Entertainment Weekly raves about Paris and says she “threatens to end this competition before it even gets underway.”  The New York Post calls Paris Bennett a “probable winner” and says her audition “might have been the most successful in the show’s history.”  People Magazine calls Paris an “early favorite.”

Paris Bennett is only 17 years old and is from Fayetteville, Georgia.  Paris is the granddaughter of Ann Nesby, who was the lead singer for Sounds of Blackness, a group that won three Grammy Awards.  Paris sang “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks and “Take Five” by Billie Holiday for her American Idol 5 audition.  Paula Abdul called Paris “phenomenal,” while Simon Cowell called her “unbelievable.”  Paris advanced to Hollywood by a unanimous yes vote from the judges.  After her audition, Paris was so overcome with emotion that she broke down in tears of happiness when telling her grandmother the news.       

There are two things that could negatively impact Paris Bennett’s chances.  By setting the bar high during the auditions, viewers will be expecting something spectacular every time that Paris takes the stage.  Because so many news organizations are calling Paris the early favorite, viewers will have high expectations and will likely hold her to a higher standard.  When people expect the world, one slip-up or bad performance can be enough to knock even a great singer out of the competition.

Another thing that could hurt Paris Bennett is that many viewers are likely to question if she really needs American Idol.  She is a very talented and attractive young girl with a Grammy winning grandmother, who likely has numerous connections in the music industry.  Paris could probably get a record deal without American Idol.  In fact, she could probably negotiate a more lucrative deal for herself by not limiting herself to being bound to the American Idol contract.  However, the perception of how easy it is to make it in the music industry and the reality are often two very different things.  What better way to launch the career of a new artist than by appearing on a TV show with 35 million viewers?

[Howdy Doody]

 I like Katherine or the brunette girl alot.  AI is a bullshit show that rarely has any talent on it.  It is like kareoke with humiliation. Or like Simon gets the chance to say everything you ever wanted to say to weak ass singers.  I think Kelly Clarkson is horrible as well as the fat black guy who beat Clay Aiken(Reuben stinks as an entertainer).  Clay Aiken is perhaps the most talented vocalist to emerge from AI but is lame and passe as a creative entity. AI highlights to unparrelelelled success everything that is wrong with American music as well as what is wrong with the way it is foolishly marketed.  Looks and gang-affiliation are the KEY to success in america.  I give AI props in one respect however..They do not accept Rap or hip-hop as music. Because it isn't music and takes zero talent to produce it. Period. America is starving for talent, yet looks and image and finance are all that propel the biz. American artists like Fiona Appel and Nora Jones are true talents.  If they were gang members they would probably be bigger, since we as a nation glorify murder and crime as worthy of fame. American music execs have alot of blood on their hands as well as tobacco companies. Music execs love to drink from their little vomit bowl.

[b.dfzo]

Kelly Clarkson ella es bonita y talentosa!  The rest of the AI winners don't chalk up to her, as far as ability and versatility goes. 

[Ron]

Yeah, I don't understand why someone would feel Kelly Clarkson isn't talented.  Everything from her lyrics to her voice to her face is a.o.k. with me. 

[b.dfzo]

Yeah, and - is this just a coincidence - she is definitely one of the more credible pop singers out there.  Who knew?

[SurferGirl7]

My mom think Clay Aiken was the best thing that was in AI. Because of that I was forced to see him twice in 2004  Now he is releasing a new album and I think the torture will come back 

[Big Bri]

I agree that Clay was the best singer out of A.I.
Now,last night was actually pretty good!
Paris blew me away with her very competent "Billie Holliday" style of singing.As one of you posted previously,she will have No problem getting signed and having a career in music.She's that good.
My favorite "future Playboy centerfold" Kellie Pickler BLEW IT last night......soon to be gone.
Chris Daughtry and Kathryn McPhee did a fine job.
R.I.P Pickler...you're goin' home tonite,or at least to the Playboy Mansion.
Bri

[Ron]

Well... you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

Kellie isn't getting votes because of her singing, I figured people understood that by now?  She could screw up every night and still pass through. She's not the best singer in a contest that it doesn't really matter how well you sing.  She did pick a horrible song to try and sing, though, totally out of her area.

I hope Katherine wins, she's the most credible of all of them and has the looks and personality for it too. 

[mark goddard]

these kids actually did a pretty good job singing the Standards. Who really sucked in this format was Rod the Mod!!!
Jesus he is butchering some of the greatest songs ever written !

[CosmicDancer]

I like Katherine or the brunette girl alot.  AI is a bullmerda show that rarely has any talent on it.  It is like kareoke with humiliation. Or like Simon gets the chance to say everything you ever wanted to say to weak ass singers.  I think Kelly Clarkson is horrible as well as the fat black guy who beat Clay Aiken(Reuben stinks as an entertainer).  Clay Aiken is perhaps the most talented vocalist to emerge from AI but is lame and passe as a creative entity. AI highlights to unparrelelelled success everything that is wrong with American music as well as what is wrong with the way it is foolishly marketed.  Looks and gang-affiliation are the KEY to success in america.  I give AI props in one respect however..They do not accept Rap or hip-hop as music. Because it isn't music and takes zero talent to produce it. Period. America is starving for talent, yet looks and image and finance are all that propel the biz. American artists like Fiona Appel and Nora Jones are true talents.  If they were gang members they would probably be bigger, since we as a nation glorify murder and crime as worthy of fame. American music execs have alot of blood on their hands as well as tobacco companies. Music execs love to drink from their little vomit bowl.

While I do agree that American Idol is everything that is wrong with the music industry today and the reason that true artists arent getting the recognition they deserve, part of this argument is ridiclous.  Rap and hip-hop  not music?  I beg to differ!  While most of the stuff that is spoon-fed to us by MTV/Top 40 radio is thoughtless garbage, there is some increadibly intelligent musical rap and hip-hop out there.  You are either not looking for it or you have a pre-formed opinion that will never change if you hear it or not.  Your loss.

I am all for hating on AI for the fact that it is giving us more and more disposable pop stars and music that wont last and killing artistry in music by bringing Kareoke stars into mass media attention.  Remember when music was about talent?  A decent voice adn pretty faces arent the only things that go into true musicianship!  Things like this are the reason that unless there is a huge change, we will never have another Bob Dylan, Beatles, or even Brian Wilson with big mainstream success.  Thank God for underground independent music that isnt so demographicly minded and chasing the almighty dollar!!  That being said, good songs are good songs and Kelly Clarkson has had a couple of great songs written for her.  Since you've been gone and breakaway are both quality tunes.  I'm sure I will get flamed for this, but I really dont care.  Truth hurts.  I still respect your opinions!

[b.dfzo]

Since you've been gone and breakaway are both quality tunes.

Agreed.  She has also (reportedly) written about 40 new songs since her last album came out.  (!!!)  She is definitely working to set herself apart from just being a teenybopper.

[CosmicDancer]

Thats encouraging.  I am glad to hear that she is doing something creative and not just sitting back and counting the $$$.  She has a great voice and if she can break from the AI-teenybopper image, I think she has a bright future and may not fade out like the rest have/will.  As much as I hate the AI thing, I cant deny her immense talent.

[rb]

I figger that one of the things that the show is selling is the myth/illusion that all of those participating just showed up after singing in the shower for a lifetime total of five minutes, open their yaps, and then have these big, beautiful voices pour out. We know it's not the case, right?

One of the reasons I like the show is to be able to pick apart the performances (and granted, I cannot sing.) For example, I thought that Katharine's performance of the other night was technically spotty/weak; but somehow she was in a class by herself or something. What the hell do I know? Pickler's still there, which tells you everything about the contest aspect of the whole thing.

My rule of thumb is this: if I can't stand any of the remaining contestants, I'll stop watching.

A prediction: I don't know who will win this year's contest, but I am sure that Pickler will someday be one of the celebrities/stars/personalities on Hollywood Squares.

[Rerun]

Do you ever think how awful it'd be if Brian was on there...I'd love to see them interact with him though!