The Train Wreck that is American Idol

[pengipete]

You may not have heard this in the US but we've recently had a number of massive scandals in the UK regarding faked TV and radio phone-in and text votes. This was one of the biggest domestic news stories of last year and for quite a while there were no quizzes or votes on TV or radio that involved any phone or text-ins.

Tactics used by the scam artists included entering their own fake contestents, taking paid for calls after the winner had already been chosen, getting producers' children to pretend to be contestents, "losing" huge numbers of calls in a AI type show and, bizzarely, rigging a "name the cat" vote on a long running kids show.

There were multiple millions of pounds involved and it covered every area of "entertainment" from kids TV to the quiz channels and even charity events. Various senior figures in the industry resigned along with a whole load of more jumior execs and the government, police and courts got drawn into the whole mess. Laws have been ammended and regulatory bodies have been given extra powers to audit and penalise any future offences.

On the whole, the TV companies managed to pass the buck because they don't actually run the phone-ins etc themselves as they contract this out to outside companies but in many cases the public were so angry that they didn't care who made the final decision - it was the TV companies that lost face.

The numbers involved are staggering - one evening's phone in for a primetime show can makes millions and that's in a small country like ours with only 60 million people.

The general attitude here now is that we know all this stuff is about as straight as the average wrestling match but we still enjoy it.

[ROADMAN]

that was interesting....Dave and Dave were probably the best...Carly sounded
good but according to Mr. Cranky needs someone else to dress her..I
have to agree ...Kristy Lee looked... HOT... Getbents probably still licking his
t.v.screen...... Ramiele was boring...she's gotta go .

[cntrary2ordnary]

Originally Posted by ROADMAN

that was interesting....Dave and Dave were probably the best...Carly sounded
good but according to Mr. Cranky needs someone else to dress her..I
have to agree ...Kristy Lee looked... HOT... Getbents probably still licking his
t.v.screen...... Ramiele was boring...she's gotta go .

Mr. Cranky was right. Carly looked like she was doing an ad for Captain Morgan.
Am I the only one that thinks Kristy Lee looks like Jennifer Jason Leigh in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

[getbent]

Originally Posted by ROADMAN

Coat of Many Colours... Kristy Lee Cook..

I'm with you The Bone2...our chains are officially yanked

Roadman, I ask you... did I call it? I say YES.

I dug the tattooed girls version of Here you come again.

Archuleta is the new clay (not in a good way... but man the little girls will be voting for him)

dumb and cliche for the one girl to sing "I will Always Love you"

and now a story--> When kevin costner got Whitney Houston cast in the the Bodyguard (reportedly because like Deniro he wanted to boink her) they had not found a 'signature' song for the movie. Costner, ever the Anaheim, Fullerton OC guy who grew up listening to Linda Ronstadt albums decided he wanted "I will always love you" from LR's Prisoner in Disguise album. Houston was absolutely opposed and threatened to quit the project over it... and it went on to be a huge hit for Houston and that is, as they say the rest of the story.

I think Kristy hangs on one more week. we dug the part where she was with Dolly and weren't crazy about her dress or hair... she needs someone to direct her!

[ROADMAN]

Originally Posted by ROADMAN

Coat of Many Colours... Kristy Lee Cook..

I'm with you The Bone2...our chains are officially yanked

You Da Man Getbent!!!!

[odiemann]

I am just glad that David Cook came clean on where the ideas he had used came from. It seems like a good bit of preventative maintenance on behalf of the producers.

[Tony]

was terrible. So was Jason Castro. Kristy Lee may be in the bottom three, but she is safe. Carly CLEARLY has the best voice of the women. Women ranked in order of quality of voice:

Carly - she had the best performance of anyone
Syesha
Ramielle
Kristy Lee

PS. Look at Carly's outfit versus Syesha's and Kristy Lee's. (Ramielle has and always will need a designer. Just say no to bowed tree limb legs. Cover those up, please). Carly looked like she just rolled out of bed after pouring about a thousand Guinnesses. Syesha looked fantastic, and so did Kristy Lee (not hard for her to do).

[ROADMAN]

hey Tony ...where does Brooke stack up?

[Tony]

Carly
Brooke/Syesha (tie)
Ramielle
Kristy Lee.

Brooke is really getting on my nerves. I loved her at the start and how cute she was, blah, blah. Now she interupts the judges when they are giving her feedback. She seems insincere to me.... Get her outta there.

[Mark Davis]

Jason
Ramielle
Kristy Lee

Are my picks for bottom 3.

Michael Johns sounds best doing soul and blues stuff he saved himself with a pretty good performance.

[blue water girl]

I am in agreement with all except I think Kristy Lee is a very mediocre singer and all the notes she hit last night were sharp. Her song was messy.

Poor Carly - wow - I agree she needs to select more attractive performance wear, but there is something pretty vicious in the way Simon comes after her most of the time. I think the song she sang last night was just beautiful -

David Archuletta is starting to remind me of a performer on a telethon - that intense earnestness that people get on their face when trying to get people to call in for a cause. He still is a favorite with my daughters and their friends but they also love David Cook.

David Cook was again very very good. He has an amazing voice. Michael Johns also was very very good this week.

My guess tonight for the bottom three -Ramielle, Brooke, Jason or Kristy Lee but I do fear that after Simon's comments last night Carly could be in the bottom three. This is about the time every year that an amazing performer gets voted off that shouldnt and I get upset so who knows. I personally think it is Ramielle's time to go.

[Mark Davis]

I just dont think Simon wants someone known as The American Idol to have a big full arm sized tat visible all the time. Not good for marketing in his mind I bet.

[hekawi]

my prediction

Tonight's bottom 3: Ramielle, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee

Going Home: Ramielle

[martin82]

I hope Ramielle is the one to go home. You've got it right in the bottom three - Ramielle, Castro, and Kristy Lee.

Carly has an amazing voice.

[Califiddler]

Hekawi has it right - Ramiele, Jason and Kristy Lee in the bottom 3, with Ramiele going home.

Jason, Kristy Lee and Brooke need to go home after that. It needs to get down to David, David, Michael, Carly and Syesha.

I have concluded that David Archuleta can sing only ballads. When he tries to sing anything uptempo, it's not very good. That makes him too limited, so I don't see him winning the whole thing. I think that either David Cook or Carly wins, but Syesha could be a sleeper.

[emu!]

Still say Enchilada will take it all...not because he is the best singer, but because he seems naive and can be used by the suits to make them alot of money.

Other predictions:
The dreadlocks guy will become a WWF wrestler
Mr. Cook will become lead singer for Velvet Revolver
KLC will pose for Playboy

[FirstBassman]

Compared to “dawg” man and space cadet I agree with Simon about 90% of the time.
But from watching Idol the last few years it is very clear that he just doesn’t “get” country music,
Some of us love it, some of us don’t. Fine.
But “Coat of Many Colors” is one of the greatest three-chord songs of all time. And Kristy did a pretty good job with it. Were some notes off pitch? Yes. But that goes for all of the AI singers. There have been mistakes in every performance.
But “CoMC” is right in Kristy’s wheelhouse and she did a very nice job with it.

And that Archeletta kid is getting on my nerves. Very good singer. But he's way too serious for an 18-year-old. Lighten up!

[getbent]

FirstBassman is a genius!

I like the term wheelhouse and Kristi Lee in the same sentence!

[Tony]

of Emu's predictions come true, I will become a subscriber.

[McFly]

Originally Posted by emu!

Still say Enchilada will take it all...not because he is the best singer, but because he seems naive and can be used by the suits to make them alot of money.

Other predictions:
The dreadlocks guy will become a WWF wrestler
Mr. Cook will become lead singer for Velvet Revolver
KLC will pose for Playboy

...Castro is about 5'8" and a buck fitty, that would be somethin'
....could be but hook him up with Carly's hubby and get those tats rollin
.....KLC, nope, she'll be on the CMA's presenting something soon enough

[StuH]

Originally Posted by Tony

Brooke is really getting on my nerves. I loved her at the start and how cute she was, blah, blah. Now she interupts the judges when they are giving her feedback. She seems insincere to me.... Get her outta there.

+1
Brooke was really boring, Everytime I watch her, I feel like I'm at at a rally to save the Common North American Timber Fly from extinction. Stale, corny, boring .... she's got to go.

Ramielle was a real dissapointment, she must be taking song advice from her great grandmother. She's a great singer but just doesn't pick the rite songs. I think she is safe.

Think Brooke will be heading down the creek.

I thought all the guys where good last nite even dread head.

[singlecoilheaven]

Someone at work has downloaded at good bit of the Itunes studio versions of this season's songs. Just in my opinion, David Archuleta has one of the worst recording voices I've heard in quite a while. If I had to pick a winner(s) by listening to the quality of the vocals on the studio versions, Michael Johns and Brooke White would be the final two. Their voices come across very well.

[StuH]

Well if anyone should have been given the boot for poor performance Dolly should have been gone. Man she was terrible. Poor Ramielle.....feel bad for her.

[FirstBassman]

Originally Posted by getbent

FirstBassman is a genius!

I think that is the first time I've ever been called a genius.
I'll take it.

Someone at work has downloaded at good bit of the Itunes studio versions of this season's songs. Just in my opinion, David Archuleta has one of the worst recording voices I've heard in quite a while. If I had to pick a winner(s) by listening to the quality of the vocals on the studio versions, Michael Johns and Brooke White would be the final two. Their voices come across very well.

I think that is a good point.
I've been trying to think who has the better recording voice and as I mentioned earlier, trying to explain to my daughter who I think is more "marketable."