American Idol

[minstrel]

and you all thought 1/20/2009 would be known through history as the day a black man became president of the USA

no

it will be remembered forever as the day Sanjaya released his first record.

Now the big question is, who among us will admit to listening to it?

[papalazeru]

and you all thought 1/20/2009 would be known through history as the day a black man became president of the USA

no

it will be remembered forever as the day Sanjaya released his first record.

Now the big question is, who among us will admit to listening to it?

I think Baxter obligated himself to this 'medical trial' of an album.

Good luck Bax. We'll start thinking about the Epitaph.

[TheBaxter]

i listened to the preview clips. that was enough.
i still say sanjaya isn't that bad of a singer. he's just not very good either.

[TheBaxter]

wow, look how much excitement this show is generating! (sarcasm)

i didn't watch all of last night's episode, but i did see the part with barry manilow. ummm... didn't they say they were going to have younger, hipper mentors this season?

[Fievel]

Yeah, Manilow was on there. They said he was a pre-Hollywood audition mentor.... whatever that means.
I'm still watching... and will continue to.... because I am lame.

[minstrel]

wow, look how much excitement this show is generating! (sarcasm)

i didn't watch all of last night's episode, but i did see the part with barry manilow. ummm... didn't they say they were going to have younger, hipper mentors this season?

Maybe young, hip people refuse to have anything to do with American Idol. Just sayin'.

[so sorry]

wow, look how much excitement this show is generating! (sarcasm)

i didn't watch all of last night's episode, but i did see the part with barry manilow. ummm... didn't they say they were going to have younger, hipper mentors this season?

Are they in the Hollywood week already? I DVR'd last night's episode...

my interest this year has waned for sure (not that this show is high on my list, but its something that i do watch).

[TheBaxter]

i have to say, "hollywood" week is my favorite part of this show. the early auditions are lame and played out at this point, it's so obvious how many of those people know they suck and just are looking to be on tv. and the few left who are still delusional to think they can sing, it's not really fun any more to see their dreams get crushed. but the mediocre ones who are good enough to get past the initial audition but not good enough to make it to the top? it's REALLY fun to see their dreams get crushed.
and that tatiana chick is so completely psycho, i really can't wait to see her get cut ('cos there's no way she's winning). i thought after the paula abdul stalker who committed suicide, they'd steer away from the mentally unbalanced, but no, they went and got someone straight from the nuthouse and put her front and center on the show. and when she does get cut, there's gonna be bloodshed. no doubt about it. should make for good tv though.

[TheBaxter]

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh you american idol producers are a clever lot!
after last season when the ratings went down, they obviously did their homework and realized where they screwed up: they got a bunch of boring people and lost the sanjayanistas who just want to see goofballs and trainwrecks make it as far as possible on the show. so this year, they got not one, but TWO. that psycho chick, and that norman gentle dude.
and i don't for one second believe the judges had anything to do with that decision, it was purely the producers decision to put those two on the show. simon is the only one who actually makes up his own mind on the show, and he obviously hates them both, paula is too fucked up to realize how bizarre those two are, randy is a tool who is probably so thankful to be in this show he'll do whatever the producers tell him to, and the new chick is new so she's gotta do what the producers say to keep her job.
so the producers put through a couple of freaks to keep the interest of people like me. and fuck me, but it's working. the norman gentle dude isn't really as funny as he or they think he is, but the psycho chick is legit, and i really think she will end up harming herself and/or someone else before the show is over, that is unless someone else harms her first. so now i actually have a reason to keep watching this shit. fuck!

[Fawst]

Ok, why during the recap of singers did they show a scene of Nick singing a part of the song that he DID NOT SING during the show? Was that his practice song? Where did that come from? Did they let him sing twice? I DON'T GET IT!!!

FEH, American Idol. FEH.

[Ribbons]

the norman gentle dude isn't really as funny as he or they think he is, but the psycho chick is legit, and i really think she will end up harming herself and/or someone else before the show is over, that is unless someone else harms her first.

Yeah, I think Tatiana may be a little, erm... "touched."

[TheBaxter]

they usually do that with the last performance, showing a clip from the rehearsal instead of the actual show. no idea why they did it with his song though.

[DaleTremont]

I hate Danny Gokey.

[TheBaxter]

I hate Danny Gokey.

HOW DARE YOU MENTION DANNY GOKEY WITHOUT ALSO MENTIONING HIS DEAD WIFE!!!!!!

now drop and give me 20.

[TheBaxter]

btw, it would probably be the coolest thing ever on this show if one week he sang robyn hitchcock's "my wife and my dead wife"
even i'd have to vote for him then.

[DaleTremont]

btw, it would probably be the coolest thing ever on this show if one week he sang robyn hitchcock's "my wife and my dead wife"
even i'd have to vote for him then.

haha I wouldn't put it past the shameless bastard. Seriously though I can't believe he doesn't turn more people off. Then again I think if Simon told America to go out and kill kittens...let's just say I'd make sure my kitten stayed indoors for at least a couple weeks.

[Fievel]

Seriously though I can't believe he doesn't turn more people off.

Seriously asking, why does he?
He's got a great voice and is a very good performer.
The fact that his wife died 7 months ago IS his story, much like the blind guy being blind is his "story", the one guy taking care of his ill mom, the roughneck being a roughneck, Tatiana being a drama queen, piano bar guy being a piano bar guy, the one guy being Norman Gentle, etc.

I'd rather have him crying at the auditions and remembering her every minute he can while he's on the show than for him to have just said at the audition "Yeah, my wife died last month... but this is American Idol, baby! Woo hooooo!". She meant a lot more to him than a television program does. I applaud him for showing that.

[DaleTremont]

Dude he's using his tragedy to pander for votes on a singing competition. Remember how David Cook had some family shit last year? Well I kinda do but not really because he didn't turn it into 5 minute sob segments for all the voting public to see. It would be one thing mentioning it I suppose. But it's a terribly convenient form of therapy to talk extensively about it in front of the cameras for how many weeks running now?

I just think he's kind of despicable. Or a conniving reality show mastermind. Or both.

[Fievel]

I think he's a guy whose wife died.

[DaleTremont]

I think he's a guy whose wife died.

Yeah maybe. I've never not lived life as a cynic though so...

[Fievel]

I think he's a guy whose wife died.

Yeah maybe. I've never not lived life as a cynic though so...

....and you watch American Idol!?!?!?

[TheBaxter]

I just think he's kind of despicable. Or a conniving reality show mastermind. Or both.

I think he's a guy whose wife died.

it's possible that you're BOTH right.

[so sorry]

Although I hate that Norman shithead, I gotta give him props for his "Doogie" shout-out during his performance last night.

I guess he's some kind of ratings getter for the show, but even so, he is completely making a mockery out of the whole ordeal. Now before you jump all over that last statement, I do understand that American Idol isn't some sacred institution that should be treated reverently. But still, there are thousands of kids out the who tried out for this show, had some legitimate talent, and didn't make it, only to watch this asshat shove it up their asses with that kind of bullshit behavior.

And I'm no fan of Danny Grokey either, but its not because of his dead wife (I don't think he's playing that angle up...yet). I just don't like his vibe: the hair, the glasses, the overly done hand gestures. He's got phoney written all over him. But he can sing.

[TheBaxter]

i like the people like normnd and tatiana for one reason: they're entertaining. something that pretty much nobody else on this show is.
the days when this show could find an "undiscovered" talent and turn them into a star are long past. now it's just a glorified game show or reality contest, no different than 'deal or no deal' or 'amazing race'. and if these past couple weeks are any indication, the number of people who are actually really really bad singers who are making it through to this part of the show just proves how empty the talent pool left for this show is. they're really bottom-feeding at this point. i think that's why they get excited over every 16 or 17 year old who shows up, because it's someone who hasn't already tried out and failed 4 or 5 times previously.
for me, the only reason left to watch the show is to see them make a mockery of it. there's zero chance of this show ever finding or putting forth someone i'd actually want to listen to or buy a record from. and anyone who goes on the show at this point thinking it will actually make them a star is as deluded as the clowns who show up in the early audition episodes who don't know they can't sing.
i wasn't even going to watch this season, but i was weak, and i gave in. but i'm so bored with nearly every person on this show that unless someone fun like normund or tatiana gets through, i'll probably stop watching. or at the least, i'll just FF through all the boring talentless people, which means maybe watching one or two perfromances per show.

[Ribbons]

Although I hate that Norman shithead, I gotta give him props for his "Doogie" shout-out during his performance last night.

I guess he's some kind of ratings getter for the show, but even so, he is completely making a mockery out of the whole ordeal. Now before you jump all over that last statement, I do understand that American Idol isn't some sacred institution that should be treated reverently. But still, there are thousands of kids out the who tried out for this show, had some legitimate talent, and didn't make it, only to watch this asshat shove it up their asses with that kind of bullshit behavior.

And I'm no fan of Danny Grokey either, but its not because of his dead wife (I don't think he's playing that angle up...yet). I just don't like his vibe: the hair, the glasses, the overly done hand gestures. He's got phoney written all over him. But he can sing.

I sort of agree with you in principle, but again, you gotta blame Idol more than anybody else. For one thing, the show has always been like that. Think about it: the people who auditioned and knew they weren't all that great get rejected without any fanfare whatsoever, but the crazies who suck out loud get to audition in front of Paula, Randy and Simon on national television because they're so entertaining. It's kind of the same deal. The people who were passed over for Norman Gentle had to know they weren't good enough to win, but just would have liked to go as far as their abilities would let them. But Norman's not good enough to win either, and he probably won't get much farther (unless Baxter and I get enough votes in). So Idol has never exactly been hallowed ground, but it's also never really given a damn about the people who take it seriously.

[TheBaxter]

i should probably be posting this in the separated at birth thread, but since only 2 or 3 other people watch this show any more, i'll post it here:

the greatest american hero



and...

the blindest american idol

[so sorry]

IPAMPILASH!

Perfect...

[so sorry]

So the blind guy made it to the final 12. His singing isn't great, so I think he got thru on personality and hutzpah. But maybe when he gets in front of a keyboard that'll mask some of his vocal shortcomings. Nice kid, wish him well.

I can't believe they are giving that Tatiyana chick another shot. I guess they are going for the ratings grab with that selection.

[Fievel]

AI Producers Have To Just Love This.

[TheBaxter]

So the blind guy made it to the final 12. His singing isn't great, so I think he got thru on personality and hutzpah. But maybe when he gets in front of a keyboard that'll mask some of his vocal shortcomings. Nice kid, wish him well.

actually he doesn't have much personality either, unless you count blindness as a personality trait. his singing isn't AS BAD as i thought it would be from the auditions, he's credible as a bruce hornsby/steve winwood type of singer/songwriter. he's like this year's brooke white, the blonde mediocre piano-playing singer/songwriter type, except he's blind, so that should get him one or two rounds deeper in the competition.

this is shaping up as the dullest season ever. i've already decided that if i watch any more, i'll be FFing over at least half of the singers. if tatiana somehow miraculously makes it through, at least there will be one interesting person to watch this season.

[Fievel]

Blind guy - I was seriously bummed that he didn't play piano on Mandolin Rain. I wonder if they're forbidden to use instruments in this round.

Wild Cards - Tatiana is a total Producer's choice. Has to be. Glad to see Anoop and the dueling piano guy getting another shot.

[so sorry]

AI Producers Have To Just Love This.

I can't make out which guy this is.

*checks AI website*

Oh, that dude? Yeah, no surprises there...

[TheBaxter]

Blind guy - I was seriously bummed that he didn't play piano on Mandolin Rain. I wonder if they're forbidden to use instruments in this round.

Wild Cards - Tatiana is a total Producer's choice. Has to be. Glad to see Anoop and the dueling piano guy getting another shot.

definitely banned from playing instruments, maybe they thought it gave them an unfair advantage. lots of them have been complaining about not being able to use instruments, but i guess once they get to the top 12 they can use them.

[TheBaxter]

AI Producers Have To Just Love This.

I can't make out which guy this is.

*checks AI website*

Oh, that dude? Yeah, no surprises there...

half to guys on this show are g@y.... they'll be better off when they stop trying to hide it.

remember in season 1 when it was such a scandal that nikki mckibbin was a single mom? now half the girls on the show are single moms. they oughta just call the show American G@y Guys and Single Moms.

[havocSchultz]

It looks like they booted off most of the real hot chicks this year...
It looks like they kept some basic cuties for the most part...
But I really think they dropped the ball on having a true sex bomb added into the mix...

I thought that Kristen McNamara had a good enough voice to make it through...(she had purple highlights in the audition and sang "Gimme One Reason" the other night)
And I don't know about you guys, but I would give her multiple reasons to turn right back around...

And it'll be the battle of the sympathy votes between Blind Guy and Dead Wife Guy...

[TheBaxter]

and then we will finally have an answer to the eternal question, does blindness trump having a dead wife?

[Fievel]

AI Producers Have To Just Love This.

I can't make out which guy this is.

*checks AI website*

Oh, that dude? Yeah, no surprises there...

half to guys on this show are g@y.... they'll be better off when they stop trying to hide it.

remember in season 1 when it was such a scandal that nikki mckibbin was a single mom? now half the girls on the show are single moms. they oughta just call the show American G@y Guys and Single Moms.

Except after last season, the "American" part is debatable.

[TheBaxter]

tonight's episode can be summed up in one word:

[Fievel]

Matt and Anoop are through.
That's good enough for me.

I wonder if Simon brought Tatiana back just so he could rip her to shreds again.

[minstrel]

Tatiana is a walking disaster. She is so infantile and needy that she should be in a home somewhere. It must be absolutely impossible to live with her. I wonder how her parents managed to survive her childhood. She can't sing very well and she should go away, but she's been kept around because people can't help staring at human wreckage.

[so sorry]

Tatiana is a walking disaster. She is so infantile and needy that she should be in a home somewhere. It must be absolutely impossible to live with her. I wonder how her parents managed to survive her childhood. She can't sing very well and she should go away, but she's been kept around because people can't help staring at human wreckage.

I think its pretty obvious how her parent's managed to survive her childhood: whatever she cried about wanting, she got. Which led to more crying about getting her way, which led to her getting her way, etc etc.

[TheBaxter]

Tatiana is a walking disaster. She is so infantile and needy that she should be in a home somewhere. It must be absolutely impossible to live with her. I wonder how her parents managed to survive her childhood. She can't sing very well and she should go away, but she's been kept around because people can't help staring at human wreckage.

...which explains this show's continued popularity.

[Evil Hobbit]

Since it was Michael Jackson week I downloaded the episode, always fun to see people attempting to sing MJ songs. But seriously ... how can you call yourself LIL ROUNDS??!!! Ridiculous. Loved how Simon went on about choosing a unknown song.

[so sorry]

I heard a news report this morning about the phone numbers they are using this year: for all the past seasons, they've had 12 contestants, with 12 "IDOL" phone numbers.. 1-866-IDOL-01 thru 12.
This year the numbers are different (I didn't get a chance to watch last night, so I don't know what the new numbering system is). The reason for the switch: when you dial 1-866-IDOL13 you get a porn line!

[minstrel]

I'm not a Michael Jackson fan, mostly because he rocks about as hard as Perry Como. So I was gritting my teeth through most of the episode because the songs mostly stunk. I woke up when that Adam guy finally performed and put some goddamn LIFE into the show. I hate his look, but he has an amazing voice and the confidence to use it.

[TheBaxter]

i think all these people are some combination of boring or terrible, and i FFed through most of the show. you know, if you only watch the singing and FF through all the prepackaged stuff, the critiques, the ads, the ALF host and judge and contestant banner, it's really only about a 1/2 hour long. then when you skip the really boring contestants (like that oil rig guy or most of the chicks) you can really save some time. constant FFing is pretty much the only thing that made this show watchable.

the funniest thing is that THE BIGGEST SHOW ON TELEVISION is so amateurish that they forgot to even bother to check whether there was a number available for their 13th contestant before expanding the lineup. also, the hokey announcer at the beginning... if you're gonna do that, you might as well bring back dunkelman. even simon is now admitting how bad the show is: last week he said they were gonna choose wild cards based on personality because they didn't want to put through a bunch of boring singers (basically admitting that the 9 who were actually voted in were all boring), and then this week he said you shouldn't try to be artistic on this show. yeah, zod forbid somebody should try to be ARTISTIC on a show ostensibly designed to find a recording ARTIST.

i'll bet anything the "twist" in the show tonight will be that the judge's choose which of the bottom 2 or 3 go home, instead of it just being the lowest vote-getter. great idea... nevermind that they already used it on "rock star INXS" although in that case you could at least justify it by the fact that they would have to actually play music with whoever won that show.

[Evil Hobbit]

I'm not a Michael Jackson fan, mostly because he rocks about as hard as Perry Como. So I was gritting my teeth through most of the episode because the songs mostly stunk. I woke up when that Adam guy finally performed and put some goddamn LIFE into the show. I hate his look, but he has an amazing voice and the confidence to use it.

That Adam guy was a lot better then the rest of the lot. Bit of an emo'ish look, but authentic enough while performing.

Now, what was Gordon Ramsay doing in the crowd? He cook's for the crew?

[TheBaxter]

I'm not a Michael Jackson fan, mostly because he rocks about as hard as Perry Como. So I was gritting my teeth through most of the episode because the songs mostly stunk. I woke up when that Adam guy finally performed and put some goddamn LIFE into the show. I hate his look, but he has an amazing voice and the confidence to use it.

That Adam guy was a lot better then the rest of the lot. Bit of an emo'ish look, but authentic enough while performing.

Now, what was Gordon Ramsay doing in the crowd? He cook's for the crew?

getting his show(s) pimped out by Fox... just like every other special guest audience member they always have on this show, except for The Hoff.
my question is, what the hell was justin guarini doing sitting behind simon cowell? dude, you were on the show like 20 years ago, and you still have no career except as an audience member for the show you never won on. that's sad.

i don't get why they all love adam so much. he sounds like a 13-year-old axl rose trying to sound like robert plant trying to sound like a cat in heat. seriously, just close your eyes when he sings and focus on the sound of his voice.... it's excruciating.

[so sorry]

I'm not a Michael Jackson fan, mostly because he rocks about as hard as Perry Como. So I was gritting my teeth through most of the episode because the songs mostly stunk. I woke up when that Adam guy finally performed and put some goddamn LIFE into the show. I hate his look, but he has an amazing voice and the confidence to use it.

That Adam guy was a lot better then the rest of the lot. Bit of an emo'ish look, but authentic enough while performing.

Now, what was Gordon Ramsay doing in the crowd? He cook's for the crew?

getting his show(s) pimped out by Fox... just like every other special guest audience member they always have on this show, except for The Hoff.
my question is, what the hell was justin guarini doing sitting behind simon cowell? dude, you were on the show like 20 years ago, and you still have no career except as an audience member for the show you never won on. that's sad.

i don't get why they all love adam so much. he sounds like a 13-year-old axl rose trying to sound like robert plant trying to sound like a cat in heat. seriously, just close your eyes when he sings and focus on the sound of his voice.... it's excruciating.

Last week I saw Doogie Howser in the audience, so seeing a celeb isn't always about pimping their shows (although I'd like to believe that a hard-ass like Gordon Ramsey was forced by his agent to attend an American Idol show).

Regarding that Adam dude: he totally has the pipes to be a front man for a 80s hair band. The look, however, doesn't match the voice, IMO. Maybe he can do a Cure song and we'll see what happens.

[RogueScribner]

I love me some old school Michael Jackson (yeah, I said it!), but I found the many of the performances boring. I've been rooting for Anoop all along, and was thrilled when he made the "top 13", but his rendition of "Beat It" lacked Punky Power. L'il Rounds performed well. Scott was boring. Danny did better with "P.Y.T." than I thought he would. Michael Sarver sucked the life out of "You Are Not Alone." Jasmine was good, but she's no Mariah Carey. I can't even remember Kris Allen's performance of "Remember the Time." Allison rocked it. I hate listening to her speak, but the girl can sing! Jorge put me to sleep this week like he does every other week. Megan's performance of "Rockin' Robin" was very karaoke and that "Caw! Caw! at the end was just ridiculous. Adam Lambert can sing. I think he's a total poser offstage, but the dude can sing. When I heard he was going to sing "Black or White" I anticipated badness, but he actually pulled it off! I think Paula's right: this guy is making it to the finals for sure. Matt did okay with "Human Nature", though he seemed to struggle a bit with the high notes. Alexis is too cute for words and I loved her performance, though she could have punctuated the end better.

My elimination predictions: Jorge (unless the Puerto Rican vote kicks in then farewell Anoop) and Megan.

If Anoop survives this week, he better come out swinging next week or he's toast.