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American Idol
#21
As always, I'm a week behind.  And y'all please feel free to ignore my blathering.  I'm having a good time using Hayley's bandwidth and listening to my own voice.  This is very self-indulgent.

So Jasmine and Jorge are gone.  I liked both of them.  Damn it.

Country week.  [sarcasm]Always a pleasure.[/sarcasm]

Live AI blogging!

FratMichael: Again.  I'm biased against him, so I can't judge fairly.  But he doesn't enunciate.  He's no Garth Brooks.  Spouse: "The harmonica player should go through to the next round."

Simon backed me up on the enunciation! Woot!

Allison and Her Sexy Lips: This is the first time that I've liked her.  I think she did really well.  It's clear she understood and “listened to” the lyrics.  There was a split second where she sang ahead of the band and they very quickly caught up with her.  Anyone who isn't familiar with this song wouldn't have even noticed.  So the band clearly likes her and saved her ass.  I finally see in this girl what everyone else has been seeing.

If Randy would simply say, “That was DOPE!” every time and nothing else, I wouldn't hate him so much.

Kris and His Pretty Face: Another Garth song.  I really, really loathe hyperbolic love songs.  It's difficult hearing this song--that was written for Garth's voice--being sung in this boy band way.  But it didn't suck.

Did Paula get a boob job recently? Because she's been showing the cleavage a lot lately. And she's sober tonight.  Good for her!

NotLilKim: No.  Singers like Lil always laze their way through the verses so they can let loose with their glory notes on the chorus.  I can't believe the judges suggested “I Will Always Love You” for Lil.  The last thing this show needs is another Whitney wannabe.

Adam and His Awesome Voice: It's funny to see the closeted Randy Travis and the out Adam together. Hee!

….................................................................................oh my god.  Jesus Mary and Joseph.  What the fuck did I just hear??

haha. My spouse said, “That was a bit safe, wasn't it?”  Seriously, though, he thinks that Adam missed an opportunity by not singing the song classically. He thinks Adam could have done really well singing an actual country song in the actual country genre, but that he didn't want to sing “those people's” music.  Spouse: “He missed a golden opportunity to take a beautiful black and white photo because he thinks he can only take color photos.”  I disagree completely because the song kicked so much ass and we've got another singer here who is of Gnecco caliber.

OK, this …..  I want to listen to this over and over again.

Kara has no variety in her musical taste or experience. Fuck her.  Simon is an idiot.  Randy and Paula are making sense?

Scott: This guy seems very nice, but he's just too Bruce Hornsby/Ben Folds for me.  He can't “up his game,” judges, because this is all he is.

Alexis: I totally predicted she'd sing this song.  I hate to say this, but I don't like her arrangement here.  She's singing it very prettily, but it's clumsy.  Spouse: “What a mess.  This is not a torch song.”

Danny: Aww, he's nervous.  “Jesus Take the Wheel”?!? Aww, he's an idiot.  I miss his husky voice that we heard in the beginning, but everyone loves him.

Anoop: Me: “OK, that was lovely.”  Spouse: “That's what I wanted to hear from Adam, because it would have been glorious and strange rather than just 'lovely.'”

Megan and Her Smokin' Hotness: Poor thing.  I'm just not feeling her. Except for her hotness.

Matt: Damn this show finds some talented kids. This is live, y'all!  I'm never gonna enjoy hearing a pop version of a bad country song, but he learned this in a week and did it live. Impressive.

I hope that Kris isn't forgotten and that either Michael or Scott is voted off.
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#22
Acrobat Wrote:On the other hand... he probably alienated a good portion of the voters with that, and not just the country fans.

Then that speaks well of him. ;-)  I know, I know, this show used to be about winning. But very quickly it's become a show for the "almost-wons" to get noticed.

Quote:That was the weirdest freaking thing I've ever seen on this show, . . .

You misspelled "perfect." ;-)

Quote:. . . but was it actually good?

Yes, my darling. Yes. It was.

And let the record show that I didn't even know Adam was gay until Acrobat told me.  So . . . my appreciation of him isn't because of that. I've picked him for the winner since they were all still in Hollywood.

But God. He's perfect.

By the way, who was voted off? I didn't record last night's show.
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#23
This show may not be so much about who wins anymore, but the longer Adam stays on the show, the longer we can watch him befuddle the judges every week with his awesomeness. I just selfishly want him on my TV every week without any shocking elimination getting in the way of it. Of course, he's one of only two people who I think the judges would actually use their "save" for.

And after watching Ring of Fire a few more times, I have concluded that it was, indeed, awesome. It's just... cognitive dissonance, man. What he did was so far outside of the realm of what is expected or acceptable on Idol that I could only sit there and stare because he blew my brain clear across the room with the sheer weirdness of it. "But hey, isn't that, in and of itself, a kickass thing to do on this family-friendly, loved-by-middle-America show? Fuck with the establishment?" Well, not necessarily (Exhibit A: Sanjaya). But I do kinda love what Adam is doing here, because even though he's fucking with the milquetoast standards of what is good and acceptable on this show, he is still being really great while he does it.

Side note: my father is 61 years old, born in Alabama, lived in the South his whole life, and slightly on the conservative side. He also thought that Adam kicked ass. I'm not sure if this speaks better of my father or Adam, but there you go.

Alexis went home last night. Michael Sarver was in the bottom two with her, and Allison rounded out the bottom three but got sent back to the couches first.

Quick edit to Kyle: Adam didn't say he did "the Jeff Buckley version," because there isn't one. Randy's the one who brought up Buckley on the results show. I forget what he actually said, but I think it was along the lines of, "I liked the Jeff Buckley vibe you gave the song." Which, vocally... yeah, pretty much. The high notes in that vocal were freakishly similar.
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#24
Acrobat, what you said in your first two paragraphs is spot on.  It's true that--as a rule--America doesn't have good taste and will recoil from "teh diff'rint." Especially those in the Southern Hemisphere (fucking Australians).

But see, I didn't start watching this program until Chris Daughtry (sp?) was on, and I only watched a few shows then.  I watched all of last season.

If contestants like Chris and David Cook and that Jason kid and now Adam were always voted off early, I'd not waste my time with this show. But because I only started watching it the past few seasons, I don't see Idol as being that kind of show. The "weird" ones, in my experience, don't get voted off early.

However! I've been told that Idol has traditionally been a very conservative show (in every sense of the word). They wanted their gay contestants to be closeted while on the show. They wanted their single moms to not talk about the kids. They didn't allow instruments or rock music. They wanted their contestants to sing pop or Whitney-type adult contemporary. I don't know that Idol.  I came to it when the kids were already singing "The Live cover of 'Walk the Line,'" and not getting voted off.

Did Simon recant what he to Adam at all? I think sometimes when they listen to the songs again without all the audience noise, they sometimes change their minds.

Please take this 6:30am, pre-coffee post for what it's worth.
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#25
Posting before coffee? You're a stronger woman than I.

I've seen every season of Idol; I accidentally stumbled into it halfway through the first season when I stopped my channel-flipping long enough to hear Kelly Clarkson. Damn, that girl can sing.

Anyway, I don't think Idol has a problem with single moms (they made a big deal about Fantasia being a single mom, and not in a negative way. In fact, they carted out her daughter to bring in the "Awww" votes. This year, there's Alexis and Megan). With gay contestants... I think they do have a problem with it. Not in that it offends the producers or the judges, but that they're afraid that it'll turn off the American public when a contestant otherwise has a good chance of winning (and therefore making money for them). It's not so much a moral objection on the part of the producers as it is a monetary one.

Maybe that's why I like this show so much when it otherwise should offend every musical bone in my body; it's this crazy sociological experiment masquerading as a singing contest.

And no, Simon most definitely did not recant his words to Adam. When asked, he said that it was even worse when he watched it back on TV. Heh. Another thing I've learned in watching this show for so many years: while Simon is usually right, his taste in music and lack of knowledge of it can be abysmal sometimes. I remember last year, some girl sang Heart's "Magic Man," and he said he'd never heard of the song before. The hell, Simon?
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#26
Damn Trathena, posting pre-coffee? As Erin said, you are a stronger woman then both of us. I'm completely useless until I've had some.
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#27
Erin and Sarah, yeah but . . . that post was practically incoherent. And now, I'm pounding back the Captain Morgans, so it'll only get worse as the night goes on.

Acrobat Wrote:I don't think Idol has a problem with single moms (they made a big deal about Fantasia being a single mom, and not in a negative way. In fact, they carted out her daughter to bring in the "Awww" votes.

See, and that's when I heard the rumours about their attitudes on single moms. They would have rather Fantasia just not talk about it. Fantasia, herself, said she got vibes that they didn't really appreciate her talking about it, but when the country didn't seem to mind, they let it go.

But even then, I wondered if what I was hearing was actually true. I remember thinking, "But the show is produced by British guys, not uptight, Puritan Americans!"

Quote:Simon is usually right, his taste in music and lack of knowledge of it can be abysmal sometimes.

Simon is always right about what American will like, but he's got completely different taste in music than I do. See his fascination-bordering-on-fetishism of adult contemporary black female glory note singers.
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#28
You're pounding back Captain Morgans? Should I pour myself a drink and get on AIM?
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#29
HELL YEAH!
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#30
Um, Captain and Cokes? Where are you Tracy? Seriously, Erin and I are both here and I've had 2 margaritas.
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#31
I'm with everyone here who thinks that Adam's "Ring of Fire" is one of the most fucking awesome things ever! Of course the AI judges don't want to praise it too highly b/c they know they can't market that sort of thing to the drooling masses who wait to be told what they should like and listen to.

Interestingly, somebody posted this on an Adam Lambert website--was it any of you?:detective:

Quote:trent Says:
March 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Adam was awesome last night!!! That is a given, but the comparisons of his singing is way off. Everyone is wrong in their comparison of singing style. It was nowhere close to NIN. NIN is industrial in its music sound. Trent Reznor is a unique and powerful singer but completely different style of singer. Everyone needs to listen to Jeff Buckley or Jimmy Gnecco from the Band Ours sing. Listen to the song Murder by Ours, then you will know what Adam Lambert’s sound is closer too.
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#32
p.s.

Wasn't that the Universal Hall Pass version of "Ring of Fire?"  I think I have that .mp3 somewhere...

http://www.universalhallpass.com/sounds.html


Well, it's somewhat similar, I guess.
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#33
haha, Northstar, it wasn't me, but whoever that person is, she/he is spot on.

I'll also add that I'd not be surprised to find that Adam is a fan of Muse.
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#34
That wasn't me either, northstar. Not enough swear words. Anyway, can we just get rid of five of these goons already?

Matt - picked a really, really overdone song but did an awesome job with it. Man, his dancing is awkward to watch. I'd rather him stay behind the piano, because he's one of the few people who can stay behind it and still be interesting to look at.

Kris - I shouldn't have enjoyed this, but I did. Total Jason Mraz thing going on with this guy. Add in the fact that he's the cutest thing you've ever seen, and he's ridiculously marketable. He's like Jason Castro with a better voice.

Scott - Phil Collins called. He sounded kinda pissed.

Michael - Didn't deserve to make the top 50, let alone be here right now. Awful, awful, awful. Why are you smiling when Smokey f'in Robinson made a point to tell you that it's a desperate, pleading song? The last note was painful. Is he still sick?

Anoop - Gorgeous. I love that song, but it's not a good one for this show. It's too sleepy. But damn, he sounded great.

Lil - I covet that dress, but that's about it. I don't know how such an up-tempo song can be so boring, but there you go.

Megan - Stevie Wonder has been slaughtered many times on this show, but never quite so spectacularly. Holy shit, that was awful. But she's pretty! Also awful. Did I say she was awful?

Adam - When he said what song he was singing, I was all, "FUCK YES." I forgot how many Smokey Robinson songs there are that I absolutely love. I clearly do not have enough Smokey on my iPod and I need to fix this. As for Adam: I am dumbfounded by how amazing he was. Wow. I think he just won this show. Best performance of the season so far, by anyone.

Danny - Yet again earns my hatred by ignoring Smokey's advice. His voice sounded good, but honestly, when you get a performance like that immediately after Adam's, how can I even give a shit? It was good karaoke, which is a step up from Scott and Michael, who are bad karaoke.

Allison - Awesome! Adam was the best of the night, but this was the right performance to end the show with. Why the hell was she bottom 3 last week? She's great.

The judges were strangely dead-on last night, too. Simon always is, but when did Randy start giving good constructive criticism? Weird. I'm just used to a total word salad of "dawg" and "a'ight" and "pitchy" whenever he speaks.
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#35
I fucking love Motown.  I'm only going to discuss my favorites. I'm trying not to be too wordy.

Spouse: Adam should sing “Tears of a Clown.  I want to see him choose his songs strategically, instead of just tactically.”  My spouse is so smart.

And there's Smokey Robinson!!  Awesome.


Matt: I wish he'd not gotten up from the piano.  He's very good though. He started out brilliantly.  UnneededKara: “solid performance”?? It was a fantastic performance.  I've been ignoring him up to now.  Not anymore.

Chris and His Face: Chris is like Tony Lucca or Howie Day (talented, but if he can't write beautiful songs, he'll go nowhere).  Spouse: “Very James Taylor.”  He's doing very well.  Those numbers on his shirt bug me.  UnneededKara is so full of shit in so many ways.  Safe?  Probably, but this is pretty much the best he can do.  This is the top of his game.

Commercials:  What?? Bob Dylan, you fucking whore.

SympathyVoteScott: I love that he's standing his ground about the piano.  He just doesn't belong in this competition.  That's really all I have to say.  Spouse: “He has no vocal range.”

Smokey Robinson has had a lot of botox. He wears more makeup than I do.

Megan: Poor thing. She sucks so bad.  Oh. Train wreck. The bad singing, the dancing, the clothes.  Spouse: “If this was Ethel Merman night, she'd have this thing wrapped up.”

RANDY SAID “TRAIN WRECK” TOO!!!  Why do they always say, “Not the right song,” instead of “You sang this very badly”?

Anoop: Wow. He did a great job with a very difficult song.  He was so patient with the melody.

Michael:

Lil: I think she looks great.  But I just do not know why people think she's so great.  Spouse: “The background singers do not like her.”  She's very brashy and it's all kind of messy.  However, I think that UnneededKara is being completely unfair.  This was supposed to be “Lil's night”?  Lil the diva?? Why? Why??

Adam: Not as perfect melodically as last week, but very, very beautiful.  Very touching.  It shows that he has read and thought about the words.  Those people clapping in rhythm to this song? I want to mow them down with a shotgun.  Spouse: “I heard 'Tracks of My Tears' and I still heard Adam. Perfect combination.”

UnneededKara, THAT'S EIGHT WORDS!  You idiot.
Paula: Shut up about the nail polish!  He's in costume.

Danny: I love Danny's textured vocals.  But he dropped Smokey's advice. Too bad.  I really enjoyed this performance.

Allison: I'm sorry, but no. I'm sorry.

I think that either Megan or Michael should go.
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#36
Acrobat Wrote:Megan - Stevie Wonder has been slaughtered many times on this show, but never quite so spectacularly. Holy shit, that was awful. But she's pretty! Also awful. Did I say she was awful?

I know. She literally made a fool of herself. And, I was kind of angry at Smokey. His job is to give honest feedback. Why didn't he tell her, "No!No!No!" instead of that lame, "haha! I'm horny!" laughing type of response, "You're different"? wtf?

Remember last week when Randy Travis told Adam that he didn't care for what he was about to do to Johnny Cash's song? Sure, he was full of shit, but he was giving honest feedback, not lame half-ass compliments just to be nice.

But, yeah, Megan lost the competition last night.
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#37
Acrobat Wrote:Michael - Didn't deserve to make the top 50, let alone be here right now.

How can you say that? He works on an oil rig!!!!
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#38
"UnneededKara" & "SympathyVoteScott"--My thoughts exactly!
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#39
It's the Itunes whoring night!

I laugh every time they call the contestants “artists.” And then I sink into a depression and hate the world.

Anoop and Megan: The thing that both Anoop and Megan need to learn is this: Loving a song doesn't mean that you're going to sing it well. I think it's funny that Paula tells Megan exactly what to do if she wants to do well in this competition. “Duffy?” I hate Randy. Again: Liking a song doesn't mean you can sing it well!

Danny: Ohh! Strings! :Confusedigh:: I need to put aside the fact that I don't like this song and only judge his singing. He picked a song that highlights his range and his voice. Spouse: “So much of modern country music is bad soul or bad pop.” That being said, Danny sang well. Simon is right in that it's much better than the first two contestants. Spouse: “Unlike Adam, I don't think Danny knows what he's doing right.”

Megan: OK, her hair is starting to remind me of Pippy Longstocking. This is a good song choice, though. Spouse: “Like Megan, she's a one-trick pony, but her trick is worth hearing.” This is the first time that I won't say, “no,” to Megan. This was very good. She doesn't have the delicacy of Gwen's voice, but as soon as I heard she was singing this, I knew we'd hear an emotional, textured rendition. Lovely. Since the judges are only focusing on what she's wearing, it's a waste of time to listen to them.

SympathyVoteScott: Good song choice. [aging myself]John Hall hair cut; y'all I love this song; I'm old enough to remember when it was a hit. I remember watching James at Sixteen, and this song played when he lost his virginity.[/aging myself] This will keep him in the competition. He's not good enough to win. I'd be upset by Scott, but as long as we still have the Scott and Megan and Lil, I don't mind him being here.

Matt: Perfect song for him! And yet, I'm not loving this. Why? What happened??? Why? I'm very, very shocked. Damn it. Randy: “One Republic.” Actually, that's good advice. Spouse: "He gets a pass because he took a stiff dicking last week."

Lil: I just don't like her. She's out of tune. She's flat. She seems like a nice woman. Spouse: “Lil's good; she's just not as much of a Diva as she thinks she ought to be.”

OK, the little girl hugging Randy is cute as hell.

Adam: Wild Cherry!!???!! Spouse: “I hear Elvis all over that, and he's doing that shit on purpose.” So right. This kid is fucking perfect. Goddamn. Spouse: "Genius on so many levels, and half of America isn't in on the joke."

Chris: Again, he's picked a perfect song for his voice. That was very, very good. Very good. I have nothing negative to say. Wonderful cover, worthy of recording. Spouse: "Chris is now doomed to the bottom three." heh.

As much as it pains me: SmokinHotMegan needs to go.
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#40
You know, I don't know anything about UnNeededKara's personal life, but she comes off as an entitled, spoiled brat who's never done without anything a day in her life.
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