On another Idol subject, I just read that several of the contestants this year are not "undiscovered", but have had record deals and/or other opportunities at stardom in the past, but for various reasons didn't do well. Several are actually pros, not "new talent".

They include the following:

Carly Smithson (Irish singer with earlier Visa issue) - MCA deal in 2001. The video she made at the time is still on Youtube as of yesterday (it may disappear - the song is pretty unmemorable).

Michael Johns - (Aussie who sang Bohemian Rhapsody) - Signed to Maverick Records in a band called Film.

Kristy Lee Cook - was signed to Arista, Nashville. Supposedly has the same manager as Leann Rimes, Marty Rendleman.

Robbie Carrico - Wire Records, 1999: Boyz and Girlz United - opened for Britney Spears. Currently, he sings with the band called Missing Pickett.

David Archuleta - Won Ed McMahan's Star Search at age 12.

Kady Malloy - Has a record produced by Nick Trevisick (Mandy Moore).

I don't know if it's really BAD that these people are competing against some true "newbies". I just hope that the AI producers don't try to fool the audience into believing that all these people are brand-new and have only sung at Karaoke bars. This isn't the Olympics (non-pro's only) and I'm just happy to get good talent however it comes about.

Isn't ratings week coming up? It would NOT surprise me at all if AI tries to generate some additional interest with "controversy" to boost the ratings even further since it will determine how much they can charge for commercial air time over the whole season.

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I just pulled this from the American Idol FAQ, which seems to make it all OK:

"Q: I've noticed that several contestants have professional music experience, including TV appearances and on Broadway, I thought you were only looking for amateur performers?"

A:"In order to be eligible, the contestants are not permitted to have any CURRENT recording or talent management agreements."

Last edited by Lwilliam; 02/17/08 10:42 PM.