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Janita
by Gary E. Andrews - 12/11/24 08:26 PM
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Rain
by bennash - 12/11/24 02:40 PM
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El Lopo
by Gary E. Andrews - 12/09/24 11:18 AM
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I find it intensely interesting that in grooming an American Idol to take the pop world by storm they are choosing to ask contestants to sing musical theatre, much of which requires at least a technical foundation in singing, and a great deal of which (unless it was in a movie) is likely going to be unknown by the audience. Syesha is clearly the best technical singer, but is consistently in the bottom 3. They are keeping it interesting, that's for sure.
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I am happy for Kristy...she wasn't going to be idol...but she hung in and had her best two weeks (by far IMHO)and got to leave on a high note.
Syesha will NAIL it this week...she is poised and attractive
Oh and Vicki...I learn from you every time you show us about the "act of singing". I think about what you say, and I actually apply it to my own singing. (I have told you this before). The last thing that really helped me was about relaxing the neck and jaw, and about how MJ would stretch his neck to get the high notes...I realized I did that when you pointed it out, and I feel that realizing that is already helping me be a better singer. You are really great.
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I saw Kristy's exit interview on American Idol Extra. She actually gave Simon a hug afterwards. She is a class act. I don't think she's another Carrie Underwood, but I hope she gets some sort of deal. If the songs are carefully picked, and they use auto-tune (which they ALWAYS do for anything out of Nashville), then she'll sound just fine on the CD. ...and I hope she gets her horse back! I agree that this will be a good week for Syesha.
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Wasn't she one of the artists who already had a deal previously? Her problem isn't singing.. it's performing. She'll have to vastly improve her stage presence to have any chance of moving forward outside of AI. She really doesn't connect with the audience at all. I think the voters got it right this week, but after another annoying attitude laced episode from Brooke, I am SOOO ready for her to go. Maybe she'll be next.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Hey Brian, I'll agree, Kristy needs work on her performing skills...that's why I'm so glad she'll be on the tour. When she gets a chance to sing in front of sold-out arena audiences -- with no monkey sitting on your back -- she's going to get a chance to loosen up big time. When we saw the tour for Season 5, it was towards the end of the summer...and the improvement in ALL of the performers was remarkable. So again, the tour is a great "consolation prize"! I wish her well...and thought it was pretty good the way she sang out practically sitting in Simon's lap!! (she also could probably have done a nice job with my countryish AI entry, but that's neither here nor there... !) Ciao for now, Beth
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Here is what I found about Kristy's previous record deal (she was 17 at the time). Seven years ago is a pretty long time to have had a deal. The following is directly from the bmi.com site, so should be pretty accurate (dated Aug 7, 2001): http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233653"Kristy Lee Kristy Lee Signs In Triplicate with Arista, Britney, and BMI Brand-new Arista Nashville artist Kristy Lee continued to establish her roots in Music City by signing a songwriter affiliation deal with BMI at their Nashville offices. In addition to her label contract, Lee recently inked a deal with Britney Spears' newly-formed production company as its debut artist. Superstar Spears, a BMI affiliate, has already agreed to make a cameo appearance in Lee's first video." I don't know if Britney ever appeared in a video with her. I found a video below of Kristy, but didn't see Britney in it. It sounds like Britney's new production company never got off the ground. 2001 was the year Britney turned 18. This is kind of interesting: http://www.rendleman.net/And her video (didn't see Britney in it): http://www.rendleman.net/kristyleecook_video.htmMy guess is that she was dropped from the label sometime in 2001 or 2002. There were a LOT of artists being dropped at that point in time. Although Carly's CD supposedly sold less than 400 copies with $1M or so in promotion, I haven't found anything to indicate any promotional budget for Kristy's debut CD.
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Also, it's interesting that the bmi blurb says she was signed to Arista Nashville, but the Rendleman site says she's signed to Ren-Hen records. ??
Obviously she had to get out of the management deal to be on Idol and it's hard to say what the date of that CD is. It may very well have been 2002.
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I didn't realize Kristy also had a record deal and all that experience...sounded like they pulled her right off the farm. I don't go to the AI site, so I'm not up on all their backgrounds, but it's interesting to read it here.
I just want to say that I do think performance skills are what costs a lot of them. It's harder than it seems, to connect with an audience, and it amazes me how some of them appear to think that hitting all the notes correctly means you did a great job. It's like with acting....just because you say all your lines, doesn't mean you had emotion behind those words, and truth, and honesty.
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. -- Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist
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Carly and Kristy (and others) had record deals. They blew that shot. So they're not underdogs, they're seasoned pros. From what I read the only true "out of nowhere" contestant in the final 12 was Amanda who had no industry ties and was plucked from the small towns of Indiana. And of course she was out quickly. David A. is probably the most experience professional in the top 12 and everyone thinks he's this innocent little kid getting his first chance.. nothing could be farther from the truth.
I have a feeling if David A. wins that we may have witnessed the season that AI jumped the shark. They've been focusing on Randy Jackson and Paula's careers propping them up. It's the same thing that happens in network TV series that almost always ruin them.. you know where they have a show about doctors or cops or lawyers and at first they have interesting cases to deal with.. but slowly they start focusing more and more on side personal stories and then eventually they start inserting their cast into nearly every case or crime.. they all get kidnapped or nearly die or some other major tragedy happens and then they sort of pass it around and the shows collapse... happens over and over... so AI now is clearly biasing towards a specific set of competitors and they are focusing more and more on people who won/competed before, or who run the show. And they're also being used by the labels to release albums and promote movies and products to the point where the music is barely even part of the show. Sure, it's always been a commercial bonanza, but they've gotten lazy with it all and it's wearing people out on it. David A. will be the final nail in their coffin and you'll see major declines the next two seasons until they put it out of it's misery when one of more of the judges is out of their contract. Then we'll have something else to obsess over.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Brian, I agree with you. I've watched AI for several seasons and I enjoyed the shows FAR LESS this year. It just seemed like there was too much boring banter, too much advertising, too much talk. Especially the 2 hour show with a handful of contestants singing for 15 minutes out of the whole thing. They need to stay edgy. When do the contestants start singing 2 songs a show? Surely it should be now?
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The internet "chat" is ridiculous...thank goodness for TIVO.
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The internet "chat" is ridiculous... I totally agree
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Some miscellaneous thoughts: I am SOOOOO glad I have a DVR. The amount of banal banter, fluff, and advertising has increased every year. Using the show for the self-promotion of Paula and Randy's single was as low as I've seen. Next, we will probably hear Simon's new British diva, Leona Lewis, so he can collect his producer royalties from her sales. I really don't know if I'd be such a fan of the show if I couldn't fast-forward through about a 1/3 of it each week. I skip the commercials and the Q&A period - at least. Several polls are now ranking David Cook ("Cookie") higher than "Archie". Even Jason has the #1 spot in several polls. There's no clear winner yet. However, it would be surprising if a gal wins this year. Here's a link to a site that lists several AI polls kind of a collection of polls: http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/04/17/idol-polls-the-top-7/
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The internet "chat" is ridiculous... I totally agree Do you mean the Q&A part? I FF through that.
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Yes, well it took me awhile to come to the conclusion that the best way to watch American Idol is to record it and watch it later, ha ha. Really, I don't remember the shows being so boring in the past. And I'm NOT talking about the singing.
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So it appears that the Webber night wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Top 3:
David Cook: Not only did he do well, he was fantastic and completely out of his college rock style and sound. I was duly impressed with the entire performance and it was by far the most convincing of the night.
Syesha Mercado: She was excellent and it appears she'll have acting and stage opportunities in the future coming her way. She still only got lukewarm praise, proving my theory again that they're biased against her and nothing she does will get fair evaulations from the judges. Sad really.
Carly Smithson: She finished a distant 3rd to the top 2, but she turned in a reasonable performance.
Bottom 3:
Jason Castro: Worst of the night by a mile. Ack. He really sucked and it was clear he wasn't even trying. He had a total attitude.. quite unprofessional.
David Archuletta: Can this kid be any more boring? Every week he's a snoozefest and this week was no different. Major yawn.
Brooke White: Speaking of unprofessional, that's twice this season she's stopped a song and started over. Both were unprecedented. Lame lame lame. The sad part was I thought it was her best performance of the entire season..
David Cook is now miles ahead of everyone else. Syesha is a clear and strong second. The other 4 are pretty useless.. and yet we're going to be stuck with Jason Castro and David A. until the final 3 if the polls are correct. Very sad.
Should go: Jason Castro. Will go: Might be Brookes week.. but I fear it will be Syesha or Carly.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Ack. Well, I went to the opera tonight, having not set my VCR (despite putting a big note on my desk to remind myself) to record the Top 6. This is disappointing. However, based on past performances, I think Jason *should* go but likely Brook will.
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Has anyone noticed the similarity between Jason's performances and Eddie Murphy's impersonation of Michael Jackson singing "She's Out of My Life"?
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I think the best part of the night was trying to figure out if that was Fran Dresher sitting behind Simon. it looked like Fran, but a bit "hotter." :-)
Another highlight was seeing Paul Stanley in the audience.
And Sir Andrew, was a true Brit gentleman.
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Yo dog check it out -
With only six performers and busy with other paperwork during the playback I unfortunately listened to most of the judges comments this week. Randy is obnoxious, Paula loves everyone, and the audience boos when Simon gives an honest opinion about the performance....
Totally as expected performances - with the exception of David Cook. Though out of his element, he gave an excellent vocal performance.
David Archuletta proved he can take an emotional broadway diva tune and turn it into a cheesy lounge song - and the judges swooned over it.
Jason Castro put on a cute smile and gave a no emotion, no range performance to one of the best broadway tearjerkers ever written.
Brooke had two minutes of music to learn and forgot the words. Hard to figure since I think she really believes "you must love me" as if its owed her.
Syesha gave the best vocal performance of the night - with the biggest plus for her being the sexy attitude and makeover that finally gave her a complete package.
I thought Carly's performance of Jesus Christ Superstar rocked. A couple of places where the background singing and instrumental invaded her space, but overall a great song choice and performance.
So as for results - maybe Brooke will finally go home. Lots of tears and an emotional breakdown on her part will be accompany the announcement at the end of the show. Jason and David A ought to be in the bottom 3 with her but given the way the voting has been it will likely be Carly and Syesha.
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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Performance-wise, only Syesha took a broadway song and kept it broadway. Best overall performance indeed.
Paul Jackson Jr. doesn't look like he's aged any since the last time I spoke with him he did a signature series guitar samples for the ENSONIQ keys. Incidentally, Randy did a lot of the original bass samples for Ensoniq too if anyone was interested in a little trivia.
Carly was close with JCS keeping it broadway, but being a borderline rock opera and doing it like a rock concert performance, there's a fine line there.
Little Dave followed Sir Andrew's advice and kept his eyes open. But I think he was fighting it at times.
Everyone else took a broadway song, and took it out of it's element. They made it a singer/songwriter song.
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Simon said to Jason, "I bet that was the longest 2 minutes of your life" and Jason was nodding in agreement. It looked painful. He hated singing it.
Carley sang JCSS but that is a big chorus number. She should have sang "I don't know how to love him". At her best, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Simon must have a thing for Brooke. She looked beautiful last night. I think I have a thing for her too but alas, this might be her last week. Maybe she can learn the song before she sings it again.
David A. Why is it so boring to watch him? He can sing the paint off the walls and still, somehow he isn't connecting except in a superficial way. Maybe he just needs some hard knocks to give him some life experience. Someone on PBS asked why Willie Nelson doesn't write much anymore and the answer (from his biographer) was: "He's just to happy too write".
David Cook is one serious dawg! Yo man. He could run the table.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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The top 2 were clearly David Cook and Syesha. The bottom 2 were clearly Brooke and Jason. It was a pretty clean division.
Carly and David I felt were in the middle with respectable, but not the best performances. I liked Carly's Jesus Christ Superstar performance. David A was OK, but didn't draw me in like David Cook or Syesha.
I couldn't believe Brooke did a stop/start on the song - TWICE in one season. Even Miss "say nothing bad" Paula's first comment to her was to NOT stop/start a song. It's pretty rare that Paula says anything bad about a performance. You should vamp if nothing else. It's better than clearly showing everyone you messed up.
Jason's performance showed the boy can't sing. It was actually painful in places, he was so pitchy. My wife, who loves show music, was amazed that someone could butcher a song so badly. Other than "Eight Days a Week", it was probably the worst song performance of the season.
Too bad we can't send both Brooke and Jason home this week. Of the two, I think Brooke deserves to go home. Jason has been higher in the polls, so it's likely she WILL go.
BTW, Vickie (and others), you can always find the performances on youtube.com
Just do a search for "American Idol Season 7".
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Thanks to YouTube, I was able to listen & see all the performances from Top 6. MUSIC OF THE NIGHT - David C I know this song very well. Interesting choice. Nice raw timbre to the voice, very appealing. Clear & on pitch on the upper notes. Great performance of a beautiful tune.
ONE ROCK & ROLL - Syesha As usual, good vocal performance, relaxed, natural. Great jazzy style tune.
SUPERSTAR - Carly As usual, she started out sounding like she was in great voice for this. Except on the "do you think" - you could hear the stress in the voice from trying to shout the phrase. I thought she did very well.
THINK OF ME - David A Despite the many negative critiques I've read of David's singing, I feel David has a lot of appeal. If you are running a record label, this is the kind of performer you are looking for, young, with a soft & natural sound, cute. He doesn't leap out and grab you by the throat, but Barry Manilow and other crooners have had major careers despite their detractors. YOU MUST LOVE ME - Brook I'm never been a fan of Brook's singing, I'm afraid, and this performance showed exactly why. Started out sounding breathy & pitchy. There is no support under the voice. She breathes too often, and this is because the breath is so high in the chest it is not connecting. There are no long notes, there is no breath for them. When she sings, she is in her head, not in her body. I thought she acted it well. With my critique I would like to say that I feel that if Brook worked with the right coach for 2 or 3 years, she would find and release the voice. MEMORY - Jason Tough song. Way too low for him, but what else can you do when you have no range? So he sings the verse with no tone. There is no technique in his singing, and I have always felt he did not belong in the top 12. The audience squeals with pleasure at the end, while I'm shaking my head. There are MANY other songs Jason could have chosen to sing, but he chose this one and I felt he was not really present in his performance. Perhaps he knows his time is at hand. Tops, Syesha & David C; and worst: Jason & Brook.
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Tops, Syesha & David C; and worst: Jason & Brook. I totally agree with everyone. Jason was so bad it was painful. He should be the next to go, with Brooke following. Did you catch in the interview where he said "I didn't even know the song was sung by a cat, a woman cat. It was the worst song choice of the season. There was no way he could pull that song off. I thought David A DID take that Phantom song and make it his own, I'd rank it a little higher than Brian's *yawn*. I hope that Syesha, Carly, and the 2 Davids are the final four. Simon thought "cookie" did the Music of the Night too straight, but I disagree. He's done his "alternative" version every week. This week he showed that if he wanted, he could go out there and do Phantom...I noticed none of you said his act was the same old, same old this week. I think it was big that he did it straight and really pulled it. This is why he is #1 now, and could go all the way.
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What a shock tonight huh? I thought for sure Jason or Brooke would be packing their bags. Obviously Brooke got sympathy votes for the fact that she is human and people like her. Its too bad she forgot her words. Even though the rest of her performance was fairly good. I don't see why eithor she or Jason didn't go. They are more of the coffee house performers....and are really not set up for broadway songs. Oh well, it is a popularity contest. Unfortunately my girl Carly got sent packin' tonight. Syesha definately did NOT deserve to be in the bottom 2 at all she was in her element. I can totally see her on broadway. She has no need to worry even if she were to get sent home soon. At this point I see David Cook as the winner of American Idol. There is really no comparison between him an anyone else left. Tammy www.tammyedwards.comwww.myspace.com/tammyedwards2
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I taped it and just watched it. (I love just FF to the end!) Anyway, I can't believe Syesha was in the bottom 2. But I think she will have opportunities on Broadway. I don't know who I want to win, but I know who I'd prefer didn't win! (David A. just cannot win) Anyway, yep, popularity contest it tis!
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. -- Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist
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The saddest part of the Carly thing is that she never really did live up to her potential. I don't think she should have gone yet (nor Michael Johns for that matter) but it's clear she didn't have that "moment" that we often see for eventual winners. I think David Cook had the "moment" during that performance last night. It was outstanding... and I was disappointed they downplayed it a lot when he was so fantastic. I think they all want David A. to win so they can cash in on the Disney crowd.. he'll be doing duets with Miley Cyrus before you know it. Ack.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Pretty ridiculous result.
Syesha Carly
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<<given the way the voting has been it will likely be Carly and Syesha.>>
Unfortunately I can say I told you so - as wrong as the voters' choice was. Too bad our opinions don't pick the winners. Jason and Brooke really do need to go home but if they keep with the program its Syesha's turn next week, right after she turns in the best vocal performance of the year.
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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I think that's it Brian... the bar was set high for Carly right from the start .. probably wasn't fair to her, but is probably the reason I was never blown away by her performances. I kept expecting more.. I am looking at David Cooke or Syesha to be the next A.I. Joanne
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This wasn't quite the shocker as when Melinda Dolittle got voted off. Why Brooke wasn't even in the bottom two is beyond me. This is also two weeks in a row that she looked absolutely shocked that she wasn't sent home.
I guess when you look back at the history of AI, the best singers have only been the "winners" about half the time.
Season 6 - Jordin Sparks over Melinda Dolittle Season 5 - Taylor Hicks over Chris Daughtry AND Katherine McPhee Season 4 - Carrie Underwood (they probably got that one right) Season 3 - Fantasia Barrino over Jenifer Hudson (toss up) Season 2 - Reuben Stoddard over Clay Aiken Season 1 - Kelly Clarkson (best choice that year, although Tamyra Gray is also doing well)
I'm absolutely certain that it's the text messaging tweenies that are skewing the results. One poster on the AI forum who identified himself only as a "Dreadhead" (meaning David Castro fan) "managed" to get in 544 votes for Jason.
I certainly hope that AI begins to put in a system that identifies duplicate voters and limits it somehow. On the "Dancing with the Stars" show, they list (in small print) that each phone number is only allowed seven votes (for big families, I guess). That sounds like a reasonable method. Of course, with that show, the audience vote is somehow only 50% of the total vote, with the judges counting for the other 50%.
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Joined: Apr 2001
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AI makes huge bucks off the text messaging. They'll never limit it. What do they care?
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Text messaging is now mostly a flat per-month fee. For instance, AT&T can add "unlimited messaging" to any cell phone plan for $20/month, or $30/month for an entire family of cell phone users.
Otherwise, the first time a teen rang up an $800 text messaging charge, there would be a wee bit of trouble...don't you think?
I don't think AI makes money from messaging, however AT&T, one of their big sponsors, would benefit some from it. Actually, with every incoming vote, there would NORMALLY be some sort of charge to AI for at least the 866 numbers. Toll-free numbers are definitely charged by the minute to the owner of the line.
My guess, however, is that AT&T is providing either severely discounted 866 line costs, or just giving them to AI free in exchange for promotion on the show. They would also only need to have a text mailbox to receive the text message votes (and a program to count them). Once the infrastructure is in place for toll-free lines and text messaging, there's not much of an actual ongoing cost to the telco.
However, you're right in that until the producers see a financial advantage in changing the voting method, they have no incentive. If allowing kids to vote 500 times for their "fave" is keeping 30 million people watching, they'll continue to do just that.
Here's an idea someone presented on the AI forum:
Have the votes counted by the number of paid downloads (from iTunes) of the contestant's song. You could even discount those particular songs to something like $.25 instead of $.99. Here are the arguments:
1. They're already recording those performances so it wouldn't cost the show any extra (except to set up the vote tally program). 2. It would certainly keep the people voting 500 times down to a reasonable range. 3. I don't think that $.25 would turn many off to voting - especially since they'd know their vote actually means something. 4. It would have the added benefit of finding out who would actually PAY for music by that artist. 5. It would also provide an additional revenue stream for AI.
What do you think?
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Joined: Apr 2001
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Top 10 Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
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I think AI makes money off the voting.
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Sep 2002
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I think this is the week that Paula has to go.
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LOL! I hear ya! That was like the Twilight Zone! ....oops, I better go vote for Syesha before she gets voted off, thanks to Simon's comment....
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. -- Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist
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29Apr08 Neil Diamond week. Well, it was a different format, and I appreciated the quick nature of the show, with less chit chat. For me it is hardly necessary to finish the Idol series, because as far as I am concerned, the best musician & performer is David Cook - and he has a great voice, too. And Syesha is miles ahead of the rest in vocal ability... but I suspect it will be the two Davids at the end.
DAVID C (I'm Alive + All I Really Need is You) Great on both songs, especially #2. I felt the first song fit him well and I would actually like to hear him sing the whole thing. If he doesn't win this contest, something is very wrong with the voter's perception of what talent is. In the second song, I felt like I was watching a major rock star perform.
SYESHA (Hello Again + Thk the Lord for the Night) The first song proved again that she undeniably has the best pipes on the show. Second song showed her range, good tone, and even displayed some personality. Why the judges keep trashing her I have no idea, she is another Whitney as far as I am concerned. Excellent vocals - maybe too well trained for them? Listen to her first song, people - THAT is good singing.
DAVID A (Sweet Caroline + In America) In the first song (which came right after Brook), right away you could hear good tone, nice vibrato, and brightness in the voice - which meant he was actually singing in the right tessatura for his voice - unlike Brook in her 'I'm a Believer'. I thought he sang it well and had fun. Yeah, well somebody was going to sing In America, and cash in on the patriotic appeal of the song. However, I felt when he was singing it that this rock song didn't suit him. His voice seems to me to be more musical theatre or teen-pop, not rock. I felt he pushed his voice at the end and his face during judging looked stressed, like he knew he had gone too far vocally. He sang thru his teeth on some of the 'ee' vowels.
JASON (Forever in Blue Jeans + September morning) Okay folkish version of the both songs, nothing really wrong with them, nothing reached out and grabbed me either. His range is very limited and he sings very tightly, the voice is compressed in the throat and the mouth is too closed. Why he is in the top 5 of a singing competition I don't know. Yes, he has pretty blue eyes, but surely someone like Syesha, with great talent, should not continuously be voted as lower than him.
BROOK (I'm a Believer + I am I said) In the Monkees tune, she lost tone and we couldn't hear the low notes at all. This is because, with a limited range, you have to lower the song so you can sing the top. This throws the voice off kilter because you are trying to make it sing well where it is weak, and then you are pushing out the top. The upper notes sound tight, not warm, and the lower notes are weak & inaudible. This is not healthy singing. In the second song, I thought she did a little better. I think the main problem is the voice sits back in the throat and has some nasal qualities. The first song was very interesting to me because she looked comfortable and as though she was having fun, but the voice still sounded unconnected to me.
I think it's time for Brook or Jason to go, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Syesha, given how the voting has been.
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Joined: Apr 2001
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What a hideously bad week... Ack.
Top of the Night:
Syesha Mercado: She was heads and shoulders better than anyone else. The competition is clearly biased to get rid of her. No matter how many weeks she blows everyone away, the judges with their pre-written notes (which were exposed when Paula read her notes for both songs even before the second was performed.. notice how they moved on quickly to Simon...) always either trash her or downplay how good she was. Sad.
David Cook: He wasn't comfortable in the first song and I thought the second song was even weaker. His worst week of the competition. Still.. he was second best.
Worst:
All three of the others were terrible start to finish.
Least horrible: Brooke. Her first song was a total trainwreck.. her second song was reasonably decent.
Almost the worst: David Archuletta. Again.. people.. this emperor has NO CLOTHES!!!! His breathy weak singing was particularly horrible this week. It's sick how Randy props him up every week. Obviously there's some financial incentive.
The Worst: Jason Castro wouldn't even make it on an average open mic night in an average club in an average town. I heard over 100 better male singers in the last 24 hours during JPF awards screening than him. (In fact, I heard hundreds of better singers than anyone other than Syesha... including David Cook on his best day).
This is clearly the worst American Idol Top 5 ever. The term Jumping the Shark seems to apply. I am sure the marketing machine will sell a lot of records, especially if Mark Cook wins. If David A. wins, they'll hit up the Disney crowd and the little girls will all get a piece of David A. in their Xmas stockings.. whahoo!
Sigh...
Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Brian's right: The weakest top 5 of all time!
Sayesha and David C. are the only ones that do anything for me.
My early favorite, David A, hasn't done anything that worked for me since "Imagine" and that was a long time ago. I think he has a good voice, but it seems like every song is the same.
Brooke and Jason: You have got to be kidding me.
Kevin
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Joined: Jun 2001
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I agree with all of the above. I'm thinking its going to be a Jason vs David A final for a true shark jumping contest.
Syesha being the most talented person left obviously has to go home this week.
Damn I've gotten cynical, but after that show what else is left...
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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So Paula can predict the future! I wonder what she's been smoking?
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Yeah, it was creepy that Paula started critiquing David A's second song before he sang it. Simon rescued her from total embarrassment.
So let me predict the future: Brooke will get voted off in one or two week, return to Arizona and be a soccer mom. Jason will get voted off in one or two weeks and will return home but will get a couple of guest appearances on Hanna Montana and Jake and Cody. He then will return to Rockwell Texas, sing weekends at the House of Blues in Dallas and get a bit part in a Jack Black movie. Sayesha will leave the show thrid from the top leaving the two Davids. She will go back home, make some Nike commercials, move to New York and get a starring role on a new Broadway play called "American Idol" about a struggling homeless artist who lives in his car and gets his shot at the bigtime starring that kid with the fake Brittish accent who lived in his car and had a shot at the bigtime. David A and David C will split the votes so thin on finals week that Ryan will say, "This is the closest tally in AI history". David Cook will then go home, sparing himself from the burden of being saddled with a terrible title (American Idol) and will go on to make albums and tours for the next 40 years. David Archuletta will have his biggest night on finals week, win narrowly, tour for a year homesick and lonely as the AI star; and go on to join Jason on an episode of Hanna Montana. He will then slip quietly into anonymity and live happily ever after.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Joined: Jan 2008
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SJH, You forgot the part about my song . . . Perry
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Last Sunday night i watched American Idol on satellite TV over here in the UK...for a start, why are Jason (the guy with the dreadlocks) and that girl called Brooke still hanging around..is that the best America can dig up?...They would'nt get two songs at a drunks convention...They were all singing show songs,with Lloyd Webber no less, as the mentor..the guy was cringing with embarrasment,his songs got murdered,...Does Paula Abdul ever have an opinion?it is like watching paint dry, listening to her ranting a lot of nonesense...she is definately well past her sell-by-date...Randy Jackson is all fingers and thumbs,and street talk,he may be a record producer,BUT remember folks...he is by trade a Bass Player..nuff said!...Simon Cowell being his usual self nasty'n'nice in equal doses...if it were a level playing field the guy Cook is a racing certainty...but it aint..that wee guy, the other David,looks a right little sleazeball,with his permanent smile,but he probably attracts the spotty face brigade,so it makes for an interesting final...just one foot note ..that guy Cook could do a good number on Perry's song....Terry...
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Results night Wednesday April 30:
I think it is kind of mean that AI makes the contestant who is booted sing the very song that sent them home. Brooke start crying when her name was called and didn't stop for the rest of the show. In here swan song, she forgot the words again but it hardly mattered because the song was a sobbing wreck already.
And then there were four. If Jason doesn't go next week, the Universe has a short circuit in it.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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Oops. I was watching the Results show (which is on at 9 pm my time) and then, around 9:30, when I knew Brook & Syesha were bottom two... during a commercial break, thought I'd quickly try recording something to see how it sounded... and then next thing you knew, it was 10:05 pm.
Bottom Two
Syesha Brook
Brook really outstayed her singing ability, as has Jason. The fact that Jason was called first means, I think, that he had the most votes. Notice that Cook was third, underneath Jason and David A.
While I'm glad I missed the torture of watching Brook sing goodbye, I'm sorry I missed Neil Diamond.
I am still waiting for an explanation of why judging of the second round song was mentioned after the singing of the first round song. There was a pregnant silence after Paula began to read her notes for the 2nd song. Are the judges not judging what we hear and see? If not, why not. If not, how can we trust what they have to say. If, on the other, Paula thought she was judging the same song twice... I don't know what's going on there.
If Jason becomes the next American Idol... #@$%$#&%!
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Joined: May 2001
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Well, As far as I know, a female Artist named Baylie Brown was on last years American Idol. I missed it. However she has signed a Record Deal on a label in Nashville, Universal Records South. They are looking for songs for her now, so all is not lost for those that don't make it to the top on AI.
Ray E. Strode
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Joined: Jun 2001
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I'm glad Brook is finally going home and Syesha is still hanging on. I'm even more glad that I had too much to do last night and didn't waste any time watching the show.
Marty my home Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again!
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Neil Diamond did a horrible song from his new album. It was really really really lame. And they had some british chick singing.. she sang okay but the song was also quite lame. And they didn't explain what relevence she had to the show. (Of course we KNOW what it was.. a promotional spot for an artist that Simon Cowell signed in the UK... ). AI has jumped the shark about as far as they can.. and I have a feeling it's going to get even worse before this season is over... I used to enjoy the show when they had reasonably talented singers on and at least when they weren't talented, they were interesting. These contestants rate very high on the boredom meter. And the blatant advertising that is supposed to look like something else (like a "design" competition for the Coke cups? WTF was that?) are wearing thin. And what was the 2 minute commercial for the dance show doing in the middle of AI? Oh yeah.. Simon Cowell and Nigel do that show too... sigh.
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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