American Idol 2006--Live Thread (Part III)

Fox ^ | 5-8-06

[Wyatt's Torch]

That was singularly the worst blues song performance of all time.

Katherine is a great singer, but a horrible musician.

Taylor, OTOH, is a true musician. He understands music. Every note he sings is like an artist paintstroke. I was hoping for a Chris/Taylor face off, two excellent muscians.

That, right there, is why if Kat wins I'm done with American Idol (and I've seen every episode of every season...because I love music). But if they are only interested in putting out more of the same crap that impressionable teenage kids think is music and could give a crap about artistic merit and musical accomplishment then I'm not going to patronize an entity that is merely contributing to the further destruction of the music industry. Sometime, somewhere, somehow, artistry and musicianship have to be seen as a good thing. Kat vapid vocal recitation of lyrics pale in comparison to Taylor, Elliot, and Chris all of whom are musicians and know what it is like to create music from nothing and not only perform it but live inside of it. Having her win would be yet another confirmation that "popular music" will continue to suck.

[misterrob]

He does that stuff anyway. Offer still stands though.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Fantasia and Ruben being the two most obviously hard to market. Neither with looks or singing in the popular genre.

Both play in the Soul/R&B market. Both have multi-platinum records. Both have multiple Grammy nominations.

[ken5050]

Concur..I wrote here Tuesday night..somewheres on the thread, that for her last numer, her choice, istead of that inane blues song, she should have stood there, said "This is for all our brave troops, protecting our freedoms"..and sang "God Bless America"... ( including the great introduction part of the song)...she'd have wrapped it up...by several million votes..

[Conservative Texan Mom]

(He does have a nice scar...........)

I often wondered how often he practiced those theatrical tactics of his in the mirror. It's kind of funny to picture.

By the way, I'm in Mena, Arkansas.

[retrokitten]

She's a total doll. One would think that Hollywood types would take notice of the reaction she is getting from people and take this opportunity to put more Kat sized women out there. I shouldn't say "Kat sized" cause it makes it sound like she is freakish when, in fact, she's a more realistic body-type then 90% of what we see in the media.

[floridaobserver]

You are spot on. The McParents clearly live vicariously through their daughter. Especially the mother. Any victory for Kat is really just a victory and testament to the Mom McPhee. That is why the mom got so emotional and pumped her arm in glee when it was announced that Eliot had lost.

Taylor's and Eliot's parents seem much more well-grounded. It is one thing to feel pride in a child's performance, but the MCParents take it on to an unpleasant extreme.

[Wolfstar]

Senator Goldwater, I totally agree with what Jonny says here:

It's because of YOUR posts, Senator Goldwater--all of your lame masturbatory fantasies that you felt compelled to share with the rest of us--that this thread was moved. So you are the absolute LAST person that should be lecturing me about what I post.

I'm an adult who is no holy roller, and who can certainly take and dish out bawdy humor with the best of them. But as a woman, I think comments about Katharine's physical charms did cross a line from mere humor into something much darker. I do think that's the reason the thread was moved into TSMR which, frankly, I took as a bit of a warning from the mods. Apparently the warning was lost on some people.

[Wolfstar]

Elliott was the Rocky of this competition. With his lack of experience and his unconventional looks, he was three steps behind everyone else at the start, but he made up for it and then some. He went the distance, and I am so proud of him! I will be following his career (and I am sure he will have a good one!) with keen interest.

Very well stated, Hetty. I think Elliott has made a lot of fans for life. I know I'm one. :)

[retrokitten]

Over the weekend my Best of Chris Isaak CD came in the mail and I have been listening to it nonstop. He's got a version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" that is great. He has so much passion, longing and desperation in his voice that it makes me melt. THAT is what she is missing. She's got NO passion in her voice.

It doesn't seem like she's ever had her heart broken or ever felt like they were so completely and desperately in love with someone who did not give her the time of day. Yes, she is beautiful, but even the beautiful have had their heartbroken a time or two. If those things have happened to her, she needs to let it out in her voice. It's like she shuts her emotional door when she sings and that's why she comes off as cold to people.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I've got an adorable sexy man! But, still Chris is fun to look at! His personality and character make him even funner to look at! I think a lot of us gals get just a wee bit hormonal in the process. Of course, my husband gets hormonal over Katharine. Then we have to find something to do with all those hormones! Hmmm.......Nevermind!

Exactly. My wife has a thing for Josh Turner. I'm not jealous.

I think there's a lot of maturity in relationships that aren't upset over something as ridiculous as fawning over a celebrity.

[mathluv]

LOL!!!

[Wyatt's Torch]

I was not a fan of Elliot's style. I will say that I always thought he was a very classy kid. He also handled last night with the utmost dignity. He also sang beautifully. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his talent. He will do very, very well and he deserves it. As Grey Charles.com put it:

Classiest
Exit
Ever

[Wolfstar]

What reason would they have to make it look as if Taylor barely came in above Kat this time?

Marketing and ratings. On the Today Show this morning, Couric interviewed some entertainment biz critics/experts about AI. One of them said she thought Katharine would win because she's more marketable. Cynic that I am, I believe exactly what the woman implied. I hope that woman is wrong, and that for once my cynicism is misplaced.

[EmilyGeiger]

Beautifully written. You are very talented SirLInksalot.

Pinging misterrob to this. You should save this and share it with Elliot.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Should read *THEY* are like...

I'm not one of those grammar/spelling Nazis. It's all good.

[InterceptPoint]

She's a total doll. One would think that Hollywood types would take notice of the reaction she is getting from people and take this opportunity to put more Kat sized women out there. I shouldn't say "Kat sized" cause it makes it sound like she is freakish when, in fact, she's a more realistic body-type then 90% of what we see in the media.

Dollars to donuts: Kat has been losing weight throughout the competition.

Prediction: The first order of business from her about to be media mogul controllers: Lose 20 pounds.

[EmilyGeiger]

You're right, she's not fat. In fact she is gorgeous.

[Conservative Texan Mom]

In Kat's audition Simon asked her if her mother she felt like her mother was living through her. She shrugged and said "Well, yeah, kind of" or something like that.

I've not been too impressed with kat because of the erratic nature of her voice, but I do think she has a lot of talent. She just needs some seasoning. Maybe she could use some time off to discover if music is even her thing. Since she mentioned that she'd like to be an actress, it sounds like she isn't too sure. She's only 21! And, I imagine for her entire 21 years someone else has been dictating the direction of her life. That's another reason I think she seems uncertain on stage. She goes up and down looking for the right notes like she's waiting for someone's approval. She could be so great, but she's got to find her own style and confidence, if this is what she wants to do.

Something else, I think she has a great figure, but I noticed early on that she looked like she was trying to hide it with all those maternity looking clothes. I'm not advocating that she should wear hoochymama stuff however. She should wear classy, but flattering clothes for her body type. It makes me wonder what she has been led to believe about her size that she should feel the need to try and disguise her body. That's another sign of lacking confidence. I guess it would be hard growing up in L.A.

[Wolfstar]

Power dialing has been an issue for AI since season one. I don't have the knowledge to explain it in accurate technical terms, but here's the gist:

People who have access to good, ultra-fast computer equipment (gaming computers would do nicely for this), can use software to dial for them. The computer dials and submits votes far faster than any human can do, and can do it for multiple phone numbers. One computer can submit, say, a block of 1000 votes in seconds, limited only by how quickly the receiving phone number (computer) responds.

In theory, it would be possible to set up a bank of computers to dial the one or two phone numbers for a single contestant thousands of times in a relatively short time frame -- perhaps seconds. People are now betting on the results of Idol, so without some technological control on power dialing, you can see how bettors and other disreputable types could create havoc.