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American Idol 2009--Live Thread II
americanidol.com ^ | 3-17-09

Posted on 03/17/2009 5:57:44 AM PDT by silent_jonny

click here to read article


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To: CounterCounterCulture; skateman
That was pretty good and unexpected.

skateman did you see this?

10,141 posted on 05/11/2009 4:59:57 PM PDT by Netizen
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To: Netizen

You must be the location of the hemorrhoid. Just ignore this reply.


10,142 posted on 05/11/2009 5:07:01 PM PDT by nufsed (Release the birth certificate, school and passport records.)
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To: Netizen

LOL, yes just saw it. Great, wonder what kind of voice the guy has in a more normal range?


10,143 posted on 05/11/2009 5:10:26 PM PDT by skateman (Larraine, where have you gone?)
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To: Netizen

Is Britians Got Talent over yet? Wonder how Susan Boyle did....?


10,144 posted on 05/11/2009 5:24:15 PM PDT by skateman (Larraine, where have you gone?)
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To: homegroan
I truly hope she finds her own niche and is able to create some great music. She has such a gift!

Yeah, but I am NOT worried about her. She is gonna make it.

10,145 posted on 05/11/2009 6:23:09 PM PDT by America_Right (The best thing about the Obama Presidency: McCain isn't the President!)
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To: skateman

I wondered the same thing. I think BGT is still going through the audition stages.

Do you ever watch America’s Got Talent?


10,146 posted on 05/11/2009 7:26:53 PM PDT by Netizen
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To: Netizen

Yes, the wife and I both enjoy America’s Got Talent. In fact the next season starts in June, I think.


10,147 posted on 05/11/2009 8:02:08 PM PDT by skateman (Larraine, where have you gone?)
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To: skateman

Yes, in a couple of weeks. We like to watch the next food network star, too. Do you watch that?


10,148 posted on 05/11/2009 8:11:20 PM PDT by Netizen
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To: Netizen

No, just into eating way too much food. LOL>


10,149 posted on 05/11/2009 8:12:49 PM PDT by skateman (Larraine, where have you gone?)
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To: CounterCounterCulture

Found this on WND good article on the Christian singers that have been on AI.

Christians dominate in ‘American Idol’
2 of 3 top finalists tonight are worship leaders in their churches


Posted: May 11, 2009
9:00 pm Eastern

By Joanne Brokaw
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Kris Allen

It was a busy weekend in Milwaukee, San Diego and Conway, Ark., as each city played host to their “American Idol” finalists.

Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are home for parades and celebrations that will be shown on next week’s episode of “American Idol.”

While Idol-mania is heating up as the season heads into the home stretch, some viewers have noticed an interesting phenomenon that began way back during the audition season: There have been a lot of Christian singers competing this year.

Certainly, there have been Christian contestants on “American Idol” before. Some, like Mandisa, Phil Stacey, George Huff and Chris Sligh, have gone on to have careers in Christian music. Other contestants with ties to Christian music have landed squarely on their feet in the mainstream. Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks as a teenager had won several Gospel Music Association competitions and toured with Michael W. Smith before going on to win “American Idol” at just 17. Melinda Doolittle was a back-up singer who also toured with Michael W. Smith. Season 5’s Chris Daughtry played in a Christian band before he became a rock sensation. And Season 7’s Brooke White and runner-up David Archuleta are devout Mormons.

(Story continues below)

But this season’s roster of top contestants has seemed especially heavy with Christian singers.

George Lucas made “Star Wars” so young people would seek God! Find out what else you didn’t know in “What Hollywood Believes: An Intimate Look at the Faith of the Famous”

The first to speak openly about his faith was Gokey, a worship leader at Faith Builders International Church in Milwaukee. Early in the auditions, he shared the story of his wife, Sophia, who had died just months before he auditioned for the show. The story, as well as Gokey’s faith and strength, captured the hearts of viewers.

There were other Christian contestants with similarly touching stories, such as the blind pianist, Scott MacIntyre, and Lil Rounds, who lost her house in a tornado. By the time the show reached the Top 13 (normally the Top 12, but the judges decided to add one more finalist this season) there were six Christian artists or worship leaders on the roster, including Gokey, Rounds and MacIntyre, as well as worship leaders Michael Sarver and Kris Allen, and Christian independent artist Matt Giraud

Danny Gokey

That’s when the number of Christians competing became apparent even to mainstream media. MTV and the Associated Press ran articles recognizing the unusual number of overtly Christian singers on the show. Idol bloggers burned up the Internet discussing whether faith should even be a factor on the show.

Right out of the gate, some viewers were questioning whether a Christian should even participate on a show looking to crown an “idol.” It’s a question that even the contestants have to ask themselves

Phil Stacey, a finalist on Season 6 who is getting ready to release his second album, didn’t audition for the show to become a star. His friend had gotten married, and Stacey missed the wedding because he was serving in the Navy.

“He told me the only way he would forgive me is if I auditioned for ‘American Idol,’” Stacey said. “I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere.”

But when he made it through to Hollywood week, Stacey realized that he needed to address some ethical questions.

“I do come from a very conservative background,” he explained. “The fact that the word ‘idol’ was in [the name of the show] was not a good thing for us.”

He said his family almost didn’t even watch for that reason. But in the end, Stacey was convinced that he made it on the show simply because God had a plan for him that included “American Idol.”

“I’m not the best singer that auditioned on Season 6 of American Idol,” he freely admitted. “There were 103,000 people that auditioned. I got there for a reason.”

The platform that he has now from his “American Idol” experience allows him to travel the world sharing not only his music but his love of Jesus.

“I think that there were a lot of people who didn’t understand why Jesus was mingling with the people he mingled with,” Stacey said. “And at the end of the day you’ve got to go where you think God is taking you, whether somebody wants you to or not. … I’m here because God put me here. God wants to do something through me.”

Idol finalist Mandisa would agree. She gained a following with both Christian and non-Christian fans who fell in love with her gospel/R&B flavored vocals and her willingness to speak openly about her weight issues. Like Stacey, she thinks Christians on the show are there because God is using them and that the Idol platform can offer a way to share Jesus.

“American Idol” finalists last year sing “Shout to the Lord”

In addition to her singing career – she recently released her second album – she blogs about “American Idol” and draws many readers interested in her take on the show. One day she was writing about her relationship with Jesus, though, and thought that it would be a great opportunity to invite her readers to have that relationship, too. She heard from three readers who wanted to know more about how to become a Christian.

“The opportunity to talk to them is one of the biggest honors of my life,” she said.

It’s not unusual on a reality show for contestants to talk about their faith. But it’s not often that a show actually interjects spirituality into the program. Yet that happened on Season 7 of “American Idol,” when the contestants performed the worship song “Shout To The Lord” during the “Idol Gives Back” episode. As WND reported, the singers excluded the line, “My Jesus, My Savior,” however, and viewers were outraged. The song was reprised the next night on the results show, with the lyrics intact.

Some viewers think that when the show’s producers received the negative feedback they realized that Christian viewers were looking for faith-friendly elements of the show and, therefore, this season are allowing more overtly spiritual aspects of the contestants’ lives to be included in their stories.

Catering to Christians?

Are producers catering to Christian viewers this season? Stacey says absolutely not.

“It’s not deliberate,” she said. “I think they realize it’s something that is out of their control.”

The contestants are selected for their talent and compelling stories, and it just ends up that many are Christians, she concluded.

While many do vote for the singer that shares their moral viewpoints – some viewers, for example, have said they won’t vote for finalist Lambert because of photos making the rounds on the Internet that they find offensive – by and large the contestants who are getting through week after week are doing so based on their talent. Of the six Christians in the Top 13, only Gokey and Allen remain.

Missouri Christian newspaper publisher Dwight Widaman, whose family includes two preteen and teen daughters, is one of many viewers who think that the next American Idol should win the competition based on talent, not religion.

“Though we would always like a believer to win, they must also be worthy,” he says. “They should be the best artist. From past shows, we can see that believers go on to have promising careers, regardless of the final vote.”

In fact, Widaman says that his daughters aren’t supporting the popular Gokey, because they don’t think he’s the best singer and lacks stage presence.

Debbie Egan, from North Carolina, however, admits that faith does factor into her voting, just a little bit.

“I tend to vote for someone whom I know to be a believer,” only if they have skills, she insists. “I have been supporting Kris Allen over Danny Gokey because I prefer Kris’ style over Danny’s, even though both are believers.”

But faith isn’t the only factor, and talent wins out in the end.

And that means that a lot of Christians are voting for Lambert. His over-the-top, theatrical performances have drawn both praise and criticism from viewers and judges, but overwhelmingly everyone agrees that his vocal talent is unparalleled.

So who will be this season’s American Idol? The field will be whittled down to the final two contestants today and tomorrow, and the finale airs May 19, with the results show May 20.


10,150 posted on 05/11/2009 9:59:04 PM PDT by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: patriotspride

I think they just wanted a Chris to hand a Chris the Award. Just a show thing.


10,151 posted on 05/11/2009 10:22:48 PM PDT by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Netizen

I like “Next Food Network Star” too! :)

Guy Fieri rocks!Glad he won last time...great addition.
Especially on Diners;Driv-ins and Dives.”

I also enjoy Paula Deen & The Neeley’s and “Throw Down” w/ Bobby Flay and,and,and...


10,152 posted on 05/12/2009 7:05:24 AM PDT by Majie Purple (Spend a lifetime in my shoes and then say that... You probably wouldn't say that anymore.)
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To: Majie Purple
I like Guy Fieri on Recipe Showdown. He didn't win NFNS last year though. Last year Aaron McCargo won. (4th season) Amy Finley - 3rd season, Guy Fieri - 2nd season, The first season was a twofer with the gay guys winning, Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh.

I like DDD, but I don't care for Guy's Big Bite, not sure why. I do like Throw Down ok. I wish they would do some new shows for DDD. Some of these people are around for just one season then disappear. We used to watch Ham on the Street, I wonder if Man VS Food will be back next year or not.

10,153 posted on 05/12/2009 7:36:31 AM PDT by Netizen
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To: Netizen

Oh I guess I missed a few competitions,LOL How time flies!

I don’t watch “Guy’s Big Bite” either...watched it a few times just to see if I liked it.

Same w/”Ham on the Steet” not a fan of that one.

I liked and miss the orig host of “The Secret Life Of...” (Food theme to fill in the blank, weekly.)

I forget the orig hosts name, but he was good, and so funny/fun!:) I’m thinking Jim something but not sure if I remember his name or not.

Gotta go.


10,154 posted on 05/12/2009 8:15:44 AM PDT by Majie Purple (Spend a lifetime in my shoes and then say that... You probably wouldn't say that anymore.)
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To: Majie Purple
Yeah, I think the season Fieri won is the only season I didn't watch! lol I guess I just forgot about it.

I think that guy's name was Jim O'connel or something like that. We liked him, too.

10,155 posted on 05/12/2009 9:19:50 AM PDT by Netizen
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To: Netizen; retrokitten

Just wanted to thank you two on the tips for garlic and flax — immediately got some and bp is already down to 100 over 60 and cholesterol has dropped 30 pts in approximately two weeks. I guess you two are talented in health tips as well as being fun people


10,156 posted on 05/12/2009 3:22:43 PM PDT by Cudjo
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To: sirchtruth

” Ok. Let’s agree to revisit who sells the most.
That’s a good measure in the end.
I think he will sell. How much will be tested by his own creativity, not remakes so we agree in that regard.

Ok, this sounds like a plan. How much original stuff is sold. What is usually the time frame, because he has to do the idol thing first, so when can he release his own stuff?

My thought is Chris will sell more than Adam over all.”

Don’t know what a time frame would be, but lets say first year after the end of this Idol competition.

That way we can revisit when the next contest starts up, and I’m sure some data would have been published.

Enjoy the good hearted nature of your post/our agreement.

After all we are Freepers, and this is just entertainment...


10,157 posted on 05/12/2009 3:33:59 PM PDT by patriotspride
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To: Captain Beyond

” I think they just wanted a Chris to hand a Chris the Award. Just a show thing.”

Very original response, and accepted by me....

Thanks


10,158 posted on 05/12/2009 3:37:22 PM PDT by patriotspride
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To: kevkrom; silent_jonny; retrokitten
Kara is an idiot.

LOL! Yep Kara has not endured herself to the public at all. I was hoping with her experience she would be adding more of a technical critique to the show. She just seems to want to try and do Paula without the ditziness of Paula.

I just hope that this year's judges song pick will be better than last year's lame picks for Big David and Little David.

10,159 posted on 05/12/2009 3:46:36 PM PDT by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: Captain Beyond

Kara has brought incoherant babbling to a new level.
I was just sitting here imagining someone creating a photo of Kara that morphs into Nazi Pelosi......kinda of like Karas own personal time travel LMAO


10,160 posted on 05/12/2009 4:15:01 PM PDT by MagUSNRET
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