Posted on 03/17/2009 5:57:44 AM PDT by silent_jonny
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At the end of this article they make a very good observation. The ‘save’ is supposed to be for saving someone from going home too early, when there are worse singers left, yet they didn’t use.
http://www.theidolguy.com/season-eight/top-11-results-i-told-you-so-literally/
Alexis can also be considered a casualty of the new semifinals format as well. One of the challenges coming out of the group rounds is that it became that much harder to build up any significant fanbase out of them: one song, with a multi-week gap, does not a solid fanbase make.
It’s something that can hurt people all season long - particularly for singers out of Group 1. In the three seasons that had the group format, only one contestant ever made it to the finale after singing in the first group. That was Season 3’s Diana DeGarmo; and her ride to the finale was far from smooth. It’s hard to build momentum if you’re not singing for several weeks in a row.
Her exit can be summed up quickly, and fairly. Despite all the pimpage and promotion she got, there were problems. She had a fanbase that didn’t have a chance to solidify, and couldn’t grow because of limited appeal - winning over the young power-voting Idol blocs with Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton was a hard task, at best. Yes, she was a good, maybe even great singer - but to succeed on Idol you need to know your audience. Alexis Grace and Idol voters proved to be a bad fit.
There’s a rich element of irony when it comes to this week’s results, though. The producers’s own rule change worked against them. Alexis would have almost certainly survived if she had gone through a three-song semifinal. It would have given her fanbase a chance to solidify, and for her to define her musical identity (which she didn’t do too well, Kara DioGuardi’s exceptionally useless advice of dirtying it up notwithstanding). As it is, though, someone that TPTB wanted to advance far is ending up going home as a direct result of executive meddling. Alexis just got caught in about as unlucky a spot as you can imagine.
Now, as to why they didn’t save her? The answer to that is tied into someone else… Adam Lambert.
Damaged Goods? Maybe.: The debate over Adam’s version of Ring of Fire will probably last until the season ends, if not even longer. Still, it’s undeniable that it did change things around.
I was never a big believer in Adam Lambert, largely because I thought the theatrics covered up a voice that didn’t know the meaning of subtlety. Adam’s style was just not sustainable in the long term. The novelty would eventually wear thin, and my money was on him finishing in the high midcard - fourth to sixth.
I know I’m going to be challenged on that statement, so let me explain it a bit more. Adam has zero crossover ability. He can’t appeal to a wide cross-section of Idol voters; people that liked that over-the-top theatric style would love it from the start, but it would have been an uphill climb to win those who don’t. That crossover ability is vital to lasting long on the show.
With that in mind, Adam’s challenge was essentially how long he could keep going along this path before leaving, or proving that he’s more than a stage actor that happens to sing decently, too. The trouble is, though, his version of Ring of Fire was so… unusual, it sped up that process. From Idol voters, a pretty common reaction was: ”what the heck was that?”
I’m sure this will prompt Adam’s fans to write in anger. I’m not going to deny that he has fans - but I think that for everyone one he won over, there was at least one who now wants to burn him at the stake and another two scratching their heads.
That’s not to deny that he has talent. He is very, very good at what he does. What I’m questioning is whether this is something that the collective Idol fan base can really stomach for long. Everything I’ve known about it tells me: no.
The upside is that right now, Adam is looking iffy for the finale. The producers are perfectly happy to keep him around as long as they want. Remember, the underlying goal - seemingly - of the whole season - was Drama and Buzz. I can’t deny Adam delivers on that.
The effect of that was to make the veto an exceptionally valuable tool for the producers - one that just wouldn’t do to be used right now. Phil Stacey had it right: the “veto” is essentially an insurance policy for Danny and Adam.
Once the novelty and appeal of Adam’s theatrics go away, he’s surprisingly vulnerable. By far, he is singing the oldest songs in the competition on average. There’s a decent chance he could crash out, say, seventh. We’ve had three weeks of Adam singing in competition - is his current pace and style something that can work for two months or so? I doubt it.
Taken all in context, what’s clear to me is that the Judges’ Veto just became Adam’s Veto. It’s not going to be used on anyone else, except maybe Danny - but he doesn’t really need it. Adam does.
If Adam had not sung Ring of Fire - if the producers had believed that he could survive for a long period independently, as they probably don’t right now - they would have had freedom to use the veto now and save Alexis. However, the producers have their own priorities - and one of them seems to be Save Adam. The judges and producers want Adam to go deep so badly they’re willing to keep the veto in check even in a perfect spot to use it, all because it wasn’t Adam up there.
Credibility? What credibility?: Having laid out the case for not using the Veto so early, one can ask why I thought Alexis would be saved anyway.
It essentially came down to two things: I knew Alexis was still a judge’s favorite and might be treated more kindly. The other reason was more pipe dreams than anything else: they needed credibility. So far, off the Idol stage, the season has been dominated by ham-handed manipulation. What we got on Wednesday was… more of the same. Does anyone think that on pure merit alone Alexis should be gone before Michael Sarver? Really?
No. Of course not. It would have been the perfect time to use the veto and live up to what they claimed it was for. Instead, it became another self-sustained injury for the Idol franchise. This week confirmed what we all had just suspected before, and will make people even more tired of the Official Manipulation.
WEEEO! Bet your little fingerprints are just worn right off! Good job, my friend. And I loved that little smiley who falls over laughing. Is that the official ROTFLMAO! smiley?
LMAO!!!
Honestly, it would have scared me. LOL
I totally agree to both things. I saw Sydney Pollack at the Alamo Rent-a-Car in Las Vegas in 2000.
LOL
Rahm Emanuel: The bottom line is you've been spending a lot of time with this lady, Ron. You're a member of the Executive Branch.
Obama: That's a given.
Rahm Emanuel: We need you. Hell, I need you. I'm a mess without you. I miss you so damn much. I miss being with you, I miss being near you. I miss your laugh. I miss your scent; I miss your musk. When this all gets sorted out, I think you and me should get an apartment together.
Eric Holder: Take it easy, Champ. Why don't you sit this next one out, stop talking for a while.
Obama: Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball!
Robert Gibbs: [on the phone] I have no idea where he would have gotten ahold of German pornography. But you and I are mature adults; we've both seen our share of pornographic materials. Oh, you never have? Of course you haven't, how stupid of me. Neither have I. I was just speaking in generalities. Right. I'll stop by the school a little later, Sister Margaret. Bye.
Yay!!!! We’ll have to post a bunch more to give you some reading material for the weekend. ;-)
Yet theidolguy's article is dripping with hints and suggestions about Lambert's sleazy qualities, as well as the Idol powers-that-be's desperate desire for a gay winner. I wonder just how accidental the phrasing in the following quote from the article is, for example:
The judges and producers want Adam to go deep so badly they’re willing to keep the veto in check even in a perfect spot to use it, all because it wasn’t Adam up there.
I might be totally off the wall with my second observation, but as a Californian, I can't help but wonder. Is this whole thing with Lambert a matter of the gay lobby joining forces with the Leftist tendencies of the AI powers-that-be? Is it a reaction to passage last November of Proposition 8, the state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, and banning gay marriage in this state? Granted, the auditions occurred in the summer and early fall, before the election. But there was a huge push on here in California at the time by the gays/Left to defeat Prop 8. California has two of the nation's biggest gay cities in San Francisco and West Hollywood, and the gays there have been extremely angry and bitter about Prop. 8's passage.
I wonder if Adam's absolute refusal to tone down the worst aspects of his shtick, as well as the **cough** heavy pimping for him by the judges, is a push-back against regular folks like those who defeated Prop. 8, and have blocked gay marriage almost everywhere in the country.
Do you think I'm off base in wondering if this is the actual situation?
Anyway, even though Idol Tuesday is still the #1 show, and Idol Wednesday is #2, it is losing audience. Dancing With The Stars is closing in on the #2 spot (source). Idol's audience is down 23% from March 2008 (source). One reason should be obvious. There must be millions of parents who are not letting their kids watch something that Billboard rightly called borderline pornographic.
I don’t think it’s catering to the gay lobby, because with Simon and all of 19 Entertainment it’s always down to the all-mighty dollar. It’s who they think they can market and who they think is going to sell the most albums.
My personal opinion is that it is more about his very dark image. Vampires are all the rage with teen girls because of the whole Twilight phenomenon. There were riots of teen girls when Robert Pattinson appeared at a couple malls to promote the movie and the guy can’t go anywhere without causing a sensation. The whole Twilight demographic is the same demo for AI. That’s what Randy meant, IMO, when he said Adam was the most “now and current” singer they had ever auditioned.
As our friend and mascot, Ashely Furl, and legions of Jonas Brother fans have demonstrated, gaydar doesn’t kick in until at least 16 or 17 (and for some it never fully develops). They tend to ignore the obvious fact that he would never be interested in them and get lost in the fantasy of the sweet, sensitive boyfriend who asks, “What ya thinkin’?” (straight men never ask that because they are afraid you will tell them)
I think you’ve got it right, retro.
I can’t understand the young girls’ fascination with vampires,etc. but it looks like this Goth thing is here to stay.
BTW, IIRC, didn't Frenchie get a gig on Broadway after..?
I wonder if/how this can skew future results, in that the show's largest audience demo...teenage girls..the Ashley Furls of the world...also vote/text zillons of times each....and since they adore guys...well...
Thanks, RK. That makes a lot of sense. The Twilight thing has pretty much gone over my head.
Hi Ken. Sorry, I haven't found an update on Antonella. As for Frenchie, yes, she had a role in the Broadway musical 'Rent'. last I heard, she was touring with Ruben Studdard in a revival of the musical 'Ain't Misbehavin'. The usual far left suspects, like Rosie O’Donnell, have some lame protest going about trying to get Frenchie another shot on AI, but they aren't trying too hard.
It's this Twilight thing! Edward is the perfect fantasy boyfriend for the 11-16 set. I won't ruin it for those who intend to read the series, but Edward pretty much obsessed with Bella to the point of it making him physically ill. Edward and Bella talk. A LOT. Long, long conversations that teenage boys would never have in real life.
but it looks like this Goth thing is here to stay.
Believe it or not, the goths and vampires are two different social groups (I guess that's what you would call them). Yes, to those of us over 19, living in the real world it seems completely the same thing.
See the South Park episode, The Ungroundable for more info.
Butters is sure he’s seen a Vampire at school but he can’t get anyone to listen to him. Meanwhile, the Goth Kids are angry and frustrated when the other kids can’t tell the difference between a Goth and a Vampire.
Hmmm....I don’t really remember either.
So does one get to be listed as a 10,00 post winner?
Yeah mine, too. LOL
Emily Geiger recommended the books to me and I downloaded the first one on audiobook. I normally really enjoy EG’s recommendations, but, I have to be honest, this one isn’t my favorite. It could have been edited down quite a bit. As a pre-teen/teen I would have absolutely loved it, though, and been one of those fan girls rioting at the mall to see Edward/Robert Pattinson. LOL
I’ve changed my tag line..thought you’d enjoy it..
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