American Idol 2006--Live Thread I

FOX ^ | 1-16-06

[silent_jonny]

for Tammy

[Netizen]

I think he should keep the gray, too. :) It's who he is and has become his trademark, right along with his style.

[TonyWpi]

Diana D has a great CD too.

She should have "crushed" Fantasia but the "fix" was in.

When she sang on the "finals" show her "in ear monitor" went out and it caused her to stumble slightly.
That could have made the difference.

Fantasia only sang one good song all year and that was "Summertime." But Simon wanted her to win so she did.

As for Diana vs. Lisa.....I'm a "Lisa fan" but Diana was much better vocally. But I still like Lisa much better than Paris.

[Netizen]

She should have "crushed" Fantasia but the "fix" was in.

Dang right it was!

Whose the one that knows the sales stats? Is that you or SirLinksaLot? I would like to know how fantasia's sales, stack up to Diana's.

[LA Woman3]

He should keep the grey.

It does look odd that dark....

[kevkrom]

Diana D has a great CD too.

Really? I got her versions of "I Believe" and "Don't Cry Out Loud" off of iTunes, but the 30-second previews of the tracks off of "Blue Skies" all sounded like the same generic pop to me. I'd buy an album of Diana doing melodic stuff (including Broadway or vocal standards) in a heartbeat, but I wasn't keen on "Blue Skies".

If you can recommend a track or two in particular, I'll see about downloading them the next time I get some Pepsi/iTunes codes (a nice side-effect of being a caffeine junkie is the 3 months or so each spring Pepsi runs that promotion...)

[Netizen]

Here's a blast from the past for ya!

American Idol 2005--Live Thread
	Posted by texasflower to RMDupree On General/Chat 05/04/2005 9:34:12 PM EDT · 5,446 of 10,811 That hurt my heart too. Everybody here knows that I am a Scott fan, even though I knew he would never win. I'll still be watching his career and if he releases any music, I'll buy it.

American Idol 2005--Live Thread
	Posted by texasflower to silent_jonny On General/Chat 05/04/2005 9:32:52 PM EDT · 5,441 of 10,811 I don't sweetie. Scott was never going to win. I just wish some had been a little kinder, that's all. :-)

American Idol 2005--Live Thread
	Posted by texasflower to kevkrom On General/Chat 05/12/2005 8:31:35 PM EDT · 7,039 of 10,811 Hi kevkrom. I just wanted to jump in here so just a second. Yes, we have picked our favorites, but in most cases, at least in mine, we pick who WE think is the best or has the most potential, or whose style personally appeals to IS the most. That's very subjective and it is different for each and every one of us. So while we have our favorites, it's not necessarily based on who is the cutest or the popular kid etc. It's who musically appeals to us and with the acknowledgment that even our favorites have good days and bad days. Each of them have talent and voting based on one song seems unfair in a way. At least for me. I wouldn't vote against one of my favorites, just because they sang one song poorly. Remember, most of us don't have your educated ear for music. (Especially me.) I just vote for who touches me personally. You mentioned the prejudices that are present no matter how a singer might sound on any given night. That's true to some extent. Scott Savol suffered the very worst from that sort of thing though. I don't remember if you ever said any of those things about Scott or not, but many, many people here did. Lots of people never actually heard Scott's voice because of that.

American Idol 2005--Live Thread
	Posted by texasflower to Netizen; Palladin On General/Chat 05/26/2005 9:30:59 PM EDT · 10,050 of 10,811 Constantine did get it pretty bad, but Scott got more cruel personal jabs. Most of Constantine's was about his dirty hair or those "sultry" (yuck) gazes into the camera. Lots of the comments were almost lighthearted. Scott got more intense and personal comments. Not lighthearted at all. There was cruelty in some of the comments about Scott where it wasn't quite that way for Constantine. I don't know why some posters think Bo was bashed. Just thinking Bo was too professional to compete with the others doesn't seem like bashing to me. But in the end, everyone got along fine and we had a great time!

[Netizen]

Maybe we could ask Tx Flower to give us a sign telling us who to vote for.

Funny thing about that. A few days ago I was thinking of Tammy and re-read her mails and her posts. And while I was doing that, I saved some to my hard drive. Maybe she was letting me know that they were going to come in handy, real soon! ;)

[SirLinksalot]

Here is an article that claims that Taylor is considering changing his hair color ( with the picture you posted as backdrop ) :

http://tmz.aol.com/article2?id=20060316185809990001

---

Taylor Hicks -- To Dye For

A.I. contestant will undergo transformation

By TMZ.COM STAFF

(Mar. 17) -- Taylor Hicks is about to wash that grey right out of his hair. TMZ has learned, beginning next week, the A.I. contestant will undergo a transformation. Each week, over the next few, Hicks grey will become less prominent.


Bottom line -- the grey is gonna go, just not all at once.

---

NOT A GOOD IDEA IMHO. What makes Taylor attractive to most people is his AUTHENTICITY, his WORLD WEARY LOOKS. People relate to that because they see him as someone who presents himself as WYSWIG ( including his music which comes from his soul ( as Stevie Wonder puts it ) ). Any makeover would be like Long Ranger taking off his mask.

I'd advise him NOT TO DO IT if I were his personal strategist.

[conservativebabe]

Had to miss watching AI with you all on Wednesday. :-( I just finished reading through the thread though, and it was hilarious as usual. I still can't believe that Ace was in the bottom three, though he deserved to be. And Pee Wee, how is he still in this thing????

At any rate, it seems forgetting the words was Melissa's express ticket home from the top 12.

Can't wait for Tuesday!

[LA Woman3]

Here are the latest poll results....

Hicks looks best with:
Grey hair 54%
Salt and pepper hair 39%
Dark hair 7%
Total Votes: 1,657

[Netizen]

I'd advise him NOT TO DO IT if I were his personal strategist.

Sounds like he is going to use that grecian stuff. I agree, he shouldn't do it. Course, maybe he is just going to do it so people can see what he would look like, then go back. He might be using it as a gimmick. As long as he has fun with it, it might not hurt him. At least he is up front about it, and we know it isn't his idea. It might work as a gimmick, keeping people more and more interested in him. :)

[Wolfstar]

I know it's not 50's, but after hearing the song again yesterday, I was thinking how interesting it would be to hear Taylor do "American Pie" by Don McLean.

Hi kevrom. I agree. Taylor would be marvelous doing a song like "American Pie."

Early this AI season, I told Jonny I didn't like Taylor. Back then, I agreed with several comments I saw elsewhere that said Taylor was basically imitating Ray Charles. I've changed my mind totally. I now think Taylor is the real deal. He can probably sing anything and make it something special.

Probably most of us here on the AI thread would agree on who the top six are at this point: Taylor, Chris, Katharine, Elliott, Mandisa, and Paris. I like and dislike something about each of them, but as long as Taylor can keep his tics under some control, I'll pull for him to win.

[Wolfstar]

So far, it's pretty cool and a thread on this would be better and than the one for AI.

Heck no! No FR entertainment thread is better than the one for AI. Judging by the number of hits it gets, this thread is also one of the most popular in FR history, possibly THE most popular. As of a few moments ago, it has gotten 103,203 hits, and the season is only half over.

Even though I live in the Pacific time zone and can't participate while the show is on in most of the country, I love this thread. Jonny does a GREAT job managing this thread, and I'm grateful for his efforts.

There's plenty of room on FR for a thread for Simon's inventors show, but if someone starts one, it won't be better than this thread.

[Wolfstar]

I've been thinking about her a lot.

I think about Texasflower every time I hear Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson sing. I know she liked Carrie last year, and the last FR conversation she and I had was about Kelly. I am so, so happy that Kelly won two Grammys this year, and that she is trying to set a more classy example for young girls than the Britney Spears pop-tart model. TF was hoping Kelly would be a good role model when her daughter went to one of Kelly's first concerts after 'Breakaway' came out. I think TF would be pleased.

I miss TF also. Sigh.

[Conservative Texan Mom]

Please add me to the ping. Thank you!

[Wolfstar]

I would like to know how fantasia's sales, stack up to Diana's.

That's easy. Fantasia's first CD 'Free Yourself' went platinum. Her single 'Free Yourself' went gold. Diana's CD didn't even go gold, nor did her single(s). Diana's CD was a genuine flop.

You can search for platinum and gold certifications here: http://www.riaa.com/default.asp

[Netizen]

Thanks. I'm glad she is having success on broadway.

[b9]

As far as underdogs go, I think Texasflower would be rooting for Bucky.

... if she could get past the long hair! lol

She really disliked long hair on guys, or maybe just Bo.
Bucky sure seems like a sweetie, especially those melty eyes.

[Netizen]

She really disliked long hair on guys, or maybe just Bo.

When I went through her posts, I remember she said she didn't like long hair on guys.

[Wolfstar]

Thanks. I'm glad she is having success on Broadway.

You're welcome. So am I, because I like Diana and think she's very talented. Whether or not it was a coincidence, once Kelly Clarkson's 2nd album 'Breakaway' became a smash hit, suddenly doors started to open for other former AI contestants -- at least those with genuine talent and the drive necessary to succeed in the business. At present, the former AI contestants who have real A-list careers going in some aspect of show biz are Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Josh Gracin, Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, and Jennifer Hudson.

The jury is still out on Bo Bice. His debut album has not been a huge seller for two reasons: (1) It is too schlock pop for people who became fans due to his rock sound, and (2) he's been sick off and on since last September and was unable to promote the album. Despite those handicaps, the album has sold well enough to warrant giving Bo a shot at a 2nd CD. It's the 2nd highest selling album of an AI runner up, and has gone gold almost without any promotion.

Others have put out CDs, or are trying acting, or are modeling, but of the many thousands who auditioned for AI, and the hundreds who made it to at least the Hollywood round, only that small handful I named above have real careers going. Only Kelly, Carrie, Josh and Fantasia have successful recording careers, which is what AI is all about. Indeed, only Kelly has had success in the pop genre, which is really what AI is all about. After all, it started as Pop Idol in the UK. And of all the Idols selected in various countries, only one, Kelly, has become a genuine international pop superstar.

A number of contestants who made it to the top 10 are making a living as minor C and D list celebrities both here and overseas. Jasmine Trias is doing well in Hawaii. Don't ask me why, but Camille Velasco is doing well in the Phillipines and Southeast Asia. Others turn up as guests on various cable TV shows and such.

A word about Clay Aiken. Clay probably could have had a successful recording career, but for whatever reason he has chosen not to work hard at building a show biz career.