American Idol 2006--Live Thread I

FOX ^ | 1-16-06

[retrokitten]

ROTFL!!!

I would hope I would go into the "...and in the "No qualfications, but very entertaining category", BUT I don't think I want to hang out anywhere near Jackson, Clinton and Carville.

[StrictTime]

I think Poser suggested Susanna Hoffs (who I think would be excellent).

[Wolfstar]

Ace doesn't have the support for it.

Grin...I didn't say Ace would do Orbison well, just that he could try it. As a woman, I had high hopes for Ace in the beginning of the season. He's very good looking with a killer smile. So what happens? Not only does he turn out to be very effeminate, but he can't sing. Very disappointing. Very 2006, sigh.

[b9]

Very disappointing. Very 2006, sigh.

LOL!

[SirLinksalot]

THOUGHTS ON AMERICAN IDOL TOP 11 ELIMINATION NIGHT

OK Folks, no need to colorize everything. JUSTICE WAS DONE, ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD FOR THE MEANTIME.

TRANSLATION : Kevin Covais goes home

It's always sad to see someone go and I'm personally going to miss the kid. But let's be frank... I was a little annoyed when he went past Will Makar and Gedeon McKinney--both superior vocalists--for the Top 12.

And let's be honest with ourselves... what was the reason he advanced ? VOCAL SKILLS ? PERFORMANCE SKILLS ? A RENDITION THAT BLOWED YOU AWAY ??

NO to all three questions. The only reason he did advance, was the positive, and sometimes patronizing attention he received. From the chicken little comparisons--to declaring him a sex symbol--to Randy and Paula gushing over his vocals when he was clearly not all that, while Simon played the meanie.

Here is a 3 word summary of why he stayed as far as he did ---- GOOD TEE VEE.

Every deck of card must have a jester, every class must have a clown, every straight person must have a foil to make things interesting. Since we all want to entertain ourselves, we might as well milk it for all we can. Hey, does anyone remember John Stevens and Scott Savol ? The good thing about what happened last night is Kevin now gets to concentrate on his Math/Science/English in one of NY's best public high schools instead of having to prepare himself for the Idol tour.

Let's put it this way --- if he had managed to outlast some of the vocally superior, but lesser pimped contestants like Elliott or Bucky--it would have started water coolers across America buzzing--but could have gotten ugly for 16 year old Kevin.

So, it's all good that it happened.

That said, I have spoken to one guy who knows him and works in Island Trees High School in Levittown ( yep, his town is in Nassau County, where I live ). They're proud of him and tell me that he's a tough, spunky kid with a smart, self-deprecating, aww-shucks sense of humor. How can you not love the kid ?

If you want to be entertained, you could say that he would be the more visually entertaining 16 year old to go on tour than the more polished, vocally superior, Lisa Tucker ( Lisa's a sweet, pretty girl, I'd be proud to have a daughter like her. But honestly folks, I can only take so much Disney-fied singing ). Kevin went out with class, maturity and with his head high, and there is nothing more you can hope for ( can you say the same for the Brittenum twins ??). Had Kevin overstayed his welcome, things would look unpleasant from hereon and we don't want that to happen in this show do we ?

You know what ? Seeing Bobby Bennett get the chance to meet his Idol, Barry Manilow, was actually worth sitting through Barry's song ( I would have prefered a group medley of 50's songs myself ). It's great to see how excited Bobby looked.

This would have been even better TV : Seeing Bobby and Barry dueting on "Copacabana." Now, that would have been entertaining.

Yeah I know, I know, it would have been crappy/cheesy ( write your favorite pejorative here) too. But folks --- you're not getting the point. THE REASON WHY THIS SHOW IS SO POPULAR IS IT APPEALS TO THE INNER-DREAM-OF-BECOMING-A-STAR imagination of the average Joe/Jane out there. We watch the show not only for it's entertainment value, but because the ordinary folks who made it on TV make us live VICARIOUSLY through them. *THAT* has been the invicible ingredient of this show -- the cheesier, the better.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE FINAL 10 WHO MAKE IT TO THE IDOL TOUR :

* Seacrest was in top form tonight. Anytime you don't prolong the agony of a foregone conclusion is GOOD by my book.

* Ace needs to do another George Michael (e.g., Careless Whisper) and quick. But will he be given the chance given the limitations of the theme night ? Let's put it this way --- he's been given a tongue bath by the judges and he is getting by on looks alone. That won't be enough. Ultimately, the Emperor has to show his clothes.

* Eliott Yamin --- For me arguably the best male vocalist in the group ( although we really haven't seen Taylor do his power ballads yet, you know, the ones I've heard on his CD). Elliott lacks performing skills and looks tentative. But I've heard enough out of him to conclude that given enough coaching, a good studio and great songs to perform, I'd buy his CD. BTW, he scored dead last in the Dialidol statistics--which so far hasn't proven to be very good at predicting the actual loser ( had me worried there for a moment. I PERSONALLY AM FIGHTING TO GET HIM TO THE TOP 6 over that other less deserving person .....see below).

* Kellie asks the question --- "What's a ballsy?" when Ryan repeated what Simon said about her performance (that it was "ballsy"). Question ? Is this a scripted response or is she really a human parody of herself ? Still can't decide whether she is really country-bumpkin naive or cunning and playing with us. Ryan's response was a time-saver -- "sorry, we don't have enough time to explain."

Oh and as to the word ballsy.....remember Don Corleone asking his advisers if his would-be allies have the "balls" to attempt something risky ?

"Ballsy" for me means someone with BALLS ( although as a woman, she can't have them ROFL). But if you looked at google and type in "define:ballsy", you'll see the following definition :

Describes a system which is stentorian, punchy, and visceral.

Now, type in : "define:stentorian" and you get this :

booming: used of the voice

THAT WAS A COMPLIMENT TO YOU KELLIE in case you didn't know.

* Lisa Tucker and Bucky Covington : At this point will be the 10th and 9th spot respectively. Unless Lisa gives us an out of the usual performance, I don't think her "good-enough" performances are going to play with the audience from hereon.

Let's put it this way -- if Lisa Tucker were a member of the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, she'd be the equivalent of either Luc Longley or Will Purdue ( Don't know them ? Well that says it all ). These two later guys were centers of the 6 time NBA champion -- Bulls. Very reliable, solid, consistently good, but FORGETTABLE in the shadow of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. And that's EXACTLY the problem with Lisa. She's always been good but not great and in this contest, YOU HAVE TO BE GREAT TO BE REMEMBERED.

When it came down to Bucky and Kevin--I was rooting for Bucky. Besides the cash windfall, I think his making the Top 10 means a lot to his family and friends back in his little hometown, Rockingham NC. And, he is the better singer.

* Paula was weeping. And what was she babbling about at the end when she was giving "advice" to Bucky and Kevin? Ever the drama queen. Folks, I hear that the producers are getting teed off with Paula and there is a rumor that because of her tardiness on the set and appearing incoherent all the time, she's in danger of being kicked off the show.

See here : http://www.celebrityspider.com/news/march06/article032206-10.html

My personal suggestion for replacing Paula if she were to leave would NOT be Clive Davis' protege, Whitney Houston ( as is popularly believed ) but Debbie Harry, lead singer of Blondie. She is a self-professes Idol fan and acknowledges that even at her peak, it would have been hard for her to compete with the talents on the show. She's spunky and would make for great TV against Simon.

Whitney still has to show us she's over her drug problems otherwise replacing Paul with her isn't going to solve the problem at all.

* Finally, if you're a bean counter responsible for the show's BOTTOM LINE, getting rid of the spunky under-aged kids early makes monetary sense. Not only do they have to continue with their education ( which means hiring tutors ), but they need to have their parents or guardians nearby ( you gotta pay for that ). Less Kevin's, MORE DINERO for the bottom line if you get my drift.

[Wolfstar]

I bet when she made that "ballsy" comment last night, a few of the other singers groaned silently. She's wearing thin with everybody.

This morning here in L.A. on KTLA (the competitor to the local Fox affiliate), Sam Rubin pointedly asked the question, "Is it an act?" He then played back-to-back-to-back clips of all of Kellie's dumb blonde moments and let the question hang out there for the viewers to answer for themselves.

[Wolfstar]

G'morning doodlelady. Chuckle...it's too early in the morning to consider the mysteries of Ace.

[retrokitten]

it's too early in the morning to consider the mysteries of Ace.

LOL!!! He's an enigma.
A falsetto singing enigma.

[b9]

Y'know something? I was just thinking about Chris' "Walk the Line" performance, and the genius of it.

Not just the timely song choice, but the fact that he's married, and has turned that into not only a plus, but a very sexy plus.

There he stood, wedding ring sparkling, declaring to the whole world that he loves his wife.
And still making fans swoon.
Now THAT's ballsy!

[Wolfstar]

Thanks for that list, Wyatt's Torch. I know some of those songs, but not all of them. I agree with you. The list from Esquire is unimpressive and doesn't include some big hits.

In addition, some of the songs on the Esquire list are not suitable for a singing competition like AI. For example, Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl is catchy, but it's a hip-hop/rap song that says basically one thing, which is "I ain't no hollaback girl."

Ironically, one big hit 21st Century hit started right on AI. It was written for the winner of the first American Idol back in 2002, and was sung by both Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini on the finals show. It's "A Moment Like This." Kelly made it into a big hit. I would be surprised if none of the contestants does a Kelly song given the fuss Simon made earlier this season about getting permission to use her songs. After all, she just won a Grammy for 'Since U Been Gone,' and that song is a huge international hit.

Pickler could do Carrie's 'Jesus Take The Wheel,' and it would be American Idol coming full circle, seems to me.

[I'm ALL Right!]

Updated list.

So far Paula's replacement options are:

Pat Benatar
Debbie Harry (Blondie)
Cher
Celine Dion
Grace Slick
Patty Smyth
Belinda Carlisle
Cindy Lauper
Olivia Newton John
Bette Midler
Dolly Parton
Dave Matthews
Marie Osmond
Donny Osmond
Stevie Nicks
Susanna Hoffs

...and in the total druggie/train-wreck category we have:

Courtney Love
Whitney Houston
Liza Minelli
Ozzy
Anna Nicole Smith

...and in the "No qualfications, but very entertaining category:"

retrokitten
Rush Limbaugh
Glenn Beck
Kathy Griffin
Jesse Jackson
James Carville
Bill Clinton

Did I miss anyone? Next updated list will be next Monday or Tuesday, but keep the ideas coming. (Please ping me with suggestions so I don't have to search the thread. Thanks.)

[EmilyGeiger]

STevie Nicks! She would be great. :)

[EmilyGeiger]

The thread that SirLinksAlot posted suggested Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson.

[b9]

I'd like to see Reba McIntyre, but she's too old, huh.
And busy with her show. But her spunk would be a match for Simon. She's so funny and wholesome.

[I'm ALL Right!]

They would be in the train-wreck (spears) and "not qualified, but entertaining" (simpson) categories, right? Haha.

[SirLinksalot]

STRICTLY FOR DIEHARD TAYLOR FANS ONLY :

Sold on Ebay :

http://cgi.ebay.com/TAYLOR-HICKS-w-Spoonful-James-Wynn-Christian-Band-RARE_W0QQitemZ4854674778QQcmdZViewItemQQssPageNameZRSS:B:SRCH:US:101

This is a compilation of live cuts featuring none other than Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame. There are eight tracks. Taylor sings the lead vocal part on two of them, back-up vocal on the rest, and plays harmonica throughout.

The backing band on the first four tracks is Spoonful James, a blues-rock/Southern-fried soul jam band from Auburn, AL. On the last four tracks, the Wynn Christian Band is playing. It's essentially Spoonful James four years later with slight personnel differences.

There are four covers, three Wynn Christian originals, and a Taylor Hicks original here. "Heart and Soul" is one of Taylor Hicks' own songs and can be found on his latest studio album, Under the Radar. Three of the members of the Wynn Christian Band, heard here, also played in the studio for that track on Taylor's album.

I am going to be honest with you. I'm not here to waste your time with gimmicks. All songs are live soundboard mixes, so don't expect studio-quality sound. The quality is, however, very good. By "very good", I mean that you can clearly tell what each instrument is doing. It's not one of those mixes where you hear no bass, for example. There is no analog "hiss" because it was recorded digitally. Honestly, it sounds better to me than the In Your Time CD that has been selling for over $400.00 on ebay! That album was recorded in the same club that the first four tracks on this CD were recorded in. This is merely my opinion. The CD that the winner will receive will be a burned copy of the original DAT tapes on which the shows were recorded. Please understand that these recordings were never professionally produced, so a burned CD is the only choice here.

This CD is being sold on behalf of a member of not only the two backing bands represented here, but also a long-time member of the Taylor Hicks Band. Reproduction by anyone else is prohibited. Also, the seller will be on tour for the duration of this auction, so I will pass along the answers to your questions as quickly as I can get them (hopefully less than a day?).

Worldwide shipping on this auction. There are no "handling" charges here--just shipping. Bidders with negative/under 10 feedbacks: Email before bidding, please. Don't bid if you are not prepared and willing to pay. Sorry, no refunds. Bid with confidence--I'm 100% positive.

ANY QUESTIONS? Ask them before you bid, my friends.

(The pics show Taylor singing with Spoonful James at The War Eagle Supper Club, Auburn, AL. However, this is a later show than the one recorded on the CD).

Track list:

Recorded live at The War Eagle Supper Club, Auburn, AL, on 5-22-99. Spoonful James featuring Taylor Hicks.

1. Tighten Up (Archie Bell & the Drells)--Taylor on lead vocals.

2. Evil Ways (C. Santana)

3. Too Late (W. Christian)

4. Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad? (E. Clapton, B. Whitlock)

______

Recorded live at Skeeterfest, Oak Bowery, AL, on 10-11-03. The Wynn Christian Band featuring Taylor Hicks.

5. Right Down Here (J.J. Cale)

6. Heart and Soul (T. Hicks)--Taylor on lead vocals.

7. Burn (W. Christian)

8. Seven Mile Breakdown (W. Christian)

Enjoy!

[Wyatt's Torch]

Wow. The War Eagle Supper Club....man, I lost a lot of brain cells there. Good times....I think....Great, great place.

[stlnative]

From your list...

I am not sure which one would be best for Chris, he may be able to pull off "Clocks" by Coldplay. (Clocks is mainly hot because of the music)

I think Chris needs to sing something from Live or by Nickleback.

As far as the others I have tunnel vision for Chris.
I never did care much for Taylor, his antics are too weird for me and I don't see him as being that talented or unique. I look at the contests as in who would sell the most records and Chris would be the one from this years contestants IMO. I like Mandisa, but I don't think she would out sell Chris.

I like some country (not much) and preferred Bo Bice last year over Carrie.

The only album CD's I own from AI are from Kelly Clarkson.
I think Chris could outsell or match Kelly Clarkson's album sales.

Chris has his own unique style and I have heard it. His band Absent Element would already have at least 2 top 100 hits if they would be getting airplay on radio now. Keep Me Close (alt/rock) and Let Me In. (alt/heavy)

My only complaint about Chris is that he is a little too far hard rock (as in heavy metal) for me on some of his music that he has done with Absent Element. But Chris sounds much better (clear voice - easy to understand) on the songs he has written and performed with his band Absent Element. People who have only heard Chris sing on AI are missing out on the real scope of his talent. (he plays guitar also)

If Chris wins and if he stays with his band (which I doubt they will let him do) then his band needs to lighten up some on the heavy metal sound. It may be that Chris' band is what has held him back due to the heavy metal sound of the band and that is why Chris' had not been signed. If Chris can stick with alt/rock and get rid of the heavy metal sound then he will sell records.

[SirLinksalot]

The thread that SirLinksAlot posted suggested Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson

I change my mind. The main reason I mentioned them is because they both support Bush in Iraq. But then, not all Bush supporters are smart. Besides, these two are too inexperienced and LIMITED in their musical taste. Too 21st century for a show that must span decades and 3 generations of music. They don't look qualified to me.

My personal choice would be Blondie's Debbie Harry. She's a self-professed Idol fan, and her contributions to the music industry (including a hit as late as 1999 ) makes her well qualified. She also has spunk and will make a great foil for Simon.

[JillSxr]

Do you think they'll replace Paula? Who would you choose to take her place?

How about Cyndi Lauper?