[silent_jonny]

YOU’RE INVITED!

[Notforprophet]

Looks like you did a lot of work on this thread, but I don't watch American Idol. No need to ping me in the future. :)

NFP

[Cagey]

I don't recall being on the AI ping list, but it's fine that I am even though I may not watch it this season.

I do remember TexasFlower and your tribute to her was well worth seeing. Thanks.

[Amityschild]

Hi! Please include me on your ping list. Great job!

[GretchenM]

Fantastic job, Jonny. Thanks for the ping.

That is a sensitive, insightful, and beautiful portrait of Tammy, especially of her eyes. Although we miss her, I take comfort in knowing all her trials are over and she rests in peace.

[EmilyGeiger]

Jonny the thread looks wonderful and I loved the opening.!!Finally 24 and AI are back on. This week will be fun.

[twin2]

Jonny, you out did yourself this time. It is grand.

I have a dinner Tuesday night, so I won't be live with you til Wednesday.

Oh the fun! I can't wait.

[Clint N. Suhks]

As a strongly masculine heterosexual male I have to say I don't like watching AI and do so only because Mrs. Suhks likes to watch.

The same goes for "Dancing with the Stars". I'm simply not interested...nope not at all, never ever, no way.

BTW, can you believe Tatum O'Neil got voted off over P Miller and "perma tan man"? If I wasn't such a big Ashley fan I would have offed "P" the first night. But then again if the crack whore said she was an "actress" one more time I might have had to shoot myself...Paper Moon was a long time ago, babe. Go Ashley!

[beandog]

Thanks for the ping. You did a great job last season and I'm looking forward to this season.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Speaking of leggy Stacy Keibler.

Mrs. Suhks and I hope this will be a step up for her to get to hollywierd and get away from the WWF crap. She seems too good for that. What a great personality and did I mention legs?

[Feiny]

Nice dedication to Texas Flower too.
Remember, she didn't like us making fun of the contestants.....she always had something nice to say.

[dixierose]

please add me to the AI ping list.

Thank you :)

[pbear8]

A beautiful tribute to Texas Flower. Thanks for all of your work on this thread, see you tomorrow.

[kevkrom]

Glad to be back! This year, in addition to posting evaluations at the semifinal and final rounds, I hope to be able to post notes on the auditions as to possible rising stars and/or early favorites.

In the later rounds, I'll also try and post two lists for each round -- how they did for the night, and where I see them overall in the competition. While the nightly evals are subjective, the "overall" list is going to be highly subjective. Remember, it's not just about the voice, but also the stage presence, personality, and "the look". (Side note: if the contestants are really going to be back-stabbing vultures, it is going to hurt them on my scorecard.)

I also might as well define a few terms and/or concepts that I will use throughout the competition, so that the regulars will know what I mean when I use them.

• Pitch - More or less, this can be summed up as "are they hitting the right notes", A/K/A being "in tune". What Randy means when he says someone is "pitchy" is that they're not hitting the notes right. (Of course, I don't always agree... Randy will call someone "pitchy" even if they're not, but something else sounds wrong to him, likely tonal quality (see below).
• Sharp and Flat - Singing higher than and lower than the proper pitch, respectively. Note that singers on the stage are more likely to be sharp than flat, probably because they are "over-singing" (see below).
• Tonal Quality (Tone) - Different than and regardless of pitch, this is the overall sound the singer's voice makes. I'll usually use a descriptive adjective here. Examples of tonal quality include nasal/pinched (see Mikaylah from Season 4), gravelly (Bo), full/rounded (Carrie, Anthony), etc.
• Over-singing - probably the most misunderstood term. it may mean different things to different people, but when I use it, I basically mean that the singer is "forcing" their voice beyond it's normal limits, which can be in pitch, volume, and/or "energy level".

Oddly enough, in the later stages, the single most critical factor each week will be song selection -- can the contestant find the right song within the style that allows them to showcase their voice and personal style to the best extent? It needs to be challenging, but not so difficult as to not be able to be performed well with less than a week's preparation. It needs to allow the singer to show range, power, versatility, and emotion.

Other things to look for on the vocals:

• Volume does not equal quality! Many of the auditions will have people who just belt it out, but most of the yellow tickets will go to people who are in control and focus on getting the song right -- yes, you need some power, but power alone will not get you very far.
• Watch out for one-trick ponies. Some people sound incredible on first blush, but may not be able to do anything else. Take Anwar from last season -- he had only one speed: all out. He had real problems getting a song to build to the high point because it was either a complete mess in the beginning, or he gave himself nowhere to go by starting out too big.
• Specifically for the girls, take heed of the lower register. While guys can have these problems too, it's more common for the women. Many songs start out lower and softer, to allow for a natural emotional peak during a higher and louder section at the end. The gals seem to have a harder time keeping a solid and controlled performance during the lower-register "verse", while still nailing the higher-pitch "chorus".

In terms of stage presence, what I'm really looking for is:

• Appearing comfortable on stage: This is entertainment, folks. A "pop idol" needs to be able to look like they're having fun up there, and that they aren't intimidated by the lights, cameras, and/or audience.
• Playing to the audience: Both the live audience and the folks at home (via the TV cameras) need to be drawn into the performance. There are many ways to do this, it's not just with moving around the stage and audience area, but could be done just with eye contact, if done right.
• Matching the visual to the audio: Dressing, moving, and generally acting in a way that matches the mood, tempo, and style of the song selected
• Song choice: While very important for the vocals, it also is important to match the song with the personal style and look of the singer.

[STARWISE]

WoW!!! Jonny, you did a great job on this complicated presentation, with Wolfstar's help. I breeze in and out through the weeks .. not a regular viewer, but y'all will have some fun judging and picking the next big star.

[Dane]

Another spectacular thread on your part, SJ, and a very moving tribute to Texasflower.

Not a big fam of AI, but I do like to see the bad singers.

[Lil'freeper]

bookmarking for tonight's show - wheeee!

[SaintDismas]

Please add me to your AI ping-list! Thanx

[Conservative Texan Mom]

Please add me to the ping. Thank you!