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"American Idol" -- Rigged ballotting?
Fox Television ^ | May 13, 2003 | TommyDale

Posted on 05/13/2003 7:10:42 PM PDT by TommyDale

Ordinarily, it is difficult to get through for a while, since everyone calls starting at 9:00 pm. Tonight, there was no dial tone in parts of the Raleigh, NC area. Well after 60 minutes, there is a "quick busy", meaning the telephone system is not working correctly. I continually received busy signals even after only dialing the '1'. How can the voting be tabulated fairly if people in the home city of Clay Aiken can't even cast their votes??


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: americanidol; dial1800couchpotato; foxtv; ineedalife; patheticlosers; tvsucks; whocares
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To: pbear8
I've been out of the loop since Saturday. Can you explain what you mean? How could they "fix" it?
101 posted on 05/14/2003 7:50:10 AM PDT by Howlin
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To: Howlin
I don't mean 'fix', I mean subtly pushing one candidate over another when you are supposed to be neutral and allow the public to pick.

I never watch Oprah but happened to pass her channel and saw she was doing 'behind the scene at AI'. A lot of the info was interesting, like lead time, rehearsal time, arrangements, etc. But she was so Ruuuuben centered. Also, the judges seem to be pushing Ruben as well.

102 posted on 05/14/2003 8:08:11 AM PDT by pbear8 ( sed libera nos a malo)
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To: breakem
I know Simon's a big dog in this. He's from the British show, his company (BMG, I somehow cross bread that with EMI last night) is the one the winner gets the contract with.

OK, I think I'm ahead of the run. Here's from Ananova:
http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_677645.html?menu=
"
Simon Cowell is setting up his own TV production company.

He has had talks with the head of record label BMG about
setting up their own TV company.

It is expected to focus on music TV formats.

The company that makes Pop Idol and American Idol is owned by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller.

It employs Cowell to act as a judge on the shows as well as release the winners music.

But that means Cowell makes no money from the sale of the show around the world reports Variety.
"
I remember hearing that he was quiting both shows (American Idol and the original Pop Idol in England) to concentrate on production, I'd mistakenly thought "production" meant of those shows. Oops.
103 posted on 05/14/2003 8:13:31 AM PDT by discostu (A cow don't make ham)
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To: Luis Gonzalez
Hi Luis,

I admit it. I'm a Clay fan, have been from the beginning. The boy can flat out SING. Great pipes, great pitch and breath control, great immersion in the song. He handled three far more complex and difficult songs last night than the other two (both of whom I like a lot, too - at least the top three have a boatlaod of talent this year). And those extended notes at the end of "Mack" and "Unchained" were phenomenal.

104 posted on 05/14/2003 11:26:48 AM PDT by bootless (Never Forget)
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To: onedoug
Who's stronger.....The Green Lattern or Tarzan?
105 posted on 05/14/2003 12:05:14 PM PDT by windcliff
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To: windcliff
Flash Gordon.
106 posted on 05/14/2003 1:21:35 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: onedoug

I resent that!

107 posted on 05/14/2003 2:09:05 PM PDT by lsee
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To: TommyDale
It would be shocking if Aiken, with his broad fan base, doesn't win the whole thing. I wouldn't sweat it. If this were a one person, one vote thing, Aiken might be in trouble.
108 posted on 05/14/2003 2:10:29 PM PDT by GraniteStateConservative (Putting government in charge of morality is like putting pedophiles in charge of children.)
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To: TommyDale
My wife, one of my sons, and I decided we'd pick up the phone and vote for Clay last night. It took more than 100 dial-ins to get our three votes registered. Thanks goodness for auto-redial. They want the huge fat guy to win.
109 posted on 05/21/2003 4:22:37 PM PDT by Celantro
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To: TommyDale
Last night during the time in question 18 million more phone calls than normal were made in California alone. That's just California. Imagine the problem this created nationally. People must have gone Ameircan Idol 'postal' last night. No phone system is going to hold up under these conditions. I imagine Ruben's fans had problems making phone calls too.
110 posted on 05/22/2003 1:35:38 AM PDT by DoughtyOne
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To: Celantro
The very fact that you refer to him as "the huge fat guy" makes me deliriously ecstatic that he won.
111 posted on 05/22/2003 1:45:47 AM PDT by Timesink
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To: Timesink
>The very fact that you refer to him as "the huge fat guy" makes me deliriously ecstatic that he won.

So Simon hit it right on the head in his final comments when he said "America got it right. It's image over talent." I just wish that they'd made it clear that this show had nothing to do with finding talent right at the beginnning so I would not have borthered getting interested.

112 posted on 05/22/2003 4:42:41 AM PDT by Celantro
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To: Celantro
Geez...just look at the charts. It always been image over talent. ALWAYS.
113 posted on 05/22/2003 4:45:19 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Wolfie
>Geez...just look at the charts. It always been image over talent. ALWAYS.

Who's perception of image? "America's" or Simon's? See these quotes from the Washington Post.

"Don't take our word for it; contestant Kimberley Locke said as much last week before she got the heave-ho, telling Newsweek that Simon had said at every opportunity "they want Ruben"; the magazine also reported that Cowell said that "what you're trying to do, if you can, is to tell the audience who you want to be in the final. You're not getting accurate judging."

"And the people at Amazon.com, who reported earlier this week that Aiken's not-yet-released single was the Web site's top-selling CD, while Studdard's was way back at No. 386."

114 posted on 05/22/2003 6:05:42 AM PDT by Celantro
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To: DoughtyOne
For a vote to be "decided" by telephone calls, it was far too close (less than 1,400 votes). The most interesting thing said on the program last night was by Simon, with regards to (paraphrased) "The real decision will be when their records are released". In the Washington Post, there is an article that mentions that the Amazon.com advance sales of Clay Aiken is ranked #1, while Ruben Studdard's is back at #386.

At least Clay Aiken has the decency and honor not to demand a recount or file a lawsuit, ala Al Gore! He truly deserved to win based on pure talent, but the producers had favored Ruben for weeks.
115 posted on 05/22/2003 6:11:23 AM PDT by TommyDale
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To: Celantro
Cowell owns the record label that's ponying up the bucks for the contract. Of course he's going to want the person he thinks will give him the biggest ROI.
116 posted on 05/22/2003 6:19:18 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Wolfie
>Cowell owns the record label that's ponying up the bucks for the contract. Of course he's going to want the person he thinks will give him the biggest ROI.

The point is that this was a show in which "America" could pick the next American Idol in pretense only. Simon owns the label, he wanted a guy like Ruben to win because he though he could sell him, and he wanted to capitalize on the show too by making a huge audience think they held the final vote. Remember that quiz show back in the 60s there was a big scandal over because it turned out the show was a fraud and the selected winner got all of the answers in advance? Same deal.

117 posted on 05/22/2003 6:24:46 AM PDT by Celantro
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To: Celantro
I haven't seen any evidence that anything other than the popular vote determines the winner. If you're saying the judges shouldn't editorialize during the judging, then why have them at all?
118 posted on 05/22/2003 6:28:01 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Howlin
>How can the voting be tabulated fairly if people in the home city of Clay Aiken can't even cast their votes??

In NYC one could cast a vote for Ruben at roughly five times the rate that one could cast a vote for Clay. The show was fixed to pick Ruben as the winner. Had the vote been fair, Clay would have won, Kinmberly Loche would have come in second, and Ruben would have been tied for third with Vanessa Oliverez.

119 posted on 05/22/2003 6:32:45 AM PDT by Celantro
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To: TommyDale
Amazon.com advance sales of Clay Aiken is ranked #1, while Ruben Studdard's is back at #386

Not any more, Clay's still #1, but Reben has moved up to #2.

120 posted on 05/22/2003 6:42:38 AM PDT by Alissa
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