Posted on 05/21/2003 4:24:46 PM PDT by pbear8
He was dealing with two young guys at a very emotional moment and Cowell's slam of both of them with that single, parting, after-the-fact comment was both unnecessary,and cheap but it was also cruel.
Well get a look at Drudge's page. It lookks like the entire competition is being called into question. Apparently the President of a rival network is calling it a modern day $64,000. question, which is exactly what I suggested earlier on in this thread.
This show was a hoax. The voting was a fraud.
I truly believe this show was rigged so that Ruben would win and I am reading on Drudge now that one of the Presidents of a rival network shares my opiniion 100%. He's calling for an investigation and I think there should be one. Like you, however, whatever happens has nothing to do with Ruben or Clay (or Kimberly).
One question. Why in creation did Josh last so long? What kept him alive?
Whoa...jealous? : )
Despite all the nasty and unfounded rumors, I don't think Clay minded a bit. I sure wouldn't mind Carmen crawling all over me...as long as she didn't sing to me.
BTW, for a Mormon girl, she sure did some surprisingly smooth booty shakin' during while singing Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" last night.
You're referring to Rickey Smith, who sings smooth as silk, but has an unexpectedly high voice. Rickey's voice sounds more like it should be coming out of Clay's body.
Like Blair Underwood, Tyson Beckford, and Rick Fox, Rickey is one of those guys that makes me -- a black man --say to myself, "Man, if I only looked like that guy..."
Piker. :-)
So, this will help Clay's sales and Ruben will get caught in the scandal even though it's not his fault. They need to find out if there were any dead phone lines for contest 01. Florida had dead lines for Clay and that weird thing I told you about. Raleigh had dead phone lines.
It may be hyperbole to get people to watch msnbc but apparently, lots of Clay fans feel they were disenfranchised.
CLAY'S MY AMERICAN IDOL even though I didn't get 100 votes in like Rube's mom, etc.
I don't think this was a conspiracy really, more like we've been had. I was foolish enough to think the American public was going to pick a winner "fair and square". That couldn't happen when we saw Ruben being promoted on almost every TV show on the air this past week without little or no mention of Clay. Now, I like Ruben and I was happy for him and his family last night. He may be the more marketable, he may be what Fox had in mind for an "Idol" and he does have some talent. However, anyone with any musical training at all would have to admit that Clay is by far the better singer. He just was not what the judges were looking for. The only reason we were even given a chance to vote at all was to make us feel a part of the process so we would continue to watch.
I hope this manipulation doesn't backfire on Ruben because he doesn't deserve that. The show, however does and I think it will be hurt. Many people I've talked to say they won't watch the next show. I know I won't. I also know Clay will have a very long and successful musical career.
It's not racist. It's just uninformed, needlessly conspiratorial, and unfounded. Most disturbing to me personally is the notion that Ruben was "their favorite" because he is black and not because he is Ruben.
After eschewing the entire AI phenomenon until the final two show last year (I had steadfastly refused to get caught up in "reality TV" and still have never watched Survivor), I accidently taped the second show of auditions this time around, and was hooked like a hungry bass. I've watched every show since then, and know that only Ruben and Clay were consistently great week in and week out.
To an avid, consistent, and patient viewer, it is clear: It wasn't that they decided Ruben was a front-runner because he is black -- a ignorant, specious charge -- it was that he is relaxed, engaging, and sings effortlessly. Those are qualities that were lacking in most of the final 12 contestants.
Those who point to Simon's lack of criticism of Ruben's weight aren't considering several other factors: To be an "American Idol," a black man need not be physically fit. From to Barry White to Luther Vandross to The Notorious B.I.G., obese black men have been deemed sex symbols nonetheless and have sold millions of albums and CDs. The same cannot be said of black female artists; only the legendary elders of soul music -- like, for example, Aretha Franklin -- can get away with not having a bikini body (with the exception of producer-rapper Missy Elliott), so Kimberley Locke's looks were more important to her viability as an "Idol."
Simon's jab at Joshua Gracin's weight, IMHO, was due to the fact that Josh is a Marine, and isn't expected to have anything resembling a paunch (at the same time as saying he should drop a few, Cowell also commented that the necklace Gracin was wearing diluted his jarhead image).
I stayed away from the internet until the show was over on the West Coast, which meant three quarters of the country were commenting on the results before I knew what happened. I was shocked that there over nine hundred replies on the live thread. I knew that among those, there was going to be whining from somebody regardless of who won -- either it was going to be "It's rigged, and they gave it to the black guy" or "It's rigged, and they gave it to the white guy." And I knew that I was going to be forced to say to supporters of whoever finished second, "Get over it!"
So, here I go: "GET OVER IT!"
Folks, remember, this is ONLY THE BEGINNING of their careers. This is not a sprint, it's a marathon. Remember, back in 1977, Elvis Costello was nominated for a Grammy Award as "Best New Artist." He lost to disco group A Taste of Honey ("Boogie Oogie Oogie" was their biggest hit). Earlier this year, twenty-six years and only one Grammy later, Costello was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If the members of A Taste of Honey want to be in the Rock Hall, they have to pay their own fare to Cleveland and buy a ticket to get inside.
In the end, Clay Aiken may very well sell millions more CDs than Ruben Studdard. That possibility is no reason to cast aspersions on Studdard's accomplishment last night.
Some of you seriously have to quit imagining that you have a groove on the top of your head, and everywhere that you turn, there are people waiting to stick a giant screwdriver into it. Cool your jets. Get some perspective. And enjoy the music.
Oooh, your internet provider. Well, that's a reliable source, huh?
Fine. Everyone else is wrong, and you're right.
Whatever.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.