আমেরিকান আইডল Season 7 general discussion

harold posted on Mar 07, 2008 at 05:52PM
I thought I'd open a forum for general discussion of what's happening with season 7.

আমেরিকান আইডল 51 উত্তর

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বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
First of all, what did you think of Kady getting voted off last night (week 3)? I'm a little sad, because Simon was completely correct in his evaluation of her: she has tons of personality and comes across as really charming...just not when she's performing. This may be her opera background, but she was the most wooden of all the contestants when she sang, and that's saying a LOT with this crowd, since practically none of them can manage to move while singing. It's really sad about Kady, because she's so bubbly and effervescent in every other situation, but then she grabs a mic and wham! a switch is thrown and all expression and emotion just stops.

Now, it is true that when you sing, you want to have your whole instrument relaxed - all the muscles in your face, head and neck should be relaxed for the best sound - but you have to temper that with the need to perform and interact with your audience. Sure, that means that your not getting the best vocal delivery you possibly could, but it makes you look human.
বছরখানেক আগে hpnbe said…
I'm really sad that Asia'h Epperson got eliminated, she was one of my favorite, she's so good. And her dad died, so sad.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
So, I have to say I feel vindicated (a bit) for my link: with the performances on week 4 (the Lennon/McCartney songbook) - which is to say, with songs that have melodies - it's amazing how much better they all were...

...or at least, almost all of them were better. Poor David Archuleta, dropping the ball for the second week in a row. I actually fear that he may be dropped because of that performance, though I think Kristy's was the worse one.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Oh, and Chikezie proved that he has more than just a beautiful tone to his voice with tonight's performance. Wow! Certainly the best performance of the night, and with that, he restores my hope in him as a possible foil for Carly.
বছরখানেক আগে dave said…
Chikezie totally just shot to the top with this performance! Wow...
বছরখানেক আগে Lizxo44 said…
I cant believe last nights results having david voted off Kisty defently should of gone what was with her song? it made no sense!
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Yeah, I'd agree with you that hers was the worse performance. That said, I suspect that she and David Archuleta both have large fan bases sustaining them, keeping them in the competition.

Kristy's song could have been good if performed at half the tempo. The country vibe doesn't work for a walking bass line at that speed.

Poor David Archuleta, though: he gets another week of struggling to sing songs he doesn't know (Lennon/McCartney songs). Here's hoping that this time he'll find someone to advise him in what to do.

What's with David Cook, though? His whole shtick is that he's the rock kid, but I have a hard time taking him seriously when Amanda keeps "out-rocking" him so effortlessly. He's a rocker like the Goo Goo Dolls are rockers - in fact, he reminds me very powerfully of the Goo Goo Dolls in how he looks, too. Not to knock the Goo Goo Dolls, but they are very poppy.
বছরখানেক আগে hpnbe said…
I definably agree that Kriste should of gone home. David was pretty good. But even though David Archuleta didn't do the best job this week, I think he's still the best!!!!!!!!!

He's the next american idol for sure!!!
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
I'm really not sure who I liked best last night (week 5).
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
oh dang it Amanda went home! Whats worse Carly was also in the bottom 3, cant say I was surprised to see Kristy there, but Carly.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
I know...its unbeLIEVable that more people chose Kristy and Ramielle over Amanda!

I dunno...I guess the audience for American Idol has very little appreciation for blues or rawk, after six seasons of pop.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Wow. Last night was just...painful. No one did an outstanding job, not one. Michael Johns did much better than he has been, but every contestant seems to be clueless as to their strengths, and so they're grasping at the straws that the judges have given them.
* Michael Johns singing Queen again, for cryin' out loud (missing the point that he's got a powerful vibrato that could be used to better effect in other songs where the comparison to the original artist doesn't hurt him so much)
* Syesha singing lots of runs (missing the point that she needs melody to win)
* Kristy Lee Cook singing more country (missing the point that she needs to branch out and sing something else)
* Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, Chikezie all singing songs they like (missing the point that they needs to sing songs that demonstrate their vocal superiority to all the other contestants, not safe and/or amelodic stuff)
* Brooke White sitting at the piano (missing the point that she needs to have an emotional connection to the music)
* David Cook singing grunge-pop (missing the point that he needs to choose one or the other)
* Jason Castro sitting with his guitar again (missing the point that he needs to connect with his audience via eye contact and charisma)
* Ramiele Mulabay singing Heart (missing the point that she needs to pick songs that aren't more powerful than her voice and which haven't been covered by better singers in the same season)

Watching every single contestant make these (and other) blunders is really getting tiresome.

Edit: It's also amazing what a hole Amanda left with her absence: now no one is attempting to perform or use the stage at all. They're all just standing or sitting, completely blah, just singing. Michael Johns did a little aimless wandering, but that was it.
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বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
ok I was sick so I tapped the result show just watched it not really surprised although I thought Ramiele would be in the bottom 3 instead of Syesha and would be going home. but chikizie doesnt surprize me.
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বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Thoughts on week 7 (Dolly Parton week): Kristy Lee Cook was surprisingly poor this week, given that she's been singing country for the whole competition (also, empire waists don't work on really skinny people)! Ramiele had possibly her best performance, but what's the deal with everyone else?

Seriously, we need to get a gunslinger in there firing a colt revolver at their feet. "Dance! Dance! or at least move!"
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I agree on everything but I thought Michael Johns did a fantastic job, but I like the image of a gunslinger with a gun...lol
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
kristy must have nine lives, but ramielle was not a big surprize.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
I agree on Michael Johns - in my comment on the video I wrote that I think he had the best performance this week.

Dolly Parton sure is bubbly, isn't she? Ebullient. It's fun to see Ryan have a hard time getting a word in edgewise.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Huh. Each week lately I've been surprised by who has the strongest performance. This week it was Jason Castro by a mile.

Michael Johns was pitchy singing a rather dull song choice (not that I don't like Aerosmith, but the original builds to a better climax), though it was perfect for his voice.
Syesha Mercado sang well, but once again she demonstrated an inability to pick a song with a melody.
David Cook chose a terrible song, and he sang it surprisingly poorly.
Carly Smithson seemed angry, though she sang well. Her whole body was stiff and uptight. It occurred to me that, after years of performing on small stages in bars, Carly may not know how to occupy a large stage.
The studio audience must have heard something really different than we did watching on TV, because David Archuleta's performance was one of his worst. He was disconnected, distant, and pitchy in his performance.
Brooke White sang well, but she sang the Carole King song as a tearful ballad - far too slow and melancholy for what should be an upbeat song.
Finally, Kristy Lee Cook sang another country song, but this one was dull as dirt. Further, she's been wearing the same outfit for weeks: sparkly top, long jeans.
While he didn't perform - the only one who did was David Cook, and his vocals suffered for it - Jason Castro is the clear winner for me, because he was on key and entertaining. He doesn't have a lot of variety, but I'd enjoy seeing him in concert, perhaps opening for Jewel.

I think Kristy should go home, but I'm afraid that Carly is going to be dropped instead. It's not fair, because she's absolutely the most talented vocalist, but the remote performance is going to hurt her.
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I totally agree I hate to see it but I think carly may be gone, and jason was the best by far but I think it will be syesha carley and kristy in the bottom with carly going and I will be so sad...:(
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
More than ever before, I have to wonder what the HECK the studio audience - judges Simon, Paula and Randy included - are hearing, because David Cook's performance was terrible tonight (Mariah Carey week) - he was flat and in a couple of places even completely off-key.

I just don't get it.
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I personally liked jason castro and syesha this week best but I may change my mind after rewatching it again, but I just don't get the whole mariah carey week her music and her songs are not that easy for even some of the best singers to pull off so why her?
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
OK, well I LOVE David Cook. I didnt think he was off key anywhere... he puts entertainment and emotion into his performances and there is nothing "cookie cutter" about his interpretation of the songs. And dont forget that Idol only gives them so much to choose from. I think he did a great job. On the girls side, I think Shyesha did the best. I look for the season to come down to two guys. Either David vs David or David Cook vs Jason Castro. I really cant see Castro staying around long though. He gives the same performance every week.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Hey, I like David Cook, too, but he was flat last night. I'm convinced his tears were tears of relief, because he knew he had some pitch problems, and was worried how the judges would take it, in much the same way that Brooke Davis was worried. But his performance was the most different from the original, and that counts for something. It'll be interesting to see who leaves this week. Based solely on last night, my vote would be Brooke, but week-over-week, I am convinced Kristy should go (I'll be disappointed but not surprised if she doesn't, though). In all fairness, pretty much all of the contestants are giving the same performance each week - not that they sound like each other, but that they each have a set way of performing, and you can predict how they each will sound with every performance. There haven't been any surprises in any of the performances for weeks.
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I take it her nine lives were finaly up...
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Yes, I suppose so. At least I wasn't outraged or horrified at the results this week.
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
No, neither was I suprised. Kristy has a nice voice and her tone is great, but she is so cookie cutter. IF she sticks with it, she could really be successful. But not idol worthy...
Still a David Cook fan... ( as if noone could tell). I didnt think the tears were tears of relief at all. I think that song was more sentimental to him in relation to his ailing brother. He has the soul of an artist. He is sensitive and caring and really "feels" the music and the lyrics and the release that comes from letting his voice go strong. Emotional connection is really what music is all about anyway, right? I mean regardless of the gernre, you connect on some emotional level whether is is joy or anger, relaxation or grief. Sometimes even fear... but I really think that is the heart of why I like him so much. And the tears were what would have come DURING the performance if he could have let them go then.... Do you ever really see or feel the emotion from Jason Castro? I suppose maybe a little.... like "dude, im just kickin back and letting the world roll by" kind of thing....That isnt very inspiring though. At least not to me. And David A. just doesnt look comfortable on stage... he doesnt quite connect with the audience and the cameras and needs a little time to mature into stardom. I really dont see any of the girls winning this season for much the same reasons...still cant wait for this coming week... does anyone know what the theme is??
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
It is andrew lloyd webber the british composer
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Wow - that's a really interesting direction for it. Who do you think is predisposed to doing well in that genre (ie, broadway show tunes)?
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
thats tough, I think it should be interesting that's for sure. If I had to pick someone who I think will do ok with this genre Probably david archuleta but I honestly don't have a clue how this will go I just hope no one does *memories* that song is so over done.
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বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
That's funny, both because I also thought that David Archuleta was going to do well - better than he actually did, as it turns out - and that Jason Castro did do "Memories".

Surprisingly, all of the women dominated tonight with the Andrew Lloyd Webber material, because they were all able - to greater and lesser extent - to emote. Not one of the guys connected with the song emotionally - not one. I was really interested to see how David Cook was going to do, as it's hard to think of a genre further away from his comfort zone. Without his vocal shtick, he's got a very pleasant voice, but he can't compare to an actual broadway performer. But all that said, I think that Brooke is probably going to go home this week. If not, we know for sure that she has the pity vote in the bag.
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
i was thinking the same thing either her or jason and I don't want jason to go and she was worse, man though I was really surprised with carly and syeasha they both put on great performances.
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বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
That's true - it could be Jason that goes home this week, given how Brooke keeps hanging on...after she flubbed the lyrics and stopped her performance, I didn't really consider anyone else as a possibility. But it could be him, too.
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
I think it will be jason
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
OK I am officially pissed off now, Carly is off after Brooks performance.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Yeah, that's really terrible. All the tension has gone out of the show for me, now. I don't really care who wins when the two best performances of the night end up in the bottom two for that week.

But, talking about this week, I have to say that Simon nailed it in his review of the first five performances: "forgettable (Jason), just above average (David Cook), a nightmare (Brooke), amateurish (David Archuleta), old-fashioned (Syesha)" - all completely on the money.

Edit: It's like a triple-whammy: without Amanda, there's no great performers (though I have to say that Syesha is showing signs of improvement in the performance category the past couple of weeks - she can actually move around on the stage sometimes); without Chikezie, there's no great voices (they all sound the same, with little to no resonance); and without Carly, there's no great singers. It's become a contest of mediocrity.
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বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
Harold I miss Chikezie,Amanda and Carly as well and think that the crop that's left are actually luck to be there except maybe cook I still say Archuleta is to young and keeps picking the wrong songs. Syesha is improving but is still in the bottom which is bugging me. jason actually his performances are not as good as they were. Here is to next Week lets hope for the best.
বছরখানেক আগে PopNLock said…
What did you think of the American Idol night of Rock?!!!!

I just read an article that explains everything really well. For instance the least offensive-to-rock moment was David Cook leaning all the way in to his version of the Who's "Baba O'Riley." While on the other hand the most offensive-to-rock moment was the soon to be ousted contestant Jason Castro forgetting the words to Bob Dylan's "Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man."

More opinons about the night right here!!!
link
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
i just have to say not all that impressed. Still like David Cook but his first performance was not good, David Archuleta was consistent at least, syesha was OK, and jason well all I can say DON'T FORGET THE WORDS at this stage of the game bad move. What I really want to know is out of all the songs out there these are the songs they came up with?
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বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Watching the final three tonight, I found myself getting really irritated...well, angry, actually. I've never felt that before watching "American Idol", and it took me a little while to figure out why. After mulling it over, at about 8:50 I realized that, on a certain level, I feel like the remaining contestants need to prove that they deserve to be on the show when much better contestants have been voted off, and I was getting really pissed off that they're all three so bad. But, realizing this, I was able to get some peace. I realized that it's not reasonable for me to judge them harshly for not being better than they are; I know they're not very good, and certainly they can't help it. I mean, what did I expect - that they'd suddenly, magically get better just because the really talented contestants are gone? It was silly. With that, I was able to watch the rest of the show (with all the pitch problems and incredibly boring song choices) with some equanimity.
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
Come on.... first of all we all know it is largley based on popularity, not always talent based b/c not everyone listens closely enough to the actual quality... second of all, I think the producers are way off on cramming 9 songs in one show.... it is impossible for them not to sound like its a rushed, cluster .... ( well, you get it).
I think they all have talent and given a little time in a studio and a proper mentor, they each could be a hit... give them some credit... Im sure its not easy to go through the stress and critisicm that they deal with
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I actually didn't watch it I watched it on you tube because I really have lost interest I knew It was going to be between the Davids and that Syesha had no shot so this week was a waste for me to watch because she could have had the best performances in the history of the show and it would not have made a difference; so I decided to skip this week and just watch the clips, But the whole year the contestants need to keep in mind better song choices come on people how many times has this been stressed the song choice is so key...
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বছরখানেক আগে papa said…
Harold, I've been watching season 7 regularly and think the final pairing of the Davids is the right call (I think a lot of folks called it once we were down to the final 10).

I'd be curious to know who you think should still be in contention? Of the contestants voted off I'd say Michael Johns was the only early departure I truly lamented. But I never thought he should be in the final 2 (of course my opinion might have changed had he been given the extra weeks to show his stuff).

That said, I agree that it can be frustrating to watch the show when it *seems* like the contestants aren't giving it their all. I was extremely frustrated watching Jason Castro who seemed to be taking the whole event so lightly and didn't really give a damn. I think the judges even got visibly upset by this one night. Which is fair, because when you think about what a gift and opportunity has been handed these guys, they really ought to treat it with some respect and effort.

As for the finalists. I think Archuletta is boring. But you just know when the music execs see him they think "ka-ching" baby. He's a product that will be very easy to package and market. I'd prefer David Cook won, but I'd sooner put money on Arch taking the contest.
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
As much as it pains me to say this, I agree with Papa for two reasons. One for the reasons stated regarding him being an easy package, and b/c I believe either way Cook will be successful.
Simon did say that next week will be "humdinger"
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I will say this it doesn't matter who wins each David is in a Win-Win situation I think, David Cook will sell to the most broad of audiences, David Archuleta he has the teeny bopper crowd and I think as he grows so will his music, and his performance. They will both be sucesses...but the finale should be interesting.
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Well, tonight Archuleta showed that he still makes fewer mistakes than the remaining contestant (David Cook). Even though I don't find him as interesting a performer, Archuleta is certainly a better singer than Cook - judging by the lesser amount of missed notes and mistakes that he made. I will be really surprised if he doesn't win the season for being so consistent.
বছরখানেক আগে ineedcoffee said…
I like cook better but I think that david A probably will win he just picked better songs to sing last night but I still liked David C as an artist better.
বছরখানেক আগে chelle72 said…
Well said CoffeeCraver... well said!!
বছরখানেক আগে harold said…
Well, I have to admit that I was surprised that Cook won by such a margin...twelve million votes. Wow.

Responding to papa, finally: I actually think both Davids are bland performers that the producers will find easy to package into whatever format they wish to try. Cook has already started on a rock image, though that could easily change. Compared to Archuleta, to me he's a more interesting performers, but wasn't it interesting to see the final twelve back on the show for the finale, and to hear and see the better performers? Given that anyone who wins "American Idol" is going to be trained, primped, prepped and packaged to death for the huge marketing push that they'll do for the Idol image - the product - not much impresses me as being important for the contestants to do. Sure, Amanda was the best performer on the show - she's the only one I'd happily watch perform in a club without any further work and know that I'd have a good time - but they ALL are going to get seriously schooled on how to perform (rather than just stand stock-still). When all is said and done, there's not a lot that can't be improved with a lot of time and training (which they're all going to get)....therefore, the stuff that I focus on the most is the stuff that can't be improved by time and training. That is to say, to me, the vocal quality is the most important. I don't mean to say how well they sing - whether they have good pitch - because that is improved with practice. No, I mean the actual vocal quality. At best, that can be very slightly improved by rigid technique (working on using the sinuses and diaphragm in conjunction for good resonance), but the most technically proficient broadway star isn't going to sound like Dean Martin or Michael Bublé or Barbra Streisand. No one sounds like these people because they're just gifted with great voices. It helps that they can sing well, too, of course, but they have distinct, wonderful voices. The only contestants from season 7 that had really great voices like that were Carly Smithson and Chikezie. The others were all merely good singers.
বছরখানেক আগে harpyr said…
As I was pouring my chai tea this morning I was thinking about the tongue bath that Simon lavished upon Archie last night and it occurred to me that perhaps his decision to do that was actually a shrewd and calculated attempt to spur the Cook fans into voting. Simon admitted on Leno that he wanted Cook to win and by being so hard on him on Tuesday he probably struck fear into everybody that Archie was going to win by a landslide.. which of course brought in the landslide of votes from all the people out there who wanted to see Cook win. It's like a weird mind game on a very vast scale....one that Simon has apparently become very good at.
বছরখানেক আগে tinkerluvr said…
I was so excited when david cook won. I made up a new name for cook fans: the cookies! lol.