American Idol 2008 discussion - ***possible spoilers***

i've tivo'd the last two night. hopefully will catch it this weekend.

 

Might be the best 12 women in a while.

 

ha, i havent watched last night's yet either, but I do know that whiner Josiah doesnt make the final 24 and i'm glad, he was SUCH a cry-baby, I couldnt take another minute of that kid....Still he had decent vocal chops and an "interesting" story, but glad he's out....

i figure now we're close to the final 12, this thread will start to pick up...i hope...

 

i had to skip all the tryouts as they got old quick, but now that it's narrowing down, i'll be it it for sure.

 

Shoot yes, that crying got old fast.

 

Overall, a pretty decent group. I also found Josiah annoying. He probably had the worst faux english accent I've ever heard. And his version of that "I could be blue, I could brown ..." song had me cringing. It's hard to make an already supremely s%$%%y song even worse, but he actually did.

 

I'm not sure why I watch this show so much, but I do.

I thought the guy who did Bohemian Rhapsody on Tues night was one of the best performances I've seen on the show, like something I would actually buy. Of course the dude was 29, but still.

 

Watching religiously. Very good crop this year.

 

ah there you all are!!!! I was wondering where you all were...

 

I still haven't watched last night's show, but I, too, read that Josh is out. My sentiments about his departure match the others already posted here. The kid has potential but he's way to pretentious and whiney to be truly interesting.

While I like the way they mixed up the show this year and got rid of those silly group auditions in Hollywood, I do fear that the show is getting too schmaltzy. They're really milking people's hard-luck stories to the max, even those of people who have had only marginal talent and who have been eliminated already. At times I've felt like the show has been on the verge of becoming a parody of an informercial begging for assistance for poor starving children. For me, the best part of the bad auditions at the beginning of the show is to witness people's grandiosity that has no basis in reality -- as well as Simon's barbs. Unfortunately there was a lot less of both of those things so they could show us heartbreaking backstories of people we'll never see again.

 

This is when I stop watching. People who can sing well are all over the place in the media; it's the trainwrecks and deluded souls who provide the real content on this show AFAIC.

 

I also was glad Josiah didn't make it. Not as good as he thinks he is. I liked the changes of no group singing and being able to use instruments. I'll go out on a limb and make early predictions, probably will be wrong but what the hell:

The 16 year old boy, forgot his name, black hair, small frame, big voice: he will be top 12 for sure.

Rocker chick with the blonde streaks will NOT be top 12. Every song she sings will sound like Joplin and voters will get bored quickly.

Towards the finale, they will bring back the "You are my brother!!" guy to sing to Simon.

 

saw a picture of the 24 finalists on yahoo.

the oldest person was 29 (taylor hicks anyone).

not one was even close to being even a pound or two overweight.

24 very, very pretty people.

it's all about ratings, right?

 

It's the way the industry is all around. It's easier to market a pleasant looking woman or guy than someone who looks like they should have stayed in the closet, has some acne, etc etc. Whatever. Doesn't bother me.

 

Those last two guys, i think the wrong one got sent home.

 

There have been many overweight people on the show before: Ruben (winner), Chris Sligh, Lakisha Jones...Jordin (last years winner) is a big girl too.

 

Well, yes it is about the ratings, but your suggestion that the show only features "pretty" people is utterly without merit.

As Jason said, Ruben won, Jordin is, ahem, husky, Fantasia was no beauty imo, and Taylor looked like an old man. One of the women in the top 24 this year is a "plus size" model.

 

Cardin Lee McKinney

They let a real beauty go last night. Damn, I wouldn't have minded a few weeks of looking at her.

 

Let's hope so! He could certainly make for some entertaining moments, and could have at least as much of a short-lived international celebrity status as William Hung.

 

Although I liked Josiah in the beginning, I think he fell apart once he made it to Hollywood and he deserved to be cut. Why they chose to show every single minute of each performance by him and then cut him out of the Top 24 is beyond words, yet some dude with dreadlocks made it and we never saw one second of his singing ability. This dude, whoever he is, will be gone in three weeks time.

My faves are the rocker chick/nurse (Amanda) and Syesha, who BTW is a bit of a commercial actress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qZhAiDE8Zs

 

As in most years, I think there are at least a few seriously mediocre singers in the top 24, based on the shorts clips we've seen of them singing so far. Guess the producers always want to make sure that some mediocrity slips through to please those who enjoy it when a horrible singer remains on the show while someone better gets voted off.

Sadly, I cannot think of a single one of the performers who really stood out for me. Lots of them have decent voices, but none of them really vowed me from a vocal perspective. I do agree that this is the best looking top 24 in a while, though a few of the guys could benefit from warddrobe and hair assistance.

 

She can sing but who can actually enjoy listening to all that gruffy yelling? Like Simon said, I already know what every song is going to sound like. She's absolutely cringe worthy and I just wish she'd stop hollering at me. All IMHO of course.

 

I thought it was a dreadful mistake letting Josiah go. Yes, he had one bad performance out of three but you can tell he's a truly talented guy. He's the only AI contestant I ever wanted to make an album on. I think he actually has something to say musically unlike the rest of the "talent" field. I'm buying his record when it comes out.

I guess he's not the cookie cutter, moldable artist they're looking for. Not marketable enough maybe? If he looked more like a frat boy and had less of a musical personality I guarantee he would've gotten through.

 

I hate to say this, but I agree with you.

I just think she's a cutie pie and she has a great rock and roll walk. She literally walks just like Elvis during his early jump suit period. I know this is a singing competition, but she gets extra points in my book before she even opens her mouth.

 

Sorry, but I don't see/hear what you do. He's affected (I really dislike people who put on phony accents) and apparently uncooperative. He fired the band from his last audition because he didn't like the way they were playing (I guess he already assumes he knows better than all of the professionals working on the show) and he apparently believes it's better to live in his car than to try to cooperate with people to have a more "normal" life. More power to him if it all works out for him in the end, but he just seems rather "high maintenance" to me, way more difficult than his ability to carry a tune warrants. Now, if he had come out and knocked every vocal out of the park I'd be behind him, but I frankly wasn't particularly impressed by any of his auditions. Not that I thought he was bad; I just don't see him as much more than mediocre.