American Idol -- my dirty secret

[monarch64]

Oh, but Moonriver, did you see last night''s episode when Mandisa totally gave Simon a guilt trip about his comment "we''ll need a bigger stage"? She waltzes into the room and says "couldn''t get a bigger stage, but ya coulda got a bigger chair..." then goes on to tell Simon that although she was hurt and cried over his original comment, she has found it within her heart (and faith) to forgive him, and doesn''t need an apology. It was SO fabulous, I almost fell off my couch writhing with glee. Ever the cynic, Simon completely kept his composure and gave her hugs, which was nice.

You HAVE to visit the AI website to catch up if you can''t watch, moon! I think it''s idolonfox.com, but if that''s not correct, you can always do a search for "American Idol" and it will come right up. You''ll get a laugh out of it, for sure! They have a guy on there who gives his own cynical opinions on every aspect of the shows that are on each week, he is hysterical.

 

[Mara]

haha it was funny after Manresa told Simon all that stuff, he said he was completely humbled and gave her a hug and said something like 'i can be so dreadful can't i'....I actually like Simon because he's not afraid to put it all out there regardless of what's PC, and I think he has a softer heart than people think...aka his girlfriend of a few years says he is the sweetest person and that the TV personality is an 'act' like what Howard Stern does on his show.

And sometimes he is COMPLETELY right about stuff. Yes the weight comments were out of line and I was glad she called him on it, but when he comments on clothes or similar I kind of agree that can be relevant because he is looking for the next 'American Idol' and his eye may be looking to see what sort of potential there is there vs not at all!!

Oh and another side bar, on the View apparently the gals were saying that Simon thought the camera was OFF when he made some of those comments (like the bigger stage one) and that he was appalled that they made it to the final airing...the girls on the View were like 'isn't he part producer? doesn't he KNOW what makes it? that's bull etc'.

Oh and did anyone else feel for that sweet, clueless cowboy who made it through and had never been on a plane before? I'm not usually a huge underdog fan but he was such a hopeless case...and that he had trained so hard and took lessons to get there after they told him to etc. I knew he wouldn't make it but he did very well!

 

[monarch64]

Yup, Simon is a softie at heart, I agree. And I was totally tearing up about the cowboy kid, I think his name was Garrett, every time they showed him. He was one of those sweet spirits not affected by all the BS out there...just a genuinely nice person, I thought, which was refreshing. I couldn''t watch the Brokeback spoof, though...I record the shows so I can flip through the commercials, and I flipped right through that because I didn''t want to see him portrayed as foolish. I hope life treats him well, and that he comes back better than ever some future season.

Simon is just Simon, and I''m glad. I like him for his honesty, and I''ve always thought since the first season that although his demeanor isn''t the friendliest, he really means well and gives wonderful, honest, and constructive criticism. No sugarcoating, no BS, no beating around the bush, he just states the truth and it''s take it or leave it. I''m sure I would be in tears if I were up there on the chopping block, but I respect him for his "brutal honesty."

Here''s how much of a total AI geek I am: I''ve already composed my top 12 list! I did the same thing last year and came out pretty much in line with my original picks! I know, I''m a total freak, ha!

 

[pearcrazy]

EW DECO that guy is icky!!! I''m so not a fan of going-gray-early types and his hair looks like a bad wig!! Sorry gal can''t get behind ya on that one!~~ Mara

I can get behind you Deco! Taylor looks a lot like my DH with his grey hair and dark eyebrows. My DH started going grey in his 20''s and now that he''s 41 has almost as much grey as Taylor. I think he looks hot!

 

[moon river]

Date: 2/17/2006 1:58:01 AM
Author: monarch64
Oh, but Moonriver, did you see last night''s episode when Mandisa totally gave Simon a guilt trip about his comment ''we''ll need a bigger stage''? She waltzes into the room and says ''couldn''t get a bigger stage, but ya coulda got a bigger chair...'' then goes on to tell Simon that although she was hurt and cried over his original comment, she has found it within her heart (and faith) to forgive him, and doesn''t need an apology. It was SO fabulous, I almost fell off my couch writhing with glee. Ever the cynic, Simon completely kept his composure and gave her hugs, which was nice.

You HAVE to visit the AI website to catch up if you can''t watch, moon! I think it''s idolonfox.com, but if that''s not correct, you can always do a search for ''American Idol'' and it will come right up. You''ll get a laugh out of it, for sure! They have a guy on there who gives his own cynical opinions on every aspect of the shows that are on each week, he is hysterical.

Good for her!!!! A true example of being the better person!

 

[Cailet]

OMG - How have I missed this thread?? I am a total AI addict. I don''t go to the concert but we DVR all the shows and vote towards the end. That''s right I said WE. The BF is just as hooked as me (although he tries to deny it). Ever since BO was on he can''t stop watching.

Mara-- I totally agree - bald Chris is SOOOO cute. And I hate that Brenna girl - what the heck was up with the smacking her own behind during the group performance? That was so hoochie mama I couldn''t stand it. I think we pressed rewind at least 3 times to giggle over that.

Ace is definitely too pretty (is it just me or does it look like he is wearing blush the whoel time??) but he can really sing so who knows? Gotta be an improvement over constantine from last year....

And Elliot had gum in his mouth when he was signing. He teeth were gross - but not that rotten LOL

My BF is rooting for Taylor Hicks too. I think he may be voting like crazy to keep him on right from the start this year!!

 

[Mara]

Ok so above and beyond me not thinking Taylor is attractive in the least, I seriously don't think he's that great of a singer!! Sure he has a different style but I am much more impressed vocally with some of the other people. I don't get the draw!!

Cailet, god that Brenna girl is just over the top. Smackin' the behind and her big brash 'I'm a Simon' speech, yack...and she's not that great either! I was actually really shocked they kept her. I thought that her group-mate, the small quiet girl was a better singer and she didn't get on the stage and look like she was riding the pony!

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

LOVE LOVE LOVE American Idol- and so does my fiance- we''re ridiculous!

Totally rooting for blonde country girl, Paris, and TAYLOR! They are all so fricking cute- not only are they all really talented- they have the sweetest personalities. Brenna...girl needs to go. She is SO obnoxious, not to mention classless. No thank you.

Also, Ace is really pretty- he''s got that soap opera actor look about him. I swear he looks like someone from "Guiding Light" another silly show I watch sometimes.

 

[Mara]

Oh and this is AI unrelated but to anyone who is watching the Bachelor, Susan the girl who he didn''t choose this week, anyone feel like she''d be an awesome soap opera star? She SO has that look about her. I was thinking that this week while watching it that I could see her being all dramatic over someone being sick in the hospital or something. ''No John it''s really YOUR baby!!!''

 

[littlelysser]

Mara - Susan looks like a total soapstar. You are exactly right. She''s very pretty but LORD is she vapid. DOn''t know if you watch the show...but one of the best moments was when the Bachelor told her that he was worried that she was saying what he wanted to hear...and that people who agree with him for no reason are his pet peeve, and she was all like, "yeah, that is my pet peeve too." fabulous. televsion.

 

[decodelighted]

Moon River
That is such a cute animation! You''re feeding the IDOL BEAST!!!

Ivanadiamond & Pearcrazy
Coming home to your Taylor look-a-likes every night???

Second only to, you know, my awesome Fiance, blah blah blah

Mara
Taylor no sing good? Guess ya don''t like, um, Van Morrison or Ray Charles or Joe Cocker either!

BACHELOR DIGRESSION ALERT
I can picture that Susan on a soap, mostly ''cause I hate ''em and would never have to worry about seeing her ever again! What a FAKEY she is! My fave line of hers was 10 minutes into their first alone time she declared herself a "smitten kitten". VOMIT-O-LIO! Even HER PARENTS were both "onto her" and outwardly sabatoging her "act" for HIS SAKE. If your folks pick some random dude''s benefit over your own ... you must be a real peach.

 

[Mara]

I'm glad he was smart enough to see past Susan, some of her comments were just BIZARRE...aka when she said she had to 'solidify' herself as the 'first' girl in his mind, and she referred to this as 'winning the competition' in some previous episode. And YES even her parents were like 'are you doing this for the right reasons' and telling HIM 'are you sure no one is faking feelings in here? oh i don't mean you'...YIKES.

The thing was I really liked her in the beginning because she seemed sweet and genuine but gosh her true colors really came to light in the last few episodes!

Deco...yah I guess that Taylor's style of singing is just not my cup of tea, I don't listen to any of the other people you mentioned except Ray...I'm more of a belting out the soul girl like Alicia Keys or similar...so that's what I particularly look for in these competitions. to really 'sell the records' so I always think of more mainstream things. I didn't ADORE Carrie last time because she was more country which I don't like either, but she did have a really beautiful voice. Both Greg and I adored Vonzell and voted for her in the last few episodes!

So we'll see!

 

[ivanadiamond]

deco,

here is a pic of me and my grayhair!!! Every since George Clooney, those grey-haired boys get me every time!

 

[OldBride]

I''m sooo glad that someone started this thread. I, too, am an American Idol junkie, and have been since season 2.

So far I like Taylor Hicks, but I wish that he wouldn''t convulse so much when he sings. Ace is really pretty, but I haven''t heard enough of him to know if I like his voice. I also think that Chris and Patrick could be really good. As for the women, I like Mandisa and Paris, although I don''t Paris has lived up to the potential that she showed in the audition. It''s a shame that we haven''t heard so many of the finalists, since those who have had a lot of pre-top 24 exposure seem to have the edge.

For really good AI sites, check out www.rickey.org and www.mjsbigblog.com Both of these posters were 100% accurate in their predictions of the top 24. For great (and very snarky) recaps and a fairly good forum, I recommend www.televisionwithoutpity.com

I feel so much better now....

 

[Mara]

oooh ivana your hubby is a cutie. see now that's a grayhaired charmer i could understand!

OldBride, gotta love TWP...I am always on there cackling when I read the reviews!

Here's the last episode recaplet from TWP:

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=89&story=8844

Since I ffwd'd through Taylor's performances I never actually saw him convulsing but sounds like you weren't the only one noticing OB. Aww and TWP said my sweet Kellie looked like a stripper (well okay that shirt she had on kinda did).

 

[ivanadiamond]

Thanks MARA!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 2/17/2006 2:40:56 PM
Author: ivanadiamond
deco,
here is a pic of me and my grayhair!!! Every since George Clooney, those grey-haired boys get me every time!

Hubba hubba HUBBY!!

You guys are BOTH pretty gorgeous, no?

NOW I remember who else I thought Taylor Hicks looked like: a combo of George Clooney & MARK HARMON.

p.s.-- I used to work with a sexy grey-bie that resembeled Richard Gere: (his name is John Burke and he used to host all over cable, last stop: E! Entertainment News) Q-tie-pie.

 

[monarch64]

Does anyone else find that the Sinatra-crooner-type kid is just ADORABLE? He''s going to be such a hottie when he grows up, ha ha! He''s from Crystal Lake, IL, a suburb of Chi. a little bit north of where I live...hopefully I''ll be seeing him in a piano bar downtown someday!

And Will, the 16 yr. old, is too darn cute! I loved TWP''s comment about him and Paris being the cutest people ever.

Ivana, what a gorgeous man you have, and a beautiful couple you make! Something about Taylor''s grey hair/southern accent combo make me sigh (in a good way, lol). He''s a little convulsive, though, but it''s part of his schtick. I''m sure I''ll be annoyed by it at some point, but for now I''ll let myself be completely charmed by him!

 

[fire&ice]

Big AI fan! I''m rooting for my hometown Greensboro audition gals - Paris & cute blonde country girl (yes, there really are people like that in the smaller surronding counties).

 

[littlelysser]

I can''t wait for tomorrow night. SO excited. We''ll actually get to see the finalists sing...it always kind of bugs me that they don''t show all of then final 24 throughout the audition process. There are folks in the final 24 that I don''t know anything about and certainly don''t really know what they sound like. So bring on the final 24!

And I am also addicted to TWOP. For whatever that''s worth. And for the Bachelor fans, there is a thread on the Bachelor in the Competitive Reality forum.

 

[crafftygrrl]

My family loves AI, too. We all sit on one huge sofa in the family room and watch.

My DH emailed me this...Las Vegas odds on the contestants.

DO YOU AGREE????

Katharine McPhee 5 - 1
Paris Bennett 5 - 1
Kellie Pickler 7 - 1
Ace Young 7 - 1
Taylor Hicks 7 - 1
Chris Daughtrey 7 - 1
Jose ''Sway'' Penala 8 - 1
Mandisa Hundley 14 - 1
Melissa McGhee 14 - 1
Patrick Hall 14 - 1
Becky O''Donohue 14 - 1
Lisa Tucker 16 - 1
Heather Cox 16 - 1
Stevie Scott 20 - 1
Bucky Covington 20 - 1
Elliott Yamin 22 - 1
Kinnik Sky 22 - 1
Bobby Bennett 25 - 1
Brenna Gethers 25 - 1
Gedeon McKinney 25 - 1
Ayla Brown 28 - 1
David Radford 33 - 1
Kevin Covais 40 - 1
Will Makar 40 - 1

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

I agree. I think Mandisa, however, should have better odds than 14-1. That''s the only thing I don''t agree with. I do think that Katharine and Paris are front-runners but I have a feeling that one of them might choke.

 

[decodelighted]

I''m pretty sure Lisa Tucker was a former Star Search winner ... I''d def. move Lisa & Mandisa up in the rankings and "Sway" way, way down.

Can''t WAIT!!!!

 

[Mara]

I agree with all of the top (except maybe Taylor...hee hee) and I would also move Mandesa up...I''m not so sure about Katherine, I didn''t think she was THAT fabulous from what I could recall.

But I do think that the top ~6 or so are the ones to watch. I didn''t think Sway was that good at all actually...I thought a few others were better than him, definitely Mandesa!

 

[Cailet]

i have to agree with the list for the most part -- for a lot of the folks in the top 24 we haven''t heard them sing more than a few seconds worth. So who really knows?? Plus - signing in auditions and at the initial hollywood stuff is a lot different than singing in front of a live audience. I''m sure some of the folks that have been featured thus far will choke.

I would have to agree that Sway stinks - he needs to be lower on the list.

I also think Bucky needs to move a bit lower - I''m not a fan of country so I don''t listen to it much but I don''t think he will be able to sing any other type of musice? You know they always through crazy stuff in there (80s, big band, etc)

I''d like to say that Mandisa needs to be moved up - but with America voting you know they are going to stick to the "pretty people". On sheer talent she is way better than a lot of the folks (at least from what we have heard so far) but I just don''t see the voters (i.e. mostly MTV cloned teenagers) going for substance over "style". Sad but true - hopefully I will be proven wrong, but I''ll believe when I see it.
can''t wait to watch and see who comes out of the shadaows tonight!!!

 

[mrssalvo]

So, what''d ya''ll think? if you haven''t watched it yet...stop reading....


My favorite''s were Mandisa, Paris, Lisa, and Katherine, in no particular order. I thought kellie did a pretty good job too. I hope we see a lot more of them. I think Stevie and hopefully Brenna will say goodbye on thursday..

 

[decodelighted]

So ... (SPOILER ALERT)

space

don''t read

seriously ... if you don''t want to know ...

Simon said there were four great performances and Katherine McPhee was the best. I agree with him that she was the best and my personal girl fave BY FAR. Here''s my guess who else he was talking about

-- Paris
-- Mandisa
-- Lisa

Though I actually thought the basketball girl Ayla was better than Paris OR Mandisa. Lisa was phenomenal. Great episode!!!!! God I love AI.

 

[Mara]

For me, I thought Paris just stole the show. Katherine has a very precise and technically correct voice but she doesn't excite me as much as someone like a Paris does, with her young age and her exuberance and her exceptional talent AND she can dance and groove! I loved Paris. Katherine was good...Lisa was very good and I loved Mandisa too. I thought Ayla was very good, better than I expected but she bored me a little. Everyone else pretty much was mediocre for me....and I do agree with what the judges said regarding having some exceptional people there and it making the other gals look not as great because they just aren't!

Greg listens to the songs from a more precise technical viewpoint, because he's a musician, and he thought Katherine was the most in control of her voice...and he loved Paris and Lisa as well.

Oh and I was sooo disappointed in Kellie! I still adore her but she really has to do better next week. I know she has the voice, she just has to get over the nerves and pick songs that compliment her voice! C'Mon Kellie!

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Katharine, Mandisa, Paris and Lisa. WOW! and I say WOW! I was so impressed with their performances that the incline on the treadmill went way up! Katharine was the only one of the that was almost technically flawless.

Paris'' performance was just awesome!!! Both Lisa and her exude so much confidence and poise for their young age! Bravo!!!!!

Brenna and Becky should take lessons in humility and poise from these girls.

Mandisa was just awesome!!!!!!! She''s a big girl, but she can move and she''s so beautiful. I adored her. She''s the only "older" girl that I would vote through at this point.

Ayla surprised me. I didn''t think she was that good from what we saw. Her performance was pretty. But she is ... bland. She aint no top 4. Kellie just didn''t cut the mustard this time. But I think she''s got chops. I''d give her another chance although I don''t think she can outshine anyone in the top 4. Heather McGuee was not bad. I also like the tone of her voice. It''s kind of sexy! She didn''t get much exposure from Hollywood week, I hope to see more of her next week. Heather Cox.. can you sing without any less passion. I thought the song "moved" her. It didn''t move me. She has a nice voice and she''s cute. I''d give her one more chance but I don''t think she''ll make it through next week unless she steps it up 100%. Stevie Scott. Girl! This is AI. No one cares about opera. They don''t care that you are classicly trained. They don''t care that you have a falsetto and chest voice. All they want is for you to bring it. You didn''t. If it were up to me i''d give you another chance..but she may be in the bottom 3.

Bottom 2:

Brenna Gethers: Can you get over yourself for a minute. I don''t know why the judges put this girl through. The posing?! I wanted to smack her. It would be a different story if she could blow, but she can''t. I know she can''t, she doesn''t have any range. That comment that Paula made about her having a "slice of humble pie". Man if that is the case she should have eaten the whole darn pie...because if she was humble, Webster needs to rewrite the word''s definition.

Becky O''Donague: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We know. She''s pretty. She''s commercial. She has a twin sister who gets about as much exposure as she does just because she''s pretty. Let''s face it! She looks like every other starlet in Hollywood that can''t sing worth a damn. This is not America''s Next Top Model people (which I''m sure the twins have auditioned for) This year.. so many of those girls are gorgeous AND can sing. This girl can''t sing. BECAUSE THE NIGHT! Oh my gosh, it sounded like the awful local talent show who will take anyone. It was all kinds of awful.

And.. if i forgot anyone, you can be sure they probably won''t make it through cause I can''t bring myself to remember them.

Sooo, after I wrote this I realized that I forgot.. Kinnik - She has a good voice. I remember thinking that she had a good voice. But apparently she didn''t make an impact on me, good or bad for me to feel like I had to write something about her.. sooo.

 

[Cailet]

I''m thinking Stevie and Kinnik will go home. As much as I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see Brenna or Becky go home - I think there are enough idiots out there to keep them in it for at least another week.

MY top performances were: Katherine, Mandisa, Lisa and Melissa (even though you have never seen her before - she really sounded pretty good if you could get past the 2lbs of make up!)

I was really hoping Stevie would do good -- I mean she''s classically trained - seemed a bit quirky - either she had a major case of nerves or just went totally crazy right before she went on stage - she was SOOO bad! I felt bad for her.

Kinnik wasn''t bad - but she is SO forgettable. She''s not really that pretty (compared to the other contestants), she didn''t really come off as having much of a personality and we haven''t really seen much from her before last night. Her performance definitely wasn''t the worst, but far from the best - plus I think she is the oldest. All factors working against her I think....

And not to be the voice of dissention (sp??) but I didn''t LOVE Paris. _ducks under the desk to avoid flying objects_
I LOVE LOVE LOVED her in auditions. I LOVE her when she speaks. She is the cutest little thing. But I really thought her performance was disappointing (not the dancing or the personality part of it - just the signing). She has such a unique voice and it just didn''t come across last night for me (or for my boyfriend - first words out of his mouth - "I thought she''d be better") I still think she will go really far - in the words of Randy: "I just wasn''t feeling it last night"

Can''t wait to see what the guys do!!