Comments on: "American Idol": Same As It Ever Was

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:15:40 +0000

Rich–Agree with your comments. But I still wonder how Jason managed to get to the top 12 or even top 24??? Didn't the judges see that coming? Or were they blind-sighted by the "teeny-bopper" mindset??

By: Rich Heldenfels

Rich Heldenfels — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:28:03 +0000

I think we can all agree that "American Idol" is a popularity contest, and no declarations to the contrary should be believed. No question Brooke gets sympathy votes. In fact, she traffics in them; does vulnerability almost nonstop. That said, Ryan Seacrest encouraged sympathy votes for Jason this week when he raised the whole how-should-you-vote question on the performance show. As for the voters, there's no question that young voters can drive choices for a long time; when we get to the finals, with just two contestants, I think it skews middle-aged and traditional.

By: Ann V.

Ann V. — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:12:34 +0000

It seems like it's always the singers in the middle - not the leaders, not the failures - that end up going. Americans love the underdog and really vote the heck out of dismal performances. I said it somewhere else, how could Brooke ever headline her own tour if she can't even make it through one song (in front of a very supportive audience) without stopping, twitching or weeping? She can't win. Syesha has been skating near the bottom and may go home next. Carly should take heart that Jennifer Hudson only made it to the top six - and she's done alright for herself.

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:10:47 +0000

Ha ha. I still like Jason, who seems lovably goofy when not singing, but CAN be very good with songs that suit his unique style. For better or worse, he has remained true to what he does best (as seen on YouTube in the cafe with "Crazy" and with his unforgettable "Daydream"). He'd better pick a winner with Neil Diamond's tunes; there are certainly a lot of great choices; should be a killer week for David Cook.

Who knows how singers like Reuben and Taylor Hicks (aack!) win this competition? Makes it seem like middle-aged women are doing the voting [surely no teens would speed-dial for those two]. Which could explain why Carly and her very shouty performance got axed this week. That song, in particular, was not a wise choice in appealing to midwest traditional voters.

By: American Idol » “American Idol”: Same As It Ever Was

American Idol » “American Idol”: Same As It Ever Was — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:05:27 +0000

[...] Tuned In - TV Blog - Television Reviews - James Poniewozik - TIME wrote an interesting post today on "American Idol": Same As It Ever WasHere's a quick excerpt"American Idol": Same As It Ever Was April 24th, 2008 Every year there comes a point when the "American Idol" votes favor an undeserving contestant over better singers. You can trace the line from Nikki McKibbin to Sanjaya Malakar. And every year, when that happens, someone mutters about the show having turned into a popularity contest instead of a singing competition, even though popularity is crucial to mobilizing voters. Every year, we see someone who suffers from a passion gap — being g [...]

By: American Idol » "American Idol": Same As It Ever Was

American Idol » "American Idol": Same As It Ever Was — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:54:08 +0000

[...] rheldenfels wrote an interesting post today on "American Idol": Same As It Ever WasHere's a quick excerptEvery year there comes a point when the "American Idol" votes favor an undeserving contestant over better singers. You can trace the line from Nikki McKibbin to Sanjaya Malakar. And every year, when that happens, someone mutters about … [...]

By: Gus

Gus — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:15:07 +0000

You have just said everything that I have thought about Jason Castro all year long. While obviously there have been bad singers this year (KLC, Amanda Overmyer), and the ones that are poised to "win it all," (the Davids), Jason Castro is just nothing to me. Up until this past week my wife loved him, but every time I asked her why she couldn't give me a reason! Tuesday night seemed to end the love affair, though.

And as for Brooke, obviously she also belonged in the bottom two this week as well and somehow managed to escape, which makes me think she may have received somewhat of a sympathy vote. At least to me she seems very genuine and real in her emotions (more so than some of the others), and I'm wondering if maybe that is getting through to some voters.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:45:40 +0000

I feel a little cheated too: I know life's not fair, and especially reality TV, but I want to watch and know every week, the contestants have been given the opportunity to be their best and the decision is based on who's best was the best (starting to sound like that Nike commercial…). ALW theme was bad from the word go: the kids in the mosh pit don't know any of this genre, nor would they go out and willingly purchase it.

My mom made a good point yesterday: just what is the "American Idol" supposed to be? Maybe a revisit to that definition is in order. Is this a popularity contest? Are we selecting the most marketable contestant? Does actual talent fall into the equation? Are we giving someone who would normally not have the opportunity to get a record deal the chance to secure one?

I wasn't gung-ho on the former contestants who had record deals, but quibbiling over all the points above made me realize that it shouldn't matter.

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