Playing an instrument doesn't make you any more or less of an artist. Pretty much anybody can find the opportunity to learn an instrument anyway. You can be bad at playing an instrument just as easily as you can be bad at singing. And we're talking about American Idol here. If Idol was called "Let's find the new James Taylor or Carole King" then I would get the importance of it, but since Idol isn't.. I can't say I feed into the whole superiority complex of one who plays. Idol producers want to find someone with 'IT factor' . 'IT factor' is something that you are born with, not something you can learn.
Canadian Idol Fans Watching American Idol
- Thread starter ross 1
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No you're right - but having the opportunity to show all your abilities as an artist does. And that's what I'm interested in. It isn't the voice, the It factor, the playing of instruments, or musicality. It's the combination of all of the above. When they have the opportunities to showcase what they can of themselves - then I get really interested. When you only get to see part of their appeal or if the show itself limits them - then I lose interest in the show and them as artists.
YES! I was trying to find a way to reply, but now I don't have to because I agree 100% with what you said SleepinIn!
I agree completely. So, if playing an instrument doesn't make you any less of an artist, why would Idol not allow instruments to people who are more comfortable playing them?
I believe the conundrum is that voters just naturally vote for people who display superior musical ability. But Idol wants another Ke$ha or Katy Perry - whose popularity is probably not based on superior talent, and is probably the result of appealing to young kids who haven't got mature levels of taste. So Idol now wants to limit instruments because they think it will eliminate some of the contestants who don't stand a chance of being the next talent-challeged bimbo pop icon. But all it will probably do is get Idol cancelled faster, because nobody wants to go backwards and repeat the mistakes of past seasons.
I'm not sure what you're saying. I agree someone who plays an instrument is not automatically superior. I don't think any of us are saying that. But what is your premise? That singing talent is not learned, in the same way playing an instrument is learned? Because it usually is, to some extent. Or that instrumentalists don't have "it factor?" Because obviously, many do. I guess I'm missing the point.
Does this count as an example of "IT factor"?
30 Sexiest Stars of 2010 - NYPOST.com
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Nigel Lythgoe says "Idol contestants will still be able to play instruments just not every week". Contestants will still have the opportunities to showcase what they can of themselves, so what's the problem? I think it's good that they limit how often contestants can use instruments because there were a lot of guitars last season and it got very repetitive. I felt that most of contestants were using their guitars as a crutch or aprop. It can diverts attention away from the singing, allows those who don't know how to work the stage to simply stand there.
Ke$ha and Katy Perry can play instruments and write or co-write most of their own songs, so I don't see your point. And most popular female Idols are Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia and Jordin Sparks and none of them are talentless bimbos.
An 'X factor' or an 'IT factor' refers to an attitude or a presence that exudes charismatic vibe and it often describe someone with special magnetic quality. It's not about being good looking.
I think my point was clear, so I'm not going to waste my time repeating it. You don't fool anybody when you play at misunderstanding what people post. You know I never said anything like that about those four girls.
I don't feel like arguing with you any more so I'm putting you on my ignore list and won't be able to read your posts any more. I think you're just a trouble maker. See ya.
I agree that last season, some of the contestants very much looked as though they were hiding behind their guitars, but I think that it was a casting problem. I saw a lot of live shows this fall and none of the artists looked as though they were hiding behind their instruments and it never got repetitive, and I don't think it should become repetitive. If it does, well, then I blame AI for not choosing better contestants. And I don't think that having an instrument to play should detract from having stage presence. I'm personally much more interested in seeing someone with charisma play their instrument than someone "work the stage", which I'm not even sure what it means. Dancing around? Walking across the stage? None of that is interesting to me.
Win Butler from Arcade Fire has incredible stage presence (I think all of them in the band do actually), even though he's mostly always standing there playing his guitar:
YouTube - Arcade Fire - Ready to Start (Unstaged)
I think what ross means when he talked about Katy Perry and Kesha is that their careers are not based on their awesome vocals, because let's be honest, these two girls sound horrible live. So, they probably wouldn't make it on Idol based on their vocals. Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia and Jordin are all very good singers in their own genres. And since it seems that Idol is looking to find somebody who could be popular like Katy Perry and Kesha, whose careers are not based really on musical talent, it doesn't make much sense. That's why I like the idea of the musician on Idol. Someone singing the old classics, well, it's kind of boring and old-fashioned. Someone who wants to dress flashy and provocative and dance around while lip-syncing, that doesn't interest me. So the musician who can take the old classic (or any song) and put his/her own touch on it, that's interesting to me. And I don't really understand why Idol wants to take that away while it's given us some of the best moments of the last few seasons. Not that someone needs an instrument for that to be possible, but it does help if they have other musical abilities than singing, in my opinion.
(I posted this before I saw your reply from above ross)
Win Butler from Arcade Fire has incredible stage presence (I think all of them in the band do actually), even though he's mostly always standing there playing his guitar:
YouTube - Arcade Fire - Ready to Start (Unstaged)
I think what ross means when he talked about Katy Perry and Kesha is that their careers are not based on their awesome vocals, because let's be honest, these two girls sound horrible live. So, they probably wouldn't make it on Idol based on their vocals. Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia and Jordin are all very good singers in their own genres. And since it seems that Idol is looking to find somebody who could be popular like Katy Perry and Kesha, whose careers are not based really on musical talent, it doesn't make much sense. That's why I like the idea of the musician on Idol. Someone singing the old classics, well, it's kind of boring and old-fashioned. Someone who wants to dress flashy and provocative and dance around while lip-syncing, that doesn't interest me. So the musician who can take the old classic (or any song) and put his/her own touch on it, that's interesting to me. And I don't really understand why Idol wants to take that away while it's given us some of the best moments of the last few seasons. Not that someone needs an instrument for that to be possible, but it does help if they have other musical abilities than singing, in my opinion.
(I posted this before I saw your reply from above ross)
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Whatever. You always act like your music taste is SOOOosoOSOO better than others and can't even accept that people have different opinions :roll:
ross said; "nobody wants to go backwards and repeat the mistakes of past seasons.". Can you explain "the mistakes of past seasons"? And I don't know why some people insist that Idol is looking to find a Katy Perry/Kesha type artist. I think they are looking to find idols like Carrie and Kelly who have successful long-term careers.
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But we haven't seen season 10 yet. So we don't know what they are doing really. My preference is that we see the artist how they themselves want to be seen. And that means that if they choose to use an instrument where it shouldn't be then we see that too. All of that would influence my feelings about an artist in the real world so why not in Idol?
It did get repetitive, but that wasn't about instruments IMO, it was the fact that the people they cast who didn't have a guitar in their hands.. kind of sucked even worse than the ones with guitars.
LOL Oh, season 9.. you were so, so bad.and in other news.. Paula Abdul has a brain.
Paula Abdul says ?I have a brain? - thestar.com
and according to the picture on this article Steven Perry is the new host of Idol. Heh.
What to watch in January - thestar.com
Finally! Something from David in the studio!
YouTube - NEW ALBUM TEASER - David Cook
LOVE the piano at the beginning!
YouTube - NEW ALBUM TEASER - David Cook
LOVE the piano at the beginning!
Yeah, but I don't think it was the point of the teaser. I think it's just that some fans had grown more and more impatient since it seems David hadn't been in the studio a lot during the fall. Some were starting to make up theories about what was happening. David seems very sensitive to that, he always seems to know when fans are getting restless. So, I believe that's why they decided to post something to show that yes, work in the studio was still happening.
Somebody explained it better than I did: David Cook = 42 Blog Archive Unpacking.
Somebody explained it better than I did: David Cook = 42 Blog Archive Unpacking.
Ha! Yeah, there was probably some tongue in cheek stuff in there. But it was all done with love. The woman who wrote that is the moderator of the only Cook forum I still visit. It's not super busy, but it's a great community. She made several very good points in her blog post, I thought.
It was definitely done with a lot of love - still, I was surprised she got all that from a one-minute clip. I sometimes am amazed at the devotion of fans. Even though I'm a devoted fan, myself, I guess.
So have you been looking at what EW says are and are not the changes that will be happening (on Idol)? At least they've succeeded in creating some interest. The show has, I mean. But none of the changes make me too happy - at least in theory. It doesn't sound like the kind of music I want to hear. I think that as time goes on, the contestants became more outspoken or able to ask things for themselves. Which I think is good, since it's important for artists to go their own way, be creative in their own way. And yet here we have what seems like more and more producer control over the music. So I'm curious what the idols will do. Will they go along or will they rebel?
Alright With Me gets much love from Toronto On The Go (Top songs of the year):
The Top 30 Songs of 2010: 15-1 On The GO in TO
So have you been looking at what EW says are and are not the changes that will be happening (on Idol)? At least they've succeeded in creating some interest. The show has, I mean. But none of the changes make me too happy - at least in theory. It doesn't sound like the kind of music I want to hear. I think that as time goes on, the contestants became more outspoken or able to ask things for themselves. Which I think is good, since it's important for artists to go their own way, be creative in their own way. And yet here we have what seems like more and more producer control over the music. So I'm curious what the idols will do. Will they go along or will they rebel?
Alright With Me gets much love from Toronto On The Go (Top songs of the year):
The Top 30 Songs of 2010: 15-1 On The GO in TO
It sounded like she was making fun of the detective skills of Idol fans, (with love though) yeah, I'd say we're pretty devoted too. lmao.
The gender parity thing makes me happy. I want the best people whoever they are.. if that means that if you want a girl to win you have to vote for her a billion times.. .. then that's what it takes. It's not impossible. 4 out of 9 winners are girls afterall.
The producer advice thing is really going to depend on if we like his advice or not. So it's too soon to call. It could go either way. I hope he can give them valid advice.
and go On the Go TO !(whatever that is) Whoot Kris love in Canada makes me happy.
You know I heard someone at work say that they were excited about Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler on Idol, and that's the first time I've heard anyone sound that way about Idol in awhile. So I think it could be a really good season, as long as the talent is there.. and there's someone I like... ('cause.. yes. it's all about me)
Heh. All those changes don't really appeal either. We'll see how it really ends up when the show airs. They seem to have all these ideas of grandeur, but will they really work? I have my doubts. At least, it's cool for the contestants that they'll be working with big-shot producers, but I'm very very curious to see hom much control these producers will really have. If they have too much, it will definitely suck. But, if they manage to help the contestants improve their song choices, that could be cool.
The only thing that I really like is the possibility for the contestants to sing original songs (if they really allow it). They've been doing it since 2003 on Star Académie and it's worked very well, so I don't see why it wouldn't work on Idol.
Remember the survey they did last spring to ask what fans wanted (was it last spring?)? As somebody I follow on twitter posted, it doesn't seem like they really listened to the fans. At least, not the fans I know.
Edit: Ha! I had only read the Hollywood Reporter blurb earlier and just read the EW piece. Seriously, they don't know what they're going to do, I stick with that idea. They had/have all these ideas, but I bet very few of them will actually happen.
The only thing that I really like is the possibility for the contestants to sing original songs (if they really allow it). They've been doing it since 2003 on Star Académie and it's worked very well, so I don't see why it wouldn't work on Idol.
Remember the survey they did last spring to ask what fans wanted (was it last spring?)? As somebody I follow on twitter posted, it doesn't seem like they really listened to the fans. At least, not the fans I know.
Edit: Ha! I had only read the Hollywood Reporter blurb earlier and just read the EW piece. Seriously, they don't know what they're going to do, I stick with that idea. They had/have all these ideas, but I bet very few of them will actually happen.
My gut feeling is they're trying too hard. I don't know how else to say it, it just seems too contrived and forced. What is so hard about making this show interesting? If there are good contestants, if they're good singers and musicians, then, it's interesting. Pick good people and let them sing and give them some choice of what to sing and how to arange it, and give them enough time onscreen to sing a decent amount of music (instead of cutting back on their screen time and songs) - and you have the essense of AI, a simple show and a great show if people stay out of the way of the talent and the competition.
It's now 11:47 and I read that EW article at about 6:30, and I can't really remember what I read, now. But some part about arranging the songs for the contestants and using tracks along with the live band - it just struck me as meddling. I just think the show is going to be more controlled than ever.
It's now 11:47 and I read that EW article at about 6:30, and I can't really remember what I read, now. But some part about arranging the songs for the contestants and using tracks along with the live band - it just struck me as meddling. I just think the show is going to be more controlled than ever.