Canadian Idol Fans Watching American Idol

[missaddicted]

I want to see Kris live too!! I'm so jealous! I really like his recorded music, but I realize more and more that I really need to see an artist live to connect with their music.

And I totally get what you're saying about femal singers on this show. Maybe a girl like Brooke White did fit into that category of different female singers that make it far on Idol, but there haven't been too many. And that's too bad because I'm not a big fan of the female singers that do make it on Idol.

Like this week, everyone was blown away by Candace Glover (the girl who was in a Las Vegas group last year with Jessica Sanchez and DeAndre). I found her absolutely uninteresting. No charisma, a very common voice, nothing really distinctive about her. Okay, her voice is powerful, but other than that? I don't see anything else.

So, I remain thoroughly unimpressed by Idol this year. Since I saw the spoilers, I know that some of the ones I actually found interesting and distinctive didn't make it into the top 40, that's unfortunate.

 

[ross 1]

I want to see Kris live too!! I'm so jealous! I really like his recorded music, but I realize more and more that I really need to see an artist live to connect with their music.

Well, it's the best way, of course. I also prefer live performances. YouTube is great, though. Something recorded live is the next best thing, and I have to settle for that most of the time. As for Kris, at least he's finally coming to Canada :canada: but the gig is in Toronto. I think maybe the closest he comes to you on this tour is Burlington, VT. Same general area where I saw him open for Keith Urban.

Like this week, everyone was blown away by Candace Glover (the girl who was in a Las Vegas group last year with Jessica Sanchez and DeAndre). I found her absolutely uninteresting. No charisma, a very common voice, nothing really distinctive about her. Okay, her voice is powerful, but other than that? I don't see anything else.

Me either!! I have nothing to add because that says it all, my opinion.

They must be so desperate this year for a girl winner. Girl winner needs a big voice (they probably think). Nigel said, also, that he'd like more r&b. Of course, we don't know at this point how far she actually ended up going.

The last thing I want this year is a big belter of r&b tunes in the style of 2003. But who knows?
:roll:

 

[missaddicted]

It's true that Burlington is not too far from Montréal (well, except if you wait 2 hours at the border!), but I can't travel there this year. Alors, YouTube is not enough for me anymore. I'm spoiled! I saw like 25 live shows last year, I can't settle for the bad sound quality and the shaky cameras of some YouTube videos! And a big part of live shows is the atmosphere in the room, which you don't get from videos. Even a StageIt show is not enough for me, I find it super boring. Anyway, like I said, I'm spoiled when live shows are concerned!

 

[ross 1]

It's true that Burlington is not too far from Montréal (well, except if you wait 2 hours at the border!), but I can't travel there this year. Alors, YouTube is not enough for me anymore. I'm spoiled! I saw like 25 live shows last year, I can't settle for the bad sound quality and the shaky cameras of some YouTube videos! And a big part of live shows is the atmosphere in the room, which you don't get from videos. Even a StageIt show is not enough for me, I find it super boring. Anyway, like I said, I'm spoiled when live shows are concerned!

Haha, well, I agree with you, you ARE spoiled. Seriously, you like what you like, and that's cool.

I understand where you're coming from. In my case, I just take what comes. If I have to settle for second best quality, third best, YouTube, or whatever, I will, rather than missing something.

I don't think you need to attend live theatre to see good acting or experience theatre, you can also watch DVDs, TV, or go to the movies. Same with sports, you don't need to be there. I feel similarly about music performances. It's best, live, but I'll take it any way I can get it.

Anyhow the reason I'm posting again is this morning I watched the Thursday episode of Idol "On Demand" so I thought I'd comment on it.

I don't remember names, very well, at this point.

First, I have to say - I haven't been watching all the episodes closely but I haven't seen an abundance of the so called WGWG's this audition season. Hm. I have seen a lot of loud singers. Not a lot of artistry or nuance, so far.

I'll start out with the last guy, who had shorts on. The one they gave a standing O to, and raved about. They said it wasn't an audition, it was Entertainment.

I think it was on Canadian Idol that they used to sometimes ask auditioners to sing the national anthem. I would like to ask people like this guy to do that - to really judge the quality of his voice and his ability to sing lyrics. I think vocal runs tend to obscure these things. I thought he missed a few notes. Pitch wasn't anything like perfect. I'm bored by this kind of singing. Idol is getting to be all about big singers again. I think a singer can be great and also big - but big, without being great, is more typical.

Some other people...the "weird" kid whose last name was Askew...he was kind of likeable, I saw no evidence of him being shy, I was wondering if his parents made it up. lol. I mean seriously. He seemed as talkative and normal as anyone else. He's very short, way shorter than Seacrest, who is short. His singing was really not much to my liking but I can't claim he can't sing. It's funny though how Idol seems to be about discovering pop, mainstream rock, or country artists, but they always go nuts for voices that sound to me like people in musicals, or in choirs.

Going out of order...the girl with the broken leg, headband, and dark hair. Another very big voice. I don't hear anything I can relate to in these singers. They seem efficient, empty.

Paul Jolly - this name I remember, for some reason. It was touching when he got the gold ticket and his grandma who's recently widowed said to Seacrest, "This is for my husband." Of course, I kind of hate that people get so invested in a cheesy reality show that getting a gold ticket becomes something to cry over. And Seacrest becomes something like the local priest, who hugs and comforts you. It's kinda weird, you have to admit, if you really think about it.

His voice is strong, he's not a singer whose voice made me fall in love with it.

The doctor who sings...at least I thought his voice had a warm, human quality, and his singing had a vulnerability or something I felt was like "yearning." I didn't think he sang great, otherwise. But it's nice to hear a voice that sounds human and personal.

 

[ross 1]

Idology kinda disagrees with me.

American Idol - TVLine

Gee, I'm so not loving the divas.

 

[missaddicted]

I admit I was excited for the Hollywood rounds to start, after three weeks of really boring auditions, but oh boy, what a sad bunch of guys we saw last night. I mean, I'm sure there were some talented ones, but the producer meddling is clearer than ever. Boys, too bad for you, but we want a GIRL this year. I predict this will come back to bite them. We'll see how tonight plays out, but I've yet to see someone I could root for. Not that much more excited for the girls. They're clearly looking for "loud" singers, and not "good" singers. Loud doesn't equal good. And what's with all the RnB/Gospel/"runs-loving" guys (and girls too)? Well, don't answer that, I know the answer, they clearly didn't want to include some original pop/rock singing guys. "Haha, fangirls, you won't get your WGWG winner this year!". If we end up with a bunch of Jacob Lusks or Joshua Ledets at the beginning of the finals, I definitely won't be watching. Of course, it has nothing to do with them being black guys, it's not the first "W" of the "WGWG" formula that matters to me. I'm just not a fan of the type of singing we heard 90% of the time last night (and it was a trademark for both Lusk and Ledet in the last two years).

 

[ross 1]

missaddicted, we're on the same page on a lot of this stuff.

I admit I was excited for the Hollywood rounds to start, after three weeks of really boring auditions, but oh boy, what a sad bunch of guys we saw last night.

I wasn't sure what the point was of the producers choosing the groups. More drama, by putting opposites together? I guess they had drama, but then isn't there usually a lot of drama, anyway? Not sure what separating the boys from the girls proved, either.

Anyhow, it sucked. Was there even one outstanding group, or performance by any one singer?

Boys, too bad for you, but we want a GIRL this year

Yeah, it occurred to me, too. After giving the producers every benefit of the doubt, I still came to the same conclusion.

We'll see how tonight plays out, but I've yet to see someone I could root for. Not that much more excited for the girls. They're clearly looking for "loud" singers, and not "good" singers. Loud doesn't equal good. And what's with all the RnB/Gospel/"runs-loving" guys (and girls too)? Well, don't answer that, I know the answer, they clearly didn't want to include some original pop/rock singing guys. "Haha, fangirls, you won't get your WGWG winner this year!".

I haven't seen the Thursday night show yet. I'll probably watch it sometime tomorrow. (Depending on the snowstorm and what I'm doing.) But just based on what I've seen of this season, yeah, you're reading my mind. I'm not sure what's up with all the r&b singers except Nigel did say not too many days ago that he would like to see Idol produce an r&b singer this season?

Personally, I like certain kinds of r&b and I have no problem with r&b singers being represented, but r&b doesn't have to equate with loud singing or runs. Michael Jackson wasn't a loud singer or a run singer, for ex.

But the other kind, that we've seen so much of already this season, is not my favorite and isn't it just a little old-fashioned? Is it even in vogue right now? I'm not hearing a lot of loud, run-singing guys on the radio right now, for ex.

Anyhow vocal tricks are okay for wowing people at auditions but it takes more than that to be a goog singer. Oops. Good. That was an actual typo! lol

I'm curious about the Top 20 and seeing how the vote goes. I'll probably watch the show anyway, even if I like nobody, just for the curiosity factor, and to see if the judges have any backbone and will do some honest judging.

 

[missaddicted]

Personally, I like certain kinds of r&b and I have no problem with r&b singers being represented, but r&b doesn't have to equate with loud singing or runs. Michael Jackson wasn't a loud singer or a run singer, for ex.

Good point! I have no problem with R&B singers being represented either, of course not. It's just when 90% of the guys seem to be R&B singers, it lacks variety and originality.

to see if the judges have any backbone and will do some honest judging.

You'll probably like Nicki on Thursday's show then! She made some very valid points and was brutally honest with some.

Speaking of Thursday's show. I liked some of the guys a bit more. Like Nick Boddington, the guy with the percing blue eyes and who accompanied himself on the keyboard. I don't even remember what he sang, but I remember thinking he sounded good. (Okay, just checked Slezak's recap, he sang Stars by Grace Potter.)

I also liked Jimmy Smith (James Smith? Did his parents lack any kind of originality?). He sang Landslide and managed to make it sound fresh.

The first guy we heard, Paul Jolley, I thought he sounded pretty good, but he seemed like a wimp. Man up, dude!

Finally, I liked Gurpreet Singh (not sure I actually want to call him The Turbanator!). We didn't heard a lot of his Georgia On My Mind, but I thought he sounded way better than during his audition.

The other guys kind of blended into one another. Well, Lazaro is still an adorable cutie, and his singing was fine, but I don't think he'll become my favorite. Too bad, the other adorable cutie with a good voice, Nate Tao (the guy with the deaf parents) was eliminated without us hearing his performance.

Oh and I already dislike Curtis Finch Jr. a whole lot. First of all because of the overwhelming and unnecessary vocal acrobatics, but also, and mostly, because of his sucky attitude and his huge ego. I hope he gets taken down a peg by Nicki in the coming episodes.

 

[ross 1]

I still haven't seen the Thursday show. I can watch it on "On Demand" but not in hi def, or wide screen, so the Thursday shows seem so different and old fashioned. lol

Watching The Grammys. Didn't Taylor S. used to (just a year or 2 ago) be this simple country pop singer whose little songs touched people, esp high school girls? Ha. This Britney-like performance was somewhat unexpected.

Now I'm watching Fun.

ross doesn't mind rough vocals, but painfully screechy, yeah.

I liked their acceptance speech. The songs are hooky. Though I like a real beat, not marching band rhythm. Afraid their songs are all gonna sound alike before long. The big, loud, choral chanting sound is not all them, I mean, it's a track (live), right? - or post production (recorded). Saw them play acoustic on a local news show lately and it sounded way different.

But so sad Carly and good ol' Josh Ramsay from Marianas Trench didn't win this. Insert Canadian flag emoticon here. British Columbia flag, in fact. And a small tear.

Anyhow I thought I'd see if I can do a quick reply even tho I haven't watched the episode yet (but will).

I'm not sure about Lazaro. Need to hear him more. Not fond of the crying, he tried my patience. Speaking of manning up.

I feel bad he has the stutter, of course. I had a friend with a stutter almost that bad. Then there was a big country singer named Mel Tillis who stuttered. Like, he'd be on a talk show and stuttered until he got up to sing, then - perfect. Similar to L.

I guess that's all I can comment on except yeah, Paul Jolley seems to me as you described him.

I can't say much more till I force myself to watch the episode.

 

[PoliticalNick]

Hey all....another season under way and I just got caught up....thank god for PVRs ;-)

I kind of like the idea of them not choosing their own groups though I would like to see more of a random draw than the producer's choice.

My thoughts so far....definitely a lot of R&B but of course we never see everyone till the live shows. My favorite guy so far is the quirky red-head (his name escapes me) who sang 'somebody that I used to know'. So far he has been he only one I could call an artist.

 

[ross 1]

I don't know, PoliticalNick, I think the result of the producers choosing the groups speaks for itself. I didn't think any of the group performances were very good. Let's see how the girls do, though.

So I watched some more of the Grammys and I'll comment on something else because it's Idol-related.

"Of the two songs Kelly performed, I thought Natural Woman was the far better performance. The Tennessee Waltz, to me, is a tender song and unsuited to belting." (comment on a blog last night)

Kelly just steamrollered over it, as she often tends to do. It is definitely a tender ballad. When it's performed right (Patti Page did) it's memorable.

No one ever seems to criticize Kelly, who's great in many ways, but not perfect.

In fact, Canada's Zack Werner stood alone in his negative assessment of
Kelly's performance. After criticizing her technique of "shouting with tone,"
Werner said, "When you are going to compete with the great R&B divas, [your
performance] ain't all that." The sparks then began to fly when Cowell took on
Werner directly. Turning to the Canadian judge, Cowell, representing the United
States in World Idol said: "You are not fit to judge this girl. You don't know
what you're talking about."

I kind of agree with Zack, even though that was a long time ago. And I don't understand why Kelly should be above criticism, which often seems to be the prevailing attitude.

Everyone has their own favorites, but I just don't ever find her a good song interpreter, despite the vocal power and strong personality.

 

[missaddicted]

I didn't watch the Grammys so I can't really comment on anything.

About the top 20 girls: Last night was all about Angela Miller for me. I can't say that she had impressed me before, but she was perfect when she did her original song (which was surprisingly good for an 18 year-old). So I guess I'll be rooting for her from now on. Other than that, I liked Cristabel Clack from Wednesday. I liked Shubha Vedula before, but her choice of a terrible Whitney-Mariah ballad last night is the first strike against her.

I still don't get what's so amazing about Candice Glover. She sings "loud", but her tone is not pleasant and she doesn't have any star quality. And I can't believe we'll have to hear that Zoanette joke again, come on. Making up a song on the spot doesn't make you an original, it just makes you seem incredibly stupid.

Next week should be interesting. We'll finally see all the contestants (I hope at least!) perform a "full" song in front of a live audience.

 

[ross 1]

Unfortunately I missed both shows last week. If I don't see them live, my motivation for seeing them later seems to be nil, I think I just want to move ahead, so I'm not going to go back and see them.

I don't have the same patience for the American version of Idol in these stages, for some reason, as I had for the Canadian show. On Canadian Idol I generally agreed with the judges, or maybe it was the producers, anyhow, it seemed to satisfy my tastes. It didn't seem as phony, either.

I still don't get what's so amazing about Candice Glover. She sings "loud", but
her tone is not pleasant and she doesn't have any star quality.

Right. I didn't see her last week, obviously, but my opinion has been formed already, so, I agree.

I'm starting to think it doesn't matter too much who the judges are. AI always seems to have these bizarre differences with me about who is good or not. HOW DARE THEY??

No, but seriously - I'm not sure it's "all a matter of personal taste" either. Some people just don't have it. Or, on the other hand, some have it, and Idol refuses to acknowledge or validate that. It's obvious to me, to you, to your Aunt Edna, but not obvious to Idol. Why is this? It's illogical.

I'm sure they deliberately cast some mediocre people so they can manipulate the results easier and manoever the chosen ones into winning positions. Could that explain their hyping of some second-raters?

Have you noticed how it's been a long time since anyone who has not been in the top 2 has gone anywhere after Idol? Shock boots are no longer really shocking and everything has seemed very neat. The past two years the wins have seemed inevitable, even though the winners were not (in my opinion) extraordinary contestants. It's just that everyone around them crashed and burned.

Anyhow, back to my original point - other than Randy, no judges have been permanent, yet Idol never really changes too much in who "it" likes. I wonder whose tastes we are really seeing?

Tomorrow night I'll try to give my impressions. Until then...

 

[ross 1]

I don't know if I'll have time to post tomorrow so as I'm watching the show, here, I thought I'd comment. Show has been on for one hour. I like how the judges seem fairly unscripted (unlike the last two years) - seem to be saying what's on their minds. Not gonna pretend the comments are incredibly insightful but at least they're critiques.

Angela Miller is from Beverly, Massachusetts. I was there day before yesterday. She's performing now.

Idol? There ARE a variety of singing types. It's like a "let's sing loud" pageant. Since this is not my favorite type of singing (unless the person also has a great deal of artistry), I don't know what to say.

The country singer with dark hair - Cree Harrison? (excuse my not knowing names, yet) - was probably the best for me so far, though I'm not enthusiastic. Something very professional and pat about the performance, and then when she was interviewed afterward she seemed as dull as her singing.

The girl who said she sang professional backup for Diddy and others - was awful.

The girl who is "ONLY 17" was all over the place, okay voice, did she sing Gaga? That is hard unless you change it up a lot, otherwise my mind compares the voices.

[Randy congratulated Kelly and Carrie on their Grammys. Hey what about Taylor? He won a Grammy, as well. Well, he did. So what if it was for being on a comedy album? He won, right?]

My overall impression of all the performances (so far, at 78 minutes in) is competent, and boring. No really great singers, no real star quality, nobody I feel I'm falling in love with as an artist. How could they pick so many singers who are basically the same type of singer?

Amber did great, just watched her. I liked how it sounds effortless. You can just tell a talented person when you hear one. It's obvious right away.

Good voice, doesn't over-push it. (By the way, remember Matt Giraud sang this song?) I don't really need the runs, they're trite. But they were okay, in context. I liked how she didn't over-emote or try to kill it. She let the song come through, and that may be the only case of that happening tonight.

I really think we ought to be voting by now, though. It just feels like we should. I don't remember the judges doing the voting, with this few people left, but I admit I don't know the history of Idol very well.

 

[missaddicted]

Yeah, tonight was not the biggest display of artistry, I agree. I thought both Adriana and Kree were really great though. Adriana, for a girl so young, has a lot of soul and blues in her voice. And her performance didn't feel pagenty either, which often happens with girls under 20. I thought Kree's performance was effortless and just beautiful. Very polished and professionnal, but also very genuine. These two were the best for me.

After that was Angela. Like Nicki said, I'm not sure she'll be able to outdo her performance of her original song from the last round in Hollywood, but the girl can sign, no doubt about it. Too bad her original song is apparently about Jesus, I might have bought it otherwise.

Then it's Amber. I didn't like it as much as you I guess ross. I thought some notes sounded delightful, but then the next moment there were some notes that sounded bad. I guess it's a draw for me. Sometimes in the song, her tone was gorgeous, but then the next moment, it was not so good. I'm on the fence. I found her a bit pagenty as well. We'll see.

The other girl who made it, Teena, I just don't get it. She was awful. AWFUL. The voice, the tone, the bad notes, the faces, the hand gestures, the hair, the make-up. Nothing worked for me. Only Kamaria was worst than her. I thought they should have put Isabelle through instead. Not that I'm the biggest Isabelle fan, but at least she sounded good.

Shubha's performance was weird. She has a nice voice, but she did try to do too much with the Gaga song. Still, I would've put her through before Teena.

Who are the others? Oh, yeah, Jenny Beth? Who? Oh and Brandy. Forgettable.

 

[ross 1]

What did Adriana sing? Just so I can remember who this is. Or a pic will do if there are any handy. I try to memorize names, but with Angela-Amber-Adriana it's getting a little hard.

Too bad her original song is apparently about Jesus, I might have bought it otherwise.

It's okay, Jesus probably won't get the money.

I didn't especially like the song, or her. I missed some rounds, so I doubt I have seen her before. Naturally she is getting a certain amount of attention on the local Fox news which comes on after Idol.

I thought Kree sounded "professional" but when they commented on how much she felt the song, and how she put across the emotions, well, maybe she did, but I didn't respond that way to it. Conversely when Nicky said Amber's emotion perhaps didn't come across on TV, I felt it did. Keith disagreed with Nicki,, me too.

A lot of this is how you respond to voices, and with Kree I suppose I don't really respond to singers who are more power than vulnerability. Which is kind of how she felt, to me.

I didn't like Shubha at all. I didn't like what she wore - especially from the back, those pants looked terrible on her. She seemed nice, i think that comes across. But she seemed like she was "trying" and I would have to forgive all kinds of things in her performance and like her, anyway, rather than it being effortless for me to like her. I didn't like her voice too much, anyway. She didn't seem like anyone who was likely to win - or even be a professional singer in the future. Maybe an actress.

The other one who did go through, I don't remember having as many objections to her as you had. I can't honestly remember at this point.

 

[missaddicted]

Adriana sang an Aretha Franklin song (that I had never heard before I believe). She went third and was wearing a red dress.

The song that Angela did last night was not an original, it was a Jessie J song according to Slezak. MJ probably has the video of her performance of her original song from Hollywood week, it was great and much much better than last night. You should check it out!

At this point, I'd still be ready to bet that a guy is going to win this season. The ladies are not that great.

 

[ross 1]

Adriana sang an Aretha Franklin song (that I had never heard before I believe). She went third and was wearing a red dress.

If this is the one that Nicki made the hair comment about, I missed her performance but caught the critique. I'm so confused. I was a bit busy while I was watching, also. I'm sorry, this must be annoying. I'll do a lot better when they whittle down the contestants to ten. One hopes.

At this point, I'd still be ready to bet that a guy is going to win this season. The ladies are not that great.

While I'm not qualified to comment on this because I haven't seen enough people, I'm going to comment anyway. Because I can.

I. T. A.

 

[missaddicted]

No, Adriana was not the one that Nicki made the hair comment about. That was Teena, and it was well deserved. Adriana is the girl from Alaska. Here's the video from MJ's:

Adriana Latonio - Vegas Singoff - American Idol 12 - Video Dailymotion

And while I'm in MJ's videos, here's Angela's Hollywood solo round performance:

Angela Miller - Solo - American Idol 12 - Video Dailymotion

Watch it!

 

[missaddicted]

How did that voting work? I didn't get it. What if Jimmy had said no to Paul, they would've taken only 4 guys? Weird.

Anyway, I thought Paul was definitely deserving to go through, and the other country guy, Jimmy, should have made it as well, in my opinion. It's cool to be marketable and a good performer, but if your voice is shaky and you're not connecting with the song, it should not mean anything.

The only other one I thought was really deserving to go through is Devin. The song choice was zzzzz, but his voice is really pleasant and he didn't do too much with the song, which I was really afraid of.

I guess Curtis deserved to go through as well based on his voice, but I just can't stand him. The faces he was pulling while he was singing? They literally made me shudder. Do. Not. Want.

Charlie has been fun for a while, but I'm over him now. His Rocket Man was bad. Very bad.

Elijah? Where did he come from? Nice middle range, but his falsetto was a disaster. How did he make it through?

Anyway, other than Jimmy Smith, I don't really see which other guys deserved to go through. Johnny? What a pedestrian performance (and he's not that cute, his eyes are too far apart from each other). Kevin? Zzzzzz. Chris? Meh. JDA? Well, I guess I had fun during his performance, imagining the conservative American Idol viewers being horrified by his performance and his look, lol. Much more extreme than anything Adam Lambert ever did or looked like on Idol before! So yeah, I guess I would've put JDA through based on the entertainment factor.

Oh, BTW, what I enjoyed the most about tonight's episode? Nicki Minaj's faces. Seriously, she was hilarious!