Canadian Idol Fans Watching American Idol

ross 1

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Yeah! It's not just lending his name, he's putting his time into it and doing some performing (i.e., working), which I think is dedicated. Good for him.
 

ross 1

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Kris Allen, Susan Boyle Nominated For Billboard Music Awards

By mj On 04/13/2011

Billboard released the finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards today at a press conference in Las Vegas. The winners will be announced on “The 2011 Billboard Music Awards” telecast, airing live SUNDAY, MAY 22 (5:00-8:00 p.m., ET / 8:00-11:00 p.m., PT) on the ABC Television Network.

The only Idol related nominees are Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying” in the Christian Song category. I know, seems a little odd–but the song charted and was played on Christian radio.
Simon Cowell prodigy, Susan Boyle, is nominated for Billboard 200 artist and Top Billboard 200 album.

Carrie Underwood is nowhere to be found in the country categories. Grammy nominee, Adam Lambert is also absent.

Nominated are the usual suspects–Eminem, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga. There’s more information about those nominations in the official Billboard press release.

The awards show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada in partnership with Chevrolet, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). This is the first year that ABC will broadcast the event.

The finalists for the 2011 Billboard Music Awards are (after the jump)

Continue reading »
 

missaddicted

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Oh well, the Christian Song category is better than nothing, right?

(I'm kind of torn on this one though, I'm not sure I can explain it. Maybe it's just that being non-religious myself, I don't see LLWD as a "Christian" song, not even a "religious" song. I know the nominations are based on the Billboard charts, but still, it's kind of weird...)
 

ross 1

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The song charted on the Billboard Christian chart, as we know - "Christian" song or not. It had something like an 11 point bump recently. I think the beauty of the song is that it can be a lot of things to a lot of people. It's kind of an honor to be in a category your music isn't even representative of. As a crossover artist. I agree it's not a Christian song, though - in fact, it's a Script song. ;)

But I'm thrilled he's nom'ed for a Billboard Music Award - and he might even win. And it's televised - maybe he'll get on TV - presenting, or something. And he gets to go to Vegas. What the hell.

Personally, I'm happy he got nominated for an award.
 
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ross 1

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Did you guys hear Pia was eliminated? And it was disastrous! (What's been happening in Japan is disastrous. Pia being voted off American Idol? Not.)

'American Idol': The disastrous booting of Pia Toscano reveals why critics, yes, DO matter | PopWatch | EW.com

I concur, to a small degree, with the excellent case made by Ken Tucker about the Achilles’ heel of Pia as a singer: She’s so seamless in her technical and emotional perfection, her voice so controlled a vessel, that the ultimate effect of a Pia performance, no matter how good, is always a little staid.

So, she's so fantastic that she's actually a little dull?! Okay. Yup.

Personally, I have one additional theory about her rejection that I haven’t heard floated yet.
The song that Toscano chose for her fatal week, the Tina Turner/Phil Spector classic “River Deep – Mountain High,” is an anthem of volcanic power, but it’s also one of the oddest songs in rock & roll history. It boils and roils, it crescendos, it gets all breathless and frenzied and ecstatic, but it doesn’t quite have what you could call a groove. When it first came out in 1966, public reaction to the song was so negative that Spector effectively ended his own career in response. I’ve known and loved “River Deep – Mountain High” since the mid-’70s, but it’s a track that takes a bit of getting used to. I imagine that if you were hearing it for the first time (as probably 90 percent of the Idol audience was) on the night that Pia embossed it with her usual amber perfection, it might have made you go “Hmmmm…”

It was the song's fault.

But look, all of this rationalizing — and the spin control from Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who was clearly out to save face — misses the forest for the trees. Pia may still be learning to cut loose, and perhaps her Celine Dion-on-Xanax vibrato-machine smoothness is a touch too imperial, but even if she wasn’t meant to go the distance, she got kicked off way too early, and the more you think about it, the more obvious it is who the culprits are. As Dalton Ross, Kristen Baldwin, and Annie Barrett eloquently argued in their podcast last week, it was, more than anything else, the judges’ fault.

No, it was the judges' fault.

"I bow to no one in my enthusiasm for the soaring pop-gospel quavers of Jacob Lusk (whose rendition of Heart’s “Alone” is the most haunting performance so far this season), but his version of “Man in the Mirror” last week not only added nothing new to Michael Jackson’s, it was egregiously out of tune — and for any of the judges, especially the sharp-eared Randy [!], to fail to point that out was unforgivable. They also blew it by letting James Durbin get away with a lazy, ’60s-variety-show lounge-lizard version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” I usually think that James is terrific, but he needed to be called out on that one. And had he and a few of the others been called out, Pia might still be there."

Yes, if these dreadful performers had only been called out, perfect Pia would still be there. Because the voters didn't really want to vote for Jacob or James. Poor misguided fools! If only the judges had influenced them, more! What right have they to like or dislike who they want? They're idiots and children.

Just read this on MJ's:

Face it. It is scandalous that AI10 finally brought America a female contestant who was the first “total package” since Carrie Underwood in AI4, and she got booted off. Pretty shocking.

But Naima will be just fine.

LOL!!

I think the judges can be pretty bad, and I agree with some of what he says about them, but to me they should be giving constructive criticism to the contestants. Not guiding the audience to vote against people. But then I don't think the judges really have a lot of influence on the vote.
 
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CapsuleNeo

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(I'm kind of torn on this one though, I'm not sure I can explain it. Maybe it's just that being non-religious myself, I don't see LLWD as a "Christian" song, not even a "religious" song. I know the nominations are based on the Billboard charts, but still, it's kind of weird...)
I even believe there is actually no such thing as a Christian song. That would be like saying that a song is agnostic because an agnostic sings it. This is no such thing as “secular” music :?.
 

ross 1

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I even believe there is actually no such thing as a Christian song. That would be like saying that a song is agnostic because an agnostic sings it.

How about "a song with Christian themes"?

The show so far tonight...

Going backwards...

Watching Casey. Glad he didn't listen to Jimmy Iovine. You have to do what you want. Though I don't get his performance of this song. You know, I like jazz. A lot. But I like people singing on key. A lot.

I don't get this show this year. Every. Damn. Performance. Is. The. Greatest. Thing. Ever.

I think Andrew Garcia sang better than this last year, in a similar vein, and people thought it sucked. And a lot of the time it did suck. But nobody sucks this season.

"Absolutely brilliant! Genius! Makes me proud to sit here!" - says Randy

Tell me - even Adam never got praise like this, did he? And Kris? I thought he was an artist. Never got praised like this. Probably, ever. Never mind on Idol. In his whole life. And Allison? Forget it.

Going back...to Paul. Paul's voice is shot. But the judges thought it was the Greatest Thing. It was okay - if his voice wasn't shot. Unfortunately. I feel bad for him about this. This show is possibly his one big chance.

Who was next? Oh - Lauren. I don't like The Climb, but you should sing it like it means something. Her voice is great, but she brought nothing to the song to make me feel she understood it. It was weak for this reason. (It sounded better than Miley. Um - not hard) She wasn't describing what I would think of as a struggle.

I don't think the dress did her a lot of favors.

Stefano. Sometimes I think he might be kind of a cocky jerk, but I have no proof. (Just a feeling I have! Where was I?)

WHAT IS WITH THE PEOPLE ON THE SHOW THIS YEAR WHO DO THE SAME FREAKING THING EVERY WEEK??? For the love of all that's holy, CHANGE IT UP A LITTLE!! Another r&b ballad, Mr. "Fano Gone"? I kind of hoped he would do something with a beat.

That was a good job (I guess. I walked out about 3/4 of the way through, so maybe not), but he is busting a gut for nothing because I don't think he makes the audience feel what he's feeling. It's a fine art. That he doesn't get. I think people like Cook, Castro, etc. could teach him something.

Scotty. I'm officially sick of him - this is all we're going to get from him for the next seven weeks? - or however long he lasts. A seventeen year old who sings like he's fifty. Sits on stool, sings ballads, about 75% of the time.

Which brings me to JLo's comment that people want the judges to be critical, but how can they be, when everyone is so amazing? - or whatever she said. I don't think we want them to be critical, we want them to earn their money and say something useful and maybe interesting. I could sit there and praise everybody. Anybody could. That's not what you're there for.

Haley - my problem with her is she has a singing style that's pretty good, but she sounds less than great to me because of all the notes she goes for and misses. I think she could be better, but I don't think she's there, yet. My ear just hears too many off notes. Her singing is kind of sloppy. I'm sure it's her age. When she's 25, she'll have grown into her style and her voice will be more controlled.

Jacob. Well, that was something. I don't know what. He has some amazing notes in him. I don't like his syrupy style. I don't hate, hate, hate it, but I don't care about it, I suppose.

Who's left? Oh - James. I liked what he said to Jimmy Iovine and Will I. Am. These kids have to make their own decisions. They're supposed to be performers - they don'[t need the Godfather breathing down their necks.

James stopped impressing me a few weeks ago. Do you guys think he's so great? He basically sounds good, but he doesn't have a lot of precision, or something.

Okay - show's over.

"Whoever thought on Idol we'll have metal?" says JLo.
 
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SleepinIn

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Just read this on MJ's:

Quote:

Face it. It is scandalous that AI10 finally brought America a female contestant who was the first “total package” since Carrie Underwood in AI4, and she got booted off. Pretty shocking.

But Naima will be just fine.
LOL!!

Bah!! Love it.

Whoot to the Billboard Nomination! Whatever the category.. if it's a Billboard nomination it means that the song sold like the dickens ALWAYS a good thing, no matter what. That's really cool. Plus since he's playing at the Alive festival with some of his fellow nominees. It's all good.

I'm really impressed with the work with Music Empowers and Berklee -- putting your hands behind your deeds is something I admire about Kris.
Tell me - even Adam never got praise like this, did he? And Kris? I thought he was an artist. Never got praised like this. Probably, ever. Never mind on Idol. In his whole life. And Allison? Forget it.

Yeah, not hardly. These kids are going to have a bad fall when they leave the Idol bubble. Simon might be harsh - but his comments actually meant that you had to work to get a compliment. They then meant so much more. Jimmy was impressing me tonight.. and dare I say it the lost puppy will.i.am who I guess got trapped on the Idol stage and couldn't find his way home? I really enjoyed their interactions with the singers, and pretty much tuned the brain dead three out.

Which brings me to JLo's comment that people want the judges to be critical, but how can they be, when everyone is so amazing? - or whatever she said. I don't think we want them to be critical, we want them to earn their money and say something useful and maybe interesting. I could sit there and praise everybody. Anybody could. That's not what you're there for.

It's not like I want them to call them names or be really mean. I just want some constructive advice. I don't care how good you are. There is always something that could make you better. Tell Scotty to change it up a little and broaden his appeal. Like - great - Country fans are in love, but why not take a chance and make the metal fans love you too?


My thoughts.. such as they are..

Paul - the suit, the suit.. :( I think Paul and I are through. His voice is shot but it's not the voice that I hated, although that wasn't good. It's the crazy uncle vibe I'm getting from him. I almost hated this performance and I'm feeling kind of bitchy about it too.

Lauren - okay they did not just tell her to steal Pia's fans? Did they tell Paul to steal Pia's fans? Yeah the dress wasn't good agreed. Her voice was really good, I agree better than Miley's version. I have the feeling they freaked her out a bit with the steal Pia's fans thing. She seemed to start shaky, she did good though. I liked it.

Stefano - He went after it, and it sounded a wee bit nasally but honestly one of his best performances.

Scotty - Will.i.am is growin' on me. But I completely agree with the Dude. Everybody's talking would have been amazing.

Casey - In the Air Tonight. I love that song. No lie. Phil Collins you rock. But no.. Nature Boy.. You'd best kill Casey. Kalan slayed it. I thought it was very cool, but but Kalan's vocals....so much better. Still though it was good. Pop stars vs artists. Can't they be both? Don't we want them to be both? Why aren't our pop stars artists?

Scotty also told Jimmy to go hang, Jimmy didn't call him an artist.

Haley - Seriously, the judges are picking on Haley.....???? Okay, she was a bit awkward..and started off shaky But seriously, I loved it. I don't get it. Yet judge hate. Yes, the judges who love everything. Whatever. It still had great kooky energy and charm and it felt alive. I loved it.

Jacob - First time I've loved Jacob :) Powerful yet controlled. Not over the top. Weird faces at a minimum. A+

Don't remember Clay's version so I don't know how they compare.

James. Look at James!! Tellin Jimmy off...lol

Give metal a chance lol. James I like you kid but that guitar solo in a 2 min song in a singing competition....still I can tell you love doing this... Armbands, flyers. It was fun and I liked your energy and you sounded good. (I also have a soft spot for metal) More singing less guitar solos. Even if they are by famous people.

Going home.. Paul.. or Haley.. :(

"Whoever thought on Idol we'll have metal?" says JLo.

YouTube - Canadian Idol - Phillipe Langelier (Death/Black metal)

I'm just sayin'... ;) (not that I liked the death metal.. lol )
 
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ross 1

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Isn't Foghat metal? Didn't Adam sing Foghat? And Allison? Adam was not really metal, I know - but he sang a metal song in a metal style, so I think metal has already been done on Idol.

Phillipe Langelier! ha. I like death metal but I don't listen to it every day, or anything

Casey - In the Air Tonight. I love that song. No lie. Phil Collins you rock. But no.. Nature Boy.. You'd best kill Casey. Kalan slayed it. I thought it was very cool, but but Kalan's vocals....so much better. Still though it was good. Pop stars vs artists. Can't they be both? Don't we want them to be both? Why aren't our pop stars artists?

I guess I'm the only person who cringes when he sings off key. Sigh. He makes Mitch Macdonald sound pitch perfect. Just because it's "jazz" I still think you need to hit the notes. I give him credit for trying different things and bringing some style to it - but you have to have more than good intentions, the execution has to be sharp when you do stuff like that. .

I confess I didn't really like Kalan's version of Nature Boy, either - though I like the song.

...And here is Randy saying you can have a career in jazz. Of course you can but - For some reason Idol frowns on white men who play guitars, they just don't become huge pop stars - but sing jazz? No problem!! There are no problems this season! This show is getting so damn weird, honestly. Everyone is on happy pills.

Artists vs. pop stars? Yeah, it's not a mutually exclusive thing. Randy just talks a lot of crap, in my humble opinion. He has no consistency - just because he said that to Casey, he'll contradict it and say the opposite to someone else next week. Or so he strikes me. I have no idea what he thinks about anything.
Back when praise meant something...

http://www.kris-pics.net/v/videos/idol/americanidolresults/Results_20Top_207.flv.html
 
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missaddicted

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Really interesting interview with David:

David Cook to Perform on 'Idol' Next Week (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter

As for the show tonight...

Paul: I hate the fact that his voice is shot (even when he talks he sounds bad). I did get some drunk creepy uncle vibes too, but I much more enjoy a performer like Paul, who at least makes me smile, than a boring singer like Pia. Simon would really really hate Paul.

Lauren: So, Randy? The Climb is a great song? No. I think I tuned out of her performance because the song is so awful.

Stefano: I appreciate the fact that he didn't give up and came out swinging. I kind of have nothing else to say about his performance.

Scotty: He went back to singing boring country ballads. Zzzzzz.

Casey: I thought it was very cool as well, but yeah, the notes were not all there and I wouldn't have given him a standing ovation. I still enjoyed it though. I'm glad he didn't do In the Air Tonight. No thanks, Jimmy (not that I'm hating on the song, but Phil Collins songs on Idol never seem to be done well).

Haley: It was definitely not as good as the last two weeks. I like her kooky side too. At least, we know she's not a robot! And I give her points for singing the two lines in French... even though she kind of messed them up!

Jacob: You loved it SleepinIn? UGH!!!!!!!! Do. Not. Want. Jacob. And I wasn't even looking at him this week. I just can't. I don't think I've disliked an Idol contestant that much since the Jaydee era.

James: Sorry James, but heavy metal makes me aggressive. I hate heavy metal and the screaming heavy metal singers and the non-melodic guitar solos. At least, he seemed believable. But I certainly won't be buying heavy metal music from him.
 

SleepinIn

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David in cheeseburger pj's :thumbup:

You loved it SleepinIn? UGH!!!!!!!! Do. Not. Want. Jacob. And I wasn't even looking at him this week. I just can't. I don't think I've disliked an Idol contestant that much since the Jaydee era.

Sorry :) I thought it was good for him. He's annoyed me for so long it was nice to have him sing something I enjoyed.

Randy just talks a lot of crap, in my humble opinion. He has no consistency - just because he said that to Casey, he'll contradict it and say the opposite to someone else next week. Or so he strikes me. I have no idea what he thinks about anything.

Ha! There is that point.
 

missaddicted

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Oh and MJ posted the lyrics for the whole song and the cover art for The Last Goodbye Confirmed: David Cook To Perform on Idol April 21 (Now with Cover Art and Lyrics) | mjsbigblog (they were posted on DCO, but somewho, I can't see them on the page).

I wouldn't dare post this on twitter, since for sure my Cook fan card would be revoked, but I don't find the lyrics that impressive (I think Tim of Hey Rosetta! has spoiled me with his poetic evocative, but not too literal, lyrics) and I don't think the picture does him any favors.
 

ross 1

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Wait, Foghat and Slow Ride were not the metal perfoemance by Adam... I got confused...didn't he cover something metal-ish? Anyone?

That is a weird picture of Cook - but I think he's trying to go for a different style and maybe let some of his quirkiness show through, this time around? I don't know. The lyrics are bland-ish, but you can't judge a song on just lyrics. It may have a great melody and/or a great hook. Not that I claim to know what a hook actually is.
 

missaddicted

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Wait, Foghat and Slow Ride were not the metal perfoemance by Adam... I got confused...didn't he cover something metal-ish? Anyone?

Led Zeppelin? I think that was his most "hardcore" performance.

Yeah, I kind of hate that we have the lyrics without the song. They did that with Light On too. The thing is, and especially in English, lyrics are pretty much the last thing I hear when I listen to a song. I'll hear the melody, the hooks, the voice, the instrumentation and then if I really like the song and I listen to it several several times, then I'll look for the lyrics. So yeah, having the lyrics first without the rest is not my favorite thing.

My beef with the picture is that he seems to have a huge head (which he actually kind of has) and a tiny body. It's weird.
 

ross 1

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My beef with the picture is that he seems to have a huge head (which he actually kind of has) and a tiny body. It's weird.

lol. I didn't even recognize him - except that his name was on the picture. But I guess he liked it.

Oh - Led Zeppelin. Okay. I guess that's not metal, either. But that's what I was thinking of yes, thanks.

The Hollywood Reporter interview with Cook led me to the interview with Tedder where he talks about Cook:

Ryan Tedder On Working with Adam Lambert, David Cook and Season 10 Finalist Stefano Langone - Hollywood Reporter

I havn't known one person Kris has been writing with. I sometimes wonder if Kris is getting the low-budget collaborators, this time around. Well, I think he is, actually. I just wonder if they can make big hits.

BTW, I think Jimmy Iovine pushing people to think about winning all the time is kind of scary in his intensity. I don't think I'd enjoy working with him. That might be the right approach for hip-hop artists, or whoever he usually works with, but sometimes I feel that thinking about winning might be the worst thing to think about on this show. I think the performances show it, too. Nobody is giving a casual, laid-back performance (except Scotty, who I think might be dead).
 

CapsuleNeo

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Am I still the only one who thinks James is cocky as hell? He seems to think he is already a star who can do whatever he wants to do. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen such “self-indulgent” stage productions like his. He wanted a flaming piano last week, and then this week, he wanted to have a famous guitarist Zakk Wylde on stage with him. And we see him asking the audiences to cheer for him at the end of his performances with the excessive pointing and waving every week :|.