American Idol

Bigfish · « **Reply #260 on:** 22 May 2008, 02:41 am »

Quote from: zacster on 22 May 2008, 02:36 am

Another year went by on AI without a mention of Taylor Who?

My wife actually made the same comment during the show tonight. She said you never hear anything about Taylor! American Idol never seems to mention him and I don't think he has been a guest singer back on the show.

Ken

reflex · « **Reply #261 on:** 22 May 2008, 02:59 am »

They just did part two of an interview with him on the local Fox station. He's getting ready to open on Broadway in Grease on June 6. Taylor is still around...

richidoo · « **Reply #262 on:** 22 May 2008, 03:22 am »

My wife knew the judging was slanted, so she voted for him 10 times. I think she was not the only one... 97 million votes can't come out of nowhere. That was public outrage!

The judges tossed it to Arch, but it backfired on them. When they sang that duet together on the show tonight the strongest voice, strongest stage presence, and the real winner was obvoius. Cowell sucking up to him before the result betrayed that he knew who won and had to get his foot out of mouth before it was too late.

Carrie Underwear has been the only Idol winner to become a real superstar, in my eyes. Cook could do it if he is given a producer that can take him there.

Congrats David Cook!

My Tivo crapped out 5 seconds before they announced the winner. Directv is all on the same satellite time, did anyone elses DirecTivo time out too soon? I looked on local Fox, and local NBC websites they didn't have the winner. I came to AC to get the fast breaking news!

cryoparts · « **Reply #263 on:** 22 May 2008, 04:51 am »

No, but mine (Verizon Fios DVR) stopped recording about 2 seconds after they announced the winner...whew, that was close.

Lee

Quote from: richidoo on 22 May 2008, 03:22 am

My Tivo crapped out 5 seconds before they announced the winner. Directv is all on the same satellite time, did anyone elses DirecTivo time out too soon? I looked on local Fox, and local NBC websites they didn't have the winner. I came to AC to get the fast breaking news!

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #264 on:** 22 May 2008, 05:10 am »

Ahhhh.....ZZ Top.......

John Casler · « **Reply #265 on:** 22 May 2008, 05:14 am »

I thought for sure that David Cook lost it last night and David Archletta had momentum.

So happy to see that America can look at the "WHOLE" competition and vote for the one with the greatest potential.

And hate to beat a dead horse, but Kristi Lee Cook was to die for tonight!!!!

She looked incredible!!

All in all it was (and is) the best produced show on TV.

I bet the "TOUR" show will also be good especially with some of the headliners.

WOW!!!

PhilNYC · « **Reply #266 on:** 22 May 2008, 11:19 am »

When they said "winner by 12 million votes", I thought for sure that it was David A, so yeah, I was pleasantly shocked when David C won it. Congrats to him...he deserves it!

Other comments on the night:

- David A sounded really good through the night. They gave him FAR more interesting songs to sing than he did thru most of the season. I think if he sang more of these songs over the season, I might have had more interest in him.

- The show seemed intent on giving Syesha a big stage, but honestly, I thought her voice sounded kind of weak singing duets with Seal and Donna Summer.

- This was the first time I've seen Carrie Underwood perform like a seasoned pro. In the past, I've always thought she seemed stiff and nervous, but she really let it all hang out and it was a strong performance.

- Michael Johns and Carly Smithson both sounded better yesterday than they did all season.

- Ramiele got shafted with the least opportunities to shine during the group performances. Amanda looked like she hated being there.

- Overall, I thought it was a surprisingly entertaining show, with strong singing performances all around. Still not quite the stunningly good performance like I thought last year's finale had when Kelly Clarkson belted out some great songs with Jeff Beck and Joe Perry backing her up, but I do think the overall talent this year was higher than before and it showed last night.

mcullinan · « **Reply #267 on:** 22 May 2008, 01:37 pm »

Syesha plus Seal equals Hell on Ears! The had no chemistry between their voices and was very sour.

Analogy: Say I saw Starry Night by Van Gogh and went to put my hand to create my version of that famous painting. Say I am a very good painter... sure I can come close to the final results, but my path has been put out before me.
The big test will be whether David can write his own songs, and what kind of choices he makes.

Unbelievable coverage on the news about the show.
Mike

BobM · « **Reply #268 on:** 22 May 2008, 01:54 pm »

It's been said before ...

They are all very talented amateurs. They are not professional, yet. Give them a year of touring, some good coaches and producers and we'll see what they turn into. I agree, I think David Cook has the best chance to become a professional in the pop/rock world.

But then again, David A is only 17 and has a truly amazing voice for his age. Given the right material (ballads) he could become another Kenny G type star.

Enjoy,
Bob

giantsteps · « **Reply #269 on:** 22 May 2008, 03:35 pm »

Phil and Mike
ref: Syesha's "weak" voice last night.

Excuse me guys but having hung around quite a lot of recording engineers, studios and assorted stages I can assure you that a lot has to do with the right microphone, equalization, mixing and of course, volume control. One can make a mouse sound like he's belting out the 10 commandments from heaven. Once a singer turns professional if he/she is serious about their career they should make the rounds and try as many microphones as possible, make a choice, and carry it with them wherever they go like we carry our cell phones.

PS....Stop picking on Syesha!

Frank

nodiak · « **Reply #270 on:** 22 May 2008, 06:54 pm »

I missed the show, too bad. Sounds like some good performances. I thought DA was going to win too, but thinking about DC.'s wider appeal, and Bigfish's phone abilities

this makes sense. Would've liked to hear Sy, Carly, Ram, MJ, Chikezie sing again.
Don

keenween · « **Reply #271 on:** 22 May 2008, 08:44 pm »

I actually thought George Michael stole the show.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #272 on:** 23 May 2008, 10:53 am »

Quote from: giantsteps on 22 May 2008, 03:35 pm

Phil and Mike
ref: Syesha's "weak" voice last night.

Excuse me guys but having hung around quite a lot of recording engineers, studios and assorted stages I can assure you that a lot has to do with the right microphone, equalization, mixing and of course, volume control. One can make a mouse sound like he's belting out the 10 commandments from heaven. Once a singer turns professional if he/she is serious about their career they should make the rounds and try as many microphones as possible, make a choice, and carry it with them wherever they go like we carry our cell phones.
PS....Stop picking on Syesha!

Frank

I wasn't meaning to pick on her

But it really stood out to me. I did think about the mix and whether or not the EQ on her mic was off, but Donna Summer did give her mic to Syesha and it sounded the same. Maybe it was just unfortunate that they paired her with such tremendously strong vocalists...hearing David C with ZZ Top, Brooke with Graham Nash, etc, everyone else seemed to hold their own.

I'm still puzzled as to why Ramiele seemed to get so few opportunities to "shine" relative to the other singers in terms of solo opportunities during the group performances...particularly Amanda (rocker girl) who really looked like she didn't want to be there. Ramiele has such a strong voice, I really wanted to hear more from her.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #273 on:** 23 May 2008, 10:55 am »

Quote from: keenween on 22 May 2008, 08:44 pm

I actually thought George Michael stole the show.

Seriously? I thought he came off as old and having lost a lot of his previous charisma.

timind · « **Reply #274 on:** 23 May 2008, 10:59 am »

It was such a wordy song he (George Michael) sang. I was surprised he remembered the words.

keenween · « **Reply #275 on:** 23 May 2008, 11:07 am »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 May 2008, 10:55 am

Quote from: keenween on 22 May 2008, 08:44 pm
I actually thought George Michael stole the show.

Seriously? I thought he came off as old and having lost a lot of his previous charisma.

Yeah, I'm not super familiar with his work...or the song he sang, but of course know of him. I thought he demonstrated very well what idol was all about though by owning the song and making you forget he is just some guy singing a song. While it may have come off as old, especially for the show and the placement of it, I thought it was by far the most engaging performance of the night, imho.

jackman · « **Reply #276 on:** 24 May 2008, 10:31 am »

Quote from: keenween on 23 May 2008, 11:07 am

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 May 2008, 10:55 am
Quote from: keenween on 22 May 2008, 08:44 pm
I actually thought George Michael stole the show.

Seriously? I thought he came off as old and having lost a lot of his previous charisma.

Yeah, I'm not super familiar with his work...or the song he sang, but of course know of him. I thought he demonstrated very well what idol was all about though by owning the song and making you forget he is just some guy singing a song. While it may have come off as old, especially for the show and the placement of it, I thought it was by far the most engaging performance of the night, IMHO.

Just wanted to chime in. Even though George was nowhere near his best, I agree that he stole the show. George Michael is a brilliant singer and excellent songwriter. He had some issues through the years but the biggest ones were the legal issues with his label, Sony, not promoting his work properly. The song he performed, Praying for Time, is one of my favorites. It is is over 17 years old and it still sounds as beautiful today - and the words are as meaningful as they were over a decade ago.

George Michael is a rare artist with a beautiful and distinctive voice. He was a bit under the weather during the Idol performance but he still has his voice. Either way, GM at 25% is still better than any American Idol "talent", IMHO. What he lacked in vocals, he made up in phrasing. Randy Jackson might not like the lack of frivolous "runs" in Michael's rendition of his song but even though he looked a bit old and tired (he was fighting a cold), I don't think he has lost any charisma, and he connects with a song as well as anyone. He delivered the song very well but his voice was not as strong as I have heard in the past. He's had some vocal problems through the years and may be fighting something at the moment but I still enjoyed hearing a great artist sing one of my favorite songs. I also thought Donna Summer sounded pretty good. Someone should shoo her away from the buffet....jeeze!

True, there are a lot of words in that song but George had better remember them, he wrote them! Here is a better version (GM doesn't have a cold in this one!):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7St4CEbQX7g&feature=related

Cheers,

Jack

PS- My wife dragged me to a George Michael concert almost 20 years ago (after Faith record came out but before George "came out"!) and, although I was not a fan going in, it was impossible not to appreciate his sheer talent and beautiful voice. Can't say I've ever heard anyone sing (live) better than George Michael. I'm not into his early stuff (wham??) but he can sing ballads with the best of them.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #277 on:** 24 May 2008, 11:01 am »

Don't get me wrong...I think George Michael is a hugely talented singer. And maybe it was because I had a huge expectation for him on the show, my impression of his performance was underwhelming. On the other hand, I was really knocked out by Donna Summer, who I never had much expectations for, but whose performance I was really into.

jackman · « **Reply #278 on:** 24 May 2008, 12:34 pm »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 24 May 2008, 11:01 am

Don't get me wrong...I think George Michael is a hugely talented singer. And maybe it was because I had a huge expectation for him on the show, my impression of his performance was underwhelming. On the other hand, I was really knocked out by Donna Summer, who I never had much expectations for, but whose performance I was really into.

Hey Phil, I'm with you 100%. I enjoyed GM's performance but it was not his best. Donna Summer surprised me because I was not expecting much. I can't say that I'm a fan of her type of music but I enjoyed her voice and thought she did a great job. She might want to think about a spinning class and back away from the Krispy Kreams but her voice is fine!

J

mr_bill · « **Reply #279 on:** 25 May 2008, 12:36 am »

Quote from: PhilNYC on 23 May 2008, 10:55 am

Quote from: keenween on 22 May 2008, 08:44 pm
I actually thought George Michael stole the show.

Seriously? I thought he came off as old and having lost a lot of his previous charisma.

George Michael did steal the show IMO.
His performance was real, heartfelt and beautiful to hear with only a synth backing him up.
This performance beats the recorded version by a country mile.
Hearing him, as he is now and performed, was a real treat.

I watched the Youtube video and I'll take the Idol performance - warts and all. His voice was better younger, but his aged voice is what makes this older GM performance more endearing.