The fun starts tonight. :D

I can't believe I am saying this, but I am looking forward to it! :eek:

Pardon my Ignorance, but is American Idol an HD program?

Pardon my Ignorance, but is American Idol an HD program?

Yes

Bring on the next William Hung. :D

The past couple of seasons I have only watched the audition portion and I've enjoyed it but when it gets down to the actual show I tune out. I enjoy the Rockstar series about 10 times more than Idol - far more talent there.

Hopefully they will have more of those "singers" who are auditioning solely for "entertainment value."

One of my favorites from last year was the girl with the cell phone hanging out of her pocket whose mother was called into the audition room who dressed and acted like her daughter.

The past couple of seasons I have only watched the audition portion and I've enjoyed it but when it gets down to the actual show I tune out. I enjoy the Rockstar series about 10 times more than Idol - far more talent there.


I like AI, but I agree, some of the other music talent shows are a little better. Although I'm not a country fan, Nashville Start takes the cake when talking overall talent (playing instruments, singing, writing their own material, etc.). I'm not saying those on AI can't do all the above, but due to the 'type' of show, the producers won't allow them go show anything else off other than their voice and looks, so I have no way of knowing like I do with Rockstar and Nashville Star.

The past couple of seasons I have only watched the audition portion and I've enjoyed it but when it gets down to the actual show I tune out. I enjoy the Rockstar series about 10 times more than Idol - far more talent there.I disagree...some of the `rock singer's in the last one were horrible and wayy off key..Judges still would say they "were great!" :confused: :confused:

I heard clips from several interviews with Paula this morning...she defiantely is abusing drugs!!

I like AI, but I agree, some of the other music talent shows are a little better. Although I'm not a country fan, Nashville Start takes the cake when talking overall talent (playing instruments, singing, writing their own material, etc.). I'm not saying those on AI can't do all the above, but due to the 'type' of show, the producers won't allow them go show anything else off other than their voice and looks, so I have no way of knowing like I do with Rockstar and Nashville Star.Carrie was better than anyone on the last NS..can't judge any other NS finalists though.

I heard clips from several interviews with Paula this morning...she defiantely is abusing drugs!!


lol

http://www.break.com/index/paula_abdul_the_train_wreck_continues2.html

I heard clips from several interviews with Paula this morning...she defiantely is abusing drugs!!

And, in other news, the Pope is still Catholic! :p

In any other medium, she would have been bounced out on her ear long ago: showing up drunk or stoned on air and hitting on young, male contestants (wonder how much it took to buy that guy off?). But the producers of AI have such a gold mine going, they're not going to do anything to rock the boat, and that includes shaking up the "talent". Pretty sad, actually.

Pardon my Ignorance, but is American Idol an HD program?

Indeed it is.........HD picture quality is amazing on this show.

Here we go again ..lol

Blue

Paula is acting as if she is high.

Carrie was better than anyone on the last NS..can't judge any other NS finalists though.

Carrie was the worst champion in AI's short history.

Carrie was the worst champion in AI's short history.

I take it you are not a Country music fan then? Have you seen what she has done since?

Paula is acting as if she is high.
Acting???

If I had to sit there day after day after day listening to stuff like that, I WOULD BE HIGH TOO!! :)

They are intentionally turning the mics up on the bad parts. Blah.

Watch me run for the mute button.

9:52:28 - anybody else see the handshake he gave his father? thats pretty weak. Also - bring back the chick thats banging her boss, she wasnt so bad.
jesus christ i just watched the previews for tomorrow, somebody from the association for disabled people should really be down there monitoring the events with a lawyer or something, half of the people are clearly retarded.

Carrie was the worst champion in AI's short history.Your kidding right??? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I liked Fantasia..til she got her deal and started screaming instead of singing...Taylor should've been in the top 5 last year...NOT the winner.

) Was the "#1 fan" Sammy Hagar's daughter?

Carrie was the worst champion in AI's short history.

You must have missed the Fantasia season. She sounded like a cartoon character - she sang like Paris talked - but without the Paris cuteness.

You must have missed the Fantasia season. She sounded like a cartoon character - she sang like Paris talked - but without the Paris cuteness.

Fantasia is a lot more talented to Carrie Underwood. Carrie isn't even that interesting a country singer much less an American Idol.

) Was the "#1 fan" Sammy Hagar's daughter?

It could have been. Maybe Sammy tried to buy off Paula's vote with a couple of cases of Cabo Wabo. Judging by Paula's latest TV appearances she would enjoy that payoff.

I was waiting for her (Sammy's daughter) to pull out a machine gun when Simon told her to take a hike. There was a look of insanity about her.

Too fake for me.

People obviously went on just to get on TV.

It's boring now, not funny.

need another LeRoy Wells!

Too fake for me.

People obviously went on just to get on TV.

It's boring now, not funny.


yeah i'm wondering how much more of this nonsense will this country stand for? parade no talent slobs (who know it too) in front of a camera hour after hour so the 3 can pick them apart and america can snigger at them. repeat ad nauseum. it's a farce. last year (my first year watching), it was pretty amusing. this year its amazingly boring. i turned it off halfway through to go play gears of war...

i'm wondering how the people who've watched this crap year after year can stomach it? it is the exact same formula each time, correct?

i will say, though, that it is one of the best looking hd shows on tv...

What a concept - formula popular TV shows. IMO Simon's Cowell's "X-Factor" steps the format up a notch.

some are merely looking for their 2 minutes of fame, but some truly are delusional and feel themselves to be talented. it's entertainment, you go along for the ride, taking the imposters along side the irrational.

It's really the same every year. So many people just can't hit the notes in the songs so they try to cover it up with some painfully transparent technique or style they heard somewhere. The most popular one this time was singing as loud as possible. The gravely voiced guy at the end was the most obvious. Even a few of the good ones just got lost in so many florishes and nuances that it was a little hard to tell what they were singing.

The good thing about the lousy singers is that once you hear a really good one, they sound like magic.

Too fake for me.

People obviously went on just to get on TV.

It's boring now, not funny.

This is the first year my wife and I have watched the auditions, and that was her first comment. She thought the really bad performances were staged. It does feel that way at times, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of them were.

The scary ones, though, are the ones who aren't. They are so out of touch with reality that I watch only to make sure one of them isn't a neighbor of mine. :eek:

Carrie was better than anyone on the last NS..can't judge any other NS finalists though.


Carrie is good. Like I said, I can't comment on AI's overall talent as we don't get to see their song writing nor musical skills, just singing. However, the first season of NS, the runner up was Maranda Lambert. I'm not saying she's better than Carrie as everyone has their own opinion, but she's AWESOME...and she writes and plays her own instruments.

The girl who did the cowardly lion voice was priceless.

And super-fan is super-delusional. She really thinks she's good. Or maybe it's just an act to get on TV, which wouldn't surprise me.

What was up with the "it's the other door" comment after nearly every audition? I thought this was more stupid than funny, and a waste of airtime.

With the exception of Jewel as a new judge, I didn't find this first show of the season all that exciting. Paula, Randy and Simon all looked bored even with the talent they let through to Hollywood. It was either all NO votes or all YES votes. I remember there being more disagreements between the judges last season.

What was up with the "it's the other door" comment after nearly every audition? I thought this was more stupid than funny, and a waste of airtime.

With the exception of Jewel as a new judge, I didn't find this first show of the season all that exciting. Paula, Randy and Simon all looked bored even with the talent they let through to Hollywood. It was either all NO votes or all YES votes. I remember there being more disagreements between the judges last season.

OTOH, I don't recall disagreeing with any of their all "no's" or all "yes's".

Given the number of hopefuls they showed in the beginning, did they actually audition several thousand of them??? I really haven't followed this show all that much, but is there are pre-screen that is done and only the "best of the worst" and "best of the best" get through to the judges? If not, I could see how they would be bored.

From next weeks preview it looks like they traded in the short bus for a long one to bring in some of those contestents.

I thought the "other door" comments were hilarious. The way he dead-panned it and rolled his eyes when he said it was great.

Peter - yes, they are pre-screened.

Re: "the other door", I also found it hilarious. Not a chance they were going to unlock that other door and give up that comedy gold. Of course, I also find the old quarter-glued-to-the-sidewalk gag hilarious. :)

OK I both loved and hated last nights show.

The "other door" was pure comedy....my friend and I were laughing our arses off.

I think AI went on and on WAYYY too much with the bad singers. Like give us a break people. If they suck, stop them from singing and stop going on and on about their crying. 1 minute of each is enough. The first bad contestant got like 10 minutes of airtime. I can understand if they bring them back and cut them a break but sheesh.

Ok the guy singing Abba was priceless. I hope they do an Abba week. I know they are going to do the Bee Gees. Should be quite interesting.

AI's biggest fan being turned down was hilarious. If she really was the biggest fan, she would have totally understood why she was turned away. Talk about begging!

I found it amazing that out of 10,000 hopefuls, they only chose 17 to go to Hollywood. They didn't give in to anyone last night, like they have in the past. As one poster commented, they were across the board with every hopeful. Not one argument from Simon and Paula.

And yes, tonights show looks like they fished Borats ****** cousins out for hopefuls. Whats with that? Has the show run enough seasons that they have fished the lake dry of all good singers? I wonder how many of the 17 going to hollywood were turned down last year?

Jewel wasn't bad as a guest judge - apparently she was the exception.

Re: "the other door", I also found it hilarious. Not a chance they were going to unlock that other door and give up that comedy gold. Of course, I also find the old quarter-glued-to-the-sidewalk gag hilarious. :)

I noticed that they only showed that for people they said no to.

Very true - even good singers would have been hitting the wrong door. Although it's possible that the good ones got a warning prior to reaching the door. ;)

Yes, and after the second time it wasn't all that funny. There really wasn't any point to it other than to make them look stupid (or, ha ha, they're no talent losers). I found it dumb, but to each his own.

ok...here are my two pennies...

RE: People Just Want Their 15 Minutes or Be On TV

this is totally true. last season (?), comedian Chris Wylde went on (using his real name) and did a little rap that went something like "Randy Jack-son...droppin' the waistline on his slacks, son"...was pretty funny, but i recognized him right away...obviously, the producers didn't.

from what i've read, the producers weed out most of the 15 minute seekers...of the 10,000 people that are there at each audition, i gotta imagine ~30% are fakin' it, which would leave about 2,975 contestants that we don't see...the 25 really funny ones make it on the show.

RE: The Really Bad Contestants

that being said above, there are a TON of delusional people out there...those are the funniest to me...and the scariest. like that juggling kid...sure, his juggling was a gimmick, but he really thought he could sing and those tears at the end were real...if not, he's a d@mn fine actor. i'll never forget what Dalton Ross from Entertainment Weekly wrote once...he said "if there's ever a time that i need someone to be the most honest with me, it's when i'm leaving on a Friday night for a Monday morning audition"...some people really do sacrifice a lot to try and get on Idol...and if they had one honest person close to them in their lives, they wouldn't have wasted their time had their feelings crushed...like that voice teacher from last night.

of course, some people have talent as well...just not good enough for the show.

RE: Paula

she's heavily medicated...no doubt about it. if i had to guess, i wouldn't say it's coke or weed, but i'm pretty sure she had an addiction to painkillers not too long ago...i'm going with that...it's not an act...she's not that good ;).

btw, did you notice how little airtime she got last night? my wife and i were cracking up every time we'd see her in the background...looking disinterested and about to fall asleep half the time.


sturmie

I would not mind the parade of bad singers if that meant they spend a little more time with the talented singers when they get to Hollywood. Last year I think they spent a little more time there, and it gave a lot of people a chance to connect to the audience.

Paula wasn't looking too good last night. Some shots made it look like her lips were really swollen. Kinda like she put on a bunch of clown makeup, then someone smacked her in the face with a frying pan.

Simon's teeth definitely had some bleaching done. They were as white as Chiclets.

RE: Paula

she's heavily medicated...no doubt about it. if i had to guess, i wouldn't say it's coke or weed, but i'm pretty sure she had an addiction to painkillers not too long ago...i'm going with that...it's not an act...she's not that good ;).

btw, did you notice how little airtime she got last night? my wife and i were cracking up every time we'd see her in the background...looking disinterested and about to fall asleep half the time.


Yeah it was distracting, sometimes funny, but mostly annoying. We did laugh when you could see her staring at her coke cup while everyone else was watching the act.

They pretty much edited her out of the entire show.

Maybe that's why Jewel seemed to be such a good guest host, cause they replaced Paula's comments with hers?

Last year she seemed high here and there, but at least she was functional. This year it's obvious that she's become an embarrassment. We even noticed quite a few shots of Simon during the auditions where it seemed like they intentionally cropped her out of it.

I expect the rest of the first pre-taped episodes to be like this. Hopefully Fox gets her into rehab or something before the main show starts, cuase she's a big liability right now.

Yeah it was distracting, sometimes funny, but mostly annoying. We did laugh when you could see her staring at her coke cup while everyone else was watching the act.

They pretty much edited her out of the entire show.

Maybe that's why Jewel seemed to be such a good guest host, cause they replaced Paula's comments with hers?

Last year she seemed high here and there, but at least she was functional. This year it's obvious that she's become an embarrassment. We even noticed quite a few shots of Simon during the auditions where it seemed like they intentionally cropped her out of it.

I expect the rest of the first pre-taped episodes to be like this. Hopefully Fox gets her into rehab or something before the main show starts, cuase she's a big liability right now.

You know, if she IS addicted to pain killers, may FOX could do a crossover from House and have Tritter show up on AI as a contestant, get humiliated, and then....

You know, if she IS addicted to pain killers, may FOX could do a crossover from House and have Tritter show up on AI as a contestant, get humiliated, and then....


LOL..good one.

It does look like Paula has had some really bad collegen injected into her lips. It sure was noticeable on my 110" screen!

Did anyone else thing juggler boy was going to try and commit suicide after the show?

I thought Juggler Boy was faking the exit interview. Faking it badly. But maybe I'm just a cynic.

I thought Juggler Boy was faking the exit interview. Faking it badly. But maybe I'm just a cynic.
no way he was faking it...someone like that (meaning a non-actor type) couldn't fake a breakdown that realistic afterwards IMO.

And, in other news, the Pope is still Catholic! :p

In any other medium, she would have been bounced out on her ear long ago: showing up drunk or stoned on air and hitting on young, male contestants (wonder how much it took to buy that guy off?). But the producers of AI have such a gold mine going, they're not going to do anything to rock the boat, and that includes shaking up the "talent". Pretty sad, actually.


I am pretty sure that next seasons AI will feature Victoria Beckham in Paula's chair. With David playing in the US, Simon's previous mangement of both the Spice Girls and being the owner of Beckham's agency. I'm pretty sure Posh is going to take over.

I am pretty sure that next seasons AI will feature Victoria Beckham in Paula's chair. With David playing in the US, Simon's previous mangement of both the Spice Girls and being the owner of Beckham's agency. I'm pretty sure Posh is going to take over.


That'd be nice eye candy!

Jewel wasn't bad as a guest judge - apparently she was the exception.


i don't like the guest judge thing. 3 is plenty, 4 is a crowd. it's a heck of a lot intimate with just the 3 of them, which leads to more of what i really like about the show: their constant bickering with one another. are they going to keep the guest judge thing going forward, or was it just a one time thing?

i will say, though that jewel is one attractive woman...

Peter - yes, they are pre-screened.


see, that's what i don't get then. if this isn't the first time these people are performing in front of the show, then they have to know how utterly horrible most of them are. i wonder if they tell them that they're terrible and let them in for comedic value, or do they let them think they're wonderful so they can get torn apart by the judges? either way, that proves it's staged...

Fox's Idol Nets Record 37 Mil. Viewers
Up 4% from last year
By John Consoli MediaWeek January 17, 2007

Fox’s American Idol premiered its new season last night with record viewership and 18-49 ratings for its season’s first episode. The show drew 37 million viewers from 8-10 p.m., up 4 percent from the 35.5 million it recorded last year, and drew a 15.7 18-49 rating, up 2 percent from last season’s premiere 18-49 rating of 15.3, according to Nielsen Media Research overnight affiliate ratings.

Idol drew more viewers every half hour, beginning with 31 million at 8, growing to 37 million at 8:30, to 39.7 million at 9 and peaking with 41.4 million at 9:30 p.m.

While Idol dominated the 8-10 p.m. time period, a first-run episode of CBS’ drama NCIS from 8-9 p.m. drew a solid 15.9 million viewers and a 3.8 18-49 rating to finish second in the time period.

CBS also finished second from 9-10 p.m. with an original episode of drama, The Unit, drawing 11.9 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 3.1.

NBC finished third in both the 8 and 9 p.m. Time periods with Dateline drawing 6.9 million viewers at 8 and a repeat Law & Order episodes bringing in 7.7 million viewers at 9. NBC did win the 10 p.m. time period with an original episode of Law & Order: SVU, which drew 14.1 million viewers and a 4.7 18-49 rating.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003533738

I absolutely can not believe the AI producers haven't removed Abdul from the show yet, ratings or no ratings. She was so seriously high that it was literally painful to watch. What kind of benefit can they possibly get from keeping her on? There are so many other interesting, relevant people they could replace her with...

I absolutely can not believe the AI producers haven't removed Abdul from the show yet, ratings or no ratings. She was so seriously high that it was literally painful to watch. What kind of benefit can they possibly get from keeping her on? There are so many other interesting, relevant people they could replace her with...


I think they might take her off the show.. these episodes were taped before the big internet buzz about her problem, so they won't waste them (But it does appear they edited pretty much every comment she would have made out of the show, and only left in the "yes" "no" at the end of each audition)

I'm actually not so sure she'll make it through the season. Fox may not want their "family show" to be featuring some drugged-out chick with slurred speech every week.

If they're just gonna edit out her comments anyway, they may as well just pay her the contract and replace her.

AI increasing viewership in Season 6 defies all logic. Truly amazing.

OK I both loved and hated last nights show.

The "other door" was pure comedy....my friend and I were laughing our arses off.

I think AI went on and on WAYYY too much with the bad singers. Like give us a break people. If they suck, stop them from singing and stop going on and on about their crying. 1 minute of each is enough. The first bad contestant got like 10 minutes of airtime. I can understand if they bring them back and cut them a break but sheesh.

Ok the guy singing Abba was priceless. I hope they do an Abba week. I know they are going to do the Bee Gees. Should be quite interesting.

AI's biggest fan being turned down was hilarious. If she really was the biggest fan, she would have totally understood why she was turned away. Talk about begging!

I found it amazing that out of 10,000 hopefuls, they only chose 17 to go to Hollywood. They didn't give in to anyone last night, like they have in the past. As one poster commented, they were across the board with every hopeful. Not one argument from Simon and Paula.

And yes, tonights show looks like they fished Borats ****** cousins out for hopefuls. Whats with that? Has the show run enough seasons that they have fished the lake dry of all good singers? I wonder how many of the 17 going to hollywood were turned down last year?

We don't see all the tryouts. We only see a handfull the producers want us to see for a show. Wait until you see them in Hollywood, there will be contestants that you say "Hey, I don't remember seeing them before", it's because you didn't. There could have been some disagreements and the editors didn't show those. But, they go to Seattle tonight, there is still plenty of time for disagreement between judges

i wonder if they tell them that they're terrible and let them in for comedic value, or do they let them think they're wonderful so they can get torn apart by the judges? either way, that proves it's staged...
Some newspapers have sent spies into the auditions to see how they work. When they evalate the thousands of contestants they clearly try to find people who have real talent and people who are freaks willing to humiliate themselves to make some entertaining television. These people get sent to the judges. I wouldn't say the show is "staging" this (the freak contestants are) but it is intentional.

Remember, each two hour show has tiny fraction of the auditions the judges had to see in that city. For every good and horrific audition we see, there are countless boring auditions where the person wasn't particularly good nor bad. From what I've read, the judges are rarely insulting or condescending to these people and even sometimes give them good advice. This isn't entertaining television though so we never get to see the judges being nice to people who didn't make it.

ok...here are my two pennies...Great post sturmie.

RE: People Just Want Their 15 Minutes or Be On TV
...
from what i've read, the producers weed out most of the 15 minute seekers...There was a shot of the stadium where you could see the setup. There were about 12 booths in the center, where you got to audition with some low level functionary for the initial cut. From there I would guess there would be a couple more cuts, before the judges got to see maybe a hundred or two.

RE: The Really Bad Contestants
...
...and if they had one honest person close to them in their lives, they wouldn't have wasted their time had their feelings crushed...like that voice teacher from last night.It's no secret they are showcasing freaks in this part of the season. I personally think it goes on too long, but hey 35 million people are watching so what do I know. Besides, I have a FF button.

The only really annoying part for me is when the judges pretend that they're surprised someone so bad got through the screening.

RE: Paula
...
btw, did you notice how little airtime she got last night? my wife and i were cracking up every time we'd see her in the background...looking disinterested and about to fall asleep half the time.I noticed. Hopefully the producers will stop her from cutting off Simon's performance reviews when we get to that part of the season.

Some newspapers have sent spies into the auditions to see how they work. When they evalate the thousands of contestants they clearly try to find people who have real talent and people who are freaks willing to humiliate themselves to make some entertaining television. These people get sent to the judges. I wouldn't say the show is "staging" this (the freak contestants are) but it is intentional.

Remember, each two hour show has tiny fraction of the auditions the judges had to see in that city. For every good and horrific audition we see, there are countless boring auditions where the person wasn't particularly good nor bad. From what I've read, the judges are rarely insulting or condescending to these people and even sometimes give them good advice. This isn't entertaining television though so we never get to see the judges being nice to people who didn't make it.
that's exactly what i've heard...couldn't have put it better myself.

I think they said they had 10,000 people audition in that one city.

9 cities * 10,000 = 90,000 auditions.

At one minute each that's 90,000 / 60 = 1,500 hours.

1500 eight hour days = 187.5 days.

I don't think Simon guys put that kind of time in.

They said each audition was 2 minutes in front of the Judges.

During the Minneapolis audition you could see the "screening" rooms set up on the main floor.

Since this is the HDTV programming forum, I'd like to comment on the PQ of last night's show. Overall it seemed pretty good. Obviously the pre-audition and post-audition shoots were done with handheld cameras so the quality was lesser but that is to be expected. The one camera shot that really bothered me was the long shot of the judges(where all of them were in the frame). There seemed to be some really bad jaggies/interlacing going on there. It was clearly noticeable on the teeth of all the judges and on any edge, particulary the edge of Randy's shirt collar. Did anyone else notice this? I have a 720p TV and my cable box was outputting 720p, and I didn't notice the jaggies on any other camera shot.

The one camera shot that really bothered me was the long shot of the judges(where all of them were in the frame). There seemed to be some really bad jaggies/interlacing going on there. It was clearly noticeable on the teeth of all the judges and on any edge, particulary the edge of Randy's shirt collar. Did anyone else notice this?Looked like that camera was WS SD to me.

the media coverage in Birmingham was ridiculous...

And just like last season, the entire last segment (the one with the "Abba" guy) was in WS SD, not HD. Nobody ever seems to notice that, which (I guess) is why they can get away with it.

Fox's Idol Nets Record 37 Mil. Viewers
Up 4% from last year
By John Consoli MediaWeek January 17, 2007

Fox’s American Idol premiered its new season last night with record viewership and 18-49 ratings for its season’s first episode. The show drew 37 million viewers from 8-10 p.m., up 4 percent from the 35.5 million it recorded last year, and drew a 15.7 18-49 rating, up 2 percent from last season’s premiere 18-49 rating of 15.3, according to Nielsen Media Research overnight affiliate ratings.

Idol drew more viewers every half hour, beginning with 31 million at 8, growing to 37 million at 8:30, to 39.7 million at 9 and peaking with 41.4 million at 9:30 p.m.

While Idol dominated the 8-10 p.m. time period, a first-run episode of CBS’ drama NCIS from 8-9 p.m. drew a solid 15.9 million viewers and a 3.8 18-49 rating to finish second in the time period.

CBS also finished second from 9-10 p.m. with an original episode of drama, The Unit, drawing 11.9 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 3.1.

NBC finished third in both the 8 and 9 p.m. Time periods with Dateline drawing 6.9 million viewers at 8 and a repeat Law & Order episodes bringing in 7.7 million viewers at 9. NBC did win the 10 p.m. time period with an original episode of Law & Order: SVU, which drew 14.1 million viewers and a 4.7 18-49 rating.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003533738


well, i guess that answers my question about whether or not the country is getting sick of the same old formula...

Some random comments:

1.I thought the funniest part was Simon pretending to be shocked at Randy's harsh criticism of the "vocal coach.'

2.Why doesn't Jewel get her teeth fixed?

3. They seem to have two audio feeds going now, a stereo mix for analog and 5.1 for digital.

4. Paula seemed to get higher as the show progressed. What's in the Coke glass that seems to fascinate her so?

Best line of the night went to Simon:

Super AI Fan: Is there anything I can do to improve?
Simon: Leave.

LMAO!

Cowardly Lion: "Would you like to keep the poster I made?"

Simon: "No."

2.Why doesn't Jewel get her teeth fixed?
her snaggletooth is a big turn on. She'd be way too hot if she had normal teeth. By having a goofy tooth growing out of her gums, it creates the illusion that she could be attainable for the average guy.


4. Paula seemed to get higher as the show progressed. What's in the Coke glass that seems to fascinate her so?

Voices.

There was a shot of the stadium where you could see the setup. There were about 12 booths in the center, where you got to audition with some low level functionary for the initial cut. From there I would guess there would be a couple more cuts, before the judges got to see maybe a hundred or two.
From what I've read it's a massive operation with dozens of low-level judges evaluating as many as a hundred contestants an hour, running back and forth to their bosses to get second opinions. They get passed onto a second level of judges who ask their bosses what they think about sending in someone dressed like Apollo Creed or can sing like the lion from Wizard of Oz and so on. I don't remember if this happens in real time or in meetings after the auditions. Most people with obvious singing ability and no apparent mental problems fly right through this evaluation but not many of them end up on the show.

If someone appears to have talent and a heartwarming story, they usually get a sit-down interview on camera. If the producers like that, they may get put in a pool of possible contestants to have a special segment shot on them. This involves scheduling a crew to drive out to their home town or something like that so they have a day or two to decide which ones to pick. The producers are judging the contestants by their entertainment value just as much as the judges are evaluating their singing ability. The newspaper spies (who I think made up their heartwarming stories) said they felt like a second contest (run by the show's producers) was happening in the background and the contestants were mostly unaware of it.

I wish they would show more of the borderline auditions and fewer freaks. Standing up in front of some strangers and singing a song a cappella is really really difficult. It's easy to start in the wrong key and end up out of your range. It's easy to accidentally imitate another singer's style and end up sounding phony and unoriginal. If they showed more of these auditions I think more half-decent singers would have an idea of what they're expected to do in auditions.

One more comment: The acoustic isolation between the audition room and the waiting area was terrible. The noise from the crowd outside had to be distracting to the (sober) judges.

Its funny how they show the contestants in a totally random order on TV. When the biggest AI fan was talking to Ryan after her "under pressure" audition, you could hear the little african american girl singing Jennifer Holiday in her audition right through the doors. That little thing sure has a powerful voice, but she sounds exactly like Paris from last season.

I've not confirmed this yet but I've heard from a friend that a girl we went to high school with made it to Hollywood. I'm guessing she'll be on the NYC audition next week. It'll be interesting to see if it's true. She was extremely annoying at times so I'd like to see Simon go at her. :)

Carrie was the worst champion in AI's short history.
That might be one of the most inane things I've ever read, considering Fantasia couldn't hit a single note, screamed constantly with zero control, completely abandoned her poor child (except for the gratuitous use for pity votes onstage one week), and does the same tired ending of every single song with "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,..." that ranges to every off-pitch note capable of being heard by the human ear. :mad:

Fantasia isn't the worst singer ever to be on AI, she's the worst singer in the history of mankind. :(

Fantasia isn't the worst singer ever to be on AI, she's the worst singer in the history of mankind. :(

I think Fantasia shares that title with Ruben Studdard.

I remember turning on an R&B station and hearing this horrible song "So Sorry 2004" with every line ending "Damn, so sorry."

I didn't know who it was by but I knew it sucked monkey balls. Then the DJ said it was Ruben Studdard's latest single and I laughed my a** off and was not surprised one bit.

AI increasing viewership in Season 6 defies all logic. Truly amazing.

Hey, I am not complaining! Helps to pay for my HD equipment so keep on watching!! :cool:

Jewel won't get her teeth fixed but it looks like she gets them whitened...go figure.

Couple of things stick out to me so far.

Some of the edits are WAY too obvious. Like the montage with all them singing "Kiss". They were obviously all asked to sing that song and you could tell they were singing at a cue card and there weren't any judges there, yet we see the judges reactions....

Also please tell me someone else has noticed this:

The lighting and or picture quality of the contestants in the audition room is HORRIBLE. Every one of them looks like they have jaundice (very yellow face). At first I thought it was my monitor, but then they look fine when they walk out.
I swear they look like death.

Some of the edits are WAY too obvious. Like the montage with all them singing "Kiss". They were obviously all asked to sing that song and you could tell they were singing at a cue card and there weren't any judges there, yet we see the judges reactions....


To be fair, this was there last season as well. Perhaps even two seasons ago. Everytime I've seen this throughout the seasons, it was obvious they were singing at a cue card w/o judges too.

i told myself i wouldnt watch this, but i cant turn my head away... i think HD helps the auditions, i felt like that unchained melody software engineer was in the room with me, and i was scared to move

i told myself i wouldnt watch this, but i cant turn my head away...

Yeah, that train wreck just keeps us fixated!! :D

Here's one of the more obvious cases of jaggies last night:

http://home.pacifier.com/~scowl/hdtv/AI1.jpg

Many of the shots looked like upconverted 480i.

ZITSMAN rules!


ANyway....two were great tonight everyone else was ookay at best.

ZITSMAN rules!
Now you all know the type of person I have to deal with on a daily basis here in Utah.

Maybe that's why I didn't find Napoleon Dynamite that funny. There are millions of him here.

So, since I asked in my local OTA thread and didn't get anyone else with this, I will ask here. Did anyone else have any video staggers? The audio had a few short drop-outs, but nothing bad, but on many occations, the video would stop moving, skip a few frames and then start up again. Probably only missed two or three frames at a time. This was on the show last night (Tuesday) and I don't know about tonight as it is about to start for my time-zone.

Just trying to figure out if it's a problem with my local feed, the network feed or my box....

Some random comments:

2.Why doesn't Jewel get her teeth fixed?


because believe it or not, some people are perfectly satisfied with how they look, regardless of what other people think or say :mad:

snap!

Shows like this are meant to keep the public in vegitative state.

"you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes...what are they called...bush baby"

"he compared me to a monkey...simon can kiss my a$$, because i do not look like a monkey"

Now you all know the type of person I have to deal with on a daily basis here in Utah.
Every season one or two singers honestly make my cat scream in agony by the awful noises they make. This moon-faced guy was the first one this year. I turned it down and he still kept crying until he finally stopped singing. My cat was singing "Unchained Melody" better than this guy was.

I hope we have more auditions in which the security guys have to "escort" the contestant out of the audition room because he or she got too close to the judges. I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. That hairdresser guy acted and sounded like he had snorted a handful of angel dust before he showed up there.

I have not heard the winner of this competition yet.

Paul

Got at least two sweep periods before that's determined.

So, since I asked in my local OTA thread and didn't get anyone else with this, I will ask here. Did anyone else have any video staggers? The audio had a few short drop-outs, but nothing bad, but on many occations, the video would stop moving, skip a few frames and then start up again. Probably only missed two or three frames at a time. This was on the show last night (Tuesday) and I don't know about tonight as it is about to start for my time-zone.

Just trying to figure out if it's a problem with my local feed, the network feed or my box....

No freezing on my OTA.

"you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes...what are they called...bush baby"

"he compared me to a monkey...simon can kiss my a$$, because i do not look like a monkey"

Simon was mean, insenstive, politically incorrect....and suprisingly accurate.

Now, seriously, is it really possible that he and his friend were so starved for attention that they felt it necessary to put themselves through that.

Although, that other guy -- what was he, a software engineer -- who looked perpetually surprised was downright scary.

"you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes...what are they called...bush baby"

"he compared me to a monkey...simon can kiss my a$$, because i do not look like a monkey"http://www.worldprimatesafaris.com/images/madagascar/lemur.jpg

:eek:

:D

because believe it or not, some people are perfectly satisfied with how they look, regardless of what other people think or say :mad:

Then why does she get her hair done?

Simon was mean, insenstive, politically incorrect....and suprisingly accurate.

Now, seriously, is it really possible that he and his friend were so starved for attention that they felt it necessary to put themselves through that.

Although, that other guy -- what was he, a software engineer -- who looked perpetually surprised was downright scary.

Some people just want to get their 15 minutes of fame. They know they suck, but are happy for any attention they can get. Then you got the people that think they can sing good but are totally clueless. These people got mental issues or just an inflated ego.

The software guy was just downright hideous. Although it was painful to sit through, I did start laughing since it was so ridiculous to let him finish the song.

The chick with the glasses that had her mother come in for the audition was scary. Same goes for the Taylor Hicks wannabe.

"Some say I sound like Lance..."

Randy,"Armstrong?"

That might be one of the most inane things I've ever read, considering Fantasia couldn't hit a single note, screamed constantly with zero control, completely abandoned her poor child (except for the gratuitous use for pity votes onstage one week), and does the same tired ending of every single song with "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,..." that ranges to every off-pitch note capable of being heard by the human ear. :mad:

Fantasia isn't the worst singer ever to be on AI, she's the worst singer in the history of mankind. :(

Carrie Underwood was/is soulless. She has little vocal range and zero charisma. She had no ability to step outside of her comfort zone, and was laughable when she attempted to sing something that was not country. If she represents the best of country music then it just shows how pathetic that side of the music spectrum has become.

There is a reason Simon takes delight making snide remarks at her every year since.

Some people just want to get their 15 minutes of fame. They know they suck, but are happy for any attention they can get. Then you got the people that think they can sing good but are totally clueless. These people got mental issues or just an inflated ego.

The software guy was just downright hideous. Although it was painful to sit through, I did start laughing since it was so ridiculous to let him finish the song.

The chick with the glasses that had her mother come in for the audition was scary. Same goes for the Taylor Hicks wannabe.

Well, that must be it. Any attention is better than no attention. That just seems so sad. But, then again, they did get on national TV with an estimated audience of 37 million viewers.

Ok, that settles it. I'm going to wrap myself in a flag, wear a funny hat, juggle live bushbabies and sing America the Beautiful while drinking a glass of dihydrogen monoxide.

BTW, I didn't have any issues with the HD feed last night, except having to mute the volume a few times when they let certain people go too long.


Also, I know Jewel has messed up teeth, but I thought she looked really good Tuesday night! Of course, she doesn't allow the teeth to be seen all that much, but she still looked good. Anyone have any good HD screen caps of her?

Here's one of the more obvious cases of jaggies last night:

http://home.pacifier.com/~scowl/hdtv/AI1.jpg

Many of the shots looked like upconverted 480i.

That's not what I saw. On my 80" FP each one of those jaggies would have been huge, and I think I would have noticed. OTA KFQX in Grand Junction.

that pic has some major jaggie...pixels if anything!

Yeah, that's not a good screen shot; something's amiss there. The show is broadcast in HD, and looks it.

That's not what I saw. On my 80" FP each one of those jaggies would have been huge, and I think I would have noticed. OTA KFQX in Grand Junction.
There were huge. I can't say why you didn't notice (a big screen doesn't help if you sit too far away from it). They were most obvious here when Randy hid under the papers but there were other more subtle deinterlacing and upconverting artifacts. When the judges talked you could sometimes see their mouths flickering as they talked.

But last night I didn't see any of these artifacts and I was watching carefully. Maybe they were short one HD camera in Minneapolis and had to swap in a SD camera.

This was OTA.

Yeah, that's not a good screen shot; something's amiss there. The show is broadcast in HD, and looks it.
It's broadcast in HD but it's obvious that they use SD cameras in many segments during the auditions but I've never seen them used in the audition room. The screen shot is exactly what I and others saw.

If you still have this on disk, post a screen shot of what you saw. This was early in the show when the kid wearing a cell phone microphone went out to get some water, came back, and did even worse than before. Randy started laughing and covered his face under the papers.

You know, if she IS addicted to pain killers, may FOX could do a crossover from House and have Tritter show up on AI as a contestant, get humiliated, and then....
She should do a cameo on House. LOL

The ALL TIME #1 audition!''

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U-YhXSCLGHI

Fantasia is a lot more talented to Carrie Underwood. Carrie isn't even that interesting a country singer much less an American Idol.
Some people should just be ignored.

I only noticed jaggies Tuesday night from the camera that provides the shot shown in post #109. I didn't notice it on the Wednesday broadcast, but it was obvious on Tuesday.

The ALL TIME #1 audition!''

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U-YhXSCLGHI
Just watched it. Priceless.

Second huge 'Idol' night: 36.9 million
Fox show tops last year's night two by 5.4 million
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine Jan 18, 2007

At this rate, it won’t take Fox much time at all to catch up with the Big Three, much less pull ahead. The second night of the network’s “American Idol” delivered ratings nearly as spectacular as night one, sending the other networks into a deep funk last night.

“Idol” averaged 36.9 million total viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen overnights, just 600,000 fewer than its record debut total Tuesday night. It was up an impressive 5.4 million over last year’s night two, though that show was only an hour long.

Among adults 18-49, “Idol” averaged a 15.4, 0.3 behind Tuesday’s debut. That was up 18 percent over last year’s 13.0 for night two. “Idol” peaked with 39.6 million total viewers at 9 p.m. and a 17.0 in 18-49s.

What’s more, “Idol” obliterated the competition last night, outdrawing the other four English-language networks combined. Only one show, CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” managed to draw a rating above 3.0 in 18-49s, and among total viewers, it was the only competitor to top 10 million.

In fact, in the 8 p.m. hour, “Idol’s” most-watched competitor was ABC’s double dose of “According to Jim,” with a mere 6.9 million viewers.

It seems “Idol” is poised for its most-watched season ever, and that’s saying something. The first two episodes have pulled the second- and third-most viewers in the show’s history, behind only season two’s 38 million finale.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_9606.asp

The ALL TIME #1 audition!''

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U-YhXSCLGHI
Leroy Wells is just as bad/good as Leroy Jenkins. Must be the name. :D

Then why does she get her hair done?


are you seriously trying to compare dental reconstructive surgery to fixing your hair? are you kidding me?

...while drinking a glass of dihydrogen monoxide.
NOOOOO! Stay away from that deadly stuff. DHMO is high in hydrogen content and causes; intoxication reduction, erosion of our precious Earth, and people to spend far too much on portable beakers with cryptography on the label for transport of it.

And that's just in it's native state! Once cooled, it's capable of putting out an eye on up to sinking oceanliners on their native voyages. Heated, it could reduce visibility on up to sear flesh from the skin.

Sign the petition against DHMO now! Stop this deadly agent before it's too late.

http://www.dmhoiswaterduhyouidiotwhichish2o.com

That lady that died in that radio contest a couple of days ago found out how dangerous DHMO is. :(

Hmm just found out the girl I went to HS with did indeed make it through to Hollywood. Her audition is next Wed during the NYC auditions.

Hmm just found out the girl I went to HS with did indeed make it through to Hollywood. Her audition is next Wed during the NYC auditions.


well, what's her name? lets look for her...

Justine, I don't want to give her last name just yet. You'll notice her with her massive forehead. (a la Christina Ricci) ;)

Justine, I don't want to give her last name just yet. You'll notice her with her massive forehead. (a la Christina Ricci) ;)


that's good enough. cool stuff...

are you seriously trying to compare dental reconstructive surgery to fixing your hair? are you kidding me?

They're called braces. It's not surgery. I had them when I was a kid like millions of other kids.

I was talking about her dying her roots dark. :p

For Jewel fans (or at least fans of her anatomy): http://www.visi.com/~lazlo/gallery/jewel_grammy_dress.jpg

She also whips 'em out on camera in Ride with the Devil, a good film. :)

Everyone meeds to give Paula a break! Yes, she may like to mix the occasional 80 proof liquor with high-dose prescription painkillers, but, through it all, she never loses her professionalism. Slurred speech; laughing in the face of humiliated adolescents; a face so relaxed it no longer resembles her own: these are all merely distractions from the genius that is Paula Abdul. Her insight (repeat everything Randy says) and her undeniable talent (Opposites Attract) have cemented Paula as not only the 3rd most recognized Idol judge (4th after last night) but as someone that makes each of us feel that much better about our own lives.

When Paula has another one for the road, is that:

A- a drink
B- a pain pill
C- a contestant
D- all the above

I love the "audition" shows. Every season, I ask the question "Is there no one in these people's lives who tell them the truth?" Evidently, this may be what 10 years of self esteem education produces.

Peace,

DM

I wouldn't be surprised to see AI's ratings take a steep stumble now that the "bad" singers are nearing the end of the show.

I watched and laughed but the show has become way too fake for me

I wouldn't be surprised to see AI's ratings take a steep stumble now that the "bad" singers are nearing the end of the show.

I watched and laughed but the show has become way too fake for me

No, no, no!!! This is REALITY TV. Everything is authentic. Seriously. No, really.

"you look like one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes...what are they called...bush baby"

"he compared me to a monkey...simon can kiss my a$$, because i do not look like a monkey"


http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p257/timick/bigeyes.gif

I wouldn't be surprised to see AI's ratings take a steep stumble now that the "bad" singers are nearing the end of the show.

I watched and laughed but the show has become way too fake for meThe ratings usually dip in mid season and then climbs back towards the end. Even so it has been the #1 show. What's different this year is that there are more reality shows on in the same part of the year. NBC's Grease will run concurrent, and then there are plans for DWTS to run March to May. Will the US finally tire of so much reality TV? Judging by the rest of the world where most of these shows are coming from, it doesn't look like it.

There's no reason to assume that the viewing trends will change. This year topped last year so far, so barring an extremely weak/lame lineup of finalists, it's fair to assume that the ratings uptick will remain through to the finale.

The other AI knockoffs aren't likely going to have any impact on AI.

E the 3rd most recognized Idol judge (4th after last night)

Was it on last night?

Off topic...but I have to comment on how good the picture quality is for AI on Dish Network mpeg4 locals (Atlanta), a lot of other shows don't have nearly as good quality. I guess it is because of all the still shots and probably some really good source material.

It is noticeably better than any other primetime HD in my setup.

HD PQ comments are never off topic in this forum.

I believe the majority of those chosen to be displayed in front of the judges in the preliminary rounds are amateur actors. The most important aspect of the early shows is entertainment value. They look for those with physical or vocal "tricks" that will entertain the crowds. Those trying out for AI know that if they can "act" in a certain unique way, they will be approved to be filmed and, possibly, air on national television.

Those who are "serious" about singing, are thrown in to give some balance, but are mostly hidden in the early rounds. In fact, many of them you'll never even see until they shift to Hollywood. There, the singing becomes serious.

The early rounds are all about show. One of the best examples is the cowardly lion woman. Here is somebody who has a vocal "trick" and knew if she could use it in a song, it would have a high likelihood of being filmed. It worked. She accomplished exactly what she wanted to do – make it to the judges and be filmed.

And don't kid yourself about the Randy, Paula and Simon being in the "dark" about all of this. I'm sure those that filter the contestants and look for those "unique" and "entertaining" people pass this information along to the judges in meetings. Then they all act "shocked" when they are put in front of them to perform and be judged. This is all an act, folks.

It's like a show within a show. The preliminary sorting is all about goofy entertainment. And looking at the ratings, it works very well. Once they go to "Hollywood" then the whole purpose shifts to serious singing – which is just as entertaining. The formula works quite well.

And don't kid yourself about the Randy, Paula and Simon being in the "dark" about all of thisl.OK, maybe two of the three aren't.

This old 1 didn't end so well...http://media.putfile.com/hollywood-75

This old 1 didn't end so well...http://media.putfile.com/hollywood-75

THAT was funny! :eek: :D

sad but I actually remember the dude who was told he should be a `female impersonator'...

I believe the majority of those chosen to be displayed in front of the judges in the preliminary rounds are amateur actors. The most important aspect of the early shows is entertainment value. They look for those with physical or vocal "tricks" that will entertain the crowds. Those trying out for AI know that if they can "act" in a certain unique way, they will be approved to be filmed and, possibly, air on national television.

Those who are "serious" about singing, are thrown in to give some balance, but are mostly hidden in the early rounds. In fact, many of them you'll never even see until they shift to Hollywood. There, the singing becomes serious.

The early rounds are all about show. One of the best examples is the cowardly lion woman. Here is somebody who has a vocal "trick" and knew if she could use it in a song, it would have a high likelihood of being filmed. It worked. She accomplished exactly what she wanted to do – make it to the judges and be filmed.

And don't kid yourself about the Randy, Paula and Simon being in the "dark" about all of this. I'm sure those that filter the contestants and look for those "unique" and "entertaining" people pass this information along to the judges in meetings. Then they all act "shocked" when they are put in front of them to perform and be judged. This is all an act, folks.

It's like a show within a show. The preliminary sorting is all about goofy entertainment. And looking at the ratings, it works very well. Once they go to "Hollywood" then the whole purpose shifts to serious singing – which is just as entertaining. The formula works quite well.

If some of those contestants are truly acting, they are more convincing than some actual "actors" I have seen.

This is, after all, an "Entertainment" show. As has been mentioned before, if anyone has seen AI, s/he knows exactly what s/he's in for. I would much rather people who have a need for their 15 minutes of fame get it on AI, rather than engage in downright antisocial behavior in order to get it.

Some of these contestants do frighten me, however.

the same stuff was being spread by Survivor haters for several years....

If anything the judges MIGHT be asked to let certain auditioneers(word?) go on longer than they would normally allow...I haven't seen anyone I'd classify as an actor.

The juggling 16 yr old kid was genuine (imagine how bad he's catching it at school now!HAHA!!)...


THe Rosie Odonnell/ Cure lead singer love child from last year was scary. :p

As much of a dink as Simon can be, I think he actually helps people in a sort of indirect and convoluted way. Imagine all the ridicuously bad singers and how some say, "All my friends/co-workers/neighbors told me to try out because I'm so good." Simon tells the "aptsolute" truth, which is that they flat-out suck.

Hopefully, these types of persons go home and take a long look at their so-called "friends" and make changes in their lives so as not to include or listen to a-holes that simply long to see these poor souls make complete asses out of themselves on national TV.

Of course, I'm speaking of those that truly think they're great, yet obviously aren't and never could be under any circumstances...not the ones that knows they're awful, but want to get on TV anyway as a joke or for 15 minutes of fame.

If the contestants are at all serious about the entertainment industry, they should get used to rejection. Thick skin is required. I do think the weeks of bad singers get a bit old after a while, but many say it's the best part of the show.

The juggling 16 yr old kid was genuine...
I contend that AI is a great study in American culture as well as a great example of what NOT to do in parenting children. When the "juggling 16 yr old" came out of the room and his anger turned to crying, he sobbed "I just want to be famous."

Since when did that become a worthy goal in life? :(

I guess Paris Hilton has more influence than I want to admit.

Peace,

DM

Being famous sometimes leads to a cushy life. The kid wants an easy way out rather than working a 'real' job for living. If not then why did he get mad and then instantly cry about it? Then again, he might just be mental.

Yup, his parents were not doing him any favors. Notice how the kid did not want to have to work for it? He told the cameras he wants to be famous immediately. Sheesh. And his mom just hugged him but did not give him any constructive criticism.

I thought the contestant with the most class was Darwin and her mother. They were very sweet ladies.

I thought the contestant with the most class was Darwin and her mother. They were very sweet ladies.

And I've seen her before somewhere. I trying to remember where. This is not her first time in the limelight.

Paris Hilton isn't famous, she's notorious.

Fame requires hard work, diligence, talent, and prudence in every moment and aspect of your life that leads to you being known favorably in the public eye. Mother Teresa, Tom Hanks, Ronald Regan, Derek Fisher, Bono, and others are famous.

Notoriety simply requires ridiculousness, poor judgement, or blatant disregard to the self or others continually presented to the public eye in an effort to stay or be known. Ivan the Terrible, Ben Affleck, George Bush, Dennis Rodman, and K-Fed are notorious. Britney Spears used to be famous and idolized, now she's notorious and pantyless.

The juggling kid will never be famous nor notorious. He's obviously too busy smoking pot and twirling his pot-sticks to have the drive to be either. Not that pot-heads can't succeed. Snoop Dogg is both. ;)

Notoriety simply requires ridiculousness, poor judgement, or blatant disregard to the self or others continually presented to the public eye in an effort to stay or be known.
Fame and notoriety can also be inherited. Lisa Marie Presley has done absolutely nothing in her entire life yet the media follows her as if she were a successful actress or model.

I contend that AI is a great study in American culture as well as a great example of what NOT to do in parenting children.
It's not a great study of American culture because it's just a tiny cross section of it. You only see some talented people and some freaks. You can't make good conclusions about an entire culture from such a small biased sample. I don't think you can make accurate conclusions about their parents from thirty seconds of footage either.

There's no reason to assume that the viewing trends will change. This year topped last year so far, so barring an extremely weak/lame lineup of finalists, it's fair to assume that the ratings uptick will remain through to the finale.

The other AI knockoffs aren't likely going to have any impact on AI.

I know some people are in amazement at AI ratings, but I'm not.

AI is a ratings juggernaut because Simon Cowell forced it to be: FOX wanted AI to be twice a year, a la Survivor.

But after Season 2, Cowell threatened to quit because he wanted more time for the singers to develop.

To appease Cowell, AI followed the 24-like schedule of only running from Jan-May.

THIS is one of the biggest reasons it does so well.

Although Survivor still gets good ratings, I believe it too would still be a ratings juggernaut if they only did Survivor once a year a la AI.

Because we don't have AI overkill all year round that May-Jan lull of no-AI builds up anticipation which the show rides through its season. The same cannot be said of Survivor.

Survivor was screwed up by peaking with an `All Star' series then going back to mundane casts...We still watch it religeously though.

It was funny how Randy suggested that one contestant was more suited for America's Got Talent. That show is one of Simon Cowell's many other projects which includes The X-Factor shown in the UK, a show that he's also a judge. I don't see how Simon would have the time to do AI twice a year.

I know some people are in amazement at AI ratings, but I'm not.

AI is a ratings juggernaut because Simon Cowell forced it to be: FOX wanted AI to be twice a year, a la Survivor.

But after Season 2, Cowell threatened to quit because he wanted more time for the singers to develop.

To appease Cowell, AI followed the 24-like schedule of only running from Jan-May.

THIS is one of the biggest reasons it does so well.

Although Survivor still gets good ratings, I believe it too would still be a ratings juggernaut if they only did Survivor once a year a la AI.

Because we don't have AI overkill all year round that May-Jan lull of no-AI builds up anticipation which the show rides through its season. The same cannot be said of Survivor.

The smartest move Fox made was to give into this scheduling. The more you show these programs the more the audience will get tired of watching. It is happening to Survivor, and has shut down what should still running Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

The smartest move Fox made was to give into this scheduling. The more you show these programs the more the audience will get tired of watching. It is happening to Survivor, and has shut down what should still running Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Exactly! That is why it surprises me that CBS still has yet to cave in and take shows like Survivor and Amazing Race down to once per year.

Perhaps they are too scared to look like a follower.

I contend that AI is a great study in American culture as well as a great example of what NOT to do in parenting children. When the "juggling 16 yr old" came out of the room and his anger turned to crying, he sobbed "I just want to be famous."

Since when did that become a worthy goal in life? :(

I guess Paris Hilton has more influence than I want to admit.

Peace,

DM

At least the juggling kid has clearly spent a lot of time and hard work on his juggling. He's trying to earn fame. It might not be enough, but if the kid matures and keeps working hard at something he can do well (definitely not singing, probably not juggling), he could be a success.

I'm sure his classmates will tease him a lot, though.

Paris inherited her fame.

The juggling kid didn't even juggle well.

"I want to start out famous!" Who says that, other than someone in an asylum?

It's disgusting how AI exploits people with obvious mental problems. Entertaining as a car crash but still disturbing.

Juggling kid might be on the edge of a tall building now that these two castoffs have agents and are becoming famous by appearing on other national shows like Today. 14 of their 15 minutes left.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7893/today1220717no.th.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220717no.jpg)http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2007/today1220752cj.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220752cj.jpg)http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1882/today1220790ge.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220790ge.jpg)http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/3112/today1220748do.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220748do.jpg)http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4552/today12207104vy.th.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today12207104vy.jpg)http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9749/today1220720nb.th.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220720nb.jpg)

You can't tell me this guy actually made it all the way through school without being ridiculed. This could not have been the first time he's been told about his looks. Might sound harsh but he does look odd, and I thought the same thing Simon said when I saw him. The clock is ticking for sure.
Same goes for the chick that called herslef "the hotness". Not trying to be mean here but, if this is her at her best, then I'd hate to see her when she wakes up.

Same goes for the chick that called herslef "the hotness". Not trying to be mean here but, if this is her at her best, then I'd hate to see her when she wakes up.

That chick wouldn't be hot even if she was on fire.

LOL, correct you are.
I'm surprised the media didn't add the comment Simon made about the 6'7" (6'4" without shoes) chick after she left the audition, to the fracas. He said something to the effect that "we just sent a Giraffe through to Hollywood". With them lamenting on how mean the judges are, I thought that one would have been way up there on the list. I thought it was funny as hell but hey, she hasn't complained so I guess it doesn't bother her.

He said something to the effect that "we just sent a Giraffe through to Hollywood".Some might have found that comment racist as a giraffe is an African animal.

I didn't interpret the comment in that manner, I simply saw it as a play on her gangly height.

Sometimes a giraffe is just a giraffe.

http://img440.imageshack.us/my.php?image=today1220748do.jpg

LMAO!!!!!!

that's the strangest looking guy i've ever seen...i know i get on people for picking on the way a person looks, but still, there's something not right about this dude...

Sometimes a giraffe is just a giraffe.

Exactly. It is what it is.

I still can't fathom why a 6'4" woman would even wear 3" heels!

IMO I thought the comment made by Simon could be interpreted as racist. I wouldn't be surprise if this is brought up soon. Although she is going to Hollywood..

I'll say in this case Simon got it right:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/742/bushbaby49ro.jpg

so how is tonight's show going to work with the state of the union address? isn't tonight's idol 2 hours still?

Nope it's one hour tonight, from 8PM to 9PM so it won't be affected.

WOW, Sundance Head was ridiculously...GOOD!

Either Memphis is less "weird", or they toned down this show from last week.

It was nice to see some people who were talented.

I loved Simons comments after Sundance left. he said Sundance just blew Taylor out the park.

Man that Sundance has an amazing voice. I really loved the backup singer too. She was amazing, and so cute!

I'll say in this case Simon got it right:

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/742/bushbaby49ro.jpg

Yep... Check back about 5 days ago in this same thread... ;)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9503990&&#post9503990

Yep, I think the winner is going to be Sundance Head. I know there's more to go but just have that gut feeling.

i dont think you are allowed to win american idol with a name like sundance head

:confused: What was up with Miss Boobs Falling Out??? How the hell does someone confuse confidence with confident???

"They'll say I'm sexy, innocent, and confident. They'll like my confidentiality." Just sad. :(

Their aught two bee weighs too chews sum won whose grater at definite shuns. ;)

I loved Simons comments after Sundance left. he said Sundance just blew Taylor out the park.

Man that Sundance has an amazing voice. I really loved the backup singer too. She was amazing, and so cute!

Wife and I both agreed Sundance is easily the strongest male singer ever on AI..most of the past `good singers' have been soft singers. :D

:confused: What was up with Miss Boobs Falling Out??? How the hell does someone confuse confidence with confident???

"They'll say I'm sexy, innocent, and confident. They'll like my confidentiality." Just sad. :(

Their aught two bee weighs too chews sum won whose grater at definite shuns. ;)

That was hillarious. When she said that, my wife and I looked at each other and said "What?" We figured she has no idea what she was saying. Funny thing is, I have a buddy that is like that. He isn't stupid or anything, just mixes up the right words and doesn't even attempt to correct himself, just keeps going like it was right. If you correct him, he says: "Whatever, you know what I meant".

She also made a comment before she went into the room that was sorta contradictory, something about them thinking she was sexy but XXXX, can't remember what it was, but the two don't normally go together.

She also made a comment before she went into the room that was sorta contradictory, something about them thinking she was sexy but XXXX, can't remember what it was, but the two don't normally go together.
I think it was "conservative"....my kid pointed out the contradiction. I like his confidentiality!

"I'm not gonna dance.I just sing and have movements!" :p :p

Your gonna LOVE this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KGZ27KOrek&NR

I wouldn't be surprised if this episode was quickly re-edited after all the backlash during the past week. Or maybe Memphis is somewhat sane.

Wife and I both agreed Sundance is easily the strongest male singer ever on AI..most of the past `good singers' have been soft singers. :D


oh come on. you are able to gather this information from one 20 second song clip? interesting...

Sundance Head was really incredibly good. I thought he might be decent, but I was blown away. I don't know that he was the best ever, but Simon was certainly right when he said that Sundance was better than Taylor.

My favorite (not best) performance was the guy who looked like he was straight out of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils - only more so. He was better than I expected, but I didn't think he was good enough to go to Hollywood. The judges sent him anyway.

What I want to see in HD is WB superstar:

Plot Outline:
A reality spoof on Fox's "American Idol", in which the judges reverse their selections from good singers, to bad ones. All of it under a hoax where the bad singers believe they can sing...when they can't.

from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412254/

I guess they can only do this show once every few years

Here are some sound bites. Apparently they released a CD

http://www.ilovereality.com/Shows/superstar.html

I couldn't quickly find any video clips on the web.

This show is so over the top its hilarious. I'll take this show over the freak show portion of AI anyday.

IMO I thought the comment made by Simon could be interpreted as racist. I wouldn't be surprise if this is brought up soon. Although she is going to Hollywood..
How is it possibly racist? The woman's most identifying trait is that she's unusually tall. Calling her a giraffe is the most obvious way of humorously describing her.

Yep... Check back about 5 days ago in this same thread... ;)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9503990&&#post9503990Your "bush baby" picture was a good match for his TV caps. Thanks for posting it.

How is it possibly racist? The woman's most identifying trait is that she's unusually tall. Calling her a giraffe is the most obvious way of humorously describing her.

It's offensive to giraffo-Americans. Have they not suffered enough? Bumping their heads on door frames, constantly being asked "How's the weather up there?", I don't know how they endure it, day after day.... :(

How is it possibly racist? The woman's most identifying trait is that she's unusually tall. Calling her a giraffe is the most obvious way of humorously describing her.I don't think the original comment was intended to be racist, but some might think it in bad taste to compare a tall African American to a tall African animal. Howard Cosell's not too dissimilar comment on MNF got him in hot water. This episode of AI was a pre-recorded show, so it passed Fox S&P.

How is it possibly racist? The woman's most identifying trait is that she's unusually tall. Calling her a giraffe is the most obvious way of humorously describing her.

I agree. To see it in any other way than humor would be taking it way too far and completely out of context.

oh come on. you are able to gather this information from one 20 second song clip? interesting...

based on auditions only..yes. Read my entire statement.

Sundance is fine, but I'm certainly not dubbing him the greatest singer in the history of this or any other galaxy based on one simple little ditty that lasted less than 30 seconds. :confused: If he wins, it will likely be as much due to his humility and seemingly good-natured personality as his singing. (The part about wishing he could repeat high school and try harder was genius and did seem heartfelt.)

Too bad for his pops losing his #1 spot to the Drab Four. :( That dude could dance!

I was only reffering to the guys...I didn't really see that much of the first two seasons anyone but what I have seen wasn't very impressive dudewise.

Uhhh the first segment tonight was...weird.

The gay attitudy guy followed by the tearjerker AI runaway.

Few people know that AI started in Scandinavia before it moved to England and then to America.

Here's the 1981 winner and the runner up. They were paired to make this number 1 hit.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8610362188397291938

oh thank god those 2 are going to hollywood :D

oh thank god those 2 are going to hollywood :D

I usually just watch only the auditions, but not now...holy crap, they were semokin.

whichever producer suggested going to the beach to get some shots, thumbs up :)

More hot beach chicks...less first weirdo dude.

As soon as they came on, I said to myself "If those girls can make any sound at all come out, they are going on."

I see a lucrative Playboy spread in their future.

i dont think you are allowed to win american idol with a name like sundance headHis real name is Jason:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Head

Sara is a psycho.

How novel, to win a singing contest and never have sung before! I think the weirdos have come out of closet this season.

Well the girl I know, was indeed on tonight but unfortunately only in the 2 second montage at the end of all the ones chosen. Her actual audition was not shown.

Hey Foxeng, is there a way to get a copy of someone's audition that never aired? I'm sure our old drama teacher in High School would love it.

that's so lame that they don't show everyone who was chosen.

it's amazing how many people are in the competion without hardly any camera time

last season there were peeps in the top 24 i hardly remember seeing

Sundance is fine, but I'm certainly not dubbing him the greatest singer in the history of this or any other galaxy based on one simple little ditty that lasted less than 30 seconds. :confused: If he wins, it will likely be as much due to his humility and seemingly good-natured personality as his singing. (The part about wishing he could repeat high school and try harder was genius and did seem heartfelt.)

Too bad for his pops losing his #1 spot to the Drab Four. :( That dude could dance!


I certainly agree with Simon's comment that Sundance blew Taylor Hicks "out of the boat"....

Taylor who?

based on auditions only..yes. Read my entire statement.


yeah, i read your entire statement. with sensational and completely over the top comments like that you should write for the enquirer...

His real name is Jason:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Head


i don't think so...didnt you see his little intro where he was trying to answer how his parents came up with a name like "sundance"? he said he didn't know other than the fact that his parents were hippies...

Here in Jacksonville we got only SD, nothing in HD. Was that just a local problem?

Although Simon can be outrageous at times, my wife and I noted that when the contestant presents real talent he can be quite gracious and complimentary.

yeah, i read your entire statement. with sensational and completely over the top comments like that you should write for the enquirer...

Ver the top? That would fit the comments about shorty and her big mouth BF...the short one was off pitch and got praised anyway. Two singers tonight were putrid and were allowed to go to Hollywood. THis always seems to happen with 3 or 4 contestants.

Course the biggest joke ever was Jasmiine Trias making the final three (couldn't sing a line in key) and that Constantine lame-O!

I vote for the two hot chicks.....to get a spread in Playboy.

i don't think so...didnt you see his little intro where he was trying to answer how his parents came up with a name like "sundance"? he said he didn't know other than the fact that his parents were hippies...

When he stood before the judges, they displayed his name as Jason "Sundance" Head. I only noticed it because my son's name is Jason (not Sundance).

I didn't know her, but I went to college with a girl named Lovechild Ermantrout.

Heck, just look at the first name of the Bears head coach.

I just love the HD quality of this show. Looks fantastic.

I'm confused. When they play those montages of people that have auditioned singing one song, how do they do that? The person has already left the audition room, some of them stormed out and even went outside. Are they running after the people asking them to come back? When are they asking these people to do this and if some are so mad, why did they come back? It seems really weird and staged.

Those are staged and done prior to seeing the judges (the Big 3 judges). They sing their song of choice to the screening judges, then they get the bad contestants to all sing the same song that day, then piece it together for our enjoyment. ;) When they get before Simon & Co. they get to sing the song of their choice again. Any reactionary shots of the judges during the common song montage, are edited in and not really reacting to that particular performance (unless someone's song of choice happened to be the same song featured that day).

I'd guess that when they make the request of the bad singers, they don't inform them that it's because they suck enough to make it into the montage.

I wonder if the producers have realized that their is a large portion of the early audience who just tune in for the bad singers so that is why we got a heavy dose last week. The last two days seem to show focus more on the better singers.

the auditions were done in giants stadium and i knew some people that were in the audition... LMAO

my god....

The first 2-3 seasons were better because the bad people really thought they were good.

Now, everything looks fake and staged.

People know that if they are bad enough, they will get on TV

What I want to see in HD is WB superstar:

Plot Outline:
A reality spoof on Fox's "American Idol", in which the judges reverse their selections from good singers, to bad ones. All of it under a hoax where the bad singers believe they can sing...when they can't.

from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412254/

I guess they can only do this show once every few years

Here are some sound bites. Apparently they released a CD

http://www.ilovereality.com/Shows/superstar.html

I couldn't quickly find any video clips on the web.

This show is so over the top its hilarious. I'll take this show over the freak show portion of AI anyday.

Unfortunately WB's Superstar USA was a colassal bomb.

The problem was that the worst singer on the planet didn't "win" the competition.

They kept advancing this relatively cute girl because she was cute, and she "beat" out Mario, the godawful worst singer in America. That made the whole show more a joke then it already was.

Comments/Questions about the NY Auditions:

1.) So who was the girl that an AVSforum regular supposedly knows that made it past the auditions last night? Did we see her?

2.) Anyone notice during the final Julie/Isadora audition, there was an obvious cut right before she starts "singing." During the "song," you never see the judges and Julie/Isadora at the same time. I believe the audition we saw didn't actually happen in the front of the judges, and that the producers felt this one was more interesting to us than the actual one. I hate when they pull that crap.

4.) Anyone notice a different guest judge during the evening? At one point, for only 30 seconds or so, we see an older blond lady at the judges table. She is never introduced.

Since we're talking about Playboy here, the interview with Simon this month is very interesting. :D

He's pretty much exactly who I thought he was. Playboy interviews are great, since there seems to be much less worrying about being PC or saying exactly the right things. It's a much more relaxed atmosphere. :)

As an aside, those two chicks weren't that hot. Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if some people ever go outside their homes. Go to any mall or beach (which is apparently where these two spend all their time) and you'll see two females running around that are much, much, much better looking. They were generic and bland to me. :confused:

The girl that worked out every day for a year? Now, she was hot. YOW! The greatest thing about her is that she was showing off her body/looks because she was proud of her hard work and achievement, not vain. :cool:

I wasn't all that impressed with the two friends singing abilities. But, so far that second friend is the best eye candy that they've sent through, so I hope she hangs around for a while. :D

4.) Anyone notice a different guest judge during the evening? At one point, for only 30 seconds or so, we see an older blond lady at the judges table. She is never introduced.

It was Olivia Newton-John.

As soon as they came on, I said to myself "If those girls can make any sound at all come out, they are going on."
:D I think Simon agreed with you.

I wonder if they know Meadow Soprano.

I wasn't all that impressed with the two friends singing abilities. But, so far that second friend is the best eye candy that they've sent through, so I hope she hangs around for a while. :D

The [older] blonde had the prettier face, but the [younger] brunette had a body to die for, and a better singing voice to boot.

Well - after the first 2 weeks of auditions, Jory Steinberg (last night) is by far my favorite. She could be this year's version of Katharine.

Well - after the first 2 weeks of auditions, Jory Steinberg (last night) is by far my favorite. She could be this year's version of Katharine.


so far i'm going with the fidel castro guy. i'd love to see them try and market him...

Ver the top? That would fit the comments about shorty and her big mouth BF...the short one was off pitch and got praised anyway. Two singers tonight were putrid and were allowed to go to Hollywood. THis always seems to happen with 3 or 4 contestants.

Course the biggest joke ever was Jasmiine Trias making the final three (couldn't sing a line in key) and that Constantine lame-O!


for all i know, you could be 100% right and he COULD be the best male idol singer ever. i just don't think we can crown him after a 20-30 second clip of one song. I can sing a couple of songs REALLY well...a singer it does NOT make me...

The first 2-3 seasons were better because the bad people really thought they were good.

Now, everything looks fake and staged.

People know that if they are bad enough, they will get on TV

You may be right. I do get the impression, though, that there still are enough delusional people available where staging isn't necessary. That is sad, frightening, and unfortunately, very funny at times.

With all the contestants passing through without us even hearing their names, I think it's way too soon to start picking favorites. Mine tend to get knocked out pretty soon anyways!

Sadly, there seems to be an increase in the ratio of bad singers that think they're good as a result of some mental deficiency as opposed to just delusions of grandeur. You love to see the cocky fall flat on their face, but I get no joy or entertainment value watching some mentally handicapped person make an ass out of themselves.

so far i'm going with the fidel castro guy. i'd love to see them try and market him...
OK I changed my mind. I'm going with Castro all the way. I'd like to see him and the woman in the Army Reserves from Minnetonka sing a duet wearing what they auditioned in.

You love to see the cocky fall flat on their face, but I get no joy or entertainment value watching some mentally handicapped person make an ass out of themselves.
Like the girl in the Memphis auditions who could barely speak and had no clue what she was doing there. That wasn't fun to watch because she just seemed lost. Since she made it to the audition room you know they're passing practically anyone who will just look dumb on the show.

That didn't bug me once she blew up and flipped us the bird - the quiet was better on her.

It was Olivia Newton-John.


Hmmmm...you sure about that? I saw a commercial that she was going to be a guest judge on the Grease Reality show. Anyway, I don't think she was there in the evening (whoever the blond was...it could have been ONJ), I believe it was the scenes for next week's episode in Alabama.

My wife and I both saw the shot of the blond, and I even paused it long enough to make sure it was Olivia N-J. They did alot of bad editing throughout the show, as some others have mentioned. Like when Simon arrived wearing a grey shirt, then he's at the table in a diferent color, and at numerous times, during the show, like that afore-mentioned montage, his shirt changed completly. They need to do better than that.
This portion of the show is so staged it's not even funny, just lame. Just waiting for the real show to start. Wish they would show more of the good singers instead of these clowns and jokers who they let on the air. We might actually get some good talent this year from what I've seen so far.

Hmmmm...you sure about that?

Yes.


http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment_tv_reality/2007/01/american_idol_n.html

http://www.tvfodder.com/american_idol/archives/2007/01/american_idol_nyc_auditions.shtml

http://www.actressarchives.com/news.php?id=3732

That didn't bug me once she blew up and flipped us the bird - the quiet was better on her.
Oh yeah, turned out she spoke sign language better! :D

Yes.


http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment_tv_reality/2007/01/american_idol_n.html

http://www.tvfodder.com/american_idol/archives/2007/01/american_idol_nyc_auditions.shtml

http://www.actressarchives.com/news.php?id=3732


Ok, but wasn't it shown from the previews for next week...not an 'evening shot' of the NY auditions?

for all i know, you could be 100% right and he COULD be the best male idol singer ever. i just don't think we can crown him after a 20-30 second clip of one song. I can sing a couple of songs REALLY well...a singer it does NOT make me...not like that..c'mon! :p :p :p

As an aside, those two chicks weren't that hot. Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if some people ever go outside their homes. Go to any mall or beach (which is apparently where these two spend all their time) and you'll see two females running around that are much, much, much better looking. They were generic and bland to me. :confused:

The girl that worked out every day for a year? Now, she was hot. YOW! The greatest thing about her is that she was showing off her body/looks because she was proud of her hard work and achievement, not vain. :cool:

I guess there really is no accounting for taste because I thought the second friend was drop-dead gorgeous...maybe even the best looking AI contestant ever...(her friend was just "okay" though)...but the girl you mention in your second paragraph was 110% pure skank. Gag.

I guess there really is no accounting for taste because I thought the second friend was drop-dead gorgeous...maybe even the best looking AI contestant ever...(her friend was just "okay" though)...but the girl you mention in your second paragraph was 110% pure skank. Gag.

I just finished watching it, and you're 120% right. The "Army" chick has skank written all over her face. She definitely could use a bag on her head.

To each their own. :)