S14.E29: Top 2 Perform

[Ohwell]

I don't pay that much attention to where the winners are from either, but I do remember discussions on TWoP about the fact that the majority of the winners came from the South.  I don't think the discussions were meant to be against southerners, but just the fact that it seemed southerners were more vested in voting for their  "own" contestants.  

 

Regarding contestants talking back, the first one I remember was Justin from Season 1, and all he did was ask the audience what they thought of his performance after Simon trashed him.  I remember all the hoopla and Simon had to come back the next night and basically save Justin's ass.  I liked Justin and I was so scared he was going to get booted off.  Looking back, what Justin said was pretty tame.  There certainly were others who talked back over the years, but I don't remember anyone acting so sullen like Quentin.

[LoveLeigh]

I never liked Jax so I am glad she is not in the final 2. I think she was grossly over rated. I am rooting for Clark because I think he is more talented than Nick who I think is generic. 

[BogoGog24]

IMO it does matter because every winner except 2 have been from the south. Someone from the north deserves to win for a change. Just something DIFFERENT for once instead of always the same. There's no need to get an attitude over someone's opinion, WOW.

[MarkHB]

In Nick's case, he's the first contestant from New England ever to make it to the F2, so there's some regional pride there (at least in my case).

 

Since they did their reprisals in the first round, per MJ Jax was going to be wearing that dress for "White Flag," which I believe was one of her piano numbers.

[Neet]

Nick is generic as HELL and gives the same performance every time, but he's still more marketable than Clark and already sounds like somebody on the radio. Nick's coronation song isn't great but sounds like it could do decently well. It's already #23 on the iTunes charts for me (Canada) and he said earlier it hit #8 on the US pop chart. I'd say Nick wins tonight and will still do better than Clark if he loses. Jax will probably sign to Big Machine and flop, although there's a chance she could get lucky.

[ketchuplover]

Regardless of how craptacular AI is the season finale is must see telly

[Stratego]

The first two minutes:  Clark is dressed to be a server at a formal ball, Nick is dressed like a car valet for the ball, and Jax is dressed to be at the ball--except she wasn't invited!  My impression was:  Ryan says "...the contestant eliminated right now is...Jax".  Cue a muffled trombone: waah, waah, waaaaah,  a trap door opening, and Jax disappearing under the stage.  So classy.

[MrsMoltisanti]

 

Just something DIFFERENT for once instead of always the same.

 

Wasn't the winner last year, that rock and roller with the flamboyant running around the stage, and knocking over of mike stands different from these WGWG types that keep winning?  I thought he shook the foundations of AI for a change, even though he wasn't my cup of tea, I took note that there was a new wind blowing when they announced that winner.  Definitely not the same.  

 

Plus he is from North Carolina, is that considered North?  

Edited May 13, 2015 by MrsMoltisanti

[Neet]

Regardless of how craptacular AI is the season finale is must see telly

I relied on YouTube clips for the past two weeks because the show was so bad, yet I watched all of yesterday's episode on TV and began feeling pained at how the season was ending just because it's the finale week. I don't want it to end, damn it.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Neet

[Rick Kitchen]

I relied on YouTube clips for the past two weeks because the show was so bad, yet I watched all two hours on TV last night and began feeling pained at how the season was ending just because it's the finale week. I don't want it to end, damn it.

 

Last night's show was only an hour.  Unless I missed something.

[BogoGog24]

Wasn't the winner last year, that rock and roller with the flamboyant running around the stage, and knocking over of mike stands different from these WGWG types that keep winning? I thought he shook the foundations of AI for a change, even though he wasn't my cup of tea, I took note that there was a new wind blowing when they announced that winner. Definitely not the same.

Yes I'd say Caleb doesn't belong in the group of WGWG (along with Scotty) and he was my favorite last season. However, he's still a white guy from the south. Honestly my annoyance has nothing to do with white males or the south. It's just that the same thing keeps winning. Most people would feel exactly the same way if the winner was always a black diva from the north.

Also the show is called American Idol, not Southern Idol, yet for whatever reason the southern vote dominates more than voters from other regions. As someone from the north, yeah I'm glad to finally see someone from my state make it to the finals for once. Like someone else said, it's like hometown pride or whatever. It's just boring and unfair to watch the same types of people win every season. More or less they are all white guys with guitars from the south who do some form of rock, alternative, or folk music. This is from someone who's a fan of Lee, Scotty, and Caleb. All I'm saying is I wish there would just be more variety for once. Like a female singer songwriter who plays piano from the north or someone from the west coast. A large reason why ratings have gone down is due to this issue, so it's not like I'm crazy or something for bringing it up.

[Neet]

Last night's show was only an hour.  Unless I missed something.

Whoops. Yeah, it was just an hour. I meant to say I watched the whole thing including commercials last night and will do the same for tonight's two hour finale.

[Waldo13]

Also I find it a terrible double standard that the audience decided to "punish" Quentin for his "attitude" a few weeks ago but they reward Clark for doing the same. In any other season had a contestant talked back to the mentor the way Clark did to Scott, they'd have been voted off.

Clark was just lucky Simon isn't a judge anymore. Clark would have received 20 lashes not with a cat o nine tails but Simon's tongue. I would prefer the lashed.

The only thing I'm looking forward to tonight is Jax singing with Steven Tyler. It should be fun. By the way, I read that Jax has a single called "Force Field". I'm wondering if that would have been her coronation song if she made F2.

[MrsMoltisanti]

I am from Canada, so I am not sure on whether both the Carolinas are actually considered south or split up.  There are three winners from North Carolina.  Is Arizona considered south?  I know it is south in terms of geography but I would never think of Arizona in the same way I think of Alabama or Georgia which I consider southern USA.  Also, I think of Texas as being west, so I guess it is all in how you look at the layout of the states in the country.   I think of Arizona as being Southwest.  There are so many regions represented in American Idol, it certainly is terrific to see the talent.

[rollerblade]

The first two minutes:  Clark is dressed to be a server at a formal ball, Nick is dressed like a car valet for the ball, and Jax is dressed to be at the ball--except she wasn't invited!  My impression was:  Ryan says "...the contestant eliminated right now is...Jax".  Cue a muffled trombone: waah, waah, waaaaah,  a trap door opening, and Jax disappearing under the stage.  So classy.

 

I didn't even know AI was on last night, but had to download the episode based on this comment alone haha. I think a valet at the ball is more dressed-up than that. Nick was dressed like he's going to a casual matinee movie.

[BogoGog24]

Clark was just lucky Simon isn't a judge anymore. Clark would have received 20 lashes not with a cat o nine tails but Simon's tongue. I would prefer the lashed.

The only thing I'm looking forward to tonight is Jax singing with Steven Tyler. It should be fun. By the way, I read that Jax has a single called "Force Field". I'm wondering if that would have been her coronation song if she made F2.

 

 

"Force Field" is Jax's single, so would have been her coronation single had she won.

 

I am from Canada, so I am not sure on whether both the Carolinas are actually considered south or split up.  There are three winners from North Carolina.  Is Arizona considered south?  I know it is south in terms of geography but I would never think of Arizona in the same way I think of Alabama or Georgia which I consider southern USA.  Also, I think of Texas as being west, so I guess it is all in how you look at the layout of the states in the country.   I think of Arizona as being Southwest.  There are so many regions represented in American Idol, it certainly is terrific to see the talent.

 

North Carolina is considered part of the south. Arizona is part of the southwest. Texas is the south. 

[Stratego]

"Force Field" is Jax's single, so would have been her coronation single had she won.

 

 

North Carolina is considered part of the south. Arizona is part of the southwest. Texas is the south. 

Texas is not  "The South".  It is TEXAS. Singular. Unique.

[Oholibamah]

Ok.

Imo, southerners are not all the same. People from every region are individuals. "The same people"? Wow.

 

I think it could have been worded better, but the OP was pointing out a pattern that's been noted for quite a few seasons now.

 

Regional voting was a lot easier to identify in Canadian Idol because there's fewer provinces. Every season featured an East Coaster who overstayed their welcome, and would sometimes have a Bottom 3 with everybody from a single province due to vote-splitting (BC's Elena/Shane/Jacob in S2 comes to mind). It personally doesn't bother me that Southerners frequently win Idol since A) that appears to be consistent with its viewership, B) doesn't really influence how diverse they are musically and C) the "South" is not really a static concept (i.e. Arizona, Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma are not always considered "South").

 

But it does bother me that the winners are disproportionately white and male. The show obviously can't completely control who wins (and if S12 is any indication, they shouldn't), but the judges could easily shift momentum with fair, pointed feedback. Personally, I think the judges went extremely easy on Clark and Nick despite desperately needing to vary their performances. Contrast this with contestants like S13 Jessica, S11 Hollie or S10 Haley who were treated coldly, even after solid performances.

[MrsMoltisanti]

the "South" is not really a static concept (i.e. Arizona, Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma are not always considered "South").

 

That's what I thought.  I would not consider Oklahoma the South myself but being from outside the USA I thought I would let someone else chime in.  Texas is really not "the south" to me and Arizona - no way is like Georgia or Alabama even though geographically it is located in the south of the USA.

 

 

Texas is not  "The South".  It is TEXAS. Singular. Unique.

 

And don't mess with Texas, I see!  Wasn't the first winner from Texas?

[rereader2]

Texas is notionally--although not geographically--southwest. In real life, it's only one time zone away from the East coast.

[proserpina65]

Yest. 7:41 pm

 

I am from Canada, so I am not sure on whether both the Carolinas are actually considered south or split up.  There are three winners from North Carolina.  Is Arizona considered south?  I know it is south in terms of geography but I would never think of Arizona in the same way I think of Alabama or Georgia which I consider southern USA.

On the East Coast, everything south of the Potomac River (the border between Maryland and Virginia) is considered "South"; basically this was the dividing line between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Once you get off the coast, it's a little more confusing,but generally, outside of Texas, that state would be considered "South" but Arizona wouldn't necessarily be.  Arkansas (home of Kris Allen) might be, but Missouri (David Cook) and Oklahoma (Carrie Underwood) are iffy.  Basically, though, Lee DeWyze was the only winner from north of the 40th parallel up through 2014.

[Ohwell]

And to further muddy the waters, I'm from "Northern Virginia" and think of myself as a "northerner."  I consider the rest of Virginia to be part of the South. : )   

[27bored]

You guys are such nerds! And I love you for it. It's great that this lackluster season has turned into hot North American geography talk.

 

Also the show is called American Idol, not Southern Idol, yet for whatever reason the southern vote dominates more than voters from other regions. As someone from the north, yeah I'm glad to finally see someone from my state make it to the finals for once. Like someone else said, it's like hometown pride or whatever. It's just boring and unfair to watch the same types of people win every season. More or less they are all white guys with guitars from the south who do some form of rock, alternative, or folk music. This is from someone who's a fan of Lee, Scotty, and Caleb. All I'm saying is I wish there would just be more variety for once. Like a female singer songwriter who plays piano from the north or someone from the west coast. A large reason why ratings have gone down is due to this issue, so it's not like I'm crazy or something for bringing it up.

 

I can understand where you're coming from, but I would slightly amend this. I think there's more of a bias of local-boy-made-good that AI likes than a geographical bias. There aren't a lot of big-city Southerners who win it, either. We don't see a lot of people from places like Miami and Atlanta, either. It's always Bumfuck Nowheresville.

 

One of the most underrated contestants to come from this show was Haley Reinhardt, and she's from Chicago. And it's funny when you think about it: most of our divas come from the North, particularly New England. Mariah Carey? New York. Whitney Houston? New Jersey. Celine? Canada. Christina Aguilera? New York (she grew up in Pittsburgh). Aretha Franklin? Detroit. And so on. It's funny how with AI the South rises, but in the grand scheme of things, Southerners usually stick to Country.

 

As far as the WGWG thing goes, I too split them off into categories. WGWG has always been people like Lee, Kris, P2, and Nick -- fair-to-middling singers who are hit-or-miss guitar strummers -- who sort of got by on the infinite appeal of white guys with a guitar and sort of lose some of their charisma and stage presence without it. They're a dime a dozen. But David Cooke, Scotty, and Caleb are a little different, to be fair. David Cooke was a legitimately good singer. He has a husky, range-y, expressive voice that could handle the hoary songs you sometimes have to sing on Idol plus the alt-rock post-grunge that was his wheelhouse. Scotty has a preternaturally deep, commanding voice in the vein of Josh Turner and had a lot of polish for someone his age (at the time). He did more than stand around plucking at a guitar. I didn't see one episode of last season with Caleb, but oddly enough I made myself listen to his entire album the other day and dude can wail. I think AllMusic was right when they compared him to Meatloaf and KISS and Jack Black, but yeah. But he's got a high, wild voice.

[springtime]

 Late to the season- I went to the same elementary school as Nick - and my nephew went there with Nick.

 

I feel that the X Jax puts on her face is to represent the kids game of Ball and Jax- Has this ever been discussed?

Would make more sense than a random X!

Edited May 14, 2015 by springtime

[MrsMoltisanti]

I love this

[TheGreenKnight]

Scotty has a preternaturally deep' date=' commanding voice in the vein of Josh Turner and had a lot of polish for someone his age (at the time). He did more than stand around plucking at a guitar.[/quote']If he did, I'd be shocked to find out about it. I love Josh Turner, but hearing Scotty McCreery then or now just makes me want to wash the sound out of my ears.

What's always killed me about the white guys winning Idol is that there are plenty of white guys out there who can sing. Compare any of them to, say, Bo Bice from 10 years ago? He'd wipe the floor with all of them.

[awaken]

Oh man, I'm so sad that all my shows seem to be going to hell.  I had no excitement or anticipation whatsoever.  It was hard to even pay attention the whole time.  For sure, Clark has a terrific voice, and Nick is a good performer.  Neither excites me to any degree, has any element of surprise.  They did just what I expected.  

 

I miss the more interesting elements, Quassim, Joey, Quentin, Tyanna, *gulp* even the dreaded Jax, was more exciting and I used to tune in to see what they'd do.  Obviously this is what 'merica wants!

 

I wasn't the least bit surprised at the announcement that the show was ending, after how boring this season was.