S15.E24: Winner Chosen

[ari333]

Thanks to Michael Slezak and Kristen at ew.com we still call him the "Ghoulish Widower" in our house!

 

Sidenote: I will miss Michael Slezak and Melinda Doolittle's Reality Check AI coverage more than the show itself, probably!!

THIS ^^^^^^

[DEL901]

I was just rewatching.  I had been thinking that a 15 anniversary/finale tour would have been a great idea, but I changed my mind,  I'd like to see 5 rockers tour together, even Constatine.  That was more fun than a lot of the numbers. 

[TVFan17]

For those of us already feeling sad about the loss of Idol as we know it -- since it will likely be very different if and when it returns in some capacity down the road -- Keith Urban took to Twitter to tug at our heartstrings a bit more -- https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/718475327354212352.

 

He's good at expressing himself in song -- did anyone see his video tribute on Twitter right after Glenn Frey of The Eagles passed away in January?  He sat down at his piano and sang "Take It Easy."  It was a simple, no-frills performance, but he sounded good and it was surprisingly effective.

[mojoween]

Backformore I have always wondered if your name was some sort of homage to Clay.

Someone mentioned having the flu in January and I will never forget having horrible bronchitis in season 2. Clay sang "At This Moment" that night.

The show should have somehow pushed out the syndicates and had the episode be three hours. Other than cutting some of Jennifer's performance, I wouldn't have wanted to lose anything, yet this year's contestants should have been featured more than they were.

[LotusFlower]

As for Season 9, to make a long story short, the finale conflicted with final rehearsals for his debut tour.  The set and equipment were being shipped off to the East Coast the next day.  Passing up the ~opportunity to be in a huge group of non-spotlighted non-winners in order to focus on his own show was a no-brainer.

 

Adam has returned to Idol in some capacity every season since his own, and never fails to acknowledge the show's importance as the launching pad for his current career.

Re: Simon's send-off, he also said he was sick. There were a number of excuses. I think he just didn't want to do it, which is fine. And yes, he's returned to the AI stage many times to perform, but coming back to promote your own stuff is different than coming back to be part of a group singalong. I think that's the stuff he tries to distance himself from. I would think it would be nostalgic and kinda fun to see old friends, but maybe not everyone feels that way. Hey, I wouldn't want to hang out with Danny Gokey any more than I had to, either.

[CynicalGirl]

Ha, kinda like how I feel about attending any of my high school reunions/get-togethers. Into the trash goes that postcard. 

[Nedsdag]

I had to tape the show due to work obligations. Here goes:

 

• Dunkleman! It's great that he had a sense of humor about his departure.
• Kara DioGuardi getting a chance to sing? She needed a taped video message a la Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj, and Ellen.
• Mikayla Gordon on the stage? I'm not surprised she fame whored herself onto the stage.
• Constantine singing both rock and country? What, Josh Gracin or Michael Sarver couldn't make it?
• Justin and Bo with their shorter haircuts? Justin, yes! Bo, um, no!
• Why does Hokey Gokey still think he's a blue eyed soul singer? Isn't he singing for Jesus?
• Speaking of Jesus, I can understand Colton, but where was Mandisa, who is just as big a star in that genre as Colton?
• The new Mr. & Mrs. Rupert Murdoch in the audience? I bet their prenup is tighter than a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills's face.
• Tamyra's fusha wig looked like an Easter egg gone wild.
• You have to love Taylor's sense of humor. He even dug up that purple jacket he wore on during his final from 10 years ago.
• Someone on another site said Clay looked like Donald Trump's gay son. I tend to agree with this, but he still sounded good.
• LaToya London hasn't changed one bit. 
• Listening to Jessica Sanchez was awesome. It's too bad that her career didn't take off the way it should have.
• Not only did Diana's hair looked too lacquered, but I feared a wardrobe malfunction with her short skirt.
• Casey James's blonde highlights ended up on Katherine McPhee's hair.
• No homage to Michael Johns? ::sob!::
• People I did see that I would've liked to have seen more of: Melinda Doolittle, Candice Glover, Elliott Yamin.
• People I did see that I would've not liked to have seen more: aforementioned Mikayla Gordon and Gokey, James Durbin, Caleb Johnson, Lauren Alaina.
• People I didn't see that I would've liked to have seen: Haley Reinhardt, Hollie Cavanagh, Casey Jacobs, La'Kisha, Anoop Desai, Paris Bennett.
• People I didn't see that I am fine with not seeing: Michael Lynche, Scott Savol, JEEEEEEENA Irene, Jax, Blake Lewis, all the male singers from Candice's season.
• JLo's imitation of singer Iris Chacon (go to YouTube) was lame. At least Iris was entertaining.
• Randy's new weight loss and Paula's new face looked weird, which is funny because Simon has had as many procedures and he still looks decent.
• Kelly sounded great as usual. She should've ended the show with that song.

 

That is all. No comment on the winner except turning Trent into a country singer is not a good idea. But then again, THIS. IS/WAS. AMERICAN IDOL!

[Kromm]

Oh Jax! Bitter much? I don't think she's ever accepted that she didn't win. And not even second place! It HAD to be an evil conspiracy of production! It simply could not be true in any possible way that she wasn't good enough and popular enough. I mean, look how her career has blown up since then . . . oh wait.

It's a shame, because Jax IS genuinely talented, even if she was orchestrated (arguably by herself even before she came on the show) like crazy, and has a 'tude to boot. And Nick Who? IMO is one of the most dreadful winners ever. But all that said, the lesson she needed to learn was to suck it up and move on. Enough losers have done well from this show to learn the lesson that the title is worth less than knowing how to leverage the show overall. But I can feel sorry for her, because even though a lot about her was manipulative, she was also arguably a bit of a dumb young girl underneath all of that, who just got smacked in the face by reality. Real reality I mean, not reality TV. 

 

I guess I mean if everyone could suck it up enough for P-Squared to come back, then Jax should have been there somehow too. I mean they had like... obscure mid-pack people from early seasons there, so every Final 3 person not there was doubly weird.

[drafan]

 

 

Personally I thought it was a dreary performance and illustrated the whole problem with the WGWG winner syndrome. I compare them all  unfavorably to Daughtry anyway, who usually has energy and zest to his performance that line of guys usually lack (not that they're all at the same level as each other--they just average out as low when you add them all together and divide by five).

 

 

This ^^^^^made me laugh so hard. I was picturing a giant blender....throw in those 5 WGWGs , whirl it on high, and pour out 5 glasses of a drink called the "Perry Como".

 

I forgot that JLo's ass was her claim to fame back in the day. With the Kardashian fat butts all over the place, JLo's is downright petite. But it is a dancing ass, so there's that. I guess.

 

I'm going to be sad after the holidays. Every year, when the winter doldrums hit, I say "Wait! Idol will be on soon!" Over the past few years, there have been fewer people to discuss AI with, but at least it was still there. And after last night, it hit me how many careers were launched from this thing. Heck, even the judges have been getting career reboots. I hope we can still come on here and discuss past  (they will all be past) contestants. We can, right?

 

The current S15 Top 10? They really got screwed over...no awesome finale like the old days and no summer tour. I'm not even sure I saw them all last night.

 

As for that Jax video....I kinda got a kick out of it....and I don't even like Jax.

 

ETA:: Looked like Reuben finally got that sweat under control! And didn't Clay once have a long thin face with sticky-outty ears?

Edited April 9, 2016 by drafan

[Kromm]

Kelly sounded great as usual. She should've ended the show with that song.

Don't forget, she wasn't actually there. They weren't going to give that final "pimp" spot to someone forced by circumstance to be on tape.

For those of us already feeling sad about the loss of Idol as we know it -- since it will likely be very different if and when it returns in some capacity down the road -- Keith Urban took to Twitter to tug at our heartstrings a bit more -- https://twitter.com/KeithUrban/status/718475327354212352.

 

He's good at expressing himself in song -- did anyone see his video tribute on Twitter right after Glenn Frey of The Eagles passed away in January?  He sat down at his piano and sang "Take It Easy."  It was a simple, no-frills performance, but he sounded good and it was surprisingly effective.

Unsaid, he's probably happy that he can finish up some final US touring gigs than move back to Australia full time for a few years. I mean assuming Nicole isn't doing something with her career that gets in the way of that. Speaking of Nicole, I always wound up feeling a bit cheated that we never (as far as I recall) got to see even a second of her around the Idol stage or audience ever, in all of Keith's years on the show.

I think her name got brought up once or twice per season, but nobody ever acted like she was actually around anywhere.

I wasn't blaming Adam for not showing up; I was just missing him

I wonder though why they didn't arrange a video recording. If they could do it for ex-judges you figure they could do it for the biggest ex-contestants.

[TVFan17]

Don't forget, she wasn't actually there. They weren't going to give that final "pimp" spot to someone forced by circumstance to be on tape.

Unsaid, he's probably happy that he can finish up some final US touring gigs than move back to Australia full time for a few years. I mean assuming Nicole isn't doing something with her career that gets in the way of that. Speaking of Nicole, I always wound up feeling a bit cheated that we never (as far as I recall) got to see even a second of her around the Idol stage or audience ever, in all of Keith's years on the show.

I think her name got brought up once or twice per season, but nobody ever acted like she was actually around anywhere.

I wonder though why they didn't arrange a video recording. If they could do it for ex-judges you figure they could do it for the biggest ex-contestants.

 

It's interesting that you mention Nicole not being there.  I was specifically looking for her last night, on both the pre-show red carpet arrival special (on Facebook) and in the audience during the show.  She was not with Keith on the carpet, but she was with him at an award show last weekend, I think.  Maybe she had to go out of town for work, or maybe she just decided to stay home.  Harry's family was there with him on the carpet.  Jennifer's mom was there, and I think someone else from her family too.

 

I figured Nicole would be at Idol quite often over the last few years because Keith had talked about -- even before becoming a judge -- the fact that they always watched the show with their kids.  I remember Keith complimenting Jennifer in her first season on the show, back in 2011.  She was passing Keith and Nicole on a red carpet somewhere -- maybe at the Grammys or Oscars -- and Keith told her that they watched all the time and really loved her with Steven Tyler on the show.

 

I only remember seeing Nicole in the Idol audience one time -- she was with at least one of their daughters.  Keith was performing a song and the camera cut to Nicole a couple of times so we could see her singing along.  I don't think it was last year.  I tend to think it was in 2014 or 2013.  Maybe she has been hanging out backstage a lot since then.

[Padma]

Sidenote: I will miss Michael Slezak and Melinda Doolittle's Reality Check AI coverage more than the show itself, probably!!

Me, too (especially the more Slezak remembers to let her talk!) My consolation about Reality Check is that now that AI is over, when they talk about The Voice, it won't just be for two minutes at the end of the other show's segment.  The Voice deserves its own full recap from them, so...yay! 

[GreyBunny]

Clay's on my shitlist but that was a nice statement he instagrammed.  It would have been nice to see him and Ruben do a duet.  

 

Josh Gracin was presented as kind of a chump during his season but his post-show interviews were really gracious and I bought his album (not bad) to support him.  I had no idea he had gone off the rails as badly as he did and that he's become bitter.  I hope he gets himself together.  

 

Kara DioGuardi getting a chance to sing? She needed a taped video message a la Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj, and Ellen.

 

I spent the first part of her performance trying to figure out who she was because I couldn't remember.  I then fast-forwarded through the second half because I decided I didn't care.  Nicki and Steven had more of a right to perform than she did. Hell, Ellen doing her dork-dance for 4 minutes would have been an improvement over Kara embarrassing herself.

Edited April 9, 2016 by GreyBunny

[Adusk81]

The wrong person won. It should have been Jessica Cabral.

[Dodginblue]

It's interesting that you mention Nicole not being there.  I was specifically looking for her last night, on both the pre-show red carpet arrival special (on Facebook) and in the audience during the show.  She was not with Keith on the carpet, but she was with him at an award show last weekend, I think.  Maybe she had to go out of town for work, or maybe she just decided to stay home.  Harry's family was there with him on the carpet.  Jennifer's mom was there, and I think someone else from her family too.

 

I figured Nicole would be at Idol quite often over the last few years because Keith had talked about -- even before becoming a judge -- the fact that they always watched the show with their kids.  I remember Keith complimenting Jennifer in her first season on the show, back in 2011.  She was passing Keith and Nicole on a red carpet somewhere -- maybe at the Grammys or Oscars -- and Keith told her that they watched all the time and really loved her with Steven Tyler on the show.

 

I only remember seeing Nicole in the Idol audience one time -- she was with at least one of their daughters.  Keith was performing a song and the camera cut to Nicole a couple of times so we could see her singing along.  I don't think it was last year.  I tend to think it was in 2014 or 2013.  Maybe she has been hanging out backstage a lot since then.

Nicole Kidman is a huge movie star on an international scale and while Keith is no slouch and very successful himself, I wonder if maybe she hasn't been on AI because this is HIS thing and she wouldn't want to draw the attention to herself.  She's with him at music awards shows and he with her at the Oscars or wherever but that's a little different, those aren't paying jobs per se.  

 

I don't know, just a thought.  

[Adusk81]

No but really, Trent looks and sounds like a caricature of an actual singer. It seems so fake and cartoony to me. No way is he really as naive as he pretends to be. Just rubs me the wrong way. And that voice, dude just sing a damn song. Every time he sings it's like a cat is dying in my alley. Laporsha is far superior and that's not my opinion, it's a fact. If you disagree, you're wrong. Plain and simple. In case anyone can't tell I'm kidding about being so serious about it. All of our opinions are right. And wrong. Congrats Trent. Now we will never hear from you again.

[Kromm]

Nicole Kidman is a huge movie star on an international scale and while Keith is no slouch and very successful himself, I wonder if maybe she hasn't been on AI because this is HIS thing and she wouldn't want to draw the attention to herself.  She's with him at music awards shows and he with her at the Oscars or wherever but that's a little different, those aren't paying jobs per se.  

 

I don't know, just a thought.  

I agree-although I think the formula might change in the finale/what's definitely Keith's last involvement, since honestly if they ever DO bring it back I very much doubt he'd be still involved.

 

And the argument could be made that she comes off as unsupportive, never being seen there, ever. 

 

Unless their marriage is some kind of sham (shades of Cruise/Kidman), even with her big career there's no way she wasn't around a decent amount of the time, so indeed if she's not on camera ever... it certainly does have to be because that was a condition of Keith having ever been there in the first place.

[Kromm]

No but really, Trent looks and sounds like a caricature of an actual singer. It seems so fake and cartoony to me. No way is he really as naive as he pretends to be. Just rubs me the wrong way. And that voice, dude just sing a damn song. Every time he sings it's like a cat is dying in my alley. Laporsha is far superior and that's not my opinion, it's a fact. If you disagree, you're wrong. Plain and simple. In case anyone can't tell I'm kidding about being so serious about it. All of our opinions are right. And wrong. Congrats Trent. Now we will never hear from you again.

To me he has, from the beginning,looked like Ollie Murs.

 

In case you are confused, pic1 is Murs, pic2 is Trent, pic3 is Murs again, pic4 Trent again.

 

 

 

Dopplegangers, other than a slightly different nose. The shitty hats are the same, although so is the chin, the face shape, skin tone, teeth/mouth, I think even the eye color. Trent's face is a tiny bit wider, I think. Murs has a little mole by his nose. Otherwise I'm not sure I could tell them apart (until they speak and one doesn't have a British accent).

Edited April 9, 2016 by Kromm

[Dodginblue]

I agree-although I think the formula might change in the finale/what's definitely Keith's last involvement, since honestly if they ever DO bring it back I very much doubt he'd be still involved.

 

And the argument could be made that she comes off as unsupportive, never being seen there, ever. 

 

Unless their marriage is some kind of sham (shades of Cruise/Kidman), even with her big career there's no way she wasn't around a decent amount of the time, so indeed if she's not on camera ever... it certainly does have to be because that was a condition of Keith having ever been there in the first place.

 

I don't get the impression that it's a rerun of the Kidman-Cruise marriage not that I have any basis to know anything about it.  It just seems like it would have to be different because Keith Urban seems light years away from what Tom Cruise is all about (not to pick on ole Tom or anything).  So yeah, it might have been an agreement between the two of them, that she'd stay out of it.

 

Speaking of celebrities, one of the things I liked about last night is that it was all about the AI contestants and winners over the life of the show and we didn't have any of the guest performers like they always have before  on the finale or focusing on any celebrities in the crowd.  Although it would have been interesting to see who some of the current finalists might have ended up performing with.  They really didn't get any air time at all.

[backformore]

Backformore I have always wondered if your name was some sort of homage to Clay.

 

Yes, it is, partly, thanks for noticing. 

The other reason for the name was that I returned to TWOP after being banned under two previous names -  so I was "back for more".

But yeah, that was one of my favorite songs,  I wish that group of songs had been released, instead of being only heard in concert. 

[Adusk81]

exactly what I mean. Trent is like a caricature of that dude. Although that dude is pretty good looking.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Adusk81

[perfectstorm]

Re: Simon's send-off, he also said he was sick. There were a number of excuses. I think he just didn't want to do it, which is fine. And yes, he's returned to the AI stage many times to perform, but coming back to promote your own stuff is different than coming back to be part of a group singalong. I think that's the stuff he tries to distance himself from. I would think it would be nostalgic and kinda fun to see old friends, but maybe not everyone feels that way. Hey, I wouldn't want to hang out with Danny Gokey any more than I had to, either.

He doesn't have to hang out with Danny Gokey.  There were lots of alums there.  It's not always just about making an appearance to promote a record.  This was about paying respects to a show that gave him a career.  The same goes with Josh Gracin who didn't think coming back was going to help his career.  And David Archuleta who had turned down Nigel Lythgoe's invite to perform Imagine, then made an appearance only because fans shame him into. 

 

It was a great show and it looks the those who did show up had great time.

[howmanywords]

Not only has Adam been back to perform but he's been a guest judge and mentor. Hardly someone trying to distant himself.

[LotusFlower]

He doesn't have to hang out with Danny Gokey.  There were lots of alums there.  It's not always just about making an appearance to promote a record.  This was about paying respects to a show that gave him a career.  The same goes with Josh Gracin who didn't think coming back was going to help his career.  And David Archuleta who had turned down Nigel Lythgoe's invite to perform Imagine, then made an appearance only because fans shame him into.

I agree with you - that's why I referenced the no-show for Simon's send-off. And speaking of Simon - that's why his "surprise" appearance was, of course, not a surprise - there's no way he wouldn't show his respect for an entity that made him a huge star and multi-millionaire.

[Sparkling Beth]

Not only has Adam been back to perform but he's been a guest judge and mentor. Hardly someone trying to distant himself.

Exactly.  I'm pretty sure he's been back every year since the season he was on.  He also had a lot of face time in the American Dream documentary that Idol aired on Tuesday.  Adam has also been very vocal about his gratitude for the opportunity Idol gave him.

[Dodginblue]

Not only has Adam been back to perform but he's been a guest judge and mentor. Hardly someone trying to distant himself.

It would have been cool to have Adam there but the reason he wasn't is a tribute to AI and the role it's played in his life, as much if not more than if he had made an appearance on stage last night.  Because he's working on a movie!  He's had so much success in his career and he credits that to American idol opening the door for him.  I think for a lot of the past contestants who showed up, not all but a lot of them, it's not like they have all that much else going on that they couldn't schedule a few days to be in LA for the finale.

[yamashinaryu]

Melinda, Jessica, Carly and Elliott should get record deals after the show.

Instead of the random songs, wish they've sung songs that made these contestants memorable.

Season 5 is my favorite. Followed closely by 4 and 3.

[Kromm]

It would have been cool to have Adam there but the reason he wasn't is a tribute to AI and the role it's played in his life, as much if not more than if he had made an appearance on stage last night.  Because he's working on a movie!  He's had so much success in his career and he credits that to American idol opening the door for him.  I think for a lot of the past contestants who showed up, not all but a lot of them, it's not like they have all that much else going on that they couldn't schedule a few days to be in LA for the finale.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. It's undeniable that Adam has been back to the show many times and on the face of it that seems to confirm he'd have every reason to show up again if possible.

 

That said, we CLEARLY saw taped remote segments for some people (admittedly judges) who weren't going to be there. With someone as big currently as Adam it seems odd they wouldn't extend the same option to him--record a goodbye message and we'll air it.  I think the only reason they didn't do that with Kelly is that her pre-taped special performance did that even better in her case. 

My theory is that maybe Adam has some recent beef with them. A fairly fresh one.

[perfectstorm]

It would have been cool to have Adam there but the reason he wasn't is a tribute to AI and the role it's played in his life, as much if not more than if he had made an appearance on stage last night.  Because he's working on a movie!  He's had so much success in his career and he credits that to American idol opening the door for him.  I think for a lot of the past contestants who showed up, not all but a lot of them, it's not like they have all that much else going on that they couldn't schedule a few days to be in LA for the finale.

Oh come on, others have careers - and families.  Carrie and Kris rearranged concert dates.  Kelly taped her performance, because she was too pregnant to fly.  Jennifer Hudson taped her performance because she was on Broadway.  It's not like the RHPC revolved around his character.

[LotusFlower]

That said, we CLEARLY saw taped remote segments for some people (admittedly judges) who weren't going to be there. With someone as big currently as Adam it seems odd they wouldn't extend the same option to him--record a goodbye message and we'll air it.  I think the only reason they didn't do that with Kelly is that her pre-taped special performance did that even better in her case. My theory is that maybe Adam has some recent beef with them. A fairly fresh one.

The taped messages were only for the judges. All the contestants came back to perform (not talk about the show). I don't know if you saw the restrospective on Tuesday night, but that's when a lot of the Idols talked about their memories and what the show meant to them, and Adam was featured a lot.

[Dodginblue]

Oh come on, others have careers - and families.  Carrie and Kris rearranged concert dates.  Kelly taped her performance, because she was too pregnant to fly.  Jennifer Hudson taped her performance because she was on Broadway.  It's not like the RHPC revolved around his character.

I think I didn't make my point very well.   

 

Carrie came on and pitched her tour.  Kris Allen's not exactly burning it up out there so can't imagine it was that huge of a sacrifice to switch a few dates around.   Kelly's taped performance was several minutes long, fittingly so as the first and one of the two most successful winners, and there's no way they were going to do anywhere close to that for a non-winning contestant.  Except for a Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar.  Her terms get met I'm sure when it comes to AI, arguably she doesn't owe the show all that much.

 

I like Adam Lambert and think he's hugely talented and his season, along with Season 5 and 11, are my favorites but the fact that he didn't tape some cheesy goodbye,  30 seconds of him singing Ring of Fire again or something, doesn't really seem like a huge eff U to the show or to the fans.  

Edited April 9, 2016 by Dodginblue

[LotusFlower]

Carrie came on and pitched her tour.  Kris Allen's not exactly burning it up out there so can't imagine it was that huge of a sacrifice to switch a few dates around.   Kelly's taped performance was several minutes long, fittingly so as the first and one of the two most successful winners, and there's no way they were going to do anywhere close to that for a non-winning contestant.  Except for a Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar.  Her terms get met I'm sure when it comes to AI, arguably she doesn't owe the show all that much.

 

I like Adam Lambert and think he's hugely talented and his season, along with Season 5 and 11, are my favorites but the fact that he didn't tape some cheesy goodbye,  30 seconds of him singing Ring of Fire again or something, doesn't really seem likely a huge eff U to the show or to the fans.

I kinda disagree - is it a huge deal? No, but the bulk of Adam's fans are from his days on Idol (whether he wants to admit that or not), so I think his no-show was a disappointment to his fans. Especially since he seemed to be the only famous alum not there.

I also don't really like how guys like Kris Allen are put down - as if rescheduling a concert date is no big deal for him just because it's likely a small venue. I think that's another one of Idol's virtues - a few contestants/winners became superstars, but a lot are still working musicians - still putting out music, touring, on Broadway, etc... Still pursuing the dream...

[perfectstorm]

I think I didn't make my point very well.   

 

Carrie came on and pitched her tour.  Kris Allen's not exactly burning it up out there so can't imagine it was that huge of a sacrifice to switch a few dates around.   Kelly's taped performance was several minutes long, fittingly so as the first and one of the two most successful winners, and there's no way they were going to do anywhere close to that for a non-winning contestant.  Except for a Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar.  Her terms get met I'm sure when it comes to AI, arguably she doesn't owe the show all that much.

 

I like Adam Lambert and think he's hugely talented and his season, along with Season 5 and 11, are my favorites but the fact that he didn't tape some cheesy goodbye,  30 seconds of him singing Ring of Fire again or something, doesn't really seem like a huge eff U to the show or to the fans.  

Carrie doesn't need Idol to promote her tour.  She always said she wouldn't miss it and wanted to be there in person.  As an indie artist, it's tougher for Kris to switch dates around.  I disagree about a "cheesy goodbye" or that his career is more important than others.

[Josiecat]

American Idol was well aware that Adam would be unavailable for the finale, which was, I would imagine, a big reason he was given a solo performance slot - two, in fact - for the Top 5 episode, which was the only otherwise uncommitted opening in his touring schedule.  That appearance was clearly and repeatedly billed by American Idol as his farewell to the show.  Plus, he taped an interview for use in the retrospective episode.  American Idol and Adam both did right by each other.

 

Frankly, considering the unexpectedly early finale date and how far in advance career plans often need to be made, it's amazing that there weren't more high profile alumni unable to arrange their schedules to be there.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Josiecat

[Dodginblue]

I kinda disagree - is it a huge deal? No, but the bulk of Adam's fans are from his days on Idol (whether he wants to admit that or not), so I think his no-show was a disappointment to his fans. Especially since he seemed to be the only famous alum not there.

I also don't really like how guys like Kris Allen are put down - as if rescheduling a concert date is no big deal for him just because it's likely a small venue. I think that's another one of Idol's virtues - a few contestants/winners became superstars, but a lot are still working musicians - still putting out music, touring, on Broadway, etc... Still pursuing the dream...

 

Adam was criticized for not flying down from Toronto, thousands of miles away, to make what would have been a brief personal appearance or, in the alternative, criticized not arranging some kind of taped performance, assuming that was even available to him.  In contrast to the supposedly significant sacrifices that Carrie Underwood made in rearranging her tour dates.  To which I noted that if she did move things around, she compensated for that sacrifice by having several moments to discuss how she was extending her tour by adding dates and encouraging people to buy tickets to her show.  

 

Kris Allen supposedly also sacrificed by moving tour dates around.  Again, in comparison to Adam Lambert who wouldn't leave a movie set and fly thousands of miles to show up in person for a brief appearance on the finale.  I like Kris Allen and I'm sure the few hundred fans who were inconvenienced by his not showing up somewhere on Thursday night were disappointed but the opportunity to participate in the finale and be noticed (again) by millions of people watching on TV might have seemed like a fair trade-off, from his standpoint, to whatever venue he had to skip out on.  Even if he was just another WGWG along with 4 others on the finale.  

 

Adam Lambert is successful, he has a pretty good career going, a career that isn't dependent on AI at all anymore.  And I disagree that his fans are mostly AI centered, or at least hopefully not based just on seeing him show up on AI because obviously that ain't happening no more.

[Padma]

American Idol was well aware that Adam would be unavailable for the finale, which was, I would imagine, a big reason he was given a solo performance slot - two, in fact - for the Top 5 episode, which was the only opening in his touring schedule.  That appearance was clearly and repeatedly billed by American Idol as his farewell to the show.  Plus, he taped an interview for use in the retrospective episode.  American Idol and Adam both did right by each other.

 

Frankly, considering the unexpectedly early finale date and how far in advance career plans often need to be made, it's amazing that there weren't more high profile alumni unable to arrange their schedules to be there.

I think Adam did plenty for them this season. In a way, I'm glad he wasn't shoehorned in with so many others at the end because he really brightened/classed  up the show with his performance and judging.

 

I guess I'm a lot harsher than many people because I don't feel the AI alums owe anything to the show. It's nice they showed up when asked, but I don't hold it against anyone who chose not to. First and foremost, AI was a business, run as a business and a pretty ruthless one imo at that. According to Kelly C. the demands they put on singers nearly destroyed her voice--but that didn't stop them. Afterwards, working as the "winner" with Clive Davis was a nightmare. The contracts the "winners" get are horrible--and I totally sympathize with Phillips in his struggles for some fairness there.

 

Everyone associated with AI--producers and network--made tons of money from these kids, which (imo) was the ultimate goal rather than sharing and nurturing talent. (And Seacrest, to me, embodied the heartlessness of the show in many of the eliminations--also the conditions of performing and being eliminated. You could see the priority was on "money-making suspense", not on the artistry and feelings of singers. It's one reason I like the Voice so much more.)

 

My attitude toward AI's is pretty cynical--as I see a philosophy of exploiting young singers--pushing them often unrealistically hard, making an unnecessary emotional roller coaster of the competition in the hope of boosting ratings and boosting the money the show makes from voting and from song sales.  In the process, yes, many young singers have had doors opened for them post-show that probably wouldn't have happened before.

 

But I don't see that they need to be grateful for the experience particularly, or to "pay back" beyond what they've already done. It made for a great show this week to have so many returnings, but I don't hold it against anyone who didn't want to--or anyone who didn't feel like voicing sentiments about "the great experience" etc. that s/he didn't really feel. They've paid their dues already imo--and then some.

[Dodginblue]

Carrie doesn't need Idol to promote her tour.  She always said she wouldn't miss it and wanted to be there in person.  As an indie artist, it's tougher for Kris to switch dates around.  I disagree about a "cheesy goodbye" or that his career is more important than others.

 

I think Adam Lambert probably thinks his career is more important than anyone else's, or at least that he has to make decisions based on what's best for him and he shouldn't be criticized that he didn't care enough to or that he's mad at the show or there was some kind of conspiracy to explain why he wasn't there.  And these comments are from his fans?

 

I'm really not meaning to run anybody else down, Carrie or Kris or whoever.  I'm sure they all made decisions about what to do based on what they thought was best or just based on what they felt like doing.  To the extent they are not contractually obligated to participate in AI events.  

[Josiecat]

I don't even think it would have been possible, under any reasonable circumstances, for Adam to pre-tape a performance for the finale.  I am assuming that if he'd performed, it would have been as part of a group, so he couldn't have done what Kelly did and taped something when he was already at Idol for his Top 5 appearance.  Adam finished up the U.S. leg of his tour with three consecutive concerts, on April 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  He left Los Angeles, the site of his last concert, for Toronto the next day.  When could he have gotten together with a group of alumni, rehearsed and taped something? 

[queenanne]

I kinda disagree - is it a huge deal? No, but the bulk of Adam's fans are from his days on Idol (whether he wants to admit that or not), so I think his no-show was a disappointment to his fans. Especially since he seemed to be the only famous alum not there.

I also don't really like how guys like Kris Allen are put down - as if rescheduling a concert date is no big deal for him just because it's likely a small venue. I think that's another one of Idol's virtues - a few contestants/winners became superstars, but a lot are still working musicians - still putting out music, touring, on Broadway, etc... Still pursuing the dream...

 

 

American Idol was well aware that Adam would be unavailable for the finale, which was, I would imagine, a big reason he was given a solo performance slot - two, in fact - for the Top 5 episode, which was the only otherwise uncommitted opening in his touring schedule.  That appearance was clearly and repeatedly billed by American Idol as his farewell to the show.  Plus, he taped an interview for use in the retrospective episode.  American Idol and Adam both did right by each other.

 

Frankly, considering the unexpectedly early finale date and how far in advance career plans often need to be made, it's amazing that there weren't more high profile alumni unable to arrange their schedules to be there.

 

Yes, thanks.  I too feel like he did his part earlier in the season, and that it's not necessary for him to do some check-the-box in the last night.  

 

Nor do I think it was necessarily some big constructed FU hinting at a fight either.  I feel like you could say "when I showed up alone I honored the show enough for one season" without its being some huge statement either.  I mean, in the grand scheme of "we're all gonna die some day" I don't see people long-term controversially brooding on his not being included.

[LotusFlower]

Jennifer Hudson pre-taped her set, and coordinated with Fantasia and Latoya, and she's on Broadway doing eight shows a week.

That's the only reason Adam's absense stands out to me. Everyone else was there. He was the only big name no-show. Well, he and Mariah. I think she wants to wipe that whole year from her memory. And the archives. But Adam always seemed to have a good relationship with the show, which is why his absense seemed so strange and conspicuous.

[TeeMo]

For what it's worth, I could not care less that Adam was not there and barely noticed amidst all the hoopla of a million people on stage all at once. Does it really matter? I was more disappointed in the absence of people I truly haven't seen since they were on Idol like Angie Miller or Rickey Smith or Vonzell.

[LotusFlower]

I realize that it's comforting to see these performers as our friends who graciously appear and perform because they care about our happiness but I think in reality they do what they do because it's beneficial to their careers. Which is why they suffered through the agonies of competing on AI to begin with. And if they can make us think it's because they love us so much, then all the better. But Adam Lambert shouldn't be penalized because he didn't show the same affection.

Why not? Every single person there, from the big names to the lesser names, owes their career to Idol. That's why they came. The finale was a big farewell and thank-you to the fans. And, as everybody knows, what made Idol unique and even revolutionary for the music industry is how the viewers, not record label A & R guys, made the contestants into stars. I don't have any expectations that the Idols are my friends who need to care about my happiness; I'm a fan who tuned in to the finale to see my favorites perform. Adam was one of the few who I was really excited to see, and I was disappointed he didn't show.

Edited April 9, 2016 by LotusFlower

[DebbieM4]

Wow that Jax video... burned bridges indeed.

 

I heard Jax do a radio interview shortly after her elimination, and wow - she was incredibly obnoxious.  Totally impressed with herself, over-the-top cocky, and very condescending to the 2 interviewers, even though they were being very nice to her.  She didn't trash AI, but she sure did praise herself.  Over and over, and someone landing from another planet would have thought for sure that she was some kind of amazing superstar with a decades-long career.  She went on and on about her talent and her fans and life in the public eye as though she was on some other level that mere mortals couldn't possibly understand.  Talk about an ego out of control!

 

I was not far from where the interview was being done, and I really wanted to go there and smack her.

[Josiecat]

Jennifer Hudson pre-taped her set, and coordinated with Fantasia and Latoya, and she's on Broadway doing eight shows a week.

 

 

That's all well and good, but has nothing to do with Adam and his schedule.  During the pertinent time period, he was in Los Angeles two days, and was performing a concert both nights after doing a concert in Vegas the night before his arrival. His material is vocally demanding, and for those three concerts he sang for 90 minutes straight,except for brief breaks for costume changes.  Add in sound checks, and that's a lot of singing.  He had to leave for Toronto the next day.  How is it reasonable to expect him to also rehearse and tape a performance for Idol - even if by chance the schedules for the others in his theoretical group performance had allowed it, which is a big "if"?

 

Jennifer Hudson was not able to appear on Idol at any other time during the season.  Through careful scheduling, Adam was.  If there were fans who were not satisfied with the solo showcase he was given by the show, at the only time he was available, that's really not his fault. 

[queenanne]

I think four would have been fine.  That's how some shows did it.  Four people live in the average household of America.  If you had a favorite, vote four times and no one has an advantage over you. 

 

But, some schools set up phone banks to just multiple vote for the singers.  Not cool.  Can you imagine voting for President like that?

 

Idol would never correct it because they wanted to promote the tens of millions of votes and they valued that over a more fair voting system.

 

I checked out after Melinda lost.  No reason to get invested in a singer only to be screwed by a faulty voting system.

 

Oh they had some kind of long excuse for this that never held water in the press, didn't they?  I mean, yours makes sense, but it always seemed loopy that the show's overt testament was, "superfans voting 240+ times apiece just shows how invested they are", when in reality, it would seem to do doodly, because most people only ever buy one copy of a singer's album/single, so there's a finite example of "show your love with money so we can quantify how you feel in really the only way that matters, sorry guys".

 

Melinda is still my shock boot of all time.  I remember it now.  She nodding so matter-of-factly and acceptingly, as I thought "This is one of Ryan's joke fadeouts, right?"

 

Blake doing his first out of the box interpretation and Simon (?) being all "I never heard that song."  TWOPpers' funny surprise as Ryan said, "Er, that's 311, right, Blake?" as I thought "well lest we forget guys, he IS a DJ... he should know something."

 

Gosh, I'm getting all sentimental.  I should probably wind up my schoolwork and watch this in person, lol, before people stop talking about it.

Edited April 9, 2016 by queenanne

[Dodginblue]

Why not? Every single person there, from the big names to the lesser names, owed their career to Idol. That's why they came. And, as everybody knows, what made the show unique and even revolutionary for the music industry is how the viewers, not record label A & R guys, made the contestants into stars. I don't have any expectations that the Idols are my friends who need to care about my happiness; I tuned in to the finale to see my favorites perform. Adam was one of the few who I was really excited to see, and I was disappointed he didn't show.

 

Success happens when people buy their music and pay to see them perform. Which may or may not be the same people who watched the show. That's when they become stars, when that happens.  Being on the show was just a door to walk through in search of that success.  Nobody competed on this show in the hopes of winning AI so they could go back home to their old jobs.

 

Which I know i'm stating the obvious and not really to your point.  I was disappointed not to see Crystal Bowersox who I think was one of the best singers ever on this show.  And I would really like to have seen Elise Testone perform, I'm not sure if she was even there.  And Haley Reinhart.  

[TheGreenKnight]

I was more disappointed in the absence of people I truly haven't seen since they were on Idol like Angie Miller or Rickey Smith or Vonzell.

I wish Miller had been able to show up to the finale, too, especially since the other three girls from her season were there. She, Rayvon, and Sam Woolf are three people I'd hoped to see. Too bad Archuleta didn't do the solo, but at least he was there in the opening. I'm not sure if LaKisha was there or not. There was a girl behind Melinda and Candice during the soul melody (before everyone behind them rushed offstage) that looked like it might've been her, but I'm uncertain.

[Dodginblue]

I don't know if this has already been posted but thought people might find this helpful.

 

All past winners appeared on the finale along with the following contestants:

 

Ace Young
Allison Iraheta
Amber Holcomb
Blake Lewis
Bo Bice
Bucky Covington
Brandon Rogers
Casey James
Carly Smithson
Chris Daughtry
Clark Beckham
Clay Aiken
Colton Dixon
Constantine Maroulis
Danny Gokey
Diana DeGarmo
Elliott Yamin
George Huff
James Durbin
Jessica Sanchez
Jennifer Hudson (in a pre-taped performance)
Joshua Ledet
Justin Guarini
Katharine McPhee
Kellie Pickler
Kimberley Locke
Kree Harrison
LaToya London
Lauren Alaina
Melinda Doolittle
Pia Toscano
Sanjaya
Skylar Lane
Tamyra Gray

 

I take back something I wrote upthread, that outside of a few obvious names, everybody else who showed up probably didn't have much else going on because looking at this list I think these are all people to one degree or another are still actively working on their careers.  And the people who didn't show up have maybe dropped out or who are focused on other things.  Assuming that others were invited and could have shown up.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Dodginblue

[LotusFlower]

Jennifer Hudson was not able to appear on Idol at any other time during the season.  Through careful scheduling, Adam was.  If there were fans who were not satisfied with the solo showcase he was given by the show, at the only time he was available, that's really not his fault.

The finale was a special event. It was the series finale in addition to being the series finale, so lots of people tuned in who didn't watch this past season.

Success happens when people buy their music and pay to see them perform. Which may or may not be the same people who watched the show. That's when they become stars, when that happens.

I don't understand your point. We're not talking about Rihanna or Taylor Swift - huge recording artists. Every single Idol alum who's achieved post-Idol success in the music business owes their success to the show. Not a single contestant was successful before auditioning for the show.

[TexasTiffany]

@WordFreak

I have to say I really enjoyed this finale. Sadly, I actually watched every season of this show, even when it started to decline somewhat. The only other show I watched as long was ER. I enjoyed the nostalgia of seeing so many past contestants, and couldn't believe that I actually remembered them all! Kelly Clarkson will always be my favourite idol, so I really enjoyed the medley of her songs she performed.

Could have done without the JLo segment, but I enjoyed the performances by Keith and Harry; that girl singing with Harry was so poised, it was like performing on such a huge stage was no big deal for her!

I'm happy for Trent for winning. I liked both him and LaPorsha, but thought Trent was more versatile. LaPorsha will be just fine, especially since I heard she got a record deal as well.

I will miss this show and all the cheesy goodness it brought us over the years, but I will not be surprised if it returns in some other format in a few years. If nothing else, this finale shows that Idol brought us many talented singers, and I am glad that clips from the show will live on on YouTube.

 

That sounds like me, too! I watched from the first episode. Every season I was there. My watching dwindled 3 years ago. I suddenly found I didn't care much anymore. I've loved this show for all the great talent, the funny break out moments like William Hung and Pants-On-The-Ground Guy, the people who aren't going to be great but you like that they're given a chance to show what they've got. Three years ago the talent just wasn't there, IMO. I didn't find anyone I wanted to cheer for anymore.

 

I loved seeing ALL of the alumni return to the show. The trip down memory lane could have lasted another 2 hours. I'm like everyone else. I'd read the names next to the contestant. By the time I'd shout out "OMG it's BO BICE" the camera had moved on and I missed 2 people. OMG it's TAYLOR HICKS! OMG it's GEORGE HUFF! Kimberly Locke! I'm going to watch it again. I just didn't have enough time to acknowledge everyone in my own way. Loved it.

 

I definitely could have done without JLo's vegas act that went on too long. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood had me cheering. Oh, yeah! GET THIS PARTY STARTED! Harry was so caring and gracious to that little girl and I'm glad for the mention of Idol Gives Back! Kelly Clarkson was awesome with her medley! She'll always be my favorite since she's the first and paved the way for the show.

 

I didn't mind that Trent won. I figured that both Trent and LaPorsha were going to get a recording contract. We'll see what they do with their careers now.

 

I enjoyed seeing Randy... Paula and Simon not so much. I doubt anyone believed that Simon really couldn't make it. It was nice hearing some positive words come out of Simon's mouth though. He said this show gave him his 2 best friends, Paula and Randy. Nice moment. I also thought that Ryan came across as subdued and stiff because he was trying so hard to not get emotional. This show gave him his big break, the successful life he has now. He sort of grew up with the show. Now he has to move out of the house.

 

I don't know if this show will be updated and come back in a few years. Don't know if I want it to. I wish they had done a show makeover starting 8 years ago, but that didn't happen.

Edited April 9, 2016 by TexasTiffany