S13.E29: Top 8 Results (Again)

[Tara Ariano]

The finalists face elimination.

[msburg]

Not surprised it's Malaya.  However she sounded live in studio, I always thought on screen she was pushing her voice and just as off key as CJ a lot of the time.

[kechara]

Could have been any of 3 or 4 and it would have been fine with me.

[SmallTownMom]

I don't have a favorite this year, and really didn't care for Malaya, but my heart broke for the little girl she really is when she was singing at the end. She wasn't the worst of the bunch, but I think people just got tired of her antics.

I was annoyed when Jessica crossed in front of her and stood there smiling while Malaya was singing. ME, ME, ME!!!

[Song of Roland]

Malaya is a cutie, really the only one there with a lively personality- so I'll miss her that way.

 

[Joystickenvy]

Right 2 people in the bottom. I think CJ has been more consistently bad, but Malaya's song choices haven't always done her a lot of favors. That sing out was painful. You've got a voice kid. Go find yourself a good teacher to fix those pitch problems.

Looks like Sam got the post save dead cat bounce.

[BogoGog24]

First off, yay for Caleb being called first safe! Hahahhahah I was laughing at all the people on here saying they would do cartwheels if he was booted.

Is this the only results show in Idol history not to have a guest performer? It felt weird. Sorry but how is CJ STILL here???? He is a cockroach. He may be a nice guy but he does not deserve to outlast any of the remaining contestants. Even Dexter can at least sing in tune. The longer CJ lasts, the more I'm starting to dislike him being there. I don't even really find him all that likable to be honest. He does this weird thing when he talks where he shakes his head back and forth and it's really distracting. He cannot sing in tune if his life depended on it. The judges are too soft on him every week with his pitch problems. What is it gonna take for this guy to go home? Nice guys who can't sing don't deserve to win a recording contract, especially over more talented singers. Please do this guy a favor and let him go- he is just embarrassing himself every week by exposing his weaknesses as a singer.

I know Malaya was not everyone's favorite and she sure had her own share of pitch issues, but I liked her the most of the girls and found her so fun and funny. She has the best personality of any of the remaining girls, Jena and Jessica are just so cold. In a few years, Malaya will be great and I think she could do really well on Broadway like Fantasia or star in a Disney/Nickelodeon show. I hope we hear from her again in the future because she really has talent and a likability factor about her. Such a shame CJ outlasted her, I mean really?

Malaya's singout brought back Angie Miller memories of how painful her singout was. 

[nutty1]

I was OK with Malaya leaving. I would have been fine to see CJ go. Or Dexter….or Jena….or Jessica……or Sam.

[Joystickenvy]

My DVR cut off before Caleb's performance and I haven't had a chance to watch a video yet, but I gather the Frau are not pleased ;).

ETA: watched the video. Surprised at the attention the comment got, seemed fairly innocuous to me. Didn't spot any signs of outrage in the comments at the blog that hosts the video, so I guess it's a YMMV sort of thing. Performance was just OK. Probably the best of the night, but nothing that will make my all time favs list or anything.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Joystickenvy

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Malaya went out with a toot!  So fun to see her actually playing the Sousaphone.  I like her lots.  I hope she somehow can carve out a fulfilling music career.

I most certainly did not miss the lack of a live performance.  I was pleased Malaya got a journey montage before she sang out.

Now for some combo of CJ, Sam, and Jessica to next depart.

I am betting that Caleb and Dexter are 100% done listening to the jidges and producers about stylistic changes.   For their sake, they best be.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Here's what I wrote about it.

[rereader2]

Sarah: I dunno if I blame Sam for asking if anyone knew who Ricky Nelson was--if a tipsy/high/something HCJ told me to go look up some person I had never heard of (kids today...), I'd probably be a little cautious about it too! 

Otherwise, agreed. :)

[BogoGog24]

I disagree with the thing about Caleb- I mean it's hard to catch it because it happens so quickly and you don't know who they're gonna call safe, but he ALWAYS has a look of shock on his face (and it seems genuine) You can Google some pretty funny stills of his "shock" faces

Also, I don't think Sam was asking if anyone knew who Ricky Nelson was because he thought they could clue him in. I'm sure he had looked it up and then was just asking in general if any of them knew who he was. I'm 20 years old and I had never heard of him until people started comparing him to Sam on these boards. Most of the audience watching this show is old enough to know who he is and I think sometimes they forget that and forget that the contestants this year are skewed much younger than normal.

My DVR cut off before Caleb's performance and I haven't had a chance to watch a video yet, but I gather the Frau are not pleased ;).

ETA: watched the video. Surprised at the attention the comment got, seemed fairly innocuous to me. Didn't spot any signs of outrage in the comments at the blog that hosts the video, so I guess it's a YMMV sort of thing. Performance was just OK. Probably the best of the night, but nothing that will make my all time favs list or anything.

You know my feeling about that is that it's not what was said, it's who said it. I bet if CJ had said it, people would have gone "Awww, he's thinking about all the grandmas out there!" But because it was Caleb, a guy who is seemingly not very popular, people have already made up their minds that they hate him so anything he says or does is annoying to them. 

[MrsMoltisanti]

oh goodness.  I don't think CJ would have said that.  And I won't even explain why.  Most of you will know what I mean.  

[Joystickenvy]

I'm 39 and while I've heard of Rickey Nelson, I had no idea what he looked like until tonight and I couldn't tell you anything he sang. My mom had told me several times that he reminded her of Rickey Nelson though and he did look a lot like the photo. I remember the Nelson twins lol

Not really surprising Sam wouldn't know who he is, considering Nelson was probably more in his grandmother's era and 80s music is probably oldies to him

[msburg]

I'm going to guess CJ would never say something like that -- he is a better person than this.  Even if he truly thought it, he is certainly smart enough to not say it.    

Caleb is not universally popular because he DOES say things like this. His comments are insulting to certain viewers, therefore they won't like him.  It's not like they assign arbitrary meaning to every little thing he says -- he just says stupid, insulting things that alienate fairly defined groups of people.

[Joystickenvy]

I guess old ladies are more sensitive about being called old than I thought? Or is it the implication that they might cry that was so offensive? I'm not exactly young and this is making me feel like I don't understand what should be offending me :(

[BogoGog24]

I guess old ladies are more sensitive about being called old than I thought? Or is it the implication that they might cry that was so offensive? I'm not exactly young and this is making me feel like I don't understand what should be offending me :(

I feel the same way. Since I'm not an old lady, I guess I don't get what's so offensive. 

[rereader2]

I wasn't crazy about the implication that "old ladies" are so easily manipulated--an interpretation enforced by his post-sing comment about making the "baby face". Way to drain any real emotion out of your performance.

[BogoGog24]

I was disappointed with his answer when Ryan asked him if he was thinking about anyone while singing that, however in a post show interview he did explain more in-depth what the song means to him and showed he really does understand what the song is about. Maybe it was a time constraint thing, who knows. He was the last person to perform and they wanted to wrap up the show. Maybe he would have liked to explain for like 30 seconds what the song means to him but they didn't have the time. I just wish he could have been able to give a better answer at that moment, so maybe people would hate him less lol

[Joystickenvy]

I didn't see the "baby face" remark. The video stopped after he quit singing. I generally fast forward over all the judges comments and the awkward seacrest post song stuff, so maybe I just haven't seen whatever it is that makes people view Caleb's comments in such a negative light.

[BogoGog24]

I didn't see the "baby face" remark. The video stopped after he quit singing. I generally fast forward over all the judges comments and the awkward seacrest post song stuff, so maybe I just haven't seen whatever it is that makes people view Caleb's comments in such a negative light.

Ryan asked him if he was singing the song about anyone in particular and he said "No I was just making the baby face." It made the audience think he had no personal connection to the song and that he was faking emotional connection. 

[msburg]

Ok Joystick -- I truly don't think I'm "old," though I keep addressing this.  Whatever Caleb says does not affect me on a personal level.  It's not the words he uses, it's the tone.  It's just so frickin' dismissive.

Here's the thing:  when I was in my twenties, I was truly self absorbed and arrogant (like him).  I really believed the world owed me something and I knew it all.

For most of my thirties, I was dealing with three children, four years apart.  There is no identifying self in this time.  It is all about the kids.  While I am not sorry for the family I chose to have, it came at a personal sacrifice.

So, I hit my forties.  I am now hitting my stride.  I am successful in my career, I am happy with the family balance.  My kids are old enough so I can develop my own hobbies and interests.  I am comfortable with my role in the world, and how I've made this time work for me.  I am happy and satisfied in a way I never was in my twenties and thirties.  I am confident in the person I am -- it is truly authentic.  I feel like I am in my prime and reaching my peak.

So, when a 22 year old boy tells me how he's going to manipulate my decision-making on a stupid reality singing competition?  Yes, I'm going to have a problem with that.  I am in the prime of my life, completely certain in what I have learned in my family life and career.  While a small part of me wants to give him the benefit of the (oh-so-arrogant) doubt, I also want to tell him that forty-somethings have only lived half their lives, at least. 

 

I'm sure that he will acknowledge in twenty years that his life is only marginally over, as well.

[Joystickenvy]

Like I said, I'm obviously not reading all the subtext into what seemed to me a flip remark about singing a sappy Journey song that those who were/are offended are. Whether that's because I haven't seen all the stuff he's said on the show or just that I don't personally find him to be particularly arrogant or self absorbed based on the little I know of him, I coukdnt say. But thanks for the explanation. I still don't get it, but I see where you are coming from.

[BogoGog24]

Well that's the thing- all these contestants are just kids, who say and do stupid things, just like literally every person watching did at that age. I don't think they deserve the criticism just because they are on national television. Instead of spending millions on salaries for JLo and Randy, they should have invested in a media trainer. They ALL need it and the contestants last year needed it as well. I think, with the exception of those aw-shucks guys like Scotty and Phillip, we will often find that all the young contestants come off so green and naive that sometimes the things they say can seem stupid or arrogant when that's probably not how they meant for it to come off. Like when Malaya made the comment about "being on the road to stardom" and Harry told her to forget about that part and just focus on improving her skills. I don't think the contestants can be entirely blamed when there should be someone behind the scenes giving the advice on what to say and what not to say. I'm sure it's difficult to be living in a small little town in the middle of nowhere your whole life and then suddenly when you are thrust on television, everyone analyzes every little thing you say and you have to be more careful about what you say and how you say it. They probably just don't realize. 

Who knows what he meant by "old ladies?" He could have been talking about his grandma for all we know. Maybe his grandmother and her friends love that song? Really, how I interpreted it, is that elderly women love those kinds of stories about a couple remaining in love with each other right? Like maybe he thought they would be so touched by the story because it's a classic theme that they would love. I didn't view it as any kind of "manipulating," just that maybe he thought old ladies (like 80+) would be moved by the story because it's romantic. Most songs nowadays are about sex and what not, whereas Faithfully is almost the exact opposite sentiment- a man staying faithful to his wife/girlfriend, and I think that's a theme older people would appreciate.

[ally862]

I'm actually starting to feel bad for Randy. It feels like being at a family party where Grandpa sits in the corner and makes comments that everyone ignores but no one want to tell him to stop talking because they want to make him feel useful. He really should have just let gracefully last season.

[rereader2]

I find it pretty inappropriate for him to be criticizing the kids he's supposed to be mentoring on elimination night. If he's mentoring, it's his job to point out to them what they're doing wrong, true, but to the world he should be pointing out what they're doing right. Otherwise, how can they trust him?

... Nevermind. Better for them that they don't trust him!

[BogoGog24]

Didn't Jimmy do the same thing though? He would make critiques about each performance and say whether he thought they were safe or not. Randy does the exact same, only he might know the results beforehand. 

[Joystickenvy]

Pretty much, though the last season in particular jimmy seemed to mostly be there to manufacture drama by disagreeing with the judges.

A true mentor should be providing constructive critism both before and after performances and probably should not be doing these critiques in public, but Randy isn't really a mentor, he's just another character on American Idol.

His main role on the show seems to be to spin the results favorably, as opposed to getting in big arguments with the judges. Hopefully after 12 seasons these kids are savvy enough to take the whole thing with a giant grain of salt.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

I was annoyed when Jessica crossed in front of her and stood there smiling while Malaya was singing. ME, ME, ME!!!

I have disliked Jessica since her true bitch came through on the group night in Hollywood.  I keep hoping we have seen the last of her.

[ari333]

I can't stand Caleb and his perma-smirk. (imo) He can get off my screen ASAP.  And per the clip of last night, his "baby face" that he apparently thinks is so effective makes him look constipated,  imo.

Loved JLo's dress and braid.

How did Keith squeeze into those pants? They looked painful.

Edited April 11, 2014 by ari333

[bluedevilblue]

I just think it's funny that Caleb thinks anyone is going to cry over a Journey song.  They're cheesy goodness and Steve Perry has a really interesting voice, but it's not exactly Emmylou singing Someone Like You, if you know what I mean.  But then my main issue with Caleb is that I think he struggles with any sort of singing that isn't belting.  I thought Faithfully was one of his worst.  It's like he's got one setting (emotional and musical) and that's it.  It's usually better than it was on Wednesday, but that's because he does have a good voice and it's only one song.  But an entire concert of him hitting the same emotional/dynamic beat is going to be just as boring as Alex making every song sound alike or Sam showing all the emotion of a mannequin.  As for arrogance, I don't really mind that.  Rock stars are arrogant.  It's just even that seems like an act with Caleb.  RIght now he's more Rock of Ages to me than rock star, which he can grow out of, but that just makes him like the other contestants who also need to do some improving.

Which doesn't mean that I don't think we've seen improvements from this group.  I think most of them have improved in the last few shows quite a bit and I like something in almost all of them.  The two exceptions for me at this point are CJ, who just doesn't seem to have it in him to stay in tune and it's painful, and Dexter, who I'm beginning to think there's simply no there there - that song is hilarious and he made it boring.  But then I think he makes almost every song dull.

[peach]

I just think it's funny that Caleb thinks anyone is going to cry over a Journey song.  They're cheesy goodness and Steve Perry has a really interesting voice, but it's not exactly Emmylou singing Someone Like You, if you know what I mean. 

Which doesn't mean that I don't think we've seen improvements from this group.  I think most of them have improved in the last few shows quite a bit and I like something in almost all of them.  The two exceptions for me at this point are CJ, who just doesn't seem to have it in him to stay in tune and it's painful, and Dexter, who I'm beginning to think there's simply no there there - that song is hilarious and he made it boring.  But then I think he makes almost every song dull.

And Glee has made Journey even cheesier than it already was.  My husband and I sang a few bars of it to each other on the couch while we were watching, but we were laughing, not crying.  Old ladies don't cry over high school songs.

And I agree about Dexter's song. I do really like his voice, but I think he seemed more focused on playing his git-tar for that song, than singing it.  You're right, that song is hilarious, esp the part when he sings, "she started talkin bout TRUE LOVE, started talkin about SIN."  But Dexter just sang it like it was just words on the song sheet.  I can't dislike him, though.  I can dislike Caleb and Jessica.

[Etta Place]

And I agree about Dexter's song. I do really like his voice, but I think he seemed more focused on playing his git-tar for that song, than singing it.

And yet my husband spends all of Dexter's performances ranting about how Dexter just uses the guitar as a prop. He wasn't playing anything of any consequence on the Georgia Satellites song; that's why he had the band guitarist there.

[peach]

And yet my husband spends all of Dexter's performances ranting about how Dexter just uses the guitar as a prop. He wasn't playing anything of any consequence on the Georgia Satellites song; that's why he had the band guitarist there.

I didn't mean *I* thought he was playing anything of consequence.  His own comments seemed to indicate he was really excited about playing electric git-tar on a big stage like that instead of in a bar.  Playing rock star.  I'm sure it was fun for him, but I thought it was his weakest performance.

Edited April 11, 2014 by peach

[glowlights]

I was annoyed when Jessica crossed in front of her and stood there smiling while Malaya was singing. ME, ME, ME!!!

Glad I'm not the only one who caught that! I gave her the benefit of the doubt with crossing in front (perhaps the director was positioning her) but the giant grin was awful.

So I'll wade into the "old ladies" controversy... prefaced with JMO. My issue with the old ladies comment, as well as the sarcastic baby face comment, is that it tells me Caleb doesn't understand the music he's singing. He thinks a classic standard by Journey is a song for the old ladies (because it's from the 80s? because it's by Journey? wtf?) and not a song that has emotional relevance to human beings. I'm not the world's biggest Journey fan, but when Steve Perry sang those lyrics I believed and felt every word. When Caleb sang it I didn't believe a single syllable. Jennifer Lopez was right (imo) when she said he looked like he was just trying to get through the quiet part so he could go back to belting. "Putting on the baby face"? Uh no, Caleb, songs of longing and lament are not about putting on a cute face so people will think "aw, so sad". Talk about vapid. If he tried to salvage it later by coming up with a better explanation then good for him - but something tells me that was producer-driven, especially with Randy Jackson sitting right there. So much for allowing the rights to use it.

And that's not just a problem with Caleb, either, so I'm not singling him out. When HC asked Jena what The Scientist was about and she just shrugged like "songs are supposed to mean something?" When Jessica and whoever turned "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" into a cute Donny & Marie Osmond number. When Alex  reworked I'll Be Watching You into yet another Starbucks Open Mic Night arrangement that didn't fit the lyrics and said "well supposedly it's about a stalker" ARGH! When Majesty jumped around the stage on Let It Go... On and on and on, night after night. Maybe that's what HC was trying to get across when he mentioned the difference between a performer and an entertainer. The idea isn't to hit the notes. You could train a coyote to do that. You have to have something to communicate. Otherwise it's just the musical equivalent of baby babble. Sam pretty much does that every night. He took a powerful song (Time After Time) and made it... pretty. I think this explains a lot of Malaya's terrible song choices - she doesn't know why they're terrible for her. Last season when Harry was a mentor and he asked (forget her name) what My Funny Valentine is about and she was absolutely clueless - he was very nice to her and did his best but good lord do they not have the internet in LA? Google is your friend, kids. Bing and decide! Heck, ask one of the many musicians working with you.

And if you're going to reinterpret a song it had better be for an actual reason and not just because the original is out of your range (vocally, intellectually or emotionally).

Argh, I say. ARGH!

So that turned into a rant. :) I'll show myself out.

p.s. Absolutely loved David Cook as a mentor. More, please.

[jodo]

Spot on rant glowlights!!!!  Loved every word! 

Jessica stepping in front of Malaya and grinning ear to ear while Malaya is crying her eyes out was creepy...like when the judges give her feedback and she grins and grins instead of at least the occasional nod like she actually gets it.  

I do feel like HCJ has checked out on the performances...he still tries to give them some kind of feedback but nothing like he was doing before which was not sitting well with participants/JLO booing him/audience etc...did the producers ask him to be nicer or has he decided it is an uphill battle and not worth getting his shorts in a knot so let's have some fun instead...

Edited April 11, 2014 by jodo

[peach]

Thank you, glowlights!  That was perfect.  My soul feels all those things, but it just usually articulated with me loudly saying, "NO!" when each of these songs is "performed" be these empty kids.  The "Every Breath You Take" thing being the worst yet.  NO!  NO NO NO.

[Joystickenvy]

I didn't think any of them had any connection to their material this week. The worst was EBYT, because the arrangement and non-melody completely ruined the song and totally erased the meaning. Alex needs to quit trying to be so artsy. He has musical chops, but comes across very disingenuous in his song interpretations.

CJ gets more credit than he deserves for "feeling his music," when mostly he's just making his own version of the "baby face" except it's his stock tortured artist face.

Sam, Jena and Jessica are usually devoid of any detectable genuine emotion, though Jessica was a bit better when she did her original song. Malaya has her own version of tortured artist face.

Caleb performs a lot like he's playing the role of a larger than life classic rocker. I feel like he's more in love with the character than the music. However, he at least doesn't usually butcher the songs, is usually on pitch and I like his voice, so unless or until somebody else steps up their game, I'll root for him to stay on the show.

The only performance this whole season I really felt conveyed the emotion of the song well was MK's first performance of All of Me. Unfortunately, she never recaptured that moment, even on her sing for your life re-tread of the song.

[Shades of Red]

Well that's the thing- all these contestants are just kids, who say and do stupid things, just like literally every person watching did at that age. I don't think they ... to say. I'm sure it's difficult to be living in a small little town in the middle of nowhere your whole life and then suddenly when you are thrust on television, everyone analyzes every little thing you say and you have to be more careful about what you say and how you say it. They probably just don't realize.

 

I know kids say and do a lot of stupid things, but, in this day and age I think they chose not to be aware or care about what they say/send out there.  We live in a society that has made people who make sex tapes famous.  People are famous for just being famous.  I honestly believe many people who audition for this show hope to be "famous" and rich, singing just happens to open a door for that. 

We had a guy up in Canada who was on our version of the show who was in a band.  He played the game and didn't want to win, but endeared himself to the audience enough to get pretty far in the competition.  When he performed he was a show man even when some of the performances seem to be tongue in cheek.  He played the game and now his band is reaping the rewards.  Caleb could learn a lot from Jacob Hoggard.

Nice to see Jennifer in a decent outfit again.

[proserpina65]

When Alex  reworked I'll Be Watching You into yet another Starbucks Open Mic Night arrangement

 

The name of the song is "Every Breath You Take".  Regardless of how one feels about Alex's version, getting song titles correct is a pet peeve of mine.

[BogoGog24]

While Caleb's answer to Ryan on the show was not what I or other viewers wanted to hear from him, he did, in a post-show interview, talk about the meaning of the song. Even though he said he doesn't have a girlfriend right now, he did know the song is about a man on the road remaining faithful to his wife/girlfriend. Maybe the show was ready to wrap up after his performance and he would have liked to have more time to explain what the song means to him, but they just didn't have time. 

I also don't get why people think Alex doesn't know what EBYT is supposed to mean. He explained he looked at the lyrics countless times and I'm sure everyone knows the true meaning of the song. That's what made his rendition brilliant, was that he completely warped it and made it more sweet and innocent. Some people liked that and some didn't. I personally thought it was brilliant. He has a girlfriend right now, so naturally he probably wanted to change the song to fit his own life. I don't think he can relate to stalking somebody, but he could sure relate to loving someone.

[Shannon L.]

 

.......songs of longing and lament are not about putting on a cute face so people will think "aw, so sad".

glowlights, that was an excellent post and one of the biggest problems that I've seen on this show for years now.  In fact, I was musing over next week's theme, wondering what I'd chose for the kids if I could and I was thinking about Paul Simon/Simon and Garfunkel for Sam.  But, no...Still Crazy After All These Years, The Boxer, hell even Loves Me Like a Rock and Me and Julio are too much for him to really understand and portray on stage.  If these kids have access to the internet, there are sites out there that explain what songs mean and why they were written (not all of them, but a great deal of them).  Can't they take 15 minutes to google their song choices?  Of course, even then, w/o life experience, it really limits what they can pull off successfully.  And this brings me to:

Malaya:  I was surprised when she was booted.  Did you see Jennifer?  She winced, then looked like someone had punched her in the gut.  However, I think Malaya's song choice was too old for her.  She should have picked something younger, more upbeat and fun. 

[BogoGog24]

I have disliked Jessica since her true bitch came through on the group night in Hollywood.  I keep hoping we have seen the last of her.

How did she come across as a "bitch" in Hollywood though? I don't care for Jess at all but one thing I was impressed by was how well she handled herself that week. She got handed so much undeserved crap, like that girl's mom treating her like a teenager and blaming her for her daughter's elimination. Jess handled it better than most people would have. She may come off cold in her performances but I think that's because she is so used to performing in bars that she hasn't figured out how to loosen up onstage yet. As a person though, she seems fine. Not as bubbly and happy as Majesty or CJ. But lukewarm. I don't get "bitch" from her at all.

[peach]

I think Jessica almost acts like she's on the autistic spectrum.  She is weird about social cues. 

[Joystickenvy]

How did she come across as a "bitch" in Hollywood though? I don't care for Jess at all but one thing I was impressed by was how well she handled herself that week. She got handed so much undeserved crap, like that girl's mom treating her like a teenager and blaming her for her daughter's elimination. Jess handled it better than most people would have. She may come off cold in her performances but I think that's because she is so used to performing in bars that she hasn't figured out how to loosen up onstage yet. As a person though, she seems fine. Not as bubbly and happy as Majesty or CJ. But lukewarm. I don't get "bitch" from her at all.

I don't get bitch from her either, but I don't tend to analyze every breath they take, every move they make, every vow they break, every single day for hidden meaning either ;)

[BogoGog24]

I don't get bitch from her either, but I don't tend to analyze every breath they take, every move they make, every vow they break, every single day for hidden meaning either ;)

You know somebody I think from TWOP or something (must have been there 'cause I don't see anything here) criticized Jessica because she smiles while the judges critique her. Yet half the time the contestants are criticized if they are criticized for NOT smiling. They can never win, no matter what they say or do people have a problem with it. If they smile, they look like they aren't taking it seriously and if they don't smile they are accused of looking disinterested and like they don't care about what the judges have to say. I don't know what people expect them to do.

[Joystickenvy]

Yeah, one of my favorite contestants ever, Elise Testone, was victim to the OMG she looks so pissed off during the judges comments she's such a bitch!

With her, I could sort of understand it because she did have a raging case of resting bitch face, but Jessica just seems kind of there most of the time.

I really don't care about personalities that much, I just want to be entertained. I've spent a lot of time around musicians and as a group they tend to be simultaneously the most egotistical and insecure group of people I've ever met. I think it kind of goes with the territory. Like with most things, most that have successful long term careers put a lot of work into projecting the persona that fits their brand and the audience they hope to attract.

[BogoGog24]

I really don't care about personalities that much, I just want to be entertained.

This! The first thing I care about the most is "Do I like this artist's music?" Liking their personality is a nice bonus, but I don't necessarily have to like someone as a person to be interested in their music. I'm not a fan of how Miley Cyrus presents herself these days but I liked her newest album enough to buy it. That's why I don't give 2 flying fladoodles how "nice" CJ is… so what? The man can't sing in tune for two measly minutes, what do I care about his personality for? He could be the nicest man in the world but it's not gonna entice me to buy his album or tickets to his concert.

[MarySNJ]

I guess old ladies are more sensitive about being called old than I thought? Or is it the implication that they might cry that was so offensive? I'm not exactly young and this is making me feel like I don't understand what should be offending me :(

How old are you Joystickenvy? ;)  Speaking for myself - chronologically, I am old compared to Caleb. That's a fact. I think of myself as a mature woman - not an "old lady".  I'm also aware that when a young person refers to "old ladies" it can be derogatory depending on context. In this case, at best Caleb was being condescending, at worst contemptuous.

I will also admit that while Caleb has a great voice and absolutely deserves to be there, he strikes me as a bit of a jerk afflicted with foot in mouth disease. I don't find him amusing, I find him smarmy, with an excessive sense of self-regard.  I can acknowledge his talent but I can't get over feeling that he's a smarmy, cocky jerk.

ETA:

I really don't care about personalities that much, I just want to be entertained. I've spent a lot of time around musicians and as a group they tend to be simultaneously the most egotistical and insecure group of people I've ever met. I think it kind of goes with the territory. Like with most things, most that have successful long term careers put a lot of work into projecting the persona that fits their brand and the audience they hope to attract.

This is an interesting observation. It's been my experience that egotism often masks insecurity. That being said, I think most of the contestants who have done well on American Idol come across as confident but humble... YMMV, of course.

Edited April 12, 2014 by MarySNJ