S16.E14: Top 10 Reveal

[Nessie]

2 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

I quit listening about 2004.  It’s nothing like the glory days of the 90’s.

and I am officially old. 

I don't agree.  Just because you don't listen to it anymore doesn't mean it's not out there.  Rock stations are two of the top 5 rated radio stations in my area, and I'm in the south, where you'd probably expect country stations to be more popular, but there aren't any even in the top 10.  Rock festivals are still huge across the country, and a lot of those feature current acts as headliners.  Rock certainly isn't dead, and it's far from even being on life support.

[MarkHB]

Folks, we have other threads to discuss potential song choices for upcoming weeks .  Please, keep this thread related to Monday's episode.  Thanks!

[marykat71702]

These aren't in order...

Maddie-I'm glad she made it. She has a "girl next door" feel to her that is easy to listen to.

Marcio-Looked like someone killed his dog throughout the whole show. I don't think he fought enough in his last performance to save his spot. He gave up.

Cade-I guess they need a rocker, and he doesn't totally suck, so I'm okay with him going through.

Michelle-Why, why, why?! I can't believe they chose her to go through. Ugh.

Caleb-Holy cow, he is looking GOOD, and I could listen to him all day. He has definitely taken the heartththrob mantle away from Garrett and Jonny(who wasn't a heartthrob, anyway, IMO).

Garrett-What the hell were those falsetto notes doing on a CCR song? No, thank you.

Jonny-Shouldn't have gotten this far in the first place.

Mara-I would have picked her over either Michelle or Ada. The girl has got some pipes on her.

Dennis-Came out and killed it. He earned his save.

Ada-I just can't with her. 

Jurnee-I love The Greatest Showman, but that is my least favorite song in the movie, and IMO she didn't perform it that well. However, based on previous performances I'm glad she got picked to go through.

Michael-I really think that he is on the Autism spectrum. He has a great voice, but I find it hard to watch him. That being said, I think he deserved his spot in the top 10.

Gabby-Just doesn't click for me.

Catie-Looked like a school teacher. I do prefer toned-down Catie, and she does have a decent voice. I'm okay with her going through.

Edited April 25, 2018 by marykat71702

[incandescent]

14 minutes ago, marykat71702 said:

Who am I forgetting?

Catie

[LennieBriscoe]

Four African-American winners out of Idol's 15 seasons is a better voting record than for President! ???

Forgetting Catie? NOW her earlier kookiness makes eminent sense, does it not?!

I can't abide Caleb's twang or Maddie's yodel-into-falsetto. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by LennieBriscoe

[Ladyrain]

19 hours ago, tobeannounced said:

I wish Cade would play acoustic guitar and sit down and just sing for once. But maybe he knows better...

Ooooh, that might be painful to listen to.  He doesn't have much of a voice and relies on the electric guitar licks, rock star gyrations, and Robert Plant hair to keep himself in the game.  But who knows?  If he did what you suggest, he might surprise himself.  He sure would surprise me, lol.  i know he has developed a fan base, but I'd sure hate to see him win this thing over some of the (much) better vocalists.  Just my opinion, but he seems like a thinner, marginally better looking Caleb Johnson, whose 'career' tanked after his Idol win. 

And the more i think about it, I love your suggestion about the acoustic guitar.  If he pulled it off he could gain a lot of votes from people who, like me, aren't ardent fans of his one trick pony stage persona.  I would seriously love for him to do something like that.

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

Michael-I really think that he is on the Autism spectrum

Maybe I fast forward too much, but why are people saying this?  I think he is awesome and can take a train to Broadway right now.

Caleb looks too doughy to be a heart throb, and this I thought this even before he said he used to be obese.

[Guest]

Catie is also suspected of being on the autism spectrum here.  I really don’t see it for either.  Michael acts a little ADD, maybe, though?   

I think Caleb is getting really cute.  His face is a little Elvis-like.  I’m so glad they’re finally covering his acne with makeup.  Or he got some great drugs for it.  

[tobeannounced]

My daughter in on the spectrum, very high-functioning, smart as heck. She is beyond quirky. There is no doubt when you talk to her that something is not neurotypical. Quirky or different does not equal autism. I am certainly no expert, but Catie and Michael communicate too well, to me, to be on the spectrum. My daughter is a brilliant writer, but communicating ideas verbally is very difficult.

Edited April 25, 2018 by tobeannounced

[Oholibamah]

23 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Michael was voted into the Top 6, so I'm not sure how the viewers could be voting along racial lines.

 This is oversimplifying things. 

 

23 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

 Don't you remember that day 5 years ago when we all turned racist?  Oh wait, 5 years ago Candace won Idol.  

The fact that only one woman and one person of colour - both being Candice - has won since Season 6 is alarming. It is enough data to show that the majority of voters will default to one type of winner, often in spite of talent. 

23 hours ago, tobeannounced said:

And IDK the demographic breakdown of this show, but in a country with a majority of whites who have their own cultural preferences, I'm thinking that's the way the votes are going to skew. If you want to take that as proof that people hate you, well, God bless you.

This idea that white people have "their own" cultural preferences is problematic. I think it'd be more apt to call it cultural bias. 

I don't begrudge people voting for who they like, but we should be critical about WHY we like what we like. It gets tiresome to see the same people represented over and over. Some evidence like "Fantasia and Ruben!" has been presented, but I think it shows that when viewership is higher (like in the earlier seasons) and thus more diverse, talent is more likely to come out on top.

With smaller viewership, I think more talented people have been routinely passed over in favor white men. Personal preference can of course factor in (I personally had David and Trent as my winners) but it being such a trend suggests cultural bias. 

I think it would be a travesty for Cade or Caleb to win this season. I like the music they do too, but I can look past that to question if they're truly the best up there. If people are voting for genre over individual talent, then we may as well have a vote in the first week of the competition and call it a day. 

Based on body of work, Caleb and Michelle are the weakest left. Ada and Cade need to show they can do something else.

But my predictions for next week's eliminations are Michelle, Jurnee and Dennis, and that 2/3s of that will be heartbreaking. 

[Guest]

I think a huge part of it is casting and genre.  They don't cast much in the hip hop, rap, R&B, Latin or even pop genres all that much.  A few tokens here and there for Latin, R&B and pop, and forget rap and hip hop.  It's mostly singer/songwriter, country or rock types, I think, because those are most popular in the viewing demographic.  

And I expect the voting audience is also largely female and a lot of women just prefer to hear a man's singing voice.  It's not sexism or racism if you prefer a sound or genre.  This isn't a singing contest.  It's who you like best for whatever reasons and want to see win.  

Out there in the real world of recording artists, men do better, too.  Of the seven top selling artists of all time, only one is female- Madonna.   Is it due to sexism?  Or just musical tastes?  

[tobeannounced]

I would really love to know the top 10 that America voted for.

[proserpina65]

34 minutes ago, Oholibamah said:

 This is oversimplifying things. 

 

The fact that only one woman and one person of colour - both being Candice - has won since Season 6 is alarming. It is enough data to show that the majority of voters will default to one type of winner, often in spite of talent. 

This idea that white people have "their own" cultural preferences is problematic. I think it'd be more apt to call it cultural bias. 

I don't begrudge people voting for who they like, but we should be critical about WHY we like what we like. It gets tiresome to see the same people represented over and over. Some evidence like "Fantasia and Ruben!" has been presented, but I think it shows that when viewership is higher (like in the earlier seasons) and thus more diverse, talent is more likely to come out on top.

With smaller viewership, I think more talented people have been routinely passed over in favor white men. Personal preference can of course factor in (I personally had David and Trent as my winners) but it being such a trend suggests cultural bias. 

I think it would be a travesty for Cade or Caleb to win this season. I like the music they do too, but I can look past that to question if they're truly the best up there. If people are voting for genre over individual talent, then we may as well have a vote in the first week of the competition and call it a day. 

Based on body of work, Caleb and Michelle are the weakest left. Ada and Cade need to show they can do something else.

But my predictions for next week's eliminations are Michelle, Jurnee and Dennis, and that 2/3s of that will be heartbreaking. 

I think we'd need to know the actual Top 10 vote getters before we could say that the votes are along racial lines.  This crap of letting the judges pick 4 skewed things to begin with.

The viewers who vote don't necessarily vote for who sings the best.  They vote for who they like, for whatever reason they like them.  It's been that way for a long time, if not since the very beginning.

I personally disagree that Caleb is one of the weakest performers left.  I've enjoyed pretty much all of his performances.  Michelle, well she is the weakest performer, but I don't care much for Gabby and would include her in the weakest.

(Just for the record, I don't think Fantasia was the most talented in her season and I wouldn't have voted for her to win.  I'd have gone with LaToya.)

Edited April 25, 2018 by proserpina65

[rr2911]

33 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I think we'd need to know the actual Top 10 vote getters before we could say that the votes are along racial lines.  This crap of letting the judges pick 4 skewed things to begin with.

The viewers who vote don't necessarily vote for who sings the best.  They vote for who they like, for whatever reason they like them.  It's been that way for a long time, if not since the very beginning.

I personally disagree that Caleb is one of the weakest performers left.  I've enjoyed pretty much all of his performances.  Michelle, well she is the weakest performer, but I don't care much for Gabby and would include her in the weakest.

(Just for the record, I don't think Fantasia was the most talented in her season and I wouldn't have voted for her to win.  I'd have gone with LaToya.)

I remember reading that Fantasia won because of her sob story and that LaToya should've won. 

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I think we'd need to know the actual Top 10 vote getters before we could say that the votes are along racial lines.  This crap of letting the judges pick 4 skewed things to begin with.

Four is an especially strange number. Each judge gets one except Katy who gets two? It’s strange.

[sempervivum]

12 hours ago, lindakoy said:

Cade is a less talented, less good looking, more arrogant version of Casey James

Casey did such a great job with 'Jealous Guy' at top 7 in his season, and I kept hoping he'd build on that, but he never did.

There is a frightening cover on YT of Cade doing 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You' (on piano!); he does not, in fact, have any kind of a voice at all, IMO. He also has a cover of 'Purple Rain', so I guess we know what he'll be performing if he makes it to top 7 (Prince theme night).

[marketdoctor]

I'm not sure if Katy Perry got two picks, or got to announce two.  I thought for the most part, the judges deliberated--and it's possible they decided ahead of time to put Ada through.  It's also possible they knew ahead of time who the top vote-getters were, and (barely) possible, but less likely, they knew how all 14 were ranked.

That's one of the problems of drawing inferences from the outcomes:  many thousands of people audition--but millions more self-selected out.  This year, America got to choose 6.  There may have been singers of a lot of racial backgrounds that would have been better, but we didn't get to vote on them--in many cases, we didn't see them, because they had an off day before we even got to the judges we saw.  What we're seeing is a biased sample:  biased by what the judges think we want to see, and starting this week, also by what people voted for (heavily overlapping with who watched the show, but also how militant friends/family/fans are.)

The judges have had a bigger sample to pick from, and they got to pick first.  I mostly like what they gave us, and I have a fast-forward button if I didn't--but judging America on the outcome is like judging all horses by who enters and who wins the Kentucky Derby. 

[Guest]

That's a good point.  As far as we know Idol doesn't recruit, do they?  We know The Voice does.  CBS says it recruits for Survivor and Amazing Race because applicants are overwhelmingly white and serial reality show applicants.  

[TOL]

On 4/23/2018 at 10:12 PM, gardendiva said:

I was kind of hoping that Marcio really brought it this week, but after that amazing, relaxed and joyful duet with Allen Stone, he really missed the mark in his last 2 performances. Despair was written all over his face and it was so hard to watch.

Agree with every word.  He gave 2 performances that were shaky at best.  Both were horrible song choices.  You can’t expect a good result singing Barry Manilow- especially not one of the better-known tunes.  I was so disappointed.   I also think that as much as the judges liked him, after those last 2 songs maybe they knew his face could not hide anything and it just wasn’t going to work out for the long term

 

I wish America’s results weren’t known until after they sang.  It clearly threw him off (as well as others).  However, there’s an argument to be made that you have to learn to suck it up and deal with whatever pitfalls face you if you expect a show business career.   

 

I thought Michelle was awful and never would have thought she’d make it through.  But what do I know?

[Babalooie]

On ‎4‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 8:34 AM, WhineandCheez said:

Quote

Michael-I really think that he is on the Autism spectrum

Maybe I fast forward too much, but why are people saying this?

Remember that Michael won a talent show called Majors and Minors when he was 14.   I'll include a snippet that shows him as a normal-acting kid with a bit of an "aw shucks" personality.  In my opinion, he is just overdoing that personality now.  Did you know that he is currently studying at the LA School of Performing Arts?  Idol does not advertise that or the fact that he won a competition as a teenager.   I still like him.

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by Babalooie

[Guest]

I was excited to see Marcio go deep back with Barry Manilow but that was a bad song to pick of his.  

Did they explain why Michael sings in blue coveralls, like he just got off a bowling alley shift?  I don't hate it, I just think it's a little different.  One thing for sure is it differentiates him.  That and the 'aw shucks' personality.  

[Nessie]

3 hours ago, Oholibamah said:

 This is oversimplifying things. 

 

The fact that only one woman and one person of colour - both being Candice - has won since Season 6 is alarming. It is enough data to show that the majority of voters will default to one type of winner, often in spite of talent. 

This idea that white people have "their own" cultural preferences is problematic. I think it'd be more apt to call it cultural bias. 

I don't begrudge people voting for who they like, but we should be critical about WHY we like what we like. It gets tiresome to see the same people represented over and over. Some evidence like "Fantasia and Ruben!" has been presented, but I think it shows that when viewership is higher (like in the earlier seasons) and thus more diverse, talent is more likely to come out on top.

With smaller viewership, I think more talented people have been routinely passed over in favor white men. Personal preference can of course factor in (I personally had David and Trent as my winners) but it being such a trend suggests cultural bias. 

I think it would be a travesty for Cade or Caleb to win this season. I like the music they do too, but I can look past that to question if they're truly the best up there. If people are voting for genre over individual talent, then we may as well have a vote in the first week of the competition and call it a day. 

Based on body of work, Caleb and Michelle are the weakest left. Ada and Cade need to show they can do something else.

But my predictions for next week's eliminations are Michelle, Jurnee and Dennis, and that 2/3s of that will be heartbreaking. 

Why is it problematic for white people to have cultural preference, or even cultural bias?  Name me one culture that doesn't.

As you say, we like what we like.  I don't think I need to be critical of myself for this, and I don't think I need to explain my preferences to anyone.  That's the beauty of this show.  We get to vote for whoever we want to, not who someone else thinks we should (much to Katy's chagrin, apparently).

I am so tired of the racist accusations on Idol every year when certain people are disappointed with the results.  There are always plenty of black contestants.  Some make it far, some don't.  If the black voters don't show up to vote for them (based purely on the color of their skin, apparently), don't blame the rest of us.

In reference to the bolded bit, I believe it's only enough data to show that the majority of voters (or at least the most rabid voters) will default to the type of music or performer they prefer, which again goes back to "we like what we like".  It's as simple as that.

[Wings]

@Nessie.  100+ likes for your above post.  It is exhausting to read claims of racial bias on AI.  Just vote for who you like best.  It isn't more complicated than that.  

Edited April 27, 2018 by Wings

[Guest]

I agree. 

But I'm glad it hasn't yet gotten down to accusing everyone who supports a white male contestant of effectively 'voting with their panties'.  That's the other mildly insulting theory that gets tossed out all the time.  I'm guessing if Caleb or Cade makes it deep, we'll hear that one, too.  

[llewis823]

1 hour ago, Nessie said:

Why is it problematic for white people to have cultural preference, or even cultural bias?  Name me one culture that doesn't.

As you say, we like what we like.  I don't think I need to be critical of myself for this, and I don't think I need to explain my preferences to anyone.  That's the beauty of this show.  We get to vote for whoever we want to, not who someone else thinks we should (much to Katy's chagrin, apparently).

I am so tired of the racist accusations on Idol every year when certain people are disappointed with the results.  There are always plenty of black contestants.  Some make it far, some don't.  If the black voters don't show up to vote for them (based purely on the color of their skin, apparently), don't blame the rest of us.

In reference to the bolded bit, I believe it's only enough data to show that the majority of voters (or at least the most rabid voters) will default to the type of music or performer they prefer, which again goes back to "we like what we like".  It's as simple as that.

Nessie, you just wrote exactly what I wanted to write, but didn't because I figured it would get deleted anyway because it might "offend" someone. Thank you for saying what a lot of us are thinking...or at least me anyway. 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

As far as we know Idol doesn't recruit, do they?

I don't know if they do ... or still do ... or the extent of it ... but I DO know someone who did NOT audition for the show and to whom the show reached out and asked to audition (not this season, but a few years ago, before the hiatus). The person is/was a singer-songwriter and chose not to go the AI route because they lose all rights to any of their original songs they perform on the show (I am assuming the big glut of singer-songwriters they have on the show this season are aware of these rules, or POSSIBLY they have changed the contract). And this is also true of, at least, The Voice (knew someone who was on the show for several episodes who is a really good songwriter and was wondering why they did not perform ANY of their originals, and the loss of rights to the song was explained to me (by a mutual friend of both that singer and the one I referenced above).  

This leads me to think they may actually be looking for a singer-songwriter type to win it this year ... another reason I think Maddie is TCO.

Hope that's a little clearer than mud!

[Nessie]

42 minutes ago, llewis823 said:

Nessie, you just wrote exactly what I wanted to write, but didn't because I figured it would get deleted anyway because it might "offend" someone. Thank you for saying what a lot of us are thinking...or at least me anyway. 

You're welcome.  Have to say I was a little hesitant about posting it, but I tried to be as diplomatic as I could.  If I offended anyone, I apologize, as that was not my intent.

That was the first and only time I will comment about race on AI (this year, anyway), because it's such a non-issue for me, until others make it so.

[TheGreenKnight]

8 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

And I expect the voting audience is also largely female and a lot of women just prefer to hear a man's singing voice.  It's not sexism or racism if you prefer a sound or genre.  This isn't a singing contest.  It's who you like best for whatever reasons and want to see win.  

First I'd heard that it wasn't.

8 hours ago, Oholibamah said:

With smaller viewership, I think more talented people have been routinely passed over in favor white men. Personal preference can of course factor in (I personally had David and Trent as my winners) but it being such a trend suggests cultural bias. 

I agree, the fall in viewers has lead to winners who are most like the majority still watching and almost nothing to do with talent anymore. I'd say that was the main thing that ended the last show because everything became so stale and predictable--why even cast women anymore, for example? I'll be shocked if they can keep the revival from falling into the same routine. If they can't, good riddance when it's cancelled.

[Nessie]

44 minutes ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

I don't know if they do ... or still do ... or the extent of it ... but I DO know someone who did NOT audition for the show and to whom the show reached out and asked to audition (not this season, but a few years ago, before the hiatus). The person is/was a singer-songwriter and chose not to go the AI route because they lose all rights to any of their original songs they perform on the show (I am assuming the big glut of singer-songwriters they have on the show this season are aware of these rules, or POSSIBLY they have changed the contract). And this is also true of, at least, The Voice (knew someone who was on the show for several episodes who is a really good songwriter and was wondering why they did not perform ANY of their originals, and the loss of rights to the song was explained to me (by a mutual friend of both that singer and the one I referenced above).  

This leads me to think they may actually be looking for a singer-songwriter type to win it this year ... another reason I think Maddie is TCO.

Hope that's a little clearer than mud!

Really?  Wow...a person must really want that TV exposure to give up ALL rights to their original music like that.  What a risky proposition.

Do you know if that's true of everyone who appears on the show?  Or, for instance, only if they make it to the live shows, or top 10?  

Does 19E own "Pants on the Ground"??? (Lucky them...)

[Mu Shu]

It’s a singing contest where the best person rarely wins.  Anyway, it’s too subjective to definitively say who is best.

I can tell you it ain’t Michelle.  But bless you girl for keeping the 90’s alive.

[Vanessa1214]

Did anyone hear what Ryan whispered to Garrett after his performance? My closed captioning said Ryan whispered "It's pretty good that Katy says this is the best you've ever sounded. She has a lot of juice, you know what I mean?" 

 

So... what is Ryan saying here? Does having a lot of juice mean Katy has been drinking? We've certainly heard that accusation all season. I can't figure what else Ryan might mean. If that's what he meant, it's pretty bold of him to say that on live TV. 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

19 minutes ago, Nessie said:

Really?  Wow...a person must really want that TV exposure to give up ALL rights to their original music like that.  What a risky proposition.

Do you know if that's true of everyone who appears on the show?  Or, for instance, only if they make it to the live shows, or top 10?  

Does 19E own "Pants on the Ground"??? (Lucky them...)

LMAO about "Pants on the Ground" but I bet they do (though I don't know what they would do with it) ...

I haven't really pursued the topic that much further so I don't know if it's at a certain round but I thought it was from the get-go in terms of the televised episodes (and with auditions, even, you don't know what's going to air and they have to sign a boatload of contracts before they even get to anything that could be televised) ... I'm gonna guess that if what I've heard is accurate (and I have no reason to think it's not ... it comes from a very good source, so it's more likely that I may be the one misunderstanding it ... that happens a lot these days) ...

But I assume that maybe those who choose to sing their originals on the shows and give up all the rights in perpetuity to those specific songs have a pretty large catalogue of originals and figure they can afford to give up the rights to a song or two if it gets them noticed (being "discovered" as a singer-songwriter isn't easy). 

It's not like by singing one song they lose the rights to their entire catalogue ... Which show was it (AI or The Voice?) where they was some guy who kept singing and singing and singing his song "Roses"? I don't think it ever became a hit (and IMHO it wasn't very good) but they made a big deal about him because he was an ARTIST LOL.

[Wings]

40 minutes ago, Nessie said:

You're welcome.  Have to say I was a little hesitant about posting it, but I tried to be as diplomatic as I could.  If I offended anyone, I apologize, as that was not my intent.

That was the first and only time I will comment about race on AI (this year, anyway), because it's such a non-issue for me, until others make it so.

The only thing we have control over is our reaction to any given situation.  And that is a choice.  Some choose be be offended others do not.  It is their problem, not ours. 

28 minutes ago, Vanessa1214 said:

Did anyone hear what Ryan whispered to Garrett after his performance? My closed captioning said Ryan whispered "It's pretty good that Katy says this is the best you've ever sounded. She has a lot of juice, you know what I mean?" 

 

So... what is Ryan saying here? Does having a lot of juice mean Katy has been drinking? We've certainly heard that accusation all season. I can't figure what else Ryan might mean. If that's what he meant, it's pretty bold of him to say that on live TV. 

I think he meant influence and connections. 

Quote

 

Urban dictionary-

she's got juice

When a girl doesn't need anything or anyone. She's got it going on. Think when you ask a mom with a baby of her baby needs anything. The mom may answer. "She alright, she's got juice"

Man that girl is perfect, she doesn't need anyone to take care of her, she's got juice!

#miss independent#prefect girl#sugar momma

 

Edited April 25, 2018 by Wings

[twilightzone]

Idol has always been just as much a popularity contest than an actual singing competition.

And the argument can be made as to whether Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia, Jordin were actually the "best" of their seasons.  When there were very big voices like Tamyra Gray, Bo Bice, Jennifer Hudson, Melinda Doolittle.

[Guest]

I think Nigel describes it best on SYTYCD when he says it's not about finding America's best dancer but America's favorite dancer. 

Singing 'idols' especially have never really been about technical singing ability.  

[sinycalone]

I don't know if the contracts are still as rigid as they were in Season 10, but it took Scotty McCreery a long time to regain the rights to songs he wrote AFTER he appeared on AI.  That was one of the reasons for the long delay between his albums.  He has mentioned in recent interviews that the contracts tied you not only to whatever record label signed you after the show....but two minor 19E-owned record labels.    Basically, he bought back his songs from 19E.

[Vanessa1214]

1 hour ago, Wings said:

The only thing we have control over is our reaction to any given situation.  And that is a choice.  Some choose be be offended others do not.  It is their problem, not ours. 

I think he meant influence and connections. 

Ok, thank you. I'd never heard that expression. 

[Diablo]

FWIW, if Youtube views are any indication (I remember them being roughly accurate gauges in past seasons and on SYTYCD), Catie seems to be head and shoulders above everyone else in this competition this year. Her views are in the millions, while everyone else's are in the tens to hundreds of thousands.

Edited April 25, 2018 by Diablo

[Babalooie]

16 hours ago, twilightzone said:

Idol has always been just as much a popularity contest than an actual singing competition.

When Taylor Hicks won Season 5, they definitely chose the best ENTERTAINER, not necessarily the best singer.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Babalooie

[marykat71702]

20 hours ago, incandescent said:

Catie

Yeah, that was weird. I had included her, but then somehow I edited it out without realizing it which is why I couldn't figure out who I missed. Oops.

16 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Forgetting Catie? NOW her earlier kookiness makes eminent sense, does it not?!

 

If that's a reference to my post, I had written something about her, but it somehow got erased without me realizing it. Therefore, in my mind I had already included her. :)

[marykat71702]

13 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Maybe I fast forward too much, but why are people saying this?  I think he is awesome and can take a train to Broadway right now.

Caleb looks too doughy to be a heart throb, and this I thought this even before he said he used to be obese.

I think he's great, too. It's his mannerisms that make me think he's on the spectrum.

If you didn't see Caleb's audition, then you might not get it, but he has been working hard to get in shape and it's definitely showing.

[marykat71702]

5 hours ago, Vanessa1214 said:

She has a lot of juice, you know what I mean?"

I'm pretty sure he was telling Garrett that Katy has a lot of influence in the decisions. 

[yorklee2]

7 hours ago, Nessie said:

You're welcome.  Have to say I was a little hesitant about posting it, but I tried to be as diplomatic as I could.  If I offended anyone, I apologize, as that was not my intent.

That was the first and only time I will comment about race on AI (this year, anyway), because it's such a non-issue for me, until others make it so.

According to the Census Bureau there are 63% whites, 17.7% Hispanics, and 12.3% blacks in this country. We had 3 black people in the top 14. That runs pretty close to the national average. I agree with the poster who thought the votes might be skewed towards whites because of the percentage breakdown. But I believe people simply voting for who they like best and consider the most talented, regardless of race, is the single biggest factor in the results. Personally I think America got it right. I wouldn't care to bet that if we could have seen the top ten that America voted for Dennis would have been there. But of the three black men I most definitely thought Michael was the best. I also wouldn't think twice about voting for a black person over a white if I thought the black was more talented.

Edited April 26, 2018 by yorklee2

[incandescent]

3 hours ago, Diablo said:

FWIW, if Youtube views are any indication (I remember them being roughly accurate gauges in past seasons and on SYTYCD), Catie seems to be head and shoulders above everyone else in this competition this year. Her views are in the millions, while everyone else's are in the tens to hundreds of thousands.

I'm sure producer take into account how many Youtube views each contestant gets. They'd be foolish not to, considering how much streaming counts towards chart positions nowadays. I'd bet they look at social media too, where Catie's got 44k followers (Gabby has 41k and everyone else is in the 5-15k range).

[Halting Hex]

3 hours ago, yorklee2 said:

We had 3 black people in the top 14

Jurnee might be mixed, but she would qualify as "black"* under census terms, no doubt.  (Or "African-American", or whatever the form says these days.)  Her failure to be voted into the People's Six is being cited as "proof" that "America" is "racist", so that makes 4 of 14, not 3.

With Michelle and Ada/m being Latin, that means that only 8 of the 14 were white.  Since the judges "corrected" America by putting through those two, as well as Dennis (black) and Jurnee (mixed), that means that the Top 10 is only 50% white.  (Maddie, Cade, Gabby, Caleb, and Catie.)

And here I thought Mara's problem was that she was too "green", not an issue of a different color.  Sheesh…

[yorklee2]

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Jurnee might be mixed, but she would qualify as "black"* under census terms, no doubt.  (Or "African-American", or whatever the form says these days.)  Her failure to be voted into the People's Six is being cited as "proof" that "America" is "racist", so that makes 4 of 14, not 3.

With Michelle and Ada/m being Latin, that means that only 8 of the 14 were white.  Since the judges "corrected" America by putting through those two, as well as Dennis (black) and Jurnee (mixed), that means that the Top 10 is only 50% white.  (Maddie, Cade, Gabby, Caleb, and Catie.)

And here I thought Mara's problem was that she was too "green", not an issue of a different color.  Sheesh…

To me Jurnee doesn't look black but definitely Hispanic. And I could have swore when they showed her parents in the audience they were both white. Maybe she's adopted? And wouldn't it still be considered as "racist" if she identified as Hispanic and that's why people are complaining? Where did you get your info that she was mixed and part black?

As I stated once before I think the judges put through Michelle and Ada because they wanted people with gimmicks who stand out, have an "act" and who they think are "the whole package". I may be wrong but I believe there aren't any current major female Hispanic artists like JLo and the judges think that's a wide open spot for Michelle to step into. 

And to my knowledge there has never been a transgender artist to make it big and wouldn't Al (and Katy Perry) love to say they were the first to discover him/her. They would love to take credit for it regardless if said him/her doesn't really have that much talent. Which accounts for a lot of artists in today's music scene. No need for a lot of talent just have a stand out/gimmicky persona and today's teens and young adults will eat that up. They are also the biggest music buying group I think I remember reading and that's what AI wants. Someone who they think will sell records, arenas, merchandise..etc.

Edited April 26, 2018 by yorklee2

[Guest]

4 hours ago, yorklee2 said:

I believe there aren't any current major female Hispanic artists like JLo

It's not a genre I listen to but off the top of my head I can think of Shakira, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera and Camila Cabello.

Ada isn't transgender, I don't think.  Adam is just a cross dresser aka drag queen, as far as I know.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  

[Babalooie]

4 hours ago, yorklee2 said:

Maybe she's adopted?

I just figured that he was her step-dad.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Babalooie

[Halting Hex]

7 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

off the top of my head I can think of Shakira, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera and Camila Cabello.

Also, Dua Lipa.   And, should Fifth Harmony reform (or should her solo career take off), Lauren Jauregui.

As far as Jurnee's ethnicity goes, while she isn't considered important enough to have her own Wikipedia page (as yet), every biography site I could Google up lists her as "African-American", so she likely put that on a form at some point, as with the other data listed here.  (Her favorite actor is Ian Somerhalder, actress is Scarlett Johannson, foods are cheeseburgers and blueberry cobbler, city is London, etc.)  So I would assume that's a self-description, as well.  By the way, her surname nowadays is "Siani", although I'm unclear as to whether that's her birth name or if she took it when she married Ashley, as Ashley uses it as well.

Ian Somerhalder, Jurnee?  Really? Sigh.

[ForReal]

This conversation has made me think about how I view AI. I tend to have my favorite, and I tend to root for the person who I think will win, and often they are not the same person. When I watch/listen to them perform, I ask myself if I can imagine hearing them on the radio (and granted, I don't listen to stations that play really current, edgy stuff). Often the ones I personally like do not seem like people I would hear on the radio, but they are people whose music I would buy. Still, I like to back a winner, so I tend to support the person who I think is the whole package and who can win the show.

To be honest, I rarely vote. I think the only time I ever picked up my phone and voted was for Adam Lambert, who was my favorite and who I thought had the best chance to win. I have never purchased any of his music, though, although I do turn up the volume if I hear him on the radio.