S17.E17: Woodstock and Show Stoppers (2019.05.05)

[Jillybean]

11 minutes ago, suebee12 said:

The one positive about Katy is her recent hairdos! Of course, that isn't really her doing...she is just wearing it but I really liked her hair last night. It looked "real" so the hair stylist is very, very good! And as a slightly off the topic comment, as a person who has sewing as a hobby, I was glad to see that the stripes on Katy's (too short dress; I was afraid I was going to see something I shouldn't!) matched at the zipper. I know that is petty but I hate seeing stripes that don't match!

Well, we saw her picking a wedgie out of her crack...I'd say that qualifies.

[Annber03]

6 hours ago, cinsays said:

Katy acting like she was getting all hot and bothered over him was cringe-worthy.  The kid is 19 and you're 10 years later and less mature than he is.  Grow up.  Not funny or appealing.

Yeah, I'm the same age as Katy (I'm only about three weeks older than her, actually) and while I totally get Laine's appeal to many of the women watching, I can't say I'd behave the way she is if I were on that judging panel, for the very reason you note, among others. 

[silverspoons]

8 hours ago, MarkHB said:

The coast-to-coast (and beyond... I just checked and the show airs live in Honolulu at 2 Pm) voting is a neat stunt, but I don't think they're getting any publicity traction out of it. Really, you would think Ryan could do the Monday Live! from a studio in LA... I hear they have those there.

Alejandro singing "White Rabbit"?  He doesn't sing with the power the standard arrangement demands (All Hail Grace Slick!) and his voice isn't right to give it a truly eerie vibe.

Remember Michael an Kelly, Michael would do Sunday night football on the West coast, take a red eye and did Monday's show without sleep. They could at least keep voting open for a few hours and then tape the results show late at night and send Ryan on the red eye. 

If AI sees another season they need to replace Ryan. Does anyone watch for him or won't watch if he is gone? I'm fine with a replacement.

[observer]

Someone might be able to remember differently, but Laci sounds to me the same on every song.  As does Alejandro.  And Wade.   I'd love to see some real embracing of different genres, and different approaches to a song.  Laci's Love of My Life was lovely, but 

 

Not to harp on Adam Lambert, and I fully recognize he had the benefit of a rich performing history before being on Idol, but look at all the styles he used on Idol:

and yet I could aways recognize him as Adam Lambert.  Just trying to say that a singer doesn't always have to sound the same, approach every song the same way to be recognized, and recognized as an artist.  They can stand on being recognized for their voice, not for a single genre or one style or approach.  Still don't know if I am making myself clear, but I'll leave it at that.

One more thing, (my opinion only) Wade:

and please take Bobbie Bones with you.

And Madison, you've got the true chops.  Yes, you are young but imo you can outsing anyone who is left.  So much potential and so much time ahead to develop it, and to experience the things that will give your voice more emotional resonance.  You've got it, true talent and technical skill.  Now you just need practice and performing, performing, performing.  And life experience.  I hope I will be hearing you sing in three to four years.

Edited May 6, 2019 by observer

[Babalooie]

I haven't seen this theory here lately.  Katy's behavior:  pharmaceuticals?

[observer]

Quote

Katy Perry, after Alejandro's second song:

"Second of all, how wonderfully interesting will it be when you change American Idol by winning American Idol."

Hmmm, Katy, do you mean because a Brown Guy With Guitar winning, instead of a WGWG, will forever alter what seem to be the biases on American Idol?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/halrubenstein/2018/04/24/the-problem-with-this-season-of-american-idol/#5df823db2e7d

https://talentrecap.com/is-american-idol-facing-racism-from-its-audience/

Did I understand Laci to say she had never had any vocal lessons?  She also seemed surprised by the "all the crazy exercises" the mentor had her practice.  It surprises me because Laci seems to pay so much attention to all other aspects of her performances (fake tans, perfect makeup, thought given to outfits) I guess I'm befuddled that the same (or greater) attention wasn't paid to learning the basics and techniques of singing.

Okay, just watched Laine's Johnny B. Goode.  Loved the performance, loved the blue blazer, glad he seems more comfortable and seems to recognize the importance of more movement on stage.  He is rather adorable, albeit a little heavy on the aw shuck-ishness.

Katy, you are so transparent.  Laine is having a great performance, audience is really with him and your reaction?  Why of course it is to fall down and try to hijack attention to yourself.   Also when you had to open your mouth as wide as possible to express your surprise at Wade going through you HAD to turn all the way around to be sure not one person in the entire theater missed it.  I can't help but think that your wedgie picking was purposely left in by TPTB because they don't like you either.  Surely that could have been edited out if they chose?  And again, if an older male had made the comment, "I'm scared.  It was so good.  Who knew you had that in your lower body?  Screeeeeaaam" to Madison, wouldn't it make people uncomfortable?  I really don't think she grasps to basic tenets of harassment, or even just making people uncomfortable because it is All About Katy.  She is in the position of power and is abusing it, imo.  Can't forget that unwanted kiss on that poor contestant who wanted to save the experience for someone special.

Plus I guess i just don't like her persona very much.

Apologize for the overposting, so much to to chat about in this episode.  Done now.

Edited May 7, 2019 by observer

[MarylandGirl]

I only just started watching this season, and I kinda liked Alejandro's performance of his original song [ducks]. And I thought Jeremiah was really good, but Broadway styles tended not to last in previous seasons. He'll have a good career.

[theschnauzers]

36 minutes ago, MarylandGirl said:

I only just started watching this season, and I kinda liked Alejandro's performance of his original song [ducks]. And I thought Jeremiah was really good, but Broadway styles tended not to last in previous seasons. He'll have a good career.

I don’t think you can describe Jeremiah’s vocal style as “Broadway”. Not even close. His “style” is closer to the Gospel/Jazz/Blues/Folk school more than anything else. The problem for those who aren’t country is that most Idol winners have been just that to some extent. And if you look at the Final Five, it’s now the same pattern.

Edited May 7, 2019 by theschnauzers

[generate789]

Adam Lambert broke AI for me. No one will ever be as good as he was. I do wish Dimitrius had stuck around longer, though, because I think he had potential. On topic: I like Laci because I'm a sucker for people who make happy songs sound sad. I liked Jeremiah, but I agree with whomever upthread said his voice will be tough to market (reminds me a bit of Elliot Yamin in that way). Laine is fine but super dull. He's basically just doing dutiful covers of rockabilly songs and I've never experienced a dutifully-covered-rockabilly-song-sized hole in my life, so I'm cool without him. I think Alejandro is a great musician, but I'd rather see him do his own stuff than churn out Idoly fodder. (Kind of want to see him doing a terrible coronation song though). I don't love belty female pop, so I'm probably not in Madison's listening demographic. Wade is ... just ... is votefortheworst still happening? Maybe that explains it? 

[ForReal]

I've liked Laci all along, I think she has a unique voice that is not well-suited to a competition like this, so I would have been fine with her going home. I can say the exact same thing about Jeremiah. 

I like Alejandro less than I do those two because he sounds the same all the time to me, but I hope he has a successful career when he finds his niche. Wade's success, it seems to me, is a joke of some sort; his voice can be interesting but he just doesn't have the talent to have made it this far.

I think Madison has a huge talent but that she is too young to deserve the win. She seemed to smile a little less this time, but she doesn't have the gravitas to sing Janice Joplin's songs or a lot of the other songs she's chosen. Not her fault, just something that will come in time. 

I think Laine is the whole package that AI always seems to be looking for. I'm sure he could go country, or he could do some cool rockabilly style. I like his voice and his stage presence, although he needs to loosen up a bit. He's young, too, so that will come in time.

I hope Madison wins because she can grow on the show's dime (or the label who gets her), and I think Laine can make it on his own after this. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Madison just sounds like wailing.  Do people actually really like her?

Wade.  Is an atrocity.  I have come to despise this person.

Jeremiah is a sweetheart and all, but I just want to sleep when he sings.  Maybe he can have a good career anyway.

Alejandro sounded like Deftones or Nine Inch Nails last night doing White Rabbit and that was really cool.  

[marykat71702]

Random thoughts...

This was not Madison's best night, plus the pony-swishing during her first song got a little annoying after a while.

What is Lionel's thing with jackets?

Creepy audience guy is creepy. Why were they making him a focal point through the night? He kind of reminded me of Jim Carrey from the Dumb and Dumber days.

I didn't care for Alejandro's version of White Rabbit, and of course he does an original for the showstopper round <eyeroll>. I've grown tired of his schtick.

What was the criteria for the showstopper round songs, anyway? They mostly seemed like regular songs to me...

Wade finally found a song that works with his voice. 

I just still don't get what everybody else seems to hear when Laci sings <shrug>.

Jeremiah's song choices were...interesting.  I think that hurt him, along with the fact that Idol has just never really seemed like the right platform for him.

Laine's first song was forgettable, but Johnny B. Goode was fun and I thought he did good on it.

Katy needs to grow up. Her antics are very tiresome.

[TheGreenKnight]

I like everyone left except for Wade. I thought everyone did good last night for a change...except Wade who seemed like he was trying to fake Robby Benson's Beast voice even though Disney night was two weeks ago.

My order of preference for the win would be:

1. Madison ~ She's Kelly-lite, but seems like she's moldable and I know I'd enjoy her album even if it--most likely--did nothing chart-wise. The Queen episode is what made me like her more; both her solo performance with "The Show Must Go On" and her duet on P!nk's version of "A Million Dreams" (which I know is a cover itself) were impressive. She's smart to go with the rock angle (then and again with "Piece of My Heart"). I noticed she lowered the Celine song after the pre-package where the mentor said she was a bit shrill (she was). Thankfully she avoided that by staying in a lower range, although hopefully nothing else Celine/Whitney/Mariah. I love those artists, but the contestants that cover them are never successful on this show.

2. Alejandro ~ I don't care for the whispery performances he's had, but he does good with his original material (usually). I think he has a beautiful tone. He was my favorite to begin with, although the fact that this was the first week I've enjoyed his performances in forever put a serious dent in my interest.

3. Laci ~ I like her voice and she seems like such a sweetheart (but so do Alejandro and Madison). She wasn't a favorite early on, but she's grown on me a great deal, especially (like Madison) because of Queen week.

4. Laine ~ Idol hasn't found many country guys that I've liked. Laine's one of the few I have enjoyed, and who can sing pretty well, although I wish he hadn't started to dress like Elvis when he got to the lives... I liked him more before that.

I'll be happy as long as anyone but Wade wins.

[TheGreenKnight]

4 hours ago, theschnauzers said:

I don’t think you can describe Jeremiah’s vocal style as “Broadway”. Not even close. His “style” is closer to the Gospel/Jazz/Blues/Folk school more than anything else. The problem for those who aren’t country is that most Idol winners have been just that to some extent. And if you look at the Final Five, it’s now the same pattern.

He reminds me of Rufus Wainwright in some ways. Definitely not Broadway.

[Neet]

Not the best themes this week, and overall a disappointing episode. It's a bit funny to have expectations anymore, as the season lost its footing about a month ago. It just seems like the top 6 should be better.

Madison - Piece Of My Heart - That guitar she was holding doesn't compare to the pointless extra weight that Wade is carrying around (hoho), but there was no reason for her to be playing it. I don't understand why the judges go crazy for anyone deciding to play a guitar, as if it adds anything or brings any edge to their performance to only play power chords that are drowned out by the band anyways. Her belting out notes doesn't automatically create a better sounding rendition, they're just fluff. Also, I don't think she's connecting to the songs any further than she was before.

Laine - I Don't Need No Doctor - It was pretty decent, but there's a likely disconnect between his "wearing my Uncle's old leather jacket" jukebox karaoke getting some lighthearted cheer on American Idol and actually moving records - or, streams, rather, by creating original music in this niche. At the very least, it's not as immature compared to previous weeks. He could do alright if the feeling of corniness was stripped away from the gimmick, however that's possible.

Jeremiah - Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Why's it so hard to remember his performances the second he's finished singing? His lack of connection with what he's singing despite the great vocals makes me think he's like how certain people with autism are savants in specialized areas but don't convey passion very well.

Laci - To Love Somebody - So freakin' boring. Just because she's "not a belter", does not give her an excuse for singing with such little volume. Between this and the Walker/Alejandro duet last week, is Idol's age demographic skewing towards 65+ and they just expect everyone to max out the volume on their TV to hear anything?

Alejandro - White Rabbit - Seeing as everyone was decked out in sequin jackets, surely they could have also requested for cool visuals like Alejandro got with this. It helped his performance a lot, and the arrangement was interesting as well. He could have feigned a leg injury for sympathy votes with how he uses his guitar as a crutch, as noted with his intense strain when trying to """belt""" his falsetto a few decibels higher. Anyway, it was still pretty good.

Wade - A Little Help From My Friends - The obvious choice to fit his (affected) singing voice. Much like several of his other picks in the past, this runs the risk of coming off as too karaoke or low effort, but he did a fairly good job at it. I'm not much of a fan of his, but for the style he's using, it worked.

__

Gabby Barrett - I Hope - 4.2 million on YouTube, 3.4 million on Spotify, and Apple Music doesn't disclose play counts, so we're probably supposed to assume the other 12.4 million plays are from that. (unless Cade is looping the song on his stereo 24/7/365 in support)
Her voice sounded a lot better than I remember it being, considering some of her final performances last year were total trash. Overall, the song was fairly catchy and a believable hit. Maddie Poppe also has put out a few entertaining songs since winning, so it's only Caleb Lee(ch) Hutchinson of the three who has yet to prove himself.

__

Madison - I Surrender - More of the same rote styling she gives during every other performance, quite boring despite the good vocals. I can't believe I used to look forward to seeing her sing, I don't get the appeal anymore.

Alejandro - Poison - It sounded as if this original song had about 10 different words and the same guitar solo he gives, and would probably shoehorn into an acapella song if he could. I liked the performance, but also wonder if it was somewhat carried by the visuals behind him and being able to sing on that isolated podium, both of which made him stand out. He must have grown up rehearsing in libraries to employ his usual lack of volume, unless I'm in dire need of a hearing aid after such a repetitive complaint. The song was alright, but someone must be employed to put tacks on the judges' chairs, since they stand up for everything and anything this season and hail everyone as a headliner several times an evening.

Laci - Open Arms - Katy calling her multidimensional was a stretch, unless she meant boring, dull, and drab. The southern states voting so heavily for their own is the same reason for Scotty McCreery winning in 2011, as Laci has not shown a shred of personality for much of the season and emotes very little when singing. She is reasonably attractive, though, so there's that.

Jeremiah - Somewhere - The two performances of his I've liked (an original, and his Elton John cover) are surrounded by a chain link fence, with both of tonight's and pretty much everything else he's ever done on the other side. I had a religious experience during this performance, for my body was on the couch, but my attention and soul were clearly elsewhere.

Wade - Through The Valley - Somewhat of a gem compared to everything else he's sung, as a lot of it sounds like a joke or like he's inviting the crowd to a campfire singalong. One of the better songs of the night for me.

Laine - Johnny B. Goode - A clear step up from earlier performances and his first one of the night, and nowhere near as much of a cliche feeling. I'd really like to hear him sing original songs to get an inclination as to what he'll do when this show's over (unless performing in bars is his end goal), and to compare him with Alejandro. It's pretty irritating that nobody puts enough of their own spin on songs or does originals (aside from one-offs) like Alejandro, so contrasting them all isn't really fair. Good[e] end for the show.

__

It wasn't surprising to see Jeremiah leave, since I didn't think many people were connected to him and he didn't seem connected while performing, usually having that "did I leave the stove on?" look on his face. I did kind of think he'd be saved over Laci until remembering the gender balance would be quite off if she didn't stay. They probably want a male winner this year, but still. Laci's saved, and will probably be on the chopping block next week unless she does anything different, ie. good. Wade's dumbfounded to make it through again, showing that rockstar confidence everyone at home is in awe of. Perhaps his repentant father is going door to door and campaigning/threatening people to vote for him, who knows.

- Bobby Bones is really showing no usefulness this season, unless the editing is done very poorly. He comes across as more of a chatty waterboy to the football team than having any sort of leadership role.

- Katy Perry is still annoying and extremely lacking in humor. It's rather amazing to see her strike out with pretty much every joke she has, although mostly just infuriating.

 

[InternetToughGuy]

Woodstock - Something that was formerly great and got cancelled this year; that's a nice homage to American Idol. I'd like to know the demographics of the viewing audience, since aside from the songs verging on public domain, I can't imagine anyone under 40 being very familiar with them. The first half was pretty dreadful.

Madison VanDenberg – Piece of My Heart: This was probably the best performance out of the first half, although that doesn't really say much. She played more guitar than most people who bring it out to strum for the first 10 seconds, then turn it around. She's probably the best singer left, but her personality doesn't do much for me, so I don't care much.

Laine Hardy – I Don’t Need No Doctor: Laine vocalizing his distaste for Medicare was a tad too political for my taste, but nonetheless it was a good performance. I think he'll end up winning, since I can already imagine him performing on the show next year, though I can also imagine the non-winners coming back in unwanted time killing segments as well.

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon – Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: I hate this song because it's one of those songs sung every year on every talent show, especially with such fervor, you'd think they're trying to convince you it isn't played in severe excess. Katy was possessed by an unfunny spirit afterwards - she's so damn useless at her ""job"", I hope she doesn't return next year. It only took like 5 years of complaining for Heidi and Mel to leave America's Got Talent.

Laci Kaye Booth – To Love Somebody: I once again thought Janis Joplin was still alive (even writing this right now, I am not 100% sure) - I don't know how idiotic that makes me. Anyways, as much as I like Laci (her looks making up the majority of my fandom, admittedly) all her performance sound the exact same. I don't know if that's because her type of voice is made for a certain type of song, but it'd be nice to hear anything different.

Alejandro Aranda – White Rabbit: It's no coincidence his initials are A.A., since his performances usually send me right to the liquor cabinet, but I thought this was alright for the first half. I can't imagine many songs from 50 years ago can sound super entertaining, so hoping for something amazing is probably asking for too much.

Wade Cota – With a Little Help from My Friends: I don't know why people keep asking him "Why Not Weighed" when he's obviously self conscious and doesn't want to know an exact number. Anyways, this is the definitive public domain song, although I actually thought this performance was decent, which is pretty high praise for a show that bores me a lot of the time.

Gabby Barrett - I Hope: Unless you were already following her on Twitter or Instagram from last year, I have no idea how anyone would become aware that she has a song out, since YouTube has gotten so big, the chances of it popping up in your recommendations seems unlikely. I didn't think it was that good. While I'm on the subject of last season, Maddie Poppe put out a song a few days ago called Made You Miss which is pretty catchy, you should go check it out.

****

Lauren Daigle is the mentor. I've played her Look Up Child album probably 5 times because I am somewhat desperate to convince myself to be a fan, but God damn it's so slow - I don't get how she has any real mainstream appeal, since I would've guessed the majority of the youth would be somewhat off-put by her being a Christian artist (something she denies she is) and the producers probably watched year old molasses drip off a wooden spoon to set the song tempo. Anyways, I've played her in-studio version of Trust In You a good 50 times in the past month, so maybe check that out if you want.

Madison VanDenberg – I Surrender: When it was mentioned she'd be doing a Celine Dion song, I assumed it would be one I knew of; I'm not going to assume no one else has heard of it, but I am still doubtful it's one of her big songs. I'm Canadian, so her aura has been severely inflated because Canadians are so attached to any homegrown artist, even if they have a D-level status.

Alejandro Aranda – Poison (Original song): I'm not really a fan of his vocal style, since a lot of his performances sound the same, but I do admire his guitar work, since I've been playing for years and he eclipses my skill level several fold. His performances have a separate level of boredom in the sense that you've known he'd be going through every round, so they've all had a kind of "so what?" vibe, even if they were good.

Laci Kaye Booth – Open Arms: My Grandmother with dementia appreciated her doing her earlier performance again. On a serious note, her voice makes it hard for me to differentiate her performances. She's a dollface, so I am still a fan anyways.

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon – Somewhere: Without looking it up on Wikipedia, I would've guessed Barbra died 30 years ago, so if they actually do get to choose which songs they sing, why would anyone want to choose this? Walker saying he sang at a retirement home must've heavily influenced the song choices for this season, because some of these songs are old AF. I'd say the song choice was the main reason for him being eliminated (his sob story was why he wasn't eliminated a month ago)

Wade Cota – Through the Valley: It sounds like typical Wade, so no real surprise there. The boring show usually makes me amnesiac as to what happened previously, so I can't really figure out if "every contestant's voice makes every performance similar" is a statement that applies to everyone or to just Wade, Laci, and Laine.

Laine Hardy – Johnny B. Goode: I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this on one of the Idol threads, but the whole "I'm a Louisiana (for example) boy" has always made me roll my eyes, since I think the idea that the state you live in coloring your personality is so extremely exaggerated. Dancing with Lauren means he's already won this competition as far as I'm concerned - oh God I want to smell her! (if this joke doesn't go over well, you'll know why the post was later edited lol). I thought the performance was pretty good, though I wish he'd act more animated when performing, since it's something he's told all the time and he retains the same mannerisms.

No reason why anyone here would wait for my day-late post buried on the second page of this forum to find out who left, but Jeremiah left, which is really no surprise, since he was easily the weakest out of the 6. The judges acting like using the save on the last show they could use it had any shock factor was stupid. I'm glad Laci stayed, so there's an actual girl to gawk at on the show - I certainly wouldn't want that old picture of Wade with long hair to be the closest thing left to one.

Overall the show was very boring, but apparently not boring enough for me to have nothing to say.

Edit - Lionel ranting about public schools with every critique mentioning yet another thing you can't teach is getting really old.

Edited May 7, 2019 by InternetToughGuy
Had to add in another stupid joke

[InternetToughGuy]

On 5/5/2019 at 10:11 PM, HappyDancex2 said:

Katy is ridiculous.  Ridiculous outfit with heels and her tottering around to make herself shown on TV was dumb as usual.  She’s a big name though so they can’t boot her.  She’s either getting too old for this or she is too big of a star to be this thirsty.

Her relevance is potentially at its lowest - I'm guessing despite being on such a popular show, the majority of viewers are apathetic about her and don't care about her music. Being a female pop star has such a short shelf life, it's hard to believe that nowadays being kissed by Britney Spears sounds like the plot of a horror movie.

Edited May 7, 2019 by InternetToughGuy
Spelled Britney's name wrong - my brain is trying to remove all memories of her now that she's old

[peachmangosteen]

21 hours ago, sempervivum said:

I'm also impressed by [Alejandro's] refusal to bring his personal background into the arena (at least AFAIK). 

What's his personal background?

[ForReal]

7 hours ago, InternetToughGuy said:

The judges acting like using the save on the last show they could use it had any shock factor was stupid.

Before I watched the show, I figured they would have to use the save -- they had six contestants, and if they let two leave, they'd have four next week, and then two more would go home and the final episode would only have two contestants, and they wouldn't do that. I figured they would have to use the save to keep the numbers right for the next two episodes. So, yeah, no shock value at all.

[Babalooie]

41 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

What's his personal background?

Good question.  We've never seen his parents in the audience.

[MissSunshine]

On 5/6/2019 at 12:11 AM, HappyDancex2 said:

Loved the voice coach mentoring this week.  She definitely cleaned up some stuff.

She isn't a voice coach. She's a christian artist that has won grammys! But she gave great advice!!!

[MissSunshine]

katy perry doing the fake praying in tongues things was disgusting. Love when Alejandro does originals

[observer]

16 hours ago, generate789 said:

 I've never experienced a dutifully-covered-rockabilly-song-sized hole in my life, 

I love this phrase.

TV Line review of episode:

https://tvline.com/2019/05/05/american-idol-recap-laci-kaye-booth-saved-jeremiah-lloyd-harmon-eliminated-season-17/

The outward manifestation of the inner soul sucking neediness: 

http://dlisted.com/2019/05/07/katy-perry-started-the-met-gala-as-lumiere-ended-as-a-burger/

She desperately needs a neon sign on her head that she could wear all the time pulsing look at me, Look at Me, LOOK AT ME!! .)  

Edited May 7, 2019 by observer

[Annber03]

That burger costume. That is...something. Wow. 

[sempervivum]

6 hours ago, Babalooie said:

7 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

What's his personal background?

Good question.  We've never seen his parents in the audience.

Yeah, that was my point. Aside from his age and home town, all we know is 'dishwasher' and 'busker'. Oh, and he just started playing guitar 4 years ago. Absolutely no mention of parents, siblings, drama or tribulations. Personally, I like that.

[observer]

I sort of understood from references that "thirsty" indicates a need for attention.  And I guess it does:

Quote

From Urban Dictonary

Thirsty 

1. Too eager to get something (especially play) 
2. Desperate

So it is funny to me that Katy seemingly references her neediness, but plays it off as if she was referencing a Margarita:

Quote

"Where's my double Margarita!" she jokingly demanded while chatting with ET about the dismissal. "Cinco de Drinko! You put me in that position! You don't have a cold, chilled, salted up Margarita for me?! Well, f**k you!"

She playfully went on to add: "What's up? Just, like, set me up for more online hate, OK! …I ain't doing it today."

That's when Bryan began reading Twitter comments featuring responses to Perry's part in the difficult elimination, prompting her to respond, "Actually, I'm thirsty. I'm thirsty for a double, triple…gimme some moonshine Margarita!"

https://www.etonline.com/american-idol-katy-perry-on-her-wedgie-moment-and-the-shows-controversial-elimination-exclusive

Moment of transcendent joy for Katy Perry:

Edited May 7, 2019 by observer

[Ilovepie]

Holy Smokes, that was a boring two hours. Absolutely no surprising song choices, and the same old fawning comments from the judges.

Plus one more here agreeing Katy is ridiculous. Either she thinks she has to be this way to earn her $25 million, or there is something seriously wrong with her. It's too bad she can't take it down a notch or twenty, because she is the only one of those three dummies that gives real criticism occasionally. I hope if the show comes back all three are replaced.

You know what would be really surprising? If they actually only used the judges save on someone stellar that just had a bad week or wrongly ended up in the bottom, like JHud or Chris Daughtry. Like, maybe some seasons they just forego using it at all if it's not saving a potential winner from elimination. That would be amazing. Because, really, once live voting starts, judges picks and saves never last, and they sure as hell have zero shot of winning. As soon as Ryan said it was the last week to use it, I just knew they would, and when it was those two, I was not shocked they kept Laci because I didn't think they would want 4 guys and 1 girl in the top 5. The reality is that she is circling the drain, and all that save did (and usually does) was give her one more week. She'll never win.

That being said, I am honestly not sorry they kept her instead of Jeremiah. Unlike the other 5 remaining contestants, I have zero idea what type of music Jeremiah would make or where he fits in the current musical landscape. He seems so old fashioned to me - the songs he chooses, and sometimes what he is wearing. I thought Swing Low Sweet Chariot was a terrible song choice. Once again, I wish Simon was here to comment on that song choice because I think he would have some choice words for Jeremiah on that one.

I was so excited to hear Alejandro do White Rabbit. I keep waiting for him to really sing out with some intensity and volume, and I thought maybe it will be this one! Silly me. More mumbling and whispering. His vocals are so low energy no matter what the tempo of the song. And then he said "I don't think of myself as a singer". Um, what?!? It's a freaking singing competition, not a guitar playing competition. I wish he would push himself vocally more, and it's becoming frustrating watching him.

I think Laine has been the most consistent. But there is absolutely nothing interesting about him or his performances. His song choices are smart and completely boring - nothing surprising there. He's using crazy jackets as a substitute for an actual personality. He's basically another Scotty McCreery or Philip Philips. He is just going to keep doing the same thing every week in a different crazy jacket and ride this thing to victory. Zzzzz.....

I still think Madison is too young. Go Youtube Kelly singing "I Surrender" on season one, and you will stop thinking of Madison as her second coming. No contest.

I can't stand Wade's "voice", and I just ff through his performances.

I hate Lauren Daigle's hit song "You Say". My family calls her Christian Adele because she sounds like her. But she was delightful, professional, and a stellar mentor. I hope they find more people like her and Adam Lambert and less like Rebel Wilson (even though I like her as an actress).

I don't really care who wins this thing. For some stupid reason, I just can't quit this show. And I know I will watch next season as well if there is one. It's a sickness. Oh well............

[HappyDancex2]

Finally caught up on the couple of songs that I missed.   Laine singing Johnny B Good was a prime example of.....a great song?  It worked for Marty McFly too.   What exactly is Laine going to be singing of his own accord?   Is he singing in some throwback show somewhere?  I have no clue what kind of artist he is....he's so.....bland and vanilla.

Katy tried to make him "happen" by doing fangirl swoony screams but he's devoid of any true sex appeal to me like a kewpie doll.   He's adorable and bland.  Bland bland bland.

[HappyDancex2]

Laci - Open Arms.   Ugh.   It's funny how her "smoky voice" is lauded but Wade's voice is "smoker's"  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA.   They both sound amateurish and put on af.  

Madison is too young and smiley,  Laine is too robotic and stepford singer,  Alejandro would be a fool to actually try to win this show and be tied to the contract from hell singing formulaic pop songs.   Although one look at Caleb Johnson and David Cook should show him you can win AI and once they stop promoting you because they think you are unmarketable that "unique voice" is as useful as singing in bars, which I guess may be an upgrade from dishwashing.

I'm throwing my votes to Uche.  Bring back that wedding singer and let's see what he can do.  I'm still intrigued.

[Eolivet]

So, second-runner-up Gabi gets her own featured vocal and promotion and Maddie freaking Poppe, who won the whole darn thing, gets a cutesy Disney duet with her boyfriend because ... it's not like she's making music or had any singles coming out or anything.

Idol gonna idol.

Also, maybe this is sacrilege to some, but ... "Somewhere, by Barbra Streisand?!" Put some respect on Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's name(s).

I have tried and tried, and I can't with Madison. The inappropriate grinning during "Piece of My Heart" came off like something from Sweeney Todd -- like she was taking literal pieces of her literal heart. "You know you got it if it makes you feel good!" pies (tm)

Approximately what percentage of the audience knew "White Rabbit?" Five percent? Ten? I couldn't stop laughing at the "wheeeee, swaying music" hands. Do they even know what "feed your head" means? Props to Alejandro for going full-on Woodstock, but that song likely went over the audience's (empty) heads.

Whoever said this is Scotty vs Lauren Alaina 2.0 totally called it.

[Neet]

5 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I don't really care who wins this thing. For some stupid reason, I just can't quit this show. And I know I will watch next season as well if there is one. It's a sickness. Oh well............

There's a similar flu bug going around every May with AGT. It's a weird dichotomy of wanting to chuck the remote at the TV for 3/4 of the show while still making sure it has #1 priority on the DVR every week.

19 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Although one look at Caleb Johnson and David Cook should show him you can win AI and once they stop promoting you because they think you are unmarketable that "unique voice" is as useful as singing in bars, which I guess may be an upgrade from dishwashing.

Caleb didn't win Idol, he came in 2nd place, although one might think him and Maddie are a package deal. I believe Caleb has a coast(er) to coast(er) tour at innumerable bars and pubs in his future, since his style isn't current at all. However, country music seems to welcome everybody no matter how clogged and formulaic much of the genre already is. [edit - wrong Caleb, I'll leave the post up anyway since there's nowhere else to mention Hutchinson's post-show flopping]

Edited May 8, 2019 by Neet

[HappyDancex2]

2 minutes ago, Neet said:

Caleb didn't win Idol, he came in 2nd place, although one might think him and Maddie are a package deal. I believe Caleb has a coast(er) to coast(er) tour at innumerable bars and pubs in his future, since his style isn't current at all. However, country music seems to welcome everybody no matter how clogged and formulaic much of the genre already is.

I thought he won his season.  Who was the winner???   They said his style wasn't current...those rockers never do well.  I still think he and David Cook have some of the best voices to appear on Idol but lacked the marketing machine.   Caleb is a southern rocker....I don't see him doing country per se but hey whatever pays the bills.  He's doing well doing a Meatloaf tour and some big voice spots in productions.   He's doing OK I just always remember him singing Skyfall.   I really wish AI would have paid for it so that they could have released it.   He's got an amazing voice.

[HappyDancex2]

8 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

I have tried and tried, and I can't with Madison. The inappropriate grinning during "Piece of My Heart" came off like something from Sweeney Todd -- like she was taking literal pieces of her literal heart. "You know you got it if it makes you feel good!" pies (tm)

Approximately what percentage of the audience knew "White Rabbit?" Five percent? Ten? I couldn't stop laughing at the "wheeeee, swaying music" hands. Do they even know what "feed your head" means? Props to Alejandro for going full-on Woodstock, but that song likely went over the audience's (empty) heads.

Whoever said this is Scotty vs Lauren Alaina 2.0 totally called it.

I don't know any of those songs from Woodstock although I'm not as young as the kids they stack in the audience LOL.   I thought the choice of theme was very out of touch.

[Neet]

3 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I thought he won his season.  Who was the winner???   They said his style wasn't current...those rockers never do well.  I still think he and David Cook have some of the best voices to appear on Idol but lacked the marketing machine.   Caleb is a southern rocker....I don't see him doing country per se but hey whatever pays the bills.  He's doing well doing a Meatloaf tour and some big voice spots in productions.   He's doing OK I just always remember him singing Skyfall.   I really wish AI would have paid for it so that they could have released it.   He's got an amazing voice.

I thought you were confused but I was the one confused, Caleb Johnson was from 2014 and I thought you were talking about Caleb Lee Hutchinson. Really don't know why I confused the two. Yeah, Johnson was a great singer. His style/presentation was very dated, though. I can't see how he would've really caught on with the fanbase demo that labels want to recruit.

Edited May 8, 2019 by Neet

[HappyDancex2]

I am unaware of a Caleb Lee Hutchinson LOL.   Must have been during my missed years....which I think started the year after Caleb Johnson.

[marykat71702]

36 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I am unaware of a Caleb Lee Hutchinson LOL.   Must have been during my missed years....which I think started the year after Caleb Johnson.

Caleb Lee Hutchinson was the runner-up to Maddie Poppe last season. He's the one that did the duet with her on Disney week this season.

[InternetToughGuy]

6 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

That being said, I am honestly not sorry they kept her instead of Jeremiah. Unlike the other 5 remaining contestants, I have zero idea what type of music Jeremiah would make or where he fits in the current musical landscape. He seems so old fashioned to me - the songs he chooses, and sometimes what he is wearing. I thought Swing Low Sweet Chariot was a terrible song choice. Once again, I wish Simon was here to comment on that song choice because I think he would have some choice words for Jeremiah on that one.

I was so excited to hear Alejandro do White Rabbit. I keep waiting for him to really sing out with some intensity and volume, and I thought maybe it will be this one! Silly me. More mumbling and whispering. His vocals are so low energy no matter what the tempo of the song. And then he said "I don't think of myself as a singer". Um, what?!? It's a freaking singing competition, not a guitar playing competition. I wish he would push himself vocally more, and it's becoming frustrating watching him.

I think Laine has been the most consistent. But there is absolutely nothing interesting about him or his performances. His song choices are smart and completely boring - nothing surprising there. He's using crazy jackets as a substitute for an actual personality. He's basically another Scotty McCreery or Philip Philips. He is just going to keep doing the same thing every week in a different crazy jacket and ride this thing to victory. Zzzzz.....

I still think Madison is too young. Go Youtube Kelly singing "I Surrender" on season one, and you will stop thinking of Madison as her second coming. No contest.

I can't stand Wade's "voice", and I just ff through his performances.

I hate Lauren Daigle's hit song "You Say". My family calls her Christian Adele because she sounds like her. But she was delightful, professional, and a stellar mentor. I hope they find more people like her and Adam Lambert and less like Rebel Wilson (even though I like her as an actress).

I don't really care who wins this thing. For some stupid reason, I just can't quit this show. And I know I will watch next season as well if there is one. It's a sickness. Oh well............

Somehow I had never put much thought into the original music the finalists would make after the show - it sounds like a joke, but I can only think of Jeremiah composing borderline stock music to be played in depressing vignettes for future sob story contestants. The boring shows have made me format a lot of the memories of performances, but I can't remember him ever singing anything that didn't sound like he was half crying in sorrow.

I never complain about Alejandro in much detail because I think I'd sound like a teenage girl ranting about stuff that has nothing to do with his performances, but god damn "that face" of his where it's as if he's full aware he's the chosen one (he is aware). Every performance is like he knows there are kids that sneak down to the TV in the middle of the night and he's saving them from the trouble of turning down the volume.

Laine has been a consistent 4/10 enjoyment wise, which I guess you can pitifully say is the best, rather than everyone else going from great to garbage. My lack of ovaries make me unqualified to comment on what makes Laine so great (his looks, I'm guessing).

"You Say" is an example of the molasses I referred to in my post - the metronome moves slower than Wade in the produce aisle, so I really don't get the appeal. 3 Laurens = Adele is a more accurate comparison 😂 Jokes aside, she was probably the best mentor so far - I don't know why the judges don't offer support like that instead of attempting to give moving speeches in choked up vocal tones. Simon Cowell does that all the time on America's Got Talent and it's very annoying.

AGT starts on May 28th and it's a similar pain because singers make up about 75% of the finalists every year. It's a really fun show to complain about on here, though.

[kelslamu]

On 5/5/2019 at 11:51 PM, incandescent said:

Did anyone else notice how much of Lauren Daigle's mentoring was trying to help them with technical aspects of their vocals? If they only had voice coaches on hand for Hollywood Week, I wouldn't be shocked.

This!  I think everyone improved somewhat with the little bit of mentoring she gave.  Just think if the judges actually gave them pointers instead of praise whether it's deserved or not.

[sempervivum]

13 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Although one look at Caleb Johnson and David Cook should show him you can win AI and once they stop promoting you because they think you are unmarketable that "unique voice" is as useful as singing in bars, which I guess may be an upgrade from dishwashing.

Both Cook and Caleb were rock singers at a point in music when rock was dying (Cook) or dead (Caleb). Cook at least got some platinum records and several million $ out of it. 

13 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I don't know any of those songs from Woodstock although I'm not as young as the kids they stack in the audience LOL.   I thought the choice of theme was very out of touch.

Well, it was the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, which is still regarded as a touchstone in American pop culture. It made at least as much sense as Disney, IMO.

11 hours ago, InternetToughGuy said:

I don't know why the judges don't offer support like that instead of attempting to give moving speeches in choked up vocal tones. Simon Cowell does that all the time on America's Got Talent and it's very annoying.

Wait, what? Simon Cowell gives moving speeches in choked up tones? (I don't watch AGT). Well, if he's doing it, it's because he knows it works on that platform. I have much respect for his instincts.

[Jillybean]

Katy was on GMA this morning and when asked about the show she said "I love Alejandro. I love everyone." 🙄  They are going to keep pushing Alejandro until the bitter, boring end, I guess.

She also said how much she loves her job because "I get to mentor all these kids." Ummm...what mentoring?

[InternetToughGuy]

3 hours ago, sempervivum said:

Wait, what? Simon Cowell gives moving speeches in choked up tones? (I don't watch AGT). Well, if he's doing it, it's because he knows it works on that platform. I have much respect for his instincts.

Yeah, he does it all the time. Usually the contestant has a 5 minute long sob story video package, then they come out and sing, which I must say, singing on America's Got Talent is automatically the least interesting act because it's pretty much the same thing every time. Anyways, Simon will put his hand over his eyes and say something to the effect of "You.....make all of us believe". Howie Mandel says similar things, but it's more annoying when Simon does it, because it comes off as "this act has made Simon put away his usual condescending attitude", but he supports plenty of acts that have no right to be there, so it's all just stupid.

[Ilovepie]

On 5/7/2019 at 9:25 PM, InternetToughGuy said:

Somehow I had never put much thought into the original music the finalists would make after the show

I find that interesting - do you just watch it as a television show alone then? I guess because I have enjoyed the music of several Idols post-show, I always think "would I buy this person's music?" while I'm watching the show. I have also seen several in concert. I have seen Kelly Clarkson 4 times, including this last January, Adam Lambert once (and Allison Iraheta opened for him with her band Halo Circus), and David Cook. Last year I saw Postmodern Jukebox and Constantine Maroulis was the main host/ featured singer (although that was just a coincidence). I have purchased music from all of the people I have seen in concert, as well as Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Haley Reinhart and Philip Philips. I think that's why I keep watching - hoping to discover someone else I enjoy musically because I have so many times in the past.

Sadly, not one contestant has interested me in this way the last several seasons, yet I keep watching. I guess hope springs eternal.........

[Tatortot]

Anyone think this is rigged?    How do we even know these are the people that were really voted on?

Jeremiah, or Laci?    REALLY?

[InternetToughGuy]

2 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I find that interesting - do you just watch it as a television show alone then? I guess because I have enjoyed the music of several Idols post-show, I always think "would I buy this person's music?" while I'm watching the show. I have also seen several in concert. I have seen Kelly Clarkson 4 times, including this last January, Adam Lambert once (and Allison Iraheta opened for him with her band Halo Circus), and David Cook. Last year I saw Postmodern Jukebox and Constantine Maroulis was the main host/ featured singer (although that was just a coincidence). I have purchased music from all of the people I have seen in concert, as well as Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Haley Reinhart and Philip Philips. I think that's why I keep watching - hoping to discover someone else I enjoy musically because I have so many times in the past.

Sadly, not one contestant has interested me in this way the last several seasons, yet I keep watching. I guess hope springs eternal.........

I started watching in 2004, so from then til probably around 2012, I was interested in what the contestants would do after the show, but from 2012 and onwards, it has really seemed like everyone's career is dead on arrival - I remember back when I made video reviews/discussions of the show, I laughed at the idea of Candice Glover becoming successful after the show, since the lack of marketability was obvious, and despite the many hate comments saying how wrong I was, I was completely accurate. Aside from the obvious success stories, it seems like the only tie any former contestant has to relevance is "I remember you from Idol!" (and it stays like that) rather than that small level of fame being what helps propel them to a successful career, if that makes sense. I would have thought Uche could be successful, but it seems he was eliminated so early, a lot of people have already forgotten about him, so he might not even have that small fanbase to jump off of.

[Ilovepie]

19 minutes ago, InternetToughGuy said:

I started watching in 2004, so from then til probably around 2012, I was interested in what the contestants would do after the show, but from 2012 and onwards, it has really seemed like everyone's career is dead on arrival - I remember back when I made video reviews/discussions of the show, I laughed at the idea of Candice Glover becoming successful after the show, since the lack of marketability was obvious, and despite the many hate comments saying how wrong I was, I was completely accurate. Aside from the obvious success stories, it seems like the only tie any former contestant has to relevance is "I remember you from Idol!" (and it stays like that) rather than that small level of fame being what helps propel them to a successful career, if that makes sense. I would have thought Uche could be successful, but it seems he was eliminated so early, a lot of people have already forgotten about him, so he might not even have that small fanbase to jump off of.

I totally agree with everything you said. And regarding season 12, I always thought Kree or Angie was more marketable than Candace (I was rooting for Angie). I do think for the first ten seasons or so the show was beneficial for winners and many non winners in helping them have some kind of career post-idol, whether that was in music, theater, tv or politics (I don't remember if Clay won for whatever he was running for???). It's been diminishing returns since then unfortunately. I don't think it's a coincidence that that was when the original judges starting leaving and Idol starting trying to be the Voice instead......

I was so disappointed when Uche left. He was my favorite, and I think the show is the worse for his exit, especially with the Queen and Showstopper themes - I think he would have killed those.

[InternetToughGuy]

1 hour ago, Ilovepie said:

I totally agree with everything you said. And regarding season 12, I always thought Kree or Angie was more marketable than Candace (I was rooting for Angie). I do think for the first ten seasons or so the show was beneficial for winners and many non winners in helping them have some kind of career post-idol, whether that was in music, theater, tv or politics (I don't remember if Clay won for whatever he was running for???). It's been diminishing returns since then unfortunately. I don't think it's a coincidence that that was when the original judges starting leaving and Idol starting trying to be the Voice instead......

I was so disappointed when Uche left. He was my favorite, and I think the show is the worse for his exit, especially with the Queen and Showstopper themes - I think he would have killed those.

I don't want to look her up to confirm any guess I have, but I don't really know what genre Kree is in - that's probably testament for my faulty memory and her lack of success combined, but she likely would've had much more success if she got any promotion, especially since she was a low key babe (which matters a lot for popularity). 2016 was the one season I didn't watch any of, except for a few minutes of one of the final episodes - I remember looking at La'Porsha Renae (who was born the same year as me, yet in my eyes looked to be about 45) and a future headline coming into my brain "lowest first week sales in Idol history".

I think the show started to suck around 2007 or 8, because the top 10 which used to be somewhat elite was filled with no name clowns. 2011 was probably the best season for talent in my opinion, but the name value of "American Idol" fell off long before that. It seems damn near every former contestant goes into country, which has seemingly endless room for newcomers, though what's actually popular with young people rarely seems to be attempted to get filled (rap, pop, and hard rock/metal to a lesser extent). Alejandro will be popular with old women who will be happy to know that it isn't their poor hearing that makes him so inaudible, but for real, I don't know who he'll appeal to after the show. 

[Ilovepie]

4 hours ago, InternetToughGuy said:

I think the show started to suck around 2007 or 8,

I would disagree, mostly because 2007 was season 6 (Jordan Sparks won), and I loved Blake Lewis, plus season 7 and 8 (David Cook, Kris Allen) were probably my favorites of all time, with season 7 having my favorite top ten ever, and season 8 having Adam Lambert. Of course, this is all subjective. For me, David Cook was the best contestant ever. I base this on how many of his performances I can still vividly remember, which is most of them. Always Be My Baby is my favorite Idol performance of all time. I think he broke the show though, because he was the original WGWG. 

I am sure there are a ton of reasons the show sucks now compared to ten years ago, but I blame the producers who created this crappy format with long beginning rounds and a short final round, and the judges who won’t actually, you know, judge. There’s also probably just fatigue because it did not go away long enough for anyone to miss it.