John Stevens (American Idol)

[FranP]

I believe that his teacher in Buffalo is doing a fantastic job with him!!!!! I also congratulate him on his fantastic scores at competitions. Both of my children (one being The Music Teacher) received high scores on these types of performances and made NJ Regional and State Choruses. Heck, DD28 (The Teacher) had a perfect score her last year and made All-Eastern. I understand what a kid has to go through to get even half-way to where John has gotten and I applaud him for it. However, as good as both of my kids are, they probably would not have the types of voices that can represent AI - DD can sing opera like a pro and DS can sing doo-wop, opera and broadway - but that doesn't really make them AI material.

Respectfully, I think John may just be in the wrong place right now - he has a great deal of talent and is just plain adorable, but I worry about this experience being harmful to him, he's only 17 and is taking a lot of abuse. Hopefully, he'll get the opportunity to perform in a venue that will showcase his talent and he'll be able to feel appreciated.

 

[poochie]

Hey Nancy, I live close to John S. too. In fact a lot of the kids from our dance studio in Amherst go to school with him. And yes I too like his style of singing, in fact last week I almost registered about 70 votes to keep him in. In fact we were playing his music at the studio a kid brought him and yes Mandy does sound better than on the show.


Go John we are all behind you. You are our American Idol.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Poochie...I live in Kenmore. We are almost neighbors!

 

[pammypooh]

I dislike the divas...so I do like John.

Pam

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by pammypooh
I dislike the divas...so I do like John.

I like the divas....and John. It doesn't necessarily have to be automatic.....

 

[shortbun]

Comparing John Stevens to Harry Connick Jr. is like comparing
mud to Godiva Chocolate because it's the same color. HCJr has passion style, depth, soul, rythym, timing and a background in jazz. Is John easy to listen to? Yeah, easy, but not entertaining unless you are his mother or girlfriend. As a classically trained singer and one who hung out with vocal musicians during high school and at a performing arts college, we had better, much better. One of my peers actually was nominated for a Tony for her role in Will Rogers on Broadway. I'd like to hear John sing an aria, he doesn't seem to have enough passion for opera nor does his voice have much strength. Also, opera flows on highs and lows; it requires range. John's voice does not appear to have much range. It's not that I don't believe he's done it, I got some good scores on poor performances in my day-we all did. And, we got poor scores on good performances, depended on the judges.
Here though, this is a singing contest for a recording contract
and concert tour. Scoring high in a high school contest is not
the same, not the same at all. So, give him his kudos for the
high school performances and tell him he's a nice boy and that
you'd want your daughter to marry him or that YOU want to
marry him BUT don't vote for his as the best singer on American
Idol. He isn't. Very few good high school performers make it.
John will not be one of them. If he is.....well, it's just not gonna
happen unless he hooks up with that guy that sings "She Bangs"

 

[grinningghost]

Originally posted by Nancy
Hi Poochie...I live in Kenmore. We are almost neighbors!

And I live in Cheektowaga, so we're all three neighbors! And, I like JS too. He may not be your typical AI, but he does have something I like. And it has ZERO to do with him living in Amherst.

 

[skiwee1]

Originally posted by shortbun
Comparing John Stevens to Harry Connick Jr. is like comparing
mud to Godiva Chocolate because it's the same color. HCJr has passion style, depth, soul, rythym, timing and a background in jazz. Is John easy to listen to? Yeah, easy, but not entertaining unless you are his mother or girlfriend. As a classically trained singer and one who hung out with vocal musicians during high school and at a performing arts college, we had better, much better. One of my peers actually was nominated for a Tony for her role in Will Rogers on Broadway. I'd like to hear John sing an aria, he doesn't seem to have enough passion for opera nor does his voice have much strength. Also, opera flows on highs and lows; it requires range. John's voice does not appear to have much range. It's not that I don't believe he's done it, I got some good scores on poor performances in my day-we all did. And, we got poor scores on good performances, depended on the judges.
Here though, this is a singing contest for a recording contract
and concert tour. Scoring high in a high school contest is not
the same, not the same at all. So, give him his kudos for the
high school performances and tell him he's a nice boy and that
you'd want your daughter to marry him or that YOU want to
marry him BUT don't vote for his as the best singer on American
Idol. He isn't. Very few good high school performers make it.
John will not be one of them. If he is.....well, it's just not gonna
happen unless he hooks up with that guy that sings "She Bangs"

Now, now, let's not be hasty. I wouldn't put JS in the same sentence as the she Bangs guy either. The She Bangs guy is MUCH better! I'm serious!

 

[frannn]

Let him out of his misery for now- Simon was right. He needs time to grow and learn, as well as get some confidence and charisma. The voting system they have now allows for all the girls in his school to vote a hundred times each for time. That is unfair, I think. I heard there was a blackout in the hometown of the girl who got voted off last week, so she really didn't have the chance she deserved. Vote him off, then bring him back in a few or ten years.

 

[damo]

Sounds like a lot of Randy wanna be's on this board. Waa, waa, waa.

That's so unfair that only the girls in John Steven's school can vote a hundred times each and nobody else in America has that same advantage

 

[Robinrs]

Originally posted by damo
That's so unfair that only the girls in John Steven's school can vote a hundred times each and nobody else in America has that same advantage

Maybe they are not the only ones who have this advantage but I doubt that Joe America and his wife with 2 toddlers have the technology OR the drive to download power dialers or sit by a phone and dial a hundred times after the show. I know like heck that I don't!

On the Idols on Fox site FAQs :

What's being done about power dialing?

Production will have in place weekly monitoring procedures designed to prevent individuals from unfairly influencing the outcome of the voting by generating significant blocks of votes using technical enhancements. The producers reserve the right to remove any identified 'power dialling' votes.

This has been on the FAQs since last year. I don't see what they've done. I think they get a KICK out of giving Ryan that "number" every week, like it's a Neilsen family rating! "21 MILLION vote were cast for YOUR idol".... they THRIVE on those numbers.

So what that they've been dialed technologically, so what if they're dialed by one tenth of the people who watched the show, so WHAT?

And so what if people who are popular get to hang around longer than they should.

The only way we can vote is to stop watching. If it hits them in the pocket they might change their policies. Not a dime sooner.

Frankly this year may just be the year that they lose a lot of viewers because of the quality...or lack thereof... of this group. Who knows? Some people will watch regardless.

And that's what Fox counts on.

 

[grinningghost]

In the real world, there are alot of singers that I absolutely can't stand. I hear them and wonder how on earth they have a fan base. But that's just me. I think Whitney Houston is AWFUL. I hate all of her songs. But she has tons of fans who LOVE her. So is it fair to say that just because I don't like her that she isn't any good. It's all up to the individual.

Just because some people don't like JS, surely doesn't mean there aren't others who think he's great.

It's time we realize that everyone has a different taste, and that's what makes AI interesting. If we all thought that Fantasia was the best, and we all voted for her, what kind of a competition would that be. Pretty dull if you ask me.

Like I've said before, my DD and her friends are absolutely disgusted that JPL got voted off. They LOVE him, and have been saying how much they wish he would get a record deal anyway. Personally, I think he was awful and kinda ugly, but that's just me - obviously, some people think he's pretty hot.

 

[Little Pirate]

... Wow ...

Some people are seriously so rude and ignorant. If you don't like John, then don't tell the world... Don't even tell me.

Because I get insulted and it offends me. Not only because I like John, it's because it's just flat out rude. If you don't have anything nice, or atleast polite to say, then don't say anything at all.

 

[beattyfamily]

I like John and vote for him every week and I'm not a teenager...far from it.

He's 16 and IMHO will improve with age. I think when he's more relaxed and not terrified of the judges comments, his personality shines through. He seems much more relaxed and interesting in those commercials they make.

I feel so sorry for him for the verbal beating he gets each week and I think he handles it very very well.

I'd buy a CD of his in a heartbeat. He's the only one with a nice unique voice other than Fantasia but her voice annoys me to no end! I don't like Macy Grey either!

It's all a matter of opinion...no one is right and no one is wrong...and it's JUST A SHOW.

 

[Nancy]

Originally posted by frannn
Let him out of his misery for now- Simon was right. He needs time to grow and learn, as well as get some confidence and charisma. The voting system they have now allows for all the girls in his school to vote a hundred times each for time. That is unfair, I think. I heard there was a blackout in the hometown of the girl who got voted off last week, so she really didn't have the chance she deserved. Vote him off, then bring him back in a few or ten years.

And how does anyone know that it's the girls in his high school voting for him hundreds of times? I can never get through when I call for him.

You also said it was unfair that there was a blackout in jennifers hometown. So is it ok to vote a lot of times..or is it wrong?

Plus this started out as a cute thread about John from someone who obviously likes him and thinks he is cute...why do some people have to come in here and trash him and upset her?

 

[Little Pirate]

... exactly ...

I wanted to know what people thought about him.
Well, mostly how they thought good of him.

Don't hate, appreciate.