Offical American Idol Discussion Thread

[Mickeyfaniam]

Originally posted by Nancy
He told George "that unlike Latoya you don't know what a good singer you are." Does that mean he thinks LaToya is a little stuck on herself as a singer, or was that a compliment for her?

I think it was a compliment to La Toya...she really was good

I thought that most did so well tonight ...its hard to pick a favorite. It will take more weeks of listening to them for me to decide. I did love Jasmine, Diana, and Latoya!! I like the redheaded John...can't wait to see him get better and show what I think he's capable of. I love Matt and George for their personalities. Fantasia is OK....she can sing. I think Leah and Camille will be the first 2 to go but I would like to see John Peter go.... I can't stand him.....maybe I could if he would stand still and sing...he just seems so full of himself already.
My own bottom 3 picks would be Camile, Leah and John Peter!!

I can't wait to see Clay tonight!!!

 

[elgerber]

Yes, Simons comment about LaToya was a compliment. He had told someone else earlier that the difference between LaToya and her was that LaToya believed that she was good enough to be up there and that the other girl didnt' and until she did, she wouldn't be good enough. I can't remember who he told that too, Camille maybe?

I can't stand Matt, he just seems so arrogant, even when he sings.

I thought Jennifer looked great last night, a nice tasteful outfit, and she finally toned down that cosmic eye shadow.

Erika

 

[scarlett873]

woo hoo! clay's on tonight!!!

of everyone last night, i have to stick with my original gut feeling...i like diana! i liked her audition and her performance when her group was up a few weeks ago...

i do like george!!! i hope that he hangs out for a few weeks!!

 

[Dodie]

She simply has to go tonight. I still don't understand how she made it this far anyway. She is weak.

I voted for Diana. I really like her. She has a strong voice and a lot of energy. I tried to vote for John but couldn't get through. Maybe that's a good sign for him.

 

[momm2four]

The way that got Leah through is called ...Paula Abdul....otherwise known as the nice judge who doesn't know diddly-squat about judging singing.

The night before the wildcards were selected, Paula/Randy were going on and on and ONNNN about how good Leah was. Simon disagreed and Paula jumped on him for it. His comment was, "Well, you can bring her through, then." At that point, I said, Yep, that's who she'll take to the finals.

Leah did look extemely nice last night.

Lori P.

 

[ValerieK]

I think this is a good group. I wasn't impressed before last night, but they have seemed to step up.

I think Leah needs to go. She was and has been awful. She is looking better though. I liked George. I think if he picks good songs for his voice he will do well.

Nooo, not Clay tonight. Guess I will tivo it, then fast forward!

 

[Kirby]

Did the music seem overpowering at first last night? I thought LaToya did great but it seemed that the music drowned her out at times. After about three performers, we could hear them better.

I really like Fantasia. And then George came out. Wow!

Red headed John seemed more at ease last night. I hope that he stays for awhile just because he is different sounding.

Jessica(#11) blew me away!

I'd like to see Leah leave tonight.

Don't care for John Paul. My daughter agrees.

Was disappointed in Amy's performance. She can do better.

Do you think that are going to do themes like in the first season this time? While listening to them last season singing different artists songs, I was a little bored. I seemed like they were doing the same thing each week.

 

[Jeafl]

I think the bottom three will be Leah and Camile for sure, and either Matthew or Amy as the third.

I thought Jasmine was outstanding last night. It's hard to believe she is only 17. I like John Stevens, but I just don't think he is energetic or versatile enough to go all the way. His song didn't sound very "soul" to me last night. Matthew is too cocky, and I loved when they called his montage last night "presidential" with all the baby kissing! It was interesting to see all the backgrounds of the performers last night. I was really impressed with Latoya's. She looks so young to have such old stepchildren!

I'm really looking forward to future weeks, this should be a good season.

 

[TwinMom7]

I'm not a fan of Fantasia.

My choices are Diana, Jasmine, LaToya and George. There's just so much talent in this bunch, it's going to take a few weeks to really sort through them!

As for Leah, she never should have made the wild card slot - Suzi was soooooooo much better. Don't know what Paula was thinking!

 

[2bemarried]

As I was reading all the comments I wondered if anyone would mentioned the "packages" that played before each performance. I KNEW they would show Matt's soft side...otherwise he just seems to be such a jock. My first comment about him last night was "I hope he sucks tonight"...that was before all the clips....and then what do the clips do...makes you see a more romantic side...one that most girls will drool over. I have to admit...I was wavering with that bubble bath shot...OH MY...my husband laughed so hard. His performance wasn't horrible...but he's not Clay. Neither is JPL....that kid really needs to stop dancing. He does have a good voice inside of all that ego. Again...they showed his soft side...wanting to be a pediatrician.

Amy was my favorite going into last nights show...she didn't do as well as I had hoped she would. Hopefully she'll be able to overcome that next week. Leah and Camille were definitely my least favorites. Jasmine is probably my second favorite after last nights show.

Re: Simon's comment about John Stevens being different...I think he was trying to pull himself out of a hole. The whole night the only ones he REALLY complimented were LaToya, Fantasia, and George...he tried to back peddle after Jennifer's performance. It was SOUL night...come on...we know that the four of them had the advantage going in since their background is church and gospel music. So I see where he really wanted to add in that John brings a variety and diversity to the group. Simon also wants to keep his "middle America" viewing group.

Now...here's my opinion on them: LaToya was -ok- for me, George was great..but it's hard not to like him. I can see where Fantasia probably annoys others with her accent. It's very heavy...but most of us here in NC have it...I'm used to it. I think she's the next Tina Turner...she has lungs and knows how to belt out those songs. Jennifer really won me over last night..she left go of the facial expressions and showed us what she's made of.

John Stevens is likeable b/c he has such an innocent face. I just want to pinch his cheeks and say "Good Job".

I'm REALLY looking forward to Clay's performance tonight

Sorry..I got so long winded.

 

[damo]

Originally posted by 2bemarried
As
Re: Simon's comment about John Stevens being different...I think he was trying to pull himself out of a hole. The whole night the only ones he REALLY complimented were LaToya, Fantasia, and George...he tried to back peddle after Jennifer's performance. It was SOUL night...come on...we know that the four of them had the advantage going in since their background is church and gospel music. So I see where he really wanted to add in that John brings a variety and diversity to the group. Simon also wants to keep his "middle America" viewing group which really isn't "middle America". JS is from upstate New York....hello...that's where the RICH people live!!

.

John Stevens is from Buffalo (Amherst to be exact). It is very much middle America.

 

[minniecarousel]

My feeling about the "clips" before the performers sang: exactly WHAT did the say did the performers have in what was edited to show. Obviously the crews shot more footage than they needed, so an editor had final say - not the singer! So Simon said that Matt's "package" showed him kissing babies -uh, they WERE his nieces and nephews!
I'm a big Matt fan - maybe because he reminds me of so many young men that my sons know. I'll admit - there is some arrogance there - but, let's call it "confidence" too!

 

[coliebird]

Originally posted by 2bemarried
Simon also wants to keep his "middle America" viewing group which really isn't "middle America". JS is from upstate New York....hello...that's where the RICH people live!!

Just want to clarify that not everyone who lives in Upstate New York is rich. I live in a suburb 30 miles outside of NYC, yes it is a very nice area, but by no means am I rich. I am very much "middle" class.

 

[CookieGVB]

Last night was tough to pick just one favorite out of the crowd. Much easier to pick a least favorite - Leah...with Camille a close second, and unhappily, Amy third.

Most of the ladies belted out their lyrics last night - I understood perfectly what Simon was trying to say. John stood out because he didn't oversell the song...I can't imagine him even trying to belt one out, though...I could be wrong, of course. So I guess that's what Simon was trying to say - Fantasia, LaToya, Jennifer, Diana...all almost cancelled each other out, since they are very similar. I enjoyed them all, but would be hard pressed to listen to their music and say "Oh, yeah - that's Jennifer..." It could be just about any of them.

Did I just make any sense?

 

[Tess]

Perfect sense to me--in fact, that's the gist of how I explained it to my 13 y/o daughter last night.

The performers who really sang their hearts out were used to singing "soul" in their gospel backgrounds at church, i.e., Jennifer, George, LaToya, and Fantasia. All of them made specific comments in their "package" about their churches being the beginning of their success AND the place in which they learned to "let go" and sing! That gospel background will shine through every time. Leah is also a member of a gospel choir, she did not "let go" which was her error.

I also understood what Simon was trying to say about "oversinging"--though joyous and jubilant, the voices sometimes take an over the top sound. Sometimes less is more. In this category (soul), however, more is better and it's what we expect! Who would have recognized the song John Stevens performed as "soul", let alone a "Stevie" song? That's not necessarily bad--he was making that "soul" song his own, as the judge's are fond of recognizing.

 

[2bemarried]

Originally posted by coliebird
Just want to clarify that not everyone who lives in Upstate New York is rich. I live in a suburb 30 miles outside of NYC, yes it is a very nice area, but by no means am I rich. I am very much "middle" class.

So noted..post was edited. I'm biased since every coworker I have from Upstate New York points out how much money they have there and how it's so much better than here

 

[coliebird]

Originally posted by 2bemarried
So noted..post was edited. I'm biased since every coworker I have from Upstate New York points out how much money they have there and how it's so much better than here

Lol, I think everyone thinks where they live is the best. Personally, I like where I live, but I would love to be somewhere warmer. I can't stand all the snow we just got.

Anyway, to keep on topic, I think Diana was my fave from last night. I have liked her since her audition. Also, George, there is just something about him that makes me smile.

 

[ShuisFan584]

I still really like John Stevens even though some people think he's boring. I agree with Simon that he is different from all the divas and everything and I like that. I don't think he will win, but I voted for him and I hope he stays in the competition awhile.

I think Latoya, Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson all did good last night, but then again this was pretty easy for them since they are soul singers.

I thought George was boring as usual, Leah completely sucked and should definitely go home, Camile wasn't that good, and Amy and Matt were just ok.

I also still like JPL. I think he has a great voice and I love his energy.

I didn't really like Diana and Jasmine in the beginning, because I didn't think they did that great in their group of 8. But I think they both did very well last night, especially Jasmine.

As for the bottom 3, I hope it's Leah, Camile and Matt, with Leah going home. But I'm afraid Leah is gonna be another Carmen and stay in for half the competition.

 

[gometros]

One thing is for sure, this is a far more talented group as a whole, than the previous two years. Once they get rid of Leah, who seems such an obvious choice to go, it is going to be much harder to decide. I can't believe Leah made it that far over some of the other performers in the 32. Keeping in mind that they didn't even pick George to get that far, how could they have picked Leah over him? Someone said to me that there might have been some behind the scenes maneuvering, since her family's story makes good television.

Debbie - I liked her from the beginning. She has such a mature voice and performance style for a 16-year old.

Jasmine - I liked her before, but really got to appreciate he last night. As Gladys Night said last year, that girl can sang.

George - although I'm not crazy about the rasp in his voice, his personality is infectious and it seems so real. Not phony like some others (cough, Matt, cough, John Peter)

John Stevens - he has a very smooth voice, but needs to work on his performance style. The sophisticated bit will ony carry him so far, people will get bored after a while. He needs to show some versatility and energy.

Matt - he doesn't have a great voice and he just comes off so phony and arrogant. If I hear about his rose Bowl exploits one more time, I'm going to throw the flag.

Jon Peter - I did like his voice better last night, but he doesn't have the breath control to mix it with the dance steps and it weakened his performance. I also think he's having a little too much fun out there. I like his father, though. MusicalSaranader would probably agree with me that I would have gotten up and danced too if Ryan had asked me on national TV.

LaToya - has a good voice and is a polished performer, but she doesn't do anything for me. I know the value of performing during a religious service. Both my dauighters are much better performers becuase they learned to be comfortable performing in front of people at Friday night services.

Fantasia - I wish some of that personality would come through in her performance. She's a little too serious.

Jennifer - Good voice and experience performing on DCL shows, but she doesn't do anything for me.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I don't think Leah will be another Carmen. Carmen was from Utah and had a huge following of family and friends. I don't see that being the same situation with Leah. Her performance was not even close to the level of the other finalists. It will be very disappointing for her, but she needs to go. I would like to see Camille have another chance next week as I think her biggest problem is the fact that she was scared to death last night. A little more confidence would make a huge difference in her performance.

Jon Peter (Mad Magazine Guy) does nothing for me talent wise. But, I think he's got a great personality and his attendence at BYU will make him the "Carmen" of the season.

Fantasia can certainly sing, but her attitude turns me off. I don't look at her as being an American Idol. Self confidence is great, but there needs to be some humility as well.

John S. has been doing impersonations of other singers so much he has never developed his own style. I think he has potential but if he doesn't stop singing like an 80 year old man, he'll be going home as well. Can you just imagine his rendition of "Get Down Tonight" if there is a disco theme? (LOL)

At this point, my money is on Diana or Jasmine. They can both sing, have great personalities, and haven't put their foot in their mouth yet!