Official American Idol Season 4 Thread

[disneyworldgirl]

Obviously Scott is not going to win, but it just felt so good to see him make it to the Final 12! He is an excellent singer, I feel he deserved to make it through last night, but even more, I'm glad that this is one more thing that shows his father that Scott is not a "loser".

I agree wholeheartedly! I wonder if anyone has pointed out to Scott's father that belittling your child ("You'll never amount to anything", "You're a loser", etc.) is considered emotional child abuse?

Anyway, I'm glad that Scott made it this far. I don't know how much farther he'll go (he's got some pretty tough competition), but the fact that he made it into the Top 12 says alot for him, and he should be proud of himself and his accomplishments no matter what happens next. I will say that he could use a makeover, but nothing too drastic. Maybe just let his hair grow out a little, or change his style of clothes. I'm not one to judge by appearance, but (even though this is a singing competition) appearance is a major factor in any part of the entertainment industry.

I'm also glad for Anthony. He's overcome so much adversity, and has such a wonderful singing voice (a miracle, considering his doctor said he would probably never be able to speak).

I'm pretty happy with all of the contestants in the Top 12, with the exception of Mykalah. She seemed to do pretty well until this week, but her performance of Barbra Streisand's "Somewhere" was somewhat less than stellar. I think Amanda was much better, and I'm a little disappointed to see her go. My personal picks are Anthony, Nadia, Scott, Carrie, and Constantine (in that order). Personally, I doubt that Mykalah will make it through to the next round if she has another week like this one. Everybody's going to have to really step it up from now on, though.

 

[wvrevy]

Ranking the 12 finalists, from worst to first: (In other words, this is the order I see them finishing in)

12 - Lindsey. Just not a great singer or performer either one. She wasn't any worse than any girl that lost before this, but she's not a whole lot better, either.

11 - Vonzell. She's not bad, but that's just not good enough in this group.

10 - Mario. It's not that I think he's the worst of the guys left, just that I don't think he'll have the support some of the others will.

9 - Anthony. He's got some talent, but a great back-story just isn't enough to carry you all that far in this company.

8 - Mikalah. And that's only if she gets back to doing what she did best. This overdramatizing every song has to stop, or she'll be gone sooner than this.

7 - Scott. Not that I think he necessarily deserves to go this high, but he won't get the teeny-bopper vote that a certain other contestant will.

6 - Constantine. That said, the teeny bopper vote will only get you so far unless you have the talent to bring in more votes. He hasn't shown that he has that, yet.

5 - Jessica. In my opinion, she's had the best performances in both of the last two weeks. Still, she doesn't seem to have that quality that makes people want to vote for her all the time, and may go before Constantine because of that.

4 - Anwar. Personally, I don't think he should last this long. But he seems to have established a pretty good fan base, and he is fairly talented.

3 - Nadia. Actually, any of the remaining three could fall into any of the remaining slots. I just think Nadia will have the smallest number of votes when / if it gets to a three-way shootout between her, Bo and Carrie.

2 - Bo. The guy will be a star, regardless of what happens in this competition (also true for the other two in the top 3, if not more). But I've just got a feeling that, when it comes to laying down one of those absolute kinda moments, the other finalist will have just that much of an edge over him.

The Next American Idol: Carrie Underwood - The girl has a Martina McBride kinda voice (very high praise) and she's drop-dead gorgeous. On top of that, she's going to get more and more confident as the competition progresses, which will help her "performance". On top of that, her voice will fit pretty much any genre of music, something which can't really be said about Nadia or Bo. And on top of everything else, I think the judges (or, at the least, Simon) want her to win, which could help. If something weird doesn't happen in an earlier round (like what happened a couple years ago), I honestly think it is Carrie's competition to lose.

 

[gometros]

I don't like or dislike any of the contestants this year. I just think that this falls under the discussion we've had in past years about looks versus talent and the question of "could you see buying and listening to his/her CD?' I think Constantine is a perfect example of the looks versus talent debate. No doubt he appeals to a wide female audience (and maybe some guys too ), but his vocals falll way short of most of the other competitors. I think he and Mikaleh will be exposed over the coming weeks when they have deal deal with themes out of their niche. Yes, I know from past shows that some performers have managed to ignore the theme and mold the theme to their style, but I'm not sure if that can be managed all the time. You can argue that Bo also follows a certain mold, but I believe he has the talent to get beyond that. That falls for Carrie as well. I'd love to see a Bo / Carrie final. It'll come down to who has the stronger audience - the men or the women.

 

[sweet angel]

"could you see buying and listening to his/her CD?

The only CD of any American Idol contestant I own is Josh Gracin's.

 

[disneyatl]

The only CD of any American Idol contestant I own is Josh Gracin's.

We have both of Kelly Clarkson's CD's and one of Clay Aiken - oh wait - actually had a mini CD (only three songs) of ....oh crap - just forgot her name - the second place winner last year......Diana DeGarmo.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

Ranking the 12 finalists, from worst to first: (In other words, this is the order I see them finishing in)

12 - Lindsey. Just not a great singer or performer either one. She wasn't any worse than any girl that lost before this, but she's not a whole lot better, either.

11 - Vonzell. She's not bad, but that's just not good enough in this group.

10 - Mario. It's not that I think he's the worst of the guys left, just that I don't think he'll have the support some of the others will.

9 - Anthony. He's got some talent, but a great back-story just isn't enough to carry you all that far in this company.

8 - Mikalah. And that's only if she gets back to doing what she did best. This overdramatizing every song has to stop, or she'll be gone sooner than this.

7 - Scott. Not that I think he necessarily deserves to go this high, but he won't get the teeny-bopper vote that a certain other contestant will.

6 - Constantine. That said, the teeny bopper vote will only get you so far unless you have the talent to bring in more votes. He hasn't shown that he has that, yet.

5 - Jessica. In my opinion, she's had the best performances in both of the last two weeks. Still, she doesn't seem to have that quality that makes people want to vote for her all the time, and may go before Constantine because of that.

4 - Anwar. Personally, I don't think he should last this long. But he seems to have established a pretty good fan base, and he is fairly talented.

3 - Nadia. Actually, any of the remaining three could fall into any of the remaining slots. I just think Nadia will have the smallest number of votes when / if it gets to a three-way shootout between her, Bo and Carrie.

2 - Bo. The guy will be a star, regardless of what happens in this competition (also true for the other two in the top 3, if not more). But I've just got a feeling that, when it comes to laying down one of those absolute kinda moments, the other finalist will have just that much of an edge over him.

The Next American Idol: Carrie Underwood - The girl has a Martina McBride kinda voice (very high praise) and she's drop-dead gorgeous. On top of that, she's going to get more and more confident as the competition progresses, which will help her "performance". On top of that, her voice will fit pretty much any genre of music, something which can't really be said about Nadia or Bo. And on top of everything else, I think the judges (or, at the least, Simon) want her to win, which could help. If something weird doesn't happen in an earlier round (like what happened a couple years ago), I honestly think it is Carrie's competition to lose.

WOW! I totally agree with you! I really think Bo is going to have a huge problem crossing over as will Nadia - they have a niche and i don't think they will be able to break out of it while Carrie will have a much easier time

 

[elgerber]

The only CD of any American Idol contestant I own is Josh Gracin's.

I have Kelly Clarkson's first CD, and Kimberly Lockes (which I love). I also downloaded George Huff's 5 song Christmas Disc.

 

[Snoopymom]

Don't the top 12 all get to go on tour afterwards? If so, it seems like it would be a bigger deal to make it at this point, but the judges don't really let on that it is do they?

I can't imagine how hard it is to pick the right song! What if someone else had written "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and no one had ever heard Sting do it? I think I would have liked it.

I love that most of them are unique! I'm so tired of the boring boy band or perfect power ballad sound alike cookie cutter stuff!

 

[gometros]

With the exception of Josh Gracin, you all are making my point. All others named were 1st/2nd place finishers. Constantine will not be one of the two finalists because when push comes to shove, once you trim the competition, the true music aficianados will outvote the cute factor.

 

[snoopy]

I think the person with the most versatility will win.....I don't see Carrie as that person, at least not at this point, since she seems to be limited to a country music style.

Mario has good versatility. Anwar should have good versatility, he's a music teacher, but so far has stuck to older songs. I look forward to seeing him do something more contemporary. I think as far as sheer talent goes, he's tops and no one else even comes remotely close. However, there are others with better stage presence, and those who have displayed a bigger range so far.

 

[elgerber]

With the exception of Josh Gracin, you all are making my point. All others named were 1st/2nd place finishers. Constantine will not be one of the two finalists because when push comes to shove, once you trim the competition, the true music aficianados will outvote the cute factor.

I'm not arguing your point, cuz I think Constantine is awful, but technically Kim Locke finished 3rd.

 

[totalia]

Since when do you need to be a music afficianato to be a rock star? Alot of people (like Tom Petty and Weird Al Yankovic) have made alot of money and become very famous without singing the greatest.

That's not to say that singing badly will get you anything (though in some cases it really has) but you don't have to sing beautifully.

You just need the charm, charisma, and attitude that the voice isn't the overwhelming factor.

Yall keep acting like this isn't American Idol. Alot of people that I think should have won in the last years got voted off.

This isn't a hundred years ago where only the best voices ever made it in the business. Heck it isn't even 50 years ago.

Now, people can make it famous.

Constantines problem is that he keeps choosing these pop songs and he isn't meant for that music. Constantine has sung in an alternative band for years and he's used to that music. He's trying to completely change his style to please the American Idol fans who prefer pop music. If he sang alternative music, he'd be shot down so fast, his head would spin. I find it admirable that he's made it this far.

While Bo, IS meant for pop music. He sings classic rock style songs.

 

[totalia]

I have to agree and disagree with this statement. I agree when you say that Constantine is not the best singer in this competition.

I disagree because the singers you listed above, with a somewhat excpetion of Rod Stewart, made it big because of the songs/hits that they and their bands wrote, not because they are technically amazing singers (which they are not).

But as a voter for American Idol, I'm going to always try to vote for the best voice. Yes, Constantine may be original with his sub-par voice and that is why this competition may not be his cup of tea. He could do great in a band where he could focus on his vocal strengths but I think he is out of his comfort zone on American Idol.

I would wonder if he would still be in this competition if it were broadcast over the radio and not TV.

Man, music has hit a new low if a person doesn't make it on their own abilities rather than fitting to whatever everyone else wants.

I like Constantine. In fact, I want to buy his album and would if it were easier to get. His band is very good for the music he sings.

 

[totalia]

We have both of Kelly Clarkson's CD's and one of Clay Aiken - oh wait - actually had a mini CD (only three songs) of ....oh crap - just forgot her name - the second place winner last year......Diana DeGarmo.

I can't stand Diana Degarmo. I was so disappointed when she got anything because I'd have voted her off right at the beginning.

 

[totalia]

A little disapponted but not surprised. Nikko was much better than Constantine last night but I suppose he has the teenage hormone vote...

Hey. I'm not a teenager. Far from it. Please think before you label people.

 

[cheeringmom]

Since when do you need to be a music afficianato to be a rock star? Alot of people (like Tom Petty and Weird Al Yankovic) have made alot of money and become very famous without singing the greatest.
.

now, he is not really famous but did make a lot of money and didn't make it into the top twelve!

WILLIAM HUNG

I did not buy his cd though!! I do think I would buy Bo's or Constatine's however

 

[damo]

I don't like or dislike any of the contestants this year. I just think that this falls under the discussion we've had in past years about looks versus talent and the question of "could you see buying and listening to his/her CD?' I think Constantine is a perfect example of the looks versus talent debate. No doubt he appeals to a wide female audience (and maybe some guys too ), but his vocals falll way short of most of the other competitors. I think he and Mikaleh will be exposed over the coming weeks when they have deal deal with themes out of their niche. Yes, I know from past shows that some performers have managed to ignore the theme and mold the theme to their style, but I'm not sure if that can be managed all the time. You can argue that Bo also follows a certain mold, but I believe he has the talent to get beyond that. That falls for Carrie as well. I'd love to see a Bo / Carrie final. It'll come down to who has the stronger audience - the men or the women.

Wow, that is exactly how I feel. However, I don't think Constantine appeals to that many women. When it comes down to the end, I think the male finalist will win out over the female finalist just because of the voting demographics.

 

[MossMan]

The only CD of any American Idol contestant I own is Josh Gracin's.

I think this is very interesting – namely which of these singers you would actually invite into your home via their CD. I have two teenage daughters who are big fans of the show. A couple of years ago they became obsessed with one of the male competitors – one Clay Aiken. Now I shouldn’t even know this guy’s name. I didn’t watch the show that year so why would I care one lick who my daughter were rooting for.

The problem is that after the competition was over they bought Mr. Aiken’s CD and then proceeded to play it ad nauseum in our house for the next year. Normally I don’t care much about the music my kids play. Bad music played too loudly goes with having teenagers. But Clay Aiken is a singer that is hard to ignore. His song stylings are so amateurishly bad that I quickly developed a strong and persistent hate for this overblown dime store balladeer.

I tried to keep my mouth shut remembering how much my parents hated some of the music that I listened to back in the 70’s. What amazed me about Clay Aiken, though, was the apparent support he got from adults. Teenagers can be excused for poor taste in music. But how could any adult out there actually vote for the sappy renditions of the 2nd rate pop songs as sung by Mr. Aiken.

Well I’m happy to report that my girls seemed to have snapped out of their Clay Aiken daze. They pulled me in front of the TV the other night and made me watch their new favorite. At first I was very wary, thinking I would get a warmed over Clay Aiken. But to my surprise they like a guy named Bo who actually seems to sing with a little heart. I have no idea if he will win or not, but I think it is heartening to see my girls graduating on to rooting for singers with actual talent. I guess my teenage girls are starting to grow up.

 

[Liz]

I think this is very interesting – namely which of these singers you would actually invite into your home via their CD. I have two teenage daughters who are big fans of the show. A couple of years ago they became obsessed with one of the male competitors – one Clay Aiken. Now I shouldn’t even know this guy’s name. I didn’t watch the show that year so why would I care one lick who my daughter were rooting for.

The problem is that after the competition was over they bought Mr. Aiken’s CD and then proceeded to play it ad nauseum in our house for the next year. Normally I don’t care much about the music my kids play. Bad music played too loudly goes with having teenagers. But Clay Aiken is a singer that is hard to ignore. His song stylings are so amateurishly bad that I quickly developed a strong and persistent hate for this overblown dime store balladeer.

I tried to keep my mouth shut remembering how much my parents hated some of the music that I listened to back in the 70’s. What amazed me about Clay Aiken, though, was the apparent support he got from adults. Teenagers can be excused for poor taste in music. But how could any adult out there actually vote for the sappy renditions of the 2nd rate pop songs as sung by Mr. Aiken.

Well I’m happy to report that my girls seemed to have snapped out of their Clay Aiken daze. They pulled me in front of the TV the other night and made me watch their new favorite. At first I was very wary, thinking I would get a warmed over Clay Aiken. But to my surprise they like a guy named Bo who actually seems to sing with a little heart. I have no idea if he will win or not, but I think it is heartening to see my girls graduating on to rooting for singers with actual talent. I guess my teenage girls are starting to grow up.

To each his own. My DD has Clay's cd and I like it as well. I wouldn't buy a cd of Bo's but I probably would of Anwar's. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we all liked the same things.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

To each his own. My DD has Clay's cd and I like it as well. I wouldn't buy a cd of Bo's but I probably would of Anwar's. Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we all liked the same things.

I was just thinking the same thing. I personally loved Clay Aiken. I am not obsessed like some of the others have been but I think he has a beautiful voice and knows how to use it. And I am not a teenager either. So, like Liz said, to each his own.