American Idol 2012

[Jaybee]

I agree. I think Jimmie is the only honest, straightforward, musically intelligent person on the show.

 

[tlwmkw]

Just saw an item on TV about Phillip's health. Apparently his doctors want him to have surgery on his kidneys immediately, but he is trying to hold off until after the finale. They said he is barely eating and is in constant pain. The meds he is on have caused dry mouth and are affecting his voice also. He will have surgery immediately after the finale and then there will be a six week recovery time. I guess this is why he hasn't been very energetic on the stage recently.

tlwmkw

 

[pjrose]

Just saw an item on TV about Phillip's health. Apparently his doctors want him to have surgery on his kidneys immediately, but he is trying to hold off until after the finale. They said he is barely eating and is in constant pain. The meds he is on have caused dry mouth and are affecting his voice also. He will have surgery immediately after the finale and then there will be a six week recovery time. I guess this is why he hasn't been very energetic on the stage recently.

tlwmkw

OMG, that's terrible! What's wrong?

 

[scrapngen]

Just saw an item on TV about Phillip's health. Apparently his doctors want him to have surgery on his kidneys immediately, but he is trying to hold off until after the finale. They said he is barely eating and is in constant pain. The meds he is on have caused dry mouth and are affecting his voice also. He will have surgery immediately after the finale and then there will be a six week recovery time. I guess this is why he hasn't been very energetic on the stage recently.

tlwmkw

Wow! He's in a no-win situation. Holding off to the end. There's a flurry of talk-shows/media they do once they win, too, that is pretty grueling. Flying to New York for the early morning shows - flying back to the West Coast...the parties, etc. Other winners have alluded to their crazy schedule during post-win interviews. If he comes in second, are they going to rush him off to the hospital??

If they talk about it on air, then it looks like the sympathy vote, but not talking about it hurts his chances when people don't know his voice/energy is being hurt by his health status. I know that they often say it's all part of the career: very hard/big money involved to cancel shows in this industry, and they have to learn how to work through things, but I hope he's not doing long-term damage by waiting. You have to wonder if some of his facial expressions might be due to this - I noticed he caught himself a couple times, when he started to scrunch his face, he'd relax it again and widen his eyes while singing..

On a side note, I wonder if there will be no more Ford videos. It was a little odd - even knowing the reason - seeing the video of Joshua and Jessica when they were down to three contestants.

 

[tlwmkw]

They say it's kidney stones with the kidney completely blocked so very painful. Apparently he's had other procedures to try to relieve it but they haven't worked so now he has to have major surgery. If the kidney is completely blocked then he could lose the kidney altogether which would be bad (even though he'd still have the other one).

tlwmkw

 

[SueDonJ]

I can't imagine that this whole week is going to go by without American Idol addressing this, because at this point it's all over the news outlets and rumors are running wild. If it's as bad as some say, which is that his doctor didn't leave his side while he was home and wants him to have the surgery NOW, then aren't they taking a huge risk with turning people off the show due to indifference to the contestants' health? I thought it was bad enough when they let them all drop like flies during Hollywood Week but this could be much worse, if what's being reported is true. Who knows - there's always so much drama surrounding everything to do with AI!

Some reports say that AI is saying that no matter whether he wins or comes in second, he'll be excused from everything including the media blitz to get the surgery done immediately following Wednesday night's show, then will be ready in six weeks for the tour. And apparently he's been dealing with kidney issues since last October but it's been his choice to continue all along with the competition until it's over, but AI has excused him from all the extra stuff through all these weeks so that he could get as much rest and be off his feet as much as possible.

When they showed the video from his weekend at home I thought it was odd that he landed at night but didn't see his parents until the next day. I found some random youtube video of him walking through a hospital with what looked like a doctor and a few AI security guys but they said he visited sick kids. I'm wondering if the real story is that he landed at the airport and spent the night at the local hospital with his doctor and parents, but didn't want that publicized.

Gah, I feel like a groupie knowing all this stuff! But I thought he looked terrible weeks ago and that's when I started searching online to try to figure out what's up. Poor kid, this can't have been easy for him.

BUT, all that said, I think he deserves to be in the finale just based on his music - he's not getting any sympathy votes from me! Upthread I said that I bought some of his, Joshua's, Hollie's and Elise's tracks from iTunes. If he put out a CD with just his AI stuff I'd buy it, no questions asked. Now I like his live act, but you really need to listen to the studio tracks to hear just how talented he is - phenomenal. His voice is distinctive, sure, but I just don't understand how anyone can say that all his songs sound the same. They don't sound that way to me at all.

Okay, done being a groupie now.

 

[tlwmkw]

There's an interesting article on The Daily Beast (I would link to it but don't know how- it's one of their "galleries") the goes over many of the former contestents and where they are now. It's sobering to see how few of them have actually been able to make a career in music (for example Crystal Bowersox is now a farmer in Oregon- but is happy doing it, and Sanjaya is a bartender in NYC). Anyway, it is interesting to see what's happened to these former contestants.

tlwmkw

 

[Karen G]

There's an interesting article on The Daily Beast

Here it is.

To see each former idol contestant, click on their picture and then you can work your way through the whole list by clicking "next" to get to the next one.

 

[Carol C]

I can't imagine that this whole week is going to go by without American Idol addressing this, because at this point it's all over the news outlets and rumors are running wild. If it's as bad as some say, which is that his doctor didn't leave his side while he was home and wants him to have the surgery NOW, then aren't they taking a huge risk with turning people off the show due to indifference to the contestants' health? I thought it was bad enough when they let them all drop like flies during Hollywood Week but this could be much worse, if what's being reported is true. Who knows - there's always so much drama surrounding everything to do with AI!

Some reports say that AI is saying that no matter whether he wins or comes in second, he'll be excused from everything including the media blitz to get the surgery done immediately following Wednesday night's show, then will be ready in six weeks for the tour. And apparently he's been dealing with kidney issues since last October but it's been his choice to continue all along with the competition until it's over, but AI has excused him from all the extra stuff through all these weeks so that he could get as much rest and be off his feet as much as possible.

When they showed the video from his weekend at home I thought it was odd that he landed at night but didn't see his parents until the next day. I found some random youtube video of him walking through a hospital with what looked like a doctor and a few AI security guys but they said he visited sick kids. I'm wondering if the real story is that he landed at the airport and spent the night at the local hospital with his doctor and parents, but didn't want that publicized.

Gah, I feel like a groupie knowing all this stuff! But I thought he looked terrible weeks ago and that's when I started searching online to try to figure out what's up. Poor kid, this can't have been easy for him.

BUT, all that said, I think he deserves to be in the finale just based on his music - he's not getting any sympathy votes from me! Upthread I said that I bought some of his, Joshua's, Hollie's and Elise's tracks from iTunes. If he put out a CD with just his AI stuff I'd buy it, no questions asked. Now I like his live act, but you really need to listen to the studio tracks to hear just how talented he is - phenomenal. His voice is distinctive, sure, but I just don't understand how anyone can say that all his songs sound the same. They don't sound that way to me at all.

Okay, done being a groupie now.

I don't like Phillip. I saw the Idol photo shoot and him "pretend" to slug Jessica, and he had his fist rolled into a serious, violent punch aimed at her head. Maybe he thinks that's cute or funny, but I think it's very uncool. This during a week when the Violence Against Woman Act was being reviewed. AI doesn't need a misogynist as its winner.

 

[pjrose]

I don't like Phillip. I saw the Idol photo shoot and him "pretend" to slug Jessica, and he had his fist rolled into a serious, violent punch aimed at her head. Maybe he thinks that's cute or funny, but I think it's very uncool. This during a week when the Violence Against Woman Act was being reviewed. AI doesn't need a misogynist as its winner.

Wow, I missed that. I don't know if the punch was his idea or scripted. If his idea, it should have been nixed, and if scripted, he should have refused. Not funny at all.

 

[brigechols]

Just cast my first ever AI vote for PP.

 

[pjrose]

Pretty boring show, I thought. Jessica did her powerhouse thing, Philip did his growly expression-y thing. I thought the song written for Philip was awful, but kind of enjoyed his moving up. I liked her first and second ones best. Nothing memorable, though. Yawn.

 

[SueDonJ]

I don't like Phillip. I saw the Idol photo shoot and him "pretend" to slug Jessica, and he had his fist rolled into a serious, violent punch aimed at her head. Maybe he thinks that's cute or funny, but I think it's very uncool. This during a week when the Violence Against Woman Act was being reviewed. AI doesn't need a misogynist as its winner.

I didn't see that on the photo shoot link on the AI page, but I'm with you and would be disappointed to see it.

Sort of a snoozefest finale, I agree. It was interesting that Phillip chose to re-sing a number that the judges didn't really like the first time around, while Jessica chose to re-sing one of her best. It was nice to see both of them say nice things about each other, and it didn't appear that either one of them was too uncomfortable or faking it for the show. Nice.

No surprise, I liked him much more than her, and I'm also voting for the first time this year. Last week and this week I voted for Phillip.

 

[Gophesjo]

Phillip's finale song was amazing - like nothing I have ever seen on Idol before. There are originals, and there are copyists. Phillip is an original - he got my vote (three votes, actually). I like Jessica, but I still don't know who she is...

 

[DaveNV]

Pretty dull show for being the finale of the (arguably) most talented season ever. Fan base will determine the winner. It won't matter, and they'll both sell a lot of CDs. But I think Phillip will be taking home the title.

I'm not voting because I don't care either way.

Dave

 

[BocaBum99]

What a horribly produced finale. Nothing sounded good. PP was extremely out of tune in his final song. He wasn't good at all despite the standing O.

Jessica was the worst I've heard her sing. That song needs to be S*** canned. Terrible song.

The voting seems pretty close at the moment. We will see what happens.

I almost want PP to win so that song for Jessica never has to be heard ever again.

If Jessica loses, she will get a better record deal than what AI will give her. It all depends on the overseas Pinoy vote.

 

[Elan]

Of the 6 songs, only Phillip's last was worth listening to. The more I listen to Jessica, the more I realize she's not as good as I originally thought. Still extremely talented, but she often goes flat on lower notes, and her voice lacks depth on the more dynamic higher runs. When she's hitting the high notes softly, she's fantastic..

I'm just glad I didn't watch real time. Pretty bland show overall.

 

[tlwmkw]

The finale was "just ok for me dawg" .

I was interested to see that Jessica finally seemed to show some nerves and was hitting a few bad notes (which actually endeared her to me- usually she is so robotic and perfect). Her song choices weren't that great and she didn't really show anything new or different. I think her first round was best but she didn't do so well in the second and third rounds.

Phillip's first song was a bad choice for him- didn't like it much at all. Stephen Fuller didn't really pick a good one. I thought the second song was better and I really enjoyed the final song.

Now it's in the hands of the voters- I think it could go either way. It's amazing that Jessica was saved and then made it to the finale- that's never happened before.

The judges were just as lame as usual- I think they shouldn't have even given an opinion at this point and should just let the voters go their own way.

tlwmkw

 

[timeos2]

Anyone care?

For the first time since I started watching Idol I didn't even turn it on last night. I am really disappointed that such a talented group at the 5-6 mark was whittled down to the two least deserving. I have already read on line that the show was a snooze fest & I'm not really even tempted to watch the DVR. I know I won't watch tonight as it really holds no interest who "wins".

I will predict that PP has a "career" even less successful than the (now retired from music - I didn't know that until I saw it here) Crystal Bowersocks (sp?) win or lose. Jessica will be nothing more than a karaoke singer at best. I'm really going to have to consider if next year is even worth investing any time in. It may depend if they make changes to actually get some judging like it used to be with Simon vs the cheerleaders they have now.

Hoping next season will go much better then this one that really just fissiled out.

 

[BocaBum99]

Of the 6 songs, only Phillip's last was worth listening to. The more I listen to Jessica, the more I realize she's not as good as I originally thought. Still extremely talented, but she often goes flat on lower notes, and her voice lacks depth on the more dynamic higher runs. When she's hitting the high notes softly, she's fantastic..

I'm just glad I didn't watch real time. Pretty bland show overall.

Jessica had her worst performance night of the season. She missed several notes and sang very nervously. If the winner is chosen based on last nights performance, she doesn't even make the top 10.

I am very disappointed in her performances since the save. She was fantastic up and until that night. The only 2 songs I have liked since then are "Dance with my Father" and "And I am telling you, I am not going."

She was bad last night, but that doesn't mean she isn't uber talented because she is. She can do amazing things with her control. But, she really does lack any performance skills. I am not as confident that she can deliver an entire concert. We will have to see how well she does once the pressure of American Idol is done, she gets some great producers and they teach her how to perform.

 

[Elan]

Jessica had her worst performance night of the season. She missed several notes and sang very nervously. If the winner is chosen based on last nights performance, she doesn't even make the top 10.

I am very disappointed in her performances since the save. She was fantastic up and until that night. The only 2 songs I have liked since then are "Dance with my Father" and "And I am telling you, I am not going."

She was bad last night, but that doesn't mean she isn't uber talented because she is. She can do amazing things with her control. But, she really does lack any performance skills. I am not as confident that she can deliver an entire concert. We will have to see how well she does once the pressure of American Idol is done, she gets some great producers and they teach her how to perform.

She is very talented. And at age 16, she obviously has a lot of time to improve on her deficiencies. In the last few weeks I've really noticed how her voice becomes very monotone when singing dynamic highs. It actually starts to become painful for me to listen. But that's something that can be easily fixed. Although Hollie missed many more notes, Hollie was better than Jessica in 2 aspects: Better tone, and much better dynamic range. Jessica is a capable of a lot more than Hollie, but if one could transfer those two characteristics from Hollie, Jessica would be amazing.

My interest dropped off considerably a few weeks ago. Happens every year when they get down to 4 or 5 contestants. Don't care who wins or who is successful going forward. This year seems to be particularly stale at the end. I bet they change things on the show (judges, format, etc) before next season. I would love to see a non-celebrity professional vocal instructor on the panel of judges. Someone to offset the commercial aspect. It will never happen, but it would be a great contrast to the commercial viewpoint.

 

[tlwmkw]

Heard a funny review of the show on NPR this morning. They were talking about how stale it's getting (I think everyone here agrees on that) but that it still is a cash cow for Fox and what will they fill the time with if they cancel? They also noted that even though there are so many singing competition shows now they are still adding more (Duets- starting soon on NBC). The reviewer played a mash-up of the song "Against all odds"- there were five different versions done in different years. Their point was why do they keep doing the same songs over and over when there are literally millions to choose from?

tlwmkw

 

[DaveNV]

Their point was why do they keep doing the same songs over and over when there are literally millions to choose from?

tlwmkw

I think it's because the Producers at AI think their audience is all 14 year old girls who aren't mature enough to like a song they've never heard. By sticking to Top 40 songs they think a lot of people know, they want people to identify with the song. They've proven they don't care a whit for the intelligence of their larger audience, because they pander to the voting demographic.

Every time a contestant has strayed from the preferred musical path, they got hammered for being too different. But if they fall in line and accept the cookie-cutter performing requirements, they're praised to the rooftops for how good they are.

But as someone here wisely said way back in this thread, AI has never been a singing contest. It's a popularity contest. I keep giving it "one more year" to give me someone to cheer for, but once my favorites are gone, there's no point in even watching the show. I had several I liked this year, but once it got down to these last two, I'm feeling, "Meh. Who cares?" I won't buy music from either of these people.

I don't begrudge the contestants their talent, but for me, a singer is someone to listen to. A performer is someone to watch. And as we've seen, not all good singers are good performers.

Dave

 

[BocaBum99]

It's funny because PP and JS have the exact opposite problems.

PP always does it his own way and in so doing butchers many songs. Movin' out is one of my favorite Billy Joel songs of all time and he mutilated it in a way similar to how Colton was awful on September. In my view, he was DQ'd by doing so badly on that song.

JS is too young and too obedient to do anything her own way. She knows what the judges say she is good at so she tries to do it their way, not hers. What ends up happening is she is listening too much to others and not to her own heart. Then, it comes out terrible. She should just ignore what everyone says and just do what she wants to do. I think if she could choose the songs she wanted to perform, she would do a lot better even if many of her critics would say its not age appropriate material. She really did well on Stuttering and she got voted off. Now, she is singing crap songs and she is rewarded with getting the votes for the next week. If she wants to be a real artist and last in the industry, she needs to get an attitude and start doing it her way.

PP needs to pay attention to the melody of a song and then shape it to his style rather than taking every song's lyrics and making a completely new song out of it. He could use a little bit of the obedience JS demostrates week in and week out.

I don't think PP will be successful. He is too bullheaded. He won't listen to his producers and he will flop because he will just want to do his music, his way.

JS will only be successful if she learns how to perform and she finds the perfect producer and song writer for her voice. American Idol is not it. If she wins American Idol, she will probably flop in the industry because they have proven to be clueless in picking songs and writing them for her. She should just sign with Akon. Move to Brazil for a few years. Start drinking and partying and have a few Carnivales under her belt. Get her heart broken. She would come back as a latina powerhouse. Can you imagine that?

 

[scrapngen]

I pretty much agree with what's already been said about last night's performances.

Jessica sounded like nerves are finally getting her. I don't know why she didn't pick one of her better songs for her own choice. (the second song was their pick from the season) Her first song was quite good, and it seemed that the producer picked a better song for her than Phillip's first song.

PP looks like he's just glad it's over.

As for their final songs: First of all, I didn't like it in years past when they gave the final contestants one song to sing - as it typically favored one contestant's style more than the other, and allowed that one to shine and win. They changed it to having two unique songs - one for each contestant. It still takes it out of the contestants' hands, and more in the producer's. If the song is not well written, or doesn't suit the contestant, it fails and so do they. Since these are not songs the public is familiar with, it becomes more about which song is catchy or memorable, and less about how the contestant sang it.

The judges seemed to imply when critiquing Jessica, that she had a choice of new songs, and picked the wrong one. She said she chose the one most like a ballad because the judges seemed to think she did best at those, and that she'd been told "America" would like it. OK, for once I'm really sorry for Jessica. She's 16, and has been handed songs to sing all her life and told what to do. She continues to get told what will "help her," and then gets panned for it. She's just not ready to be an "artist." She's a very good singer.

Phillip, OTOH, sang a song that had a hook, and lyrics that will enable it to be used for next year's rejects, so it will be played over and over. It was staged with flair - even if he couldn't move much, he had a marching band, and backup singers, etc.

I would be very surprised if Jessica wins this season after last night. I think the show let her down, and made it easy for people to vote for Phillip.

If Phillip does win, though, it will not be easy, as he won't be doing the publicity tours. Don't know how that will hurt him when he releases his single and/or album. He won't have the time to polish the winning song to make it commercially better, and then who knows how the tour will go. Will he be on it? Will they hold off? etc. etc.