American Idol Season 8 Semi-Finals – Group 1 Roundup

I, too, hate this new format. I’m sure the top 12 will be filled with TCO’s, while there are probably several other good contestants that we will never even get the chance to know. Sad. Also, I think WE should get to choose the entire top 12. The judges have already said their piece. Now it’s our turn.

Yes I do not like this format at all either.What about those who only have “one good song in them ” ? Like I’m Telling You that Lakisha sang the first top 12 girls night ,then it was hit and miss .

We haven’t even seen /heard all of them ,we don’t really know all of them we only know some of the backstories .(Sick mom ,dead wife ,etc..)

I cannot stand Tatiana at all .

I was willing to give the new format a try but after reading this, I can see no way that this won’t be a train wreck. This makes me want to be a Worster this year. Can you imagine Simon having to produce a Nick/Norman CD! Priceless! I hope you’re right about Tatianna but I have a feeling you’re not.

Instead of watching the same group of contestants grow week-by week during the semià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll see a different group of 12 each week.

Yeah that’s what I hate the most. I loved watching the contestants grow and find their ground musically.

So…no matter how the audience votes…the judges really get to stack the final 12 with their 3 favorites. And the impressionable of the voting public will then get to pick who they support because the judges said they were the best!

Then add in the voting contingent that wants to upset the applecart, again, and our chances of having a really BAD American Idol is the probability rather than a possibility.

Guess I’ll just watch and not vote…why waste my time and some money!

I don’t understand why they thought this format would be effective? If this was employed last year there would probably have been a number of the chosen top 12 contestants not making it, including the winner of AI! This week unless Danny or Anoop really screw up they are guaranteed to go through and the only real mystery will be with the female vocalists (fingers crossed for Jackie Tohn).

I am really disheartened by this format because the contestants aren’t given the chance to grow and gain experience from the top 36 to the top 12 which many contestants do (Jason Castro, DCook to name a few). They need these weeks to get used to performing in front of an audience, especially for those with no/little experience.

I hope you are right MJ that drama acts won’t get through during this early round. I also hope you are wrong about Tatiana being brought through later on because there will likely be plenty of deserving acts who go home simply because they didn’t get enough screen time during Hollywood rounds.

Is Michael back in group one instead of Matt? Oh no!

Yes I do not like this format at all either.What about those who only have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“one good song in them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  ? Like Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m Telling You that Lakisha sang the first top 12 girls night ,then it was hit and miss.

Ramiele did this last year. She had a pretty good first performance, then she was like a deer in the headlights every week after.

Chiming in on the hate for this format. I think it would be a little more tolerable if they had stuck with a Top 24 and had them perform in groups of 8 (still letting 3 go through). I think they clearly know who they want in the Top 12 and have the ability to get the result they want, so just get on with it. At least spare us 5 consecutive weeks of 2 hour performance shows and 12 extra fodder contestants to try to keep track of.

Ok, so my only smidgen of like about this is that MJ said the judges top 3 don’t necessarily have to be from the top 36, but why wouldn’t they. Anyway, I have some hope that in the form of drama once Danny makes it through they’ll bring back Jamal! I doubt it, but I think it’d be sweet. :lol_wp:

I, so far, am less than excited about the new way to hit the top 12. I think it’s going to make for some VERY rough performances at a point where, as viewers, we are used some seriously polished and awesome performances. But no pressure on the kids of course!

And I hope beyond all hope the producers seriously chose someone other than Tatinia Del Tornado to be one of their top 3. :wallbash_tb: I find it hard to believe they’d waste a spot, yet I don’t. I assume there will be some MAJOR drama when she gets eliminated tomorrow night… urgh! I can dream it’s the last I’ll see of her right?

Up until this point, TPTB have said they wanted people to become more invested in the kids by knowing them better – or at least those that they decided to highlight. Now with this format, they are distancing the public from the contestants by not having them on for weeks at a time. Seems to run counter to everything else they said about this season. Does not bode well for a real competition or involving the public. I don’t get it and I’m not looking forward to it.

I’m not a fan of this format, but I’ve kinda-sorta lived with it before. I remember balking when they changed to that new Top 24 format as well. Now that I love it, they’ve gone and changed it again. No doubt about it, the producers are firmly holding the reins. All I can do is hope for a good show and hope that the cannon fodder knocks one out of the ball park and upsets their plans.

A pre-performance show prediction: Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai move on to the Top 12 this week. Either Anne Marie Boskovich or Jackie Tohn snag the Top girls spot.

I’m with you here. I totally prefer Anne Marie Boskovich as the top girl. However, a part of me wishes that Alexis Grace would shock us all and snag the girl’s spot. I like her.

Tatiana? Laryngitis, maybe? No, that’s wrong. My fear is that she’ll actually make it through. It could happen.

I guess I’m in the minority on this one. I love this new/old way of doing the Semifinals. For one, I always thought it was lame to seperate the girls and the guys and insist on having an equal number of each in the Top 12. BORING.

I’m even fine with America having less say in who advances this time around. America’s effed up so much in the past that I personally like that they don’t have as much power to do that again.

Contestants better give the performance of their lives, or theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re toast.

Exactly. I love that too. Go big or go home. Don’t waste my time.

Yes, growth is good to see, but I think if you know you have one shot, and hopefully with less song restrictions and no lame-ass semis theme, they will be more likely to pull out all the stops. Last season the themes and 50-song only list really screwed up this round and it took more than one shot to see what they can really do.

I cannot stand Tatiana at all.

And with this format, she is HIGHLY unlikely to make it past this round.

Can you imagine Simon having to produce a Nick/Norman CD!

Again, HIGHLY unlikely with this new format. They may have put him through for comedy’s sake FOR NOW, but he won’t last and they will tire of him quickly.

What about those who only have à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“one good song in them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  ? Like Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m Telling You that Lakisha sang the first top 12 girls night ,then it was hit and miss .

And yet America still voted her all the way to the freakin Top 4 even after many misses.

Soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦no matter how the audience votesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦the judges really get to stack the final 12 with their 3 favorites.

And their favorites in the past have gone on to prove themselves beyond the show: Kelly, Fantasia, Carrie…

I like Ann Marie, but I would MUCH rather see Stevie Wright make it as the top girl.

I, too, hate this format. Mostly because I really love getting to see everyone, every week. Like what MJ said- seeing them grow- is fun and I’m going to miss that.

However, there has never been a season where so many of the contestants have been shown beforehand. Except for poor Ricky and Jeannette(?), we’ve seen everyone sing (for a few seconds at least). Of course, there have never been so many semi-finalists before.

Last year at this point, the heavily pimped ones were Michael Johns, David Archuleta, and Carly Smithson. Cook, Brooke, Ramiele, Amanda and Syesha were also shown a lot. David Hernandez was shown in Hollywood and Chikezie had his audition aired. In fact, Jason C. was the lone Top 12er who was unseen (and Nigel insisted it was his song not clearing, so they liked him). So I guess what I’m saying is that even with this year’s craptacular format we would have ended up with a similar Top 12 last year.

The most important factor will be how the judges react to their performances. They hold a lot of sway this early. i.e. Season 2- Charles Grigsby performed better than expected, Simon said so, Charles’ mom was adorable, and he walked into the Top 12 ahead of much better singers.

It’s going to be interesting. Can’t wait for tonight!

This format means that we can have a scenario where there are 5 guys with the top vote and say the 6th top vote getter being a girl.

This means we have number 1 and number 2 guy getting in while number 3 does not, but number 6 ( being a girl ) does.

How is it fair to number 3 ?

Sucks big time.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that Stevie having a more unique sound will fare better over Ann Marie…girls like Ann Marie, beautiful with really good voice are a dime a dozen. We’ve seen more of Stevie’s personality too and I think that will endear her to more viewers. Ann Marie seems a bit less personable at times.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not a fan of this format, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve kinda-sorta lived with it before. I remember balking when they changed to that new Top 24 format as well. Now that I love it, theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve gone and changed it again.

Yeah, I remember being unimpressed with the change a few years ago, too. Most of my friends and I were all annoyed with the fact that there would be six of each gender, even if there were more talented boys or more talented girls. But after a season, I started liking that format. So who knows. Maybe it’ll be the same way this time around.

–

As far as Tatiana goes, the girl can be annoying, but from what I’ve seen of her Hollywood performances, she has a decent voice at least. It could be much worse, in my opinion.

Anyone remember Brenna Gethers? XD

well it will be interesting.

i am concerned with the info coming out about gokey at vftw. i cannot vote for him in any way (he was already low on my list…now he is super low).

i like anoop. have no clue on tonights girls….

i do like sarver…so maybe i will power vote for him to oust the lock of danny. lol.

cannot wait for the song spoilers!! any guesses now?

Sooooo hoping it’s Anoop and Michael Sarver for the boys. Let the judges use one of their wild cards for the Gokey.

Prediction: Boskovitch goes with a been there, done that song (unless she sings Kara’s song) and Stevie Wright picks something much more interesting and beats Boskovitch out for the spot. Jackie Tohn–trainwreck.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m willing to bet that Stevie having a more unique sound will fare better over Ann Marieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦girls like Ann Marie, beautiful with really good voice are a dime a dozen.

While that may be true about Anne Marie, being a dime a dozen and all, that didn’t stop Katharine McPhee from being a Season 5 runner up. That’s just one example.

Stevie may have a unique voice, but I don’t think she’s quite sure of it yet. She, for instance, may be one who could have possibly benefited from the old format.

It’s unfortunate because her sound is interesting…almost a little old school. But, when I hear her sing, it sounds like she’s just now discovering the intricacies of her own voice.

If she doesn’t pick a song that accents the depth of her voice (“At Last” did, “Bubbly” did not), she’ll be just another ho-hum singer, who may end up at the mercy of the wildcard round.

A thought….

With AI spending more time at the community house it is essential that AI stack the deck with sexy women, hunky men, singles, drama kings and queens, the obnoxious, the weird, the confrontational, the criers and the screamers, the bullies, and the poor little lost wall flowers and, oh yea, throw in some ego driven guardians for the young set. No normal people need apply.

I just have this picture, in my mind, of last year’s top 10 at the house. Can’t think of too much drama that would have gone on. Or, at least, anything that would have entertained an audience that is starved for this kind of entertainment – I say with tongue firmly in cheek.

I’m preparing myself for disappointment, since I don’t care for Gokey OR Anoop. Of this group I’d most like to see Steven Fowler make it through. Of course, that may change based on tonight’s performances. The girls in this group are pretty much all bleh to me. And Jackie Tohn annoys me almost as much as Tatiana. Casey Carlson actually seems the most “marketable” to me.

As for the format, it just seems like more opportunity for TPTB to skew the results their way. And I think those performing in the third week, and actually even those picked as wild cards, will have an advantage since they’ll have more momentum going into the top12.

Like I said. Preparing for disappointment.

if the joes place second group is to be believed…and who knows…then nick mitchell has a decent shot of going through out of the group…adam is there…but otherwise…nick has his best shot in that group.

Manipulation at it’s finest.

I find Danny quite mediocre- I think he would have gone unnoticed if not for the sad story and the hours of screen time… I actually liked his friend better.

Thought Stephen Fowler was really good until he messed up with TOML (even before fumbling, he was showing everyone just how good DC is!).

Looking forward to the Anoop make over, where they will turn him into a real star!

Girls… Anne Marie, I guess. Anything that’s not Tatiana will work for me.

i am concerned with the info coming out about gokey at vftw.

Latest update on that:
http://topidol.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/sophias-heart-foundation-not-a-scam/

Now it’s a matter of deciding which side to believe.

Thought Stephen Fowler was really good until he messed up with TOML (even before fumbling, he was showing everyone just how good DC is!).

LOL. Sorry but TOML is such a mediocre song at best…singing it isn’t that hard. Stephen’s problem was with remembering the lyrics, which could be his nemsis down the line if he advances.

I hate this format but given they’re not going to change it, I’ll hope for my favorites to make it through. I feel pretty good about both Danny and Anoop making it but like a few of the other guys including Stephen Fowler. Out of the girls I think Jackie has a good chance but am hoping for Alexis. I think she has as good a chance as Ann Marie who didn’t exactly turn up the heat in Hollywood.

I agree about the manipulation. I think they want more control over who moves on to the final 12. Last season I think the top 12 would have been quite a bit different and am not even sure David Cook would have made it in the first cut. Jason might have been a wildcard but people sure didn’t know him.

hmmmthe organization still seems suspect to me….but hey, i only am on the board of a non profit myself:) regardless…he is using idol to promote it..plus personally, his church there creeps me out. add to that i think he is ugly as hell…pimps his dead wife for personal gain and i do not like his voice…

so….i am anti him i would say:)

and i hope stephen fowler wows tonight.

I hate the new format. If it would have been in place in previous seasons, we never would have had the likes of Elliott Yamin or David Cook, among others.

actually elliot mighthave gotten thru in this format…he kicked butt on his first song out of the gate…all he would have needed was that:)

Did I miss something? have they moved Michael Sarver back into group 1? I’m confused………what’s new LOL

I didn’t like this set up back then and I don’t like it now, I think we should be able to vote OFF the contestant we like the least, jmo.

I’d love to see Stevie make it for the girls tonight, I think it’s unlikely but you never know.

I hate the new format. If it would have been in place in previous seasons, we never would have had the likes of Elliott Yamin or David Cook, among others.

That is assuming that all other factors would be exactly the same and if this format HAD been in place, everything else would’ve changed too including song choice most likely.

While that may be true about Anne Marie, being a dime a dozen and all, that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stop Katharine McPhee from being a Season 5 runner up. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just one example.

I feel that Kat has an extraordnarily great voice though and she showed it at her audition. Ann Marie was good at her audition, but nowhere near in the vocal league of Kat.

I feel that Kat has an extraoridarily great voice though and she showed it at her audition.

Oh, I’ll just agree to disagree there and be done with it. :wink_wp:

Of this group Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d most like to see Steven Fowler make it through.

As would I. Hopefully, he sings something tried and true, with which he will have no memory problems.

Anything thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not Tatiana will work for me.

You couldn’t have said it better.

I hope Anoop and Stephen go through, but really, I think Gokey will probably be tops in votes unless he sings I Wanna Dance With Somebody or some other doomed song.

If I vote at all in the semis, it will be sympathy votes for my favorite hopeless fodder contestants, so I don’t have to bother picking up the phone tonight,yay.

aly
Feb 17th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Manipulation at ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s finest.

You so have it down. This is manipulation and I’d say at it’s most blatent. I have always felt that it’s our charge to not be manipulated. I don’t know, however, how much the invested fans matter. I have my favorites. One of them happens to be somebody who many would say was manipulated to be a favorite. I really don’t care. I just consider how they make me feel when they sing. I’m never concerned with perfect vocals…just make me feel and I may even vote.

ETA to say that I didn’t even know who Stephen(Steven) Fowler was until the remembering the lyrics part came into play. He’s the one who screwed up the (in his words easy) lyrics of TOML. He doesn’t impress me so much for now. I don’t know that he was very awesome on the lyrics he did manage to remember. I must say, however, that the song choice was lovely….that from a very biased fan.

So far, I’m on the Noop Dawg train, but I could change my mind after everyone sings tonight.

Ricky Braddy could come out swinging and surprise everybody.

One positive about this system is that it, more or less, dispenses with the illusion of public determination of the cast. Moreover, the multiple weeks of the likes of Kady Malloy and boy bander turned rocker Robbie Carrico won’t happen under this format.

I agree that it is a patently unfair system. Oh well, [sighs] I like the prospect of lots of two-hour, twelve performance shows this year.

Some interesting quotes from Gokey in a recent interview:

DANNYà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢S SONG CHOICE: Milwaukee à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  semifinalist Danny Gokey has been smart in his song choices so far, starting with Marvin Gayeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Heard It Through the Grapevineà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  at his audition.

With a musical career through church, Faithbuilders International Ministries, Gokey says his faith is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“key to who I am.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Could that mean Christian music?

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/tvradio/39691487.html

actually elliot mighthave gotten thru in this formatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦he kicked butt on his first song out of the gateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦all he would have needed was that:)

Yeah, Elliott did kick butt but I don’t think he had a big enough following yet to garner enough votes to advance. I wasn’t even picking up the phone yet, and I really grew to love him. Of course, we have no way of knowing which group he would have been in.

“Ricky Braddy could come out swinging and surprise everybody.”

See, I like Ricky from what little I have seen of him. I don’t know if this new format will allow us to see more or not. Sigh.

if the joes place second group is to be believedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and who knowsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦then nick mitchell has a decent shot of going through out of the groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦adam is thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦but otherwiseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦nick has his best shot in that group.

Somebody posted that list in her comments section with an “My uncle works for the show” explanation.

I smell a fake list! Especially since Matt Giraud is not on it. He told some peeps at a piano thing he recently did that he’s in the second group.

Ricky Braddy could come out swinging and surprise everybody.

Secretly, this is what I’m hoping for. I want to know why Paula thinks he’s worth mentioning. I live for LaToya London/Jason Castro moments.

All I have to say is…FINALLY!!! This last month has been forever. I just want to watch and hear some SANGING!!

May the best survive, the fodder surprise and TATIANA gets the hell off my TV.

I don’t mind the new format.

With 12 contestants in two hours, will they each get to sing songs slightly longer than 1.30 min?
Will they be encouraged to play instruments?
Will anyone work to incorparate Rickey and the band into their performance?
For me there is a lot of mystery, with the added bonus of trying to figure out the behind-the-scenes manipulation.

And of this group, Anoop is the only one I’ve invested in. Never really liked Danny tho I find who paid what for his wife’s funeral nobody’s business.
As long as Alexis or Anne Marie goes on to the next round, that’s fine by me.

Secretly, this is what Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m hoping for. I want to know why Paula thinks heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worth mentioning. I live for LaToya London/Jason Castro moments.

So do I, GwendolynD. Nothing more satisfying that rooting for an underdog and watching him/her go far.

If this is manipulation, then I say BRING IT ON and then some! Same shit different year, different semis format, but all in all, same “manipulation” that peeps cry about every year yet continue to watch until their eyes bleed. LOL!

Danny, Anne Marie and Sarver have nice voices but I find them sort of bland. We’ll see if they can summon up some kind of stage presence. Steven Fowler is passable in the Anthony Hamilton way but in that same sort of vibe, I was more impressed with Ju’Not who has way more polish and did not leave the stage in a huff either.

So Michael is back in this group?

I really like Anoop…

…and had a great appreciation for Danny until I read about his church. I grow weary with all the fundies that seem to grace the AI stage, though I try to look past their backgrounds and focus on the singing (I just do not get religion; if I’m driving on ice and throw my hands in the air, I do not believe that Jesus is going to take the wheel and save me, sorry). But, ew, Danny’s church seems to go past the takes-the-cake category and goes deep into God-loves-money. And that is just so utterly repulsive to me, I don’t know if I can get behind Danny, as much as I love his voice.

I am really not sure how I feel about this format. I do like the shake-up from the immediate past, getting out of a rut and all, but I do NOT trust TPTB at all. What deviousness they have up their sleeves remains to be seen.

We know they are looking for good TeeVee, but will that include foisting the hideous Tatiana on us when they get to choose the final 3? I am sure they have visions of lots of drama in the Idol house and Tatiana would most certainly provide that.

Ugh. That prospect makes me a bit queasy. Ok. A lot queasy.

There is no question that they have far more power in getting at least some of the ones they want in that final lineup.

The saddest aspect of this, agreeing with what has been said above, is that top vote getters will not necessarily be moving on.

I like some things about this format, but I also dislike some things about it. On one hand, I have never been fan of the “there must be an equal number of each gender” rule. I want to see the best singers period, regardless of whether most of them are girls or boys. So I’m glad that this format allows for this to happen.

On the other hand, a lot of talented singers fall by the wayside in this format, and it puts more people at a disadvantage than the top 24, everyone sings each week until they are eliminated format. People like Jeanne V and maybe Ricky Braddy are going to get messed over coming and going, because of the lack of airtime that they get.

So unless they can do do like Latoya London did on their first performance they really don’t have a shot, against other contestants who received more airtime, and have gained bigger fanbases. Heck even if they do, sing like Latoya did, they still might not have a chance if the other contestants that were featured more do really well, too. Also, sometimes the groups like Group 1 this season are stacked with talented singers, and all of them aren’t going to make it through.

I would love to see Anoop, Steven Fowler, and Michael Sarver from this first group make it through to the top 12. But I doubt that all three of them will make it. I think that with a solid performance and with the help of his sizeable fanbase Anoop could definitely make it through. I think that Danny will tie up the only other available spot for a man and that leaves Steven Fowler and Michael Sarver in trouble.

Only one of them might get a wildcard, and unless Steven does really, really well, Michael has a better chance of getting the wildcard. So Steven will probably get left out in the cold.

And being that Paula really likes Ricky Braddy, and he’s in this group, as well, he could end up getting the wildcard, and both Steven and Michael could get left out in the cold. And I doubt that more than one person from each group will get a wildcard, and I think it’s likely that some girls will get some, because I see could most if not all of the next highest vote getters votes going to men.

So a lot of people are going to get left out in the cold, some of them without really getting a chance to prove themselves. And others will get left out because even though they were talented they were stacked in a group with a lot of other really talented people, who also could have gotten more airtime than they did.

I think that there are advantages and disadvantages for each of the different formats.

I don’t mind the new format. They used to do it this way. The wild card show was kind of fun. I’m glad there won’t need to be equal men and women, that’s counterproductive. The show gets tiresome so I’m glad they’re changing it up a little.

Just why did they put Tatiana through? That’s the real travesty. As for manipulation, that’s the name of the game on Idol. It’s always been about manipulation and always will be. Hate it, but can’t stop watching.

Whats to say the judges won’t use the wildcard to even out the male/female ratio?

Whats to say the judges wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t use the wildcard to even out the male/female ratio?

Plus, Canadian Idol used the Old Top 24 format, but tweaked it so the the boy-girl ratio wouldn’t necessarily end up even. And it wasn’t

Just why did they put Tatiana through?

I’m beginning to think it’s so that they can say they did get two Puerto Ricans in the compeitition, even though she didn’t exactly audition in Puerto Rico. Because…other than that Marc Anthony sound-a-like, that trip was pretty much a waste.

^^ Hey, they got Kendall Beard from Puerto Rico! Heh heh…

I have to say… I was on the fence regarding Anoop, but his last h-wood perfermonce intrigued me, so if he really brings it tonight, I may throw a few votes his way, along with whatever girl I decide to vote for to help keep tatiana from making it. Lol.

If you really analyze it…seperating the boys from the girls (last few seasons in the top 24) didn’t always allow the most popular to make it through. Maybe if all votes were compared side by side we would have seen that say 3 or 4 of the girls got way fewer votes than the guy who got kicked off or vice-versa. Unless they get rid of the gender thing altogether the vote into the top 12 will never be equitable.

That’s your “perogative”, Sarah. . I don’t think I’ll be voting tonight.

Tonight I want to see/hear how Michael Sarver and Brent Keith do otherwise I don’t know if I will be voting .

if Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m driving on ice and throw my hands in the air, I do not believe that Jesus is going to take the wheel and save me, sorry

^^^^ :lol_tb:

As long as Anoop makes it through, I’ll be happy. He’s the only person besides Adam I’ve loved from the initial audition through the process thus far. Ann Marie was pretty disappointing in Hollywood, so I’m officially ambivalent about her. As to the rest, I say, bring your best game, kids! Even if America doesn’t know enough to put you through, with the right amount of morning-after buzz, you could earn your way to a wildcard spot.

And I’d secretly love it if the much-despised Tatiana and the polarizing Normund/Nick (I love him, for the record, but his shtick is getting old fast) both batted it out of the park. Since I’ve been wearing my tin hat of late and believe they are both actors recruited to audition for Idol, I think it would be a scream if they actually were great singers/performers.

I think Tatiana will make it simply because she is the only girl whose had a ton of screentime. All the girls have had a little (briefly shown singing and auditions) but none of them have any where close to the extent that she has.

My predictions (it will likely be 2 guys and 1 girl in):

Alexis – I don’t see her going anywhere, with the lack of any fan base potential more than anything. (Rank among girls: 6th)

Anne Marie – She appears to be the frontrunner among the girls tonight. Unless others can do really well or she bombs it, she is likely getting the girl’s spot. (Rank among girls: 1st)

Anoop – He is probably high on the list, and a good performance should get him to the finals. (Rank among guys: 2nd)

Brent – While he is somewhat popular, he is trapped in a tough group so it is highly unlikely he will advance. He will be bitten by the new format more than anyone else. (Rank among guys: 5th)

Casey – Not much chance. She is not as good as Anne Marie or even Stevie and will certainly require the wildcard show. (Rank among girls: 3rd)

Danny – He’s in the driver’s seat. Unless he bombs his performance tonight, he is likely a lock for the top 12. (Rank among guys: 1st)

Jackie – I don’t see a lot of hope in her making it. She is not as good as some of the others, and her past may also work against her. (Rank among girls: 4th)

Michael – Probably the biggest threat to Anoop and Danny. He might be able to squeak by if he does really well, but a wildcard is quite possible too. (Rank among guys: 3rd)

Ricky – He’s going nowhere. Even in the old format, he would likely be on the bubble for a quick exit, but with this format, he needs a roof-raising performance to have a prayer. (Rank among guys: 6th)

Stephen – He could also be a dark horse, I agree. However, a spot in the wildcard show is much more realistic. (Rank among guys: 4th)

Stevie – I believe she is the biggest threat to Anne Marie. She is young and has a good voice and is unique, and could surprise everyone. (Rank among girls: 2nd)

Tatiana – She needs VFTW to really show clout to get anywhere, which is highly unlikely. But she’ll likely be back in the wildcard show – stupid producers. (Rank among girls: 5th)

tatiana may have had a lot of screentime, but from what I’ve seen, the view of her is not favorable. I’m just talking about friends and family and coworkers, but NONE of them like her. I think people are more annoyed with her so lots of screentime doesn’t mean much except to make them more annoyed. But, I could be wrong. Who knows?

Tatiana is going nowhere by the voters.

Her best case scenario is to get into the wildcard and get a spot by the judges to keep her around, then go out in 12th (11th if she is lucky).

Hey, they got Kendall Beard from Puerto Rico! Heh hehà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Cough! Hehe. Was she on vacation, or what?

Tatiana is going nowhere by the voters.

Her best case scenario is to get into the wildcard and get a spot by the judges to keep her around, then go out in 12th (11th if she is lucky).

Even the judges seem insanely annoyed by her, so I doubt it. They put her through because they were told to, I would bet my life on it

i have to agree. i had lunch with my aunts…they all hate tatiana…but man, let me tell you…they LOVE normund.

and what…janerazor…you can’t get behind god finding it a sin to for women to leave the house not in makeup?

i wonder how much i would need to confess to glass, ponytail and sweats…sans makeup…how big a sinner would I be? just to grocery shop or take a walk?:)

lol.

At least one of the judges’ Wild Card picks will be in the Top 10 and on tour. I don’t know why but that bothers me. I hope that someone will surprise me and inspire me to vote. Maybe it will be someone who has had little to no air time so far.

Elliott and Jason are my all time favorite Idols and neither was spotlighted before Final 24 night.

I’m not a fan of anyone shown so far. *sigh*

I actually wouldn’t be terribly surprised to see Tatiana finish 3rd and make it through. The votes are VERY spread out in a 12 contestant format so unless the voters concentrate their votes on two or three people (for example, Danny, Anoop and Ann Marie), in massive numbers,there is going to be a ton of vote splitting. The guys side is much more clear cut, with the girls side lagging behind, both in fan support and recognition factor. Tatiana actually does have support outside of VFTW and she can sing. If she tones it down tonight and comes across as fun/ditsy/likeable, that, combined with a good performance, could garner her the Kellie Pickler effect. I won’t predict that she’ll make it but people should be careful not to rule it out. She knows that she needs to be likeable and put her best foot forward now that America is voting. If she continues with the “psycho ex-girlfriend” character then my guess is she never intended to make the top 12 anyway because that won’t get her votes.

so dress rehearsal is going on as we speak. our only spoiler hope is someone is dying to spoil and emails…in about an hr:)

For me, I want Danny, Michael and Stevie through tonight, but I’m pretty sure Michael won’t make it past Anoop….damn! Anoop is good and all, but I haven’t feel NOTHING from him when he sings….overrated IMO.

i want danny to trip and fall off the stage. just saying…it is what i want.

i thought michael sarver was switched to another group?

my picks tonight

top guy- Danny…people love the guys voice

top girl – Tatiana…i think most people will vote for the talent which is mostly the boys in this group and every group. Limited votes will be left for the girls…vftw comes into play

other top vote- Anoop…crazy talent

edit: can the sarcasm directed at other posters

edit: good thing you edited yourself. if you can’t hold your temper, I’ll put you in moderation.

yeah he is on my crap list. he might surpass mcphee.

he is not cute.

his voice is mediocre.

and he is totally not marketable.

but add a dead wife and market her….bam! people love him.

i take it back. he HAS surpassed Mcphee. At least she just used her body to sell herself..she did not use a dead body.

and bitter is a poor adjective. it would suggest i lost to him or something. no realistic, pragmatic…calling a spade a spade….that is better:)

folk, I’m not expecting him to fall off the stage but I do hope there is a massive comeuppance at some point for him. I think there’s an absolute tool lurking underneath his sob story. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Simon will eventually call him out on it.

you mean the non church music teacher kind of tool? the kind who is paid by the church to sing…the church that tells women they MUST wear makeup?

that kind of tool?

rumor has it he is mean to musicians. maybe instruments will mysteriously break during his songs. i would love that.

I’m going to post the same thing here that I posted at the AI forums.

The producers do not know how to spread talent evenly.
Season 1 – Justin and Kelly were in the same group.
Season 2 – Kimberly, Clay, and Ruben were in the same group.
Season 3 – Fantasia and Diana were in the same group.

I hate this method.

That being said… Go Anoop!

no no no…..what if tatiana had a breakdown during danny’s set…omg. her sobbing in the background…

i bet he would get all annoyed and stomp his foot. he is a total closet foot stomper. i can tell a foot stomper a mile away (or at least thru my tv!)

If only it was about them spreading talent evenly. It’s not.

but add a dead wife and market herà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.bam! people love him.

Nah. I love him just fine without the story…as does everyone else I know that watches. My empathy for his loss plays no role in my wish for him to do well. I love his voice….period.

well in fairness to the producers, Clay was a complete and utter tool when he was in the group round with Ruben and Kim…I mean he was such a tool that the producers were totally willing to overlook Kim’s big butt to kick him to the curb. Granted, he is still a tool…but the marvels of hairstyling elevated him to cool tool.

hey that is your perogative (go anoop!) but a mediocre voice (danny) combined with a beer gut, bad glasses and bad highlights….plus playing off a dead wife…just equals a guy who sings church music in some weird church in wisconsin. (go cheese!)

but there is always a market for weird wisconsin (cheese) church music…somewhere ( i am thinking islands of the south pacific specifically….where they are starved for telecommunications).

hehhehehehe….danny gokey makes taylor hicks seem marketable. that is how bad he is:)

Re: the new format. I might be OK with a wild card night that America votes on, but it really bugs me that the judges/TPTB will be deciding 25% of the top-12. As if they didn’t maninpulate things enough, now they can either handpick their favorites OR handpick a trio of singers who can be shot down 12, 11, 10 (while perhaps giving the show some why-is-he/she-there buzz a la Sanjaya/Kristi Lee Cook) to give their favorites time to be praised/groomed for the finale.

Edited:
“Nah. I love him just fine without the storyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦as does everyone else I know that watches. My empathy for his loss plays no role in my wish for him to do well. I love his voiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.period.”

For me, it has nothing to do with the dead wife or who paid for her funeral. It’s the church Danny worked for, which seems to be into buying your way into God’s good graces. I know the church has nothing to do with Danny’s singing abilities; I think Danny is a great singer. But you know, Tatiana is a really good singer too. However, her terrible personality would keep me from ever liking her well enough to put in the time and effort to vote for her. And hearing about what kind of church Danny was involved in just may be enough for me not to be able to get excited about him to put in the time and effort to vote for him.

I’ve said a few times, I hate this format, the public gets to pick 9 out of 36 of the 12 for the final. Why bother with the voting at all. We don’t get to know any of the mystery singers, just flush all that talent out early.

The uber pimped don’t always make it. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a shocker tomorrow night if one of the dark horse boys have a home run night. Stephen Fowler has shown he has a wonderful voice, Brent(who?) has a hotness following, Braddy is allegedly one of Paula’s favourites and Michael Sarver has built a name for himself. As someone said earlier, the votes are spread thin over 12. With all the bad press Danny has been getting, he may not make it.

The girls are a who knows! Depending on what board or blog you read there is a difference of opinion of who it the front runner. The only one that is well known is the nutcase Tatiannoying. Scary as it is, that may get her the vote if it is split amongst the others.

I think it all sucks tho and is the most biased season I’ve seen.

holy danny gokey is getting a lot of hate…i thought if it did happen people would be attacking the whole he and jamar met at that cult they are both members of as reported on VFTW…did you see the look in Danny’s eyes when he saw Jamar got cut? looked like he was gonna mess everyone up…kinda scary especially with that church story

Danny has a great voice though…his appearance is not that bad..i expect a Change of look ala david cook…

if you change someone’s hair…does that make them no longer part of some freakish cult church?

is hair all that matters? (a la clay….now freaky gokey)

Go Stephen. That is all.

(My hopes aren’t too high for him though. :down_tb: )

For me, it has nothing to do with the dead wife or who paid for her funeral. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the church Danny worked for, which seems to be into buying your way into Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s good graces. I know the church has nothing to do with Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s singing abilities; I think Danny is a great singer. But you know, Tatiana is a really good singer too. However, her terrible personality would keep me from ever liking her well enough to put in the time and effort to vote for her. And hearing about what kind of church Danny was involved in just may be enough for me not to be able to get excited about him to put in the time and effort to vote for him.

Fine by me…whatever criteria people need to use is their choice. I know nothing about that church and personally don’t care. Even Mormonism is sometimes referred to as a type of cult (as they too have what some think are very whacked out beliefs), yet for me, it was not enough to make me dislike Brooke and Archie last year. But if one’s church of choice is important to your decision, then knock yourself out. I wasn’t saying you should think otherwise. I was responding to another poster actually.

With all the bad press Danny has been getting, he may not make it.

One blog all of a sudden equates to “all the bad press”? Okie dokie then. Maybe it will become that, but the general viewing public doesn’t go online to read stuff about the contestants. Now if TMZ spins their crap on it, that’s a whole other story indeed.

his hair and clothes won’t change the fact that he is part of a crazy church…but he will at least look better..haha….some people are charmed by looks and thats all they care about…so it will work in his favor…also the fact that half the population is crazy helps too

mormons are not crazy. nope….they even have a whole state!! that is not crazy. mormons even have a whole university!

nope…danny’s church…totally crazy.

edit: please don’t personally attack posters

and yeah vftw might be on it…but they start most of it…and then yeah tmz will pick it up and give it two weeks…it will be “breaking news” that the AI chosen one is a freaky cult member.

Let’s back off the personal attacks please. Stay on topic.

and if you do not think that will be a problemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.wowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.then the bounds of marketing reality have escaped you!!

I simply said it won’t affect MY view or voting. Whatever happens, happens….I can’t control that. Have a nice day!

MJ…it was like a collective you….you in the plural….for all the yous of the world who are in that vague camp that alludes rational objective thought. that you!! that has to be an allowable you:) ok…maybe i will create a new word to represent the collective you.

the gokeys!!

I won’t be home to vote tonight . I’m hoping Michael Sarver and Stephen Fowler can pull it out. I’m not a fan of Danny or Anoop. They’re both ok but neither one really makes me jump out of my seat. Sarver and Fowler for the upset!

I’m totally with ya on that upset jersey.

The only thing I remember about Stephen Fowler is him forgetting his words and the giving up and just walking offstage. There must have been something else people saw of him that I missed.

and yet…fowler is not a freakish cult member….points!

There must have been something else people saw of him that I missed.

During Week 1 of Hollywood, Stephen performed beautifully.

Randy gave him props for handing a difficult Stevie Wonder song perfectly.

Fowler really impressed me with his first Hollywood performance. He could definitely pull an upset if he knocks it out of the park tonight.

mj…he “slayed it” like a dragon in a disney movie:)