American Idol Season 8 Semis – The Wildcard – VIDEO – IT’S A TOP 13!

west coaster here.

keep me updated guys

Paula has turned into a pink leopard…?

i hope its matt, jasmine, and annop (or ricky)

LOL Is ANOOP in the pimp spot?

Eeep! It’s on!

Jesse’s up first annnd so far, I’m a bit ‘hmm’ on this song choice. :/

I can see the band!

LOL Is ANOOP in the pimp spot?

IS there a pimp spot, since people aren’t voting?

My dad – who knows NOTHING about singing – just looked at me and said, “[Jesse] is horrible. I should have done the dishes tonight instead.” As you can tell, he’s not a big Idol fan.

She’s GORGEOUS, tho. But yeah, the band didn’t work well.

What’s Jesse singing? What’s the performance order? Does performance order even matter in this scenario? Is it a full on performance with the band or is it more accapella/stripped down kinda thing?

Randy said Jesse was “just alright” (I agree). Kara said she likes Jesse’s swagger and that she comes alive like Sasha Fierce. Paula says she’s impressed with Jesse’s tenacity and that she was impressed. Simon said she was the last girl they chose and it was a lot better than they saw her first time. The song and performance was “slightly indulgent.” But that she has a good voice.

Why are they commenting ? I don’t get that .
And I don’t like her singing

Jesse sang some song called “Tell Me Something Good.”

Matt is up now. He’s singing “Who’s Loving You” by Jackson Five.

Looks like soulful Matt is back…

Matt’s giving off a Timberlake vibe

Matt did a lot better this time than he did last week, in my opinion. I can take him or leave him. It’s more vocal runs than anything else.

He’s still a little self conscious but a vast improvement and I hope Matt is in Top 12!

Kara said it was a little over the top at points, but overall, it was great. Paula says perfect song for him, but don’t go against what he’s great at. She thinks he was amazing and that America loves him. Simon says it was a billion times better than last week. He hates Matt’s outfit, though and that it was a little bit try-hard and he saw some Taylor Hicks in him. Randy says he loves that Matt made everyone scared that he’s giving them a run for their money tonight and that it was hot.

Matt- that song was unrecognizable from a melody standpoint. And I don’t mean that as a compliment. He put Archie to shame on the runs.

Matt did better, but I didn’t love that. I think he tried too hard, and he went goat again. I dunno, seems like he can only do one thing, which is goat sound and runs (oh well, that’s two things)

LOL Taylor Hicks??! Simon is awesome.

Matt- that song was unrecognizable from a melody standpoint. And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean that as a compliment. He put Archie to shame on the runs.

I agree. It was more runs than anything else. It was better than the disaster from last week, butttt I’m still not jumping out of my seat to let him into the Top 12. It was a bit too much for me.

I’m watching this at Ricky’s and I agree with Simon that Matt sounds like Taylor Hicks.

He did a great job tonight.

Matt was really good but WAYYY too many runs near the end of the song.

Oh Simon is a doofus

Matt G def did better than last week, but too many runs for my taste..
Jesse, hmm..

The jerky movements were definitely Taylorish.

He sang really well I thought, so did Jesse. Way better than when he sang in the rounds.

I still do not care for Matt. That was not great.

Great show so far, dontcha think.
Those were two pretty good vocals, probably not good enough but better than a lot of the stuff we’ve seen this year.

Jesse has a great voice, but I don’t think they’re going to put her through.

Matttt! That was great! I loved the runs!

Next up is Megan.

She’s singing “Black Horse & A Cherry Tree.”

“Jamsiest”? What is that?!

Ooh, I like this song. Hope she does it well.

Is that Kim Caldwell in the audience? Swear I saw here when Ryan was talking and the audience was standing, then sat down (just before Jesse started singing).

Hate to say it, but thought McPhee did a better job w/ BHCT.

I never thought I would say this but I much prefer Katherine McPhee’s version

Megan – She does not sound good to me. I like how they are mainly showing her close up so we can’t see that horrendous dancing.

Loved, loved, loved Jesse. Matt – better than last week but still just meh for me. Megan must go away now – that was godawful.

Kat was better on this than she was

Hate to say it, but thought McPhee did a better job w/ BHCT.

I agree, Kat was better, but I do like Megan.

Did Simon just admit that vocals don’t matter?

OMG Simon throw vocals out the window because she’s “current” … you are blinded by love.

Who thinks Megan just made the top 12? With what the judges are saying, she’s so there.
I enjoyed it, actually. But her voice…

My opinion: Eh. Nothing to get excited about. And that last note. Wow. XD

Judges said…

Paula: You look beautiful tonight. Picked the right song. Had fun watching her dancing. She’s quirky. Overall, she picked the right song.

Simon: I’ve always liked you and I still like you. You’re terrific. You’re current. Sometimes this show can get karaoke and I don’t get that from you. You’re original. It wasn’t the best vocal, but it doesn’t matter. You were terrific.

Randy: It wasn’t the best vocal, but the song choice brought her back into the right range that she needs to be in. Nice choice.

Kara: I think we need you. You give variety to what’s up there. America needs someone like you. I hope you stay.

Well…I think we can safely say she’s in. lol

Von singing “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.”

It’s nice to hear the judges of American Idol say vocal doesn’t matter….on a SINGING CONTEST!

they just told her she is in.

Be shocked it Jesse does not go thru. Thought she would’ve sailed thru earlier, but maybe TPTB were afraid of fallback due to the fact that she’s Jonny Langs sister.

why why do we have to have Megan ? She is so awful

That was a REALLY awkward way to pimp someone they want thru after a bad singing.

Yikes, Von’s falsetto is terrible.

Simon STFU!!! that is all…..(regarding his comments to mattG)

Megan-
You don’t have the best vocals but…hope to see you. zzzzzzzz

Welcome the Next Britney Spears!

Von=cannon fodder

he was better than Megan

If nothing else, we can see that having a week under their belts has done everyone a lot of good. Another reason why I liked the old system better … virtually everyone had the chance to get to this point.

Wow, lots of love for Elton John this season.

I thought Von did a good vocal.

Simon said he was boring and too serious and that he sounded ordinary. Randy said Simon is right and that he was a little pitchy at the beginning and he wasn’t crazy about the song. Kara wasn’t crazy about the song either. He has great vocal ability but that he hasn’t hit his stride. Paula said that when he’s too concerned about the notes and how he is going to sing it, he doesn’t let the essence of Von Smith out. He was thinking too hard and that he needs to rely on the fact that he’s a brilliant singer.

It’s just a tv show, it’s just a tv show, it’s just a tv show. (I’m trying really hard not to throw something at my tv) Yes, Simon said vocals don’t matter and it’s apparent that they really, really want Megan even if she sounded like crap – which she did. Ooooooohhhh, I hate this f……..g show.

Elton John is this season’s Stevie Wonder.

i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13… so it will end up being matt g. megan, jasmine, and anoop…

Poor Von, why did they ask him back when they didn’t want him anyway?
I liked him.
And how come Matt can wear a hat but they told Von yesterday not to.

I didn’t think Megan was great but it was pretty obvious the judges have already decided she’s in, Kara gushed that they ‘need’ her.

i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

That would be fascinating!

But Jasmine and Ricky are coming up next. If they take Jasmine over Ricky, I think I’ll scream. XD

I never thought I would say this but I much prefer Katherine McPheeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version

Katherine can sing and Megan can’t, there’s a big difference.

i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I hope not. That means if they get 2 very good ones together and two very bad ones, we end up with a good and a bad instead of two goods.

I have to agree about the Top 13 thing, though.

Von still looked terrified to me. I don’t think he can shake the nerves.

wolfsbane813 Mar 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm

i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ so it will end up being matt g. megan, jasmine, and anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

WOW. Very Interesting! Never looked at it that way!

Jasmine is singing “Reflection” by Christina Aguilera. *Yawn*

And, of course, she cuts off all the beginning and goes straight to the big parts. Surprise. And it’s not that good, in my opinion.

I love her dress, though. lol

Bad, bad, bad song choice. Does she really think she can touch Christina Aguilera?!

Yuk – another disney movie tune. she is no christina aguilara. But why do I think they will tell her she is through anyway.

lovegoodmusic … oh yeah, that must be it haha.

hmmmm…. the judges seem to be jizzing in their pants. and lol at the paula vs simon. haha

Jasmin screamed too much.

Apparently Simon hasn’t seen Taylor Hicks lately :-)

They’re going to choose four. I hope.

GO PAULA!!!

I am turning my TV off right now. I’m done. Have fun.

Lol, WHAT is Paula doing?! Haha!

Jasmine was the best so far, I think. Not a girl I really appreciate, but she did great and picked the right song.
First performance of the night that I really like.

Jasmine does not hold a candle to lil rounds…no competition what so ever, she did do ok, but if she makes top 12 she really dosen’t stand a chance..

Randy says she was pitchy but there were bright spots and she was better than last time. Kara says that she didn’t know she had such a big voice. Paula says she picked a beautiful song and that she looks lovely. There were some off notes but overall, she did a wonderful job. Simon says it was pretty special compared to what they had heard before. It was a brave song choice and sounded like a young girl trying to sound grown up, but compared to what they had heard before it was a huge improvement and she put herself back in the running.

*Sigh*…

Ricky is singing “Superstitious.”

veritight pants :)

Ricky is no Stevie, of course, but he’s doing okay on Superstition. He looks a little lost on the stage.

Hmm…I was really hoping Ricky would bring it. Not crazy about this song choice, though. :(

I agree with Paula, there was nothing special about the vocals. Paula always says they look nice when the vocals are off.

i really hate when singers leave the “s” off the ends of words.

i know its a technical thing for pronunciation so its not sharp but when its really obvious (like “very supersticiaaaahhhh”) its distracting.

but he was good.

I think that I have a little crush on Ricky Braddy…..:P

Not liking his version Bucky sang it better

Ricky. Great voice, but sings Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder with no soul.

grrrrr Simon is trying his best to rob ricky. Oh no! Randy is going along. yuk

Kara says Ricky can sing his butt off. Tonight was about showing his personality and loosening up and that he has good chops. She would not have picked that song for him, but that he did it and held his own. Paula was surprised by the song but she thinks he nailed it and that he had fun. Simon says he sounded good but that when they’re brought back at this stage, they need to say they have to put them into the finals but that the song is karoake and that the performance was clumsy, so that he doesn’t think Ricky made the impression he could’ve made. He’s disappointed. Randy said he has a voice but that the song wasn’t the right one and that Ricky tried to do too much with it.

Tatiana and Anoop are next.

Wolfsbane, I agree. That is one of my pet peeves.

Simon is protecting his girls no matter who else he has to throw under the bus…

WTF? Is Simon talking about??
Ricky was awesome!! Seriously better than Jasmine who sucked!
How stupid do they think we are? Honestly.

Ricky was not as good as Matt – he does not have the personality.

I liked Ricky and think he did a great job.

If Jasmine goes through and Ricky doesn’t, I think I might have to start a protest…

Matt is the only one I like so far

I don’t understand the need for a performance show when it’s obvious that the judges already know who they want to go through in the first place.

Jesse was the best so far.

Rickyyyy!! I love himmm…if he gets beat out by Simon’s girls, I’ma punch something

I knew Ricky had no shot when the judges have all the say as to who gets through. It’s so rigged it’s not even funny

Haven’t we heard (more than once) that the judges sometimes change their opinions after watching stuff back on TV? So, this could be just a bit of a disadvantage to some tonight. Of course, they picked the Top 36 from live performances, so I may be talking out of my rear. Just sayin…

Rickey and Matt for me so far.

Why does Tatiana suddenly have an accent?!

OMG TATIANA!!!!!

Tatiana is singing “Saving All My Love For You.”

really….. she sang the same song -_-

i am done with her…. GTFO.

She only knows one song!

what did you all think of the glee promo???

Why does Tatiana only have an accent half the time? And does she know any other singers other than Whitney Houston?

Why the same song? Tati’s beginning is baaaad.

Didn’t she already sing this? Or am I just confused because she’s sang so many other Whitney songs?

I like to hear what the judge have to say about the performance, because they hear it live, but now I don’t believe a word they say, because it all seems so scripted.

Dear Flying Spaghetti Monster,

Please let us have Ricky please please please. Oh and Jesse, too, our lord and pasta. And it’s not like I would want bad things to happen to anyone, but what if you made it suddenly so Michael Sarver won the lottery, and Jorge . . . was made Prince of . . uh, Disneyworld, so suddenly there were more open spots and we could have a Truly Good Top 12. Please. I will always be good and never break the rules of any blog ever. Oh and may a lightening bolt strike Tatiana del Toro. Not a hurty one, but a specially designed bolt which would make it impossible for her to be on my television ever again.

yep she is redoing the same song I think it must be the only one she knows

SAME SONG!? Oh GO HOME Craziana!

I’m halfway out the door with this season. They praise Megan and Jasmine but nitpick Ricky. FU! I want Anoop, ricky andMatt G to get in but that’s impossible. One of them has to get in and I’ll be okay of it’s Anoop. I still think it’s going to be a Top 13, and another guy will get in. Hopefully, Matt. I’m just glad that f ever I do give up on this season, I have mj’s blog to go to if ever I need to watch or listen to an awesome performance

ETA: From the judges comments, it’s going to be Jasmine, Megan anf if he doesn’t fuck it up (or maybe, even if he does…right, Megan? Jasmine?), Anoop.

Damn. I liked Tatiana.

Can TatiDRAMA only sing Whitney songs?

If Kara says she can sing i’m gonna barf.

I am loving Paula tonight!!

I dig Tatiana and don’t care who knows it!!

Ricky was fantastic!! That’s a good performer. And awesome vocals.

Tatiana was good!!! After Ricky she was my favorite.. like, really…

OMG Paula is outstaged by Tati. Fight back Paula!

Oh, she’s stealing the thinking-in-Spanish thing from Jorge. That explains it.

Why does Tatiana suddenly have an accent?!

She’ll do anything for attention. What a nut.

Wow, Tatiana, trying to play the ‘aren’t I adorable with an accent’ card? Gah.

I will admit, the vocal wasn’t awful, but I still want her particular brand of crazy OFF MY TV.

OMG Simon is furious.

Gosh… I guess TPTB already chose even before the wildcards opened their mouths. This season is getting disgusting in my opinion. I guess the judges will just pimp whoever TPTB want all the way to Top 12, and even to the crown.

I honestly think this is Season 3 all over again, my most hated season ever. American Idol gave me hope last season after the Davids and the wonderful Top 12 (hack even Kristy Lee Cook was better than many this year).

Paula says “You grew an accent I’ve never heard before!” XD

Paula’s not a fan of people who repeat songs and that it started out shaky, but when she went into her power voice and she can sing. Simon says they’ve heard her singing that song three times so far and wants to know if she makes it into the next round, would she sing the same song again. He wants to know why she sang the same song and calls her out on her rubbish. She says she did it good enough the first time, Simon says not true because she wasn’t voted through. Randy says it’s a mixed bag of tricks. Some good moments, some not so good moments. Kara says it’s like “the adventures of Tatiana.” But that at least she’s not crying tonight. Simon says she will.

I agree with Kara. Tatiana has too many personalities.

Dear Flying Spaghetti Monster,

Please let us have Ricky please please please. Oh and Jesse, too, our lord and pasta. And ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not like I would want bad things to happen to anyone, but what if you made it suddenly so Michael Sarver won the lottery, and Jorge . . . was made Prince of . . uh, Disneyworld, so suddenly there were more open spots and we could have a Truly Good Top 12. Please. I will always be good and never break the rules of any blog ever. Oh and may a lightening bolt strike Tatiana del Toro. Not a hurty one, but a specially designed bolt which would make it impossible for her to be on my television ever again.

LMBO!!! Thanks for that, it’s the most entertaining thing i’ve seen since the show started!

i hope she is gone

I actually love Tatiana…but same song…and it was worse than the first time…oh Tatz :(

Titiana for the WIN!!!!!

ANOOP IS SINGING MY PEROGATIVE!

Anooop is great!

YEAA! Go Anoop!

Simon: “Tatiana you are not Megan or Jasmine … bus driver back up please!!”

Anoop was good, a bit flat at parts, trying too hard… but very good. Second best guy!

I love my Tatiana but, girl seriously? The same song?! She must have realized they wouldn’t send her through regardless so why learn a new song? LOL

Oh hope security frisked Tatiana for weapons before she entered the studio.

ANOOOOOOOOPPP!!!

Anoop was fantastic. Good for him.

That was all kinds of awesome but why is everyone singing songs they already have sung?

I just got home and wouldn’t you know it, Tatiana was singing. She has a really good voice but she is so annoying I really hope she doesn’t make it through. I like Anoop, but Ricky is my favorite. I was sorry to hear that Simon and Randy threw cold water on his performance. I relaly hope he makes it through.

Anoop’s vocal wasn’t perfect, but he was the best of the night IMO.

Wooooooow, Simon just admitted it was about personality O.O

Matt was the most original!

I don’t get why they are singing the same thing over again whether Tatiana or Anoop. They should need to do a new song each week.

Anoop is good, but not THAT good……..

Matt,Rickey, and Anoop for the spots!!! PLEEEEZE!!!

I like Megan too… but I want Rickey over her

I think the judges will pick Megan tho…

Praying for a twist and a top 13….!!

idolbeat
Mar 5th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
That was all kinds of awesome but why is everyone singing songs they already have sung?

Considering the short notice it’s understandable.

I haven’t watched the show yet but am so happy that Anoop is doing “My Perogative”. They barely showed it before and he did it so well plus it’s more upbeat than his last song. Can’t wait to watch!

Holy Crap Simon just admitted they are “casting” the Top 12!!

Simon is 2faced.
He says “certain” people won previously due to personality and it’s about vocals and now he just admitted personality will be a big part.

Uhhuh …………..

okay… i’m watching this on rickey tv cause i’m on the west coast and am impatient and rickey is so weird…. him and his little movements and smiles. its kind of creepy. no offense…. haha

My Prerogative again?!

ANOOOOOOOOP!!

Finally a performance that’s worthy.
He’d better go through he was AWESOME!!!!!

ANOOP! THAT WAS AWESOME. OMG.
I actually jumped out of my seat. Dang!

He HAS to get through!

Simon: “We have to cast this next stage. We don’t just put boring singers through. We put personalities as well”

Yeah, um…..wtf? Admitting to casting this season?

Oh, I forgot about the Eve Carson thing… great, now I’m not as excited :\

Anoop just pulled a Chris Richardson.

OK in fairness to Gokey … Anoop pulled the backstory card out…

what happened in chapel hill…? who is eve carson?

i think Anoop for me is in the spot Michael Johns was last season: I don’t get all him, he do nothing for me.

Matt was the most original!

With all those runs he was the least original of all…

Go Anoop, Megan, Jasmine!

wolfsbane813
Mar 5th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
what happened in chapel hillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦? who is eve carson?

She was the student body president at UNC – Chapel Hill. She was kidnapped and murdered a year ago today. She and Anoop were good friends.

This might not be saying much, but this was the best performance night of the season thus far…..by far…

And here we go! Eek! *nervous*

OK in fairness to Gokey à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ Anoop pulled the backstory card outà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

What backstory? The Eve Carson thing? I don’t think that counts as a backstory. It’s a hard day for UNCers today, and it’s not like he’s using it to get votes. It’s like when Chris Richardson did the VT thing. It was complettely appropriate IMO.

Jasmine is going to make it I think.

Two sure bets so far is Anoop, and he sang well, and of course Megan because Simon likes her.

Jasmine is first…annd she is…IN. UGH!

People, it was all decided last night. They have no time to deliberate such an important decision as CASTING the Top12.

NO! Jasmine is through?! Argh!

Zzzzzzzzz…..awful. Just awful. THat’s an hour of my life I can’t get back.

Nate wuz robbed. I would have rather listened to him do the Bleeding Love cover with his guitar wearing his scary little headband ten times over than all of these boring ass tired songs. ANd I’m not even a huge fan. This is like jumping in a time machine to the time when everyone sang Whitney ballads or Stevie Wonder, both of which I really don’t dig much at all. I don’t care if any of these people stay or go.

Except for Anoop. He can stay. Bwah, that was awesome.

Please let Ricky make it.

Well there is one girl in Jasmine

Ricky is up next. Dang, I don’t think they’re going to put two people in back to back.

I knew it! He’s out.

*kicks the judges*

aww poop…. no rickey :( PLEASE PICK MATT G!!!

Jasmine made it and Ricky didn’t! What the heck?

Megan and Tatiana are up together.

Megan is in. Surprise, surprise.

Get Tatiana off of the stage.

why do we have to have 2 girls ? Ughhhhhhh

It’s Anoop.

WHAT?!

JASMINE. IS. IN?!

But she was atrocious! WHAT THE HELL, JUDGES.

I fucking hate this wildcard format.

Oh snap, it’s going to be Anoop vs Matt G in the end, I’m betting!

Wow, that was awkward. Paula leaning over the table, talking to Tatiana…

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO RICKY…. SCREW YOU IDOL…. You better pull Jesee…

Rickey has no personality so he’s not in? Give us a chance to see his personality!! Drat.

I am soooooooooooooo mad

hmmmm…. this seems fishy so far…. 3 people called and two of them in?

Just like MJ said so far!!

Thank GOD TatiDRAMA is done.
That bit at the end with Paula tho……….come on.

Wow I can’t believe this. We just lost a great male singer.

And I’m going to laugh my behind off if Jasmine gets kicked off next week. What a waste of a space. Poor Ricky!!

This is crazy. Matt and Anoop were the best two performances.

I want Matt

Who wants to bet we’ve got a Top 13 this year?

so long, Ricky….best singer in the bunch. But “That’s Entertainment”.

I have no idea why they insisted to letting Jasmine in. Its unbelievable! Im pretty sure if she sings they way she did (or maybe always does, who knows) shes prolly gonna last 11th place, top! I cant believe Im saying this, but Kristy Lee, I miss you!

So this leaves Von, Matt, Anoop, and Jesse. With “one” spot left. Unless they do the Top 13 thing and put two through.

I’m upset about Jasmine and Ricky, though. Jasmine was not good. UGH.

Holy Crap Simon just admitted they are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“castingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  the Top 12!!

Oh I missed that LOL
Simon is a douche, I don’t like him anymore.

Anoop was ok & I love the guy. I hate that song.
Megan & Jasmine? Really AI? BORING……

Who wants to bet weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got a Top 13 this year?

Or maybe a top 14, because they put through two of the worst singers on the show.

OMG!

Ricky was totally screwed. Too bad they are too busy “casting” instead of looking for genuine talent. What a shame.

It’s official. This season sucks.

I’m on the West Coast and I’m tempted to not even watch tonight. Megan and Jasmine do NOT belong in the top 12. I don’t care what they pulled out tonight, they are only in because of their looks and that just makes me ill.

I’m pretty disgusted and this is coming from someone who has still loved Idol even when others were hating it. (coughseason6cough)

Ricky deserved to be in the top 12! He was the best tonight.

They made it very clear who they want to “cast” … the next is Anoop. If there is another it will be Matt.

Jesse is out. :(

HOLYSHEEP They are going to put anoop and matt and say which one made it. Damn.

I didn’t dislike Megan but undeserved love from Simon really puts my off. And Jasmine… no words – complete waste of space in top 12.

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOO!

It’s down to Matt and Anoop. Matt is in…

Will they shock us and put Anoop through, too? Orrr…

YES.

I think they will both m ake it. Yep.

I FUCKING CALLED IT

I CALLED IT

DAMN SIMON made anoop cry.

YAYYYYYY! The Two Best made it!

OK That was a surprise!!!! Lucky 13!

YES! GO ANOOP! GO TOP 13!

Decided “recently”? I don’t think so.

Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson on the show next week, I believe Ryan just said.

I’m happy for Anoop. Would have preferred Ricky over Matt or Jasmine.

Well one of you or more called it yesterday that they would have a top 13. That is pretty cool. I am sorry that Ricky didn’t make it, but pretty much agree with the others.

So how is this Top 13 going to work? Do we get an extra week of the show or do two get booted next week?

Yes Anoop! :clap_tb:

IDOL I HATE YOU…. No Ricky and no Jesse… IÂ ´m over…

YES YES YES MY BOYS MADE IT TONIGHT!!! SO HAPPY!!!!!!

That was a waste of time. That are the four ones they pimping from the beginning, why not spare us todays show.

YAYYYYY ANOOP AND MATT! Those were my favorite four, so I’m a happy camper.

So I only really like, I think, three of the top 13 contestants? I have a feeling I won’t be watching this season much longer.

OMFG!!!!@%@^$^!%^!$^@%!%~^%~

for the first time this seaosn im so proud of the judges for putting an extra person through because there needed to be. If you ask me, they should have kicked out Kris and Michael S. and brougt back tatiana and rickey. then it would be perfect.

Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson on the show next week, I believe Ryan just said.

Wow, I missed that. Kanye? Isn’t he the best example of an over-produced artist who can’t really sing? Way to represent a singing competition.

wolfsbane, I hope you bought yourself a lotto ticket tonight. Genius call! Top 13, unfrackinbelievable.

Oh, and that was totally Kim Caldwell in the audience.

This is a repeat of season 6, how unfortunate that two of the best singers were sent packing.

Well Finally a show to smile at :cheese1_ee:

I. HATE. THIS. SEASON.

I knew it! I knew they would leave Matt and Anoop till last then take them both!!!
It’s SO predictable.

YAY!!!!! Anoop! I have my pick for the season! I’m joining the Anoop Group!
FINALLY someone I believe in goes through.

I thought that was a great show…best hour this year.

And the four that made it through deserved it.

Jasmine had the best vocal of the night.
And Anoop the best performance.
If nothing else Meaghen is interesting.
And Matt can really sing.

Why doesn’t Anoop do anything for me? I’m sorry I just don’t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesn’t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? I’m not trying to be nasty here. I’m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think he’s just ok.

Why do they keep Anoop hanging till the last? I’m glad he’s in.. .someone to look forward to after all.

I’m okay with the four that made it through, although I would have traded Jasmine for Ricky or Jesse. Ricky brought it tonight and I don’t understand what Simon and Randy were talking about.

And what’s with all the “indulgent” comments this season? WTH

my god, Jasmine is through? she was flat throughout the song! a total waste of wc space. should have given to Ricky for her top 13 spot. I hope she is the first to be cut next week!

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a Top 13

Heh! I’ve been predicting that since last week. The producers are so predictable this year. So predictable, that MJ called three of the Wildcarders before anybody sang a note.

What the hell was that “you nearly made it” crap? How does THAT make Jesse feel?

I’m not feeling this season at all.

I like Alexis and I’m on the fence about Adam, Danny, Anoop, Matt, Megan and Alison. The rest don’t even register.

So, out of the Top 13 I like:

Adam
Anoop
Alison

And I kinda like:

Alexis
Matt
Megan

Ugh. Someone better step it up and surprise us like Cook or this is going to be a VERY boring season.

Yay Matt! Yay Anoop! Boo Jasmine. And however much current Megan sounds, she still sounds like ass.

P.s. Still, I’m out. I’ll just get my recaps and all other goodies here.

wolfsbane813 Mar 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm

i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ so it will end up being matt g. megan, jasmine, and anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

WOLFSBANE-YOU ARE THE AI WINNER!

I don’t know who said it first, but I know I said a couple days ago on here that there could be a top 13.

However, I am SO disappointed. There is no need for a top 13 when there are that many people in the top 13 who… aren’t that great or special.

I like Adam, Anoop and Alexis but hell, I don’t even know if I like them enough to pick up the phone or to be that into the show this year. And it’s an utter travesty that Ricky Braddy is not in. RIDICULOUS.

yes!!!!

go jasmine!!!

this show is really predictable.

As someone who is totally invested in ANOOP, I have to say that that was a great way to end the show. He got PIMPED TO THE MAX!!!

Megan and Jasmine over Ricky and Jesse? Gimme a fuckin break.

This show has officially become a joke. End of story.

Though I’m super excited about Kanye and Kelly!

… but the show is still a joke.

Well, I guess I’m on the Adam train with this top 13.

gingerly
Mar 5th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Why doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Anoop do anything for me? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to be nasty here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just ok.

Same here. I this he’s good and that he belongs in the Top 12 (i mean 13) but i think the appeal with him is that he is the epitome of the contestant who sings nothing like he looks.

Wow, I missed that. Kanye? Isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t he the best example of an over-produced artist who canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really sing? Way to represent a singing competition.

This is no longer a singing competition, because the Idol we once knew left us tonight.

Hoppy, I agree with you completely. There are several in the top 12 that shouldn’t be there in my opinion and Ricky definitely should be.

I seriously hate this format. So manipulative, ugh. Notice that every single contestant was 100% better than their previous performance? That’s what happens when you LET SOMEONE SING MORE THAN ONCE, instead of just booting them because they made the wrong song choice or aren’t used to performing on live television. There wasn’t a single ‘Hello’ or ‘Imagine’ performance during the semifinals. We seriously need the old top 24 back, stat.

Am still not excited over Matt G, and I am starting to lose love for Anoop as well. Ricky should have – no, wait, let me rephrase that. ANYONE ELSE should have made it over Jasmine. She was undoubtedly the worst of the night. But that just goes to prove how unrepentantly manipulative this season is; does anyone think that the decisions about who to keep were actually made tonight?

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. You’re the only reason why I’m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

Okay, someone tell me why a Top 13 is necessary? They could get rid of Jasmine. If they had put Ricky through instead, they could lose Michael Sarver. It’s kinda rediculous. And what was with “We’ve only decided this recently”? Warwick hinted at it awhile ago… definately not “recently.”

From the judges’ comments, it’s OBVIOUS they pre-picked these people.

I’m alright with the people they put through, but the fact that they tailored their comments by focusing on good aspects for the “chosen” ones and bad aspects for the fodder is just extremely unfair.

… And Simon OBVIOUSLY FLOVES Megan. Not subtle, Mr. Same-shirt -every-week.

Ugh. Someone better step it up and surprise us like Cook or this is going to be a VERY boring season.

I am confident that Adam will be the one to do that for you.

Jasmine? Meh. But I’m pretty zen about Megan, Matt and Anoop. Although Megan needs vocal coaching to control her instrument, there is an interesting tone to her voice. I think she has potential. Matt was better than the horrific Coldplay performance, and Anoop was a lot of fun tonight.

So are BOTH Kanye and Kelly mentoring?

So I only really like, I think, three of the top 13 contestants? I have a feeling I wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be watching this season much longer.

I only really like one, and sorta enjoy one, and one other had a moment. :tongue2_tb:

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re the only reason why Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

What she said. Well, and the Cook pimpage.

I mean, seriously. Why do they keep fucking with Anoop? Saving him til last yesterday. Making him think he’s not in it tonight.

And Kanye West next week? :huh_tb: I mean, I love Kanye, but WTF?

They wouldn’t have had to have a top 13 if they wouldn’t have put Jasmine through. I guess she’ll come in 3rd place this season. GAG! This show is definitely cast behind the scenes.

I’m glad Matt made it. Anoop is just meh……………but, a cute guy.

Are the mentoring or performing?

i told Simon to admit they were casting characters …he listened and as I said the TRUTH has set him freeeeee

Yes Season 8 is a joke. Can’t comment after I’ve watched it. Couldn’t get the Ricky blog to work (my PC hanged everytime I logged on).

I hope someone surprises me. This time last year we already had a few stand-outs, particularly Imagine and Hello for me. But NONE this year. Not good at all.

Maybe Kanye can do the song re-arranging for the contestants. He can’t sing but he’s a KILLER producer and knows how to re-mix a song.

Well, only one of my Carolina boys made it in. So I’m backing Anoop all the way. Do us proud, Anoop!

Even though I split watched Survivor and AI I totally called the 3 wild cards before the show. Two “young girls” for balance and Anoop for the same thing plus eye candy. They couldn’t have an almost 100% white guy top 12.
Plus Anoop got the pimp spot. But I guess they still like Matt (I’m off his love train) and he went through as well. So whoever called Top 13 deserves an award.

I like how Simon said the best sngers don’t matter because “casting” is more important. If there’s nothing better to watch or I like the guests, I guess I’ll keep watching.

At least it’ll be interesting to see at what point in the season, Idol is no longer the #1 show on television. A season this bad could do permanent damage to the brand though. Be careful producers.

Ugh. Someone better step it up and surprise us like Cook or this is going to be a VERY boring season.

I am confident that Adam will be the one to do that for you.

Of course :) I love Adam, but I meant I hope someone else who we think isn’t good surprises us, you know? Otherwise, it’s going to be the Adam Lambert Show. Not that I have a problem with that (at all), but I would like to see someone else who actually interests me to a point.

OMG YESSSS!

I’m irritated about Jasmine getting through, but it was inevitable.

This was the first exciting show in the series so far, and performance-wise it was definitely the best. I thought it was great.

I love Anoop, and I think the judges put him through so we can see his development over the weeks. Trust me, he’s going to be the ‘growth as a performer arc’ of this season. He’s going to do great.

I hope Megan doesn’t tank in the first week or two, but it seems she might. But I hope not.

Jasmine is meh. Jesse was miles better. Boo!

Matt, although not my favorite, did much better tonight. It sucks that Ricky didn’t make it because he was leagues better than Matt.

So bring on the top 13 and the big stage! Hurrah!

Lame with the telling Jesse she “nearly” made it. Lame that Jesse and Ricky didn’t make it. Lame that I have to listen to Jasmine even one more time.

Ugh, and I just remembered Danny Gokey is going to be back on my TV this week. How did this show go from being a highlight of my spring last year to being a complete pain in the ass?

yay for Matt and Anoop! Boo for Jesse. She was my fav girl. I did not care for Megan’s performance at all. I thought Anoop was a lock (why do they keep effing with him) but I wasn’t expecting Matt to make it too. I am so thrilled he got in.

Meh…I’d prefer Jasmine to not be there at all, but if a top 13 is the only way I get both Matt and Anoop in there, then I guess I’m cool with it.

Ahhh…all four of my favorites are in the top 13. I don’t think that’s ever happened for me before.

Uh. I could have had Ricky instead of Jasmine. Or Jesse instead of Jasmine. Or Jesse instead of Megan. I’d rather had Jesse.

Or anyone that isn’t Jasmine.

Or better yet I’ll keep Jasmine and trade out the lackluster Sarver, who I hope doesn’t make it past the first round next week.

On the plus note, Anoop’s reaction was PRICELESS. :)

And I knew Idol couldn’t contain it to an hour.

If Anoop got less votes than the forgettable Michael S, I don’t think he’ll be around very long.

It’s crazy how much more professional the show looks when the band and backup singers are visible. I wonder if that has anything to do with how much better the kids performed tonight.

Speaking of the kids, it’s also a bit annoying that I’ve heard the “rejects” sing twice live, yet I’ve only seen most of the top 12 sing once.

I dont see why ppl dislike Jasmine so much. The girl has a huge voice. I thought she had the best vocal of the night (matt a close 2nd). She she doesnt have much uniqueness or personality, but i mean, she deserved her spot IMO.

Oh, I’m willing to bet Michael Sarver will be the first to get booted next week. Then Kris Allen will be next.

Ugh, and I just remembered Danny Gokey is going to be back on my TV this week.

ARGH. NO. I forgot about him. As if Idol can’t get any worse this season…

At least Tatiana didn’t get through.

In a perfect world, I’d swap Michael, Kris, and Jasmine for Jesse, Mishavonna, and Felicia.

Sigh to no perfect world.

Why doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Anoop do anything for me? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to be nasty here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just ok.

Don’t worry, I never understood the Ju’not love at all. I found him boring.

But seriously, I like Anoop because:

1. He’s a nice guy with a great personality
2. He can sing
3. I’ve always loved the sort of dorky guys
4. There’s tons of raw talent there and boy has potential.

gingerly:

Why doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Anoop do anything for me? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to be nasty here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just ok.

Nope – I’m with you on the non-love train. Said it earlier today as a matter of fact. He’s got a great personality but I just don’t hear his voice the way others do I guess.

Anoop gets so much props for me.

1. He sang “My Prerogative.”

2. He did a suggestive move on stage, lol.

3. He said the word “damn” in the song.

Apparently I’m easy to please.

Oh, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m willing to bet Michael Sarver will be the first to get booted next week. Then Kris Allen will be next.

I’m betting on Michael and then Jasmine. I’m HOPING on Michael and then Jasmine! I don’t want to sit through eitherof them on the tour. But,y ou could be right about Kris. He does seem to have a quickly-growing fanbase, though.

Bring Ricky in. Send Jasmine out.

Wow, this was like finding out there is no Santa Claus, Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy all in one week.
We really got to see behind the curtain and it is not
pretty! I feel sorry for Ryan because he does try to be professional but with the judges so uninspired and the quality of singers so low, all the fizz is gone. Everything they try to do seems to fall flat. What a disappointment.

Ugh, and I just remembered Danny Gokey is going to be back on my TV this week.

UGH.

And probably in the pimp spot with another inspirational! Uplifting! Ballad!

If that happens I will honestly not watch the rest of this season and simply read the recaps on here.

MJ, will you be covering DWTS this season?

I bet they would have put Tatiana through if she didn’t piss off Simon tonight.

a double elimination at the beginning of the top 13 would be awesome. Get rid of the people who shouldn’t be there right off the bat.

I was so wrong about Jasmine-I really didn’t think they’d choose her. I would have preferred Jesse, but it doesn’t matter ’cause I’m pretty much over season eight already. Tonight was underwhelming.

a double elimination at the beginning of the top 13 would be awesome. Get rid of the people who shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be there right off the bat.

I second that

I am so happy that Anoop made the top 13. No matter how hard the judges pimped the girls, the guys are that much better.

And how wonderful that Anoop acknowledged Eve Carlson, slain student body president of U-NC Chapel Hill.

Please someone give Danny the GO key and make him exit asap! I can’t put up with his ‘feel sorry for me’ face anymore.

Why doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Anoop do anything for me? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to be nasty here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just ok.

I think he has a lot of appeal to viewers because he’s more like what we got in the earlier seasons, something the show has been missing: normal, nice people just like them who have never done anything like this before and are getting the chance of a lifetime. That’s what the show was built on, and it’s moved away from that. I think people like that Anoop brings that back. Other contestants are like that too, but I think people can connect more with Anoop because he’s a college kid from NC… not exactly Hollywood :)

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re the only reason why Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

Yes. This. Right now, these two are the only ones I’m interested in. Gah, they better bring it.

Is anyone else dying at the idea of Kanye West mentoring Adam Lambert. Because I don’t why but the thought of that has me cracking up.

As I am on holiday, I couldn’t convince the hubbie to sit in another night to watch AI. I am so glad I didn’t. WTF!! Just reading the comments makes my blood boil. Jasmine, Meg. how obvious…..

Sounds like Ricky and Jesse were totally screwed.

MJ, will you be covering DWTS this season?

Sort of, yeah. But Idol comes first.

I do not like Megan… Sorry fans… and if Jasmine is going to make it past week 1 she is going to have to come out of her shell and nail it… I liked the tone in Jesse’s voice more than I liked Megan.

How did Jasmine ever make it into the Top 13????? I don’t get it. As someone else said, a complete waste of space. Zero personality and boring as hell.

How did Ricky not get in? I’m baffled. I love him. As Simon said, he’s ‘got chops’. Best of the night for me. It would have been a perfect Top 13 had he made it. He should be there in place of Jasmine.

Megan was a sure bet as was Anoop. I’m not on the Anoop train quite yet though.

Adam remains my very favorite and I don’t expect that will change as the show progresses. IMO there’s a pretty wide gap between him and any of the other 12.

So, I have not read any other comments yet!
Yes, Simon is a liar, ha! They just decided RECENTLY? Yeah right! If they really wanted it to be a surprise they should have made it a top 14 and put Jesse through.

I have a theory that Paula and Simon wanted Jesse to go through and Kara and Randy wanted Jasmine. Jasmine is BORING!!! Jesse would have been so much better.

So in this theory, Randy and Kara won because Simon’s golden girl is Meagan and R & K pulled this on him.

Oh and BTW, did I mention that Jasmine should NOT have gone through!!!!

My only request at this point is that if anyone hears about Jesse putting out an album, please let me know because I’m buying it!

In case you’re all wondering IMO Jesse should be there in the top 12, um 13 (laugh, laugh) right now.

Oh and hear’s a shocker, Jesse should have made it over Anoop. However, I’m probably unpopular in that thought. I believe the only reason Anoop was chosen was because AI feared that Waaaayyyyy too many people would not tune in.

All I have to say, is that he better bring it!!!

Also IMO, Matt G. killed it tonight!!! Okay, I’m blabbering on now. LOL.

I’m not at all surprised. I knew it would be those four if there were four, and once I saw how it was going down, I knew they’d make it be between Anoop and Matt.

I’m pretty angry at the blatant pre-picking and wrong comments on Ricky and Jesse. I guess I’m just very glad I got to hear them both sing again, because they were both fantastic.

Not sure who my horse is this year… or if I’ll even keep watching. It’s like everything I hated about Idol is magnified tenfold this time around due to this screwy format.

On a completely different note, someone NEEDS to give Megan some training in stage presence. Those little moves have got to go! That’s karaoke, to me.

Thanks for all of your responses. I guess maybe I will learn to get it…or not.

2. He did a suggestive move on stage, lol.

3. He said the word à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“damnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the song.

Things for which Adam Lambert would be crucified (again).

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m betting on Michael and then Jasmine. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m HOPING on Michael and then Jasmine! I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to sit through eitherof them on the tour.

I’m not even sure I’d want to go to the tour, no matter who the first 3 kicked off are. But maybe that’s just me. (Although if the first 3 off are Michael, Jasmine and Megan… that will help. LOL.)

Compared to last year’s group? This group is just sad, IMO. Last year’s 10th place person was Chikezie and after seeing him on tour, I’m pretty sure Chikezie could blow at least half of this year’s field out of the water.

Simon has a crush on Megan. That’s why she’s in.

Is anyone else dying at the idea of Kanye West mentoring Adam Lambert.

That’s great since Kanye doesn;t have problems with gay people. He takes fashion cues from them. *snerk* :dry_tb:

Ugh. Someone better step it up and surprise us like Cook or this is going to be a VERY boring season.

I am confident that Adam will be the one to do that for you.

Im the immortal words of Mr. Cook … “I hope you’re right.”

This season seriously blows. I was more entertained during S6 and that’s a reallly scary fact to chew on.

I still can’t believe Simon called Ricky’s performance Karaoke. The lies they tell so their favs will make it.
I think Ricky was much better than Anoop and Matt.

I think I’m somehow interested in Allison and Adam, just because I want to care about someone this season.

Anoop reminds me of Chikizie, someone with a good voice who’s fun with upbeat songs and boring with the slow ones.

I can’t believe Ricky didn’t get through. He’s way better than Meghan will ever be. I suppose she is more “commercial.” I am trying to figure out what it is about Ricky that Simon can’t bring himself to actually compliment him. His backhanded compliments sound so vile.

Oh, yeah. Cook was da bomb. heh.

MJS, was making it top 13 instead of the top 12 the big surprise that was gonna happen?

Jasmine had to be there… Otherwise there would only be one African-American in the whole competition. It might not be politically correct to say, but history shows that we usually end up being about 2% of any reality show. Don’t worry… unless she does something really fantastic, she won’t be around long. But, I tell you what… if the season starts off as boring as the auditions have been, the ratings are going to tank for sure!

Jesse- She really ended up growing on me. Sorry to see her go.
Matt- Well hello there Mr. Girard… p.s. btw, no one is loving me at the moment. *ahem*
Meagan- I do not think she should have made it over Jesse. She is ok, but her twitchy dancing is going to get on my nerves and fast.
Von- I liked him at first, but then I got bored. I do think he is a good singer though.
Jasmine- I knew if she did well this time around that she would make it. I honestly do not think she will make it far, but she was much better tonight.
Ricky- Not as good as the last time.
Tatiana- Buh bye. And shame on Ryan!
Anoop- I just love him.
I did not realize Kara went to Duke. No wonder I don’t like her (kidding! mostly).

At the end when it was down to Matt and Anoop, I just KNEW they both were gonna make it. This season might end up being ok after all. I said MIGHT.

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re the only reason why Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

You must be reading my mind.

Anoop and Adam I shall split my votes between until one is eliminated. And I just love hating on Gokey and I’m throwing Michael Sarver in there too. :)

Since Gokey won’t go next week. Let’s get Sarver out!

I’m not sure why everyone thinks Sarver will go out first. He got voted in by America and he’s kind of the Josh Gracin guy this year. Josh got to fourth, even though he arguably should have gone out way before that. I think Jasmine will go early, and maybe Jorge (that’s not to say Jorge can’t sing, just that I think Sarver has a bigger “base” from which to draw).

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re the only reason why Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

Me too. I’m pulling for an Anoop/Adam finale. I want Gokey gone, now. In fact, I would rather see him go than Michael or Jasmine, which just goes to show you how much I dislike him and his pimping.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure why everyone thinks Sarver will go out first. He got voted in by America and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s kind of the Josh Gracin guy this year. Josh got to fourth, even though he arguably should have gone out way before that. I think Jasmine will go early, and maybe Jorge (thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not too say Jorge canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing, just that I think Sarver has a bigger à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“baseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  from which to draw).

I’d be just fine with Jorge leaving as well!

I liked Josh Gracin.

I find Michael Sarver to be a man that grates on my nerves.

I just personally think there is much better competition in the Top 12 than Sarver and while I’m sure he probably does have a following he has not distinguished himself. Is he a blue-eyed soul singer? A country artist? A rocker? What the heck is he!?!

Oh wait! I know! He’s just a nice guy. America likes just nice guys. They don’t need to sing(neither do half the top 13 if they have a personality!)

I mean if he doesn’t go first I’ll take Jasmine, Jorge, Scott in his place perfectly fine!

Anoop gets the love because he’s a young, cute and not obviously gay. He seems like a decent kid. The little girls need someone to scream about. And the older ones need the eye candy. So next week they’ll be kicking two off I assume. And then the other ten can go out a massive tour selling thousands of tickets to stadium shows. Eeek.

I go along with the Santa post. To me it’s like the Wizard of Oz, the guy behind the curtain is just too damn obvious. Kara is turning into a real drag as well. She sort of sums up everything crappy about the music scene – cheap sexual comments and overly concerned with appearance.

Go away Kara.

So are they just performing. or are the mentoring

For a show that’s trying to be so unpredictable, that sure was predictable. When it got down to the last 4, you knew Von and Jesse were out, Ryan would bring Anoop and Matt up there together, and as soon as Simon said Matt was in I was like wait for it…wait for it…and sure enough, it’s a top 13. Granted, I’d be furious if Anoop didn’t make it, but come on.

Matt redeemed himself in my eyes tonight, and I still think Jasmine and Meghan are completely undeserving.

I’m really pissed about what they did to Jesse. I mean, really. She couldn’t have done anything more than what they asked her to do and probably had the best overall performance (combining vocals and stage presence) of the night. What a sham.

Why bother? Really?

THEY CHOSE A TOP THIRTEEN!1!1 I’m so surprised!! If only we hadn’t predicted that very thing YESTERDAY, LOL.

Seriously, after the whole discussion earlier today about so-called “black divas,” I just gotta say that if you put a pair of glasses on each of them, Ricky, Danny and Matt are pretty much interchangeable for me. Ricky is the best singer of the three of them, but he is not a great performer. Still, could they have found a bigger bus to run over him? WTF. At least they got a two for one on that deal since they were able to use it on Jesse too.

Megan SUCKED! But who cares if she can sing? She’s so pretty. Wait until the anti-tattoo brigade shows her cute little spastic ass the door in the next few weeks.

And OMG, did Ryan essentially suggest that Tatiana get down on her knees and face his crotch? That was soooo awkward.

I’ve loved Anoop from his audition, but I thought he looked like a dork performing tonight. And he was trying way too hard. I didn’t think he sounded good at all. Now HE reminded me of Taylor Hicks. Another total spaz. Honestly I was ready for him to go home, but of course I knew he wouldn’t be. I’m glad though. I love me some Anoop. I hope he gets his shit together though, because I’m afraid he’s going to turn into a laughingstock.

And I’ve never been a fan of Matt G., but he earned his spot tonight (not that that’s saying a whole lot).

It’s official: Worst. Season. Ever. Simon wanted to kill this baby and he’s pretty much done it.

maturin, your prayer to the Flying Spaghetti Monster is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read related to Idol. Thank you for that.

Golddigger for Group song…….they will announce a double Elim and save it for when they want to get rid of their least 2 faves at once…..

I’m watching Season 4 Top 11 results show. lol random

And OMG, did Ryan essentially suggest that Tatiana get down on her knees and face his crotch? That was soooo awkward.

If Tatiana had been quick with a comeback she could have said “uh, Ryan I’m a girl.”

How did Jasmine ever make it into the Top 13????? I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get it. As someone else said, a complete waste of space. Zero personality and boring as hell.

Actually, my husband (extremely casual viewer and generally a tough critic) looked up from his book when she was on and commented on how sweet and poised Jasmine is. Not exactly exciting, but that’s still a personality that will appeal to a lot of people. I’m willing to give her a chance, because while she’s no superstar, I don’t think she’s the absolute worst voice in the competition either at this point. I DO resent the motivation and method behind her being chosen, however … but it’s not her fault.

SOOOO sad to see Ricky get robbed like that. That was my only heartache tonight, even if I did expect it.

love lock down for the group song

Re: Anoop. Don’t know if anyone mentioned it (haven’t been thru all the comments) – but I’m from Chapel Hill and the 1 yr anniversary of Eve’s murder was MAJOR news today. There were large memorial services covered live by regional TV stations, radio, etc. I didn’t take Anoop’s remark to be sucking up with a backstory. I think he knows this small college town well enough to know it was a big event today and wanted to be part of it.

I hope that doesn’t cost him any votes. He may not be my favorite, but I don’t think he was trying to get votes or sympathy. Just my take ….

Megan’s dance moves don’t worry me that much. A lot of the past contestants didn’t know what to do with themselves onstage. Carrie, for instance, was awkward and didn’t know how to work a stage or an audience. But she’s come a long way since then, to say the least. I thought Megan should have gone through the last time, and this time again.

And Jesse too. Then and now. Anoop is not a very strong singer, even if he is likable. A lot of people are likable, but can they sing? Jesse was better than Anoop or Jasmin. Jesse was good both times she sang. *pouts*

Matt G, yes. I like him. But overall this is a boring season so far. Adam, while I’m not a huge fan, seems like the only one with star quality at this point. Everyone else seems like kareoke so far.

Idol did what they said they would do, they wanted inexperienced, untrained, singers and that’s what they got. Not very exciting. Last season was much better with truly talented artists.

Ricky Braddy – à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Supestitionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  by Stevie Wonder – This dude can SANG. The best so far, no contestant. OMG this is totally hot. He deserves a spot on the wildcard yà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢all. If Simon calls him boring, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going to throw something. Kara said, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You can sing your butt offà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦you held your own, good job.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Paula says, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I love the way you loosened upà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦you nailed it.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Simon says, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A bit karoke and a bit lightweightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦clumsyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a bit disappointed.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Randy says, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“That song was not the one for youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦it felt self-indulgentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Are Simon and Randy FUCKING HIGH? This is TOTAL BULLSHIT!

mj, I love you!!! Ricky getting in would have been the only thing that would have helped my anger about Jesse not making it. I was up dancing through his song. (Ha, yes I’m Paula.:))

oh wait! Maybe Kris Allen will go first next week since I keep seeming to forget he exists!

I wish Matt the goat man had sang what he sang tonight a week ago too just because we wouldn’t have Kris Allen and then maybe I could have someone else I wanted in the Wildcard.

MJ, I rarely post here but I always come to read your comments, vids and other people comments. This season of AI, for me dawg (Randy’s style), just sucks! They not only left more deserving people out of the wild card selections but from those, they left people out like Ricky!!! Come on Simon! Karaoke!!! Oh well, it doesn’t matter ’cause I’m done with AI for good.
I’ll stick with my idol, David Cook and look no further.
Anywho, thanks for a great job MJ :D

I missed the end because they went over but told my dh that they’d probably give the 3rd seat to someone else leaving Anoop and then say there’s going to be 13. Poor Anoop, they keep leaving him hanging.

I’m so happy he’s in but not that Jesse isn’t. I thought Megan was pretty bad tonight and Jasmine does nothing for me. I did think Matt was good so deserves a spot. I think it’s a pretty good top 13 overall with a couple of exceptions. Yay Anoop! :wub_tb:

Meghan and Jasmine will be judged by America now. Let’s see how long these pretty girls will last. They weren’t exactly beloved the first time around. Can’t wait to see Simon’s face when they are eliminated.

This may be unpopular, but while I liked Ricky’s vocals, his performance/dancing was awkward and kind of cruise ship. He still deserved it over goat boy.

So it’s 13. Are they adding an extra week or having a double elimination or what?

Is anyone else dying at the idea of Kanye West mentoring Adam Lambert.

Well Kanye is pretty theatrical, so they’ll probably get along fine. Hee! But did they say he was actually going to be mentoring?

I don’t why a top thirteen is even necessary. Matt G, Jasmine, and Megan all seem pretty expendable. Anoop would be expendable too, if not for the fact that he’s so cool and likable.

After tonight, with the clear disparity between what was seen onstage and who was put through to the top 12, I’d like the mainstream media to finally start looking into whether or not AI is on the up and up. There is no way that was a legit wildcard round, based both on the performances and on how quickly the judges made their decision. They had to have had a pre-selection that they went with, knowing it would take an act of God (somebody dying before they could perform) to cause them to have to do any real deliberations after the performances.

I am very glad that Anoop and Matt made it. I think that they are going to help make this competition a lot more interesting. Anoop, Adam, and Matt are definitely my top three contestants for this season and I want to see them all go far. I am glad that there is a top 13, so that both Anoop and Matt were able to get through.

I wish that Jesse and Ricky would have made it through over Jasmine and Megan. I think that Jesse and Ricky are more deserving to be in the top 12, than Jasmine and Megan are. I don’t think that Megan can sing that well, and I don’t think really care for Jasmine as a singer. I hope that these two will be the first two people to go home.

This is sooooooooooooooooo fixed.
I think I’m done with this season.
The fact that Ricky Braady did not get into the top 12/13 is beyond me.
Best singer of them all.

total bull that jasmine made it but ricky didnt……worst decision…..im guessing her and michael will be the first 2 to leave depending on the theme….

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve loved Anoop from his audition, but I thought he looked like a dork performing tonight.

I love Anoop too, but the most entertaining part of the show tonight for me was the look on my kids’ faces when he was performing. My 9-year-old turned to me and said, “Mom, what is he DOING?”

I hope that doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t cost him any votes. He may not be my favorite, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think he was trying to get votes or sympathy. Just my take à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

I think he was sincere and understated enough not to be misunderstood. It probably felt weird not to say anything. (Having been very closely involved with the VT tragedy, I can tell you that I was EXPECTING Chris Richardson to say something that week. I’m sure it feels the same way in Chapel Hill right now.)

I was more impressed with Ricky last time he sang. I don’t think Superstition is a good song to wow people. It’s not a song that shows off anyone’s vocals. I’ve never liked the song that much, so I guess it colors my feelings about Ricky tonight.

They had a weak field to start with, and then they wasted a few spots by putting some weak singers and boring people through. Michael, Chris, Jasmin, off the top of my head. What happened to Frankie, Felicity, Jesse, and others that slip my mind now? Even Norman/Nick would have been entertaining. Well maybe not.

It’s not just the format, though I think last year’s format was definitely better. They used this basic format in the early seasons and it worked fine. But the talent pool was tons better. Ruben, Clay, and Kim Locke, for instance, shone from the start. As did Frenchie. Kelly Clarkson. Tamyra Grey. Etc. And Adam stood out in this format too. Star quality will show and doesn’t need several chances to work on us. I think they did a lousy job of picking the talent this season. And 36 is just too many. They should have stayed with 24. That was a big mistake.

I want Gokey gone, now.

You know what is very funny. I don’t like him, but he and Adam are the only ones from whom I am expected a professional performance at the moment.
With all others I have the feeling it could really be a hit or a miss in every performance, because I don’t get the vibe from them the know, who they are us an artist.
I hope that they are some trues in Kara’s remark about Kris to be very interesting in Hollywood week and that Matt get’s his priorities together.
As for Jasmine imo the just wanted an all American girl for the teeny fanbase.

Prediction: Next week, Simon will tell someone this is a singing competition. :doh_tb:

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t why a top thirteen is even necessary. Matt G, Jasmine, and Megan all seem pretty expendable. Anoop would be expendable too, if not for the fact that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so cool and likable.

Seriously. If this is the big controversial shocker, I’m underwhelmed.

why even tell Jesse she ALMOST made it…….in my eyes she is just as commercial as the not so good singer Jasmine and Jesse can really SING….poor ole Ricky and poor ole Matt being compared to Taylor Hicks by the man who has repeatedly said he HATES taylor hicks…not a good sign

Sadly I was right about Ricky not making it – he blew the others out of the water – the boy has some serious chops . Even Simon admitted it – and he showed tons of personality. What a totally different type of song he sang to show that he can sing anything flawlessly and they still diss the guy !

I am so pissed – well ,now I will vote for Adam even though I think Ricky is the superior singer . He needed AI as a vehicle to get his music out there. There is just so much talent and it is so hard to make it without connections .

This show is so rigged – this format blows big time and the Wildcard selections were chosen before they even opened their mouths ! Boo !

Anoop gets the love because heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a young, cute and not obviously gay. He seems like a decent kid. The little girls need someone to scream about. And the older ones need the eye candy.

Not quite. I’m 26 and I like him.
He’s fun to watch.
He sings the type of music I like to listen to
He has a good voice (and a great voice for recording)
He gives off a talented-yet-dorky vibe (all my boyfriends have been sort of ‘cool nerds’, so I’m partial :) )
He hasn’t been signed to a label then dropped
He hasn’t been on another reality talent show
He’s got lots of raw talent
He has always come across as personable and genuinely nice
You can tell he’s thrilled to be there and not jaded
He wrote his undergrad paper on ‘que!

My baby sister, who’s a sophomore in college, and all her friends love him. And they haven’t watched Idol for a while now but they’re tuning in to see Anoop. Like him or not, the producers were smart to put him through if they want that demographic (which they do since the audience has been skewing much older and advertisers no likey).

why even tell Jesse she ALMOST made ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.in my eyes she is just as commercial as the not so good singer Jasmine and Jesse can really SINGà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Simon was just saying that in attempt to appease the fans in light of the fact that he advanced two other females who didn’t perform as well tonight.

It didn’t work for me.

After tonight, with the clear disparity between what was seen onstage and who was put through to the top 12, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like the mainstream media to finally start looking into whether or not AI is on the up and up. There is no way that was a legit wildcard round, based both on the performances and on how quickly the judges made their decision. They had to have had a pre-selection that they went with, knowing it would take an act of God (somebody dying before they could perform) to cause them to have to do any real deliberations after the performances.

The pre-selection was obvious and predicted by many, but not against the rules. It’s judges choice. They can choose whomever they want, however they want, and for whatever reason. That’s why this format sucks.

Despite all of my irritation with the format and the judges, I did think tonight was the best so far. As I said in an earlier post, THIS is what a week’s experience provides. I’m actually looking forward to next week because we’ll finally be able to settle in, get to know the contestants, and (*fingers crossed*) witness a few great surprises.

If Kanye West is mentoring, though …. heehee. Some of those kids will be shaking in their sneakers.

^^Danica, I agree with your post. Smart, funny guys are appealing. Period.

This may be unpopular, but while I liked Rickyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vocals, his performance/dancing was awkward and kind of cruise ship. He still deserved it over goat boy.

I agree with this.

I think Ricky did great, but for me, Superstition always bring the ‘karaoke, not original’ problem with me..

ashes07
Mar 5th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
MJS, was making it top 13 instead of the top 12 the big surprise that was gonna happen?

I’m not MJ, but this “big surprise” was mentioned by the producers before the Semi-Final rounds. Simon hinted at the fact that when anoop was standing there at the end, they had just decided to make it a Top 13, so it would negate the fact that the big surprise was a Top 13. I mean, if they were to come out and admit that the big surprise was a Top 13, then it would look a little bit rigged imo, and the producers aren’t THAT dumb.

My hunch at the big surprise: only a btm 2 every week, those 2 have a final sing-off, judges eliminate one of them until the top 4 at which point the lowest vote getter will go.

Is Kanye West performing or mentoring? I think the blog says he’s performing.

Is this American Rap Idol or what? He raps, he doesn’t sing. What the hell is he doing on American Idol? This season gets worse and worse for me.

any mention of a theme yet?

God, I miss Nigel. :cry_tb:

Kanye wouldn’t mentor. He would decide he’s better than all the contestants and crown himself the American Idol.

I agree with your LIST Danica. I absolutely hate what AI did to Anoop tonight. You can also tell how popular he is with the other contestants. He just seems so sweet and very talented.

Anoop and Adam, you two better DELIVER. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re the only reason why Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still watching this show – that, and because I love to hate on Danny Gokey.

This just about says it all; however, I will be watching Alexis. There may be a surprise or two with this young lady.

ETA: I didn’t read the post all the way through. Yep, Grandmas will like Anoop! ;o)

“There is no way that was a legit wildcard round, based both on the performances and on how quickly the judges made their decision. ”

What makes a ‘legit wildcard round?’ The judges are picking who they want…it doesn’t matter if the decision was made in the last 5 minutes tonight or 3 weeks ago.

The exclusion of Ricky, and the inclusion of Jasmine/Megan just showed me how rigged this is this year.

Well, I’m not exactly angry because Season 8 just plain sucked. Can I just forward to May and just let them crown whoever they want to be? *presses remote control*

I may be wrong and I have been many times….except for 2 or 3 contestants this Reality Cast is sorta DullsVille. Maybe it is just Burnout on my part because I have been watching since the beginning. I may need to re-evaluate my TV programming.

I hope 19 makes boatloads of money from peeps that they’ve already signed. If their whole point of being is to make a profit from successful recording artists, this year is looking none too promising.

Sadly I was right about Ricky not making it – he blew the others out of the water – the boy has some serious chops . Even Simon admitted it – and he showed tons of personality. What a totally different type of song he sang to show that he can sing anything flawlessly and they still diss the guy !

I am so pissed – well ,now I will vote for Adam even though I think Ricky is the superior singer . He needed AI as a vehicle to get his music out there. There is just so much talent and it is so hard to make it without connections .

This show is so rigged – this format blows big time and the Wildcard selections were chosen before they even opened their mouths ! Boo !

This is exactly how I feel – thanks for expressing it better than I could!

I’m probably in the minority about Megan. I didn’t like tonight’s performance, but I am glad she made it through. I get tired of so many Idol singers being the big voice, big ballad types. In fact, the judges often criticize song choices that don’t show a lot of range. It just seems to create a mold. I like the fact that Megan has a different quality. I don’t know if she can pull off a very long stay, but I’m hoping she lasts for a little while. I like to see some different types of singers.

To me, there are no real stand-outs this year. Not yet, anyway.

Looking forward to getting to know the finalists as they perform each week. NOT a fan of the one and done format this year.

Matt won me over this week. Here’s hoping he continues in this vein and doesn’t let his vibrato take over again.

At this stage Anoop and Alexis are my favorites. They make this season watchable.

Honestly, I’m just glad that Anoop did go through. He has seemed so much more shy and nervous on the Idol stage than his youtube videos have shown. He hasn’t crashed and burned, but he hasn’t really shown what he can do with that voice of his. I hope he comes into his own and really takes control out there (but not by trying too hard). This season is so odd for me because I’m definitely much more of a rock fan. But something about Anoop got me.

^So I guess now we are almost sure that Danny will win this year… Jesse could have win and Ricky too but AI “DRAMA” Producers wants him… I on ´t like anybody in the Top 12…

Simon says, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A bit karoke and a bit lightweightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦clumsyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a bit disappointed.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I like Ricky Braddy, but I thought his rendition of Superstition was average karaoke too (and I rarely agree with Simon). You should not sing Superstition unless you are filled with gritty soul, and Ricky is sooooo not. Beautiful voice though.

My first thought when they put Jasmine through was ‘well, someone has to go home first’…

Anoop gets so much props for me.

1. He sang à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Prerogative.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

2. He did a suggestive move on stage, lol.

3. He said the word à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“damnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the song.

Apparently Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m easy to please.

Yep, this is what sold Anoop! This is what the judges know mainstream America is looking for. I know, I know so many people think mainstream America is Ricky Braddy(?) or maybe even Kris Allen, but Anoop is what will bring the viewers they want. Believe me, I don’t have ANYTHING against what Anoop sang tonight. I have no problem with “damn” being in a song, or a suggestive move, I just don’t think he was that great tonight. Having said that, I’m hoping he proves me wrong and does better in future shows. He’s a likable guy, I like him.

Oh, and the shout out? I have no problem with that at all. Honestly, these people are who they are. And now, I’m not going to say what I was going to say…;).

Danica, I agree with your post. Smart, funny guys are appealing. Period.

So true. My sisters and I all have a thing for brainy dudes with a sense of humor. Instead of commenting on a guy’s butt or abs or whatever, we always quote Pulp Fiction with a “Check out the big brain on Brad.” Heh.

The casting comment does not surprise me at all, they are “casting a top 12 or 13″ or whatever!! That’s the way it’s always been done. Why do you think they have them do those group numbers??? They want to see how they will fit in.

Nice analysis Danica…I’m 26 too (at least for another month or so :() and I usually listen to more rock sounding stuff, but Anoop has brought back some good Boyz II Men memories and damn, the boy can sing. I know, my opinion is based on youtube videos with the Clef Hangers, but my reasoning is, if he can sing and stand out in front of 15 other guys (who all have good voices), then he can do it alone too. At least I’m hoping.

The whole “singing is not important” comment from Simon should have been directed towards other contestants (i.e. Danny & Scott), not Anoop. Close your eyes and listen to Danny and Scott; if people didn’t know the backstories, no one would think either is incredible. I know I’m not saying anything original here, but I’ve tried to be objective, I’ve gone back and listened to people, and I’m just not feeling it. Oh well, this is a subjective topic and there’s never a right or wrong answer.

So I’m confused about the theme, is there one? Will Kanye or Kanye and Kelly be mentor(s)? How cool would it be if the contestants had to sing a Kanye or Kelly song?

After tonight, with the clear disparity between what was seen onstage and who was put through to the top 12, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d like the mainstream media to finally start looking into whether or not AI is on the up and up. There is no way that was a legit wildcard round, based both on the performances and on how quickly the judges made their decision.

Well, like a lot of folks here, I was pretty sure that Megan, Jasmine, Matt and Anoop were a lock before the show even started (even though I was hoping they’d come to their senses and pick Anoop, Ricky and Jesse) because they needed more ethnic diversity, and after America voted in all those dull guys (excepting Adam of course), they’d have to add two women. So, yeah, the whole thing was clearly pre-scripted and they didn’t even try to pretend otherwise. Kara essentially gave it way when she told Megan they “needed” her. She was in before most of the contestants had even performed.

I really think tonight was all just an excuse to get another set of iTunes up. Too bad Tati reprised her original performance. Will they offer this one too? “Saving All My Love Redux”???

Why doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Anoop do anything for me? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry I just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the awesomeness. He sings well enough but he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make me care, I guess. What am I missing? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not trying to be nasty here. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m truly curious why so many LOVE him and I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just ok.

It’s called difference of opinion? You think he’s ok, others love him. No need for anybody to explain themselves. And I’ll remind you all again, be respectful of each other’s opinions please. I’ll be putting a big-time stop to fan wars.

Yay! Matt G and Anoop made it! I am so happy.
I wanted Ricky in the Top 12 too, but you can’t have it all.
I did not like much that song choice for him, but he has great vocals.

Matt G is back! I loved this performance. That was the best of the night.
He felt so confident and his voice soared. Paula is right he should stick to this vain, because he is brilliant doing that. I hope he stays consistent during the competition. Finally he redeemed himself.
As for Jasmine and Megan I could not care less, I thought they did poorly. But Simon is in love with Megan. ANd they wanted more girls in the competition.

I read the comments about Megan and see that I wasn’t the only one who thought she wasn’t that good. I much prefer Katherine McPheeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version to hers. Since when don’t vocals matter in a “singing” competittion?

I felt she did better with her previous performance, but there’s something about her that I am not quite sure of. Kat was high class and I felt she wanted more than just singing. Hopefully, Megan’s vocals will get better.

Simon is sex crazy…. or something like that. ;o)

Thanks MJ for uploading the first 2 clips.

Jesse in my opinion sounds HORRIBLE. Hated the song, her vocals and her personality. She just shouted the song through. Not deserving of Top 13, thankfully she’s not.

Matt G. sounds great, albeit a few off notes. But he’s back and I think yes he deserves that spot in the Top 13. One of the better guys this year definitely if he chooses the right songs. No COLDPLAY please… gosh… Good luck!

I am totally fed up with this year’s group. Megan was the absolute worst tonite and the queen of mediocre karoike- the worst of the nite.
Matt was the best and comparing him to Taylor Hicks confirmed it( Simon, check the Seasom 5 ratings compared to this year and maybe Taylor isn’t so bad). Jasmine was awful too. This was a manipulation on the part of AI and so predictable I am becoming disgusted with the show.
The whole show is very disappointing, very reality TV from a drama standpoint, not digging it at all.
Thanks for the memories.

Ricky has a killer voice, but I definitely wasn’t into the performance tonight. I love that song, but it just felt a little odd coming from him. Nonetheless, I would have preferred him going through over Jasmine.

Megan IS rather current with her style. But doesn’t that make her not original? Not sure why she is getting so heavily pimped by Simon. Still I kind of like Megan. She’s cute and quirky. It’s hard not to like her. I just think her actual talent doesn’t come close to Jesse’s. If this had been based on their voices alone, we’d have different wildcard picks (except Matt and Anoop who did deserve to go through IMO)… and we’d have a different 9 chosen from the last couple weeks.

I like Ricky Braddy, but I thought his rendition of Superstition was average karaoke too (and I rarely agree with Simon). You should not sing Superstition unless you are filled with gritty soul, and Ricky is sooooo not. Beautiful voice though.

Absolutely. I said it earlier, but it wasn’t a very soulful rendition. I think he has a great voice, but choosing Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder to showcase his voice and demonstrate his potential as a contemporary recording artist? hmm.

Ironically, if he took on the Coldplay instead of Matt, or if he sang a current singer/songwriter song, it might have suited him better, imo.

After harping this afternoon on my outrage over the judges’ OTT emphasis on appearance this season, I feel a little sheepish in making this observation, but I will anyway:

I cannot believe none of the judges commented on Jesse’s legs. What wouldn’t I give for a pair of those. When she stepped out on stage, I thought, “She’s finally figured out how to get Simon’s attention.”

As sad as I am about Jesse not making it through I give her HUGE credit. NOT ONCE did she use her famous brother, Jonny Lang, in any conversation or package. This was all Jesse.

I bet it would eventually have become more public knowledge, but unlike so many overdone back stories and other people playing the “famous” card, she never said a word.

That I respect.

I know Jonny Lang isn’t famous to all, but I’m pretty biased. I own all his albums and “Wander This World” probably ranks in my top 10 favorite albums ever.

It was all kind of ridiculous. I knew they would pick Jasmine no matter what she sang because she’s “SO COMMERCIAL” and that’s all they care about. Tatiana and Jesse both sounded better than she did.

By the way, “Tell Me Something Good” is a Rufus/Chaka Khan song.

Kanye West actually does sing. Not amazingly well or anything, but his latest album, 808′s and Heartbreak, is mostly singing, some rapping. And I think it’s amazing.

I’m probably in the minority, but I LOVE Kanye West and I think he’s brilliant. He may not be a “singer” in the purest sense of the word, but he’s definitely an artist, songwriter, producer, and he’s hella hella talented. He has a humongous ego, of course, but… personally? I can overlook that because IMO, his talent level warrants it. YMMV.

That said, I don’t think Ryan actually said that he’s mentoring. I think he just said “Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson next week.” But I’m assuming he’s mentoring because we already know that Kelly is performing and I’d be surprised if they have two guest performers on a results show so early in the season. Plus, didn’t Ken Warwick say in a past interview that for them to bring in a mentor this year, they wanted them to be younger, current, and HUGE? I was expecting something more along the lines of Beyonce, but Kanye’s also a superstar. So, I could see it.

Gross. I don’t even know which parts to fast fwd to and watch. At least Simon was honest about this no longer being a *singing competition* OR a *democracy*. Which leaves us………….???

I called Jasmine and Megan making Finals SOMEHOW because 1) Jasmine is pretty and 16, and 2) Simon loves Megan. I can’t figure out #2 cause girl can’t sing and she ain’t all that cute either, but whatever.

I guess I’ll watch to be outraged by Ricky being bussed and to see if Anoop is worth my support. Bleccch.

Uhm, looking fwd to Kelly next week?

Is this American Rap Idol or what? He raps, he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing. What the hell is he doing on American Idol? This season gets worse and worse for me.

Being an artist is not all about great singing. Kayne can teach these kids about stage presences, which many of them lack.

Ok. Here goes. I am not much of a conspiracy theorist. Having said that, did it not seem like Randy and Simon were trying to justify a decision that had already been made? When it comes to Ricky? “self indulgent” How in all in the name that is holy was that self indulgent after we have sat through Adam, Norman, Nate, Jackie, Von, shall I continue? Come on.

Ricky was probably one of the top 2 or 3 most naturally gifted vocalists in this competition this year. Why are people with average vocals (megan/jasmine) and “personality” given a pass but someone with superior vocals and “average personality” given the shaft?

I really enjoyed Ricky’s performance tonight. Too bad the script couldn’t be revised for his sake.

Footnote: I do think Jasmine has the potential to be really good. But she is several years away from that vocally.

I cannot believe none of the judges commented on Jesseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s legs. What wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t I give for a pair of those. When she stepped out on stage, I thought, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s finally figured out how to get Simonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s attention.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Yes, I thought this too. Oh well…. he’s loved his Megan from the start. I hope Megan can show she’s deserved this wildcard. I have to admit her voice is good, but her moves leave something to be desired, imo. *sighs*

Sarah, you are not alone. I think Kanye is brilliant, and I don’t really care if he thinks so!

I think the reason I’m more mad about Jesse than I was about Felicia is that I think she’s more original than Felicia. That said, I really think the show did them both a disservice. I know the show is cast. But do they really think Jasmine (a poor man’s Jordin) is more interesting than either Jesse or Felicia? Or that she has a better voice?

Seriously, after KLC they realized the blonde country singers don’t automatically go gold like Pickler or multi-plat like Carrie. Do we have to have a couple of Jordin types too?

But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m assuming heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mentoring because we already know that Kelly is performing and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be surprised if they have two guest performers on a results show so early in the season.

Kanye West? Mentoring?

That’s hilarious (not dissin’ Kanye, but the thought of him instructing people…while he thinks he’s the hottest thing to hit the galaxy since the sun…LMAO).

Kanye West actually does sing. Not amazingly well or anything, but his latest album, 808à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and Heartbreak, is mostly singing, some rapping. And I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s amazing.

It is SOOOO not my type of music, but I downloaded several of the songs from this album into my workout playlist. I have to admit, the songs I’ve heard are pretty awesome. Also, I heard a snippet of The Fray covering “Heartless” in a recent concert – it was great – so I guess there’s an example of a rearrangement of his stuff.

But surely if he mentors, the contestants won’t be limited to Kanye’s music alone. Has he produced much outside stuff (showing my ignorance here)? I’m just trying to imagine a theme.

I just wonder how his personality would work as a mentor. Yikes.

I’m a huge Kanye fan. I think he’s brilliant (but not as brilliant as he claims he is LOL). And his ego cracks me up to death. He probably would just declare himself the winner next week. :devil_tb:

Thanks for the Jasmine & Ricky videos.

Jasmine sounds sooooooooo pitchy, not good! Why is she in the Top 13? Tsk!

Ricky is sooo ROBBED! Gosh!! He sounds GREAT!!!!! Why is he NOT in the Top 13?? Although his moves were stiff, his voice was really good. WTF! He should be in, NOT Jasmine! :(

Simon’s comments tonight were so fake, he needs to take acting lessons.

The only disappointment for me is that Ricky didn’t make it. He has been the best singer during these semi finals. There so many explanations for why some went through and others didn’t. My reasoning is if Ricky looked like Matt G he’d be in the top 13. That’s it in a nutshell, that and that he is somewhat redundant when you already have Kris and Matt.

Anoop made it because he’s gonna bring the cool. That is it. Others will out sing him. Others may outperform him. There may even be a couple cuter than he is. Kara has been using this word SWAGGER, the only people who really bring the swagger is Lil, Danny, Adam, and Anoop. Anoop knows what his appeal is. He’s this cool Indian with the soulful vibe of a ‘brutha’. He uses it to his advantage and he gets mad points from me for that.

If Megan gets in, Jasmine should be in. They are the bait for the young girls who are going to like them because they identify with them. If there are any young males that still watch, they will be pleased as well. I said in earlier post that we all know the voice doesn’t dictate how a career will go. It’s not the only factor or we wouldn’t have so many non-singers topping the charts. I probably won’t vote for Megan or Jasmine, but I see their appeal.

I didn’t get Jesse tonight. I love that song, Chaka Khan did it in the late 70′s I think. I don’t think that was a great song choice for her. I would have loved to see last seasons Carly tear into that. I am not surprised that she didn’t get through. They wouldn’t know what to do with her.

America your national nightmare is over, as we have vanquished the melodramatic Tatiana. I did love the little moment with Paula though. Paula knows how to take the sting out, and I appreciate it. She is the glue that holds this rickety ship together, and it’s so obvious that they would be just a mean spirited slaughterhouse without her.

Anyway I am glad this part of the season is over. Let’s get on with the show.

I am actually super happy with the four who made it tonight! I just have to say, thank God Von or Jesse did not make it!

It pissed me off to see the judges treat tatiana (sp) like they did. I know she was just brought back on for ratings but honestly she IS a human being and I really don’t like them making fun of her on live tv. Im not even a fan of the girl and I got mad haha.

Maybe I’m old school, but I have always believed if you have the talent and you give them the right material, then they have a great shot at succeeding. I know many will disagree with me and I’ll get lectures on the “it” factor and “packaging” and all that crap. And no today is not like 40 years ago when people like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan were great successes. But I stand by my old school ways.

oh and i have to say I think Jasmine is NOTHING like Jordin. Jasmine can sing miles better and her.

2) Simon loves Megan. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t figure out #2 cause girl canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing and she ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t all that cute either, but whatever.2) Simon loves Megan. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t figure out #2 cause girl canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing and she ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t all that cute either, but whatever.

Sorry for another post, but does anyone else wonder if Simon is looking at her at as a combo of Carly(tatoos) and Brooke (quirly blond) from last year?

Once again, I do like her voice (At least so far….lol). I hope she doesn’t get caught up in the whole “what do I have to do to please Simon” game, like Carly did last yr.

ETA: make that quirky blond.

But Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m assuming heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mentoring because we already know that Kelly is performing and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be surprised if they have two guest performers on a results show so early in the season.

. . . maybe Kelly’s the one mentoring? -crosses fingers- PLEASE, TPTB, I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR JASMINE AND EVEN SARVER IF YOU DO THIS (not Gokey, though, although I’ll work on the hate if you somehow get Cook as a mentor as well).

I knew they would pick 4 like most of the peeps here on this blog. I am happy with Anoop and Matt G. getting through and I wish Ricky would of gotten through too. :( Oh well it wasn’t going to happen. I think Jasmine did better than Megan but she is still boring. Jesse was awful. Von was gloomy and just not good. I am so happy that they didn’t pick Von. I did feel a little teensy bit sorry for him.

They totally USED Tatiana, poor girl, I feel for her too. Yeah these guys were pre-picked to go into the top 13. So will next week be a double elimination? hmmm…..They have plenty of fodders for the first three to go home before the coveted top 10.

Fodders: Sarver, Jasmine, Megan, Kris Allen…and who knows…..

I am only looking forward to Anoop really bringing it next week and singing WAY better than he did tonight. He was just ok. I really want him to do better. His vids on youtube are so much better. I think the background singer was singing way too loud or his mic wasn’t on loud enough. Who knows?

I think Matt G. is like the the Chris Richardson for this year, he was just ok, but I bet he will shine with his piano. Yeah I am waiting for these guys to perform with their instruments, even Scott.

Well lets hope that the top 13 shows are more exciting. :)

I think they totally psyched out poor Von.

Oh, I try really hard not to like Kanye. He’s an ass. But the guy is brilliant. His music wins me over again and again. If he is a mentor, that ranks as one of the smartest moves TPTB has ever made. He’s current, he’s relevant, he’s smart, and he will get people watching because he’s, well, Kanye.

Just watched Megan’s performance. She does not have powerhouse vocals, but she has a good tone. She needs to work on her vocals if she wanna last in this competition. If she does, she might actually do well in the Top 13. If not, she faces an early elimination. We’ll see. But she is definitely one of the better girls tonight.

Yeah, I have no idea what the theme would be if either Kanye or Kelly was a mentor. I would say Billboard #1′s but they’ve kinda already done that these past 3 weeks. Maybe something like 2000-present, like they did in one of the earlier seasons (season 4, I think)?

ETA:

. . . maybe Kellyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the one mentoring? -crosses fingers- PLEASE, TPTB, I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR JASMINE AND EVEN SARVER IF YOU DO THIS

That would be totally great. But with all the heavy hitting major promo Kelly’s doing for this album, I’m not banking on her having the time the weekend before her album release to take an entire day to be a mentor. A performance on the results show, yeah.

As sad as I am about Jesse not making it through I give her HUGE credit. NOT ONCE did she use her famous brother, Jonny Lang, in any conversation or package. This was all Jesse.

Very true. Anyone else note that Jesse sounded a lot like Sarah Palin in her package? I just realized that Palin has more of a MN accent than a typical Alaskan one, unless they are similar?

Perhaps sounding like Palin did her in! ;-)

As for Anoop shouting out for Eve, it may have been sincere, but after the whole Gokey mess, I think it was a tad out of place. I mean, no one was voting, but I’m sure his friends and family know how he feels. I can’t complain about Gokey without mentioning it.

I really think tonight was all just an excuse to get another set of iTunes up.

And sell commericals…..

Jasmine/Megan just showed me how rigged this is this year.

The judges had that prerogative. It was within the show perameters in that they’ve had wild cards before. It was done in plain sight, how does it show rigging?

I was so happy that Anoop did à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“My Perogativeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and worked the crowd as well. He did something that most of the TOP 13 couldn’t do. Adam was also into connecting with the audience. So, there is a reason to watch the show.

None of the “cast” makes me want to vote like crazy, but I want to see Anoop get into the TOP 10. I enjoy his performances.

I think I dislike Simon more than I have ever in the past.

Wow. Talk about a casted top 12. First off, Jasmine Murray and Megan Corkrey do not belong anywhere near the top 13. NO WHERE NEAR. Jasmine was flat the entire time. In fact, she’s been flat every single time I’ve heard her sing. She can’t win this show. She might as well be fodder. As for Megan Corkrey…jeez…it’s just painful to watch her. I’m sorry. She makes Katy Perry sound like Whitney in her prime. Seriously. But it was obvious from the start that Simon loved Megan. What can I say…he likes commercial. How else can you explain him putting the likes of Carmen Rasmussen into the top 12 in season 3?

As for Matt Giraud…I thought he redeemed himself. I think he’ll BLOOM in the top 13 when he’s allowed to play his keyboard. I think then we’ll see what he’s truly capable of. I think he potentially COULD win this show.

And lastly…ANOOP. OK…first off…I LOVE THIS GUY. I’ll say it now: he’s not the best singer in the top 12, Adam Lambert arguably is, but I feel that Anoop is truly of the people. He’s not a reality show contestant wannabe. He’s not the stage school trained kid with the crazy off the charts vocals. He’s not incredibly inspirational in the sense that he’s lost much or has lived without an entire sense for his entire life. No. He really is one of us who always could sing, but never thought that this could possibly happen for him. I’m glad he’s there and I’m glad he’s going to try, because I think people like him could actually find something in themselves that they never knew was there to begin with. I think Anoop can grow. And honestly, after seven seasons, growth is what audiences tune in for. They want the strong to fall. They want the weak to win. And based on the crowd reaction tonight, I think there is a lot of hope that this kid could pull it together and make a run for it.

And well…I do feel sorry for Ricky Braddy. He’s a cute kid with an amazing gift…but like Simon said, it’s about casting, and Ricky just wasn’t what they were looking for.

My dear Slezak just posted this, the video of Lexie Featherstone is exactly how I feel about American Idol right now…. O.V.E.R.

Kanye, Kelly…I’ve got it! Next week’s theme will be brought to us by the letter K, featuring the music of artists whose names begin with K!

Kanye wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mentor. He would decide heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s better than all the contestants and crown himself the American Idol.

Trufax! xD

Based on Simon’s over the top protestations over Tatiana’s choosing the same song for the 3rd time, I would be willing to bet that she was one of the ones predetermined to make it through to the top 12 (or 13). He admitted today that it’s not all about the singing. It’s about casting a good mix of personalities as well. If he didn’t really care about Tatiana making it through or not, he wouldn’t have displayed that much obvious disappointment. But because she sang the same song for the 3rd time, he and the other judges had to make a quick change in their decision to let her through. Otherwise, their credibility as judges would totally desintegrate. It’s very close to doing so as it is.

Tatiana sounds shaky in the beginning. But she sounds okay overall. Kinda glad she’s out though, we don’t need her drama in the Top 13. :P

Am I the only one who likes Megan? I think she’s current and could easily fit in with a lot of female artists today. I think she could rock some Duffy, Adele, or Feist.

Very happy to see Anoop sing “My Prerogative.” That was pretty cool. I wish he had sung a song like that week one. Then he would have beaten Michael, then Ricky could have been the other WC choice. Oh well. I don’t think Ricky would have lasted that long. He doesn’t have the charisma others do.

I’m glad with the choices, for the most part. I knew going in Jasmine was a shoe-in because TPTB probably wanted another teenager. Allison can sing circles around her though.

The fact that tonight was the best performance show of the season so far is just flat-out depressing. Ricky is not the type of singer I usually end up rooting for on Idol, but at least the boy can really, really sing. Jesse I would have liked to see grow through the competition – I think she had some promise. But they’re both kicked to the curb, and we’re left with a thoroughly uninspiring top twelve. I mean thirteen. Who cares?

Everything’s relative, so I guess there was something kind of awesome about Anoop’s performance, but he’s really not bringing it vocally. Matt and Megan are semi-interesting but remain shaky at best (and really annoying at worst). Jasmine is there to fill a quota, and that’s just weak.

The only really intriguing one of the bunch to me is Adam, and I’m about 95% certain I’m going to end up hating his voice and finding his stage antics insufferable. This just saddens me.

I felt like the Idol gods rewarded me for sticking it out through the mostly-miserable S6 with a surprisingly sublime S7. I had such hope that the mini-renaissance of last year would continue through this season. And yet somehow it has gone so far off the rails I can’t even wrap my brain around it. What a fucking bummer.

Ok so clearly the show went longer than projected and I missed the end…that stinks! I am psyched Anoop and Matt made it because I thought they did really well. Jasmine started off key and honestly I couldn’t even watch her whole performance it was so bad, as was Megan and her bizarro dancing. IMO they could have kept it top 12 and taken Anoop, Ricky and Matt G and I would have been satisfied, screw gender equality!

I must say I am hating all of the comments from the judges this year about the need for personality over singing and I can’t imagine there won’t be a backlash to this attitude. They are trying to push it on us that it’s important but I genuinely don’t care about their personalities as long as they can sing and are good performers. It does matter if someone sings well (lucky for Anoop he can) and people shouldn’t get through because of backstory etc. I really hope America will get it right and clear out the producer’s “commercial” picks and focus on the singing, but I think idol production will make that tough. Oh season 7 how I miss you!

ladymadonna. I have a feeling we may have supported different contestants last season, but you just completely said exactly what I think.

Ricky Braddy got shafted. Yet again. He’s a better singer than Matt; what’s the deal here? And why is Jasmine in? Ugh. Jesse should have been in over her. Far more interesting.

This show should be renamed “The Shaft.”

Just finished watching Anoop. He is IT. Something called X Factor. He sounds shaky in his lower register, but brings it when he hits the higher notes. Great energy on stage. Yes, Season 8 needs Anoop. Glad he made it to the Top 13. :)

I’m sorry, I just FLOVE every little quirky thing about Megan! She certainly isn’t perfect but she sure is unique! Right now she’s by FAR my favorite girl and Adam is still by FAR my favorite guy.

I just rewatched Anoop, and I’m more underwhelmed than at first. It’s a frat boy karaoke performance with a glory note at the end. I guess no repeat song critiques for him? I hope he can grow, because I’m not sure how he deserves to be there either. Sigh.

Don’t get me wrong… he’s a cool guy. But… bitch please.

ETA: Snuffles, I think Megan is cute and I actually like her quirky dancing. The vocals… not so much.

I. LOVE. ANOOP.

But I’m sad Ricky didn’t make it. ):
I do like Megan though. She’s different and I definitely think she belongs in the Top 13.

Yay, Matt Giraud!

My account on the Idol boards just got suspended. =/

I really like Jesse but I didn’t think she sang all that well tonight for the first half of her song at least. I couldn’t make out the melody at all.

I thought Ricky was good but not great tonight. Superstition is a song you sing if your vocal abilities are weak (Bucky) and I know Ricky’s voice is better than that. I don’t have a problem with him not going through because I preferred Matt to him tonight and they couldn’t both make it.

Megan shouldn’t have done a song that Kat did so much better. My hubby couldn’t believe someone didn’t tell her to lay off the weird twisting move she makes. It’s distracting but maybe she thinks it’s cute.

Jasmine is so forgetable even though she’s cute and could be current. She sang a lot better than previously tonight but still disappointed they put her through.

I agree with you on Anoop having the X Factor, Minzhi. He’ll bring a spark to the competition.

I’m as happy as a pig in shit! I figured Jasmine would make the top 12. There is a voice in there somewhere. She had better get it together before next week. Nice to see a Mississippi Girl on Idol! Love Megan! Thrilled that she made the cut. I don’t care for Matt Giraud. I saw his wannabe Timberlake-take during his Coldplay performance and I didn’t like it at all. He is very good at the soul tunes; but I think his wrapping will come off once the themes begin. And, last but not least….what can I say about Anoop? His slot was a given. He fits Idol to a T. Great looking, all American type. Not the best singer; but he has beau-coup fans, I being one!

This is going to be a great season!

After watching all 8 perform, right choices with Anoop and Matt G for sure. I’m undecided about Megan, but of these 8, I think she has an unique tone. Jasmine didn’t deserve to be there, it should be Ricky. Anyway it happens all the time in Idol. The better singers don’t always go through.

So are we getting a double elimination next week?

I think a lot of the problems with ALL of the performances during the semifinals result from the background singers and the band. They seem to be a LOT worse from last year – but even last season, the best performances (You’re So Vain/Love Is A Battlefield/Hallelujah/Hello/Daydream/Imagine) came from contestants who either played their own instruments or sang without the backup vocalists. This season, the backup singers drown out the contestants a lot of the time. Hopefully once they hit the big stage and the money starts rolling in, we’ll get higher quality performances.

According to my website RateMyIdol.com – Lil Rounds is in the lead, but that could just be because the show was just on this week. The benefits of performing last I suppose…

I just keep hearing Simon’s stupid comments about wanting more personality this year.

Haha, I was just reading the last page of comments before jotting down my thoughts, and realized I agree with your ENTIRE post, dulce.

I’ll just add this, I’m disappointed with those we’ve lost, but I’m hopeful at this point that there will be a few from the top 13 that might really pull forward and surprise me. I’m just glad we finally got this part of the competition over with. And YAY for Kelly Clarkson and did they say Kanye?!

And oh yeah, Tatiana was HILARIOUS. Even though she took a spot from Nate or Felicia, she was in rare form, and it was kinda worth it.

Wondering when they had the time to practice with the band for these different songs. Does anyone know when they start getting the clothing allowance from Idol so they can get some new duds to wear every week.

I’ve already re-watched the show twice – don’t know if I will ever get to sleep tonight !!! Is it Tuesday yet ????

I’m not mad about “casting”. They’ve always done that. I am happy about Anoop. I thought Jasmine didn’t sound that bad. I want to hear what she sounds like once the vocal coaches get a hold of her. I was not that impressed with Matt G, I would rather Ricky. But I remember some reference to Matt knowing how to “make songs his own” a while back so I think that has something to do with it. And I love Megan but she was terrible. I would have switched Jessie for her. Just as much quirk, better singing. But Megan is hotter, so there you go.

The judges are smoking crack. Ricky was awesome.

wolfsbane813
Mar 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
i have a feeling they are pitting these pairs against each other and are going to take one from each pair of singers between commercials to end up with a top 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ so it will end up being matt g. megan, jasmine, and anoopà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

And the Idol Watcher of the Season Award goes to wolfsbane813!
Nicely done @ 24 minutes into the show.

I just love Megan’s TONE. I dig Jesse too; but since we had to choose, I think Megan was the better choice.

Yes Megan is hotter, but I think she sounds more unique than Jesse. There’s something about Jesse that gets on my nerves. I can’t put it together in words, but she annoys me be it performance or the way she portrays herself.

Ricky is the robbed story this year, but have dealt with it each year. Next week the competition is really starting. Hope the kids surprise me because they haven’t.

“And lastlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ANOOP. OKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦first offà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I LOVE THIS GUY. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll say it now: heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the best singer in the top 12, Adam Lambert arguably is, but I feel that Anoop is truly of the people. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a reality show contestant wannabe. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the stage school trained kid with the crazy off the charts vocals. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not incredibly inspirational in the sense that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lost much or has lived without an entire sense for his entire life. No. He really is one of us who always could sing, but never thought that this could possibly happen for him. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s there and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to try, because I think people like him could actually find something in themselves that they never knew was there to begin with. I think Anoop can grow. And honestly, after seven seasons, growth is what audiences tune in for. They want the strong to fall. They want the weak to win. And based on the crowd reaction tonight, I think there is a lot of hope that this kid could pull it together and make a run for it.”

I agree! Hurray for the regular guy!

I finally realized what Meghan reminds me of…a little girl whose parents are making her sing in front of a group of people for the first time. She has an ok voice, but she’s nervous in front of all those adults, so she waves her arms around and twists awkwardly while she sings. Then at the end Simon gives her a cookie and a juice box.

I love Megan too. hehe.. I think she’s awsome and her performance was good though. Go Megan. Love your voice ! Really love you. Beat all the girls. Yayyy..

I love Megan too. hehe.. I think she’s awesome and her performance was good though. Go Megan. Love your voice ! Really love you. Beat all the girls. Yayyy..

Hey mj you’re posting the results video too right? I didn’t get to watch the show!

I’m probably in the minority but I am liking this season. And I really liked Matt tonight.

I don’t give two shits how well Tatiana can sing I just can not STAND that girl. I want to stuff a doggy chew toy down her throat.

So, who was comparing Michael to Josh Gracin? Josh was very likable in Season 2, with the U.S. Marine thing he had going on. His performances were pretty good, too.

Josh has two great albums, and is an endearing and exciting live performer who tours almost constantly. Michael? I don’t see that happening for him at all. Sorry.

Poor dear sweet Jasmine. I really don’t want to see her or eight of the others on tour. The tickets have been so high these last few years, I don’t think it will be worth it to go. I hope I am wrong about that.

Ricky Braddy got cheated. He should definitely be in the top “13″. If the format had been different, he would have been.

Simon criticized young Jasmine for sounding like a girl trying to give a mature performance. Then he helped kick Jesse to the curb for giving a mature, womanly, sexy, ripe performance. In fact, it was the most authentic performance of the evening — and that includes the judges’ amateurish pretense that anything could actually change their predetermined wild card selections. Paula gave that away with her visible regret after Jesse’s performance when she said it would be a hard evening.

The next best was Ricky Braddy. I even think Von Smith was better than the four who advanced to the top 13. Anoop is sweet and entirely likable, but he made my husband laugh out loud through the whole song. Welcome to Bollywood!

I predict that some of you Gokeyphobes will find a new target to despise. Simon, Jason Castro, Justin Guarini, and countless other heterosexual males will be keeping a one-trick pony named Megan in the competition long after we get sick of her 6-note range and trademark shimmy. At least Danny can sing.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m as happy as a pig in shit!

NOLA, that cracked me up.

Speaking of crack…..

The judges are smoking crack. Ricky was awesome.

Yep, he was.

I hope the judges’ wildcard picks (except for Anoop) will be the first ones to get voted off.

Coming to this season I expected more artistic contestants, singer/songwritter type, because of the success of David, Jason and Brooke and because they were bringing Kara. I thought they were, once again, trying for diversity bunch. And now, I find myself with a top 13 that is not really that artistic, does not have any type of contestant that fills the folk(singer/songwritter… whatever people call it) genre, and it’s full of people who remind us of season 3 and the season 5 winner. It’s like the show is going backwards instead of forward.

Maybe I liked Ricky more than I thought, but I’m really sad for what happened tonight with him. He was the best by a very confortable mile and he got the worst critique ever, so far from the truth. Maybe he should have just filled his song of runs, do a bad vibratto… and maybe he would have made it. If there was one person tonight who wasn’t Karaoke was Ricky.

Oh, and I really thought Von deserved it more than Matt too.

mj, are your going to put up the video of the kids getting put through to the top 12? I had my dvr set for extra time, but the show went even further over time, and I missed seeing Matt and Anoop get the news. It would be very much appreciated!

Word, leome. All of it.

hen he helped kick Jesse to the curb for giving a mature, womanly, sexy, ripe performance. In fact, it was the most authentic performance of the evening à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  and that includes the judgesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ amateurish pretense that anything could actually change their predetermined wild card selections.

Agree.

I predict that some of you Gokeyphobes will find a new target to despise. Simon, Jason Castro, Justin Guarini, and countless other heterosexual males will be keeping a one-trick pony named Megan in the competition long after we get sick of her 6-note range and trademark shimmy. At least Danny can sing.

Disagree. The only one of those guys who have any influence on voters is Simon. Young hetero guys don’t vote. Or watch, for that matter. At least in my world.

I’m really bummed that someone like Jesse got bumped by someone who is perceived as prettier like Megan. I actually find Jesse way more attractive. But Simon loves his blondes and this was a judge’s pick.

Poor Anoop. These producers are giving him heart palpitations. Two nights running they’ve saved him for the end and pulled a “gotcha” moment. He’s looking shell-shocked. Glad he made it. He can certainly sing better than either Sarver or Scott.

I’m happy about Matt too. Everyone talks about Megan’s tone, but I think Matt has a tone thing going on as well. Song choice will be critical for him though since I think there is only a narrow bandwidth of songs that he can sing really well.

Ricky really should be in the top 13. I don’t care that he seems awkward on stage. His voice is just too good.

My fav is still Adam. I hope he signs a lovely emotional ballad early on in the competition so people can really hear the purity of his voice and pitch. He needs to dispel the notion that all he can do is screech.

OK I just saw Anoop’s reaction. It was all “Say WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?” LOL!

As someone how thought last year’s tour was thoroughly enjoyable and brimming with genuine talent, try to imagine 10 of this 13 on tour in a stadium. Good luck filling the seats, 19. There are more important things than instant ratings. Especially when your ploy for ratings isn’t even working.

Okay, the show just finished on the west coast with the top 13 congratulating each other onstage.

Did anyone else notice that, when Adam hugged Megan, she lifted her left leg to hug him back? You know, the way we might do with our husbands or boyfriends?

Seriously. Check it out.

Revealing photos to follow. :shock_tb:

allzzz I can say is that Idol may finally get their EMMY……..what a clever move with the TWIST of 13 instead of 12…………WOWzaaaaaaaa…….I wonder which genius came up with the MASTER PLAN

I have to agree with everything ladymadonna said earlier. This season is a bummer so far. I had to go watch David Cook performances from season 7 to cleanse my palate. They somehow never get old. (I highly recommend this form of treatment for all cases of AI blues.)

I have to remember that I wasn’t into this show before last season; season 7 was just…special (to me)…like season 5 was for a lot of people. My mom loves Melinda, so season 6 was a favorite for her. It’s not the same magic for everyone every year.

Random… I wish they had hired Linda Perry instead of Kara.

What makes a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹legit wildcard round?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The judges are picking who they wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter if the decision was made in the last 5 minutes tonight or 3 weeks ago.

Then why bother with the performances? I would rather they just announce three people (four this year) they’ve chosen rather than go through the trouble of having 8 people practice and perform songs when it doesn’t make any difference one way or the other. “Legit wildcard round” would mean nobody’s minds are made up OR the judges at least put on a better show of pretending their minds weren’t made up. Just do a half hour show where the judges announce the wildcard picks and have THEM perform rather than wasting the time of four other contestants who don’t have a shot in hell.

pj Mar 6th, 2009 at 12:05 am

Disagree. The only one of those guys who have any influence on voters is Simon. Young hetero guys donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote. Or watch, for that matter. At least in my world.

pj, did you see Jason on Idol Wrap? He and Justin Guarini were completely gaga over Megan. If there is a hetero male vote, I thnk it found a candidate.

pj Mar 6th, 2009 at 12:13 am

Randomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I wish they had hired Linda Perry instead of Kara.

Great idea. She might have liked Adam’s cover of What’s Up.

All hope is not lost for Ricky. There could be some dirt brought forward re one of the top 12. It’s happened before. Not wishing bad on anyone; but just sayin’… :)

houstonrufus
Mar 5th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Ok. Here goes. I am not much of a conspiracy theorist. Having said that, did it not seem like Randy and Simon were trying to justify a decision that had already been made? When it comes to Ricky? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“self indulgentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  How in all in the name that is holy was that self indulgent after we have sat through Adam, Norman, Nate, Jackie, Von, shall I continue? Come on.

Ricky was probably one of the top 2 or 3 most naturally gifted vocalists in this competition this year. Why are people with average vocals (megan/jasmine) and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“personalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  given a pass but someone with superior vocals and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“average personalityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  given the shaft?

I really enjoyed Rickyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance tonight. Too bad the script couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be revised for his sake.

I basically agree with everyone who’s mentioned how badly Ricky got screwed.

And to whoever said if Ricky looked like Matt, he’d have gotten in — I think Ricky’s WAAAAY more attractive. I’m kind of in love with him. Maybe I’ll get my chance now that he’s out of the competition. hahahahahaha

I thought that Ricky had the best vocal of the night, so I was disappointed that he didn’t get through. I was actually surprised that Simon said that Jesse ALMOST got through. Does that mean they had her fifth, above Ricky?

As for Anoop, admittedly, it wasn’t his best vocal. But I thought it was awesome performance-wise. I was really worried about him before- I knew today would be a tough day for him, and it was essential for him to come out and nail an upbeat song. But he got up there, and performed the heck out of the song. I love how fast he’s learning in terms of performance on the AI stage. He’s used to standing in one place, with a stationary mic, but tonight he used the stage, got rid of the mic stand smoothly, and pointed right at the camera at the end. I think he needs a bit of time to find his niche in terms of song choice and what he does with it, but he has room to grow and improve and I know he will.

Oh, and they are just oh so cruel to him. But I guess good news always seems that much better when it seems like it’s going to be bad at first.

“What makes a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹legit wildcard round?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The judges are picking who they wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter if the decision was made in the last 5 minutes tonight or 3 weeks ago.”

“Then why bother with the performances?”

I agree, I just mean that the judges are picking and we have no say, so what’s the difference?

“Randomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I wish they had hired Linda Perry instead of Kara.”

I wish they had hired a dust mop instead of Kara. The next time I hear her say the words ‘commercial’ or ‘package’ I might poke myself in the eye with something pointy.

Deejay
Mar 6th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I have to agree with everything ladymadonna said earlier. This season is a bummer so far. I had to go watch David Cook performances from season 7 to cleanse my palate. They somehow never get old. (I highly recommend this form of treatment for all cases of AI blues.)

I have to remember that I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t into this show before last season; season 7 was justà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦special (to me)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦like season 5 was for a lot of people. My mom loves Melinda, so season 6 was a favorite for her. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the same magic for everyone every year.

I just have to say that I love both David Cook and Melinda! Both seasons were uber special for me. I didn’t watch before that. I just think it’s cool that you loved Cook, your mom loved Melinda, and I love both. hehe.

You guys crack me up! The judges that run the show have a vested interest in who wins (Simon gets the contracts). FOX, the network, has a vested interest in who continues on so they can sell ads. AT&T makes money off of phone calls and they get more calls when people think that their Idol isn’t going through without their help. The people counting the votes (if anyone actually is tallying votes) is someone connected to the show or label or network.

THIS IS POKER WITH A MARKED DECK!

The sooner you stop thinking that this is a national election with Diebold voting devices (and even those are rigged) the happier you will all be.

Sit back and enjoy the inevitable crowning of the blind guy because Simon and the rest realize that a person overcoming a challenge like that will sell songs.

$$$

Niall, never thought I’d agree with you, but yes. To your post.

Of all the seasons to have a top 13….

Did anyone think when they showed all 8 wildcard contestants that this is the top 12 group and not the group sitting below them (well except for Adam and lil Rounds)? That was the thought that jumped out.

In any case, Ricky was robbed. They might as well have made a top 14 since 13 an unlucky #.

Jasmine was a lock to go through, even if she peed on the floor, for diversity reasons. Mystified by Megan. Ricky should have made it through. Love Anoop, though. And thrilled that Matt redeemed himself.

I definitely preferred Ricky over Matt, but I think they know something about Matt’s piano playing skills that we don’t. When the instruments are allowed in, Matt is probably going to smoke the keys and get very, very entertaining. I think that instrumental edge was something the judges might have had in the back of their minds.

Jasmine – meh.

Megan – has a little something different (in a good way) in her voice, but that little girl, shimmy back and forth is going to get OLD. Shimmy, shimmy, sweet, sweet, doesn’t match that full-arm tatoo. (ok, I’m sterotyping mabye).

Anoop – Nice guy, but he will have to step up his game. There’s a lot of talented guys in that top 12…..um, i mean 13, lol.

I have no clear favorite at this time, however I do know a few I’d like to see leave in the early rounds. :smoke_tb:

Personally, I would have taken Ricky Braddy ahead of Jasmine, Megan or Matt G. but the judges clearly did not like him from the get-go. His pure vocals made him difficult to ignore but they marginalized him by not giving him any screen time in the prelims, then criticized him for not showing “personality”. “Superstition” is not an easy song to sing and he absolutely nailed it. Neither Jasmine nor Megan showed much more of this nebulous “personality” IMO, and both performances were inferior to Ricky’s.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by now about this show’s blatant manipulation to maximize tv ratings. Simon basically admitted it when he stated they were “casting” the final 3 spots.

I also suspected they’d leave Matt G. and Anoop to the end for “drama”, then choose both to make a top 13. I didn’t think they would play with Anoop’s emotions for the second night in a row though. What evil bastards they are to do this to him.

Also, Simon keeps telling competitors that their song choices are “indulgent”. Who knows what he’s really trying to say but I do not think that word means what he thinks it means.

Oh, I gotta agree with all those who’ve said why are they even bothering with the pretense of a wild card show when the judges’ minds are already made up who they plan to advance. Then during the show, more time wastage with the competitor intros. Basically they were all given the opportunity to kiss up to the judges – fat lot of good that did for them! The judges’ critiques were equally pointless, unless they were only using them to try to justify their predetermined choices.

pj, did you see Jason on Idol Wrap? He and Justin Guarini were completely gaga over Megan. If there is a hetero male vote, I thnk it found a candidate.

I don’t get cable, so I only watched the performance clip. I’m not surprised, though. Jason loves Taylor Swift. It can’t be for the vocal chops. Ahem. And Jim C from MTV also hearts Megan, so I get your point. But do guys power vote? I’m guessing not.

I’m getting over my Jesse grief. I knew it. I predicted it. But I still held out some hope. Sigh.

Anyhoo, go Adam and Alexis. I hope Jorge can do something other than ballads and finds time to get his eyebrows waxed.

ETA: I agree with Niall et al that it is a waste of our time (and terribly cruel to the contestants) when they’ve already made their choices for the wildcard.

Did WE gain anything from “getting to know” 36 people? I don’t like this new format.

I think they ought to come out of Hollywood week with the Top 12 or 15 and just hit the ground running. This 36 8 1 BS is ridiculous and really comes across like NASCAR… making rules up as they are going along.

mj – Thank you for posting the performance videos. Is there any chance of you posting the result videos as well? I would like to see how the Top 13 shocking news played out. Thanks!

Oh, one more thing…..it burned me up when Simon brought up Taylor Hick’s name in a degrogatory way. I HATE the disrespect they show him. Ok, just wanted to say that. Thx.

Matt was great the best performance of the night.

I predict that some of you Gokeyphobes will find a new target to despise.

Please keep your remarks focused on the topic. Making assumptions about your fellow posters is incredibly presumptuous and will only lead to arguments.

And to whoever said if Ricky looked like Matt, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have gotten in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  I think Rickyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s WAAAAY more attractive.

Ricky is cuter, but I find Matt more attractive when he performs well. Now that I think about it, Ricky’s problem may be that he’s not connecting enough emotionally with the songs. His voice sounds so trained and perfect, but the emotion doesn’t completely translate. Whereas Matt, despite imperfect vocals, felt that song. He bled that song. Anoop, despite imperfect vocals, was 110% committed to his performance. I believed him. It was was indeed his prerogative. (lol) I didn’t feel that Ricky connected with his song.

Anyway, this show is not about the best singer; it’s about a full package. So, oh well. I still think he should have stayed, but I’m starting to see why he didn’t.

I just think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s cool that you loved Cook, your mom loved Melinda, and I love both.

I love Melinda, too (just not quite as much as my mother does). ;)

Ok, I think I’m ready to stop whining and give this season a chance. Haven’t heard much from these people yet anyway.

Jason loves Taylor Swift.

She was very, very good on CSI tonight. I was pleasantly surprised.
Sorry, I went off track. :)

Nola, do you think Taylor has a sex tape? ;-)

I almost had a heart attack when Simon told Anoop he made it in the top 13! I guess I’m gonna watch this season now that Anoop is in.

I’m not feeling this top 13 group so much. Hopefully they can change my mind as the weeks progress.

Danny, Adam, Matt, and Anoop are stand outs in my mind…for now.

pj,,,,,,,on some music producer in Nashville?????……I think she must…..that explains her record deal.

And lastlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ANOOP. OKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦first offà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I LOVE THIS GUY. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll say it now: heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the best singer in the top 12, Adam Lambert arguably is, but I feel that Anoop is truly of the people. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a reality show contestant wannabe. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not the stage school trained kid with the crazy off the charts vocals. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not incredibly inspirational in the sense that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lost much or has lived without an entire sense for his entire life. No. He really is one of us who always could sing, but never thought that this could possibly happen for him. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s there and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to try, because I think people like him could actually find something in themselves that they never knew was there to begin with. I think Anoop can grow. And honestly, after seven seasons, growth is what audiences tune in for. They want the strong to fall. They want the weak to win. And based on the crowd reaction tonight, I think there is a lot of hope that this kid could pull it together and make a run for it.

Okay, that’s pretty good. I can see that…this doesn’t mean he’ll be the one I’ll vote for if I decide to vote, but this pretty much convinces that maybe he should be there.

LOL, Coco. She can actually write a song.

I was just joshing with NOLA for her comments on Adam a few days ago. LOL.

also…I kinda liked kara at first but she is beginning to irritate me…..maybe I will like her again down the road……and also my hubby saying –who the hell is she –every time she critiques is getting old..but him I can take care of.

I like Megan and knew she was a lock to go through tonight, but I thought her vocals were pretty bad tonight. But she could have taken a dump on the floor and made it in the Top 12.

She does seem to have a hold over younger male viewers, but I’ll agree that I don’t think these are the people power voting. In addition to Justin and Jason, Jason Yeager from last season also talked about how much he loved Megan in his vlog last week. But at the same time, Megan comes across as so sweet she might pick up some of the younger female votes. She seems like a type women would readily vote for. She doesn’t exactly come across as edgy, despite the sleeve.

Thought Ricky was great, but again, I knew the poor kid didn’t have a shot. He might have been my fave of the evening, but I do think the responses to him were basically rehearsed ahead of time. They knew he wasn’t going through so they gave him comments to match. It was nice to see Matt come back and perform well though.

Final comment, I promise…for tonight at least.

AI, time for a NEW TWIST somehow find a way to bring back Ricky and Jesse! STAT! (I’m watching for my kids at this point and they’re 10 and under.)

^^^Add Jon Peter Lewis to the list of male Idols who have professed undying love in his Idol blogs for Megan Corkrey…

I am soooo sad about Ricky. I guess I’ll go cry myself to sleep… He was so robbed.

I’m still tyring to figure out Randy’s stupid “self indulgent” comment… idiots.

Heh. Maybe it’s just a former male Idols thing in terms of being transfixed by Megan. If what they said on Idol Wrap is any indication, I think in part the awkward thing might be part of the turn on. Justin called her “awkwardly endearing” and I kind of agree.

I don’t like this season. It just feels overly manipulative and mean-spirited to me. Anoop is one of the only contestants I like and it feels like it almost pains them to include him as a finalist. They should be happy that America actually cares about one of these contestants. Geesh!

Let’s all go download Ricky’s song and show AI how stupid they are… anyone with me? anyone? :) Grrrrrrrrrrrrr…. judges… grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

This season sucks so hard.

That is all.

pj
Mar 6th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Nola, do you think Taylor has a sex tape? ;-)

Taylor who? LOL

I think most of us have a few tapes, that if got out in the public would
embarass us. That’s why I said what I said about Adam. After all, he
is an exhibitionist. Do I think there is something like child porn out there? No. Do I think there are some tapes out there that would get him booted from the show? You bet ya. I love him; but I’m also a realist.

So upset about Jesse and Ricky.

Matt does not have “a lot of personality”, he seems full of himself. Why not pick Ricky instead of him? That would have been a similar “cast”.

And I don’t think Megan is that unique. The judges must not have seen anyone under 25 in the last few years if they think she has a unique style. Her voice is current but she isn’t able to sing a song well.

I don’t think I would recognize Jasmine’s voice if I heard it on the radio. Makes her less commercial. Anoop is ok. Whatever…

With four places there was definetely room for Jesse and Ricky. They both have personality, we just haven’t followed their “Idol journey” as closely. Are the producers worried that there isn’t enough footage of them to make a kick-ass montage? I really don’t get it.

This season of AI is leaving a very nasty aftertaste to me. The whole drawn out hyped-up affair to get to this Top 13 was like a poorly written soap. For the most part, the producers pimped the ones they wanted to see move on, or just handed them a ticket no matter how they sang. Cause they needed to get their casting right. At least Simon finally admitted as much right on your TV screen.

Megan’s performance was flatout awful. She kept on losing the notes as well as the rhythm, even to the very last note. But did the judges call her on it? Nope, because the script told them to sell her. So they did. The whole thing gave me the chills. It didn’t matter that she didn’t sing well (cause they can fix that in the studio). Kara – “I hope you stay”. What was that? We didn’t have a voice in this so of course she was staying. And chances are that all that pimping is going to fuel her in the public eye (especially the guys and young girls) all the way onto the tour and beyond.

It especially riled me because from the moment I started hearing the judge’s comments on Jesse, it was clear that the Top 13 was already chosen. The judges comments just did not match the actual performances. If anyone truly put on karaoke performances, it was the judges. Nothing authentic spoken. Very unconvincing waste of a good hour.

Who I hope makes it on the tour: Adam, Anoop, Alexis, and Danny (maybe, we’ll see). The rest are a big fat shrug from me. I’m just hoping that these guys, and maybe Lil and Matt will give us something to make us want to watch the show.

ETA: My DVR cut the show off just after Matt was chosen and Anoop was walking away. If not for this blog and the internet, I never would have even known that Anoop made it onto the show. Reminds me of last season’s finale – and the winner is David (cutoff). MJ, could you show that last part of the show, please??

WTF, just got home to watch and my DVR cut off the last eliminations! All I can say is: I LOVE ANOOP DOGG

i just watched the video (at Rickey.org) of Anoop being announced as the thirteenth contestant. I think it’s pretty cool that all the top 12 contestants seemed sincerely happy that Anoop got in. He is obviously very likeable.

Are they kidding me?

Seriously, I think this is about all I can take. I’m not watching this season. Blech.

Me too. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m pulling for an Anoop/Adam finale. I want Gokey gone, now. In fact, I would rather see him go than Michael or Jasmine, which just goes to show you how much I dislike him and his pimping.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

My only complaint, is that Kristen or Felicia should be in there instead of Megan. I have never cared for Megan’s style, really. Never liked Jesse either, she’s planty. They shouldn’t have even wasted a Wildcard spot on her.

Too bad about Tatiana. Sure, she’s a nutbar, but she can sing better than a lot of the girls in the Top 13, including Lil. Pity.

Niall Mar 6th, 2009 at 12:15 am

What makes a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹legit wildcard round?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ The judges are picking who they wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter if the decision was made in the last 5 minutes tonight or 3 weeks ago.

Then why bother with the performances?

Well, here is my take on “why bother with the performances”. I think this show is cast long, long ago and they know who is going to be in the Top 12 (13, whatever) before Hollywood more than likely. If America doesn’t take the hint during the Group rounds the producers finish the casting during wildcard.

But the rest of the non-chosen people were, in fact, competing for the opportunity to have a second national performance on the Idol stage, literally, in front of millions. A lot of people were saying that the wild card “eight” was better than the fan selected top nine to begin with.

I thought Jesse, Ricky & Tatiana sang tremendously on both nights but just being there was their reward for giving the producers a good performance in the Group rounds. They were not going to be cast in the Top 12 irrespective of what they did tonight. It was like a pat on the back.

:rolleyes_wp: “Bah. Season 8 is shaping up to be my least favorite Idol season ever.”

You said it, MJ.

I have a new glossary for decoding the hidden meanings behind what the judges are saying this year:

America loves you = We think you’ll be good for product endorsements

karaokae = We only like it when our favorites sing older songs

a little pitchy = You really can’t sing on key, but we like your look/ethnicity/age/demographic

too serious = Pop fluff is more commercial

boring singers = This isn’t a vocal competition anymore

The manipulations are so transparent this year that they aren’t even enjoyably diabolical. I’m barely attached to any of the top 36, but it’s just so dispiriting when they choose someone almost entirely because she’s a pretty blond with full-arm tatoos (to give America “more choice”???), cast aside the best vocal by the best singer of the night (Ricky Braddy) and overlook the potentially interesting (Jesse) for the wildly overpraised (Jasmine).

One other little thing: you can’t tell me they figured this all out during a commercial break!

Yes, it all makes me really nostalgic for Taylor (who Simon unnecessarily and stupidly dissed tonight), David Cook, Melinda, Elliott and the other genuinely stand-out, worthy singers past AI has discovered……Give the power back to the audience!

I almost had a heart attack before they Simon said there would be a top 13. I LOVE ANOOP! I think he’s my guy this year.

I also really like Matt, Lil Rounds, the Heart girl (oh, it’s bad that I can’t remember her name), Alexis and (the unpopular vote getter here) Danny.

Chris Allen, Megan, Michael Sarver and Jasmine are the ones I would swap out with Felicia Barton, Rickey, Jesse and Mishovana.

Although (again, don’t hate me) I totally see why Rickey got screwed. He had great vocals but they were kinda bland. We already have someone like that in the idol family. He’s name is Clay Aiken.

Are they kidding me?

Bwah!! Danny Gokey, the cornerstone of the worst season in Idol history.

The way they keep Anoop waiting makes me wonder if he’s possibly going to be the producer’s choice to take on Danny Gokey. Making him out like an underdog will play well with his fanbase and I think the producers know that. Other than that, the highlight of the season will undoubtedly be the triumphant return of the original Idol!!! I can honestly say that will complete certainty already…this season is missing something, that’s for sure.

Are Allison and Kris the only ones in top 13 who didn’t get a lot of coverage in the earlier rounds? The producers and judges have picked a weak top 13. People would have done a better job without the ridiculous amount of manipulation. Let’s see how they do after Idol.

I can kinda understand what people are saying about how season 8 is shaping up….but I will keep an open mind. They are, for the most part, a quite diverse group. I really do’t want to see a season filled with just white male singers….whatever the genre they choose to sing in.

I must say that I was lukewarm about last season until DC started really giving us some amaing performances..

I was never that fond of most of the top 24…and I remained rather luke warm about Carly, Michael Johns, Brooke, David A…Syesha, Kristy Lee which was half of the top 12.

The top 12 this season haven’t even sung yet so I don’t know if they will bring it or not. I remember so well the amaingly nasty things said about DC in the begionning by so many people and look how that turned out!

As for the blatent manipulations…I think this has always gone on with judges pointing out the chosen one or ones. It is just more open now because this new format lends itself to this. Kara doesn’t help when she rattles on and on about the importance of being commercial…but hey it IS a cheesy reality show!

I am glad that I don’t have any hardcore faves like DC. I want my life back for this season. Will continue to enjoy the vids MJ puts up and am actually looking forward to see how this season of singers perform.

Am actually pleased with the judges choices-

Tatiana is a conniving manipulative borderline personality and Rick Braddy is just boring. Would have liked to see Jesse in in place of Matt but not too upset about it.

IMO the right people are through. I noticed Matt immediaely and he has IT. The same with Megan and it is not only her looks. She is so contemporary and today that is important. Anoop is not my choice but I can see what others see in him and Jasmine has two sides of the coin, she is current and has the big voice. Looks like a good selection to me. As for the others, they are a diverse group and should make for interesting viewing.

The show has lost whatever shred of credibility it had left tonight. I don’t have the motivation to watch anymore.

If I want to watch something this scripted, I have better options. I’ll be watching videos of my favorites who did get through online, and that’s to support them personally only.

They are essentially telling the fans of talent and good singing this: “Sorry, guys. This ain’t about talent. We’ve got quotas to fill, but we’ll still lie to the sheep who would actually believe what we say. For those of you smart enough to figure it out, don’t tell anybody. It’ll be our little secret. Wink. Wink.”

Well, wink away, guys. Personally, I’m all winked out.

They’ve lost a fan for good this time. No reconciliation. No reunion. I’m not Rihanna. I don’t go back after taking a beating like this.

the masterclass lady is going to have tons to talk about with Megan’s singing “technique.” The is no circular mouth rounding with this gal. She sings with her mouth spread wide and has such a strange tone to her voice. I just don’t get it. That song sounded terrible, and this is saying something for me….Kat McPhee did a way better job. I would have given that spot to Kristen or Felicia but we, the viewers weren’t smart enough to pick the one’s we liked. We only got to vote for 3 and that entailed one guy and one girl that was set.
To be honest…Tatiana can sing. Yes, she sang that song too many times but it was spot on.

For me it’s way too early to back out. I’m pretty sure NOTHING can top the awful season of Sanjaya, when he was the most interesting – which is a pretty pathetic thing to say, and I don’t think I voted even once – and I’m usually a voracious voter.

This season I have a few inklings of excitement, I’ve got one I’m going to vote for as well as a possible back up or two, and I’m KEEPING IN MIND: We haven’t seen as much of these people as we normally have at this stage, and there’s some catch up to do. I WANT to be excited, I WANT to be invested and I think there’s still a chance.

I have to crack up at Scott though. With his brother by his side he reminds me of Greg Kinnear (he sort of reminds me of Greg Kinnear anyway) in “Stuck on You”, and I imagine the two of them dancing around on stage in the group numbers with his brother having a green cloth draped around him….

It’s going to be interesting!

I sat back and didn’t comment last night, overwhelmed with the comments last night. Now, this morning, the only performances I remember are Anoop’s ,Megan’s and Jesse’s. Although the wild card night trumps the original 9 for me, I have to admit that Ricky Braddy leaves a good impression that doesn’t last very long, Matt’s song did not have a discernable hook, and I remember that Jasmine sang a Disney song?

I think I heart Anoop. He’s geeky and cool without a lot of posturing, costuming, hats, hair, chains, and makeup. I like Megan too, I just wished they picked Jesse over Jasmine. That’s all.

Coming to this season I expected more artistic contestants, singer/songwritter type, because of the success of David, Jason and Brooke and because they were bringing Kara.

Leome, I get what you’re saying. But we haven’t seen what the top 13 can really do. Sure, we saw their auditions and snippets from Hollywood week. And we’ve seen one stage performance with Crappy Casio Band, off key backup singers, and no chance for contestants to play their instruments.

In this case, I’m willing to hang on and see what develops over the next few weeks on the big stage.

It’s weird this year for sure. Last year we got to see several performances from the top 12 before they hit the big stage. We knew them better and understood them better musically. This year we don’t have that same connection. Yet.

[insert smooth segue here]

Kaney is on next week? Mentoring? Ha! Kanye is Awesome and Awesomely CRAZY. I can’t help but love that guy, with his crazy-good music and Everest-sized ego. *rubs hands together* This should be So. Much. Fun. to watch.

I think I heart Anoop. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s geeky and cool without a lot of posturing, costuming, hats, hair, chains, and makeup.

Teenie, yes! Exactly. I think that’s why he’s so appealing. And he may not have a technically perfect voice like Ricky, he really can sing. It’ll be fun to watch him over the next weeks!

I keep wondering what is going to happen when many of the viewers who start watching the show after the top 12. And I wish those people would write their thoughts on message boards like this. Oh what fun we would have.

I mean if you think about it, half the group canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing. So what are they going to do, lip synch through the group songs?

I’m not sure I will vote this year, but here are my picks:

Alexis Grace, Jorge Nunez, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen.

I also think Simon Cowell had a big part in this, so boo to him for putting through 6 Sanjayaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s.

Ugh. I don’t get the judges’ fascination with Megan. Sure she’s blonde and pretty, but so was Kristy Lee Cook and we all know that that does not necessarily a successful commercial artist make. I find her voice average to awful to be honest and her movements are beyond silly. How she gets through when a genuinely interesting singer with natural stage presence like Jesse Langseth gets dumped I have no idea. Stupid, stupid show.

I don’t get Jasmine either. Her voice isn’t bad but it’s terribly generic. If she had an amazing range I might understand, but clearly she doesn’t. She was shouty and horribly strained on those high notes: it was like somebody torturing a cat. Without a good high register I don’t see what she has to offer as a pop/pop r’n'b singer – no wow factor whatsoever. She’s no Christina, that’s for sure. Or Leona. Or even Jordin.

Megan and Jasmine are both a waste of top 13 space as far as I’m concerned….mind you, so are most of them for me. Michael Sarver? Kris Allen?? These guys are so dull I’d forgotten them before they’d even finished singing. I’ve watched every series since #3 and been positive about all of them to a greater or lesser extent, but this is the least exciting line-up they’ve ever had IMO. If it weren’t for Adam I’d be switching off right now…

Am I the only one who likes Megan? I think sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s current and could easily fit in with a lot of female artists today. I think she could rock some Duffy, Adele, or Feist.

I’m on the fence about Megan (and just about everyone else this season), but I do hear something pleasantly quirky about the quality of her voice. I don’t know if she’s a songwriter or if she plays an instrument but that would show me she’s something more than just a “sound alike”.

The big thing for me with Megan will be some evidence that she can interpret rather than mimic the sound of other current artists. But then, American Idol at some level seems to be about trying to copy what’s trendy and package it.

I actually think Alexis has potential to fit in that genre too.

I like Megan. I think her voice is interesting and it will be interesting to watch her grow. I think she deserves a spot in the top 12/13, but I also don’t think she will last long because she is very inexperienced and the theme nights will do her in.

Jesse Langseth took on a song that was too big for her. Chaka Khan tops Whitney in the vocal ability contest and if you can’t sing as good as Chaka Khan, then just don’t sing it. I think Jesse could have beat out Jasmine Murray (who I predict will be the first to go) if she would have picked a song that was less “big”.

Now here’s hoping TPTB don’t do something stupid like get rid of two people in one week.

On the whole, this is a very inexperienced top 12/13. So I wouldn’t expect any breakout performances until the end of the season — except from Adam Lambert.

The only good thing I can see about the travesty of wildcard performances that really didn’t matter in the selection process is this— at least we got to see 4 of the finalists sing again, and got a better sense of who they are. I have problems even remembering the names of the other 9, much less have a sense of who they are musically.

Oh, and I’m really glad Matt redeemed himself a little. Holy crap, I wish he’d dial back the riffing. He doesn’t need to do that. The first part of his song was really, really good. The last part was almost unwatchable, and I’ve been on the Matt love train since his Louisville audition.

This season, the backup singers drown out the contestants a lot of the time.

This is true, but if you really think about it most of the contestants can’t carry more than 2 notes.

I have no idea why corporate heads keep sicking over produced bad singers down our throats. People in the music industry and consumers alike are complaining that corporate heads keep shoving garbage in our faces. And it is really a waste that consumers such as myself are willing to buy record albums, and pay to go to concerts, but I find that my money can be spent on better things than diluted musical acts.

And I think Megan was put in to be Swift 2.0, but only time will tell if this pans out. And no I did not purchase that child’s album.

As a side note, Megan is not the only one that can’t carry more than two notes.

I’m on the fence about Megan too. I get the appeal. I like the personality. I like the tone of her voice and I do agree her sound is current. But she needs a lot of polishing. Her stage movements will get old fast and she is somebody who needs a lot of help from the vocal coaches in terms of proper technique. Not to mention I’m trying to imagine the trainwreck that will occur when she has to actually sing and move around the stage at the same time.

I’m curious about the instrument thing with Megan too. I don’t think she plays one and for some reason I think she would have an easier time pulling off the imperfect vocals thing if she played an instrument and had more of a musician vibe going on. Or if she had more of an emotional connection to what she was singing (like a Brooke or Jason vibe).

Kind of like Scott. I haven’t read back to see what anyone thinks of Scott here, but while I don’t think his vocals are all that, I do agree with the judges in terms of I think he can emotionally connect with songs and I get that when he sings. It might not be vocally perfect, but I think he can pull off heartfelt.

Also in terms of the group sings, as far as I’m concerned this gang has been lipping them since week one. I can only hope when they move to the big stage that we actually get to hear them sing because to have them lip on a show that is supposed to be about live singing is ridiculous. No wonder there have been no actual solos in any of the group songs yet.

The semis are over on to the top 12/13 and here are those preformance that i remember Adam,Alexes,Amanda and Lil .Not that these are necessarily my favorites because it is still early on… Anoop- whoever said bollywood lol..nice voice totally not sold on him yet .

The old record from American Idol”marketable/complete package”(come w/ batteries?) “Story or Disablity” and “luvable/likable/extra”( so is a black lad).Same old same old will not influence my vote the contestant have to bring it and earn it.
Simon something is good charateristic for a contestant only if he sees $$$.

I understand that the judges are “casting” a TV Show – as Simon himself reminded us – but I still wish:
* Jesse had been “casted” instead of Megan
* Someone who could actually sing had been “casted” instead of Jasmine

I get Jasmine’s market appeal, but dang… she hasn’t learned to control her instrument yet. I know its beating a dead horse, but Felicia should have been in her spot. Or, from the perspective of ethinic diversity, Justine Vailes. Or, from the perspective of youthfulness, Mishavonna Henson.

OK, the horse is dead, I’ll get up and walk now.

Jesse’s voice, stage presence, and the whole “performing skills” package are so much more developed than Megan’s are…. at least, to me. But that horse is also dead so…

Bring on the top 13!

Every season there seems to be a lot of complaints about the people chosen for the top 12 or 13 in this case. As always I like some and don’t others. This season I actually like several so I’m happy. Last season which some call the best ever, at this point I only really liked Michael, Carly, and DC. The difference for me this season is that I hate how we got here. I like that there’s no even split but don’t like the groups with only 3 going through. I did really enjoy the wildcard show but agree it was a waste of time because they knew who they wanted. I was pretty sure Ricky wasn’t going through when his big fan, Paula, wasn’t enthusiastic.

I’m excited about the finals. My favorite is Anoop but also like Danny, Alexis, Allison, Matt, Scott, and Lil.

Are Allison and Kris the only ones in top 13 who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get a lot of coverage in the earlier rounds?

Yes. And Ricky and Jesse were the only ones in the wildcard show who didn’t get earlier coverage. This season is worse than just bad or boring. It’s a total fraud. Simon and the producers ought to be frog-marched into federal court wearing orange jumpsuits for consumer fraud.

I CANNOT believe Tatiana copped Jorge’s “when I’m emotional I think in Spanish” line one night after he said it. She is clearly pathological. There’s no way AI wasn’t being irresponsible by manipulating her as much as they did and placing her in as many high drama situations as they could just for entertainment. She’s either the best reality show TV actress ever, or seriously disturbed. But thankfully, she’s gone (probably until the finale, when they’ll trot her out and she’ll try to steal the winner’s spotlight by making it all about her).

I watched “Ugly Betty” until the very end when they announced the wild cards. I think this season will be the shark jumper for me. Its already begun and that doesnt mean that others wont find it thoroughly entertaining but the mind fucking that has been going on and the manipulations both on the tv audience as well as on the contestants themselves is almost too much to bear for me. Im pissed now and when Im pissed I tend not to have an open mind nor the desire to participate in the game playing.

One by one my hopes were raised for my fav and then quickly dashed. The final straw for me was Anoop not making it in last night. Now I dont have a horse in the race at all.

And before you kids start jumping up and down to tell me that YES!!!! He DID make it!!!! I had turned the channel in disgust so I never saw the part where Simon says its a top 13!!!!!!!!!! UNTIL just this minute when I re read MJ’s front page I had no idea.

So yes they have masterly manipulated me once again and for the moment Im lovin it.

ANOOP!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!! OK, scrap what I typed above. Im lovin’ this season!!!!!!!

I wish they had hired a dust mop instead of Kara. The next time I hear her say the words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹commercialà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹packageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ I might poke myself in the eye with something pointy.

Butter, this made me laugh out loud.

The way they are treating Anoop, putting him in the middle of the pack the first week when he sang well and then pushing Sarver, making him wait until the end to be selected for wild card, making him #13, gives me hope that TPTB are behind Anoop. He’s being pimped but in a subtle (for ai PTB, that would be with the 40 pound hammer vs the 3000 pound !!Gokey!! hammer) way.

Moments that made me happy this year:
Kris Allen getting through — cuz his voice is clear and beautiful
Everything Anoop
Alexis Grace, not because I really love her, but she truly sang her way into the top 12/13

I have no issue with Anoop’s shout out last night — he didn’t hold up a picture of Eve and unless you were clued in, it just sounded like a shout-out to his college buddies.

More importantly, he actually knew Eve Carson and it wasn’t like he could potentially sway voters, since there was no voting last night. I had no problem with it.

I really like Anoop and Megan, Jazmine was horrible as usual and Matt – ugh totally NOT Justin Timberlake or even close but the thing is with these 4, the judges had their minds set already and they could have stood up there and farted out a song and they would have been told they were, OMG – that was soooo good, excuse the language but their comments were jokes, stilted and totally rehearsed and the judges were soooo transparent, it was sick.

Particle, I KNOW all of a sudden she had a strong accent and wow – she is not mental but very coniving(spell check please?) anyhoo – she saw how Jorge touched them last night and came out guns blazin and oh so weird

OH LONGSONG! Hi and too funny!

I don’t think Jasmine’s selection was about ethnic diversity. The top 9 going into last night dd not have a lot or relevance to today’s music scene. THAT’S the diversity they were lacking. Can you really see a Danny Gokey record next to Lady Gaga’s? Or Scott Mcintyre? Oil Rig Guy? They needed people who seemed like current recording artists, and like it or not, Megan and Jasmine fill the bill. So does Matt G.

The music business has never been just about voice. Personality, performance, all of that plays a part. Those 2 are closer to being ready for Top 40 radio than others to me.

The funniest comment of the night was Simon telling Megan that she wasn’t karaoke.

While I’m not thrilled with the top 13, I’m ok with the wild card picks for the most part. I would have put Jesse or Ricky in over Jasmine.

I like Megan’s voice and singing style. It has character and I like the songs she chooses. The thing that bothers me is her little dance. I call it the ‘washing machine dance’ and Carry Underwood had a similar thing going on that annoyed me to death. I hope she finds a way to loose that. Quirky can get old.

I really enjoyed Matt’s performance and I think he has the possibility of being the anti-Gokey more so than Adam.

Anoop is endearing and non-pretentious. He has a good voice and I look forward to him growing and doing well.

I just can’t get into Jasmine at all. I don’t think she is that great a singer and I’m really tired of that style. I think she is just there because they need Disney teens. I expect she’ll make it to the tour and go by the wayside soon after.

I think I may root for Alexis and Megan this year. Mostly because they seem to be pushing male dominance, but I really do like their voices and style.

I CANNOT believe Tatiana copped Jorgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“when Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m emotional I think in Spanishà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  line one night after he said it.

Hahaha yeah that was as fake and eye roll worthy as pretty much every line that came out of Simon’s mouth last night.

Oh good Lord….I missed the show last night and just watched Jesse and Megan’s videos and for the love of God, WTF were they thinking by choosing Megan’s caterwalling over Jesse’s obvious talent?!?!?

Oh well, they got their Noah’s ark of stereotypes and not one good singer in the lot…..sounds like this Ark is turning into the Titanic……

To be fair to the guys who like Megan, the girls this season aren’t really that cute and pretty. Megan does stand out in the bunch.
I like her, I think there’s something funny and interesting in the way she performs.

May I rant?

Now, I don’t normally get angry about people being in the finals. I may get all snarky on their a$$es, but I’m not outraged by them being there. I may not agree with the choices that America makes, but it’s their choices. People are allowed to have a difference in opinion. A difference in what the like to hear. Sure, there are contestants like Sanjaya who clearly are lacking in the vocal chops, but he was fun to watch, rolled with things and was unpredictably interesting.

I may fear that Allison is going to blow out her voice and that Kris may get a little dull and that Danny’s back story may eventually drive me to even deeper cynicism, but I can accept that they all got into the finals. Matt G may have riffed too much last night, but I can see how the judges think that he has talent (and how the group night coordinator is already planning on sticking him and Scott on dueling pianos and having the rest dance around them). Ricky was the best of the night last night, but I knew he wasn’t going to make it in after he was the only Wildcarder not given any airtime after his selection. Ricky would upset the apple cart, so the judges sent him home. Same with Jesse (except she did get to talk).

I can understand how Jasmine made it. They want some diversity to fend of accusations of racism and she could be a package artist with a bit of help. I haven’t seen back-up singers carry a song like that since Ruben blew out his voice in Season 2, but Anoop is charming and he did hit some nice glory notes so I can see why he was selected.

BUT, and here is where I get angry, I cannot understand Megan’s selection at all. That was one of the worst performances I have seen in quite some time. At one point, I thought she was going for the spoken word Grammy (as in, she was speaking the song, not singing the notes). I know that package artist doesn’t mean “Good Singer”. I take it to mean somebody who is attractive, can at least look like they are singing on stage and can either write songs or dance. So, I can understand why various people like Brit, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Alicia (the only true package artist) have careers. But the only part of the package that I see Megan having is being attractive and even that she has marred with one of the fugliest tattoos ever (Carly’s tattoo may have been distracting at times, but it was kind of pretty and made some sense). The girl cannot sing, IMO. She cannot sing on key, she cannot follow a melody, and her phrasing is terrible. She doesn’t even look like she can lip-synch convincingly. And her dancing? The dancing! I can see why Simon picked on Taylor’s dancing because he did look like a drunk uncle at the wedding at times, but at least that is a form of dancing people can recognize and it had something to do with the song (ie the movements were to the beat). Megan’s flailing movements are distracting, juvenile, random and non-sensical. And they look stupid. And to top it all off, America had the sense not to pick her. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!! BTW I loved how Paula managed to review the performance without saying anything specific or nice about it. Paula danced her way out of that one.

On another note, how will we get to the big finale on May 20th (because that is the last week of May sweeps) with 13 contestants? At first, I thought they were going to boot 2 contestants next week, but they didn’t say anything about that last night. So, now I’m thinking instead of a final 2, we are getting a final 3 this year (doesn’t X-Factor do that?). I’m wondering if we will keep our pimpee trifecta for that (Danny, Adam and Lil). A final 3 would keep more fan bases happy which may lead to higher ratings.

It is Allison not Amanda…

I think TPTB are just making up rules as they go. . . .

I wonder if they cast Megan as the good-looking fodder girl that they always have in the top 24. You know, the one that we usually get rid of first.

This season seriously bugs me, and it’s good to know I’m not alone. Sure the producers have more control, and maybe they are getting the show they want. BUT, they are going to have to clone themselves a few million times to make up for the audience they are losing as a result.

Remember the Robert Smigel cartoons on SNL, where the little dog rips away the title screen and runs away with it? I feel just like cartoon-Lorne Michaels. “Come back here with my show!!!” Feels some dirty dawgs have taken it away from us.

I dont get the Megan hate, I love her – her sound is so unique and different, I can see her making it as someone said in a Duffy vein with some tweaking here and there. She is just so lucky to be so gorgeous to go along with it, dont hate, no thats ok hate away if it makes you feel better. I think that she is going to be another love or hate thang like Adam or Danny.

My sis likes her, yay, we can get along this season too!! Last year we were both on the Jason/Cook train

http://community.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/blogs/category/ENTERTAINMENT

I actually don’t mind a 3-contestant finale by any means.

Are Allison and Kris the only ones in top 13 who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get a lot of coverage in the earlier rounds?

Yes. And Ricky and Jesse were the only ones in the wildcard show who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get earlier coverage. This season is worse than just bad or boring. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a total fraud. Simon and the producers ought to be frog-marched into federal court wearing orange jumpsuits for consumer fraud.

Actually, from last year’s top 12, I thought Jason was the only one who made it without screentime? I remember seeing everyone else in Hollywood. Maybe David H and Chikezie the least, but I still saw some clips of them, and the rest of the guys got plenty of coverage. I feel like this format makes it feel more contrived, but this screentime to top 12/13 correlated outcome is typical.

I never saw Taylor’s season, but saw one clip of his “dancing” during the Rockefeller Xmas thing and was kind of scarred. When Simon said that about Matt G I was really offended, haha. I got that he maybe overdid it a tad– but TBH his movements remind me a bit more of Ray Charles than what I’ve seen of Taylor, ha. Anyway, looking forward to seeing him behind the piano.

Once again, bless mj for the videos for those of us who missed the live performances.
Sooooo sad Jesse not picked over Jasmine. Hope someone out there has seen potential in her so that she may get another opportunity.
Matt G.—now that’s what I’m talking about! I know he is from Michigan or Wisconsin, but where did he get the N’awlins soul and accent? Gosh, just wait till he gets behind a keyboard. Re: the Taylor reference, he’s actually doing pretty well for himself in “Grease”. Season 5 was probably the pinnacle of this show, so Matt should take that as a compliment.
Anoop was inevitable, he is so dang good…hate that he was put through the emotional wringer on his way to the top 12. We are UGA (GO DAWGS) at our house, but great to see an obvious college brainiac representin’. And a Southern one, too.
Megan..after watching the clip, I actually like the tone of her voice, very jazzy and controlled, and I appreciate someone who can sing well in the lower register. Noticed her stage appearance is vastly improved when she grabs the mike and stands still, opposed to the “washing machine dance” mentioned above. Hope there is a jazzy or standards category this year for her. Yes, she is a lot like Carrie in the stage awkwardness. Me, I like ‘em raw and not too polished, if they can sing.
Actually looking forward to what this group will do from here on out, surprisingly.

dont hate, no thats ok hate away if it makes you feel better. I think that she is going to be another love or hate thang like Adam or Danny.

Well, you know–YMMV. And if people want to hate, they can do that here, without the lectures…

but TBH his movements remind me a bit more of Ray Charles than what Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen of Taylor, ha. Anyway, looking forward to seeing him behind the piano.

And Taylor got lots of his moves from his hero, Ray Charles…

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m wondering if we will keep our pimpee trifecta for that (Danny, Adam and Lil). A final 3 would keep more fan bases happy which may lead to higher ratings.

Or, they will spring a double elimination at some point in the competition just for the next morning water-cooler talk.

Honestly, I think they are flying by the seat of their pants this year. As someone said upthread…making it up as they go along.

poporange Mar 6th, 2009 at 9:28 am

It is Allison not Amandaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Unfortunately, for American Idol I could care a whit either way.

mj Mar 6th, 2009 at 10:47 am

Honestly, I think they are flying by the seat of their pants this year. As someone said upthreadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦making it up as they go along.

Well, the production value and quality of the actual shows is certainly indicative of that but the way the contestants were grouped and resulting cast has nary a whiff of anything fan determined to me.

The producers knew the cast they wanted and got them, assuming somebody unwanted slipped through they can be taken care of before the Idols Live tour group is locked in.

Boy, they really do get close as a group. The first person to hug Anoop and it was a big hug was Matt. It interesting how fast they all become so close. I would have changed Jamimine for Ricky and Felicia Barton should have been there. It’s a good top 13. Not as good as last years top 12. Matt is one of the best singers on the show and this is still a show about singing?

Yes. And Ricky and Jesse were the only ones in the wildcard show who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get earlier coverage. This season is worse than just bad or boring. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a total fraud. Simon and the producers ought to be frog-marched into federal court wearing orange jumpsuits for consumer fraud.

I don’t believe I’m about to do this, but I think I’m going to have to defend the producers on this one.

This year is no different than any in the sense that there are always producer favorites and almost all of them get in. Usually the top 24 has a big group of contestants that have had so much screen time we all know they are going through unless they majorly screw up. We just were allowed to feel more control over the thing. So no, I don’t think things are all that different now.

And Taylor got lots of his moves from his hero, Ray Charlesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

To be fair, I am completely uninformed about Taylor, since I based my opinion on just one clip of his (IMO) spastic dancing in the aforementioned Christmas thing. If his style was more along the lines of Matt G by way of Ray Charles during his time on AI, I probably wouldn’t have minded it too much. Though if anyone performed like that every single week, maybe I’d get tired of it. I cannot stress enough how I can’t WAIT for the instruments! Main reason I’m still bummed by the loss of Nate. He seemed like he would’ve been great on the guitar.

And however much current Megan sounds, she still sounds like ass.

Yes, Megan currently sounds like ass…and she’ll probably sound the same next week too.

When they announced Matt had made it in to the top-12, it was like I was discovering that the Bumpus Hounds had just eaten my Christmas turkey. “No Anoop? No country Anoop? No ’70s Anoop? No year-of-your-birth Anoop? No Anoop doing a pointy pose? No Anoop pulling out ‘Crazy Train’?” Gosh, I was crushed. So glad he made it, or this season would have been as blah and passionless as season 6 was for me.

Now I am figuring out who TPTB want on tour and who Simon will tell us not to vote for during the next two weeks. I’m assuming they are doing a double elimination next week…but did they ever say that is what is happening?

The producers knew the cast they wanted and got them, assuming somebody unwanted slipped through they can be taken care of before the Idols Live tour group is locked in.

Yes, and I think the way they get what they want is by staying nimble…they’ll change the playbook when it’s necessary.

So, while TPTB are mulling over several plans on how to tackle the eliminations of the Top 13, I bet they have nothing set in stone yet. It’ll just depend on how the season pans out.

Just think of all the conflicting information about how the wildcard would go. I really believe they weren’t exactly sure until the last minute how they’d proceed.

Or, they will spring a double elimination at some point in the competition just for the next morning water-cooler talk

They could do that, but I think that would be a mistake. When they did the double elimination during Season 6, people were not happy (although that was a carry-over the vote thing as well).

Just like a Baker’s dozen, I think giving the fans more makes them happier. Double eliminations stink of manipulation (especially if it is a surprise double elimination) while having a three-way finale would seem like a treat. The producers could have pulled a trick last night and only let two wildcards through and I think people would be disappointed. Most seem to be delighted with getting an extra contestant.

Plus, a three way finale gives the producers a little more control. With a two way finale, you get an either/or choice and many people vote for “anybody but him/her”. This can lead to land slide victories. But, with a three way finale, the producers can be a little more manipulative and votes get split. Imagine how exciting the finale would have been in season 5 if the final 3 had been the last group. The tension that Ryan could have built up with the almost equal three way split?

You may be very right that they will have a double elimination, but I think that a three way finale will go over better and make people happier.

And I think Megan was put in to be Swift 2.0, but only time will tell if this pans out. And no I did not purchase that childà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album.

Taylor Swift is not so great of a live singer, but her albums are good, and she is mega popular….so I guess it isn’t always about the voice.

“Well, you knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’YMMV. And if people want to hate, they can do that here, without the lecturesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦”

Uh – that wasnt even close to a lecture, I also said hate if it is what makes you feel good and I do too at times, hate myself when I get that way though, hate and anger is such a waste of good energy but to each his own, it would be a boring place if we all agreed actually.

I am just disgusted with this season. This show and Simon more than anyone, have spent the past seven years stating that this was a singing competition and they wanted to find the best singer. Then, this year they throw that out completely and decide if you have the correct image – the “package”, if you will – it doesn’t matter that your vocals aren’t great. What a farce they are turning this show into. I don’t listen to a package when I buy music. I care about the vocals and I don’t want them drowned out with electronic synthesizing because you can’t stand to listen to the person’s actual voice. Right now, I can’t imagine wanting to buy any music from this group.

You may be very right that they will have a double elimination, but I think that a three way finale will go over better and make people happier.

Since when has TPTB been worried about keeping the fans happy? Ha ha. Actually, a 3 person finale actually sounds like a good idea, a change up from year’s past. Plus with 3, they can stretch that performance show into 2 hours. More ad dollars!

Uh – that wasnt even close to a lecture,

Sorry if I misunderstood you…

LOL whoa, I am so used to Kirsten being cool and evenhanded in the sales threads that the Megan-rant was surprising – but fwiw I TOTALLY AGREE. Quirky and (arguably) cute? okay…but one of the best out of hundreds of thousands who auditions? Puhleeze.

I ended up watching on dvr after all cause this show apparently owns my soul (THANKS seasons 6 and 7). I liked Matt a lot more than I did before but it’s worrisome that he sucked so badly the other night. I also feel bad for other semifinalists who may ALSO have improved if they had gotten a second chance. Wildcard bugs me cause no way did Matt deserve a second chance based on his Viva La Vida and yet there he got one and now he is in the Finals.

I’m not sure about Anoop. He reminds me of some fratboys I knew. Let’s see if that annoying strut translates into personality (although if he’s smart he’ll just play the nice guy while the cameras are on.) I’m glad he’s in cause I find him less offensive than some others who made it into the Finals but…not inspired to cheer for him yet.

So right now, who I do like in the Top 13: Allison, Kris, Alexis

Rooting for but will need to see better/more consistent vocals: Matt, Anoop, Scott

Indifferent: Lil, Jorge

Don’t like: Jasmine, Adam, Michael

Actively rooting against: Danny, Megan

Holy shit!!!! How did I miss that Kanye is performing next week!!!

I love me some Kanye…he has an ego bigger than the grand Canyon but he has the talent to back it up!

This show and Simon more than anyone, have spent the past seven years stating that this was a singing competition and they wanted to find the best singer. Then, this year they throw that out completely and decide if you have the correct image – the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“packageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , if you will – it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter that your vocals arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t great.

I suppose when looking back at the past idols and runners up, the producers are maybe feeling like some of the “singers”, who don’t have the package haven’t been so successful, so they have to look at more of the package.

I would argue that the ones who have been successful (i.e. Underwood, Daughtry, Cook, Archuleta) do have the package, as well as the singing. See disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I know that everyone has a different idea of success and I am sure I left some out, and I also know that you can’t totally call Cook and Archuleta successful until we see them a few years down the road.

I would also argue that some who haven’t been as successful also have the package, including the singing, but that it is a tough industry.

I guess I hope that TPTB push people to win who CAN actually sing as well as have the package. At the same time, I think it is pretty hard to judge someone’s singing voice totally yet until we have seen them for a few weeks with vocal coaches, etc.

Let me start by saying I am not surprised at all that it is a Top 13 this year. First of all, that’s an unlucky number and they will probably have terrible ratings this season. Second of all, this has got to be the weakest Top 13 ever. This group has no David Cooks or Kelly Clarksons. Hey, maybe there are a few “stars” in this group. How will I ever know? I’ve only heard them sing ONE SONG so far. I don’t know these people at all. I feel disconnected and unaware of the contestant’s personalities and musical style.

Can I say that the way the show treated Tatiana was DISGUSTING. They lead her on for another week for the drama, without any intentions of putting her through. I don’t blame her for singing the same song. Simon is a hypocrite (like the other judges). If she had sung any other crappy song that Idol had laying around, he would’ve said “this was a terrible song choice.” But this week she sings a song very well that she also sang very well a few weeks ago and all of a sudden it’s all about “repeating the song”. Anoop sang the same song in Hollywood and we heard barely anything about that. I closed my eyes and listened to Tatiana sing and it was a flawless performance. The producers obviously told the judges to shake her up and bash her performance but it came across as cruel because she was actually very good. I am liking Simon less and less this year.

How can anyone with ears put Megan C in over Ricky B? He was miles better than she was which proves that this show isn’t about the singing at all. I think one of the judges even admitted that last night while talking about “personality”. The thing is, Idol had no good looking women in the Top 13 and they needed SOMEONE and chose Megan (who ain’t that pretty) even though her voice is terrible. I predict 9th or 10th place. I tell you, the women are going to be the first ones gone.

I don’t remember actually disliking a contestant like I do Megan. She really annoys the hell out of me. I can’t imagine what she can do faced with a number of genres to sing. I think they should forget the different genre/ theme thing anyway. How does that predict their future musical recordings or live performance selections? The concept of AI should be better defined if all they want is the best recording artist. The reality is the show is about the best TV performing artist but TPTB are trying to manipulate the audience into thinking you are picking the best TV performing artist when they want the best “relevant recording artist” They would have loved Taylor Swift on this show and although I will give her kudos on her songwriting skills I am not sure that any one person in the top five of AI in all it’s years is as poor a singer as she is.

This group has no David Cooks or Kelly Clarksons.

How can you possibly know that yet? Neither David or Kelly were thought to be a sure winner by this point in their seasons.

I read a rumor that Anoop was told that his choices were either “My Prerogative” or “Angel of Mine” last night. Interesting if true.

———-How can you possibly know that yet? Neither David or Kelly were thought to be a sure winner by this point in their seasons.————

By this point in their seasons, (well at least David’s, I don’t know about Kelly’s) we had heard 3 songs and David had had his moment with “Hello”. We knew he was going to do well in the future because of the past 3 weeks. With these people, we have only heard one song. Two for the wildcard contestants, even though their first performances were terrible.

please stop being rude