Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver – FOX News Interview – VIDEO

I keep seeing Anoop in Michael Sarver’s chair.

Blue Eyed Soul Patrol? cause they sang Mariah and Gavin DeGraw? Huh. (I’m giving alexis a pass cause I actually like her.)

Thanks for reminding me why this season is getting so boring… too much soul talent and lack of diversity.

I don’t remember ever disliking a contestant the way I dislike Danny.

Anoop has so much more soul than Michael. (I think he’s got more soul than the other two as well though)
Wildcardwildcardwildcard.

And seriously, I didn’t realize people thought he was a country singer.

I guess I would just like to know how it is that Danny should answer questions of that nature when directly asked? What would work better in your view? Seriously just curious here.

LOVE Danny!

Oh, a black eye for that blue-eyed soul patrol comment. Gag, and double gag. Come ON! Agreed, more diversity needed!
I do like Alexis, though.

“I want to give hope to people”?
This wacko is the frontrunner? seriously?

I love you MJ I do – but ditto what Idolfanatic said. I am not head over heals for him but I think he deserves to be there, Alexis most definitely does. If he can inspire just one person to come back and live life instead of hiding away from it, afraid to be hurt again then I just love that. Hope is an awesome thing to give to people. I am a huge sentimental sap though, I am – sorry!

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t remember ever disliking a contestant the way I dislike Danny.

So much word.
I’m seriously starting to despise Danny Gokey. He might just drive me away from this season entirely. Eck.

I am not head over heals for him but I think he deserves to be there,

I didn’t say that he didn’t deserve to be there.

But he does bug me. His manner comes off like proselytizing to me. The whole “I’m trying to give people hope” rings hollow. YMMV of course, but that’s just how it seems to me.

But he does bug me. His manner comes off like proselytizing to me. The whole à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m trying to give people hopeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  rings hollow. YMMV of course, but thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just how it seems to me.

I can respect that is your view of how it comes off. But again, I am really curious as to how he should answer a direct question like that in a better way.

I can respect that is your view of how it comes off. But again, I am really curious as to how he should answer a direct question like that in a better way.

By not coming off like he’s some kind of savior. I find the idea of “Danny the hope giver” a bit arrogant.

I guess I would just like to know how it is that Danny should answer questions of that nature when directly asked? What would work better in your view? Seriously just curious here.

Simple. He can drop the “I’m here to give hope” crap by just saying “I’m not courageous. I’m like anybody else in this situation and I’m just putting one foot in front of the other thanks to some good friends.” No preaching, no sappiness, no exploitation. Maybe he needs to call Jennifer Hudson and ask her for some advice on handling tragedy without exploiting it.

And Michael Sarver is on the wrong path if he thinks he’s going to succeed as a “blue eyed soul” singer. He better embrace his country destiny quickly or he’ll lose his audience.

By not coming off like heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s some kind of savior. I find the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Danny the hope giverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a bit arrogant.

I guess it’s a no-win in his situation then. Because there’s really no way to answer that type of question without sounding a little corny to an extent.

Word, MJ.

And this interview shows exactly what bugs about this season. Coming off a season that boasted the most diverse selection of contestants ever – folk, rock, soul, pop, diva, country, R&B – now we have three soul singers from the first round alone? And looking forward, what else is there? Matt Giraud’s also soul. The guys from group 3 may as well name themselves top 12 cannon fodder. Anoop is soulful R&B. Scott seems to be soul. Ricky Braddy’s soul – wow, that’s a lot of Taylor Hicks replacements. Maybe that’s the theme of season eight: finally forever erasing the legacy of Taylor Hicks by crowning a male soul singer that TPTB actually endorse.

But yeah – if we look at our likely top 12: Danny, Alexis, Michael, Adam, Matt, Jasmine/Jesse, Alex/Nate, Felicia, Scott, Anoop, Ricky, Tatiana/Normund: other than the crazies and Adam, everyone else seems to be a throwback to older seasons, with the overload of big voices and no genre or originality. Where are the Jason Castros, Brooke Whites, and David Cooks?

While Alexis seems pretty interesting…so far, that is some BORING guys! Hope things get a bit more interesting, guy-wise, down the line. I am very much crossing fingers for an Anoop reprieve in the form of a wild card ticket to the Top 12.

Interviewer-woman, I have a question. Since when is Gavin DeGraw considered a country artist?? :ponder_tb:

Plus, having a southern accent does not automatically make one a country singer. ARGH.

Anoop dawg, come back! I MISS YOU!

ETA:

Simple. He can drop the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m here to give hopeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  crap by just saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not courageous. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m like anybody else in this situation and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just putting one foot in front of the other thanks to some good friends.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  No preaching, no sappiness, no exploitation. Maybe he needs to call Jennifer Hudson and ask her for some advice on handling tragedy without exploiting it.

Yes! This! :clap_tb: :thumbup_tb:

Blue-eyed sould patrol? Yuck! WTF are the rockers? Oh, God, Adam, I hope you go that route because I haven’t felt this bereft since S6.

MJ, thank you for warning me that the execrable phrase “blue eyed soul patrol” was going to be spouted so I could skip this.

I guess I would just like to know how it is that Danny should answer questions of that nature when directly asked? What would work better in your view?

You know what? I feel for Danny, I really do. But people lose people who are close to them all the time and go on with their lives rather quickly because that’s what reality necessitates. I lost my father between 7th & 8th grade and I didn’t look to a reality tv show contestant to guide me out of the darkness and into the light. I just sucked it up and went back to middle school.

Also, for most grieving people, going on with their lives does not involve the opportunity to pursue a dream on TV in front of 25 million people. I’m sure competing on Idol and getting a constant tongue-bath is a nice distraction for him at this time of his life. I don’t get how he’s courageous or who he’s supposed to inspire.

He could have just responded that it’s a private matter and he would prefer to talk about his “blue-eyed soul” music.

Maybe he needs to call Jennifer Hudson and ask her for some advice on handling tragedy without exploiting it.

AMEN!

And Michael Sarver is on the wrong path if he thinks heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to succeed as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“blue eyed soulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  singer. He better embrace his country destiny quickly or heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll lose his audience.

Seriously. If he spouts that again during the Top 12, he’s going to loose about 90% of his voting block. Because I have no doubt they’re thinking HE’s gonna be the “country boy” this season.

I guess ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a no-win in his situation then. Because thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s really no way to answer that type of question without sounding a little corny to an extent.

I can think of some past contestants that would be able to handle that question (or a similar “you’re so great, how do you do it” question) a lot better. He gave an answer that I expect Tatiana to give in one of her praise the Lord moments.

edit: you have no idea who or what soundscene is talking about unless she tells you. DO NOT put words in poster’s mouths or question their motives

It’s so weird seeing these people on TV and in the top 12 and we hardly know them at all. We’ve only heard them sing ONCE. I hate this format. In previous years, we had heard these people sing multiple times and we were able to have some attachment to them. I feel nothing for these people and I don’t know if they are really worthy of the top 12 since they only had 1 “relatively good” performance so far.

The difference with Archie -and oh god I can’t even believe I am about to defend the twerp- is that he was a starry eyed, naive 17 year old who really, truly believed music (any music, not necessarily his) could save the freaking world. Annoying, yes, but developmentally appropriate for that age group. Danny, however, is an adult going around acting like he has some special insight or knowledge based on his INTENSE SUFFERING that will bring light and happiness and WISDOM (and the love of Jesus Christ, of course!)to the world via song.

Interesting because Archie got the same type of critcism for his Help The Homeless PSA after one of his performances last season. Yes, I know youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re talking about the ever-humble Archie because I too am a huge fan of his.

Actually I thought of Cook, and his decision not to exploit or discuss his brother’s illness, even when he was asked.

But if we’re talking Archie, he never discussed himself as being a hope to others. It was always about the song. Archie is very adept at answering tricky questions. If he was in some kind of similar situation, he would never answer that question the way Danny did. So IMO, whatever criticism he got after Another Day In Paradise was undeserved if it was the same type of criticism Danny is getting now.

I guess ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a no-win in his situation then. Because thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s really no way to answer that type of question without sounding a little corny to an extent.

Like Cheese put it so eloquently, he could have made it simple, more personal. Instead, he’s all Jeebus Gokey, grieving widow, on a mission to save the world one voter at a time.

Just. No.

Blue eyed soul patrol? LMAO! Sure Anoop’s eyes aren’t blue but his so much more soul than these three people.

I miss Anoop already.

Danny needs a better publicist. He needs to figure out how to handle the whole dead wife issue in more subtle, classy way.

Actually I thought of Cook, and his decision not to exploit or discuss his brotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s illness, even when he was asked.

You see what I mean Idol Fantatic. See my edit.

If you continue to break my guidelines, I will put you in moderation.

But yeah – if we look at our likely top 12: Danny, Alexis, Michael, Adam, Matt, Jasmine/Jesse, Alex/Nate, Felicia, Scott, Anoop, Ricky, Tatiana/Normund: other than the crazies and Adam, everyone else seems to be a throwback to older seasons, with the overload of big voices and no genre or originality. Where are the Jason Castros, Brooke Whites, and David Cooks?

Definitely the main problem with this season. Sigh.

Madcap, this:

…the overload of big voices and no genre or originality. Where are the Jason Castros, Brooke Whites, and David Cooks?

Weeeeeeeellll, there is only one DAVID COOK! He’s out on tewer right now, thank goodness! hee.

I am seriously boooooooooooored with S8 right now. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……oh did someone sing something? Sorry, I missed it.

I watched most of every season, from 1 through 7. And S7 was the only time, ever and not just counting American Idol music crap, that an artist so totally sucked me in. (That would be Mr. Cook.) I did really enjoy Brooke, Jason, Carly, MJ, and I grudgingly admit, Archie. Archuleta was just a “voice” to me at first, but he did grow on me a bit as an artist. Nowhere NEAR the extent that Cook did, but still…. So far this season, I don’t give a #$(*#&$ that I’ve missed everything since Hollywood started except the last few minutes of the show this week where Danny Gokey was put through. I was sorta kinda liking his VOICE, but snooooooooooooooooooooooooze.

Guess I’ll just bide my time, maybe watch some later shows (like the one COOK will appear on), and wait to see some live music in a couple months or so.

We don’t even have the full top 12 and already I don’t know how much more Gokey goop I can take. It comes off as self-serving and grating and I know I’m going to have to put up with it all season.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so weird seeing these people on TV and in the top 12 and we hardly know them at all. Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve only heard them sing ONCE. I hate this format. In previous years, we had heard these people sing multiple times and we were able to have some attachment to them. I feel nothing for these people

So much word.
I only saw last season, but comparing this to that is like night and day. By the time they got into the Top 12 last season, we actually knew something about the contestants, we had 3 songs by each, we had three times the background info, video packages and interview clips too. By the time they made it through we had Hello by Cook, Imagine by Archie, Hallelujah by Jason.
Seriously? This format sucks major time. AI7 was so much stronger than AI8. Too bad.

Wow Yellowclouds.. What did Danny do to get the title whacko?

I think the problem this week was this:

There were 5 people who were at least decent:
Alexis, Danny, Michael, Anoop, and Ricky.

Anoop is soul-ish R&B, and apparently Ricky is a soul singer (it’s hard to tell since we’ve seen so little of him). And the 3 that got in are soul singers.

All of the people in Tuesday’s group that aren’t soul singers SUCKED. We didn’t have much “diversity” to choose from if we wanted anyone halfway decent in the top 12. JMO.

Danny’s “Savior” act is getting old really fast. I can’t imagine he’ll go any higher than about 7th place if he keeps it up.

It does seem fast to me too. I did watch seasons 2 and 3 though and for some reason, it didn’t that way at the time. Probably because I didn’t know any different and we have the Top 24 format to compare it to.

I guess to me Danny is just being who he is and it doesn’t bug me. He misses his wife and he is doing this to honor her memory.

You know what? I feel for Danny, I really do. But people lose people who are close to them all the time and go on with their lives rather quickly because thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what reality necessitates. I lost my father between 7th & 8th grade and I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t look to a reality tv show contestant to guide me out of the darkness and into the light. I just sucked it up and went back to middle school.

Also, for most grieving people, going on with their lives does not involve the opportunity to pursue a dream on TV in front of 25 million people. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure competing on Idol and getting a constant tongue-bath is a nice distraction for him at this time of his life. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get how heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s courageous or who heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s supposed to inspire.

Well I think everyone handles their grief differently.

I’m not sure how Michael is a soul singer. He has a tinge of R&B in his voice (which, if slanted to one direction slightly can get country), but I never got a “soul” vibe. Same with Danny, who sounds more John Mayer, but without quite the control over his vocals. I get the label for Alexis. She definitely has that kind of vibe.

Because of Danny Glokey courage and indomitable spirit, I too feel like a redeemer.

In fact, I think I’ll take those aluminum cans and beer bottles to the recycling center right now. Lord, I hope its enough for a bottle of something strong.

Just a note to yf7184, blue eyed soul has nothing to do with the color of ones eyes, it’s just a style of soul music. I love Taylor Hicks and find it rather odd that his style of music seems to be popular this year since TPTB didn’t seem to like it in season 5. I’m an Adam fan this year and hope he stirs the pot up some.

I guess I would just like to know how it is that Danny should answer questions of that nature when directly asked? What would work better in your view? Seriously just curious here.

Simple. He can drop the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m here to give hopeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  crap by just saying à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not courageous. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m like anybody else in this situation and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just putting one foot in front of the other thanks to some good friends.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  No preaching, no sappiness, no exploitation. Maybe he needs to call Jennifer Hudson and ask her for some advice on handling tragedy without exploiting it.

THIS.

My red flag went up on Danny when we first met him and he said, “It’s so hard to talk about this… the emotion is just so RAW…” and then proceeded to talk about it.

I wish it didn’t make me feel like a bad person… losing someone is hard as most of the rest of the world knows… but something about him just isn’t right.

Also… why would ANYONE want to be associated with Soul Patrol at this point?

Am I the only one who thought the blue-eyed soul patrol comment was cute?

Maybe just because I like Michael…(even though he ruined that Gavin DeGraw song)?

We donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even have the full top 12 and already I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know how much more Gokey goop I can take.

I had a dyslexic moment when I read this and came up with: GoobledyGokey. :laugh_tb:

It is a no win with Danny – sigh – if he said – oh shoot, my wife died? No big deal, I dont even think about it anymore – gosh its been almost a year now, I have almost forgotten all about it, I dont even care much anymore. Then what ?- oh well, I dont think he will be my favorite at this point but I cant help feeling sorry for the guy still. When my husband died, what helped me the most was to talk talk talk about my feelings to everyone and anyone who would listen. The more you talk the more you release your emotions and they are not all pent up inside. What he is doing is so very healthy, let him talk, let him try to help, let him feel. My husband was only 33 and it was horrible horrible horrible. If people had said to me, shut up already, about it I dont know where I would be today

Alsoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ why would ANYONE want to be associated with Soul Patrol at this point?

Really. I wonder if the name Taylor Hicks rings some bell to them.

It is a no win with Danny – sigh – if he said – oh shoot, my wife died? No big deal, I dont even think about it anymore – gosh its been almost a year now, I have almost forgotten all about it, I dont even care much anymore. Then what ?- oh well, I dont think he will be my favorite at this point but I cant help feeling sorry for the guy still.

Yeah I guess I need to be more cynical because I didn’t quite see the crisis that everyone else seems to see with what he said. Sure it comes off a little pageanty sounding, but whatevs. I believe it is sincere and I think many have been and will continue to be encouraged by him. Almost every time I hear an artist talk about why they do music, it usually is some variation of a response including to inspire feeling of some kind in other people. Isn’t that what music is all about anyway? People cried and wailed over Fantasia’s sob story and her courage and found it touching to boot. That and she milked her story beyond Idol with a book and a sappy Lifetime movie about her life. Maybe he needs to win before he can do that, I don’t know, but again just whatever.

Danny did this to himself.

HE had to give the INFORMATION and now he is going to have fields of questions because of it.

And he’ll get to preach his word. Just like he has and just like he wants.

If the person I loved the most died the last person I’d look to for inspiration is Danny Gokey. Hope giver my ass. Douchebag extrodinare is more like it.

I don’t find hope from him, I find creepiness. I mean I don’t expect someone to go around mourning, but a friend of mine(who is about the same age as Danny) lost her husband unexpectedly in a fishing accident last March and while I don’t think it is fair to compare to two, I don’t think she feels like much of a hope giver ever and she’s a pretty damn faithful person.

She’s moved on with her life.

I’d feel so much better about Danny’s story if he came across more real instead of so hopeful like everything is okay. Not that I want to see him weep, I just wish instead of being like “I give hope!” to saying, “You know, I just try to go on everyday and do what she wants me to do.”

Be humble about it, douchebag!

What a crappy first three on another note.

For me, he introduced his dead wife into the equation. It became part of his story so if he is lauded or crucified on how he answers the questions about it, it’s just his lot. Also, the few months between his audition and this semi-final should have given him time to prepare himself to answer these questions. And apparently, he’s taking the inspirational “Hear me and Hope” route.

Well I for one would find it far more disturbing if he had never mentioned her to begin with being so fresh still. Just act like it didn’t happen….no that would be creepy. She’s his motivation for this, so of course he was going to mention it.

His personality turns me off… he seems cocky and preachy. I could probably handle the cockiness alone, but combined with the preachy? I just can’t. His singing “Hero” did nothing to inspire me, either.

Sumidol, I’m sorry for your loss. I’m glad you were able to talk about it. I’m sure Danny has friends and family with whom he can share his grief. I’m not sure a nationally televised singing competition is the right forum.

Well I think everyone handles their grief differently.

True, but I’m tuning it to see a TALENT competition, not to watch someone go through their grieving process on national television. To the people who’ve lost a spouse, I’m sure they can totally relate to Danny and see no problem with it.

To everyone else, it’s just uncomfortable and a tad creepy. That’s what grief counselors and group therapy is for. Danny should seek out professionals, friends, family and other individuals going through the same thing and NOT dump it all out on the general public.

To me it’s the equivalent of a complete stranger coming up to you in public who starts telling you their life story and crying on their shoulder.

I didn’t have a problem with Danny’s response, and I’m one of the people who was very bothered by his behavior last night.

And Michael Sarver is on the wrong path if he thinks heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to succeed as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“blue eyed soulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  singer. He better embrace his country destiny quickly or heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll lose his audience.

I disagree. I like him for the soul. I never saw him as a country guy, as he hasn’t sung country at all yet. If he goes country on me, I’ll lose interest.

Maybe that’s just me… Does his fanbase consist of country fans? If so…why…?

Well I for one would find it far more disturbing if he had never mentioned her to begin with being so fresh still. Just act like it didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t happenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.no that would be creepy. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s his motivation for this, so of course he was going to mention it.

I agree it would have to be mentioned and come out at some point in time. But there’s mentioning it and being inspired by her HUMBLY then there is mentioning it and be a preacher on national television to the point that it comes across as being disloyal to her memory

I had a dyslexic moment when I read this and came up with: GoobledyGokey

That’s kind of what I meant. In fact, I like that better. Lol.

The more you talk the more you release your emotions and they are not all pent up inside. What he is doing is so very healthy, let him talk, let him try to help, let him feel. My husband was only 33 and it was horrible horrible horrible. If people had said to me, shut up already, about it I dont know where I would be today

Except, you weren’t yapping about it in front of 30 million people on television.

Sum, we aren’t talking about the private person Danny, we are talking about how he’s choosing to play a role that he’s been cast in on television.

He’s playing a part on TV. And I’m not liking the way he’s choosing to play that role.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure Danny has friends and family with whom he can share his grief. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure a nationally televised singing competition is the right forum.

I totally agree.

I wonder sometimes if Danny has had the right amount of time to grieve his loss.

I know Danny auditioned so shortly after her passing that I wonder if just needed the distraction in some sense, and now he’s choosing his time to grieve in the wrong way and at the wrong time in front of the wrong people.

I don’t want to feel like I’m at church when I watch American Idol.

ETA: I sounded like a douche, had to delete something.

Not to invoke the name of David Cook… again…

But when the media broke the news about his brother he didn’t mention it at all. Even when his brother was in the audience.

And even after he won… I watched EVERY interview… and all anyone wanted to ask him about was his brother. When they did, he would say, “Adam’s great, thank you for asking.” In a way that was gracious and also FINAL. As if to say, “subject change, please.”

The only time I ever heard him actually finally come out and speak about his brother was the first night of the AI tour when he said that he wanted to share what he found out that day… that his brother’s tumor had stopped growing.

I’m not saying Danny should never have mentioned his wife, but he is a grown man and he can plainly see that the producers are USING it and he is playing right along… happily.

And I find it a little creepy.

YMMV

The more you talk the more you release your emotions and they are not all pent up inside. What he is doing is so very healthy, let him talk, let him try to help, let him feel. My husband was only 33 and it was horrible horrible horrible. If people had said to me, shut up already, about it I dont know where I would be today

But there’s a difference between talking about your grief and using it as some sort of preachy lecture. If Danny had simply said stuff the way Hudson did, like “yeah, it’s really hard, but I’m working through it”, then I don’t know if the backlash against him would be as strong. But he’s not doing that. Instead, he wants us to be INSPIRED by his grief because somehow it gives him more experience and wisdom and makes him a holy Jesus speshul snowflake that we should all take hope from. Which, fuck that shit. I’m more inspired by people like Kelly Clarkson and David Cook, who managed to turn their dreams into a reality through hard work, talent, and perseverance, than I am by a guy who decided to audition for a talent show four weeks after his wife died and sings okay. And losing somone doesn’t make him special or different or a beam of light or a hero. It makes him human. Hundreds of thousands of millions of people have lost someone they loved, but they still get up in the morning, go to work, and provide for their family; and if you were to ask them where they got their courage from and what message of hope they wanted to spread to the world, they would just give you a weird look and ask you what the hell you were talking about, they’re just normal people. And THAT’S inspirational. Danny Gokey believing he’s Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr all rolled up into one being isn’t.

I imagine they don’t want the same kind of Idol winner every year, as there would be too much risk of sales cannibalization. so no real “rockers” in this years competition, at least that we’ve so far. Looks more like they want religious, or soul/R&B. Very very religious group it seems to me. Maybe it’s always been that way and I didn’t know all the back stories.

Blue eyed soul patrol?????????? :lol_wp: Wrong season Michael… and I was just sort of kinda starting to like you…

Well dang, Madcap. Tell us how you really feel! But in all seriousness, I get you. I don’t think his response in this case was inappropriate because I think he really does want to inspire people, whether he’s in a position to do so or not. And it’s good that he wants to be an inspiration. But you’re right to question how inspirational his situation actually is.

Anyway, it’s interesting that I’m defending him when I thought he behaved like a jerk last night. I’m not convinced that he’s a bad guy, but I do think his head needs to be deflated at the moment.

edit: don’t lecture your fellow posters

lol… after reading this conversation I looked at MJs cap of the video and Alexis is looking at Danny in a sideways “mmmmkay” kind of way.

I guess I always thought that blue-eyed soul was stuff like the Righteous Brothers (“You’ve Lost that Lovn’ Feeling”) and Dusty Springfield (“Wishin’ and Hopin’”, “Son of a Preacher Man”), even early Elvis (“Hound Dog”, “Heartbreak Hotel”) — white folks singing the types of songs and kind of bluesy syling we associate with rhythm and blues artists. I think the fact that Michael put “patrol” on the end reminds us of Taylor. Actually, he is real good at that blue-eyed soul, too.

I’m kinda weirded out about this foundation thing. It’s commendable but shouldn’t he be doing this after the competition? Because I can see some people voting for him because of this foundation, not necessarily because of his voice…What am I saying? He’s already being voted on for something else other than his voice/singing ability.

Danny Gokey turned me off even before he started singing. It wasn’t the fact that he spoke about his deceased wife, talking about it is a choice he made that I can respect. But the WAY he did it, looking straight into the camera, with tears glopping down his face, with homevideo of their marriage proposal (how did AI get hold of it?) playing in the background, at the same time insisting on how hard it was.. I admit I just flinched in horror. After that, it’s been really really hard to be objective about him. And these kind of inane interview q&as aren’t helping. Everytime he opens his mouth, I love Cook and Archie (and yes, even Jason) more LOL.

I can’t wait until Danny “learns his lesson.” Who knew I could develop an ulcer in so short an amount of time?

I think people are on the show to sing for us, not to inspire us, save us, or give us hope. This is not a church, this is a secular reality show. It’s about singing secular music, not saving our souls. Shudder!!! I hate it when people try to turn everything into church just because it’s what they are comfortable with. That’s not what we watch AI for.

I do not like Danny. He seems cocky and pushy. He was rude to Tatiana and showed no sensitivity with her. I also agree with the others who are disappointed about the talent pool of this season, so far anyway. Last season was magical with Brooke, Jason, Michael Johns, David Cook, Carly, etc. And the pimping of Danny, plus the vulgar manipulation of using his dead wife for sentimentality and melodrama, is sickening. Who held up the picture last night and pointed to heaven? I am just about sick enough to stop watching this season. Let the fundamentalists keep their preaching to church, not on this show where it does not belong.

Just one more thing I want to say about the format. I remember when the show started with the top 10 or 12. Lately it has taken weeks and weeks to get down to the actual beginning of the show. We really don’t need all that foreplay. The show begins at the top 12. Everything else is window dressing. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Who knew I could develop an ulcer in so short an amount of time.

Hee hee, witty. Brevity is the soul of wit. Thank you for the humor.

I think Jacob at TWoP has a good perspective on the Danny issue:

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/american_idol/semifinals_group_1.php?page=13
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/american_idol/semifinals_group_1.php?page=14

Gokey talks about how believe in your dreams or whatever, and will of course be singing “Hero” by Mariah Carey, because his dead wife needs to keep inspiring people. And I don’t think all this is him being yucky or insincere or disingenuous, I think this is him just completely dunking the entire dead-wife thing, maybe even consciously, by focusing on this crap instead. This is like something somebody would do on Six Feet Under, you know? I’m not sure what the difference is between going on this show and getting a huge drinking problem is, for Danny, at this point, and mostly I think he should have been talked out of going on this show by the people that love him…

…So it’s not really my call, obviously, but my gut says that there are plenty of people in Danny Gokey’s life who should have told him to allow himself to grieve rather than piling even more incredible stress onto an already top-heavy portion, who did not. And maybe they tried, and maybe he talked them out of it, and he’s an adult, but it just doesn’t seem very loving to let him go off chasing the white whale a month after her death, regardless of what he wants, or thinks he wants.

Songs like this, and every other song he’s sung, mostly contribute to that icky feeling, because they’re all about how it’s going to be okay and everything is fine and God loves you. Which is not appropriate this year, right now, because it’s not going to be okay. Everything is not fine. And God wants you to be pissed off because the only way out is through. And I resent him also for making me think about this because dead wives/moms are not a subject I’m super comfortable with thinking or talking about. Maybe he’ll go home tonight and it won’t matter, but I don’t really believe that.

This is not a church, this is a secular reality show. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s about singing secular music, not saving our souls.

Is that why they sang “Shout to the Lord” last year? :wink1_tb:

I didn’t like Danny Gokey right from the first time we saw him audition however during Hollywood I decided that maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to judge, well I was wrong, my first impression and instinct was RIGHT about him, he’s a mediocre singer with no class and I won’t throw a single vote his way, I hope he doesn’t last long. His crazy overly large grin deeply disturbs me too now that I see it again in that screen cap, too creepy.

I thought Alexis was the only one of the 3 that actually earned her spot, Michael Sarver is just ok imo, I don’t know where all his votes came from unless other people are hearing something i’m not and ‘blue eyed soul patrol’? puleeeeze gmab.

Interviewer-woman, I have a question. Since when is Gavin DeGraw considered a country artist?? :ponder_tb:

Plus, having a southern accent does not automatically make one a country singer. ARGH.

Exactly, Sarah!

The entire time, I was going “Gavin is country? o.O” lol

And yes, as a southerner myself, not everyone with a southern accent is a country singer. Chris Daughtry has an accent (he’s from the same area I am) and yet he’s rock. NOT country.

I had no idea people viewed Michael as country. I certainly don’t. Maybe it was his shirt? XD

Ah MJ, you disappoint me by buying into the Danny hate. Danny, at no point, mentioned his wife, God, Jesus or even religion in that interview. He said the song was about hope and inspiration for those who needed it (and duh, the title of the song is “Hero”). The reporter was the one mentioning his loss, not Danny nor did he mention her death on the live show. Additionally, if you watch the previous episodes when her death came up, they were mostly replays of footage from his initial audition, not him bringing it up again.

This is not his fault, it is the producers for cramming this sad story down our gullets until we drink it like Kool-Aid because they want to focus on the personalities this year; how many times have we heard about Michael the roughneck? What’s sad is that the circumstance that prompted him to audition might ultimately be his undoing because TPTB are hell-bent on making this year’s crew more “interesting”.

Lastly, regarding David Cook’s silence about his brother, while cancer is a horrible illness (I have lost three close relatives to the disease), an ill brother who still has a chance of surviving in no way compares with the magnitude of the loss of a spouse. Danny will certainly grieve for months and years to come.

And, for those who just can’t take it any more, you won’t see anything of Danny in the next three weeks while the semis continue. Certainly we can all find other candidates to obsess about in the meantime.

Lastly, regarding David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s silence about his brother, while cancer is a horrible illness (I have lost three close relatives to the disease), an ill brother who still has a chance of surviving in no way compares with the magnitude of the loss of a spouse. Danny will certainly grieve for months and years to come.

Sorry, but I’m going to have to disagree with you there. Having a loved one ill with cancer is a horrible, horrible experience and is sometimes even worse than simply losing them. Having to watch them wither away, living day in and day out in pain? Sorry, but yeah, it does compare, in my opinion.

People cried and wailed over Fantasiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sob story and her courage and found it touching to boot. That and she milked her story beyond Idol with a book and a sappy Lifetime movie about her life. Maybe he needs to win before he can do that, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know, but again just whatever.

Actually I found Fantasia’s “oh my life is soooo hard!” sob story to be very obnoxious, particularly since she caused most of her own problems.

I have to agree with most you here…..Danny gives off a icky vibe.

It’s going to a very long season, in 4 years watching this show I’ve never seen so much universal hate and fear of the second coming of the Claymates.

Well dang, Madcap. Tell us how you really feel! But in all seriousness, I get you. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think his response in this case was inappropriate because I think he really does want to inspire people, whether heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s in a position to do so or not. And ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s good that he wants to be an inspiration.

People who are truly inspiring don’t have to go around talking about wanting to be inspiring, they just are. Jennifer Hudson has been through much more than Danny Gokey and has been inspirational about it even without saying a word. Someday she might talk about her loss but I doubt it will be in some self-serving manner or via some egotistic desire to be DEEP AND MEANINGFUL AND INSPIRING to those who will otherwise struggle along without them.

Niall
Feb 19th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
People cried and wailed over Fantasiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sob story and her courage and found it touching to boot. That and she milked her story beyond Idol with a book and a sappy Lifetime movie about her life. Maybe he needs to win before he can do that, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know, but again just whatever.

Actually I found Fantasiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“oh my life is soooo hard!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  sob story to be very obnoxious, particularly since she caused most of her own problems.

WORD! Fantasia milked that “baby mama” drama until the teet ran dry; and it worked my LAST NERVE the ENTIRE season. Which was unfortunate, because she was otherwise an amazing singer. Her throwing it in everyone’s face every opportunity she got was VERY distracting.

Just SING and PERFORM people!!!

OH for the love of all….. Danny Douchebag…STFU!!!! If you and the producers had not shoved your deceased wife’s story down our throats, there would have been no need for you to sing a song hoping to inspire us all. And YES, DD did take part in the storyline played out. How else do you think the producers got the video footage of the proposal, not to mention the tacky use of your picture last night by your friends. UGH

BTW…. Madcap Jester….I think I love you!!!

I was intending to just read the comments and was going to skip the video, but I wanted to see why everyone was so incensed about Danny’s interview. I thought he replied accordingly and wasn’t preachy. Yes, he said that he would like to give “hope to people who are going through difficult situations,” but he was referring to the song choice and not himself.

Why do artists write these songs in the first place? To inspire.. to honor people.. to offer hope in the darkest of times. “Message” songs are hard to swallow on AI, cuz let’s face it.. they only have a minute or so to wow us and we like to be WOW’d as much as possible.

I’ll give all of these contestants a pass on their “personalities” for now.. i’m more interested in their progression than their personality at this point.

I’m glad Danny and Alexis passed… not sure about Sarver.. I would have liked Braddy or Anoop to pass instead.

This seasons AI holds as much interest for me as the one w/ the Break Anotha guy.. I can’t remember who won or who was on it.. I just remember beat boxing. Although this season, the screamy Von guy.. the genderbender screamy guy and widower Danny are contestants that will stand out just because they are the most talked about… sucks for the other contestants.. but drama sells.

Ah MJ, you disappoint me by buying into the Danny hate.

I don’t hate him. But he is annoying the shit out of me right now. I’m glad he’ll be off my Tee Vee for 3 weeks.

Danny, at no point, mentioned his wife, God, Jesus or even religion in that interview. He said the song was about hope and inspiration for those who needed it (and duh, the title of the song is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Heroà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ).

He didn’t need to mention any of those things directly, they were implied. The reporter didn’t ask him what he thought of the song “Hero” or why he sang it. She asked him how he had the courage to do what he was doing, and then he went off on this riff about inspiring people. I was not impressed.

I know Danny auditioned so shortly after her passing that I wonder if just needed the distraction in some sense, and now heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s choosing his time to grieve in the wrong way and at the wrong time in front of the wrong people.

I am evil. So, sometimes I ponder to myself that maybe Danny had thought of auditioning for years but didn’t have the balls. Then, oops, tragedy strikes 4 weeks before Idol comes to town. Danny says to himself, NOW I’ve got a backstory. I can’t lose.

I probably shouldn’t have typed that out loud. And, I won’t mention it again, because it is pretty effing cold. But, I’ve been thinking it since we first met Danny. His hystrionic performance when he first told his story squicked me out. I totally agreed with that EW chick who everyone attacked. It reminded me of the outlandish reactions of some of my old world relatives at a funeral. The extreme wailing and draping yourself over someone’s coffin isn’t about grief – it’s a desperate plea for attention for your narcisistic self.

That was the vibe I got. That’s how Danny started out in the hole with me. That’s what began my theory that he’s got a huge ego and a tremendous need for attention and nearly everything that comes out of his mouth is bullshit.

It’s not nice, but whatever, he put it out there for me to judge.

ETA:

Why do artists write these songs in the first place? To inspire.. to honor people.. to offer hope in the darkest of times. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Messageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  songs are hard to swallow on AI, cuz letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s face it.. they only have a minute or so to wow us and we like to be WOWà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d as much as possible.

I think they’re hard to swallow because they’re coming from a bunch of kids in their teens and early twenties who are contestants on a tv talent show. A lot of us grown ups in the audience don’t need or want their inspiration. We just want them to be the performing monkeys we want to entertain us.

Why do artists write these songs in the first place? To inspire.. to honor people.. to offer hope in the darkest of times. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Messageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  songs are hard to swallow on AI, cuz letà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s face it.. they only have a minute or so to wow us and we like to be WOWà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d as much as possible.

The main problem is most people don’t watch Idol to be inspired but for good music and fun. If I need inspiration the last place I would turn is the birthplace of Sanjaya.

THANK GOD THEY CANCELED IDOL GIVES BACK THIS YEAR!!!!!!!

According to Sophia Gokey’s Bebo page, Danny did not even like AI. She did. Y’all don’t have to guess. The truth is out there if it still interests you.

Some of you don’t like Danny the singer. Some don’t like Danny the person. That is your prerogative and nobody is denying your right to proclaim it. But, although his story is unique to the show, his faith and overt pimpage are nothing new. The AI crew has shamelessly pimped their favorites since Tamyra Gray and Justin Guarini.

The show has produced at least 4 winners who were self-described Christians, including Carrie Underwood of Jesus Take the Wheel fame, and the list of contestants who discussed their faith during the competition is too long to post. Is this the first season y’all started watching?

It may be that I can relate to what Danny is going through more than some of you. I married the love of my life 8 years ago. For the past 6 years of our marriage, my husband has had a very sick wife. Together we have battled a terminal disease — breast cancer — that has returned twice and I am halfway through my second series of chemotherapy treatments. It has spread to one-third of my liver, some ribs, and my spine. You can guess that, barring a miracle, my prognosis is not what either of us would want.

Like Danny and Sophia Gokey, my husband and I share a faith that binds us. In fact, Luis committed his life to our faith after my first recurrence and then I had a spontaneous remission for 2 years without chemotherapy. Like it or not, it is the truth.

Some of you will not understand this, but my faith makes me a happy person despite the inherent realities of my condition. One reason I continue to work during my chemo is to inspire people and show them that we have victory over death. My faith calls me to witness and serve.

When my mother died, I wanted the world to stop so everyone would see the enormity of its loss. I went into a 5-year depression and gained 60 pounds — probably leading to my cancer. I did not have my faith then to sustain me and it was a horrible time.

I don’t question David Cook’s love for his brother any more than I question Danny’s love for his wife. They are dealing with their challenges in different ways, but to say one is right and the other is wrong is uncharitable, to put it kindly. I have lost most of my immediate family, several dear friends, and am facing separation from my 25-year-old son and handicapped brother who lives with and depends on us. I am hardly an expert. I am just doing the best I can.

Thank you for sharing your story, Terrie.

Niall says People who are truly inspiring donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to go around talking about wanting to be inspiring
======================================
Sorry I disagree. I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying you want to inspire people.

For the future, I think that Danny should share his feelings and inspirational messages of hope with his family, friends, in-laws, church members, etc, NOT with the AI audience.

Just like in real life, most people don’t want to hear TMI from people that they hardly know.

I hope next week’s show will be better, I hate the thought that these three are the best that the season has to offer.

Stands and applauds Terrie. If you’d gone on much longer, I’d be crying…

I also agree with sonyab that there’s nothing wrong with saying you want to inspire people. The challenge of course is actually doing it, but that doesn’t make the ambition somehow disingenuous or cocky.

THANK GOD THEY CANCELED IDOL GIVES BACK THIS YEAR!!!!!!!

You’re glad they cancelled an event that has raised over $130 million dollars for good causes? I was extremely disappointed that they cancelled it. It was one of the few redeeming qualities of this show IMO.

(ETA: I understand it was cancelled due to the recession, which is of course understandable, but I’m still disappointed. It would have been a nice gesture, even on a smaller scale.)

edit: please don’t comment on the tone of this thread. it’s off topic.

People who are truly inspiring are the ones who inspire without having to jump up and down and tell you how inspiring they plan to be. Danny needs to stop jumping up and down, waving his arms and saying “look at me, look at me” and sing. Let others decide on their own whether or not he’s inspiring. His behavior is as unbecoming as a 16 year old deliberately moping around in front of their friends, acting all sad because they know it will cause somebody to say “awww, what’s wrong?” It is unnecessary attention seeking.

I happen to think the universe is pretty random, but I find meaning in it anyway. When two really great things happen at the same time, I marvel at conicedence and the funny way this crazy unknowable universe works. And that makes me very very happy.

I don’t think I need a higher purpose in life to go on living. And I certainly don’t need to draw inspiration from people on TV whom I don’t even know.

Really, a person that can entertain and move people through their talent is inspiration enough for some. I hear all the time from Idols who get letters from fans saying that they helped them through this and that hard time, and all they did was get up on stage and sing. Really. Danny is trying way too hard, and for me it’s having the opposite affect. Inspiration is the last thing that comes to mind.

Oh gosh…although I don’t like AI using the back stories and showing favoritism I didn’t feel Danny G was preaching at all. I was shocked that so many interpreted him that way. Sure its a little much to dwell on the subject of wife loss and pain…the wish to inspire people to go on when they’ve suffered or had problems is not preachy to me, even though would prefer they lighten up now. I was also surprised at Simon asking people to vote for Michael. I thought some others were and have been better than he, but that’s my personal preferences. I find him likeable but not outstanding. Love little Alexis so far and she has an unusual look. Actually her face kinda reminds me of Dolly Parton. (the younger one).

Thanks for sharing, Terrie. I hope you get your miracle.

MJ, I lurve your caption recaps. Am only tracking AI8 through your blog. Thank you. Hee.

Terrie, thank you for sharing. Really.

Terrie, thanks for sharing your story. Good luck to you and your family.

I’m a bit dismayed that Danny’s wife still has a public profile out there. I would think that would be taken down out of respect. I certainly wouldn’t think it would remain public, given his choice to audition for AI. And I didn’t read it that he didn’t like AI, but that he thought she was either crazy for voting or crazy for voting for Taylor. In this case, I would say the “truth” is open to interpretation.

As for Christians on the show, I agree that there have been many. The issue for me (I can’t speak for others) is not anyone’s faith, but how they choose to express it. I find less is more. Show, don’t tell.

Who knew?

Who knew that this season’s, seemingly, most controversial contestant would be someone who lost his wife 7 months ago ( and much, much less time when this all began.) At least to this point he’s the most controversial. Some say (self included) it’s about the talent , but there is more involved here, I truly believe, and AI knows that and knows how to capitalize on it.

To me this is all so interesting. I can’t say what my own mind is on this subject simply because I have never walked in the shoes of someone losing their spouse.

I like the old adage that actions speak louder than words. However, I really like to vocalize my thoughts so I can’t say I hold to this even though I would like to. Many times I find my foot fits right inside my mouth quite easily. It may be doing so right now. lol.

I wonder sometimes if Danny has had the right amount of time to grieve his loss.

St. Lucia, I have to say I have wondered this myself. Maybe, maybe not. Ten yrs. down the road he may look back and say, “What was I doing?” However, I do believe that sometimes when we don’t know what we’re doing it still adds to learning and gaining something in our lives down the road.

mj this:

I happen to think the universe is pretty random, but I find meaning in it anyway. When two really great things happen at the same time, I marvel at conicedence and the funny way this crazy unknowable universe works.

and this:

Danny is trying way too hard, and for me ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s having the opposite affect. Inspiration is the last thing that comes to mind.

I would have to agree to disagree with you on the first point. There are too many orderly things in nature that simply work to be random and that’s a huge can of worms and a discussion that could go on for days. LOL! Not that I wouldn’t love to have it. LOL!

But on the second point, I can see what you’re saying. Danny MAY be saying what he thinks he’s supposed to be saying and it just doesn’t come across how he thinks it does because well, he may not have had the time to grieve in the way that he truly needs.

However, this may be inspiring some people out there and if that is the case, I wouldn’t want to take that away from them.

P.S. I appreciate the posts from sumidol and Terrie so much! Thank you both for putting yourselves out there!

Danny is trying way too hard, and for me ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s having the opposite affect. Inspiration is the last thing that comes to mind.

Yeah I am not feeling inspired by him at all.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think I need a higher purpose in life to go on living. And I certainly donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need to draw inspiration from people on TV whom I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know.

But many people do, and I think this is part of the controversy.

I only saw last season, but comparing this to that is like night and day. By the time they got into the Top 12 last season, we actually knew something about the contestants, we had 3 songs by each, we had three times the background info, video packages and interview clips too. By the time they made it through we had Hello by Cook, Imagine by Archie, Hallelujah by Jason.
Seriously? This format sucks major time. AI7 was so much stronger than AI8. Too bad.

And Let It Be by Brooke White. I agree with you, Jolene. I miss the folk and rock this year. there’s just too much soul! Now I’m hoping for Adam Lambert to make it to top 12, though I’m not a fan of his yet, just cos I have a little hope that he’d bring something different to the show. And yeah, there’re just too much R&B Soul this year, although I like Alexis.

And sigh… I’ll just stfu about my opinions about Danny cos everything that I’ll say about him will be negative.

And someone here said Cook didn’t say anything about his brother’s illness even if he was asked cos it’s something he’d rather keep it private and personal. I really respect him for that, and liked him even more.

Terrie thank you for sharing your story.

And I certainly donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need to draw inspiration from people on TV whom I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even know.

I agree. I do consider myself a faithful person but something that always bothers me is mixing my tv shows with my religion. Those are two separate things in my life. I do find faith, hope, and inspiration but I don’t find them from American Idol, and I especially don’t find them from Danny Gokey who I know nothing about except that his wife died.

That’s my problem. It doesn’t feel inspiring. It feels wrong and I’m annoyed.

I like Danny, but I only have two words to say:

Ricky Braddy

A better singer, no behind the scenes time. Everyone who saw him, said “Who is this guy? He can sing” and then he was gone.

The only problem I find with the overpimpage of Danny is the fact that Ricky got no airtime at all, wasn’t given a chance to build up a fan base.

As to the judges, all but Slimon went bananas over Ricky’s performance. Slimon did say it was a great vocal, but he had no marketability. One stinking song, no early airtime and he has no *charisma?*

PLEASE! Didn’t Slimon say that to David Cook? And I would have no objection to Danny’s sad story if it didn’t take away all airtime from IMO, a better singer in Ricky, who is now just a memory.

In Slimon’s defense, he didn’t go as berserk over Danny as the other three judges, but it was too late to matter. Everyone was already sobbing with Danny and didn’t know who Rickey was.

I HATE THIS FORMAT, but more than that I hate the way some contestants are just slotted for publicity and others are just ignored. There were plenty of no talent singers who got air time. Schizo Norman, giggly Tatiana, Piercings Boy. etc.

When my friends and I heard Ricky sing, we gasped. The most beautiful tone and vocals of all the males and he is now just fodder. This show just frustrates me.

Terrie, thanks so much for your story. It will stay with me. Yes, HOPE is not a feeling, it is a PERSON, and He cannot fail us, though life can and will. Thank God for that HOPE.
Re: Danny and other contestants who expressed a personal faith on AI, I can’t help but think of Kurt Warner and what he said to the interviewer right after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC Championship recently: when asked how he did it, Warner (a very outspoken Christian) laughingly replied, “You know what I’m going to say” and proceeded to bring up Jesus. The Cards went to the Superbowl and this lowly team fought so hard and heartbreakingly lost in the last two minutes, but Warner was so gracious in defeat that he has been on many talk shows, even dancing with Ellen Degeneres on her show last week. Even columnists who don’t like Warner’s God-talk have been grudgingly kind to him recently, I guess because he has backed up the talk with his life. Are people irritated with Gokey b/c they don’t perceive that he is genuine?
Where I live, many persons of color wear t-shirts with a deceased loved one or even get tattoos with their image, or dates of birth and death. Some do put pictures or writing on their cars, too. Where I live, people also pull over when funeral processions pass in the other lane, even on very busy streets–really moving, when you are in one of the long, black cars yourself.
Sorry for the dissertation, but I guess I am giving Danny a break and feeling, like others already expressed, maybe this silly reality show is keeping him going right now. I am concerned that, when this hoopla is over, the grief will really hit him.

I would have to agree to disagree with you on the first point. There are too many orderly things in nature that simply work to be random and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a huge can of worms and a discussion that could go on for days. LOL! Not that I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t love to have it. LOL!

I didn’t mean to start a discussion. At all. I just wanted to represent those who are perfectly happy without religion. And that there’s more than one way of interpreting the universe.

Terrie, thanks for sharing, and savgal, thanks for your post. I saw my own father pass away in front of me and my mom, to whom he was married 40 years. He has been gone 10 years now, and we still mention him. My middle sister struggled to keep a family going when her first husband came down with a disease that required constant care of him for 5 long years until he passed away. They both, as do my family and I, have that faith that you all mentioned to help them keep going in many a rough time. Danny has that faith, too, and I trust that it, along with supportive people around him, will help him deal with the grief. I feel that being on the show is helpful to him, and I feel he will be a better person for it afterwards.

And while, Terrie, I do hope you find that miracle your looking forà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’what you are going through sounds absolutely horrible. Having said that, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think my blog is the place for personal testimony.

I just wanted to represent those who are perfectly happy without religion. And that thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more than one way of interpreting the universe.

Well…on the subject of American Idol, I’m sure there are those contestants who share these very beliefs, which are not a threat to my own personal beliefs. I guess I’m having a hard time understanding why this doesn’t work both ways.

Wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦on the subject of American Idol, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure there are those contestants who share these very beliefs, which are not a threat to my own personal beliefs.

I’m sure you’re right. But so far, nobody has made their agnosticism/atheism an issue on Idol. If they did, I’m sure the resulting backlash would get very very very ugly.

BTW, my favorite contestant season 6 was Chris Sligh. He sang a couple of CCM songs during the semis. I had no problem with that.

BTW, my favorite contestant season 6 was Chris Sligh.

mj, I was just thinking about him, and wondering how he got to be one of those from season 6 at the opening of the AI Experience at Disney! Maybe lots were invited, and he was one of those who found it convenient. I like to think it was because he was more memorable than some who made it longer, and has gone on to making a decent living as a singer-songwriter.

^^ I think it was insinuated in his VFTW thread that he was asked because of the Rascal Flatts song. A lot of season 7 was invited, but for the older seasons, it seemed only the top contestants and those with cool things happening were invited.

I’m thinking it is a combination of being memorable and having made some accomplishments. I’m thinking specifically of Sanjaya, who can be considered memorable. I believe Chris was invited, I’m sure, not only because of the Rascal Flatts song, but also because his album has been doing pretty well. And he does Christian music, which Disney features in the “Night of Joy” event every year on their grounds. Phil Stacey not long ago on his Twitter said that he was cowriting with Chris. I hope their collaboration will appear on his new cd, Phil was invited because he was on Lyric Street, which is Disney’s record label, but I think also because he is a family man, whose daughters love the Disney princesses. His album hasn’t done too badly, and he was the grand marshal in 2 parades, appeared at the Opry 5 times, had received standing ovations for his song, “Old Glory,” and performed in Italy back in October in his capacity as a Navy reservist. So yes, I guess accomplishments also gets you invited.