Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta: More Billboard Interviews

I’m surprised to hear Allison say she wasn’t confident prior to being on AI. She strikes me as a pretty confident young lady…a little goofy at times, sure…but not one who lacks confidence.

oh Danny…..*sigh*

OOHHHH ALLISON!!!!!! *squee*

Danny – I really can’t stand that scruffy look. On *some* guys it looks ‘okay’, but most cannot pull it off – it just looks like they’ve spent all day working in an oil field and I want to tell him/them to go wash their faces. And oh that Scream. :wacko_tb: :down_tb:

Allison – She’s a little Pixie. So adorable I can’t stand it. I am *really* looking forward to seeing/hearing ‘Cry Baby’ live!

Diane Warren must be very nice , that was one of Alison’s weaker performances. I now get why she is over goofy sometimes, she’s actually very shy/ afraid of people so she covers up with being silly and playful. she’s quite articulate in this interview unlike some others. good 4 her.

I loved the video clips of Danny singing. He has one helluva voice. Don’t mind the scruffy look; but like the clean cut look better on all guys.

I, too, am surprised that Allison is shy. But that kinda explains some of her quirkiness. She’s so cute.

Danny should shave every day!!

And, Alison — ahhhhhhh! : )

Billboard posted a bonus interview with allison

I like the scruffy look on Danny better than I like the clean shaven look. But I think that he looks good with the clean shaven look as well. I think that he looks much younger clean shaven.

I also like the clips of him singing. He sounds good.

I couldn’t listen to Danny’s whole interview – I’m holding a baby and had me cringing to much.

Danny can make up a lot of excuses now for his Dream On scream, but the night of the show he didn’t believe the judges, especially Simon, were right in their criticism of those last few notes. I think the next night he told Ryan that even his friends told him how bad that scream was. ha!

I don’t like the scruffy look on him or on Anoop.

Danny should shave every day!!

And, Alison ‘” ahhhhhhh! : )

HUH! Alli should shave, too????? Hmmm….well, she does do that chin twist alot – (spelling esp for you OCD’s)

I would like to know WHEN that sit-down between Alli and Fuller took place.

Diane Warren must be very nice , that was one of Alison’s weaker performances.

Weakest performance, I think. HOWEVER, the live audience seemed overwhelmed – perhaps the best response of the evening. I know that on my HD/surround sound system IDWTMAT sounds so far superior to my regular sound TV that it seems a different song.

Danny should definitly learn how to not praise himself (like… “I killed that song!!!”) like he does interview; he looks a bit too much full of himself.
Otherwise he’s a nice guy!
Allison is a cool chick!

I love Allison. So much raw talent. So far, I prefer her live voice to her recorded voice, so I hope she hooks up with some great producers.

It is insane what doors this show can open. Allison sings a Diane Warren song on the show, and then gets to meet her. Adam auditions with a Queen song and ends up getting to sing with them. Craaaazzyyyy! (Is that right Allison?

Even though I’m a fan of Danny, I never liked the scruffy look. I think he’s a mighty fine looking your man cleany shaven though.

Danny killed it? Seriously? The only thing he killed just now was that last teeny little shred of kindness I had toward him. Ugh. :guns_tb:
That said, I must say I kind of liked the other song — “Stand By Me”– and I don’t know how it was I had not heard it before. Probably on a bathroom break at that moment, I suppose.
And for the love of God, I can’t believe he still thinks that his 40th time doing the SCREAM was the only time it went horribly, hideously bad.
Someone really needs to coach this boy to teach him how to come off better in interviews. No wonder he is so polarizing.

Danny, the first half of Scream On wasn’t good, it just gets overshadowed by The Scream. You were out of tune the whole darn song and that added “doo-doo-doo-do” was dreadful.
But Allison was lovely as always in her interview. So glad she’s signed.

I don’t mind Danny saying he “killed it” on “Come Rain or Come Shine.” He did an outstanding job on that song. Many people who hate him will still say he did very well on that song. So he thinks he did well on the song…I prefer him to say it rather that displaying a false modesty. It’s not like he hasn’t called himself out at other times when he didn’t think he did his best. He has mentioned MANY times that he is still learning and growing as an artist, but he happened to really be proud of what he did with that song.

As far as the scream, I have only rewatched it once. The “scream” is hard for me, because that, I believe, is what kept him out of the finals. He has to feel that, too. However, I have heard other people, and even the radio disc jockeys that I listen to in the morning that were major Adam fans, say that the rest of the song was good. They also made a point of how hard that note is to hit outside of the studio.

I have listened to the studio version a good number of times. I do think it’s good, but every time he gets to the “scream”, I still laugh. My sister, who absolutely LOVES Adam, tells me to “shut up” laughing at Danny. She says it’s really good and loves to listen to it.

Edit: I will also say that while I don’t usually mind the “doot de doos”, I don’t think it “fit” that song. I think it was nerves. They didn’t get to rehearse that day, and it really is NOT Danny’s type of music.

I’ve tried to be open to Gokey, but he still just bothers the heck out of me. He should praise himself less. He’s still naive if he thinks AI is the easiest path to music career success. I think the contestants and finalists who have vanished into obscurity would disagree. As would the winners who work their butts off after winning.
I know musical tastes vary, but I just don’t get the support for this guy. I don’t care for Adam’s music, but he comes across very well in interviews – intelligent, caring, well-spoken. Oh, well. I never understood how Bitney Spears got popular either.

Allison is a sweetheart. So glad her confidence got this boost.

I love Allison. I am following her on Twitter and she’s hilarious.

I can’t stand Danny so I skipped his video. The more I watch him, the more I dislike him.

Love Allison and seeing this clip just makes me remember how hard she nailed “Cry Baby.” She owned that song and I can’t wait to see/hear her do it live. I LOVE the moment where she describes Fuller telling her she’s been picked up by Jive. God, what a dream for her. SO AWESOME!!

Gokey, *sigh* I just don’t know anymore. I want to like him, I do. I definitely feel there is something there that many of us are missing that is just not coming across. He can belt the hell out of a song, but I hate to use an overused Karaism, he’s not connecting to a large segment of the audience, including me. I’m just not feeling it. I really like him in those pictures from last night ‘“  clean shaven, no glasses ‘“ makes him seem more accessible, almost vulnerable. Maybe that’s what he’s missing.

Dream On was a mess from start to finish. The Scream at the end was just the final, horrific ending to a nightmare. Danny needs some media training. I honestly don’t think he’s a bad guy. He’s just horribly awkward and has almost no self-awareness.

Allison is adorable. I loved hearing her reaction to Simon Fuller telling her that Jive wanted to sign her. I, too, would like to know when that happened. Did they wait until she was eliminated?

Allison is adorable. I loved hearing her reaction to Simon Fuller telling her that Jive wanted to sign her. I, too, would like to know when that happened. Did they wait until she was eliminated?

Did they wait until she was eliminated? YES. confidence 99.9%

Did they tell her before the finale? YES. confidence 75%

Was her mom present? YES. confidence 85%

Did her mom cry? YES. confidence – r u kiddin’ me !!

Anyone notice how sometimes Danny is flat and other times sharp when he sings Stand By Me? I cringe when I hear that.

Apparently, they kept trying to get scream on to sound better during the ‘here are the numbers one more time’ clip, but it just got worse and worse. I’m sorry, Danny, but it wasn’t funny, it was excruciating, and if you had just owned up to it, things might have gone much better for you. There is no question in my mind that Kris deserved to be in the finale and not Gokey–Heartless was remarkable, and I liked Apologize better than the judges did–and if Adam hadn’t made it, millions of voters would have said sayonara to Idol for the season. But Danny lost, IMO, lots of fans during Rock Week (why he stayed on and Allison was voted off I will never know), and so he was on the chopping block the week after.

Honestly, I do not like disliking Gokey, but Sarver and Danny just get on my nerves. C’est la vie.

edit: NO LECTURING!

Loved the Allison interview. I’m not surprised she didn’t have confidence being on this show. Her prior experience was within the realm of the Hispanic community and her friends at school didn’t even know she sang. Snotty Simon Cowell didn’t do much to help her along in terms of confidence building either.

I think it’s sweet that she cried when Simon Fuller told her that 19 wanted her. She’s such an unassuming girl. I also agree that the awkward kookiness comes from the shyness and lack of self-esteem. But I love her for it.

She has a bright career ahead of her.

Danny’s interview, and especially the clips of his performances, cemented my feelings for him. Do not like his style or attitude and I still feel he was over praised on this show. He really is just not that good. There was an AI agenda from the start and it had nothing to do with music.

I’m pretty sure that those record companies knew who they wanted to sign before the finale. That’s why the announcements were so quick for Kris, Adam, and Allison. Danny, if he does get signed, is taking the longest because 19 is possibly interested but the record companies are still considering it and they wouldn’t have know what division to put him in.

I don’t mind if Danny gives himself props. I just wish some of these contestants, not just Danny, realizes that when a performance was bad and owns up to it. (example: Scott insisting that last song he did on his guitar was good) They can only get better when they know what to improve on.

edit: why are you responding to a post that I’m going to delete?

I actually like both interviews. I am glad Allison is pretty articulate and actually shows a bit more maturity than she appeared to be on the show. She does know what she wants and appreciates what was being offered to her.

I think Danny is a person with a good heart, I just accept him being who he is and I wouldn’t compare his interview skills to Adam’s (BTW I like Adam as well). I think he did admit the scream was “horrifying”, so I don’t understand why people says he did not own up to it? When you made a not so good performance in front of so many viewers and knowing that so many haters would use that to tear you apart, I would say the best way to respond is to use humour or just laugh it off – which is exactly what Danny’s been doing. Adam did an pretty obvious bad note at the end of Mad World, when the clip was shown on Larry King Live he did not declare that “okay I made a bump note at the end” or go on to explain why or feel the need to apologize to the audience.

But Danny lost, IMO, lots of fans during Rock Week (why he stayed on and Allison was voted off I will never know), and so he was on the chopping block the week after.

I don’t think that Danny lost a lot of fans during rock week. Especially since he stayed around over Allison. His fans stuck with him after “Dream On” and are still standing by him.

I do think that a lot of the casual voters who judge the idols mostly on their individual performances and aren’t really as invested in the contestants, didn’t support him after his “Dream On” performance. And that is one of the reasons why he was eliminated during top 3 week.

I also think that Kris picked up a lot of the casual voters support during top 3 Week. And that a lot of the casual voters voted for him that week and during the finale. And that is one of the biggest reasons why he won.

I think that casual voters helped determined who won this year. The casual voters can carry a lot of power and can definitely have a big influence on who advances and who wins Idol.

Danny does have a great voice – I would say his bigger problem is a lack of musical identity or direction. And on the show, while I started out really liking him, he just didn’t offer any performances (especially early on in the competition) that were unique or riveting imo, while performers like Adam were able to win me over by offering some truly unforgettable moments on stage.

As for Dream On – I got nervous for him the moment that song choice was announced – I knew that was a big stretch for him, and for most singers! Even the beginning of the song was not good, imo, because it wasn’t a good fit for him, style-wise (though I thought Michael Johns did a good job on it last year, and he even performed it on tour!)

However, I’ll never forget a friend of mine who is also a huge Danny fan: she thought Dream On was great, and hated Adam’s WLL that week. So, everyone has a different opinion !

I don’t think that Danny lost a lot of fans during rock week. Especially since he stayed around over Allison. His fans stuck with him after ‘Dream On’  and are still standing by him.

I think that casual voters helped determined who won this year. The casual voters can carry a lot of power and can definitely have a big influence on who advances and who wins Idol.

I agree with everything that you said here. Danny didn’t lose fans rock week. It would be silly to be a fan of someone’s singing and then totally lose interest because they failed to hit a final note at the end of the song. I don’t think Danny’s whole performance of Dream On was bad, but I don’t think it was great. He seemed nervous. There was no rehearsal that day, and it was also the first week that they had to prepare more than one song.

Like you said, Danny did lose a lot of casual fans that night. I think he might have gained them back had Paula picked a better song for Danny and Kris not sung Heartless. But that’s the way it worked out.

I think he did admit the scream was ‘horrifying’ , so I don’t understand why people says he did not own up to it? When you made a not so good performance in front of so many viewers and knowing that so many haters would use that to tear you apart, I would say the best way to respond is to use humour or just laugh it off

I also agree with you Kokko. He has admitted the scream was horrifying. He also said that he “bit off a song that was bigger than himself.” I have also heard him refer to it as a “mistake.” I don’t understand what people want from him in this instance. Sometimes you mess up…sometimes you mess up badly. You can choose to dwell on it and be miserable or you can laugh and learn from your mistakes. Danny used humor to deal with a difficult situation, and I really think the average veiwer appreciated the manner in which he handled it.

I agree with everything that you said here. Danny didn’t lose fans rock week. It would be silly to be a fan of someone’s singing and then totally lose interest because they failed to hit a final note at the end of the song. I don’t think Danny’s whole performance of Dream On was bad, but I don’t think it was great. He seemed nervous. There was no rehearsal that day, and it was also the first week that they had to prepare more than one song.

Like you said, Danny did lose a lot of casual fans that night. I think he might have gained them back had Paula picked a better song for Danny and Kris not sung Heartless. But that’s the way it worked out.

ITA. His fans didn’t abandon him for messing up the end of a song in a genre of music that he is not familiar with and one that he doesn’t have really any interest in singing in his music career.

Heck, they wouldn’t have abandoned him, if he had messed up a song in a style of music that he is more comfortable/familiar with.

The only way I can see a lot of his fans abandoning him, or a lot of fans of any other idol abandoning them, is if they consistantly gave bad performances. And IMHO, Danny didn’t do that. IMO, he was consistant throughout the show. And I believe that his other fans think the same about him.

I don’t think that “Dream On” was all that bad either. I thought that most of the song was okay, but that he messed up on the end.

And I think that he could have made the finals, had he not lost the support of a lot of casual voters during Rock Week, Paula had not chosen the obscure “Dance Little Sister” for him and if Kris hadn’t sung “Heartless” which was well received.

aek
So he thinks he did well on the song’ ¦I prefer him to say it rather that displaying a false modesty.

There’s a difference between saying “Yeah I think I did well on that song” and “**I killed it!!**”. I don’t think anyone has been saying he *shouldn’t* speak up, it’s just what he says and the way it comes across. Just sayin’.

kokko
I think he did admit the scream was ‘horrifying’ , so I don’t understand why people says he did not own up to it?

I believe people are referring to his assertions immediately after the performance during the judges’ critiques – not what he has said after the fact.

I don’t know Danny in person but I really appreciate aek and a couple other posters here in making an effort to provide another perspective or viewpoint when discussing Danny amidst all the negativity. We are definitely the minority in this blog.

A lot of people dislike the fact that Danny has issues with gay people (based on what he himself has said, not his cousin or anyone else). They find that no more acceptable than they find racism and sexism. I don’t hate him at all, but I find his views backwards and unacceptable, and even if I enjoyed his voice a lot (which I don’t that often–he’s just too rarely on pitch), I wouldn’t support an artist who believed such things. Views like his are the reason that gay people are treated like second-class citizens in much of this country, the reason why the lives of people like Adam are made more difficult, and participating in that–in the 21st century–is appalling.

I apologize to the Danny fans for any negativity coming from me. I’ve tried to keep an open mind with him. Sometimes it gets rough due to things he says and does.

I do agree he has a good voice. I don’t believe he knows what to do with it. He needs help with that and he strikes me as not being open to constructive criticism and suggestions.

I believe people are referring to his assertions immediately after the performance during the judges’ critiques – not what he has said after the fact.

exactly!

Danny may have the last laugh. Heh.

Danny is his own biggest fan. He has the Adam complex because he thought he was the best, and probably could have been, but no matter how much he put out there Adam overshadowed him. That is when he went from being a likable guy to trying to outdo Adam. And that is when things started to go from bad to worse for him.

He is the only one who did not stay true to themselves. And he still doesn’t know who he is as an artist or a person. “maybe I will sing soul/latin fusion…soul/country…”glasses/no glasses…shave/scruff…” I could go on all day so I better stop.

…also think that Kris picked up a lot of the casual voters support during top 3 Week. And that a lot of the casual voters voted for him that week and during the finale. And that is one of the biggest reasons why he won.

I don’t think that’s likely. Kris always had the votes. Too many people think praise from the judges, or even the media, has to do with how many votes somebody is getting, and actually these things are meaningless. Literally. All that matters is the votes.

It was obvious to many people that the show was not as gung-ho for Kris and for Adam or Danny, but that doesn’t mean the viewers weren’t. How could he ever even get to the Top 3 if he didn’t have a strong fanbase of voters? How could he avoid being in the bottom three (he was only there once) without a huge amount of votes all along?

Jx223: The only way I can see a lot of his fans abandoning him, or a lot of fans of any other idol abandoning them, is if they consistantly gave bad performances. And IMHO, Danny didn’t do that. IMO, he was consistant throughout the show.

He was indeed consistent — consistently mediocre. He was consistently out of tune — not catastrophically so most of the time (which is why a lot of people think he wasn’t out of tune), but disturbingly often. He had a lot of breath control problems. He rarely displayed any variation in his delivery. In sum, he wasn’t a disaster most of the time (though all of Scream On was, not just the end), and he had a few moments that even I liked, but IMO he (like almost all of the lower-finishing contestants) doesn’t even belong on the same stage with Kris/Adam/Allison — just doesn’t have their level of talent. Not a knock against him personality-wise at all, just talent-wise. And if you decide to go on the show, excuses like not being familiar with the style of music (WTF?) and not having a dress rehearsal just don’t cut it.

TwigLA: I don’t believe he knows what to do with [his voice]. He needs help with that and he strikes me as not being open to constructive criticism and suggestions.

Yes. I think that helps explain why he didn’t show much if any growth through the season.

Wow. Why is a girl who just turned 17 sounding way more articulate and mature than a 29 year old?

That is when he went from being a likable guy to trying to outdo Adam. And that is when things started to go from bad to worse for him.

Yes, the scream was definitely an alpha male move, given the competition.

Danny may have the last laugh. Heh.

The last guy who tried to fake country failed. See: Stacey, Phil.

And if you decide to go on the show, excuses like not being familiar with the style of music (WTF?) and not having a dress rehearsal just don’t cut it.

Yes! He says that he wants to do a style of music he isn’t familiar with. WTF? I’m sorry. Why is he trying out for a career in something he knows nothing about? What about all the time between the initial auditions and Hollywood? The themes are pretty close each year. How hard would it be to study? I just don’t see much drive in him other than promoting himself and his charity. That’s fine, if that’s what he wants. I’m personally not impressed.

aek: I don’t mind Danny saying he ‘killed it’  on ‘Come Rain or Come Shine.’  He did an outstanding job on that song. Many people who hate him will still say he did very well on that song. So he thinks he did well on the song’ ¦I prefer him to say it rather that displaying a false modesty.

I don’t mind that he said he “killed it” either. He definitely did a great job on that song. What took me back a bit was when he said he took it to another level.. from where? Does he think he’s done it differently or better than it’s been done before? I can’t tell what he’s trying to get at there, but if that’s it, well, it’s a little too much for me.

The Interview

Danny says: AI is the easiest way to launch a music career.

At about 1:10, he pats himself on the back!

“Come Rain or Come Shine” – Allison asked for the song! The bastard made her draw for it! In a genre biased toward the men with an even more biased slate of songs, Danny wasn’t MAN enough to yield to a girl, a girl who was kind enough to yield her pick to a full grown man earlier in the competition! Disgusting. However, Alli proved once again that she is the pro and knocked it outta the park once again. Just another example of why she has a deal and Danny has none. Oh, Danny’s performance was the only one that I thought distinguished him, in a positive sense, throughout the competition.

“Scream On”: some people are deluded, seriously deluded, with Danny at the top of the list. Ripped a cord? That’s fresh, inventive. Ripped a contract? Before his own eyes.

The man is a mediocre singer. That fact, in and of itself, doesn’t mean he can’t get a deal. Kristen has some thoughts on that recently posted elsewhere in the blog.

If Danny were really that bad as some posters point out I just don’t understand why he was considered as front runner and praised by all 4 judges (I know this had made a lot of posters here mad) especially Simon who had no reason to praise someone whom he thought was a mediocare singer. If he were that mediocare I also don’t understand why he could have a fanbase comparable to that of Adam and Kris and had never been in bottom 3 until the week he was eliminated. I don’t want to go into the technical aspects of singing but a lot of people on youtube, AI Board & various blogs says they feel connected to his singing and many are moved by some of the songs he sang on AI.

The way I look at Danny situation is, if his knowledge in secular music is really limited and that gave him a hard time in choosing songs etc, we should be happy for him for being able to go as far as as Top 3 instead of ridiculing him for even trying out for AI.

I don’t know, if you have a son just like Danny who believe he has a voice and has a dream of having a music career and wants to try out for AI, would you be like Taylor Hicks father telling Taylor to rather “buy a lottery ticket” instead, or telling him to believe in himself and encourage him to try out, so he could reach for his dreams?

I will be going to an AI concert in July, and I have a feeling that the audience will be impressed by his set, and I believe he will pick up new fans from the concerts.

Third place is the charm for “Idol” Gokey

But Gokey he suspects he was much closer to winning it all than many people assume. While most observers (not to mention the “Idol” judges) expected Lambert ‘” with his big voice, flashy goth clothes and makeup and his strong stage presence ‘” to win easily, Gokey thinks his main competition was Allen, whose smoother mainstream pop sound and boy-next-door image carried him to the upset win over Lambert.

Had he beaten out Allen to reach the finals, Gokey thinks he might well be wearing the “Idol” crown.

“When I got voted off, I think me and Kris kind of tended to draw from the same crowd,” Gokey said in a late-June phone interview. “So if I wouldn’t have gotten voted off, and he got voted off, I think our fan bases probably would have voted for each other (over Lambert).”

Anastasia

I believe people are referring to his assertions immediately after the performance during the judges’ critiques – not what he has said after the fact.

Oh, well then I know what you are referring to. He did say, I’ll have to watch the tape, I didn’t think it was that bad. But the next day, after he watched it, he owned up to it sounding bad. I think he always owned up to it, but decided that the best option in dealing with it was to see the humor in it and move on with his life. I’ve got to agree with him here. Most people in the real world seemed to think he handled the situation well.

A lot of people dislike the fact that Danny has issues with gay people (based on what he himself has said, not his cousin or anyone else).

I don’t think Danny has as big an issue with gay people as has been made out. Let me preface this with the fact that I am pro gay rights myself and politically liberal and agnostic for that matter….my personal views are not aligned with Danny’s religious views. Danny said that he accepts people as they come. Alex Trugman took a good bit of heat the night that Danny was being bashed, but defended him as being a good guy and specifically said that Danny treated all the gay guys that were in their “group” with “nothing but love.” Several of the contestants, such as Anoop and Matt, mention being especially close to Danny. If Danny were this terrible jerk that he’s been made out to be, I don’t think others would like him so much. I believe he treats others equally…I really do. I may not agree with his religious views, although I haven’t specifically heard him say what they are, but at this point, treating every one equally seems to be a pretty good way to lead your life. It would make much more sense to bash Obama (who I voted for) for not being pro gay marriage than to berate an American Idol contestant who from all indications treated all the gay contestants “with love”. Just sayin’. Oh, and did not Danny mention in an interview yesterday after the interviewer brought up homophobia, that we need to always push for equality. I thought his response was interesting…anyway.

At about 1:10, he pats himself on the back!

Uh, I thought Danny was scratching his back. Still do. lol.

Really, he tends to scratch/rub his face, neck, back, a lot in interviews. I think it may be nerves. Don’t know anything about the drawing, but I’ve heard that that’s what they tend to do when two of them want the same song.

The man is a mediocre singer. That fact, in and of itself, doesn’t mean he can’t get a deal.

I don’t agree with you. I think Danny is a really really good singer. Do I think he is perfect? Well, no. I can hear the breath issues. But he is a heck of a lot better singer than Kris imo….and even many Danny detractors will say that. I do think Adam is the best singer in the bunch, but as I’ve said before there are elements to Danny’s singing that I prefer.

In the end, what we like in a singer, to a large extent, is subjective. So you will have your favorites, I will have mine, and hopefully they have or will get recording contracts, and put out music. You can always just not listen to the ones you don’t like. That’s what I do.

This could be the lack of air conditioning getting to me…BUT here goes:

Here is a man who used every trick and excuse in the book to manipulate and fool the audience and voters. Boo hoo hoo. Poor Danny lost his wife. Lots of us have lost our beloved better halves. What put me over the edge with Danny is this video…crying ’til the end about his loss. start at :54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj3gyQg3vM8

Danny, how come after months of crying over your loss, and pimping your deceased wife, did you choose “the final three” round to remove your wedding ring? The one visible symbol of your love. And why Danny, did you put it back on your middle finger for the Finale?

Have far would Danny have really gotten without that sob story? I hope somebody has told him the second year of widowhood is 100x worse than the first year. The grief monster will get you in the end Danny!!!

But Gokey he suspects he was much closer to winning it all than many people assume. While most observers (not to mention the ‘Idol’  judges) expected Lambert ‘” with his big voice, flashy goth clothes and makeup and his strong stage presence ‘” to win easily, Gokey thinks his main competition was Allen, whose smoother mainstream pop sound and boy-next-door image carried him to the upset win over Lambert.

Had he beaten out Allen to reach the finals, Gokey thinks he might well be wearing the ‘Idol’  crown.

‘When I got voted off, I think me and Kris kind of tended to draw from the same crowd,’  Gokey said in a late-June phone interview. ‘So if I wouldn’t have gotten voted off, and he got voted off, I think our fan bases probably would have voted for each other (over Lambert).’ 

Arca, all I will say is this. Remember that the only thing Danny is saying here is what is in quotes. That is what many, many people were saying when Danny was voted off and after Kris won.

The rest is the author’s words and inferences. You have to be careful not to project the author’s slant onto the subject here. It happens all the time when authors try to make something juicier than it really is. Just sayin’

Kris actually would draw many of the same demographic as Danny. I don’t think that it’s so much that their styles are similar but rather that Adam’s is so different. For instance, my Mom, if she were the voting type, would definately have flip/flopped between Danny and Kris, depending on who was left in the competition. She’s 65. When Adam would do one of his as she would say, “screamy” rock songs, I can remember her saying, “Well, that is NOTHING.” The other day, in the car, I was playing and Adam song, and she asked me who it was. I said Adam Lambert, and she says, “well, I should have known, with all that screaming…nobody screams like that.” lol.

So, yeah, I think there would be a large contingent that would not like that particular style (I loved Adam on the show), and would see both Danny and Kris as the mellower style that they would prefer.

Danny, how come after months of crying over your loss, and pimping your deceased wife, did you choose ‘the final three’  round to remove your wedding ring? The one visible symbol of your love. And why Danny, did you put it back on your middle finger for the Finale?

Have far would Danny have really gotten without that sob story? I hope somebody has told him the second year of widowhood is 100x worse than the first year. The grief monster will get you in the end Danny!!!

Someone actually asked Danny about that ring. It’s not a wedding ring. I want to say it’s some kind of religious ring. He said that he had lost the wedding ring a couple of years ago.

So he wasn’t adding and removing the wedding ring. Danny and his wife had been together for 11 years, since he was a teenager. From all accounts they seemed to be very close.

The grief monster will get you in the end Danny!!!

edit: knock off the sarcasm directed at posters

I believe he treats others equally’ ¦I really do

That depends on your definition of equal treatment–for example, if a white employer treated his black employees with the same courtesy as his white employees, but publicly expressed his opinion that black people were inferior while still saying that he wouldn’t treat his black employees differently, would you call that equal treatment? Danny believes that Adam’s orientation is morally wrong. He most likely, therefore, does not believe that Adam has the right to get married. However polite he may be to Adam, that is not my definition of equal treatment. Beliefs like Danny’s lead to a lack of legal equality for people like Adam–they lead to the lives of gay people and people who care about them being emotionally and physically more difficult.

If there were a racist person in the group, who made it clear in interviews that they believed that black people were inferior and should not be allowed to marry white people but “agreed to disagree” and said that they “treated everyone equally” and were friends with Lil–but still held the view that black people were not the equals of white people and should not be able to marry them–would you be fine with that? Would promising to treat people equally while privately holding prejudiced views be fine? 40 years ago, many people would have said yes to that. Today, many people say that it’s fine to believe that gay people don’t deserve marriage. What will be said 40 years from now?

As I said, I don’t hate Danny at all. I have cousins who believe as he seems to believe, and I still love them. They’re really lovely people in all other ways, and I don’t actually have trouble believing that Danny might be a great guy in other ways as well. Maybe if I knew him, I’d like him a lot. But I don’t understand why some people don’t find his views on gay people offensive–or while they at least seem to find them excusable and no barrier at all to completely liking him. I don’t mean you have to hate him–as I said, I love my cousins–but I don’t understand why the fact that he might be nice to gay people makes his beliefs about their immorality perfectly okay.

I don’t understand how someone’s belief that gay people are immoral and should be denied the thousands of legal rights and benefits given to straight couples–that gay people should legally be made second-class citizens–can be defended as simply a private religious belief or a difference of opinion that should be respected.

This isn’t just a matter of opinion or private belief–people’s lives, their physical and emotional health, are negatively affected on a daily basis by the fact that gay people are not legally equal. Gay people and those close to them suffer, actually suffer, because enough people in this country consider the way they live their lives immoral. I have gay friends, and while none of them have ever been physically hurt due to homophobia, simply knowing that their fellow citizens believe them unworthy of things like marriage hurts them, and seeing that hurt breaks my heart, and I can’t understand the tolerance that so many seem to have for the beliefs that lead to that kind of hurt. It’s not just a difference of opinion when one opinion punishes and marginalizes an entire group of people based on another group’s religious beliefs. And think about how you’d feel if you were constantly around someone whom you knew believed that you were immoral simply for being who you were. Again, my gay friends are used to being around such people–but why should they have to be used to such a thing? (And for the record, while I campaigned and voted for Obama and support him in many ways, I’m miffed as hell at him right now.)

I don’t really want to get into this whole thing again. Maybe discussing it at all contributes to taking the focus off the music, and I love Adam and Kris and Allison first and foremost because their voices and their interpretations of songs just move me tremendously–the fact that they don’t seem to hold any prejudices against an entire group of people is just a bonus. But Danny doesn’t seem to have an unkind heart, and perhaps he will grow and evolve as a person.

edit: don’t lecture or tell people what to do

If there were a racist person in the group, who made it clear in interviews that they believed that black people were inferior and should not be allowed to marry white people but ‘agreed to disagree’  and said that they ‘treated everyone equally’  and were friends with Lil’“but still held the view that black people were not the equals of white people and should not be able to marry them’“would you be fine with that? Would promising to treat people equally while privately holding prejudiced views be fine? 40 years ago, many people would have said yes to that. Today, many people say that it’s fine to believe that gay people don’t deserve marriage. What will be said 40 years from now?

isisdagmar, I would have quoted the whole thing, but didn’t because of the length.

Honestly, I do understand EVERYTHING that you wrote about. In many ways I feel exactly the same way. However, I don’t think I even know Danny well enough to know exactly what his views are. Plus, when they say “we agree to disagree”, we are presuming to know exactly what they are talking about.

However, I, too, tend to assume that most fundamentalist Christians do believe that gay sex is morally wrong. With that said, I don’t think we can change the world overnight. Let’s back away from Danny here, and just talk in general. People can’t and don’t change a lifetime of teaching overnight. I think sometimes the most we can expect from a person in a given moment in time, is to be accepting, caring, respectful, and to become friends with those who are different from them. I think through friendships and “love” people can baby step themselves toward a more enlightened worldview. It takes time.

I know that you said that you don’t hate Danny, and I believe you. But what I see around the Internet directed at Danny is hate…and a lot of it. I live in a very rural southern community, and I would hazard to guess that at least 85-90% of the people here would think that gay sex is wrong. It’s taught to them from the Bible from a fairly young age. As much as I hate any type of bias, just as you say, I can not say that the bulk of these people are “bad” people. They are not evil. And I think the only way that their minds will change will be through time and opportunity to have relationships with those people who are different. So, as corny as it sounds, only “love” can bring them closer to the ultimate goal.

I have seen a lot of progress in gay rights in the last 10-15 years, since the controversy of the female/female kiss on Roseanne back in the 90s. I really think we are going to get there. I think in the next 5-10 years more and more states will allow gay marriage…hopefully it will be a national thing. As more people know others in these relationships and get to know that they are “just like them”, minds will open. It does suck that it takes time, but it does.

As far as Danny is concerned, I have read more than I care to admit about the guy. From all accounts he is a goodhearted guy who spent much of his free time volunteering to help kids from difficult backgrounds. Those who worked with him laud his commitment and the energy that he put into these types of programs. I see a guy who lost his wife after being with her for 11 years, since they were both teenagers, going to one of the worst schools in Milwaukee. I see a guy who several of the idols have said that they are actually closest to….he can’t be that bad.

I don’t know if it’s allowed for me to get into the types of comments that I see about him, but sometimes I just want to shout….He’s a human being. If you cut him, he will bleed. In my opinion, I just can’t see a regular guy who just wants to make the best use of his talent (and he is talented), deserving so much anymosity. But it is what it is.

I shouldn’t let it get to me, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t. What is it about American Idol? lol

If Danny were really that bad as some posters point out I just don’t understand why he was considered as front runner and praised by all 4 judges

I don’t understand it either.

Yeah, he has a good voice, a very good voice. But how many people have come on the show *without* a very good voice? Most have much much more musicianship, study, experience, knowledge of music, flexibility of style and vocals, etc. So why would lacking all that stuff — at age 29 — make him a frontrunner? (not — Why would they like him? I understand why they like him. He has talent, and I admire his talent, too. It’s the frontrunner thing, the unstinting praise for literally all of his performances, even the ones that were “just okay for me dawg” to me and even when he didn’t seem to grow or change a bit in the course of the show, that I don’t understand.)

I especially don’t understand it, given that they have (largely correctly) always believed/understood that male soul/R&B types, particularly white ones, were not very marketable (see Guarini, Justin; Smith, Ricky; Huff, George; Yamin, Elliott) and have consistently downplayed those guys as frontrunners, even when they admired their talent.

So why did a white soul/R&B/gospel guy suddenly get frontrunner status, even to the point of having the *one* song written for the finale be clearly written particularly for him? This joins the Sphinx and Stonehenge as one of the mysteries of the ages for me.

So glad I didn’t watch the Danny video and have nothing to say about him.

I love watching Allison grow and blossom. I saw her shyness and lack of confidence on the show, and hated some of the things Simon said to her. She was underappreciated until towards the end of the show, probably because of her shyness and holding back a bit, but her greatness was evident from the beginning and many people recognized it.

Of course as a young girl she will continue to grow in poise and confidence. On the other hand, the fact that she did stay so poised through all that pressure speaks very well of her. One thing that is appealing is how natural she is. She’s not a talent-show-veteran like this season’s Jasmin, or Kim Caldwell or Diana D. were. Everything about her is real and raw. She almost explodes with talent and personality.

Her singing is phenomenal. She reminds me of Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Brenda Lee, and other amazing singers. She is a rare talent and I’m glad that people are starting to see beyond the shy, awkward-at-times girl, to the true talent within and the blossoming person. She is going to be a legendary singer I think, when people look back in 30 years. This girl is going to grow so much in the next year or two, in confidence and knowing who she is, it will probably blow our minds.

I also love that she mentioned Kelly and David Cook. I think she is going to be right up there with them as one of the greats from the show and in the music industry when we look back in 20-30 years. I think she will be right up there with Adam in terms of fame and having an amazing career as a superstar. He is a few years older and more experienced than she is, but I think they are the two incredible talents from this season and they recognize that in each other. (Kris may do a lot too, only time will tell.)

Someone actually asked Danny about that ring. It’s not a wedding ring. I want to say it’s some kind of religious ring. He said that he had lost the wedding ring a couple of years ago.

He lost his wedding ring two years ago–while his wife was very much alive–and he didn’t replace it? Huge red flag there. The more I hear about this guy, the weirder (or more clueless or more phony) he seems. I lost my wedding ring, and we (my husband and I) searched out the artist (a Hopi jewelry-maker) who had made it, and commissioned another one. It wasn’t as expensive as it sounds, but had we not been able to afford it, I’d have gotten an affordable substitute, a plain band from Target if need be.

A wedding ring is such a potent symbol of the whole relationship. Who in their right mind loses one and doesn’t bother to replace it? Either he’s not in his right mind, or…(I’ll let somebody else connect the dots.)

He lost his wedding ring two years ago’“while his wife was very much alive’“and he didn’t replace it? Huge red flag there.

I don’t necessarily think that’s a huge red flag. Some men choose not to wear wedding rings at all because their lifestyle really doesn’t work well with one. Sometimes they’re the type who would lose it or they work at jobs where they can’t wear one or where it would be dangerous to do so. One of my science teachers never wore rings because he lost a finger when his ring got caught on something once.

*shrug* If it didn’t bother Danny’s wife, it doesn’t bother me.

Some men choose not to wear wedding rings at all because their lifestyle really doesn’t work well with one. Sometimes they’re the type who would lose it or they work at jobs where they can’t wear one or where it would be dangerous to do so. One of my science teachers never wore rings because he lost a finger when his ring got caught on something once.

None of those cases apply to Danny. He’d worn his ring for years so apparently it didn’t conflict with his lifestyle or pose a danger at work. And he has all his fingers.

If it didn’t bother Danny’s wife, it doesn’t bother me.

And we know that, how?

A wedding ring is such a potent symbol of the whole relationship. Who in their right mind loses one and doesn’t bother to replace it? Either he’s not in his right mind, or’ ¦(I’ll let somebody else connect the dots.)

LOL. I guess I’m not in my right mind either. I’m sure there are lots of people who would agree. Hee!

When I was pregnant, my fingers swelled and I had to take off the ring. Now, it doesn’t seem to fit right and is uncomfortable, so I just don’t wear it. I suppose I should get it re-fitted, but I’ve just never gotten around to it. I don’t buy into a lot of society’s conventions. If people I meet want to think me insane and judge me for it, why let them. I think they are being intrusive and nosey-parkers.

I remember when one of our neighbours was moving in, he jumped off the back of the truck and his wedding ring caught on something and ripped his finger right off. My Mom saw him staggering around the front lawn and rushed him to the hospital. Then she came back and she and my Dad had to scout around to find the damn finger before his 4 year old son found it (the momentum of the accident caused it to fly off into the lawn and the grass was a little tall because the former owner had moved out a week before). They never did find the ring. I’m not sure he replaced it (they couldn’t re-attach the finger. The tear wasn’t clean and my parents took too long to find it. Shiver). I know that a lot of people who work in heavy industries take off their wedding rings because these kinds of industrial accidents are VERY common. In fact, it’s against the regulations for many of them to wear any kind of jewelry while working. So, it is easy for them to lose their wedding rings or stop wearing them.

Personally, I’m not going to judge Danny or his commitment to his wife by this.

ETA:

None of those cases apply to Danny. He’d worn his ring for years so apparently it didn’t conflict with his lifestyle or pose a danger at work.

We don’t know that. I’m pretty sure that most truck drivers do simple maintenance on their trucks (it would be daft not do some) and it would be wise to take off your rings when you do some of that work (or some of the work with trucks in general. Like my neighbour who lost his finger jumping off a truck). Or maybe when he was doing work around the house (electricians I know don’t wear their rings when working and I’m sure there is a reason for that). He may have taken his ring off several times and successfully kept track of it to put it back on his finger, but one time he did not.

A wedding ring is such a potent symbol of the whole relationship. Who in their right mind loses one and doesn’t bother to replace it? Either he’s not in his right mind, or’ ¦(I’ll let somebody else connect the dots.)

Symbols mean different things to different people, and one doesn’t have to be out of their mind to not attach so much importance to a piece of jewelry.

Anything Danny has done or said with regard to his wife’s passing doesn’t bother one iota as much as what Adam revealed in the Rolling Stone article. This has nothing to do with being anti-gay; just saying, I could have done without some of the information that Adam has revealed about himself and the pictures that have been made practically public domain on the web.

She’s not a talent-show-veteran like this season’s Jasmin, or Kim Caldwell or Diana D. were

Actually, Allison won a talent show on Telemundo. She passed on the recording contract prize though, because she wanted to try out for AI. It turned out to be a smart move on her part.

OK, wedding rings are no big deal to folks here. But I doubt if Danny is just a free spirit who’s not bound by convention.

Actually, Allison won a talent show on Telemundo.

Kim Caldwell and Diana D. were in beauty shows as children (a lot of them, was my impression), and had that fake veneer that kids get who grow up being in those competitions. Allison might have been in a competition based on talent, but she doesn’t have a false veneer, she seems very real, that’s what I meant.

OK, wedding rings are no big deal to folks here. But I doubt if Danny is just a free spirit who’s not bound by convention.

I wouldn’t generalize about how “folks here” feel about wedding rings because many of them probably think they are a big deal, but not everyone attaches the same significance to them.

Good point about Danny not not being bound by convention. He doesn’t seem like a free spirit does he? I don’t know much about him though and can’t say. Maybe he got busy and forgot to replace the ring. It is an interesting discussion because symbols are always intriguing.

Both of the interviews were fun and interesting….it’s always nice when you get some music playing so that you have a barometer to measure against while you are listening.

I made it through 2 minutes of Danny’s interview before boredom set in and I had to switch it off….mostly because he says the same things in exactly the same way in pretty much every interview. Obviously, to me, Danny is very much a creature of habit. Since he doesn’t seem overly quick witted it is much easier for him to always rely on the tried and true. That is how he functions and, in my opinion, that is how he sings. As has been alluded to before, Danny has a beautiful (though untrained) voice but that is as far as his talent really goes. Personally, I think Danny is a great choir type singer…give him the notes and the words and he does wonderfully.

Danny’s challenge, vocally, is that he hasn’t learned or cared to take that voice beyond singing notes and lyrics. And, I don’t think, it is that easy to learn the nuances of being a true, great, recording artist at 29 when someone just doesn’t have that innate music sense. That’s why I’ll never buy into Danny as the next great recording star because I don’t think he will ever be able to “sing on the fly”, or “sing off the cuff”, or harmonize in an impromptu duet, or read some sheet music and make the song “his” without hours of work with uber guidance along the way.

Allison, on the other hand, is very smart both innately and vocally. She understands, without being told, how to make a song her own. She knows who she is as a person and as a performer (no Disney, smart girl) and can manipulate her voice to suit the situation. She is sweet and demure during one song, bombastic and wholly powerful in the next. She may say she is “shy” but her mannerisms and her ease with people make that more a newly 17 insecurity rather than a “truism”. All the things that Danny lacks she has in spades. She will do well and she will be around a long time just because she knows who she is and where she wants to be.

kokko: If Danny were really that bad as some posters point out I just don’t understand why he was considered as front runner and praised by all 4 judges (I know this had made a lot of posters here mad) especially Simon who had no reason to praise someone whom he thought was a mediocare singer.

lucy: So why would lacking all that stuff ‘” at age 29 ‘” make him a frontrunner?

Because AI is not about finding the best talent — it’s about creating a reality show that lots of people want to watch. I’ve seen mj remind us all that when they select the contestants, they are “casting” the show, not selecting the best musical talent. This is why, for example, someone like Megan was selected in the wildcard round over a far superior talent such as Jesse Langseth.

Someone here — I think it was Kirsten — asserted that the producers never intended to have Danny win — rather, they intended him to be the “foil” for Adam, sort of the anti-Adam, who would eventually be sacrificed for Adam’s win. I don’t know if that theory is correct, but I think it fits right in with the manipulative games that the producers play, in contradiction to the notion that this is purely a talent show.

All of this is why, having now watched my first full season of AI, I consider myself an Allison fan and not an AI fan. A year and a half ago, I barely knew what AI was. This year, I invested enormous amounts of time and nerves in the show because I was so totally blown away by Allison’s singing, unlike any singer I’ve heard in my half-century on this planet. But I think the show overall is, in a lot of ways, despicably manipulative and fairly awash in mediocre-to-poor talent.

Returning to Danny, I think it might be worth pointing out that I haven’t said he’s a horrible singer, just mediocre, which means ordinary, barely passable, etc. — not awful (though Scream On went from awful to truly horrifying).

kokko: If he were that mediocare I also don’t understand why he could have a fanbase comparable to that of Adam and Kris and had never been in bottom 3 until the week he was eliminated. I don’t want to go into the technical aspects of singing but a lot of people on youtube, AI Board & various blogs says they feel connected to his singing and many are moved by some of the songs he sang on AI.

I think you just answered your own question. A lot of people connect to a performer for reasons other than outstanding musical talent. And this ties back to what I was just saying above about the show not being purely a talent show.

The way I look at Danny situation is, if his knowledge in secular music is really limited and that gave him a hard time in choosing songs etc, we should be happy for him for being able to go as far as as Top 3 instead of ridiculing him for even trying out for AI.

I’m not ridiculing him for trying out. Anyone who wants to pursue their dream of making it on AI, go for it. I just want the contestants to have a realistic view of what they’re doing. If someone tries out for something that they’re not as well-prepared for as others are, then accept that discrepancy and don’t use it as an excuse.

lucy: So why did a white soul/R&B/gospel guy suddenly get frontrunner status, even to the point of having the *one* song written for the finale be clearly written particularly for him?

Why do you say it was written particularly for him? It was just another sappy, crappy, generic inspirational coronation song.

aek: But he is a heck of a lot better singer than Kris imo’ ¦.and even many Danny detractors will say that.

Seriously? You’ve actually seen Danny detractors say that? I find that astonishing. As I said upthread, I don’t think Danny belongs on the same stage with Kris/Adam/Allison — especially Adison, but Kris too.

oceana: [Allison's] not a talent-show-veteran like this season’s Jasmin, or Kim Caldwell or Diana D. were.

I figured you were probably being metaphorical here, and I see by your subsequent post that you were, in light of her previous experience on the Telemundo show. And I certainly agree:

Everything about her is real and raw. She almost explodes with talent and personality.

And in a thread about Danny and Allison, I can’t believe that I, a totally off-the-deep-end Allison fan, have been talking about Danny!

loosegoose: He lost his wedding ring two years ago’“while his wife was very much alive’“and he didn’t replace it? Huge red flag there.

It might be in his case — don’t know. But in general, no. My wife hasn’t worn hers in many years because it’s been too small. I had to stop wearing mine a year ago for the same reason — I didn’t gain weight or anything, so I don’t know what it is — something about getting old and spreading out maybe? My inability to get my ring on my finger makes me mad, and I periodically try it again to see if I can. But it’s not a big enough deal to get us to spend the money on getting our rings enlarged — we’d rather spend our money on other things (like the AI concert…. gah!). As you said, a wedding ring is indeed a potent symbol of the relationship, but it’s only a symbol. I’ve been married to my wife for 19 years next Tuesday, and I still love her and will until the day I die. Symbols or a lack of them don’t change that.

However, I tend to agree with you that Danny’s probably not likely to have that same kind of view.

I don’t know Danny in person but I really appreciate aek and a couple other posters here in making an effort to provide another perspective or viewpoint when discussing Danny amidst all the negativity. We are definitely the minority in this blog.

:wink1_tb:

I think that Danny fans are a minority on a lot of the non fan sites on the Internet. But I believe that he has a lot of fans in general. Sans Twittergate, and a few haters who will bash him sometimes, he gets a lot of Love on Twitter. When he updates he gets flooded with a lot of Twitter messages of love, and support. So I am happy that he does have t fans that care about him, that support him that will keep on supporting him.

Danny may have the last laugh. Heh.

I think so too. I think that he might have many laughs. One will come when he announces his record deal. I think that he has either signed one already or will sign one with a record company after tour.

I don’t think that’s likely. Kris always had the votes. Too many people think praise from the judges, or even the media, has to do with how many votes somebody is getting, and actually these things are meaningless. Literally. All that matters is the votes.
It was obvious to many people that the show was not as gung-ho for Kris and for Adam or Danny, but that doesn’t mean the viewers weren’t. How could he ever even get to the Top 3 if he didn’t have a strong fanbase of voters? How could he avoid being in the bottom three (he was only there once) without a huge amount of votes all along?

I think that Kris has a pretty big fanbase. I think that him, Danny and Adam all have pretty big fanbases. But I think that the casual voters made the difference in who won Idol this year. I do think that Adam/Danny/Kris were all close in the voting top 3 night, but that Kris’s version of “Heartless” plus the obscure song that Danny sung, got Kris enough casual votes to help secure him a place in the finale.

And I think that the casual voters helped him win, partly because of his performance of “Heartless” the week before, but I also because I think they believed that he sung “No Boundaries” better than Adam did. I think that Adam has a better voice than Kris does, but I think that “No Boundaries” fit Kris’s voice better.

Kris has a big fanbase, but I believed that the casual voters really help put him over the top and give him the win over Adam.

He was indeed consistent ‘” consistently mediocre. He was consistently out of tune ‘” not catastrophically so most of the time (which is why a lot of people think he wasn’t out of tune), but disturbingly often. He had a lot of breath control problems. He rarely displayed any variation in his delivery. In sum, he wasn’t a disaster most of the time (though all of Scream On was, not just the end), and he had a few moments that even I liked, but IMO he (like almost all of the lower-finishing contestants) doesn’t even belong on the same stage with Kris/Adam/Allison ‘” just doesn’t have their level of talent. Not a knock against him personality-wise at all, just talent-wise. And if you decide to go on the show, excuses like not being familiar with the style of music (WTF?) and not having a dress rehearsal just don’t cut it.

I think that he was consistantly decent and far more consistant than some of the other contestants.

The Interview

Danny says: AI is the easiest way to launch a music career.

At about 1:10, he pats himself on the back!

‘Come Rain or Come Shine’  – Allison asked for the song! The bastard made her draw for it! In a genre biased toward the men with an even more biased slate of songs, Danny wasn’t MAN enough to yield to a girl, a girl who was kind enough to yield her pick to a full grown man earlier in the competition! Disgusting. However, Alli proved once again that she is the pro and knocked it outta the park once again. Just another example of why she has a deal and Danny has none. Oh, Danny’s performance was the only one that I thought distinguished him, in a positive sense, throughout the competition.

‘Scream On’ : some people are deluded, seriously deluded, with Danny at the top of the list. Ripped a cord? That’s fresh, inventive. Ripped a contract? Before his own eyes.

The man is a mediocre singer. That fact, in and of itself, doesn’t mean he can’t get a deal. Kristen has some thoughts on that recently posted elsewhere in the blog.

There were various times throughout the competition where some of the contestants wanted the same songs and they had pick them out of a hat to settle things.

Both Anoop and Allison wanted “Beat It”, but Allison gave it to Anoop. Is Anoop also wrong for not yielding to her and not “Man” enough and giving the song to her?

And Scott said he lost in the hat pick many times. Should some of the other contestants have been man and woman enough and let him have his first song choice, at least one of the times he lost out?

I think that a lot of them probably wanted to sing the same songs, but they found a way to deal work things out amongst themselves.

And I wish that they had more songs to choose from. I get the feeling that a lot of times, especially during really specific themes, they have a limited list of songs to choose from and that’s why some of them kept wanting the same songs, and why some of them kept losing out on their first song choice.

Reminder:

I’m just getting around to editing this thread. I deleted some comments and edited others.

Those of you who show up here only to defend danny might want to refresh yourselves on the guidelines. You also might check back on your posts to see the edits that I made.

When I have to keep editing a poster over and over again for the same things, I eventually put that poster in moderation.

1. Please DO NOT comment on the tone of the thread (i.e. “I’m sick of the negativity” or “ad nauseum” I deleted both those posts)

2. Don’t bait or generalize about “rival” fan groups when defending YOUR favorite Idol.

3. NO LECTURING OR FINGER WAGGING. I just banned a poster for that very thing.

4. If criticism of your favorite Idol makes you sensitive, it might be best if you head back to your fan forum.

But he is a heck of a lot better singer than Kris imo’ ¦.and even many Danny detractors will say that.

Seriously? You’ve actually seen Danny detractors say that? I find that astonishing. As I said upthread, I don’t think Danny belongs on the same stage with Kris/Adam/Allison ‘” especially Adison, but Kris too.

Yep. And I’ve seen it a good bit. There are many, many, people who don’t think Kris is a good singer. Most people like Kris, but many don’t think he belonged in the top as a singer. I don’t even think that Kris thinks he is that GREAT of a singer.

Some companies don’t allow men to wear their rings at work. My dad couldn’t wear his, and he mostly worked in an office, but because there was an onsite plant, noone at the company was allowed to wear a ring. He just kept the ring on his keychain. Otherwise, he probably would have lost it. And I’m sure he wouldn’t have replaced it, if he had.

Also, I want to apologize if I offended or got off track last night. It was late and I was very tired. I thought about my posts after I laid down to sleep, but I knew it was too late to edit.

The Bible teaches the Gay lifestyle is an abomination. Therefore, those who believe in the God of the Bible, follow it’s teachings. Those who don’t are certainly free to believe whatever they want too. God does not push you, he leads you to the truth. You have free will to follow whatever God you choose. But don’t condone the Gay lifestyle and say you are following Christ. You treat all people equally and with love, but you don’t condone a bad lifestyle, whether it be Michael Jackson, Adam, Brittney or Elvis. Danny and Kris never said they condones his lifestyle. They know that according to the Bible, Adam has the right to be and act in any way he wants. We love him as we would anyone. God will judge him.

If AI is all about manipulation and not about finding talents, then what does it say about Kris being the winner this year?

I don’t know what all the wedding ring thing is about, so without even knowing whether that was a wedding ring, the fact that he did not put on a ring or put back on again means he did not really love his wife as much as he claimed he did? Kris is married I don’t think he wore the wedding ring on the show. His wife has been kept a very low profile during the competition but no one seemed to criticize that as a tactic to gain female votes.

I understand Danny’s voice or singing may not appeal to everyone, but he does have the vocal talents, and he does stand out from the crowd. I remember that evening when he was eliminated, during the post show hours when contestants were interacting with fans and the media, Simon came to Danny with Paula standing next to him telling Danny he’s one of the best singers they had on the show, given Simon’s character and the fact that Danny was already eliminated, he did not have to say this if he was not genuinely feeling that way. Of course Simon could be wrong, he may be wrong sometimes when judging a particular performance, but he was seldom wrong as far as I remember on evaluating someone’s overall talents and potentials.

I also remember there was a short interview with Keith Urban (before it was announced he would have a duet with Kris) on who his favorite idol contestant was, and he answered Danny. In another interview, Lionel Richie was asked by Barbara Walters who should win this year’s AI competition, and Lionel said Danny should’ve won. We are talking seasoned musicians here, I can go on with the list but it does not matter the competition is over and as Danny says AI is a launching pad I hope he will get signed cos there are fans out there who want to listen to his original music and really don’t care all the personal character/religious/political bullshits that have been going on in the blogosphere.

After reading through all of the comments, it really comes down to personal interpretations of people. I don’t like Danny’s voice or style and he comes across poorly in interviews.
Allison on the other hand has a beautiful voice and presents herself so well in interviews.

I think the AI judges totally overpimped Danny and he did gain fans, but I don’t think he sings as well as Allison, Adam or Kris. He also doesn’t have the music knowledge or originality of Allison, Adam or Kris. Reality tv likes a good sob story and Danny had that and they went with it.

I know what I like and dislike and people really aren’t going to change my opinion. Danny does have fans and they should support him. It will be interesting to see if he can make it in the music industry. I’m inclined to think he won’t.

Of course Simon could be wrong, he may be wrong sometimes when judging a particular performance, but he was seldom wrong as far as I remember on evaluating someone’s overall talents and potentials.

edit: again with the sarcasm directed at other posters…

There’s no question in my mind that the judges thought Danny could sing, and sing well. Simon didn’t mind criticizing Danny, but he would always say he could really sing. In fact, all of the judges thought Danny could sing well.

I’ve been watching this show a long time. Yes, they do “pimp” certain people, BUT when those people start showing that they don’t have the goods, they turn on them on a dime. I remember them pimping Kellie Pickler, but then as she started to screw up, they stopped with the compliments. Look what happened to Lil. It became very obvious that they wanted her gone.

My opinion of AI has always been that our votes are not counted. The PTB watch the Internet and who is getting the most buzz is pushed to the top. They can tell from the Internet buzz who will probably sell and who will not. That i s who will win. After all, they have to sign him. Then the second and third best get the deal. The whole thing is staged for our entertainment, period.
The judges don’t really listen when the kids sing. They have a preconceived opinion before they sit in the chairs, given to them by TPTB. They are told who to push and who to push down. IT is all about who will sell the most Cd’s or the drama.

They will also go for the drama in the beginning to keep the interest of the show high. Did you really think Tatty would move on? We always have a few drama queens and kings who don’t deserve to be there….Sanjaya anyone? Name any year and there will be a person on the tour that made it for the drama or the cuteness and not for talent. A good mixture of the dramatic, the cute, the popular and those who actually have talent. Bottom line: It is show biz. It throws people into the machine just to watch them squirm. Only the strong survive.

Think Allison is very talented but I keep wondering why she didn’t wait a few years before auditioning. There was a bit of disjuncture between her age and the stuff she sang. However, I don’t think she is the next Avril Lavigne if she wants to be anti-Disney.

Now for Danny. I thought this was a good interview. He’s coming along with being a little less wordy.

However, I don’t think she is the next Avril Lavigne if she wants to be anti-Disney.

OK…this one went clear over my head. I don’t recall Avril ever being Disney or sold as a Disney type entertainer. She was playing with the big guys from the get go. Besides she was 18 when she recorded her first album which took a long time since she insisted on co-writing and did a damn good job of it.

If Allison has her type of career…Wow!

I’m saying that I don’t think Allison is the next Avril Lavigne, who was your anti-Disney singer.

Avril is the total package(looks, talent and she had a marketing concept too-skater chick). Incidentally, she honed her musical chops at church for those who think Danny’s music background counts for nothin.

kokko: If AI is all about manipulation and not about finding talents, then what does it say about Kris being the winner this year?

First: I didn’t say it’s all about manipulation and not about finding talents. I said it’s not about finding the best talent, and I said there is a lot of manipulation. I think the show strives first and foremost for “entertainment” that will get the most viewers. And I think it does that by trying to find a combination of talented singers and TV drama. I think they get the TV drama by selecting contestants with sob stories / heartwarming stories / whatever you want to call them, such as Danny, Scott, and single moms Lil and Alexis. I think they also select some more talented singers to throw into the pool in order to achieve some credibility that it’s really a talent show. Thus you have people like Kris, Adam, Allison, and Jesse Langseth.

And therefore, second: Kris being the winner this year (and Allison making it to 4th) says that talent won out over backstory.

As for Keith Urban and Lionel Richie saying Danny was their favorite, okay, fine. Maybe they like his style best, or maybe they had some other reasons. I said earlier in the thread that I don’t think he’s an awful singer and I even liked a bit of what he did. And given the pool of people who were selected for the top 13, I think he was probably worthy of finishing maybe 7th or so — not bad. But the gap between him and the three top-tier talents (Kradison) is painfully obvious to me. Doesn’t make him bad. Just makes him not as good as they are.

aek: Oh, Kokko, don’t you know that Simon is the HONEST judge, until he says something good about the idol that you don’t like. lol.

I don’t think he’s honest. I think he’s an idiot. I think he’s so narrow-minded that he can’t appreciate anything outside the Danny/Lil adult-contemporary realm. This is the guy who reacted to Adam’s Ring of Fire masterpiece by saying “What the hell was that?” (And no, I’m not really an Adam fan, despite recognizing his immense talent.) This is the guy who’s pushing Susan Boyle, for god’s sake! :biggrin_wp:

canuck: Incidentally, [Avril] honed her musical chops at church for those who think Danny’s music background counts for nothin.

Of course his background doesn’t count for nothin. A whole lot of the best singers ever have gotten their young experience singing in church.

I hope Allison does not become the next Avril only because a lot of people don’t really see her as rock in the first place. Also, I hate Avril. haha

Also, just because Kris does not have as big of a voice as the others does not mean he does not have a great voice- for the most part, he was on pitch, great tone and phrasing,etc. In a TV Guide interview, the vocal coach for AI (her name is slipping my mind right now) she told Justin and Kim Caldwell praised Kris and called him a “quiet fire.” She was also describing Danny and talking about how he has to learn the subtleties of working a song instead of full on belting it through, but then she stopped herself and said that she thinks Danny just has not had time to process his wife’s death and everything is go go go. That’s part of the reason why I think Danny had a hard time on the show. Also, I don’t think not wearing a ring means anything.

Kokko, on every single show and in every single picture of Kris Allen (when you can see his left hand, ring finger) he is wearing what certainly LOOKS like a wedding ring. Do you think it’s a friendship ring?

His wife, Katy, was NEVER hidden on the show. She was in the audience with the caption ‘Kris’ Wife’. She was in his intro package sitting on the couch with him, wearing the matching red aprons Aunt Gladys gave them as a wedding present. (Simon commented that he should have kept her hidden) She was sitting on the back of the car seat with him in the hometown parade. She spent the entire time he was on the show IN Los Angeles.

Kris didn’t hide the fact that he’s married or Katy EVER for votes.

With all that said, I have no big problem with Danny wearing a ring or not, or the fact that sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn’t.

Now when do we get the Kris Allen Billboard interview? Or did I miss it?

Canuck – if I understand correctly, You are saying that Allison is NOT the total package, because she is not as beautiful as Avril Lavigne, and also has no marketing concept like being a skater chick? I love Avril a lot, but I also love Allison! Allison is beautiful (and cute) in her own way and she can be marketed eventually like Shakira to both anglo and latin markets, and may appeal to a wide range of ages.

TwigLA, yeah I almost thought that is a friendship ring – to celebrate the Kradam Bromance given the buzz and love shown between these 2 guys on the show. LOL.

I did not have time to review all the videos with Kris on it, I did review some and from what I saw yes he did wear the wedding ring on the show, so that was a misstatement on my part, however, you are not 100% correct either in saying he wore the ring in every single picture – there’re 2 recent pictures taking by Allison and Danny on Top 4 (the one that shows Danny with a clean shaven look and without glasses) that shows he did not wear the ring on either hand.

So Kris wore the ring all the time during competition and some recent photos showing he did not wear the ring post competition, red flag? Actually I totally agree with you that this shouldn’t matter, my point as you might figure out is when this “should not matter” thing happened to Danny, then it became something hugely matter to some posters.

roquemocan, that’s what I mean by Allison waiting a few years. I just felt that what she sang didn’t fit with who she is,kind of hard to take her seriously although she had no problem vocally.

Eventually she will grow into these songs and then who knows what will happen? I don’t see her as being as successful as Avril Lavigne though.

When I talk of looks, I am thinking of how Avril had her own fashion statement that became associated with Avril.

The Bible teaches the Gay lifestyle is an abomination. Therefore, those who believe in the God of the Bible, follow it’s teachings.

Yet, I guarantee you that many who claim to follow the teaching of the Bible eat shellfish, and isn’t that supposed to be an abomination? I have to wonder how many people running around condemning gay people are also having shrimp for dinner. Things that make you go hmmmm….