Danny Gokey Segment on The Gospel Music Channel – VIDEO

Well this explains why Phil Spacey is such an ass to Adam in his LA Times blog.

Gosh, that’s so sad. I feel badly for Danny and Sophia’s family. It pulls my heartstrings, I’ll admit. I’ll give Danny props for trying out during his mourning period and setting up the foundation, etc.

But I guess my vote goes for the BEST singer, entertainer on the show. YMMV

Just like Adam said that AI is not a kissing show, and it’s also not about religion.

oh my god here we go again… and the judges gushing over him and simon calling him “one of the two best singers in the competition” have nothing to do with it.

Aside from this blog which attracts an unusual amount of Danny haters, the general impression i get from folks around my neighborhood is the same, Adam seems overhyped and everyone else seems pretty good. Why is it a freakin’ Christian thing??? No one on this board would have even known about this obscure show unless you mentioned it. I am a Christian, I don’t watch this show, I’ve never heard of it, and I don’t care about Dannys religion, much like I don’t care if Adam is gay! Oh wait, Adam has been prominently featured on all kinds of gay websites and articles online by the gay community. Now we know who is power voting for him!!! Come on…

Well, all of those Evangelicals should roll on over to Ebay, where they can buy a really lame Vote for Danny button. This one’s really special as grandma helps make them!

I don’t even have the words left to make fun of this. It’s just too easy.

ETA:

The special premiered right before the Dove Awards aired. Season 8à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s other worship leaders, Michael Sarver and Kris Allen, were glanced over, but not mentioned by name in the special.

Well, that’s too bad that they didn’t really receive any attention. I find them both infinitely more interesting than Danny.

How about a “Honk if You Love Danny” bumper sticker?

Or a dashboard Gokey on your car?

I can’t believe that all Christian folk are going to take their marching/voting efforts from anyone. Just like all my Jewish brethren are not going to vote en masse for Adam.

But it might be fun, SpenserJ, to start a little religious war over this? Oh wait, there are plenty of other religious wars out there already…never mind….

I feel sorry for Danny’s loss, but at the same time I dislike these people more and more. This tragedy is exploited. Danny Gokey will win American Idol, but he is not the best singer of the remaining four. Not even close. Sad backstory and religion will guarantee him the win.

MJ, I love this blog, but I don’t think I will come back after the finale. I’m sorry.

Not trying to be mean, but I can’t see where Danny will fit into the music business except for Christian music. Am I the only one?

Yeah, and everytime the Dove Awards show re-airs, this special goes right along with it….

But it might be fun, SpenserJ, to start a little religious war over this? Oh wait, there are plenty of other religious wars out there alreadyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦never mindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

LOL, yeah, I think there have been more than enough of those.

Would a dashboard Gokey be like the dashboard Virgin Mary my Nana has in her car? I think you might be on to something there.

I happened to be at the Doves when this feature first aired, and I caught part of it when they were showing it in between the pre-show and the aired awards show.

I was furious! First of all, to focus on any current Idol in the running is unfair to the others, but if you’re going to cover the Christians and worship leaders on the show, then at least cover them all.

Very unfair to Kris Allen.

Oh wait, Adam has been prominently featured on all kinds of gay websites and articles online by the gay community. Now we know who is power voting for him!!! Come onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

You’ve made your point there, I’m gay but I don’t vote for Adam.

I think it might be true that Danny’s getting votes from the gospel music kinda thing, just as Carrie received tons of support from country music when she was on the show. Something like that.

Well this explains why Phil Spacey is such an ass to Adam in his LA Times blog.

Who is he, again?

Not trying to be mean, but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see where Danny will fit into the music business except for Christian music. Am I the only one?

Taylor Hicks 2.0

MJ, I love this blog, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think I will come back after the finale. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sorry.

Mateja, it’s still fun around MJ’s after the finale, even when someone you hate wins. You get to make fun of them all summer long. It’s a fabulous stress reliever.

It’s (kinda) sad though Kris not getting any attention from them. Maybe because he has no tragic Idol backstory? Whatever.

Well this explains why Phil Spacey is such an ass to Adam in his LA Times blog.

Who is he, again?

He was a sixth place finalist on Season 6. He writes a blog for the LA Times about American Idol.

Aside from this blog which attracts an unusual amount of Danny haters, the general impression i get from folks around my neighborhood is the same, Adam seems overhyped and everyone else seems pretty good. Why is it a freakinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Christian thing???

That’s the same response I get from the people I talk to…you know the ones that watch the show and vote a few times and then don’t think about again til the following week?? I know that’s difficult to comprehend, isn’t it??….well it is for me at least haha. Most people know nothing about Danny being a worship leader, and there are quite a few people I know that don’t start watching til the Top 12(13) so they don’t even know about his back story.

edit: read and follow my guidelines!

edit: stay on topic

Not trying to be mean, but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see where Danny will fit into the music business except for Christian music.

There’s nothing mean about it. The Christian music market can be lucrative. Kirk Franklin isn’t exactly living out of his car, and he can’t sing worth crap.

He was a sixth place finalist on Season 6. He writes a blog for the LA Times about American Idol.

A piss poor excuse for a blog if you ask me. What? You didn’t ask? Oh, never mind then.

BTW – I am a huge fan of Kris and Allison. I still like Danny and don’t think he deserves the hatred he gets, but I have become more invested as a fan in Kris and Allison.

Is it just me or does everyone think they could try out for a reality TV show 4 weeks after they lost a spouse? If I lost my husband I wouldn’t be able to move let alone be smiling and clapping on TV.

You know, I’m not a Danny-hater. I liked him well enough early on. I’m a big Taylor fan, so I saw the similarities in voice, I actually like his glasses, he seems like a nice, genuine guy. I got tired of all the hype and backstory on him and, as the show progressed, I just grew to like Adam, Allison & Kris better.

I am one of those who has a problem with religion in general – not just Christians – organized religion in general. And the type of church Danny attends is of the very worst kind, in my personal opinion. So, that means I would probably not choose him as a friend or someone I would hang out with. We wouldn’t agree on a lot, I would imagine. My first husband died at 42 of a congenital heart condition, so we would have that in common.

That said, I don’t wish him ill. I believe that even if he left this week, he would get a contract, he might do well in Christian music, and his foundation has received a lot of attention. All good things for him. I don’t think he’s the best singer or performer left. I do think he is better than many of the ones who have left already, so I’m perfectly comfortable w/ this top 4.

I do think it’s sad that the show spent so much time on Gokey & didn’t say much about Kris. I get that they didn’t say much about Sarver, since he’s been off Idol for weeks now, but Kris is still in it & the PR might have been good. But then I might see that he belongs to the same type of church as Danny, and then I’d have to hate him too. LOL.

I think bringing this up was really unfair to the other contestants. It just continues to pull in the wow is me thing again. It is over and now we have to live it over all over again. When are we going to just have a competition of singers, and not their personal religious or other preferences. This article is uncalled for. Sorry but that is just my opinion. Why not just hand him the whole thing and be done with it.

I’m not trying to be flip about this, and yes it is a tragedy that Sophia Gokey died at such a young age. And yes I am going to say my piece because obviously Danny has said his.

First, would Danny and Sophia have even been on this show without the American Idol connection. Their story is very sad but it isn’t news worthy without the context of American Idol, and unless someone corrects me on this, the foundation wasn’t started until after Danny had found out he had made it to at least Hollywood in Season 8.

I’m sure he tried out for American Idol without any intention of blowing this story up and out of proportion. But once he started allowing the American Public inside, what should have been a private grief between Danny, his friends, and his family escalated into it having a life of its own. The intentions of these people were obviously very good and heartfelt but they have exploited and continue to exploit Sophia’s death.

I do not watch AI to be confronted with a contestant who feels that he is an example of how to handle grief and how to move forward after death and he’s going to tell me how to do it. He would have made an impact on me if he would have handled his back story like David Cook did, or with the grace that Jennifer Hudson has done with her tragedies.

Religion, for those who need and want it, is a wonderful wonderful thing. For those of us who find our “God” in other ways we don’t want anyone’s beliefs shoved down our throats and in our face. Kudos, kudos, kudos to Kris Allen. He is an example of how to live your religion. Danny, not so much!!

JJ123,

You raise a good point, I think people if they are writing on this blog are very into the show. Most of my friends around the neighborhood always have to descibe people and I throw out their name because they didn’t know.

People here can tell you birthdates, immediate family members, and what they like for breakfast.

I will include myself in that category…. i probably need a glass of cold water in the face. Its a damn TV show!! :wallbash_tb:

Is this allowed? To have a nationally aired somewhat commercial pimping a contestant? The weird thing is that it doesn’t even focus on his singing! Its a sympathy vote getter. I am sorry for Danny and his family, he seems like an okay guy. I just think this is flat out wrong and exploitive.
And I am a little confused on why Kris and Michael didn’t get attention.

I smell an agenda and it stinks.

Quite frankly, as a Christian myself, it sickens me that we are all being stereotyped and hated so vehemently. How is it any different than stereotyping and hating blacks or anyone else for that matter?

No one is stereotyping or hating Christians at all. And, let’s keep in mind that Christianity is a pretty huge thing, with a number of different subsets. I wouldn’t call the church Danny belongs to very mainstream Christain at all.

I come from a very Christ centered religion myself, but not one that follows the Contemporary Christian music scene or watches the Gospel channel. Anyway, I don’t think the point MJ was trying to make (that Danny has a good sized following from those who are fans of that type of thing) was any kind of indictment against Christianity.

And, just for the record, when I make fun of Danny’s family’s desperate need to hype him at every turn – I’m just making fun of them – not Christians in general.

I consider myself and most of my family/friends strong Christians, but we are all pulling for Kris and Allison, and a few of my friends are die-hard Adam fans.. My mom is a Danny fan, so there’s that, but even she is getting tired of him and liking Kris a lot more.

This trend was broken tonight when Adam looked at the two groups and said, “Based on last night’s performances — probably this one.” And then he proceeded to join the obviously safe group of Allison and Danny. Hilariously, Ryan grabbed Adam’s arm and refuted, “Actually, you belong over here,” and put him in with Matt and Kris and announced this was in fact the bottom 3. Adam was in the bottom three after confidently announcing himself as being in the top group. Funny.

I think this paragraph above rubbed some people the wrong way. Some of the comments on Phil’s blog are a good indication of how people took that statement. Phil thought it was funny that Adam picked the wrong group, and in a sense embarrassed himself, during the HUFF. He takes little jabs like that.

By the way, no one is hating on Christians. But even alot of mainstream Christians can’t take the OTT of some far right Christians. So this isn’t an anti Christian thing. It’s just clear from this Gospel Music Channel piece that Phil is pulling for Danny and his blog reflects that. And poor Kris, talk about getting the short end of the stick!

Tess,

You make my point for me…

“Religion, for those who need and want it, is a wonderful wonderful thing. For those of us who find our à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in other ways we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want anyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s beliefs shoved down our throats and in our face. Kudos, kudos, kudos to Kris Allen. He is an example of how to live your religion. Danny, not so much!!”

Most, not all, but many of the Danny haters on this site are curiously very anti religion. And with respect, to me saying that Kris is an example of how to live your religion is very similar to me saying that Adam shouldn’t put on eye liner or get all glammed up every week because I don’t want his gayness shoved in my face.

And by the way, I don’t think Danny’s wife has been mentioned on the show by the judges, the producers, Danny himself, etc. for what 10 weeks now???? Not since the first round after hollywood when someone held up that goofy picture. That was ages ago. Let it go.

Well, this is one follower of Christ who is not a follower of Danny Gokey. Adam gets my support, followed by Allison and Kris. Danny will never get a vote from me. It just so happens that we discussed AI during my drama group practice last night at church and no one thought Danny should win. Adam was the favorite, although the others got some support as well.

Not trying to be mean, but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see where Danny will fit into the music business except for Christian music.

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nothing mean about it. The Christian music market can be lucrative. Kirk Franklin isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t exactly living out of his car, and he canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sing worth crap.

I realize there is money in it, but I am pretty sure that AI doesn’t think that is all the winner should be, assuming that if Danny is in the finale he could win.

And I am a little confused on why Kris and Michael didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get attention.

Well, seeing how Danny or his family weren’t featured in person in this segment at all – this is all church footage and the brother and sister of Sophia Gokey – it could very well be that the families of Kris and Michael didn’t want to be a part of it.

I’m a nice person. Really I am. And my condolences to Danny and his loved ones on his wife’s passing.

But this video made me throw up in my mouth a little.

I consider myself and most of my family/friends strong Christians, but we are all pulling for Kris and Allison, and a few of my friends are die-hard Adam fans..

Same here.

AmandaRae2512, I think the person meant that he is nice for gays to look at, not that he is gay.

Well this explains why Phil Spacey is such an ass to Adam in his LA Times blog.

Yes. This explains that perfectly.

David cook tried to keep his brother’s story out of idol.He got alot of respect for it from most.Scott MacIntyre didnt let the rest of his story come out till he got voted off.Scott could of had so many more votes with the rest of his story.That is why danny has so much hate.You cant push that kind of stuff.

David cook with actions not a story has become a idol.
Danny who i would think has a good heart has let others use a agenda to further there cause.
For that danny may be voted the next american idol but may never just be a idol

That makes me feel very sad :sad_wp:

No one on this board would have even known about this obscure show unless you mentioned it.

Not true. I knew about it, having read about it at the time of the awards.

I do wonder why this type of promotion is ok when we can’t even see the iTunes popularity bars though. LOL

But seriously, when other contestants are required to dismantle myspace and take down their original music, making it unavailable for purchase so as not to give advantages to some and not others, this type of in depth special is odd to me. And having the sister-in-law stand in because rules don’t allow Danny to appear seems to violate the spirit of the rules, if not the letter.

Leaving out, or not naming or giving equal time to the other worship leaders only goes further to suggest to me the inappropriateness of this segment.

But then again, until last week, I didn’t think he could sing very well, so weigh that in my analysis too. :-)

Still, I do think it’s naive to believe that this isn’t part of a call to arms to conservative Christians to rally behind Danny. Not all will respond, and those that do may not all respond with support. But some, perhaps many, will. So while it’s not fair to stereotype, it’s also not fair to dismiss this as pure coincidence — particularly when the other current worship leader contestants aren’t included in any significant way, too.

BTW, I’ve heard more times than I can count that someone likes Danny best because he was a music leader at his church and he just lost his wife. Maybe it’s a geographical thing, or a crowd thing, but it’s happening to me. And, well, I’m just not that special or unique. LOL

I live about 1/2 hour from Milwaukee so I’m voting for Danny. This season is a little like season six for me because I really don’t love any of the contestants. Without a local guy on I probably wouldn’t vote at all. I just want Danny to get to the top 3 so I’ll get a chance to see one of those hometown visits. I would love to enter the belly of the beast that is Idol & see what goes on behind the scenes at one of these things. Self serving, I know but I’ve watched since season one & we’ve never had anyone get on the show before. And everyone here, even the Green Bay Packers, is rooting for him. Maybe a lot of Evangelical Christians are voting for him. There’s no way of knowing who’s voting for who and generalizations are pretty lame if you ask me. All I know is that my voting friends and I are not Evangelical Christians. We’re just bored Wisconsinites who are supporting one of our own.

Well, seeing how Danny or his family werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t featured in person in this segment at all – this is all church footage and the brother and sister of Sophia Gokey – it could very well be that the families of Kris and Michael didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to be a part of it.

Good catch. Speaks volumes.

I realize there is money in it, but I am pretty sure that AI doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that is all the winner should be, assuming that if Danny is in the finale he could win.

…and that’s because Kirk Franklin isn’t strictly gospel. He’s simultaneously a mainstream artist with continued ties to Bono, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly (well he might not be that good), Stevie Wonder, etc. They’ve all been a part of his recordings. So yeah, he’s mainstream, and he has a “worship leader” style very similar to Danny’s. Yet, he’s extremely popular.

I’ve got a bet going with my mother and sister right now that Danny Gokey will not win American Idol. I’ve always believed that from day 1. Yet, with all the hoopla over his unfair advantage, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m about to lose a bet.

or maybe Kris (gay eye candy)

Where are you getting the Kris is gay??? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s married to a woman. But I guess if you want him to be gay that badly, then you will believe what you wish.

LOL I believe what he/she meant was Kris is the eye candy for gays.

BTW, didn’t Kris have a life-threatening situation or sickness when he was in Thailand? I can’t remember but I read somewhere that he almost died when he was on the mission. Maybe these gospel music people never heard of it? Hmph..

“Adam was in the bottom three after confidently announcing himself as being in the top group. Funny.”

I think this paragraph above rubbed some people the wrong way. Some of the comments on Philà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blog are a good indication of how people took that statement. Phil tought it was funny that Adam picked the wrong group, and in a sense embarrassed himself, during the HUFF. He takes little jabs like that.

By the way, no one is hating on Christians. But even alot of mainstream Christians canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t take the OTT of some far right Christians. So this isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t an anti Christian thing. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just clear from this Gospel Music Channel piece that Phil is pulling for Danny and his blog reflects that. And poor Kris, talk about getting the short end of the stick!

Hmm..why is that other past contestants like Blake, Constantine, and Jason Yeager are allowed to state their honest opinions about current contestants, but Phil is not? I didn’t even take Phil’s statement as anything that bad? Was that the worst he said? If not, please enlighten as to what else he said that was so awful. But if so,

edit: read my guidelines!

I am a huge Kris fan and agree it would be nice to see more of him featured, but I’m not going to have a cow over it. I’d rather direct my anger at Simon who’s clearly not done throwing Kris and Allison under his big ass bus.

Does anyone besides me see that this article has just handed Danny Goyke the title. I really do. I don’t think anyone else has a chance, not even Adam. He has played his deck of cards and won the title. It is sad that the title will go to one of the weaker singers just because he has an agenda and it worked for him.

I wouldn’t feel bad if I were the other contestants because deep down I think they will know the reason they didn’t win. They hadn’t lived through some hardship as Danny. The other three should be extremely proud. We all know Adam has already won everything he needs to win. He will go on to be the real idol winner. Alison and Kris will also go places and they will all be mainstream. Unlike Danny. That is why I can’t see why they continue to pimp him. They are gonna have a loser on their hands and they won’t have anything to do with him. Well I guess they had a top 40, soul, rock, country, and now christian music. I think they created a monster and they are stuck with him. And unfortunately, so are we. Guess we are all just waiting for his first concert, woo hoo!! Good going Idol.

I really wouldn’t worry….I believe newsweek and obama have both said that this is NOT a Christian nation (bad news for danny)
–the most PC thing to do is vote for the gay contestant so he can win and diane sawyer, matt lauer and all the other interviewers can constantly ask him if he feels he has broken BARRIERS….I always like that question…so original

Hmm..why is that other past contestants like Blake, Constantine, and Jason Yeager are allowed to state their honest opinions about current contestants, but Phil is not?

Which large newspaper blogs do Blake, Constantine and Jason write for? That is the difference. The Los Angeles Times is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. That’s the difference. And all I said was Phill was an ass to Adam. I didn’t mean to upset people, but that is how I perceive Phil’s blog. I’m just stating my opinion about his blog.

I just want Danny to get to the top 3 so Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll get a chance to see one of those hometown visits. I would love to enter the belly of the beast that is Idol & see what goes on behind the scenes at one of these things.

I was able to attend Cook’s last year. It was really fun, but honestly, you don’t really get to see anything except the Idol cameras and the guys operating them as far as behind-the-scenes stuff goes. Nothing happened at Cook’s homecoming that we didn’t see on TV. It’s just that TV showed an abbreviated version of what those of us were there saw in person.

LOL I believe what he/she meant was Kris is the eye candy for gays.

LOL! Oh duh! My bad! Sorry! :)

I believe what he/she meant was Kris is the eye candy for gays.

Kris Allen is eye candy for everyone. My gay male friend thinks he’s adorable, and so do I, a heterosexual woman. And so does my mother. ;)

I realize there is money in it, but I am pretty sure that AI doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that is all the winner should be, assuming that if Danny is in the finale he could win.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s because Kirk Franklin isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t strictly gospel. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s simultaneously a mainstream artist with continued ties to Bono, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly (well he might not be that good), Stevie Wonder, etc. Theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve all been a part of his recordings. So yeah, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mainstream, and he has a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“worship leaderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  style very similar to Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. Yet, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s extremely popular.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve got a bet going with my mother and sister right now that Danny Gokey will not win American Idol. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve always believed that from day 1. Yet, with all the hoopla over his unfair advantage, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m beginning to wonder if Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m about to lose a bet.

Interesting. I don’t know much about Kirk Franklin.

I think Adam’s fans shouldn’t get too comfortable. I have a feeling that Danny has a lot of fans. Even looking at Dial idol ealier made me think he is pretty well supported…that along with the judges pimping him and the fact that he is a pretty consistent performer. I wonder who other idols’ fans will vote for once their idol is gone??

And with respect, to me saying that Kris is an example of how to live your religion is very similar to me saying that Adam shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t put on eye liner or get all glammed up every week because I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want his gayness shoved in my face.

A man wearing make-up doesn’t equate to being gay. In this case, Adam is gay and wears make-up. There are plenty of straight glam-rock types out there, too. Also, last I checked, religion is a choice and sexuality is not. I’m very confused by this logic.

I am one of those who has a problem with religion in general – not just Christians – organized religion in general.

I never thought I had much of a problem with religion but now I’m starting to think I’m developing one. I don’t see why it has to be dragged into everything. I always thought it was a personal issue and not something to be shoved into people’s faces.

Anyway, I don’t like the ten commandments in a public courthouse and I don’t like religion mixed in with Idol.

I would say that this just proves that Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fanbase is as bad as the Claymates when it comes rabid overprotection. And so what if Philà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s pulling for Danny?

Aren’t people logging in this blog here and defending Danny? Wouldn’t that make them overprotective? I think it’s ok to defend the idol you admire as long as you don’t get overly emotionally invested. Phil likes Danny, they have alot in common. No big deal. But it explains the wee jabs in his blog towards Adam.

I don’t post on here a lot but I had to comment. In past seasons, I remember reading that interviews and press could NOT be given to a contestant – especially a Top Ten one – unless ALL of them were interviewed! HOW unfair that Gokey was allowed this advertising to be aired when Kris Allen was not given the same air time. I was mad when I saw it before the Doves on t.v…. and it has been on 3 times already! gag.

On a side note about the Dove Awards – Sligh was awesome! WHAT a voice. I think it was a huge honor to be nominated for Best New Artist of the Year! and Song of the Year! and I didn’t know until the interview that he wrote the new Rascal Flatts single! wow.

Another thing I have noticed this year is allowing previously recorded music to be “leaked” to the public – and allowing it to be left up. Maybe TPTB have realized that to get a new winner off the ground and into market, they need a huge power base already in place before he/she is launched at the Finale?

Does AI pay to get the contestants onto things like Today show (after winning?) or do those shows do that to boost their own ratings since AI is the number one show still? just curious. I still see Jordin Sparks in several of the women’s magazines.

Well enough said. Thanks mj for the good job.

Which large newspaper blogs do Blake, Constantine and Jason write for? That is the difference. The Los Angeles Times is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the difference. And all I said was Phill was an ass to Adam. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean to upset people, but that is how I perceive Philà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blog. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just stating my opinion about his blog.

So what if it’s a large newspaper? It’s still his blog and he’s allowed to state his opinion. It doesn’t sound at all like he’s being an ass to Adam. Maybe he just isn’t into Adam’s singing and thinks him choosing the wrong group was in fact a little funny. It’s not that big of a deal.

edit: keep your opinions on the idols not on your fellow posters

Just odd that Kris Allen hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t receive much support or attention on the Gospel Music Channel or other faith based media outlets….considering he too is a worship leader and from the stories I’ve read, spent a lot of time as a missionary (giving up his guitar at one point?!). Umm, hello, stories of such unselfish acts make me appreciate and recognize someone’s “goodness”. Not because a person goes to church or because (unfortunately) something horrible happened to their loved ones. Danny is a worship leader who lost his wife. That’s it. There is no reason for Christian groups to pimp him to this extent. And lets get real, it has nothing to do with his talent if all they mention is his wife and/or his faith. Just bothers me that he gets automatic “sainthood” because of a tragedy. Its not like he saved 100 puppies from a burning building.

edit READ MY GUIDELINES

OK, I’ll leave you with one more piece of logic to chew on. Can we all agree that Adam gets more coverage in the press than the other three idols combined?!! I read an article on him in USA Today, that moron Bill O’Reilly does a feature story on him, I have seen at least 2 segments on just him on Entertainment Tonight.

So help me understand why this one feature is so bad??? Should we hold that all media outlets can only cover all idols equally until its over?

If you are going to argue that rare clips like this that actually (gasp) feature someone OTHER than Adam have so dramatically influenced voting in Danny’s favor, then do you admit that the only reason Adam is leading is because of the barrage of media attention that he ALONE attracts??

I think Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get too comfortable. I have a feeling that Danny has a lot of fans.

I don’t think Adam’s fans have ever been comfortable. LOL. The potential for backlash has been there since day one. It is always there, lurking.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t post on here a lot but I had to comment. In past seasons, I remember reading that interviews and press could NOT be given to a contestant – especially a Top Ten one – unless ALL of them were interviewed! HOW unfair that Gokey was allowed this advertising to be aired when Kris Allen was not given the same air time. I was mad when I saw it before the Doves on t.và ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. and it has been on 3 times already!

Where is Danny Gokey’s interview, exactly?

Personally, I think this is a move of the Martinez family more than anything.

Which large newspaper blogs do Blake, Constantine and Jason write for? That is the difference. The Los Angeles Times is one of the biggest newspapers in the country. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the difference. And all I said was Phill was an ass to Adam. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean to upset people, but that is how I perceive Philà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blog. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just stating my opinion about his blog.

I guess Phil’s allowed…the same way Slezak is allowed to admit his power voting for Kris and Allison.

OK, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll leave you with one more peace of logic to chew on. Can we all agree that Adam gets more coverage in the press than the other three idols combined?!! I read an article on him in USA Today, that moron Bill Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Reilly does a feature story on him, I have seen at least 2 segments on just him on Entertainment Tonight.

So help me understand why this one feature is so bad??? Should we hold that all media outlets can only cover all idols equally until its over?

The difference is the topic. Tons of stories about Adam’s sexuality and whether people will vote for him because of it is not the same as someone being portrayed in a sympathetic light because of the loss of a spouse.

All I can say is, that’s a very sad personal story.
But Idol is something else, and I’m voting based on who my favorite is, who the best singer is on the show. Unless Danny proves himself to be the best singer and worthy of the Idol crown, I’m voting for someone I think is better.
I wish Danny the best with his new foundation, and his new direction in life.

Adam/Kris fan here. I don’t understand why people think that this is going to create some unfair advantage for Danny. For Pete’s sake, Adam has been the most talked about idol in the press all season.

The press picks up the stories people want to hear about. Are the press and bloggers not supposed to cover Danny/Adam? “Report just the facts m’am.” This isn’t a criminal investigation, it’s a tv show.

As a Kris fan, I’d love it if he got more press. If I were and Allison fan, I guess I should be the most upset because she’s gotten hardly any coverage. Oh well. Nobody ever said life in reality tv land was fair. (as is proven by the upcoming duets – see other thread, lol).

I find it really odd that so many young Idol contestants are so-called “worship leaders” and die-hard Christians.

It just doesn’t seem to fit the general trend in this country, particularly among the younger generation. It also seems rather out of place in the music industry. It’s hard to picture Bob Dylan or Bono leading a megachurch service.

So I find the whole thing just plain weird.

I loved Danny in the beginning his story was very inspiring.. I admire his bravery for putting himself out there… sharing a story and risk people thinking he’s using it for his own gain…. I don’t believe he’s done that…. but that being said I began to be put off by him when he started acting like d-bag… I mean seriously.. the guys is ridiculous sometimes… I don’t know if its just who he is..and he can’t help coming off as a pompous windbag… but he does… his d-baginess is a complete turn off… the over pimping of him is a turn off.. and I’m completely over him beacause of it… as a Christian… that isn’t a motivator for me when voting.. I vote for the talent.. not for the backstory.. That’s why I think it should be an Adam Vs. Allison finale. I do think that him being showcased in such a way is extra publicity… and if he gets showcased as the “christian” idol.. then why Not Sarver and Allen also.. why in passing? Why not interview Allen’s wife.. and have her share there story as a young couple? Or Sarvers family life?? Its biased.. and shouldn’t be allowed. It gives him a greater edge.. an edge he doesn’t need.

I think Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get too comfortable.

I wouldn’t worry about that. After last Wednesday, the last adjective I would use to describe Adam’s fans is “comfortable”.

I guess all we can get out of this is we had better do our voting because besides Danny, none of them are even close to being safe. No split voting and vote as hard as you can. Yes I am an Adam fan but I don’t feel I am considered as you call a Claymate. I just hope that this stays a fair show. I think religion is a person issue and not to be staged around as it seems to be with Danny.

So is the general complaint here that Kris Allen didnt get equal coverage from the church squad?If he had, the segment would be more acceptable? Just curious cos I seriously dont get what all the fuss is about

The media, and diff groups will cover who they want. I cant stand Danny gokey, but I’m scratching my head as to what the big deal is about this story. Maybe like me the squad doesnt find a single thing remotely intersting about Kris Allen hence the no-mention…arent people allowed to do stories on who they want to anymore?

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t understand why people think that this is going to create some unfair advantage for Danny. For Peteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sake, Adam has been the most talked about idol in the press all season.

Thank you! This is very true. BTW- since you are a fan of both Adam and Kris, if they were the Final 2, which one would you vote for? Seems they share a lot of fans these days, but I have a feeling Kris will not get the votes if he was in the Finale with Adam.

Danny is my husband’s fave and he’s an atheist. At one point, he said he thought Danny was better than Elliott–which I consider true blasphemy. Me, I like Allison and Kris the best. Of course, we don’t vote so I guess it doesn’t matter. Just saying that there are people out there who like Danny who have no clue of his religious leanings, but base their opinions solely on singing ability (and Danny is a capable singer).

So help me understand why this one feature is so bad??? Should we hold that all media outlets can only cover all idols equally until its over?

I’ve already said my *peace* above. But, yes, Adam gets NEWS coverage because, by choice of the media and reality of the show, HE and/or HIS PERFORMANCE and/or HIS PERCEIVED SEXUALITY becomes “the story” of the day. Love him, hate him, like it, don’t, but it’s different than a documentary piece featuring one current contestant because of his faith but ignoring other current contestants who share that same faith.

I don’t expect to convince you though.

I think Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get too comfortable.

I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t worry about that. After last Wednesday, the last adjective I would use to describe Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“comfortableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

True- I guess we will never know if Adam really was in the bottom 2 last week, but I am sure it woke up his fanbase.

I guess Philà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s allowedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦the same way Slezak is allowed to admit his power voting for Kris and Allison.

Yes, I agree with you. They are both allowed their opinion. All I was saying is that I thought Phil was an ass to Adam in his blog. Just because Phil is a Christian doesn’t mean people can’t call him an ass and think he is one as well.

Adam/Kris fan here. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t understand why people think that this is going to create some unfair advantage for Danny. For Peteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sake, Adam has been the most talked about idol in the press all season.

The press picks up the stories people want to hear about. Are the press and bloggers not supposed to cover Danny/Adam? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Report just the facts mà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢am.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  This isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t a criminal investigation, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a tv show

As a Kris fan, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d love it if he got more press. If I were and Allison fan, I guess I should be the most upset because sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s gotten hardly any coverage. Oh well. Nobody ever said life in reality tv land was fair. (as is proven by the upcoming duets – see other thread, lol).

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If it were a Kris/Adam finale, I wouldn’t vote. I would be happy just watching the outcome.

Yes, I agree with you. They are both allowed their opinion. All I was saying is that I thought Phil was an ass to Adam in his blog. Just because Phil is a Christian doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean people canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t call him an ass and think he is one as well.

Well okay then. It’s not any worse than how Blake and Constantine were blatant asses to Archie in radio interviews they did. In fact, comparitvely, what Phil said was nothing. He just said “Funny.”

eta: Don’t criticize your fellow poster’s opinions

Yes, I agree with you. They are both allowed their opinion. All I was saying is that I thought Phil was an ass to Adam in his blog. Just because Phil is a Christian doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean people canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t call him an ass and think he is one as well.

I’m calling it! HE’S AN ASS!!! End of! :thumbup_tb:

If it were a Kris/Adam finale, I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote. I would be happy just watching the outcome.

Fair enough :) I’ll be voting like mad for Kris if he’s in the Final 2 whether it’s against Danny or Adam. Now if it’s Kris and Allison, then I don’t think I could vote. Love them both. Just as last season with both the Davids.

I will reiterate my original prediction, I believe Danny wins this thing. Never underestimate the christian community.

Reading that David Cook’s big brother passed away a few days ago reminds me that Cook never, to my recolection, used his brother as a pawn to influence voters on Idol. I think back to Gokey’s first few weeks including the auditions and thats ALL I remembered about him. Oh, the guy with the dead wife is how I heard him referred to by my acquaintances. It was as casual as saying…oh, the guy with the gray hair. That was by design.

And when I think about that, all of the reasons for why I dislike him come to the fore. Its not complicated, I dont like being played and whether it was a calculated move (I believe it was) or not, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Claymates Part II here we go.

I never voted on AI until last season and never went to any American Idol websites until last year, so I have no idea what you mean by Claymates. Are they into claymation? And I still think Phil is an ass.

ETA – OK Chipmunk! We are done. LOL!!!

I love Danny’s voice and I vote for him. Not because of his faith or because he lost his wife but because of his voice. My 2nd favorite is Kris. I read about his missions to other countries but I vote for him because I find his performances very enjoyable. I watch idol for entertainment and I could care less who TPTB try to shove down my throat. I don’t hate on other idols ever because it’s wasted energy. Life is short.

weareallinnocent – sorry for the typo, i type quickly, but thanks for pointing it out. No — you won’t convince me. Not all adam stories are about his being gay, nor are all danny stories about his dead wife.

Media attention is media attention. What’s that saying? There is no such thing as bad press? And Adam gets almost ALL the attention.

So what if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a large newspaper? Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s still his blog and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s allowed to state his opinion.

Exactly. And, everyone else is allowed to have an opinion on his opinion.

It is a huge leap to assume that the people who do not like Danny do so because they like Adam or anyone else. Some people just don’t like him – no hidden agenda.

As there are always going to be people who had deep sympathy for Danny and his loss and have continued to support him, there are always going to be people who are somewhat grossed out with someone who would audition for a tv talent show less than a month after the passing of his wife. It just is what it is. Some people are always going to feel the way they feel about it, with or without any further mention of the subject.

Where is Danny Gokeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interview, exactly?

Personally, I think this is a move of the Martinez family more than anything.

I agree with this. I don’t think there’s a fairness issue as far as AI goes (i.e. as in the way they prefer sanctioned interviews with the contestants to include everyone). I believe it’s a shame that Kris didn’t receive more of a mention, but perhaps you’re right in that his family didn’t want to participate.

And, Jersey, I agree with you. Adam has clearly won the press war. He’s got all of the buzz and is the most talked about contestant in this group. The press will do stories wherever they think the story is.

Umm, so I guess you guys aren’t interested in buying the buttons?

Chipmunk
May 4th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

I would have to say if kris was a front runner at the time this was done.Danny’s fans would be saying the same thing right now.

or maybe Kris (gay eye candy)

Where are you getting the Kris is gay??? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s married to a woman. But I guess if you want him to be gay that badly, then you will believe what you wish.

All it means is that the gays love ogling Kris in all his infinite adorableness. Some of the nicknames they have for him would curl your hair.

Re: Gokey. If he possessed the slightest modicum of genuine talent or originality, he would not be attracting the type of antipathy that he is. The mere fact that he possesses at a minimum a somewhat interesting vocal quality in NOT justification enough to have earned him co-TCO status along with Adam. My abhorance for him has nothing whatever to do with his religion. It has everything to do with the fact that I find him only marginally talented at best, humorless, smarmy, and utterly lacking in self-awareness or humility. But mostly, I just can’t get past his truly craptacular taste in music. As the inimitable Jack Black said best in the most awesome “High Fidelity” after dissing one of John Cusak’s customers: “he offended me with his hideous taste in music.”

“Reading that David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s big brother passed away a few days ago reminds me that Cook never, to my recolection, used his brother as a pawn to influence voters on Idol.”

Well, except for that giant AC on his guitar every week…

I am not in any way shape or form making a single comment about anyone elses’ religious beliefs when I discuss Danny and “his religion”. I was raised a catholic, in a Mormon community, got married in a Presbyterian church, have gone with friends to the “very big” Evangelical church in my community on Holidays (and enjoyed myself). My concern with Danny is that he is either to dumb to realize that he started all this backlash himself by making public what really should have been kept private, or he is so schooled in religious economics that he understands full well what he did when he did it. Either way it doesn’t reflect well on his character.

And even though American Idol is a “singing” contest I have every right to “judge” people by the actions I see and hear while they are on the program. Adam has never once talked about his sexuality on the program, Kris has never once held himself up as being an example (in a religious context) for people, Allison has never used her family’s immigrant status as leverage. All 3 have talked about the positives in their life and have shown that they are doing AI because singing is the passion in their life. That is all I want to know…that singing is their passion….the rest, that is part of their personal lives.

Say what you want about either Danny or Adam, but they both are a bit controversial and that is why the producers want them in the finale, IMO.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hate on other idols ever because ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s wasted energy. Life is short.

Exactly. And ulcers suck.

Well okay then. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not any worse than how Blake and Constantine were blatant asses to Archie in radio interviews they did.

Just wanted to chime in and agree that yes, Blake and Constantine are indeed huge assholes – although I have no idea what they said about Archie. they’re just assholes in general.

calimari and Tess, thanks for saying that better than I could.

I would have to say if kris was a front runner at the time this was done.Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans would be saying the same thing right now.

Lol, very possibly…… and I’d have the exact same response to them also…The media will cover who it wants to, it might not be your favourite but thems the breaks in this business.

And I think if there was anything remotely interesting to be covered about Kris Allen, they would be on it

Holy crap, the Gospel Music Channel has featured Gorkey prominently in a video.
GAME OVER. He’s got this in the bag now. By the way where would I find that on my TV. Would that be Channel 693 or 732?

Think 1st Amendment.

And this is a contest to find the American Idol. Some of the methods, articles, etc are repulsive to me. Then I think, whoever gets the vote by any means should win; votes determine the idol. If enough Xtians vote, theres your idol – ironic that worshiping idols is a cardinal sin!

The thing I abhor is the judges stating favorites. In my mind, and it is a conviction, by definition a judge must be impartial. I guess in the future I will expect the practice to continue; so, I’ll get over it.

My fave, Alli, is a Christian an hasn’t been mentioned as such. Huh!!!

Just wanted to chime in and agree that yes, Blake and Constantine are indeed huge assholes – although I have no idea what they said about Archie. theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re just assholes in general.

I’ll second that.

Just wanted to chime in and agree that yes, Blake and Constantine are indeed huge assholes – although I have no idea what they said about Archie. theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re just assholes in general.

You said it and I called it, we now have 3 bonafide assholes in the mix! :thumbup_tb:

And I think if there was anything remotely interesting to be covered about Kris Allen, they would be on it

Sigh. I think you’re right. He is rather boring…and cute.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not any worse than how Blake and Constantine were blatant asses to Archie in radio interviews they did.

I’ve also heard interviews with Blake speaking negatively about Sanjaya and even Cook. In the end, I believe it only really hurts the guy with the big mouth. A lot of people have been turned off by him. Now look how well he’s doing…

Media attention is media attention. Whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that saying? There is no such thing as bad press? And Adam gets almost ALL the attention.

Yeah, a segment on Bill O’Reilly about the supposed fact that you’re gay, that’s a good thing. Right.

Well, except for that giant AC on his guitar every weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

edit: don’t dictate the discussion

And, since you brought it up, I think a clarification is in order. David had those initials both on his guitar and tattooed on his arm well before he even auditioned for Idol.

ETA: Yes, Tess, well said.

Faith and Religion are 2 differents things.

american idol is a religion to many.

Where can I read this blog by Phil?

Sigh. I think youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re right. He is rather boringà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and cute.

eh, boring or not, I like him :)

Chipmunk, thanks for keeping score of the asshole count!

From Idol to Inspiration

Inspiration? Ermm… *pukes*

You said it and I called it, we now have 3 bonafide assholes in the mix!

One more and we could have a barbershop quartet!

Blake said he beat up Sanjaya and Jews had all the money. Constantine likes to make fun of the homeless and said Archie was gay. Phil said it was funny when Adam picked the wrong group to join.

Burn them all at the stake I say.

Yeah, a segment on Bill Oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢Reilly about the supposed fact that youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re gay, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a good thing. Right.

As opposed as I was to that particular segment, being on the media radar hasn’t hurt Adam in the least. He’s blowing up my Google alerts. I’m about to cancel him.

Sigh. I think youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re right. He is rather boringà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and cute.

eh, boring or not, I like him :)

So do I. If I were the voting type this season, he’d get mine.

One more and we could have a barbershop quartet!

Can I vote for Michael Johns…please, please!!

As opposed as I was to that particular segment, being on the media radar hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hurt Adam in the least.

I think in the longterm you’re probably right. But we don’t really know, if in the short term for purpose of “success” on Idol the TV show, that it hasn’t hurt him a little. I suspect that it has, but obviously, we can’t know for sure.

Hmm, when you sum it up like that jpfan, it looks a little unfair to Phil. Plus, I think Phil is actually a nice guy. We’re going to need a substitue asshole for him plus one more for the barbershop quartert. Can I see a show of hands for adding Randy to the asshole count?

As opposed as I was to that particular segment, being on the media radar hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hurt Adam in the least. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blowing up my Google alerts. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m about to cancel him.

I respect your decision……LOL

edit: stay on topic

Tess, just for Michael John’s general verbal douchebaggery (whether he means it or not) he could totally be added to the list. Cute Aussie boy needs an edit button.

Can I see a show of hands for adding Randy to the asshole count?

Are there no requirements – like…having a vocabulary span greater than 5?

As opposed as I was to that particular segment, being on the media radar hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hurt Adam in the least. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blowing up my Google alerts. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m about to cancel him.

I respect your decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦LOL

;)

edit: Don’t mod your fellow posters. That’s my job

Where can I read this blog by Phil?

It’s on the LA Times website. Phil does a recap each week. He’s part of their AI coverage with Rushfield, the main AI blogger and Ann Powers, who is the music critic. They have a team coverage section. Rushfield is the one who did the interviews with the idols after one of the shows. MJ posted it. Phil gives them the insider perspective. And overall he is ok, but I can tell who is leaning towards. I didn’t think my “ass” comment would have gotten such a reaction. :surrender_tb:

And overall he is ok, but I can tell who is leaning towards. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think my à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“assà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  comment would have gotten such a reaction. :surrender_tb:

Eh, he’s a terrible writer and ads very little insight.* He might as well just be writing a recap.

*Unless you consider something like “it was funny he chose the wrong group” to be insight.

So, then what you guys are saying is that you’re really not all that interested in buying the Vote for Danny button?

“I think in the longterm youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re probably right. But we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really know, if in the short term for purpose of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“successà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  on Idol the TV show, that it hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hurt him a little. I suspect that it has, but obviously, we canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know for sure.”

Hey, FYI, long term is two words. ;) I don’t think it has hurt him at all. I think what has hurt him most is his dog whistle screeching and his over the top all white outfits, etc. I’m so over the nasal blast he lets out. My dog dives under the bed and my windows break.

So, then what you guys are saying is that youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re really not all that interested in buying the Vote for Danny button?

Ummm… no.

When are you going to design a “Save the Lava Girl, Save the World” button?

>>Well, except for that giant AC on his guitar every weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦>>

And few would think that was tacky, at least not me. It was reverent, it was tactful but the verbal reminders from Gokey, weekly, initially really made me wanna puke.

At first when I heard about his wife I said….awwww, thats sad but after the 45th time he mentioned it, enough already. Your not gettin’ my vote cause your wife died.

Apparently he didnt need my vote.

I’ll work on it tonight PJ. Rock on Lava Girl!!!

That Vote for Danny button is a classic. Should be worth thousands one day.

I belong to a church, it even has evangelical in the title, and I give all my votes to Adam, because I like him-the whole package of him. I’ve never once thought it was ok to torture another human being, I wouldn’t think of it. There are all kinds of people in this world, and i hate pigeonholing and generalized statements about any group of people: race, religion, sexual orientation. period.

Whoops, apologies mj. Guess I was feeling a little sensitive discussing my boy, Cook, and his brother in light of such a very recent loss. :-(

And how fitting that after addressing my own recent (non-self)edit, I vote to go with Johns for the quartet due to his lack of an edit button (tm SpenserJ.) LOL Hey maybe if the MJs get together, Johnsy can be dismissed from the quartet too!

I can’t tell who Ann Powers is for.

Hmm, when you sum it up like that jpfan, it looks a little unfair to Phil. Plus, I think Phil is actually a nice guy. Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re going to need a substitue asshole for him plus one more for the barbershop quartert. Can I see a show of hands for adding Randy to the asshole count?

Hands!!!!!! :clap_tb:

BTW, we still need a 4th now for the quartet, because Michael Johns doesnt qualify as he is a one man ochestra in assholeism so has to stand alone!!!!!

I vote for Michael Johns. I liked him on the show last year, but yes, he definitely needs an edit button.

He’ll probably be eating his words soon enough though. I don’t imagine his album breaking any record sales.

Well, except for that giant AC on his guitar every weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Which he explained at the begining of the season ( before the news about Adam became big news) that it was an ode to BOTH of his brothers and that he has the letters “AC” posted on just about everything he owns. (He was superstitious that way). He even has an “AC” tattoo.

Eh, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a terrible writer and ads very little insight. He might as well just be writing a recap.

Ok, so we will leave Phil in the ass-shop quartet. Did we agree to add Michael Johns?

Long time reader, first time poster (here: I post all over the place). First of all, I am SOOO sick of the uproar over Adam coverage. Half of it is devoted to whether he/isn’t he gay, as if that were IN ANY WAY related to his talent. The other half is either about his singing talent, good or bad. If you think Bill O’Reilly’s segment was good publicity, it was actually him hoping to diss Adam b/c of his gender preference (FOX News, remember). However, the two contributors actually defended Adam, O’Reilly admitted he had never even WATCHED Idol, and that was it. Old news. I have to admit that I am slightly surprised that Rupert Murdoch has yet to tell TPTB to take down Adam; guess he isn’t paying attention or likes Idol’s ratings. But it’s BS to say Adam gets all of the coverage. He is very different than any other Idol, and that’s why he gets a lot of press, but it isn’t all positive, by any means, and if he wasn’t talented, whether you like him or not, who would bother?

And BTW, ridiculous re: Cook thank you, weareallinnocent, for pointing this out. When Cook’s brother was in the audience, and he sang Always Be My Baby, he got teary-eyed. And as much as Ryan probed, both Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Cook WOULD NOT SAY ANYTHING about Adam. TPTB panned over to his brother about 10x, but that wasn’t David’s fault.

Finally, as for Danny, yes, he has a huge base, and yes, much of it is Christian. I could give a damn about his religious preference, but I don’t like the way it gets used. I agree; Kris is also and actively practicing Christian, but you don’t hear about it that much. In any case, I could care less. I don’t like Danny b/c I don’t like his voice and I don’t like what I perceive as a snarky attitude (that’s just how *I* perceive it). I am fans of Kris, Allison, and particularly Adam. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

Anyway…there ya go. And thanks, mj, for your awesome blog (never got to post that). Boston rawks!

I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t tell who Ann Powers is for.

I’m pretty sure he is in the Adam camp now. But in the beginning, not so much. She was one of the first major print organizations to bring up Adam’s sexuality and AI. So she’s a tough one to figure.

I think all four of the remaining contestants are respected for their abilities. I don’t get the sense that anyone feels that these four don’t deserve to be top four. So that is a good feeling going into tomorrow. But it also means anyone could go!

I think Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get too comfortable

Adam’s fans don’t even vote for Adam they vote for Kris or Allison. I’m not even sure what an “Adam fan” is right now. lol

Welcome suebrody :)

LOL ass-shop quartet – you guys are cracking me up.

Kris Allen, I still like you, even though you get no fundie love.

I will tell you yes there are ADAM fans. Natasha, I’m not sure who you are a fan of. I guess we’ll see tomorrow who votes for Adam and who doesn’t. I hope anyways.

I will tell you yes there are ADAM fans. Natasha, I’m not sure who you are a fan of. I guess we’ll see tomorrow who votes for Adam and who doesn’t. I hope anyways.

BTW, we still need a 4th now for the quartet, because Michael Johns doesnt qualify as he is a one man ochestra in assholeism so has to stand alone!!!!!

What about Chris Sligh? I don’t have anything on record, but I heard he didn’t have a great rep either.

Heart
But I guess my vote goes for the BEST singer, entertainer on the show. YMMV
Just like Adam said that AI is not a kissing show, and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also not about religion.

AMEN to that (no pun intended, LOL)!!! Religion and social bias should not even be brought into the mix.

Nevermind :)

I guess I missed what michael johns be Done DID…….

I am curious. What did Michael Johns do. I am behind on that one?

At first when I heard about his wife I saidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.awwww, thats sad but after the 45th time he mentioned it, enough already. Your not gettinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ my vote cause your wife died.

He mentioned it TWICE and that was MONTHS ago. Everyone else keeps mentioning it, so that is why it seems like so much more.

edit: read my guidelines if you haven’t already

>>I think Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fans shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get too comfortable>>

Comfortable? Im about as comfortable as a hemorrhoid right about now. I think Adam could be in serious Idol trouble as is Allison.

It shouldnt be about religion but Gokey and his people have turned it into just that.

Danny has the christian vote and as I said, dont underestimate that block.

Kris has the little girls going crazy over him. Dont underestimate that block.

The two “A”‘s have the casual voters and the nutjobs like me.

No, Im not too comfortable right now.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m no fan of Phil Stacey and wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t read his boring blog if you paid me.
However, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think not liking someone I like on Idol is enough to be in the same category as those other asses. I think you need to do a little more than that for the honor. Michael Johns seems worthy though. Just my humble opinion.

Maybe Phil can be the road manager since is assiness is in question and therefore may not warrant a performance spot. So that leaves us one opening. Someone suggested Chris Sligh, but I don’t know anything about the guy. We may be stuck with a trio.

>>Exaggerate much? >>

A lot but the point is that it was more than twice especially during the auds.

I am curious. What did Michael Johns do. I am behind on that one?

It’s more his foot in mouth disease. There have been some interviews posted here and people were offended (in an amusing way) about some of the things he said. You can probably dig them up in the archives and read the comments.

He is nowhere in the category of Constatine or Blake, if what I hear is true.

I sat here a long time trying to decide whether to post or not. There are just so so so many thoughts running around in my head I was intimidating myself. I decided just to concentrate on a couple…who knows I may come back after I think about it some more.

The major difference here is the method and goal of delivery.

People bitch because Adam has all the press coverage…well maybe that’s because Adam is newsworthy.

People bitch because Adam gets praised EVERY week … well maybe that’s because Adam is good every week. He has a trained voice, and an eye for the creation of a performance.

This video about Danny is a blatant commercial promotional piece that is allowed to air repeatedly in hopes to gain more attention and support for just ONE of the candidates. NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL as the two complaints against Adam I mentioned previously.

If it were to be a fair playing field, and Idol condones this kind of independent contestant promotion, then there should be other films allowed as well.

Adam should have a repeated commercial promotional piece about his excellent work in theatre….Brigadoon, Hair, Wicked…the list goes on. Let’s interview folks so they can let us see all the ridicule that this young man had to go through as a youth and yet remained strong. Let’s interview all the people who have worked with Adam’s vocal talents in awe of him because he is driven to do this as a life choice, with a voice that is beyond compare to his contemporaries.

Kris should have a repeated commercial promotional piece about his excellent missionary work. How he has gone through many trials as well. Let’s play up the fact that he recently got married, and let his gorgeous wife be interviewed about how special this young man is and what his goals are regarding his continued missionary work once Idol is done. Let’s bring out the big guns and talk about how they want to have kids one day….

Allison should have a repeated commercial promotional piece about how she has worked for this since she was a little girl. How hard her mom has worked to get her noticed. How difficult her past has been, yet she has remained focused on her goal. About her past win on another Idol stage.

There is a MAJOR difference between a commercial promotional piece and news media coverage. There is a MAJOR difference between a commercial promotional piece and judges reactions to performances…good or bad.

Dingo may exaggerate, but then Danny did choose a Rascal Flatts song about losing a loved one before her time and then sang Endless Love accompanied by a harp and gazing toward heaven in the end. So, in fairness…

The two à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s have the casual voters and the nutjobs like me.

Hey I resemble that remark! I am slightly blown away that they both made it to the Top 4. Adam/Allison are my top two with Kris a close third.

Oh this just really rubbed me wrong today. I really wish I knew what rubbed me wrong but I just start feeling a lot more it is about how wonderful and Christian Danny is versus how talented Danny is. (not that I think Danny is one bit talented, personally but YMMV)

I just read this and was disgusted because it is yet another thing feeling to me like I’m having Danny’s faithfulness shoved down my throat and I didn’t even watch the thing(I personally have all the religious channels blocked on my TV because I can’t stand the tripe being shoved to me on them).

My whole point of the fact is this and Coco I believe said it best.

Faith and Religion are 2 differents things.

american idol is a religion to many.

I agree with those sentiments. I consider myself a very faithful person. I even consider myself a Christian person. Do I go to church every Sunday? Nope. Do I pigeonhole myself into one religion? Nope. Was raised Catholic and consider myself a non practicing one at that.

I think faithfulness is such a private thing and I guess this is a reason I try so many different churches and can’t seem to stick with one because I just can’t find anything that fits me. My personal experiences with any churches have all been negative, but yet I continue to try to find something that feels “right”.

Anyhow I watch American Idol religiously. I do a lot of things “religiously” and somehow I find the lines of Danny and his religion too connected for my liking.

While with previous contestants I feel their faith has always been there it just feels so in my face with Danny and so his own personal agenda where I never felt that with any of the other religious contestants. I truly felt there was a separation between their beliefs and my television viewing pleasure.

The media is spinning this the way they want to, and while I know the chosen two are Danny and Adam, I admire Adam’s status on his sexuality(which who the hell cares that’s another thing I feel should be left alone) makes him look like a complete class act. If I saw a special on Adam on his sexuality I would view this an entirely same manner. I don’t feel Adam has in any way shape or form condoned any of the speculations about his sexuality.

Somehow, I hate to say, that I don’t find Danny’s intention as pure as Adam’s. He has a special on a Christian music channel? He has an organization for his deceased wife? It’s all mentioned on the show?

The whole thing just feels fishy and wrong.

I guess I missed what michael johns be Done DIDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

Bwah!

My only concern about this is imagine if there were a Gay channel, The Rainbow Channel and they did some show after the Gay Awards touting their new guy. Imagine if BET had done a show on Fantasia or Ruben. Imagine if Telemundo did a show on Allison, or that Kris was featured on an informercial for the missionary work he had done? Many would be just as outraged as it’s really not about Christianity, but a perceived unfair advantage. There is no way to trump a dead wife. Unless it’s the family of said wife on a segment on The Gospel Music Channel. Game over, idol found?

This special show that featured Danny was most likely because he has been a frontrunner who unfortunately recently had a tragic loss.
Its newsworthy.
I don’t think Kris and Michael would necessarily be focused on too much.
People make too much of it. Danny has been a favorite since the beginning is why.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I in no way believe any one of them or the family, including Danny himself, are exploiting his wife Sophia.
This WAS a devastating tragic event, and I have never heard Danny Gokey himself really talk all that much about it. And he went through a whole lot more than has been said!
The producers early on emphasized it into his backstory. But why not? Whats the threat about it?

It was something that happened recently and it was fresh, it SHOULD be mentioned.
I think “pimping” his deceased wife to get ahead would be the last thing in the world Danny would ever do! I don’t think starting the foundation in her name was for his own ambition.
I think those that don’t like him for his perceived personality, are not going to like him no matter what.

What is said about Adam being promoted all over the news and all the buzz about him? Why? Is THAT fair?
Its because he is a frontrunner and he is uniquely different than anyone on Idol has ever been.
Thats newsworthy.
This is what happens to those who are frontrunners.

Religion, for those who need and want it, is a wonderful wonderful thing. For those of us who find our à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in other ways we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want anyoneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s beliefs shoved down our throats and in our face. Kudos, kudos, kudos to Kris Allen. He is an example of how to live your religion. Danny, not so much!!

I don’t see where he has shoved his religion in anyone’s face. But when God has done a wonderful thing in a person’s life, it has to be shared.
As for Kris, he may be a good Christian, but there really is no example to really tell. Also every individual Christian have different callings and personalities. People think they like Kris’s personality better, but we really haven’t seen it.

Well, except for that giant AC on his guitar every weekà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

The “AC” stood for both of David’s brothers, Andrew AND Adam, and he’s had it on his guitar since he was a kid. It wouldn’t have meant anything to anybody if the press and hadn’t sniffed out the “sick brother” story and run with it. I doubt David had the budget to get himself a new guitar mid-season, given that he auditioned for the show when he was flat broke.

St.Lucia ……that was gooooodddddd. My sentiments exactly. Rightly or wrongly.

Its the in your face part that made me pay attention. Thats how I feel not just about him but about anyone who makes it a centerpiece.

Ummmm, I think now is a good time to practice my new skill. Its called “How Long Can Dingo Keep Her Fat trap Shut?”.

As it turns out, after reading this page, its a skill I have mastered.

Now, where did I put that valium drip.

I have noticed that Phil on his L.A. blog, has mentioned Danny, but not the others that much.

hmmm

I’m not Christian (I’m agnostic with MAJOR “Catholic” issues) and I don’t like Danny (don’t care for either talent and personality), but I don’t mind at all if the Christian community wants to embrace Danny. The same way I don’t care if the gay community embraces Adam or the latin community embraces Allison. It is what it is.

I do have issues with the fact that they IGNORED Kris. Because it is quite obvious why. It is better for their agenda (and I’m not generalizing all Christians, I’m targeting the ones that do indeed do that). If they showcase 2 or all of the Christian contestants (still in the competition), they split the votes, and risk the possibility of having a winner.

Between Danny and Kris, they feel that Danny has a better back story, it’s more outspoken and has a bigger chance of winning. Hence the completely ignoring of Kris.

Also, as said before, Danny might as well feed/embrace on this demographic, because it’s the only successful path I can see in his future.

The very last segment is devoted to Season 8 contestant, Danny Gokey and his tragic Idol backstory.

I can see a show about previous Idols but it doesn’t seem at all fair to me to highlight current Idol contestants especially as the focus is Danny’s back story. Seems like a pretty blatant way to drum up sympathy votes ever time it airs.
If it’s acceptable to do that, why isn’t it acceptable to show the ratings bars on iTunes?
I’m not invested in any contestant this season but this just made up my mind to vote doubly hard for whoever finds themselves up against Gokey in the final.

Kris Allen has very interesting backstories, but has not exploited them.

Like how Kris almost died in some hut in Morocco a couple of years ago, or that the story where he gave his expensive guitar to a girl who had a crappy one in Thailand without saying anything. An expensive guitar that was a gift from his parents and he loved.

I saw those on one of Kris’s friends blog that know him very well, but he never talks about it.

Kris never shoves things in people’s faces.

BTW, didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Kris have a life-threatening situation or sickness when he was in Thailand? I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t remember but I read somewhere that he almost died when he was on the mission. Maybe these gospel music people never heard of it? Hmph..

Yeah he almost died, but it was in Morocco. He caught something and rapidly lost weight and almost died in some jungle hut. Like Survivor.

But, unlike some other contestant, he doesn’t talk about it or use it for sympathy.

Danny’s faith and religion have nothing to do with my dislike for him. The fact that he comes off as a smug douchebag has a little bit to do with that.

kansasfemale and St. Lucia – Bravo! Standing “O”. Applause applause applause.

The other contestants get their myspace and facebook pages shut down, their youtube videos deleted and Gokey gets his own commercial of promotion for all the world to see. BULLSHIT! Waddya wanna bet that his “foundation” paid for that.

And dingo, don’t you dare shut up! Do your bunny slippers have eyeliner and black nail polish this year?

MJ you certainly have opened a can of worms, you devil you. I’ve been wondering where a mediocre talent like Danny has been getting all his votes. You have brought the answer front and center. If Danny wins this thing over the gifted persecuted ADAM, I will never ever watch American Idol again. I enjoy talent shows not religious shows. I am very private about my beliefs and resent having someone flaunt theirs in my face. When did American Idol become a front for the Christian Communities. I wonder if Danny is secretly gay – no straight man has that many glasses.

With all due respect to all Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Janes, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc. out there — ever notice how adding organized religion into something that isn’t religious really muddies the waters?

Not to start (another) holy war, but the framers of the U.S. Constitution really had the right idea…..

and SpenserJ: yes, I mean the object your nana had on her dashboard. I think if we combined it with bobble-head doll, we could make a fortune. Are you in? :zip_ee:

I wonder if Simon’s assessment of Danny’s personality is the brilliant responses he makes to Ryan’s questions?

I wonder if Danny is secretly gay – no straight man has that many glasses.

ROFL!

With all due respect to all Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Janes, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc.

I know Christians of all of these faiths. It’s not your religious preference, it’s how you live your life.

Why do i get the feeling that this guy would have been gone A LONG TIME AGO if tragedy wouldnt have struck

If my favorite leaves im duly voting AGAINST this guy

Why do i get the feeling that this guy would have been gone A LONG TIME AGO if tragedy wouldnt have struck

If my favorite leaves im duly voting AGAINST this guy

Have we forgot about a phone call that was put out on a video.

Hey colette, I want in on the bobble head. And yea our forefathers totally had the right idea.

THIS, mes amis, is PIMPING. A segment on a TV show? I don’t care if it’s “little-known” (I doubt that; I’d read of it before now); Adam was criticized for others’ thinking that he MIGHT appear at a tiny club! Not on TV (a phone call put up on youtube is hardly the same as a full-fledged television segment).

I guess Kris is chopped liver.

I see no *IT* factor with Danny. I do not see a star, whatsoever. Mediocre to average voice, geeky looking guy major ego on stage. I have heard people say Taylor Hicks 2.0, what an insult to Taylor.

I think he will have a *decent* career if he goes the Christian route. Pop Star? Umm no. The other three will have really good careers in music.

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY!!!
DANNY IS THE BEST SINGER IN MY OPINION N COME ON HE HAS NOT EVEN SAID A WORD AFTER THE AUDITIONS ABOUT HIS WIFE!!!

LIFE IS TOUGH N WE GO THRU DIFFICULTIES N HE DID N WHATS WRONG WITH HIM SHARING IT?? THAT MAKES HIM WHAT?? A HUMAN LIKE YOU AND ME!!!

THE GOSPEL CHANNEL DID WHATEVER THEY FELT LIKE DOING DONT BLAME IT ON DANNY THATS LAME!!
AND I KNOW LOTS OF NON CHRISTIAN GOING FOR HIM!! PPL THAT DONT EVEN BLOG OR GET ON HERE SO U KNOW HIS FAN BASE IS STRONG!!!

I SUPPORT DANNY MAY BE IM THE ONLY ONE BUT HE STANDS FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES AND I LIKE THAT HES ALSO A GREAT SINGER!!!

LIKE I SAID MAY BE IM THE ONLY ONE BUT I HAVE THE FEELING IM NOT!!

deleted

Danny has used nothing for sympathy. I’m sure if Kris had been the one to lose a wife, it would have been highlighted.
As for Kris’s mission trip where he got sick. Well, what is idol supposed to do. Take inventory of all their events in life and broadcast every awful thing that happened in their lives?

But, unlike some other contestant, he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t talk about it or use it for sympathy.

Why would Kris talk about that anyway? Its not the same thing. They don’t talk about good deeds they did in their lives on the show.
That isn’t the right kind of backstory for AI to focus on anyway. About what a good person someone is and how unselfishly they gave and almost died in the process.

As for Danny he has not shoved anything in anyone’s face or preached. I don’t get that.

So I don’t like that Danny was featured on the show. I also didn’t like that Adam had a big splashy event honoring him in LA last week. That he was able to participate in via phone. I wasn’t crazy to read about Danny going to dinner with ex Idols and Christian music stars. Or Adam with Zac Efron. I think it’s wrong that the Judges, who should be impartial and unbiased until the end, go around in the first few weeks of the contest proclaiming who will be in the final 3. And then continue to carry that agenda forth in further interviews throughout the season.

Given that it’s a competition, they should follow rules of fair play and all of these things violate that. I don’t remember any of this type of stuff in the past, but I wasn’t reading the blogs then so maybe I missed it.

But to me the show has jumped the shark this year in terms of viewer and fan manipulation. Oh for the days of simply throwing contestants under the bus by giving them songs from Happy Feet to sing.

terfra your right and i agree with 100%

I don’t think people mind if some Christian communities want to get behind Danny. But if they are voting in such numbers that they are keeping him in first place artificially, when he is not the best singer, artist, or performer (most would agree), and if they are voting for him because of his religion and not because of his singing talents, then something is very wrong with the system.

People were just as upset when others stayed longer than they should have (it’s all opinion of course). Nikki McKibbon, John Stevens, Scott Seval, Carmen, Jasmine, all made people angry when they stayed week after week though their talents were nothing special. Various voting blocs were blamed. This is nothing new.

But nobody of questionable talent has ever won before, and it looks like Danny could win. That outcome would be, to me, a travesty. In my mind he does not qualify to be the winner, doesn’t equal the other 7 winners who have gone before him, and it would be wrong for him to win due to a huge voting bloc, no matter whom that voting bloc consists of, whether it’s Christians, hindus, cannibals, or Martians, I don’t care, it’s just wrong when a bloc is so big that they can actually make someone win the show and they are voting for the wrong reasons. It makes a joke out of the show.

Well, that certainly was a touching interview with Gokey’s sister-in-law (to me). Regardless, it would never suddenly make me a fan of his and start voting for him. It does give an unfair advantage to Gokey since they concentrated on the back story more than his music and the fact that he is still in the competition. And I’m sure some people who watch religious broadcasting might take a second look at him due his being featured in such an emotional way. I wonder what the viewship numbers are for this program. Anybody know how many might have seen it? In general, I think there are many voting “blocks” for any given contestant or music genre, so in the long run it may make no difference at all.

I guess Kris is chopped liver.

We call it Pà ¢tà © in my house and it’s a favorite on Tuesdays.:)

Thanks for posting the video. I don’t get GMC and missed out on this special and the Dove Awards.

Danny isn’t my favorite but I see nothing wrong with how his story was presented. It was tastefully done with no call to arms or flashing neon signs telling people to “Vote for Danny!”

I love Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice and I vote for him. Not because of his faith or because he lost his wife but because of his voice. My 2nd favorite is Kris. I read about his missions to other countries but I vote for him because I find his performances very enjoyable.

Same here with me. I am also a fan of Phil Stacey’s and an assistant manager at a fan site for him. Several that post there know him personally, and say that he is the nicest guy there is. He could not be mean if he tried. There was no slam on Adam whatsoever; in fact, in a previous blog he said that he had become an Adam fan. He just thought it funny that Adam made the choice he did as far as what group he chose, and that was all.

LIFE IS TOUGH N WE GO THRU DIFFICULTIES N HE DID N WHATS WRONG WITH HIM SHARING IT?? THAT MAKES HIM WHAT?? A HUMAN LIKE YOU AND ME!!!

I SUPPORT DANNY MAY BE IM THE ONLY ONE BUT HE STANDS FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES AND I LIKE THAT HES ALSO A GREAT SINGER!!!

LIKE I SAID MAY BE IM THE ONLY ONE BUT I HAVE THE FEELING IM NOT!!

And MrNiceGuy, you are not the only one who supports Danny and who sees absolutely nothing wrong with him sharing about his difficulties. He has many fans out there that think the world of him and who support him in his loss. He is very talented and, whether he wins Idol or not, he will go far.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s on the LA Times website. Phil does a recap each week. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s part of their AI coverage with Rushfield, the main AI blogger and Ann Powers, who is the music critic.

Woah! I didn’t know that Phil had that kind of bully pulpit, a gig at the LA Times? I’m stunned, to be honest. I didn’t think much of him on the show and can’t imagine how he scored a place at such a great newspaper. Wow. Strange world.

I honestly don’t think that people who are voting for Danny because of his religion are going to admit it, or even necessarily acknowledge it to themselves. It can be a bias that unconsciously colors one’s perceptions and makes him seem like the best. Or even when people consciously know why they are voting for him, they aren’t going to admit it publicly especially here. Maybe on a christian board where it’s more acceptable.

Again I don’t think it’s right to vote on religion and not on talent. One problem with this scenario is that Christianity is highly organized, and can thus deliver a lot of votes (both in the political arena and on a tv show). Very few voting blocs are that organized or fervent about promoting their own.

Ditto to CFIdolsfan and MrNiceGuy
Its good to see there are fans of Danny who see him for who he truly is:
An outstanding singer who deserves to have gotten this far by his talent, and who happens to be a sincere Christian guy.

Woah! I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know that Phil had that kind of bully pulpit, a gig at the LA Times? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m stunned, to be honest. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think much of him on the show and canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t imagine how he scored a place at such a great newspaper. Wow. Strange world.

I am not stunned. Phil is a talented singer/musician, who has started singing since he was a child, like many who grow up in the church. He holds a degree in vocal performance from Lee University, the same university that his own father and Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts attended. He has toured many of the states with several other country singers; has appeared at the Opry 5 times and on that same stage twice for the GMA Dobve Awards, and has performed in churches and at several charity fundraisers. He recently became a member of a board of a cancer awareness foundation. He also sang in Italy, where last year, in his capacity as a Navy reservist, with the title Mass Communication Specialist Third Class, he sang for the Navy people over there. He sang at Carnegie Hall in a tribute to James Taylor; at the 232nd anniversary of the Navy, and even sang the national anthem at a rally for Senator John McCain. Plus he sang on the first holiday cd that the Young People’s chorus of New York City put out. Since he has been where the Idol contestants are, he makes the best person to blog about the show. No surprise to me at all that someone like him can score at the LA Times. He also has that blog all over the country, including in Wichita, where he went to high school and met and married his wife, Kendra. Publications in Chattanooga, TN, Jacksonville, and Kentucky, along with several other cities and on-line publications carry the blog. He will release his second cd, a Christian one, in August. Go Phil!

Please do not compare the stories of Cook and Danny. They both approached it in extremely different ways and comparing would just be injustice to Cook. I didn’t know about Cook’s brother until the end of AI, no idea what AC meant. But I knew Danny’s backstory when he auditioned. That’s a huge difference. Enough said. And my deepest sympathies to Cook and his family.

Religion gives an inclination for people to be biased. Sure you say you vote based on talent, that is true for you – may not be true for others. Have you every heard of how important first impressions are? Same psychology here. (I am speaking with a general “you”) I do believe that Christians viewers are more inclined to vote for Danny based on sympathy and background (not every single person, I know). I just hope that the people who are voting for him truly support him in his vocal and music endeavors…

And no, I know zip about Kris except that he is married. Poor guy – so little air time I really don’t see him winning AI because of that factor.

i keep asking myself: “what would jesus do?”
i know! i know! he’d vote for adam.

Uh oh. More drama surrounding Danny boy.

Well, he’s not going to win either way, so no worries. Now he can be assured that he’ll be welcome into the chirstian charts post-idol. Good for him.

As for what this means for Kris… for someone with virtually ZERO pimping, he’s done very well for himself. Him making the finals was more wishful thinking, anyway.

Ditto to CFIdolsfan and MrNiceGuy
Its good to see there are fans of Danny who see him for who he truly is:
An outstanding singer who deserves to have gotten this far by his talent, and who happens to be a sincere Christian guy.

Yay terfra!:-D Yes, to my knowledge, many of us voted for his talent and not his story. Go Danny!

Please do not compare the stories of Cook and Danny. They both approached it in extremely different ways and comparing would just be injustice to Cook

You got that right. Even in his statement today about his brother’s passing Cook says his brother was adamant that his illness not become an issue on Idol. It wasn’t. Clearly, the same cannot be said about Danny.

The video isn’t even that bad or that big of a deal. If it were a gay channel giving Adam a story like this, would there be this kind of outrage? And who is anyone else to say that one cannot be open about their faith. How is that any different than telling a gay person to stay in the closet? I never actually remember hearing Danny ever mention God once on the show to be honest. Why is it so offensive even if he did?

I see we have some PR people in our midst?

CDIdolsFan, sorry but nothing you listed qualifies him, in my mind, to blog for the LA Times. A lot of people sing in church etc., and all the Idols had prior experience singing. I’m still stunned. :lol_wp:

A random thought…. to self: “Tess, these random thoughts are going to get you into deep doo doo some day”.

Danny (in a crowded room full of people) told the story about his loss and said he was dedicating his journey on Idol to let people know what a great person she was (something I truly believe is very true).

But, as soon as “Idol fandom” became uncomfortable with his backstory…live at the top 36, he banished her never to be spoken about again.

I don’t know which part of this story bothers me the most.

A man wearing make-up doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t equate to being gay. In this case, Adam is gay and wears make-up. There are plenty of straight glam-rock types out there, too. Also, last I checked, religion is a choice and sexuality is not. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m very confused by this logic.

Amen to this!

With all due respect to all Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Janes, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc.

I know Christians of all of these faiths. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not your religious preference, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s how you live your life.

The first half of this response is confusing to me. As a religious non-Christian (Baha’i) with lots of non-Christian, Christian, and even Athiest friends, the first thing I can tell you is that if you are say…Hindi…then you are not Christian. They are different Faiths. Except for the Messianic Jews, but that’s making things more complicated than necessary. Accepting different philosophies in your life is one thing, being a member of a Religion/ Faith is another.

The second half I totally agree with though, and is one of the reasons I really like what I’ve seen of Kris and Adam. They both seem like genuine guys who care about the people around them. I love that about them, and it makes sense to me why they could become such seemingly unlikely friends.

One more small thing that I hope is okay…I understand that many people seem to be becoming frustrated with fundamentalist Christianity, but I object to characterizing that as a “problem with religion.” More than half the planet are members of Faiths other than Christianity, and even most Christians don’t agree with the practices of the Evangelicals mj and others here are talking about. I think it’s important to be specific here. For instance, I might say that I have a problem with “conservative radio talk show hosts”, like Rush Limbaugh, but I’m not going to say I have a problem with “radio talk show hosts.” Including Ira Glass or Rachel Maddow with Rush makes no sense even though they have the same type of job. Anyway, just asking that you not include all of us under the one, small banner.

When are you going to design a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Save the Lava Girl, Save the Worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  button?

I second this request!

ETA: For the asshole choir…Corey Clark?

edit: dial it back

I am Catholic, a non-practicing one, and from where I come from, people are predominantly Catholic, like myself. Religion has been blatantly used since time immemorial to mobilize people, and in our country, politicians seek the “divine intervention” of religious leaders, be it Catholic, Christian, Islam, or other sects, to secure votes for elections. I have always viewed religion as an “organized syndicate” and I remain quite cynical about it. However, whatever church leaders do, while it may affect a portion of their flocks, do not necessarily mean that the flock would actually follow, save in certain cases where some sects actually make sure you follow, but let’s not delve into that, they’re extremists.

In Danny’s case, the fact that he is being pimped by his church leaders should not be taken against him harshly, considering that we do not have any proof that it was Danny’s wishes to call for the church pimping. This, coming form someone who cannot stand Danny. Moreover, as I said, it does not necessarily mean that the congregation would follow, some might, others may not. Some might even like the guy genuinely and vote for him without any need for prodding. But some would not be swayed no matter what, unless they do not have a mind of their own and they only do what they are told. There.

“The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ACà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  stood for both of Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s brothers, Andrew AND Adam, and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s had it on his guitar since he was a kid. It wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have meant anything to anybody if the press and hadnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sniffed out the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“sick brotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  story and run with it. ”

uhhh right, other than having his brother come to the set and sit in the audience where he was prominently featured…

Oh and one more thing, let’s go over a list of contestants who have exploited personal tragedies to their benefit:

1. Danny Gokey – Yea, no one likes how it was getting used but Idol stopped doing it.

2. David Cook – Cook can say that he never used Adam as a way to get votes, but face it, he did. He became a front runner after “Always Be My Baby” when he had his brother in the audience. That is called exploiting a tragedy.

So just saying…it’s not like this is anything new on Idol.

Cook never said ONE WORD about his brother’s situation on Idol. Danny has talked so much about his situation that it could fill a novel the size of ‘War And Peace’.

For all the people who think it is “unfair” that Danny is getting the Christian coverage, while the other Christians are thrown to the lions (as it were), I believe Grandpa (Columbo) in the Princess Bride said it best: “Who ever said life is fair? Where is that written? Life isn’t always fair.”

It always comes back to the Princess Bride.

At no time did David Cook “talk” about his brother to the AI cameras. Not during a show, not in an interview, nada, never!!

If we knew it was David’s brother and that he was suffering from terminal cancer we got it from a media source…NOT from the Cook family.

And I wasn’t a Cook fan then so don’t think I have any agenda here but the truth!!

But if they are voting in such numbers that they are keeping him in first place artificially, when he is not the best singer, artist, or performer (most would agree), and if they are voting for him because of his religion and not because of his singing talents, then something is very wrong with the system.

But to me, that sounds like a huge assumption simply based on blog comments and such.

It is possible that a lot of people actually think Danny has a good voice and is talented. Just because you may not think Danny is talented doesn’t mean other don’t.

I honestly donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that people who are voting for Danny because of his religion are going to admit it, or even necessarily acknowledge it to themselves. It can be a bias that unconsciously colors oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perceptions and makes him seem like the best. Or even when people consciously know why they are voting for him, they arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to admit it publicly especially here. Maybe on a christian board where ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more acceptable.

Again, this sounds like another HUGE assumption. How do you know what people are really thinking?

uhhh right, other than having his brother come to the set and sit in the audience where he was prominently featuredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Week in and week out, contestant family members come to the set and sit in the audience. How many times did we see the camera flash to Anoop’s parents, Lil’s parents, even Danny’s family. Your point isn’t a great example of “exploiting a backstory”.

Sharing one’s grief with many total strangers is disturbing. “Sharing” under these circumstances with the knowledge that a significant % of 30 million peeps will vote out of sympathy is sickening. Cheapening of one’s faith for material gain is amoral which is worse than immoral.

I will say I do find this does make me a bit uncomfortable. I don’t blame Gokey for this. He is not the one doing this.

But I just have a problem with this us vs them, in the larger sense. Like that Gokey should be supported due to his religion and tragedy, before his talent. Kris has his religion and he gets barely a mention. He’s apparently devout enough to go on missions to help people out because of how he feels with his religion. He’s in the top 4 as well. Does he not rate because his wife didn’t die?

It’s all very odd to me. And again, not something I feel terribly comfortable watching. But than this probably in part because I’ve seen a fair amount of religiously fueled hate on the interwebs and on the radio, about Adam because of his gayness in particular, and about gays in general, and that bugs me. To be clear, I am not saying that this program, Gokey or Christians conflate hating gays and Adam. Not at all. I am saying that I’ve unfortunately seen and heard people who do, and it does happen in this country to a degree that makes me very sangry. So perhaps the timing is just very unfortunate for me. But I don’t hold that against Gokey, at all.

The problem here is not the “religion” it is the fact that Danny can’t begin to compare to the three remaining kids as far as talent goes. He is nothing more than a singer, he has never shown any growth, changed up a song or did anything different since the first day he hit the stage. Unfortunately, the judges rarely called him on any of this. He has gotten pimped to the extreme on very mediocre performances. This is what actually pisses people off. If Danny was Cook, I don’t think it would matter as much. Cook showed us what a talent he was, an artist. He deserved to win the competition. Gokey does not!
If somebody wins who in no way deserves it, yeah, a lot of people are going to be mad.
As far as the Adam phone call, that was recorded by some fans who went to the event. Adam did not break any rules by calling them to thank them for what they did.
The fact that Gokey never does speak about his wife is more skevy to me than if he did. He has used her since the beginning, now by not mentioning her he is using her again. Not mentioning her to get votes is just as disgusting. IMO
Out of the 4 of them left only one has proven week in and week out he deserves to win. Kris and Allison are right behind him. Gokey needs to go.

dial it back please…

I see where this is headed. The topic isn’t David Cook and his brother. Let’s stick to the topic.

Oh I think you are right Doogs. I fully expect Gokey to win. And I am going to enjoy his stellar career.

Heh.

edit: I said no more about David Cook

My dislike of Danny is well documented on this site.

That said, I couldn’t care less if some channel I’ve never seen or heard about decides to do a story about him. I also wouldn’t give two figs if 60 minutes wanted to devote an entire episode to him. As far as I can tell, this Gospel channel thing is not controlled by Rupert Murdoch, so there is no conflict of interest as for as I can tell.

It’s a free country. If CNN or the Home Shopping Network or some obscure music channel think they can get viewers by showing some story about Gokey, then all the power to them. Potato-boy didn’t even participate in it, so he’s blameless as far as I can tell. I don’t try to control the actions of my spouse’s siblings, so I don’t expect Gokey to try either.

I can see why they might not feature Michael or Kris. Stories are better with a single focus. Michael already has the boot and Kris didn’t have any buzz going into the show (this thing may have been put together a while ago). This isn’t a presidential election, so they don’t have to give equal time to all the candidates. They probably thought a Gokey story would sell and they ran with it. Just as when AI did a story about “Country Idols”, they left of a bunch of the Idols who had gone country (like Josh – and he grumbled bitterly about it).

I also don’t for a moment think that Christians are voting robots that will vote for the Gokester because some low rated television show hinted that they should. If they were voting robots, wouldn’t Mandisa have won instead of going out 9th? Especially after that big “Christian/Gay” feud she sparked?

Again I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right to vote on religion and not on talent.

There is no criteria for voting. Some people vote because “so-and-so” is cute. Some people vote because “so-and-so” sang a song they liked. Some people vote because “so-and-so” found a cool arrangement. Some people vote because Simon was mean. Heck, there is an entire site out there who vote for contestants they think are bad. Very rarely does the “best singer of the year” win. Often, the best entertainer does, but rarely the one with the greatest vocal skills.

CDIdolsFan, sorry but nothing you listed qualifies him, in my mind, to blog for the LA Times. A lot of people sing in church etc., and all the Idols had prior experience singing. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still stunned.

Well, pretty much anybody can blog, so I’m not certain you need to prove any special skills to get a blogging gig. Over the years, many Idols have gotten gigs reviewing the show (I remember EW used to have 3 or 4 Idols commenting each season). Maybe Phil offered and they thought “why not? It doesn’t cost us much”. Or maybe they liked Phil’s blogs on USA Today (he wrote one prior to the release of his album and it was pretty informative). Or maybe the editors of the LA Times are part of some giant Christian conspiracy to make sure Adam loses AI.

The “From Idol to Inspiration” documentary broadcast before the Dove Awards may have been a nice freebie for Danny, albeit from a channel that gets extremely low ratings. However, there is absolutely no proof in the history of American Idol that there is a significant or influential Christian voting bloc.

The documentary itself spotlighted self-described Christian contestants Mandisa, Chris Sligh, Phil and Melinda. Of these four, only Melinda made the top 5 — she exited in the top 3, despite being one of the best technical vocalists in the show’s history. Where were their loyal Christian voting blocs?

The fact that Chris Sligh didn’t even win his Dove Award category this year is evidence that American Idol exposure does not benefit former contestants in Contemporary Christian Music any more than in other genres. The self-described Christian population is simply too diverse to be pigeonholed — plus, a substantial percentage undoubtedly doesn’t watch American Idol, much less the Gospel Music Channel. Country still seems friendliest to the AI non-winners.

Beyond his own church community, I don’t see any evidence online that there is an organized Christian movement to support Danny. Can you find any Gokey fansite for Christians not affiliated with members of Faith Builders?

Here in the AI echo chamber we can forget that we are outnumbered by casual viewers, who don’t know even half of what we learn about the AI kids on the internet. Casual viewers are the fluid voters who are responsible for the changing fortunes of AI contestants, including the infamous shock boots. They are the reason Allison is up one week and down the next. If I were a betting woman, I would wager that most of the AI audience knows way more about Danny’s or even Kris’s marital status than their churchgoing preferences.

P.S. I am neither a fan nor a hater of Teh Gokey.

But to me, that sounds like a huge assumption simply based on blog comments and such.

Then where are these people who think Danny’s so talented and are voting for him? They aren’t visible to me anywhere. He doesn’t seem, on this blog and a few others, to have that many visible vocal fans, so where are they all and who are they? That’s what’s strange. They seem invisible to me.

And I don’t think that anyone is going to come here and admit “I vote for Danny because of his religion.” It might be an assumption but not too far-fetched imo.

I know it’s not ONLY religious people who are voting for him because the judges also think he’s great. Kim Caldwell practically has the big O every week over him. (Which does puzzle me. After David Cook, how could she find Danny so hot? lol)

It’s not unusual to try to figure out who is voting as a bloc for a contestant who doesn’t seem to be that great. The mormons were suspected of voting for Carmen, the Philippinos for Ramiel, the Hawaiians for Jasmine, VFTW for John Stevens (and people like me who just liked him), the country fans for Josh and Kellie Pickler (and people like me who just liked her) and the Texans with speed dial for Nikki McKibbon. This question is raised whenever a contestant doesn’t seem to have outstanding talent that would justify them staying as long as they stay.

It appears that whenever there’s a contingent who don’t normally get represented in the media and they get this chance to shine, they vote very loyally. It’s understandable but dismaying to those who don’t think the contestant is worthy of staying so long.

I’ll say it again, I am getting nervous that Danny might win, and I find that truly depressing. I do not think he is up to par with the other 7 winners before him. I truly hope that Adam, Allison, or Kris wins.

It shouldnt be about religion but Gokey and his people have turned it into just that.

No, and it also shouldn’t be about sexual preference but people, mostly the media, have turned it into that. I am not sure if Danny and “his people” are the ones who have shoved his religion down our throats anymore than I am sure that Adam and “his people” have shoved his sexual preference down our throats. It IS who they are, so I guess that is why it is news.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll say it again, I am getting nervous that Danny might win, and I find that truly depressing. I do not think he is up to par with the other 7 winners before him. I truly hope that Adam, Allison, or Kris wins.

Agree, although I personally don’t see a couple of others as up to par with some of the winners.

I honestly donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that people who are voting for Danny because of his religion are going to admit it, or even necessarily acknowledge it to themselves. It can be a bias that unconsciously colors oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perceptions and makes him seem like the best. Or even when people consciously know why they are voting for him, they arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t going to admit it publicly especially here. Maybe on a christian board where ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more acceptable.

They probably are surprisingly willing to acknowledge it. On Canadian Idol, some contestants get huge support from regional voting blocks. The Maritimes will block vote for a singer from their region and are proud of it. Is that person the best singer? As far as these folks are concerned, being from their region makes that person the best singer. They are not objective.

I happen to think Kris is the best. I think I’m just basing this opinion on his talent. But I can’t separate his voice or performances from who he is, and maybe who he is is partly why I like him and vote for him. Not even who he is, really, but who I perceive him to be, based on what AI decides to let me see and hear.

People will vote for many reasons; because someone is from their home town, their state, their school, or their church. Because someone is cute, or has blue eyes. I don’t think anybody seriously thinks people vote objectively.

With all due respect to all Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Janes, Buddhists, Wiccans, etc.

I know Christians of all of these faiths. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not your religious preference, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s how you live your life.

erinnthered: The first half of this response is confusing to me

The 1st paragraph is a quote from a separate post. The second is from my post and is metaphorical . If you don’t get it, I’m not gonna explain it. I assure you there is no logical reason to take exception if you, indeed, walk the walk.

nonsequitur
Re: Gokey. If he possessed the slightest modicum of genuine talent or originality, he would not be attracting the type of antipathy that he is. The mere fact that he possesses at a minimum a somewhat interesting vocal quality in NOT justification enough to have earned him co-TCO status along with Adam. My abhorance for him has nothing whatever to do with his religion. It has everything to do with the fact that I find him only marginally talented at best, humorless, smarmy, and utterly lacking in self-awareness or humility. But mostly, I just canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get past his truly craptacular taste in music. As the inimitable Jack Black said best in the most awesome à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“High Fidelityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  after dissing one of John Cusakà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s customers: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“he offended me with his hideous taste in music.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

THIS. And everything that kansasfemale said, as well. I have not watched the Gokey video (for the simple reason that I don’t much feel like losing my lunch), but it sounds to me like a pretty blatant piece of promotion, which I think ought not to be allowed by TPTB of A.I. Yes, Adam has received a lot of press coverage, but reviews are not the same as promotion/documentary. Yes, Upright Cabaret had a “we love Adam Lambert night”, but they actually have worked with Adam (and it was posted on u2b by a fan in the audience, it wasn’t a professionally produced show); whereas (unless I misunderstood what I have read) the piece that featured Danny et al was not created by anyone who actually knows him; they’re just Good Christians and they’re trying to influence all the other Good Christians out there because they don’t want any ‘unmentionables’ influencing their children.

Ignoring their voices for a moment and the difference in talent and vocal abilities, the BIG difference between Adam and Danny is the way each of them has responded to the media attention. Adam has politely but firmly moved any conversation back to where it ought to be focused – “this is about singing, nothing else”. Maybe Danny has not brought up his dead wife over and over and over – but neither has he steered anyone away from the subject and he obviously didn’t say to the documentary people “You know what, I’d really rather not have my personal tragedy smeared all over national tv, thanks anyway.” THIS is why I find him to be a somewhat smarmy, self-serving individual. I can’t speak for anyone else, but if MY spouse died, IF I was even able to drag myself out of bed to audition and then compete on national tv (which is *highly* unlikely), I would not want to talk about it, nor would I want anyone else to do so. I would not want to be labelled as the “poor girl who lost her husband” – I would want the focus to be on my singing. Don’t tell me Danny couldn’t turn around and say “With all due respect, please leave my wife out of this, it’s private and it has nothing to do with the competition.”!

And anyway, switching to pure triviality, if anyone looks at the name “Danny Gokey” and thinks “Wow, what a great name – Star Power for sure!”, I’ll eat my socks.
:doh_tb:

Or maybe the editors of the LA Times are part of some giant Christian conspiracy to make sure Adam loses AI.

Well that certainly wasn’t my implication by any stretch of the imagination (since you quoted me). I just plain didn’t like Phil and was shocked that he was blogging for a large newspaper online. His religion had nothing to do with it, nor did Adam, and I’m not a big Adam fan so that theory goes all to hell.

ETA: Ross, brilliant and mild-mannered post. Love it.

This whole thing makes me uncomfortable. While i feel for sofia’s family and I don’t mean to disrespect her passing…i cannot help but get annoyed at the mention or hint of her death. The judges have brought up his wife’s passing (indirectly) during the top 13…by calling Danny “inspirational” and “brave”. To some extent, i recall Ryan saying the same about Lil. Simon acknowledge one week (top 9 or top 8, cant recall) that Danny didn’t sing well but went on to say “BUT it must have been hard for you to sing that (love) song”…and Danny shook his head into a yes. That was when I started to turn on the judges. Its bad enough the producers shoved Danny and Lil into our throats during the entire Hollywood week auditions (bc of their back stories!), but now for Simon to start grading on a curve…argh, im done with them!

And the producers allowing Danny’s family to hold up the photo of Sofia during Group 1 results show was beyond tacky…regardless of who was behind the idea, both family and TPTB are equally responsible. This is a talent competition, not Make a Wish Foundation.

And it was Jamar Rogers (so called BFF), who said Danny mentioning his wife’s death “was a means to get America to take notice, but he would never ever ever ever use Sophie’s passing to get further.”

http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-090305-gokey-controversy-usmag-vid,0,7094376.worldnowvideo

again, ugh…not okay to use your recently dead wife to get ANY attention. just use your voice. IF producers found out on their own and decided to push it, well i would have never resented him. but fact reminds, at the beginning he thought it would be a good idea to bring out Sofia’s story for attention.

This is why I cant stand Danny….on top of his bad dancing, average M Bolton voice, outdated spiky hair and awkward personality. I am amazed anyone (including G Music Channel) would look up to him or call him inspirational.

You know what? If Danny wins, the sun will come up tomorrow.

He will probably be the biggest prima donna EVER in the history of Verity Records, the Zomba/Sony gospel label.

I am sure that he would refuse to make any kind of pop album, and they’d hardly object. He could sell 3 million for them like “Butterfly Kisses” did. It could happen.

If a huge fundamentalist vote wins it for Idol, then more power to it. I hope that they put this show in the ground in exactly two years by voting two more fundamentalists past other unaffiliated contestants — or other Christians who are judged to be less deserving Christians if they are not of Danny caliber. I need to grow up, so let the fundamentalists run away with the vote the waty Vote for the Worst dreamed they could.

I just wonder if anyone will ever ask Danny about that thing they used to say about having no idols or graven images?

Signed,

A Christian

No, and it also shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be about sexual preference but people, mostly the media, have turned it into that.

But I don’t think that very many people are voting for Adam because of his sexual orientation, and most media reviews of him are about his vocals and his performance skills, not about his sexuality. A lot of media reviewers and critics think he has incredible skills. I see few articles saying the same thing about Danny. Maybe I’ve just missed them.

Granted that people who enjoy flamboyant peformances would lean towards Adam, and those people are probably not homophobic, but I don’t see the same bloc of voters that I suspect that Danny is getting.

And it’s true that Christians are probably not voting in force for Kris or didn’t vote that way for Mandisa (in fact, gay men voted for her, which really confuses matters doesn’t it? lol). So it must be Danny’s religion combined with his onstage charisma (a charisma I am blind to, but others see it).

I give Danny a break because his wife died just 4 weeks before his audition, so it was still a fresh loss and he was still in mourning. It was really, really bad when his friend held up her picture and pointed to heaven, that was manipulation to the nth degree, most shameful, but I don’t know that Danny approved of that. Since then he has kept mum on the subject. And I don’t know who made that show about the Christian idols or why it was made. I don’t think it was made deliberately to get people to vote for him. It’s likely just a coincidence.

It’s just dismaying to think that a huge voting bloc is keeping him at the top, and that is what I believe, though I could be wrong. None of us can prove any of these theories, they are just theories.

The 1st paragraph is a quote from a separate post. The second is from my post and is metaphorical . If you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get it, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not gonna explain it. I assure you there is no logical reason to take exception if you, indeed, walk the walk.

Yes, that is why I highlighted (in italics) your response. I felt it made more sense, and gave more context, to include the original quote and the response to it.

I guess I must not “walk the walk” because I have no idea what that means. I’m not sure I take much stock with “if you don’t get, I’m not going to explain it” responses – of any kind. I never thought the concept of “walking the walk” was a secret club, nor do I think it’s reserved for any specific Religion or denomination of that Religion; which was another point to my admittedly tl;dr post.

On the topic at hand: I’m not entirely sure I do blame Danny for any of this…well, not entirely. It does seem like he’s involved to a degree, but it also seems like he was raised and surrounded himself with people who have a very skewed idea of what faith is. I’m not sure Danny ever had a chance to see how other people “view” faith. I think the Idol experience may be a very valuable one for him.

Given that, he is the least talented and deserving of the remaining contestants, and it’s time for him to go. I’ve never been comfortable with people who support a contestant for reasons other than talent or affinity for their musical style…unless you know them personally.

But I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think that very many people are voting for Adam because of his sexual orientation, and most media reviews of him are about his vocals and his performance skills, not about his sexuality. A lot of media reviewers and critics think he has incredible skills. I see few articles saying the same thing about Danny. Maybe Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve just missed them.

Good point.

I think a lot of people actually like Danny. I have never thought he was that talented or had enough star quality, but my married son and his wife love Danny. Go figure.

I can see why they might not feature Michael or Kris. Stories are better with a single focus.

You know though, they flashed pictures of every Idol with some connection to religion–Kelly Clarkson even. I didn’t expect Kris and Michael to be highlighted in a story, but I thought they’d at least be mentioned by name. I just personally found that odd.

lex
For all the people who think it is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“unfairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that Danny is getting the Christian coverage, while the other Christians are thrown to the lions (as it were), I believe Grandpa (Columbo) in the Princess Bride said it best: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Who ever said life is fair? Where is that written? Life isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t always fair.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

It always comes back to the Princess Bride.

LOL!!! Wesley said something along those lines as well, in response to Buttercup’s “You mock my pain!”: “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” That movie is chock-full of great lines.

…Maybe it’s simply because I think Danny is rather one-dimensional as a singer – I certainly would never classify him as an “artist”; I just don’t think he has earned the “frontrunner” status. I personally would love to be able to go back to the beginning, take away any mention whatsoever of dead wives, then fast forward a bit and see if his voice actually managed to keep him in the competition. And while I’m at it, I’d also like to go back and take those “questionable” photos and any mention of sexual orientation, and then see where Adam lands. Ignoring all the personal Drama & Trauma, there is only one in that pair that has the vocal abilities that say “SuperStar” to me.

Actually, Rodney Ho of the AJC’s American Idol Buzz and Brian Mansfield of USA Today are Gokey fans. This season Rodney has praised Danny much more than Adam, for example.

Every season has a contestant who inspires intense dislike. It may or may not be deserved and it may or may not be rational. It just is. This year it’s Danny Gokey’s turn. In my opinion, that’s the reason Constantine, Blake, and Michael Johns were brought up in this discussion about Danny Gokey. (But Phil Stacey? In the same category deserving of the name calling? Seriously?) And every season has a contestant who inspires intense adoration. It may or may not be deserved and it may or may not be rational. It just is. It all makes me wonder if cultural Armageddon is upon us.

Idol must be in heaven from this story. Look at all this discussion. They’ve gotten exactly what they were angling for …. or will when there is a finale of Gokey v Glambert. Man, I don’t look forward to reading all the same stuff again in 2 weeks.

I’m not much of a Gokey fan… I’m not really OTT for any of them really… but I couldn’t care less about this. Dude has a dramatic story that people producing shows would love to tell, and a telegenic family willing to talk about it on camera. Its that simple really. I mean, Kris coulda got some airtime but nothing is going to replace what happens on that stage. I don’t think Danny is going to win or lose over a segment that ran on a rather obscure channel. I don’t get the big deal really. YMMV of course.

edit: yeah, it is irrelevant. Let’s stick to topic

At least if Danny wins we will have our first totally “virgin” performer in AI history. I haven’t seen any performance videos from him anywhere nor any recordings nor anything that suggests he has any talent other than what he demonstrates on the show. He, nor anyone else, has given any indication that he sings anywhere except at his church or activities associated with his church. Did he sing in the school choir? Was he ever in a school musical? Has he ever performed at a community event? Has he sung the National Anthem at a sporting event? He can sing, to some how well is an issue, and that is it. By all accounts he is totally unfamiliar with music history, doesn’t really understand genres, etc. He is a totally green novice. Maybe this is what the “casual” voter wants, someone who is totally unfamiliar with everything in the industry from how to act on stage to how to emote a performance. This will be the true rags to riches story of the sing in the shower contestant who goes on to become the American Idol.

If he does win it will be interesting to see how 19 deals with him as a signed artist. Where do you put him, what kind of songs does he record, who is his target audience, what kind of tour do you promote, has he ever worked with a professional band, who would go to watch him on the Christmas gigs, would he be relevant to the general ticket buying populace? This will be an interesting million dollar investment.

Danny is so one dimensional as a singer that he has finished first 5 of the last 7 weeks on dial idol. Your boy screambert finished in the bottom 2.

The voters are speaking…. perhaps, just perhaps, the American people disagree with you on who the “one dimensional” singer is.

If he does win it will be interesting to see how 19 deals with him as a signed artist. Where do you put him, what kind of songs does he record, who is his target audience,

That’s easy. CCM, CCM, CCM. No doubt about it. And like someone said above, he will make a fortune in that genre, but he doesn’t need to win to do it.

ETA: For the asshole choirà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Corey Clark?

Excellent choice erin :)

In my opinion, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the reason Constantine, Blake, and Michael Johns were brought up in this discussion about Danny Gokey. (But Phil Stacey? In the same category deserving of the name calling? Seriously?)

I know you probably can’t find it now – but a few of us did defend Phil’s nice guy status. I personally think Phil is a really good guy. And, the Michael John’s stuff was facetious for me too. While I think Michael has foot in mouth disease, I do not believe he is on the Constantine level of douchebaggery.

Believe it or not, we were trying to lighten the mood as the thread was getting pretty intense. (I see you all kept up the intensity – I love a good healthy debate).

Then where are these people who think Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so talented and are voting for him? They arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t visible to me anywhere. He doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t seem, on this blog and a few others, to have that many visible vocal fans, so where are they all and who are they? Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s strange. They seem invisible to me.

You just made my point in saying they seem invisible to you. That’s what you’re basing your statements on. I know lots of people who don’t give a flying fig what religion Danny is or what his backstory is or isn’t. They vote for him and love him because they love his voice. So anyone could say or find people to support their claims. I am saying all this as a huge supporter and voter of Kris and Allison by the way. The point I am trying to make is that you seem to be making an assumption that Danny’s talent couldn’t be playing a part his remaining in the competition simply because you don’t feel he is talented or can’t find a person in your circle or online who thinks he is. That’s not enough to support that claim. Talent, much like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. That is why it is called an OPINION. Not everyone will agree who is talented.

Here is Elliot Yamim talking about who he likes… he mentions Gokey, you’d better call to tell him he’s an idiot. he also DIDN’T mention Kris — oh my goodness, someone had better tell him you can’t mention one Christian without the other!!! LOL
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/6407408.html

Actually, Rodney Ho of the AJC’s American Idol Buzz and Brian Mansfield of USA Today are Gokey fans.

I got this sense, while watching Brian Mansfield’s interview for the Gospel special, that he’s a Christian also.

Anyway, I never meant to imply that there’s this huge organized effort by Christians to vote Danny Gokey the American Idol. However, from what I can gather, Danny panders to Christian viewers with his song choices and performance style. I think that the Gospel Channel would do a segment on Danny indicates there’s been buzz about Danny in Evangelical circles.

And what kind of music will Adam be singing after Idol?? If we were still in the 80′s, maybe he has a career, but we aren’t, and he won’t.

Flock of Seagulls? Duran Duran?? Meatloaf?? thats where I see Adam’s potential.

Well said MJ, I need to come down off the ledge… “Its only a TV show… its only a TV show… ” :)

Here is Elliot Yamim talking about who he likesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ he mentions Gokey, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d better call to tell him heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an idiot. he also DIDNà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢T mention Kris à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  oh my goodness, someone had better tell him you canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mention one Christian without the other!!! LOL

Uhm. You’re comparing apples to oranges. Elliott Yamin offering an opinion on who he likes this year isn’t analogous to a documentary on Christian Idols.

Gokey doesn’t annoy me as much as he used to (I more think of him now as a clueless, naive bumbler than a calculating widower), but I recently listened to an interview with Jessica Sierra and she feels going on AI while the death of her mother was so new and fresh contributed to her not dealing with reality and everything crashed down on her afterwards. I tend to think Danny might be in for the same sort of reality check once the day to day excitement and hype of AI and then the tour goes away. I doubt that means he’ll go the drug route but I am more convinced than ever that he is using AI to avoid his grief, not work through it.

I agree with you mj, completely.

Aside from all the differences expressed here, doesn’t anyone feel the least bit sorry for Danny in the event he does win, and in the event that Adam comes in second, that Danny has to follow Adam on tour?! Man, I sure wouldn’t want to be Danny.

I mean, I would think many of those who prefer Adam’s voice and performance style would simply opt to miss traffic in the parking lot and leave early. And, some who like Danny ok but for whom he isn’t their favorite, but also hate Adam, may also simply leave early before both.

Sure there are plenty who won’t care either way and want their money’s worth. But it hits me that Danny may see quite the exodus before or during his set.

I’ll bet if Danny wins, the format of the tour will be different than last year. That might save him. So there’s hope, I guess.

Excellent choice erin :)

Thanks…but it’s erinn (no biggie, people do it all the time, just being snarky)

While I think Michael has foot in mouth disease, I do not believe he is on the Constantine level of douchebaggery.

I don’t think anyone can reach the Constantine level of douchebaggery. At least he’s best at something, right?

Believe it or not, we were trying to lighten the mood as the thread was getting pretty intense. (I see you all kept up the intensity – I love a good healthy debate)

I love a thread that can support both. Healthy debate is good, but you can’t take yourself – or your opinions – too seriously. I love to learn other people’s POV’s, and maybe even change my own.

I’m totally going to be going through past contestants to determine who the douchebags are/ were now. I can think of a couple more that haven’t come up, but I don’t want to start any wars.

Phil is a good guy. Just because a person disagrees doesn’t make them a douchebag. It’s how they express it…and how they follow that up when they get called out.

Doogs you only have to look at the leaked Itunes chart to see who is actually *selling*.

“Not suprisingly, the leader — by far — is front-runner Adam Lambert, who holds six of the top 10 spots in the Idol chart this season. The haunting “Mad World”– the song that got Simon Cowell on his feet for a rare standing ovation — is the No. 1-selling song so far this year, the iTunes site showed. But right behind Lambert is Allen, who has three performance downloads on the secret chart. Gokey has just one, his version of “Endless Love” at No. 9.”

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04282009/tv/idols_itunes_shocker_166567.htm

That tells me Adam and Kris have a great future in the biz. So Adam not current or relevant? Hardly. America did indeed speak, with their wallets :-)

ETA… This was in response to this statement you made: “And what kind of music will Adam be singing after Idol?? If we were still in the 80à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, maybe he has a career, but we arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, and he wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t.”

mj May 4th, 2009 at 8:49 pm

Anyway, I never meant to imply that thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s this huge organized effort by Christians to vote Danny Gokey the American Idol. However, from what I can gather, Danny panders to Christian viewers with his song choices and performance style. I think that the Gospel Channel would do a segment on Danny indicates thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been buzz about Danny in Evangelical circles.

MJ, I agree that there had to be some kind of buzz in the industry about Danny. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been mentioned. I wonder if Chris Sligh, who befriended Danny, had something to do with it.

Personally, I doubt that any contestant who would choose to sing “Pretty Young Thing” by a suspected pedophile has a song selection strategy geared toward traditional Evangelicals.

:lol_wp:

Doogs, I don’t know if Adam would have a career or not. But what I have heard recorded by him and “playing for your listening enjoyment” on You Tube he has recorded some pretty current stuff. Maybe not your cuppa but his audience seems to enjoy it. Also, the stuff I heard from Kris (before AI) has a lot of current merit. All I am saying is that I am surprised that someone like Danny who first called themselves a music teacher and now calls himself a music director has, by all reports, a very limited knowledge or interest in music other than what he performs at church. So…where does he go from here. Does he even have a clue what this industry is about? I don’t know since he hasn’t told us anything except that he prayers, that his wife is deceased, that he wants to be an inspiration for us. If you know more about Danny, the person, I would gladly listen to you tell it.

Personally, I doubt that any contestant who would choose to sing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Pretty Young Thingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  by a suspected pedophile has a song selection strategy geared toward traditional Evangelicals.

Heh.

Well, that was an exception. But many of his other choices came straight out of his Worship Leader wheelhouse…

Maybe Danny has not brought up his dead wife over and over and over – but neither has he steered anyone away from the subject and he obviously didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t say to the documentary people à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You know what, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d really rather not have my personal tragedy smeared all over national tv, thanks anyway.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Hmmmm. Would seem like an unauthorized biography. Just because it aired doesn’t mean he approved. That’s her sister, her brother (who held up the picture), her family’s interview.

I’m just having a hard time connecting Danny Gokey himself to this interview. I just think they seized an opportunity.

What exactly has Adam told us? About him? The person? And frankly who cares?

And “by all reports” really??? who’s reports are you reading about his musical knowledge?

edit if you don’t settle down, I’m putting you in moderation. READ MY GUIDELINES. Don’t question the motives of your fellow posters

And what kind of music will Adam be singing after Idol?? If we were still in the 80à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, maybe he has a career, but we arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t, and he wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t.

Flock of Seagulls? Duran Duran?? Meatloaf?? thats where I see Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s potential.

Well songs/acts like Lady Gaga, or the Circus tour of Britney’s, or Freak Show tour of Pink, all theatrical and over the top and certainly they are popular in this day and age. And there are electronic pop tunes on the top 40 charts, the type that Adam has already done, albeit, with much lesser production values. Though I do find “Pop Goes The Camera,” and “Kiss and Tell,” to be very hummable in a very pop way. But YMMV.

I agree, it’s impossible to say who will, or will not be able to sell in music period, much less former AI contestants. Chris Daugherty did better as a non-winner than winners Taylor Hicks and even Ruben and I believe Fantasia.

Gokey could very well be popular. I just don’t hear the kind of music that his taste and voice, seem to indicate he would produce, on the radio in more top 40, or rock or pop charts. Maybe he could do Country? Though I don’t see how. But maybe, sure.
Given what I’ve heard from him, I think that Adam could conceivably be popular in pop/electronic/rock. At least I can point to artists that are right now and go ‘he could be like them.’ I could do that with Allison as well. And to a lesser degree, Kris. I can’t with Gokey. And I still think Gokey is going to win, despite all of this.

Oh man there are so so many long posts in this section that there’s no way I can read all of them so I’ll just say that I have no problem with Danny or that he brought up his wife’s death on the show. He was in a raw state of emotions at the time and he was doing all of it in her honor so of course he had bring it up….it was supposed to be for her and about her. But since the finals have started I don’t remember him bringing it up or even talk about his faith or involvement with the church…all of his packages have been about music and it’s involvement in his life, just like everyone else’s so I do feel he gets unfair flack. With all that being said, I have to admit I’m not exactly a fan of his….but that is purely due to poor song choice and lack of originality. I absolutely love his voice, I do think it’s awesome but he needs to get out there and play the scene a little to get a little more performance experience….learn how to work it a little better.

Gokey doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t annoy me as much as he used to (I more think of him now as a clueless, naive bumbler than a calculating widower), but I recently listened to an interview with Jessica Sierra and she feels going on AI while the death of her mother was so new and fresh contributed to her not dealing with reality and everything crashed down on her afterwards. I tend to think Danny might be in for the same sort of reality check once the day to day excitement and hype of AI and then the tour goes away. I doubt that means heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll go the drug route but I am more convinced than ever that he is using AI to avoid his grief, not work through it.

Interesting comment, and I agree that Danny comes across more clueless than calculating. Timing just wasn’t on his side. He was pushing the age limit for auditioning, and if he was going to do it he had to do it a month after his wife died or lose a chance forever. Would he have made the finals without his story? Probably. Somehow, people must find him relatable and like his voice or he wouldn’t have gotten as far as he has. And unless the AI producers paid for the documentary and wrote the script, I don’t see how it gives him an unfair advantage on the show. How many people watch the Gospel Channel?

Thanksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦but ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s erinn (no biggie, people do it all the time, just being snarky)

I totally should have known that :)

You CANà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢T stand it that Danny is kicking Adams butt and you need to find some reason to make you feel better. It couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be that the public just likes Danny better????? sorry, looks like thats the case.

Doogs, who are you speaking to here? I’m just interested to know who you feel is having this deep existential crisis over the relative standing of 2 guys on a tv singing show. I do want to point out that I share your apparent affection for the question mark. It is one of my favorite forms of punctuation as well.

Wow this thread has grown since I last checked in! All I have to add is “Word” to everything Kirsten said at 7:59!

ETA: LOL spense

ETAA: Based on this thread, I’m picking Allison to go home this week. She seems to be brought into the discussion the least.

You CANà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢T stand it that Danny is kicking Adams butt and you need to find some reason to make you feel better. It couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be that the public just likes Danny better????? sorry, looks like thats the case.

Really?

Anyway, there’s no solid evidence that Danny is kicking Adam’s butt. Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me if TPTB were stuck with Danny as their winner. It would be hella funny to see them trying to market him.

I am somewhat disappointed that they ignore Kris Allen when talking about these faith topics. You don’t have to sing gospel-ish songs in Idol to be a believer. I believe that Kris Allen has very much exhibited his faith through his actions and I think that’s what’s more important.

Not that I HATE Danny. I just hope that Kris would be appreciated too. Well, doesn’t matter that much.

Supermeldot, I appreciate Kris very much. He has fabulous musical instincts and conducts himself quite well. My impression (which is all I can go by since I don’t know these kids) is that he’s a great guy.

ETA:

ETAA: Based on this thread, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m picking Allison to go home this week. She seems to be brought into the discussion the least.

I agree. People will stop vote-splitting and she will suffer from that, I fear. Adam and Kris fans will be highly motivated after the bottom 3. I’ll still vote for Lava Girl (tm Little Spens).

HaHa when I first came on this page and read that Danny is licking Adam’s butt, I couldnt believe it. As I read down I’m glad it got cleared up to kicking Adam’s butt. HaHa

And à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“by all reportsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  really??? whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s reports are you reading about his musical knowledge?

Ken Warwick the producer of Idol! Straight from the horses mouth, baby!

ITA on Allison in danger. I’ll probably be putting a few votes her way too. Love Little Spense’s nickname. I hope it sticks!

..I don’t know WHY people go on this show …this crazy drama is HUGE and I am verrrry sad :longface_ee: cuz I likes all these kids(lets take up a collection)….Can’t we ALLzz just get along…..—why can’t we be friends/ why can’t we be friends.

We know that Danny is the only remaining contestant who’s never been in the bottom 3. Beyond that, we can guess that his vote totals are consistently high based on the treatment he receives from the judges, especially Simon’s prediction of a Danny vs. Adam finale.

My concern this week is that vote splitters will come home to Adam and Allison might be going home. Will Matt’s Michiganders vote for Danny the cheesehead? Or will they hold a grudge over that Goat Boy impersonation? This season we don’t have Nigel’s Wednesday clues about who is eliminated or the illusion that Dial Idol is accurate enough to influence our voting patterns.

It’s an unpredictable season and I like that.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m totally going to be going through past contestants to determine who the douchebags are/ were now. I can think of a couple more that havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t come up, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to start any wars.

Phil is a good guy. Just because a person disagrees doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make them a douchebag. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s how they express ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and how they follow that up when they get called out.

Well, I guess that’s one definition. There are many, and I think one person’s douchebag might be another person’s nice guy. I’m just having a difficult time wrapping my head around how relative degrees of past, present, and future douchebaggery have bearing in regard to the current discussion. Sorry.

I will say, however, that Gokey’s preacherizing “September,” in the studio version, did bug me. A lot. So as mj has mentioned, that he

Danny panders to Christian viewers with his song choices and performance style.

does actually kind of ping on my annoyance-dar. Especially that iTunes thing. So that coupled with things like this Gokey Telethon? makes it a lettle more problematic for me personally, than I would otherwise normally have. Because otherwise I wouldn’t otherwise know or care about anyone else’s religion, or lack thereof.

supermeklot May 4th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

I believe that Kris Allen has very much exhibited his faith through his actions and I think thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more important.

As a Christian, I agree with this statement. As a music lover, I enjoy Kris’s innate musicality and growth as a contestant. As a TV consumer, I appreciate his humility and team spirit.

In a normal season, we would have had more time to get to know Kris and Allison in the semifinals. They do not have Danny’s early exposure or Adam’s standout personality — and this is the point in the competition when it will cost them.

Well, I guess thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s one definition. There are many, and I think one personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s douchebag might be another personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nice guy. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just having a difficult time wrapping my head around how relative degrees of past, present, and future douchebaggery have bearing in regard to the current discussion. Sorry.

Sometimes we go off on a tagent just because our collective minds wander that way. The whole doucebag disccusion started with me saying Phil was an ass to Adam in his L.A. Times blog. Some posters took offense at that. Then some of us started comparing him to other past contestants that some preceive as douchie. Then there was a discussion about forming an ass-shop quartet with said douchie contestants. Phil was enventually dropped from the group as it appears he isn’t really an ass to alot of people and there is some agreement that it needs to be a majority vote to make the ass-shop quartet.

Then I left work (no more illegal blogging) and came home and voila! 100 posts later here we are. It does appear that more names have been bandied about and the ass-shop quartert might move into full ass choir. So anyhoo, I hope that answers your question.

ETA- I’m no longer capable of having a serious converstation about organized religion, so I will be a bottom feeder here and organzine my dream ass choir.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just having a difficult time wrapping my head around how relative degrees of past, present, and future douchebaggery have bearing in regard to the current discussion. Sorry.

As SpenserJ stated in the comment I was replying to, it was started earlier in the thread to keep things a little lighter in tone. It started as a comment on Danny’s douchebaggery/ assholishness (or perceived douchebaggery/ assholishness, YMMV), and people pointed out that he wasn’t the first douchebag (or perceived douchebag) on Idol. Eventually we realized there were enough to form a whole choir from just the douchebags. Just an underlying humourous/ snarky theme, and as long as it’s still related to Danny I guess it’s fair game?

I’m really just responding to this to see how many times I can type douchebag in a single post. Sorry.

ETA: undercooked beat me to it! I’m still leaving this for the above reason though. ;-)

ETAA: I love ‘ass-shop quartet!’ May I use that in the future?

Love Little Spenseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nickname. I hope it sticks!

This would make her very happy lol.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just having a difficult time wrapping my head around how relative degrees of past, present, and future douchebaggery have bearing in regard to the current discussion.

These conversations do take a long and winding road, don’t they? That’s half the fun :)

ETAA: I love à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹ass-shop quartet!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ May I use that in the future?

Yes you may! And of course the performance program would read “the ass-shop quartet presents and evening of douchiness.”

These conversations do take a long and winding road, donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t they? Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s half the fun :)

Yes they do. And if Phil Spacey wasn’t in the main story, I would have had nothing to contribute to this topic. He was the only reason I was able to stick my big toe into this Gokey thread.

I’m not quite sure what Danny’s role is within his church, I’ve read “musical director” or “worship director” .. I struggle to see him be a director of anything as I can’t make head nor tail of what he’s trying to say in any of his Ryan interviews or his comments on his feedback from the judges … perhaps the people he’s directing just nod in agreement and when they get home say “what the heck was he talking about?”

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m just having a difficult time wrapping my head around how relative degrees of past, present, and future douchebaggery have bearing in regard to the current discussion. Sorry.

Could we not question each other’s motives? If you have a problem with the content, just skip it please. If it really irks you, then send me an email.

as I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make head nor tail of what heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s trying to say in any of his Ryan interviews or his comments on his feedback from the judges à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ perhaps the people heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s directing just nod in agreement and when they get home say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“what the heck was he talking about?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Danny has apparently read the Paula Abdul Guide to Indirect Answers and Incoherent Bullshit.

ETA: Ya’ know, since the ass-shop quartet is getting kind of crowded, we could go for the full ass choir. OR… since some of the douchebags play instruments, we could just have the “Ass-Shop Quartet with Douchbag Band” Present a night of Douchiness with excessive Douchebaggery.

I think we might sell that sucker out.

Danny has apparently read the Paula Abdul Guide to Indirect Answers and Incoherent Bullshit.

I so need a copy of that book. Seriously.

Hmmmm. Would seem like an unauthorized biography. Just because it aired doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean he approved. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s her sister, her brother (who held up the picture), her familyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interview.

Exactly. I suppose Danny could ask his Sophia’s sister and her husband to refrain from talking to the media about it, but my guess would be that he’s pretty busy in the Idol bubble to be controlling what they and other do and say about the story. Maybe he isn’t very genuine. I have no idea. Did anyone get this upset about Pickler’s blatant tears and sob story being thrown out on display? I honestly was not online back then, so I’m genuinely curious. Sob stories are exploited whenever possible on this show. It’s nothing new.

edit: don’t criticize or make judgements on your fellow posters. I’m serious. if you haven’t read my guidelines, you must read them now.

I so need a copy of that book. Seriously.

I’m told if you apply the principles in this book to your own daily work life, you too will be making millions of dollars per year just for the gift of hearing you say absolutely nothing of substance. It’s like CEO school for dummies.

Sob stories are exploited whenever possible on this show. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nothing new.

Nope. Not new. But a pain in the butt when the subject has a very real possibility of becoming a winner.

I could be wrong, but I don’t remember Kellie’s back story being brought up on the show directly. I do remember rolling my eyes at her dumb blonde schtick and I was so ready for her to be off my television. However, now I adore her. Maybe Danny can change my mind post Idol… Nah.

Speaking of Blake (founding member of the ass-shop quartet), he tweeted that he’s doing a show with Kelly Clarkson and Lady GaGa at the HOB in Boston tonight. Sounds like fun to me!

Speaking of Blake (founding member of the ass-shop quartet), he tweeted that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s doing a show with Kelly Clarkson and Lady GaGa at the HOB in Boston tonight. Sounds like fun to me!

While Blake may be a douchebag, that sounds like a really fun show.

Newbies!

Read my guidelines:

http://mjsbigblog.com/?page_id=1172

Everyone here is entitled to an opinion without a rude interrogation from other posters!

Don’t boss posters around. Don’t question them endlessly, question their motives or put words in their mouths.

Don’t criticize or mock other posters opinions. STICK to your own opinions on the subject please.

Know-it-alls generally don’t last long here. Be polite and respect other’s opinions PLEASE.

Kellie’s back story was brought up prominently during her auditions and Hollywood week. Her family video consisted of her grandpa and brought out tons of tears. She milked the ditzy persona for weeks too.

This is actually the first season in a while where one of the contestants had a dramatic back story. (Although I think Cook’s brother being ill was not mentioned directly on the show it was mentioned alot in the media.) The problem for Gokey is that many people find him unappealing so the back story grates instead of making people feel sympathy for him.

He’s also easy to typecast as the Red State fundie, so people can also use him as a punching bag to settle political scores. I find him extremely jerky but not really worthy of much scorn.

It would be pretty funny if he won even though all my points are on Adam.

Kellieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s back story was brought up prominently during her auditions and Hollywood week. Her family video consisted of her grandpa and brought out tons of tears. She milked the ditzy persona for weeks too.

Yes she did. And while Idol fans seem to love Kellie since she’s been off the show, she was one of the most HATED contestants of Season 5 because of the overt pimping and the fact that she played up the ditzy aspects of her personality in a super phony way.

I couldn’t wait until she was eliminated.

Kellieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s back story was brought up prominently during her auditions and Hollywood week. Her family video consisted of her grandpa and brought out tons of tears. She milked the ditzy persona for weeks too.

Yeah, I didn’t start watching Season 5 until Top 24 (except for the green mile episode). That’s why I wasn’t sure. All I remember is the ditzy routine and the rest being reported on in the press. Honestly, I kind of wonder if I should go back to skipping all of it until top 24 (or 36).

Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also easy to typecast as the Red State fundie, so people can also use him as a punching bag to settle political scores. I find him extremely jerky but not really worthy of much scorn.

Except he’s from a decidedly BLUE state. LOL.

I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait until she was eliminated.

Oh, me too. And now I adore her – which is hilarious to me.

Honestly, I kind of wonder if I should go back to skipping all of it until top 24.

I’m thinking this would be a good plan for me as well, but Mr. Spens loves the audition rounds. Mean Simon is his favorite part of the year. He loves the trainwrecks and the humiliation. So, I don’t think he’d let me enact this plan.

mj May 4th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

Kellieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s back story was brought up prominently during her auditions and Hollywood week. Her family video consisted of her grandpa and brought out tons of tears. She milked the ditzy persona for weeks too.

Yes she did. And while Idol fans seem to love Kellie since sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been off the show, she was one of the most HATED contestants of Season 5 because of the overt pimping and the fact that she played up the ditzy aspects of her personality in a super phony way.

I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t wait until she was eliminated.

Ditto. Kellie Pickler irritated the sh!t out of me while she was on the show. The sob story, the dumber than a box of hair act – GRRRR! I wanted to smack her. But now I quite like her. Mainly because she’s dropped the ditz act.

erinnthered May 4th, 2009 at 10:23 pm

Danny has apparently read the Paula Abdul Guide to Indirect Answers and Incoherent Bullshit.

I so need a copy of that book. Seriously.

Ever since PaulaGate, I swear an AI crew member has been writing her material. It’s so obviously not spontaneous yet accurate enough that the author must have advance knowledge about the performances.

I almost miss the pre-PaulaGate suspense of wondering which random part of her alphabet soup Pauler would vomit up — except that PaulaGate soured me on the so-called “nice judge.”

Danny vs. Adam. Both are drama queens playing the idol game to win. I find Adam sleazy and manipulative, and yes I am basing this on some of the stuff I have seen on the net. Danny seems arrogant, and full of himself. Kris and Allison for the finale!!!!!!

I am somewhat disappointed that they ignore Kris Allen when talking about these faith topics.

I think that its possible that Kris’ family or friends might have been approached, and asked him for the all clear, and he said no. Just as Danny’s family might have if he were asked. I think Danny is going all in with his chips. He may just cash out nicely. The next few months are going to be very interesting.

I liked Kelly on the show, even though I admit she outstayed her usefulness, I love her now. Her backstory can’t possible trump Danny’s. Nothing beats a dead spouse. Well I guess if you were terminal yourself. But then that’s just unseemly. LOL.

mj May 4th, 2009 at 10:48 pm

And while Idol fans seem to love Kellie since sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been off the show, she was one of the most HATED contestants of Season 5 because of the overt pimping and the fact that she played up the ditzy aspects of her personality in a super phony way.

Exactly.

Spense and snuffles, I think the overpimping and show manipulations can really push our buttons. Then, when the season is over, we are free to reevaluate a hated contestant without all those manufactured distractions.

That was my AI3 experience. I abhorred the way Fantasia was overpimped to the detriment of other contestants like Jennifer Hudson, George Huff, and Jon Peter Lewis — so much so that I voted in the finale for Diana DeGarmo, whom I really didn’t like, to send TIIC a message. Much to my surprise, I actually really enjoyed Fanty’s videos and performances out of the AI context. Of course, it helped that her recording team toned down all the gospelly yeah-yeah-yeahs.

YMMV.

edit: save the lectures for another blog

“pimpage” is such a creepy word…

Wow…when I saw 250 comments, I knew there was some good stuff here…I just read them all! (Yeah, I need a life.)

edit: the david cook discussion is finished

As for Phil (poor guy), I have never read his blog, but I do remember him being a totally nice guy. I was actually surprised this season to hear him say he was a fan of Adam or at least that he liked Adam.

As for Phil, I like him just fine. I don’t think he’s a douche. I have no interest in his blog, though. It’s really a useless read. They should have hired Sligh.

“Hollygo9:
I guess Kris is chopped liver.
We call it Pà ¢tà © in my house and ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a favorite on Tuesdays.:)”

LOL! I love it!!

Yes she did. And while Idol fans seem to love Kellie since sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s been off the show, she was one of the most HATED contestants of Season 5 because of the overt pimping and the fact that she played up the ditzy aspects of her personality in a super phony way.

In two separate interviews (I am thinking one was with Larry King), Kellie brought out the fact that many fans already knew. She was told what to say. She knew what calamar was, and had eaten them many times. It was a joke she went along with. The manipulation factor was in high gear along with Kellie’s natural sense of humor.

That the Gospel Music Channel would devote so much time to Danny validates my suspicion that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got quite a bit of buzz going on in the Evangelical Christian community. It partly answers the question, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“So, whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voting for Dannyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ?

MJ, I firmly believe this to be true. This TV special was a walking advertisement, “Vote for Danny, he’s one of us.”

When church pastors are discussing American Idol and morals in the pulpit (bad, bad, Adam – you weren’t with Eve), you know AI, religion, and politics are intertwined.

CDIdolsFan, sorry but nothing you listed qualifies him, in my mind, to blog for the LA Times. A lot of people sing in church etc., and all the Idols had prior experience singing. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still stunned.

I did list one thing: he has been on the show and knows what the contestants are going through. He blogged for USA today’s “Idol Chatter” last season as well. Another thing: it may be that he has impressed the LA Times and other publications enough to allow him to post his blog. NOthing stunning about that to me, and to those who have known him for years before Idol. I remain impressed with him, especially after he accurately predicted David Cook to win. He stood on the Omaha stage during the season 6 tour, and said that the next Idol winner could audition in Omaha. David Cook did so. So far, he has proven to be pretty accurate, too, in saying that Danny will make it to the top 4, which he did.

Ok, here are the reasons why I totally dislike Danny:

1. Simon tried to push Danny (and Adam) down our throats from Day 1, and I find that quite irritating.

2. Danny used the sympathy vote card (which David Cook never did).

3. He is a camera hog.

4. He does vulgar dance moves (Slezak had fun pointing some of those out).

5. He has a smug attitude. It is incredibly frustrating to see Simon give him a pass on everything when David Cook had to earn everything he got on idol. (Simon called David smug, arrogant, pompous, told him he had no personality, and plenty of other things.)

No wonder Vote For The Worst has now chosen Danny.

P.S. I feel bad trashing Danny because I am a Christian too–you’d think I would like him–but, hey, it is what it is.

I vote for Kris because I don’t think Allison has a chance, and I would love to see an Adam/Kris (Kradam?) finale!

Aww, Allison has just as much as a chance as Kris.

I submit what you just said about Cook:

told him he had no personality

Simon says that about Lava Girl. See? There’s hope!

Actually, I’m wondering if Allie did pick up a lot of Lil Rounds votes. That could help her, if she did.

supermeklot May 4th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

I believe that Kris Allen has very much exhibited his faith through his actions and I think thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more important.

True.

Kris is reportedly one of the first to hug the other contestants and encourage them. He ‘cheer leads’ on the other contestants.

Kris seems open-minded. If he wasn’t he would not have been Adam’s roommate or said that he is closest to Adam and respects him.

Kris Allen walks the walk.

Doogs
May 4th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
And what kind of music will Adam be singing after Idol??

Not a vested fan of anyone this year, but had to comment on this. I see variations of this point everywhere, and it always gives me a bit of a laugh. He sounds an awful lot like this to me. And it’s selling pretty well.

Well, apparently Gokey is kicking everyone’s butt, so let’s hope his fans think he’s the shit and don’t feel the need to vote, leading to a shock boot and the awesome top three that would be A/A/K! :-)

You know when I see Danny my GAYDAR goes off.

No, really.

I think Danny has a little sugar in him. Maybe he just hasn’t come out yet.

You CANà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢T stand it that Danny is kicking Adams butt and you need to find some reason to make you feel better. It couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be that the public just likes Danny better????? sorry, looks like thats the case.

If Danny is kicking Adam’s butt…….why isn’t Danny selling more downloads than Adam or Kris? The public can like whoever they want but if a faithful fanbase isn’t buying his music then who will?

I’ve been thinking back and trying to remember something, and I can’t come up with it. Did Danny ever actually say he was a Christian? I think I might remember him saying something in his initial interview package about being a worship leader, but that’s all I can think of besides his singing inspirational songs. I could be totally wrong on that, though.

How many people watch the Gospel Channel?

Wonderwhy, I go to an evangelical Christian church, and I’m a worship leader (of sorts – I plan the music, but I don’t lead up front). My parents get the gospel channel on channel 22.

I can count on 1 hand the number of times I’ve actually watched the station. Maybe paused for a minute, but I’ve almost never actually watched it. Half of what’s on the station is country and Disney music anyways.

If Danny is kicking Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s buttà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.why isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t Danny selling more downloads than Adam or Kris? The public can like whoever they want but if a faithful fanbase isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t buying his music then who will?

Ah, the million dollar question. The voting public vs. the buying public can be two very different animals. Just ask Taylor Hicks.

Ah, the million dollar question. The voting public vs. the buying public can be two very different animals. Just ask Taylor Hicks.

Honestly, Taylor sold a lot of CDs to his Idol fanbase, and then it tapered off quickly. I don’t see Danny having the sales Hicks had at all. IF he wins (and I still think that’s a huge if), he’ll be a failure of the first water, and he will do VFTW proud.

I may be in the minority here, but I don’t have a problem with any contestant bringing up a tragic story from their life. It’s part of who they are. Sometimes producers can manipulate that and twist things (and I’m sure a lot of that is out of the contestants’ control, what with all the waivers they have to sign), which casts a negative light on that contestant. Still, as long as it’s not a lie, it’s a part of the (sorry to quote the cotton commercials) fabric of their lives. It would come up if you talked to them long enough.

I think those stories can actually be interesting. I wish we’d find out more about all of them. I still vote based on talent and fit with the style of music I enjoy, but I think it’s great to have a reminder that these people are human.

Also, I don’t know that the Gospel Channel necessarily ignored Chris and Sarver. It might be possible that they didn’t know the stories about Kris, or, as Gwen mentioned earlier, his family might not have been willing to participate. Plus, while the message may have been skewed to some, it could also be that they were intending to promote Danny’s foundation rather than Danny. I say that having not watched the video (can’t watch online videos due to some virus problems).

Ah, the million dollar question. The voting public vs. the buying public can be two very different animals. Just ask Taylor Hicks.

Honestly, Taylor sold a lot of CDs to his Idol fanbase, and then it tapered off quickly. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see Danny having the sales Hicks had at all. IF he wins (and I still think thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a huge if), heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be a failure of the first water, and he will do VFTW proud.

I don’t know that any winner of Idol this year will sell well. The economy is still bad, and music sales were down before that. Music is a luxury, and that’s the first to go. Ask Major League Baseball – the Yankees slashed ticket prices in half for some sections, and the Cincinnati Reds called me to ask me to buy tickets (never happened in my 20+ years of Reds fandom).

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know that any winner of Idol this year will sell well. The economy is still bad, and music sales were down before that. Music is a luxury, and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the first to go. Ask Major League Baseball – the Yankees slashed ticket prices in half for some sections, and the Cincinnati Reds called me to ask me to buy tickets (never happened in my 20 years of Reds fandom).

I agree that it’s a tough market. However, I think they can be measured by what other artists manage to sell in the same market. So, yes. It would be unfair to judge them by what Carrie Underwood did with her first album with a current first album. At the same time the exposure of Idol is a plus, and it will be interesting to see how the Idol winner does compared to the rest of the music industry.

Much of it will depend on radio, and I don’t see Gokey getting more than a few AC nods.

I actually like some gospel music, but I’ve never even heard of this channel, lol. I do like Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans. I wonder if Danny will try a gospel song for the finale…um…er…if he makes it there, that is. It would either be a bold move or an idiotic one. Prolly the latter, lol. Mandisa’s cover of MaryMary didn’t go over so well, as I recall.

Hmm, when you sum it up like that jpfan, it looks a little unfair to Phil. Plus, I think Phil is actually a nice guy. Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re going to need a substitue asshole for him plus one more for the barbershop quartert.

Yes, please get a substitute for Phil. I loved seeing Phil’s newborn baby and the way he was with his wife. So, I was hooked. He also has a beautiful voice. I cannot judge him by what he’s been writing.

Phil’s Dad was posting on the AI forum, and I shared dozens of emails with him. I sent him MasterClassLady’s comments concerning his performance. He thought they were so helpful and would send her weekly critiques to Phil. Through the email I felt Phil’s family was so warm – so likeable.

St. Luica, I am picking up the same vibes you are regarding Danny. Mentioning him and the organization for his deceased wife was an unpaid ad to vote for Danny (poor Kris). This was an appeal to the Evangelical Christian community.

“Every season has a contestant who inspires intense dislike. It may or may not be deserved and it may or may not be rational. It just is. This year ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Danny Gokeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s turn. In my opinion, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the reason Constantine, Blake, and Michael Johns were brought up in this discussion about Danny Gokey. (But Phil Stacey? In the same category deserving of the name calling? Seriously?) And every season has a contestant who inspires intense adoration. It may or may not be deserved and it may or may not be rational. It just is. It all makes me wonder”

No one has even mentioned the video from the Football Team coming out for Gokey. As much as I also dislike him, it seems the furor has become nasty due to his having the supposed Christian backing. The attacks seem to be coming because of the “power vote” of the Christians… if that is even true. Several influential people are backing Gokey and they are not all Christians. I don’t like his voice but that husky rough sound is very popular in several genres of music. Most of my friends who are NOT Christian actually like Danny so it makes for interesting debate among us. LOL.

About the name calling of other seasons’ contestants…. Phil Stacey is a nice guy because he doesn’t use the language that the others do… but there are other character flaws that are evident. I think all of us have things we can overlook… and things we cannot.

I agree with others who commented on how much Kris and Allison have grown this season. With proper backing from 19, I think either of them could be a great winner. Adam has the most experience and training so might make the most money for them. Hasn’t he already been offered the SuperMan gig?

Thank you mj for providing a forum for us all to express our opinion and for keeping us in line when we cross the boundaries. LOL.

“Ask Major League Baseball – the Yankees slashed ticket prices in half for some sections, and the Cincinnati Reds called me to ask me to buy tickets (never happened in my 20 years of Reds fandom).”

Well, to be fair, the Yanks were asking $2200 a seat for those seat prices they slashed! I don’t think record sales can compare. Sure, they’ll drop off some because of the economy, but I’m not sure that will ever affect the initial “fandom” sales for the winning American Idol.

Kris and Allison for the finale!!!!!!

Now THAT is a Finale I would wholeheartedly support! I may defend Danny, but Kris and Allison are the best left IMO. Sorry I will never be fan of Adam. He seems like a nice kid, but his performing style turns me off.

Well, to be fair, the Yanks were asking $2200 a seat for those seat prices they slashed! I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think record sales can compare. Sure, theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll drop off some because of the economy, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure that will ever affect the initial à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fandomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  sales for the winning American Idol.

Very true (Yankees are ridiculous)). Still music sales are kind of paltry right now, even ITunes. I’ll be interesting to see how that all pans out.