Idol Headlines for 04/21/09

The thing that bothers me most about Paula is that despite her being all sorts of low IQ crazy, is that I am sure she makes a heck of a lot more money than me!!!!!!!

Michael Johns’ EW Idolatry interview and performance are finally up: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/04/michael-johns-i.html

Michael sounds amazing! Love the interview. They play a little Heart on My Sleeve, a clip for a song “This is Goodbye” which sounds amazing, and MJ performs a Bee Gees cover that will be on the album!

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Britainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Got Talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ child star Shaheen Jafargholi

He really isn’t out-of-this-world impressive.

ABDUL: Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bully, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a masterful bully.

“…and I can’t keep my hands off of him.”

Is it me, or does Paula tend to throw in that “I made Kara” thing every chance she gets? If I were Kara I think I’d be ready to kick her by now.

Interviewer: So what do you think of the fourth judge?

Paula: Well, you know I discovered her right? She had nothing. She slept on my couch.

Interviewer: Do you think she’s a good addition to the show?

Paula: Well, I made her. She owes it all to me. She’s nothing without me. But we’re good friends.

Interviewer? So you get along.

Paula: Oh absolutely. We used to live together, you know. Back when I launched her entire career. So she loves me. And owes me all her royalties.

Seriously. Shut.Up.Paula.

mj, thanks for posting the link to MTV’s story about Adam and the Zodiac Show. The video embedded in the story is good too.

So even the Zodiac Show had to tone Adam down, lolz. Still hoping he does something absolutely crazy on Top 2 night or the big Finale.

Awww. I want to see that flaming headdress. :0

Oh, my goodness, Paula does love to talk, doesn’t she?

Meanwhile, one of those she loved — Elliott (I do think that Paula often has a softer spot for just the great *singers* than the other judges, and I appreciate that.) — gets a story on CNN today. (Sorry if this is already posted somewhere; I didn’t see it.)

http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/

A Cynical Read of the Susan Boyle Phenomenon

Thanks, this articulates my exact problem with the Susan Boyle phenomenon. I don’t have a problem with her singing, but the contrived drama, the camera shots of the audience and judges’ reactions… ugh, so glad AI is live and not edited.

Dude, MTV totally cribbed your article, MJ!

My favorite quote on the Zodiac Adam piece:
“”I think that it’s really been beautiful on the show to see him grow and take in all the comments and the constructive criticism and really add it to his performances, and he’s so humble and so beautiful, and he means it and he’s real,” Scarlett said. ”

He is so humble, beautiful and talented. I also love all the girl love that Adam is getting from Adrianne to Christina Applegate. You can see on Twitter too that so many girls are referring to Adam as their “Gay Boyfriend”. I’m so glad he’s being embraced this way. His concerts are going to be a blast.

I love Paula and think she’s been great this year. I think Idol has run it’s course though and hope that Simon brings her along to X-factor. I think Idol is a bit stuffy and bland, and I think X-Factor can bring more excitement. People embracing Adam shows America is ready for it. The used salesman guy sold 5 millions cds, and Simon expects Boyle to double that – shipping close to 5 million, then they’d be crazy not to move to this show. But, I’d really like it if Paula came too. But, yeah, why does she always have to bring up that she gave Kara her start.

I’m no Danny fan, but that opening paragraph in USA Today is seriously harsh. I hope he doesn’t see it.

Yep. I loved A Cynical Read of the Susan Boyle Phenomenon. Nothing against Susan, who has a truly lovely voice. But, they do the same thing every. single. year. on that show. Between the thunderous applause that starts up after she has sung the third note to the incredulous expressions on the judges’ faces, it’s all like a cornball movie scene from the ’40s. I expected, at some point, for Clarence the Angel to be seen off-stage, proud of his new wings, or for the Von Trapp children to finally make it over the Alps, into Susan’s waiting arms.

But, I’m just crabby. I do wish Susan well because she deserves it. Her “Cry Me a River” is perfection.

USA Today is right though. In that photo essay, Ken Warwick mentioned that Danny’s musical knowledge is very limited because he grew up kind of sheltered and didn’t watch much TV. Heck, even Danny himself said the same thing at one point.

I think that’s why he keep making such crappy and uninspired song choices.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m no Danny fan, but that opening paragraph in USA Today is seriously harsh. I hope he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see it.

I hope he does see it. It’s not harsh. It’s the truth. It’s not a personal attack on his character, but it’s a real, actual critique and observation of where he actually stands in this competition. Heck yeah, a shake-up is needed.

Paula has her issues but I’ll take her over Simon. I do think he’s a bully, and unfortunately he has enough charm to get away with it. I give Paula credit for finding a way to stay on the show and surivive in spite of Simon’s being such an asshole. Though it irks me when they act like spoiled children. I think she had to adapt to put up with him.

People say Simon is right, and often he is, but Paula or Randy are right just as often. Simon is wrong as often as he is right. I dislike him when he is unnecessarily cruel, and when he makes things personal. He hits below the belt, and seeks to wound. And yet because he’s handsome and has charisma, people let him do it. A lot of charming people get away with a lot of crap when people can’t see beyond surface charm. And just because he is nice sometimes, doesn’t make it okay that he is a cruel bully the other times.

I’m one of the many people who LOVED the Susan Boyle video as soon as I saw it. I watched it repeatedly, made me tear up..now? I’m sick of her. I can’t turn on the TV without some mention of her or a new interview with her. I guarantee eventually, soon others will grow tired. It’s overkill.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m one of the many people who LOVED the Susan Boyle video as soon as I saw it. I watched it repeatedly, made me tear up..now? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sick of her. I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t turn on the TV without some mention of her or a new interview with her. I guarantee eventually, soon others will grow tired. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s overkill.

I was at the gym the other day and there were three televisions on, each turned to a different news program. Within five minutes I saw her face on each of those TVs.

I agree with you, Trina. Enough already.

I love Susan Boyle. Of course she’s on every news program at the moment. That’s what happens with everything that is newsy. It seems pretty unavoidable.

I love that MTV article about Adam and the Zodiac Show. The video that accompanies it is awesome too with Scarlett, Lee and Carmit gushing about Adam. This article along with mj’s NY Post one shows how Adam positively touches everyone that he works with.

AI Adam fans love and gush about him and we don’t even know him! Just think if you REALLY did know him, how much more insane that love and admiration would be.

nice article about the razorpop interview david a gave while on his asian promo tour…. that interview is one of the best and most candid david has given… the interviewers treated him with respect as an artist, asked insightful and intelligent questions…
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uw_M6ZbloQw/Se3nUbjD6LI/AAAAAAAALKI/6BeaLEfmoXo/s1600-h/zmypaper.jpg

here is the link to pt. 1 of 5 of the razorpop interview….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dlmALVc1Lw&feature=PlayList&p=94C6C1A049DB5E93&index=0&playnext=1

I used to love Michael Johns, but he was so arrogant in that Idolatry video. He thinks he is this great singer and musician, but he is just mediocre. His fun personality cannot overshadow his arrogance.

Because sometimes, sometimes we … ”

Scarlett, the show’s other co-creator and co-lead singer, interrupted Cherry: “We have to tone him down,” she laughed.

Seriously? :lol_tb:

If that was toned down Adam, i would love to see him let loose,LOL!!!!

I’m already sick of Susan Boyle, and I have yet to watch her video or hear her sing (I’m working really hard at avoiding her).

Is it me, or does Paula tend to throw in that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I made Karaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thing every chance she gets? If I were Kara I think Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be ready to kick her by now.

It would appear that you are correct. This is apparently Paula’s favorite subject, when she’s not pretending she’s not secretly in love with Simon.

As a watcher of Idol from the S1 premier, I have found the Adam phenomenon quite perplexing. In considering it all I have come to the conclusion that TBTB made another change to the show, this time without bothering to tell me, and so I have been confused. Idol traditionally has claimed to be about finding a great singer with factors like personality and appearance important to winning over voters but more or less secondary to the singing. This is what I am used to and what I expect. Now all of sudden performance has become a big part of the formula. Why?

Any other year, if he had made the cut at all, Adam’s theatrical approach would have been dismissed as Broadway (a disparaging remark on Idol), cabaret (another classic derogative) or indulgent (a Simon favorite). This year the judges have been overwhelmingly supportive of him since the beginning and I can’t help but wonder about this rather unexpected change in evaluation criteria. I’ve decided it’s because Idol still wants the chart dominating international male pop star they have never quite found, and TPTB saw Adam from the very beginning as someone who can take on that glitzy, glamorous, synthetic, manufactured yet lucrative world. The Idol I know and love and its search for good singers has become increasingly irrelevant in a genre where image and stage performance seem to be of foremost importance, and vocals can be shaped in the studio as necessary. Adam, however, would fit in quite well and the fact that he can actually sing is a bonus. I do believe he’s TCO and has been from the start, chosen for his look, style and performing ability rather than primarily his good voice. Surround him with a somewhat bland cast of the more traditional Idol candidates and of course he will stand out and therefore likely win. I’ve never been one for the knoll, but this year I’m not so sure.

Post-Idol I will wish Adam success and happiness as I do for all Idol contestants. I won’t be a fan, however, because I mostly find him unlistenable and unwatchable, but I also find Top 40 mostly unlistenable and unwatchable. He should do very, very well there.

I’m not so sure there’s anything new about this, TreeFrog, seems to me they’ve stressed personality and image and performance intensity and memorability every season.

That was the heart of Simon’s beef with Kelly Clarkson, before he finally came around to her, as I recall, and that was in the very first season. He knew she was a great singer. but she didn’t have the particular image and look and “it factor” that he was looking for, in his opinion. He kept saying stuff like that she “disappeared” and so on. ….

And — for another example, but far from the only other one — from season 2 onward, at least, they (and Simon, especially) have been on the lookout for a “blond country singer,” voice kind of irrelevant. Yeah, they loved Carrie partly because in addition to being a blond country singer, she could actually sing. But Simon even predicted that Pickler might *top* Carrie’s success, even though, as everyone knew, including him, Kellie couldn’t sing up to the level of Carrie’s worst-in-a-lifetime performance on the best singing day the Pickle ever had. It was all about the look and personality and “itness” instead. And, of course, he supported Carmen-the-non-singer Rasmussen to the bitter end, all because of the blond country thing.

Every single season they greet auditioner after auditioner — and often the very best singers among them — with “you don’t really look like the American Idol.”

Yeah, they also note time to time during the season that “this is a singing contest,” and they would certainly rather have great singers who fit their chosen molds and images than have only so-so singers who do. But I don’t believe that molds and images and wow-’em performance and interview personalities have ever in the history of the show been secondary to the singing for the judges/producers. That’s what the industry has been about, ever since the show has been on the air, and they’re industry types, so it doesn’t surprise me that that’s always been their focus.

Just look at all the special non-AI-related guest “singers” they have on. They’re virtually all huge stars and virtually none of them can hold a candle to the best AI contestants over the years *as* *singers.* If AI were looking primarily for singers, they’d get Susan Boyle and Elliott Yamin (along with Adam Lambert and Carrie Underwood, of course), and that would totally thwart their aim of creating big American radio, arena-performing, recording stars. There’s a reason why they weren’t excited to sign Elliott or Melinda, and it had a lot to do with their quiet demeanors, Elliott’s teeth, etc.

From IDF via an AFed forum: Adam had dinner with Zac Efron!

Ok, so my brother and his wife and kids walked into their local deli last week and they walked in at the same time as Adam.

He was there to have dinner with Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens.

My neice, who is 5, has a huge crush on Zac. She’s not that fond of Vanessa. Smile

My sister in law talked to them and they invited my neice and nephew to come and sit with them, but both were too shy.

After they ate though, my nephew, who is 3, did go over and give them each a little sucker-lollipop.

There’s a pic of Adam sitting between Zac and Vanessa taken from the cell phone on this page: (There’s also a hot pic of Adam and other 2 very cute guys on this page too.)
http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=594571&st=4460

^^wow I wonder why they had dinner? I wonder who invited who.
If Zac did, that must be so cool for Adam.
Not a fan of Zac and especially not Vanessa, but he is a pretty big star and it’s flattering for Adam if he is inviting him to join them for dinners.

I think people really underestimate Paula and low IQ is not something I would ever attribute to her.

Having watched a bit of her reality show, I had no idea just what she was going through medically which could explain a lot of her bizarre behaviour over previous seasons and it is clear to me that this season Paula is more lucid, insightful, and articulate and I have to imagine that is because she has some of those issues under control [ie they got the meds well adjusted].

She did a lot of great work before Idol in terms of the dance world and the music world. She may not have had the best voice but hey, she and Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

Now while Simon is often cruel, I would disagree with Paua somewhat in that I don’t think all the slagging is done behind the backs of auditioning talent. I have heard many stories where people were told nasty things to their face or where the casting directors carry on cell phone conversations or don’t even look up when you do your thing so I think it is Simon’s duty, [though he is not always right in his opinion, most of the time I agree with him] to prepare the peeps for the criticisms they are going to get, even established artists still get bashed on album and concert reviews and you can’t get more public than that. Nothing worse than a bad review in Rolling Stone. And I think you might prefer to have that criticism said to your face than behind your back because maybe it is something you can change or do better and if you don’t know you can’t improve.

If you can’t handle Simon, you aren’t ready for the business frankly or you better get that thick skin soon. If you truly believe in your own talent, you take the criticisms you think are valid, apply them and let the rest go in one ear and out the other. Many of us has perfected this technique with the parental units, bwah.

Adam had dinner with Zac Efron!

High School Musical 10

It’ll never end.

Very interesting theory Tree-Frog on the international male pop star theory regarding Adam.

They have their international female pop star, Ms. Kelly Clarkson.

Not sure I would count Cookie out of the running yet. Does anyone know how Cookie is selling or charting outside the US and Canada? Is there a push to get there? I know that I have friends in Australia who were definitely watching American Idol with almost as much enthusiasm as us last season because I think it was the first season they showed AI in Oz almost contemporeanously with the US version.

High School Musical 10

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll never end.

:lol_tb: :lol_tb:

From Top Idol site, who the heck knows if they’re true, these Idol song spoilers for disco nite:

Brickhouse Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 06:43 PM EST

Lil: MacArthur Park
Matt: September
Danny: Disco Inferno
Kris: How Deep is Your Love
Allison: Dancing Queen
Adam: Call Me
Anoop: Ladies Night

Adam’s life is a little like Bizarro World. There’s so many facets of his life that don’t really match or overlap, but are a part of him. The Zodiac Show world vs. the AI/Musical theatre/Zac Efron type world… But that’s partly why I love the guy! He (his music/performances) can be anything I want him to be depending on my mood!

Treefrog — excellent post! I have the same thoughts, which you expressed so well. I think Adam is a born entertainer with an awesome, elastic voice. But he’s also way over the top much of the time for me, and showboating like mad.

The only thing I’d add to the hoping-for-an-international-glam-star idea is that they just want to keep mixing it up. God forbid they have two gifted singer-songwriting rockers in a row! which is why, despite my Idols jones, I have to constantly remind myself about the mercantile nature of the show and its internal goals, which the judges I’m sure are indoctrinated in…..no surprise! I just forget sometimes…

Thanks for the link to the CNN.com article about Elliott. It’s a good article and nice promo for the album.

That pic of Zac, Adam, and Vanessa is adorable. :wub_tb: Wonder if that was before or after the 17 Again premiere?

Thanks for the Elliott CNN article. Good one.

Adam had dinner with Zac Efron!

High School Musical 10

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll never end.

I saw the first one but couldn’t watch the second all the way through. I’d check out that tenth installment for Adam, though. lol

Elsewhere…we might be seeing billboards like this around Manila soon…

Cook David Archuleta Live in Manila

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a pic of Adam sitting between Zac and Vanessa taken from the cell phone on this page: (Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a hot pic of Adam and other 2 very cute guys on this page too.)
http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=594571&st=4460

Okay, first ewwww at those forums and all of the crazy little banners people have at the bottom of EVERY post. That’s so annoying and distracting, I could never read there on a regular basis. Plus, some of them are really lame – but I assume their creators are 13 – so I’ll give that a pass.

But I’m LOL’ing at the picture on that page of Gokey with the pizza box!! He’s fatter every week – he should totally be avoiding that table.

Thanks for the Elliot/CNN article. Elliot is always the kind and sweet guy he appears to be. I am glad he has made a nice living and bought a house. I look forward to buying his new CD. Maybe it was just me, but I got the impression that was hinting he made just as much from his 600,000 record sales and Christmas CDs as Doughtry has from his millions. Maybe labels really soak away more money than I thought.

Thanks for the chuckle SpenserJ (wasltp). It looked like Gokey was saying, “Wow, you mean this pizza is like free?”

From Top Idol site, who the heck knows if theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re true, these Idol song spoilers for disco nite:

I wonder how many weeks in a row of some chucklehead posting fake spoilers in the EW comments section before people stop taking it seriously…

Elliott’s distributor gave A speech and said he personally gave Elliott a check for $1 million. So going indie can really pay off. I can’t believe Daughtry hasn’t pulled in that plus much more but who knows.I think artists on major labels are kind of famous for getting screwed when it comes to $. But I don’t really know the truth behind the legent so to speak.

star
Apr 21st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
That pic of Zac, Adam, and Vanessa is adorable. Wonder if that was before or after the 17 Again premiere?

Supposedly, it was dated April 5th which was before the premiere.

I guess they have more in common than you would think because they both grew up in High School doing musical theatre, and HS kids made fun of Zach too.

Elsewhereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦we might be seeing billboards like this around Manila soonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Cook David Archuleta Live in Manila

Eeek i always hated that Cook picture, he looks so old there especially there when it’s put in contrast to Archie’s pic. of all the pictures, why they choose that one haha.
anyway, i’m sooooooo excited, Archie here I come!!!!

So glad USA Today calls out the judges for being “overly complimentary” to Gokey.

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a pic of Adam sitting between Zac and Vanessa taken from the cell phone on this page: (Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a hot pic of Adam and other 2 very cute guys on this page too.)
http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=594571&st=4460

OMG! Adam is going Disney!!

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Britainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Got Talentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ child star Shaheen Jafargholi

He really isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t out-of-this-world impressive.

*GASP*! That boy is absolutely amazing!!! He’s only 12!!!!! I felt chills hearing him sing…good chills hahah…and i’ll take him anyday over a 47 yr old cat lady….opera just isn’t my thing.

I do love dimples though….guess that’s why i love Shaheen!! :blush_tb:

Another really nice review for Back to Bacharach and David:

A comedic highlight of the show pits the pre-feminist jazz waltz, “Wives and Lovers,” against De Garmo’s sexually liberated take on “What’s New Pussycat” (kudos to Gregg Barnes’ costumes).

A vet of “Hairspray” on Broadway, De Garmo projects an all-grown-up vocal control and a tangible sensuality that permeates such solo fare as the show-opening, bossa-tinged, “The Look of Love,” and a determined, “Don’t Make Me Over.” The singer also displays ample comedy chops as she chews up the scenery with her hyper-kinetic, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.”

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940088.html?categoryid=34&cs=1&nid=2562

Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life is a little like Bizarro World. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so many facets of his life that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t really match or overlap, but are a part of him. The Zodiac Show world vs. the AI/Musical theatre/Zac Efron type worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ But thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s partly why I love the guy! He (his music/performances) can be anything I want him to be depending on my mood!

Does anyone remember when Alice Cooper went on the Muppets. Talk about bizarro. He sang “Schools out for Summer” with the muppets dancing behind him.

The Idol I know and love and its search for good singers has become increasingly irrelevant in a genre where image and stage performance seem to be of foremost importance, and vocals can be shaped in the studio as necessary. Adam, however, would fit in quite well and the fact that he can actually sing is a bonus. I do believe heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s TCO and has been from the start, chosen for his look, style and performing ability rather than primarily his good voice.

I’m sure Adam stood out from the very start for his look, his performing ability and, disagreeing with you here, his incredible vocal talent. In my opinion, his voice is more than just “good” with its perfect pitch, immense range and amazing control, not to mention his lyric phrasings and interpretations. I think the surprise for the producers was that he was, so much, the complete package.

I also think the producers don’t just have one Chosen One. I find it difficult to believe they would risk putting all their money on Adam and stack the deck with a bunch of other bland singers, especially since with Adam, there was always the question of how America would react to his perceived sexual orientation, what embarassing secrets might come out of the woodwork, etc. I think the producers certainly start out with their favorites and try to manipulate the process, but ultimately they sit back and watch how things play out like the rest of us. Perhaps the biggest surprise for them has been his personality and his likeability factor which seems to be off the charts. It presents such a compelling contrast, the snarling bad boy rocker image on stage and the sweet, humble, respectful guy on the couches. I think that, plus his obvious intelligence, has just been a big fat bonus, and certainly not something they could have predicted based on the limited pre-screening they do.

This is the first time I’ve watched an Idol season from the beginning, and, personally, I’m loving it. Adam caught my eye at his SF audition and I’ve been rooting for him ever since.

Just a correction of fact. “Les Miserables,” from witch Susan Boyles sang a song, is not an Opera.

But heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also way over the top much of the time for me, and showboating like mad.

Funny how different we are as observers of AI. I’m breathlessly waiting for the moment that Adam can really “show his stuff” and wow us with his marvelous OTT performance. I think there is still untapped “extravagance” in Adam and I can’t wait to see it. I love OTT, think that the bigger and brighter the fireworks are at the fourth of July the better. I couldn’t get enough of Hugh Jackman in “The Boy from Oz”, Pink Floyd concerts, Queen with Freddie Mercury, etc. Not that I don’t melt when its just Adam and a chair and his incredible voice…but man I love to be entertained. When someone gets me out of my chair and I just NEED to move and make a total fool of myself, well that my friends is ENTERTAINMENT to me.

“Any other year, if he had made the cut at all, Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s theatrical approach would have been dismissed as Broadway (a disparaging remark on Idol), cabaret (another classic derogative) or indulgent (a Simon favorite). ”

Oh Adam HAS received these types of remarks, for ROF – he was told he was indulgent and horrible, he has just done so well every other week (I liked ROF though) that they dont need to say these things to him

Another really nice review for Back to Bacharach and David

Check out today’s headlines thread. I already posted it.

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a pic of Adam sitting between Zac and Vanessa taken from the cell phone on this page: (Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a hot pic of Adam and other 2 very cute guys on this page too.)
http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=594571&st=4460

OMG! Adam is going Disney!!

Maybe they could do the “American Idiot” musical that is in the works for Green Day! I can see him and Zac being friends.

As a watcher of Idol from the S1 premier, I have found the Adam phenomenon quite perplexing.

I think based on talent, the guy should probably win, but I am already SO SO SO sick of the dude, and the finals are only half way over. It’s not just the uber-hyping that comes from the judges, but it’s all the pop-culture saturation. Everywhere I click, he’s there, even in non entertainment web-media lately. And it doesn’t help that it seems the rabidness of his fanbase makes the zealous devotion inherent within last season’s Archie-mania seem like a lazy Sunday afternoon by comparison (I’m saying this based more on what I’ve observed outside of this site than what I’ve seen here).

Off-topic, but I’ve also realized that last season was the ONLY year I could have become a fan of this show. When I started watching last year, it seemed like a legitimate talent show with genuinely talented artists.

What I previously thought happened was that the the show just made a couple missteps and the season fell apart. But, from catching up on the show’s history and also looking at this season, I understand now that what I thought were “missteps” happened by design, and what I considered to be the season “breaking down” happened exactly the way it was intended to.

Still, at least in the first part of S7, while there were a couple slightly controversial decisions, there were no out and out abortions of justice in the competition like there have been this year when there were at least a half dozen singers who didn’t make the finals who were incontestably more talented than the overwhelming majority of those who did.

Tess, you are on a roll today! Your comments are right on. I haven’t seen anything over the top from Adam yet. I have seen spot on vocals and well done arrangements, however.

As a watcher of Idol from the S1 premier, I have found the Adam phenomenon quite perplexing.

I think he’s right up the alley of Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson. You love them, or you don’t.

Seriously though, my church, Sunday morning…I’ve heard all of his vocal techniques before. That’s mainly the reason it flies right over my head. Guess I hear it enough.

there were no out and out abortions of justice in the competition like there have been this year when there were at least a half dozen singers who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make the finals who were incontestably more talented than the overwhelming majority of those who did.

And I bet that there are thousands of Kids who have tried out for American Idol that are just as talented as the 7 we have left. Of course the process is not inherently fair, its a reality show. And the contestants who got left in the wings from the Top 36, they were voted out by the masses (or so we all hope). I’m always amazed at the hopelessly untalented that are “movie stars” or make records (Paris Hilton…Prime example) but I’m not going to avenge the talented who don’t make it, by sabotaging someone else…unless your Danny Gokey (I know I’m bad!)

Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a pic of Adam sitting between Zac and Vanessa taken from the cell phone on this page: (Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s also a hot pic of Adam and other 2 very cute guys on this page too.)
http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=594571&st=4460

OMG! Adam is going Disney!!

:wink_wp:

I haven’t seen anything really over the top from Adam yet. I know I’ll have to wait until after the show. His concerts are going to rock. A couple of so called vocal experts that weigh in on Idol in various media outlets have explained the OTT thing. Their opinion is that if it is really you, then it’s okay. It’s real. This works on Adam for many people cause he’s being who he is and I for one just love and admire the heck out of him and his art.

I’m just thrilled that after 2 boring, bland seasons we finally have some real personality and energy. Last year felt so “old”, and this year has a younger, fresher feel. This is a talented year (not like season 5 though), and one of the most current ever. I actually loved almost all of season 5 (Kat was my fav), but couldn’t finish the last 2 seasons. But I’d have to go back to Bo Bice to find someone who I was as excited to see weekly as Adam. (Although Daughtry, Elliott and Kat were right up there too. That’s still my all time fav season)

As a watcher of Idol from the S1 premier, I have found the Adam phenomenon quite perplexing. [SNIP]

Any other year, if he had made the cut at all, Adamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s theatrical approach would have been dismissed as Broadway (a disparaging remark on Idol), cabaret (another classic derogative) or indulgent (a Simon favorite).

Idol wants what it wants. I think you are absolutely correct, in any other year, Adam would either have not seen the light of day or he would have been down-played by the judges in some way that he may have even been perceived as a bit of a joke (calm down, I’m not slamming the guy. Please read the rest of the post).

Idol is not an organic show. Things rarely “just happen”. They start early. They strategize on what kinds of people they are looking for (reports are constantly coming in about how the frontline auditioners at the cattle calls are looking for “specific types”). They probably take the post-producer-audition material back to their lairs and refine their model for the season. Then they send out the three…er..four stooges and have them do their audition bits. Then more refining and strategizing followed by Hollywood. More refining and strategizing then the “Chair Episode”. More refining and strategizing and the season starts.

Idol can adapt to changes. Slowly. Like a massive, fully loaded oil tanker. But it doesn’t like change. It likes plans. It likes things going according to the plans. It does not like iceburgs upsetting the plans. But it will eventually change course to avoid the iceburg if necessary because the iceburg is big enough.

Now, Idol has, IMO, decided that they want an Adam-like Idol (or runner-up. They definitely want this dude in the finals). So that suddenly means that “Broadway”, “Cabaret”, etc are suddenly “A-OK”. The judges have essentially stopped throwing those around as perjoratives this year when previously, they would have been chucked out almost weekly (especially against contestants they wish would just leave). I think another telling sign is that the hideous, cring-worthy homophobic banter between Ryan and Simon has been non-existent this year. Did Simon suddenly develop empathy? Hardly. Are Simon and Ryan doing this out of respect for gay contestants? I don’t think so. They’ve had gay contestants on the show before and it never stopped them. No, it’s because, IMO, Idol wants Adam to do well (whatever it takes, I’m all for getting rid of those awful “jokes”).

I think one of the more telling example of this phenomena is in Season 6. The judges kept harping and harping about how this was “More than just a singing competition” and that “you have to have personality, Melinda!”. The moment they finally got her booted, the thing suddenly became “A singing competition, Blake!”. I think those catch phrases can be very telling. If it’s “more than just a singing competition”, the judges want to get rid of the better singer with “less personality”. When the judges say something like that, who are they hinting should leave and who should stay? Simon said earlier this season that the “Idol wasn’t about artistry”, but now suddenly “artistry is the best thing ever!”. Most people don’t bother to remember the contradictory statements that the show makes (because they aren’t obsessive, don’t live on the knoll and just want to be entertained), so the show gets away with it.

So, the “what’s good” depends on who they want to win. They are completely artless in the way they do this. So, Idol isn’t changing, they just want a different winner. They need to stay fresh and they need variety in their stable, so each year, they need something a little bit different. So, each year, “what’s good” changes. It’s a reasonable business model.

Now, back to Adam. He’s lucky he’s what they want this year, but that’s not to say he’s untalented or that his fans are “sheep”. Idol would be stupid to pick untalented people to champion and Idol watchers like different things. Fans of Adam would likely have been fans of him any season. Casual voters, who I think are the bulk of voters, might have been influenced to see his “positives” as “negatives” if the judges did not want him to win. It’s like when you watch the political pundits after a debate.

It is very much up for debate as to whether Idol went looking for Adam or whether they just stumbled upon him and ended up wanting a winner like him.

Sum Up: Adam is very talented. Idol wants a winner/runner-up like him. What is good changes.

but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not going to avenge the talented who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make it, by sabotaging someone elseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦unless your Danny Gokey (I know Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m bad!)

Even though he sings crappy songs and would make incredibly crappy music himself, because I’m such a contrarian fuck, I find myself perversely rooting for Danny. Considering the guy’s approval rating in the at-large Idolsphere is on par with that of syphilis, it would be amusing to watch the Idolnets descend into apoplexy when confetti rained on his head.

The only one of the guys who is both musically interesting AND relevant is Matt. I think he would be similar to the kind of artist that David Archuleta should be now. But, I guess TPTB think that Chris and his shitty guitar playing presents a more “attractive package”.

Now Allison would be the best winner overall. But, since she’s drowning in a cast of “cute” boys, she has no chance.

As always, Kirsten makes a lot of sense.

LOL apparently DC is, kind of blonde now LOL Pic with fan from yesterday
I think I need some time getting use to it. When you make it bigger it looks like some major blonde highlighting.

Does anyone remember when Alice Cooper went on the Muppets. Talk about bizarro. He sang à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Schools out for Summerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with the muppets dancing behind him.

Oh – I forgot to tell you guys – last month, in the Philly airport, I saw Alice Cooper in the security line. He got mobbed by a bunch of fans, to whom he was very kind. He was all casual with jeans and sneakers, so it was kind of funny seeing him there that way. Also, he’s a little on the “not so tall” side.

Kirsten, While I agree that the Idol producers are a self serving lot, I do not agree that Adam is their “chosen one” because he fits a predetrmined model or a they stumbled on him and decided to “go” with him. In fact, I see Mr Gokey as the “anointed one” due to his extensive Hollywood week screen time about his wife and his friendship with another contestant.

I have been around music for most of my life and someone with Adam’s voice is very rare for its accuracy and range, so I think he would have been in contention in any year of Idol.

I see your point about Simon not saying the word “broadway” this year. Perhaps he is looking into producing a musical himself…..

Anyway Kirsten, I still think you are marvelous.

LOL apparently DC is, kind of blonde now LOL Pic with fan from yesterday
I think I need some time getting use to it. When you make it bigger it looks like some major blonde highlighting.

I like it. Matches the reddish beard. Did he finally get a haircut?

I am on DA’s text message list and I just got a text message that he is singing “Touch My Hand” live on Wednesday on AI!!

Kirsten, While I agree that the Idol producers are a self serving lot, I do not agree that Adam is their à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chosen oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  because he fits a predetrmined model or a they stumbled on him and decided to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“goà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with him. In fact, I see Mr Gokey as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“anointed oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  due to his extensive Hollywood week screen time about his wife and his friendship with another contestant.

Bait and switch. I can see TPTB baiting the down-home midwestern Idol watchers with Danny, and then switching their loyalty to Adam. Last year I truly believe they wanted David A. to win at the start of the competition. But the media hates a front runner so they saw an opportunity to inject a rivalry into the competition. They paired him up with David C.–battle of the Davids. Nice, clean storyline, and it worked with the “underdog” winning (in quotes because… um… hardly an underdog from at least top 9 on).

They see the chance to do the same this year–create a battle. It won’t work as well, simply because Danny isn’t nearly as intriguing as David A. was last year (no teenage boy was ever considered a front runner for the title before, and David A. could sing). Danny is an adult with a tragic story that was cut off come top 13 week because people got annoyed with it. He’s got no more intriguing left in him. In Danny’s case, I don’t think TPTB wanted him to win from the outset. I think they wanted him to go far in order to build up their (blank) vs. (blank) storyline, but Danny does not make a good winner. He’s simply not interesting enough and, IMO, his vocals are severely overrated.

I personally think TPTB are looking at Top 40, seeing Britney and Lady Gaga and thinking that Adam can somehow fit in there. Who knows, maybe he can. But I think it’s clear that they want him because they want something they think is relevant right now and they see it in him.

DA is singing TMH and not ALTNOY? Really??????? Now that is quite a spoiler! Are you sure???

^^^ really. Curiouser and couriouser. Earlier today the music video of TMH put up on his official YouTube channel just yesterday went private. Now the fanbase that are signed up for his text messaging service are getting messages from him that he’s singing TMH on Idol tomorrow night and not to miss it.

While I agree that the Idol producers are a self serving lot, I do not agree that Adam is their à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chosen oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  because he fits a predetrmined model or a they stumbled on him and decided to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“goà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  with him.

You have to have some serious blinders on if you do not see that Adam is a TCO. Whether he was an original TCO or “became” a TCO is an open question as is whether he’s “a TCO” or “the TCO” . But, when you reach the point when Paula (and now Kara) are leaping over the table to praise you after you perform and all the judges, save Simon, would lavish you even if you stood on stage and gargled, you’re a TCO.

I am on DAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s text message list and I just got a text message that he is singing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Touch My Handà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  live on Wednesday on AI!!

That makes a lot more sense. Even if it’s not going to be a single, why not try to sell more CDs with a song people haven’t heard already?

That makes a lot more sense. Even if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not going to be a single, why not try to sell more CDs with a song people havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t heard already?

Yes. And besides, it’s a slightly better fit with the disco theme, if you ask me.

TMH is also more uptempo and he does a lot more on stage when he sings it. He’ll likely be interacting with the swaybot mosh pit girls, too.

I don’t get why David A.’s youtube channel made the TMH vid private today. Then again, a lot of what Jive does perplexes me. lol. At least the question about, “why the heck did AOL take down his sessions?” has been answered. Maybe they’re going to make the TMH vid available on iTunes at midnight?

Thing is, I don’t believe AOL Sessions was meant to be released this week. I think it was meant to be released next week, right before Hannah Montana, and a couple weeks before his original Idol air date. But they scrambled and put them up today, yet the release date still says April 28, 2009. And no TMH vid on iTunes right now, but you gotta think they would want it available if he’s performing that on Idol.

This whole date switch probably messed up quite a few of their original plans.

DA is singing TMH and not ALTNOY? Really??????? Now that is quite a spoiler! Are you sure???

This ALTNOY song was a pretty dismal failure as a single, wasn’t it? So, it would probably be a good strategy to adandon it and go for something else when you have such a high profile opportunity.

And, even though I don’t like it, the TMH song clearly makes his concert fans go apeshit. So, I’m guessing they’re hoping for the same reaction from the swaybots.

DA is singing TMH and not ALTNOY? Really??????? Now that is quite a spoiler! Are you sure???

Judy, I get official texts from David’s fan number, so yes, it IS real.

I personally think TPTB are looking at Top 40, seeing Britney and Lady Gaga and thinking that Adam can somehow fit in there.

I’ve been thinking for awhile now that TPTB want Adam because they think he can fit into what’s current on CHR right now. They’ve got Jordin who has had Top 40 success, but they’re probably hoping to conquer the rhythmic and dance charts as well.

This ALTNOY song was a pretty dismal failure as a single, wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it?

XM plays it a ton and so does radio disney, but for some reason, top 40 won’t play it much. Everyone here has discussed why– maybe because radio has changed to trashy in the past few months, but it is hard to be heard when top 40 won’t play it.

It is doing well on AC as well. I am sure that it would have sold quite well if top 40 had played it. It is a good song. I don’t quite understand it all.

This ALTNOY song was a pretty dismal failure as a single, wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t it? So, it would probably be a good strategy to adandon it and go for something else when you have such a high profile opportunity.

Yep. ALTNOY is clearly not going to happen. Don’t waste the huge number audience impressions on it. Try something new. I’m not sentimental about singles. If they aren’t working, chuck ‘em.

It is doing well on AC as well. I am sure that it would have sold quite well if top 40 had played it. It is a good song. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t quite understand it all.

Eh. Some singles are hits and some are not. If there was an exact formula, the record companies wouldn’t make so many mistakes. Jive tried. It didn’t work (except on Radio Disney). Besides, it’s been 3 months. Even if it had worked, it will be a little grey around the muzzle by now.

I personally think TPTB are looking at Top 40, seeing Britney and Lady Gaga and thinking that Adam can somehow fit in there

Except Adam, unlike Brit and Gaga, can actually sing. It would be a shame to mask his vocals under all those computerized tricks.

XM plays it a ton and so does radio disney, but for some reason, top 40 wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t play it much.

Interesting how the two “formats” that base their playlist almost entirely on what the audience wants to hear play the song to death. XM plays ALTNOY more than they played Crush–they actually have it on heavy power right now. Commercial radio is just that–radio that only cares about commercials. Hence, unless a label gives radio stations a hard sell (you play this and we’ll give you access to *names a superstar artist*, or *new artist* will play for free at your event), they’re only going to play songs by “un-risky” artists (read: not new), and songs that are so middle-of-the-road that people don’t care enough about them to love them, but don’t hate them enough to change the station. Viola! Top 40 radio.

Except Adam, unlike Brit and Gaga, can actually sing. It would be a shame to mask his vocals under all those computerized tricks.

amen!

Except Adam, unlike Brit and Gaga, can actually sing. It would be a shame to mask his vocals under all those computerized tricks.

They’ll still do it.

Hence, unless a label gives radio stations a hard sell (you play this and weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll give you access to *names a superstar artist*, or *new artist* will play for free at your event), theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re only going to play songs by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“un-riskyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  artists (read: not new), and songs that are so middle-of-the-road that people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care enough about them to love them, but donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hate them enough to change the station.

a) Lady Gaga is new and she is everywhere. There are lots of new artists that have broken out in the last year

b) Archie did play for free at tonnes of radio events. In fact, this almost seems like an argument that “Crush” was only a hit because of Jive doing the hard sell and was a crapastic middle of the road, inoffensive song. Personally, I don’t buy that for a minute. Even commercial radio is going to play songs they think people want to hear (and I’ve seen enough Idols doing those radio promo things to know that doing them doesn’t guarantee you any kind of hit).

Program Managers are people too. Sometimes they think a song will work and sometimes they do not. Sometimes they are wrong and sometimes they are not.

Lady Gaga is new and she is everywhere.

From the song I heard on IA of hers, it fits the junk that top 40 is playing IMO.

Idol is not an organic show. Things rarely à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“just happenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ . They start early. They strategize on what kinds of people they are looking for (reports are constantly coming in about how the frontline auditioners at the cattle calls are looking for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“specific typesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ).

Bingo. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why the cattle calls are such a crapshoot. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but for many, Idol is their shot, so if thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s even a slim chance that Lady Luck smiles on you, and you turn out to be one of the types theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re casting for that year, then youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve hit the jackpot. For all his talk about not being an avid Idol watcher prior to being on the show, David Cook understood that right off the bat at his audition: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I think my voice is strong enough to carry me through, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just a matter of whether or not Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m what theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re looking for.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  That said, even if you are one of the potential TCOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s as mapped out and pre-planned by TPTB, you gotta bring it or theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re abandon you for the more compelling storyline. I definitely think they have several TCOs each year as part of their planning and mapping.

The only one of the guys who is both musically interesting AND relevant is Matt. I think he would be similar to the kind of artist that David Archuleta should be now. But, I guess TPTB think that Chris and his shitty guitar playing presents a more à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“attractive packageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ .

While Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m completely with you, noctem, that Matt is the most musically interesting and relevant guy (heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my favorite), I happen to think he was one of the TCOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that TPTB are abandoning because he’s dropping the ball. He screwed up too many times, and for various reasons he has failed to rally the fan support or the critical support that Adam and Kris have. Even when he’s good (Let’s Get it On), he’s bottom 3, and when he’s awesome (So Small), he doesn’t get too much buzz in the media. I personally find Matt more compelling, but Kris has been consistent and good, and heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s got a fanbase that Matt doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ success on the show has much to do with TPTBà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just been doing well.

From the song I heard on IA of hers, it fits the junk that top 40 is playing IMO.

Well, I’m not going to argue that she’s good (she rates an automatic radio channel change from me), but I cannot argue she’s not popular with others. “Poker Face” has moved 2.3M units and “Just Dance” has moved 3.7M units. That’s a lot. I’ll give those buyers the benifit of the doubt and say they actually like those songs.

Except Adam, unlike Brit and Gaga, can actually sing. It would be a shame to mask his vocals under all those computerized tricks.

I may be in the minority, but I’d rather hear Adam sing commercial/relevant songs that Brit and Gaga have, than to hear him and his tongue screech at me with some old school rock song like Born to Be Wild. Sorry, he can sing, and can sound great at times, but most of the time, his vocal pyrotechnics are more OTT than I can handle. Maybe masking some of the tongue-out screeching with computerized tricks will be a good thing for those like me who can’t handle the deep fried twinkie-ness, haha.

a) Lady Gaga is new and she is everywhere. There are lots of new artists that have broken out in the last year

b) Archie did play for free at tonnes of radio events. In fact, this almost seems like an argument that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Crushà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  was only a hit because of Jive doing the hard sell and was a crapastic middle of the road, inoffensive song. Personally, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t buy that for a minute. Even commercial radio is going to play songs they think people want to hear (and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen enough Idols doing those radio promo things to know that doing them doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t guarantee you any kind of hit).

Lady Gaga took FOREVER to break. She was a hit in Canada with Just Dance aaaaages before it was ever played here in the States, and not for lack of releasing it. There are artists that break through, but you better bet her label put a hard sell on that song. She was also gaining tons of buzz from Perez Hilton–he’s been pimping her for awhile.

And I’m under no delusion as to why Crush was a hit–Jive put a hard sell on the song and promised David would play a bunch of Christmas concerts. I don’t think radio would have taken a chance on it otherwise (coming out of Idol his image was as an AC ballad singer–not a top 40 pop star). That’s the thing–I said hard sell AND/OR middle-of-the-road. A song can be both, but a good song by a new artist can get airplay simply because the label pushed it hard enough. Quality doesn’t mean jack as far as airplay is concerned. If you want to measure how much people love a song, then check out how much they’ve downloaded a song compared to its airplay. If it’s outselling its airplay it means the song is loved by a greater proportion of people that hear it, even if the song isn’t played all that much. Crush outsold its airplay. It stayed in the top 20 for months on iTunes after its release. It’s still selling around 11K every week. People liked the song a lot. So Jive gave the hard sell, but did it on a song people wound up loving–but they still had to sell it in order for radio to take a chance on it.

A song can also get played without the “hard sell,” if it does well in listener surveys. The way radio stations (especially Cumulus and CC-owned stations) decide to play songs is with these surveys–either online or in person with focus groups. People are hardly homogeneous in their musical tastes, so when you get a large number of people together, you wind up with songs that are least hated by everybody, not necessarily songs that are most loved. Commercial radio stations just want a song liked enough so you don’t change the station. They could care less about the degree to which a listener likes a song.

The same can be said for TV–the consumer for both commercial radio and broadcast television aren’t the end users, but the advertisers. So the system is inefficient in terms of quality control. TV shows that are considered “cult”–absolutely adored by those who love them even if not a lot of people watch them, are usually canceled due to poor ratings. Yet the people watching those shows were shown to (1) watch them live and hence, not fast-forward through the commercials, and (2) have better retention of the commercials because of that. But TV stations still work under the model that more eyes are better than less eyes who pay attention. Same goes for radio–more ears are better than less ears paying attention. What is “loved” doesn’t matter. What is “not hated” does. Highly inefficient. (Note: a song can be “loved” and “not hated” at the same time; just that a song can also be “not loved” and “not hated” too; still rendering the system inefficient).

Single sales in comparison to airplay will always be a better indicator of how much a song is loved. Airplay alone will not.

Occasionally, you’ll get the early adopter radio stations that will take chances on most new songs if the artist or the song has at least a minimal buzz. You’ll see these stations add pretty much anything. WZEE, KRCK, WSTW, KQMQ, etc. They’re usually independently or locally-owned stations. And even they will eventually drop a song if it doesn’t wind up taking off with CC or Cumulus stations.

While Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m completely with you, noctem, that Matt is the most musically interesting and relevant guy (heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s my favorite), I happen to think he was one of the TCOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that TPTB are abandoning because heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dropping the ball.

I totally agree with you. I think that Matt blew his chances (largely due to nerves). I don’t think he was their original favourite to win (they wouldn’t have had him sing so early in the semi-finals if he was unless they were trying to engineer a wildcard. Odd how early he went compared to the others. Maybe it was because he blew that first song choice), but he was one of the ones they would have gotten behind if things had lined up (he had done better and one of the higher priority chosen ones had slipped up).

I also agree that he is the most current and is one of the contestants with higher levels of musicality (Adam, Matt, Kris and Allison. Adam has the best vocals and has a better feel for what he can do with his voice. Allison is a little bit below Adam there. Neither seems to be able to play instruments (I don’t think Allison proved she can really play a guitar rather than just strum a few notes). Kris seems to be the best arranger and song picker and is pretty good on the guitar. His voice is a little weak. Matt is the best musician and he comes up with some good arrangements sometimes, but his song choices suck and he’s not clear on what his voice can do).

Lady Gaga just turned 23, so FOREVER is a relative term.

Lady Gaga just turned 23, so FOREVER is a relative term.

Um, of course it’s relative. I meant it didn’t break in the US until a long time after its attempted release.

I kind of get the whole “forever” thing…Even after she got intro’d to the US market by singing on SYTYCD that was like, last August and it still took a long, long time pop-radio wise for her to finally blow up how she did. I wonder why it works that way?

I kind of get the whole à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“foreverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  thingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Even after she got introà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d to the US market by singing on SYTYCD that was like, last August and it still took a long, long time pop-radio wise for her to finally blow up how she did. I wonder why it works that way?

My station (KQMQ) is an early adopter independently and locally-owned station. It plays more non-hits than other stations because it usually adds songs right away, even if they may never blow up. I started hearing Just Dance a few months before it was played everywhere else.

Once Z100 added it, then it took off. Basically, Big Daddy Z100 is supposed to “know something” that other stations don’t know, I suppose because there’s a lot more advertiser money riding on what they play. Once Just Dance blew up to the degree it did, and radio brought Britney back as well, the new era of uptempo “dancy” tracks had begun. It became a semi-standard in the format itself meaning that Lady Gaga’s next track, Poker Face, which is very similar, got immediate airplay. Had she put out a slower less dancy single, I’m not so sure it would have taken off as well. She was helped because her style was determined to be “in” and, therefore, less risky, even if she was a newer artist.

Anyway, my original point about XM–XM20′s playlist is based almost entirely on the degree to which its listeners love the songs they play. Much like Idol, you can power vote for songs, both online and on the phone. The theory is that people will stick with a subscription service because it is responsive to what they really, really like. Now, there will be people who hate the song that some other users love to death, but XM has so many different stations in various formats, that it winds up not mattering so much. And those listeners can power vote for the songs they love. Taking advertisers out of the mix means that the consumers are the actual end-users, so XM is responsible for their hapiness, not the happiness of a company. XM cares only about the total amount of subscribers over its entire service.

Adam: Call Me

Too bad those spoilers aren’t true as I’d love to hear Adam sing Call Me.

I hope he really camps it up tonight, or queens it up, or whatever fits.

XM plays it a ton and so does radio disney, but for some reason, top 40 wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t play it much.

Yeah, its like a good news/bad news scenario with that song. Bad news: didn’t go anywhere on pop. Good news: hit big on radio disney, where a huge part of his fanbase frequents. So he keeps a strong presence in that market, one that will be reinforced with an appearance on Miley’s show and a tour with Demi. So he has somewhere to start from with album #2. Worse case scenario is it hits only on radio disney again.. and he makes a killing through touring and merchandising. And he still could return to the pop charts on his next project.

Honestly, despite all the fan battles and stuff, it is hard to feel sorry for any popular idols. Once you’ve been successful on the show you can build a nice career for yourself for at least a few years, SOMEWHERE in the entertainment business. Even Rueben still plays paying gigs. 6 years later. So its all good!

I may be in the minority, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d rather hear Adam sing commercial/relevant songs that Brit and Gaga have, than to hear him and his tongue screech at me with some old school rock song like Born to Be Wild.

ITA with this. I don’t mind Lady Gaga at all. To me its just dance music and I have fond memories of club hopping to songs like that. It is a little odd to hear that stuff on the radio. Anyway it’s fun, OTT music, made for the kinda surreal existence that comes with nightlife. Adam fits right in there. If TPTB let him do his best crazy electronica thing that is.

That said, I still want Allison’s album more.

soundscene and kristen, I’m enjoying your exchange, and I’m learning a lot from you both. Thanks!

DA’s tour will evidently be offering VIP packages:
http://davidarchuletanetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs/vip-packages-available

HERE’s WHAT YOU GET:
*A ticket in the first 10 rows
*Meet & Greet with photo op
*Exclusive pre-show acoustic showcase with David
*Pre-show party
*Early Hassle Free Entrance to venue
*Exclusive David Archuleta gift bag
*5-Star souvenir laminate
*Parking
*Crowd-free merchandise shopping

wow, I wonder how much that VIP package will cost??? I’ve never heard of something like this before – is this a typical thing nowadays for performers to offer?

One of the spectacular things about Adam, besides his voice, of course, and his originality as an artist, is that he is an EXTREMELY HUMBLE person. There are three occasions in particular that I can recall (there may be others) where Adam demonstrates just how humble of a performer he is, which I find extremely admirable because he knows (and acknowledges) his performances are a collaboration of efforts. Adam gave props to Ricky Minor when he performed “Mad World” (I believe that was the performance). When he performed “Tracks of My Tears” unplugged, as the musicians left the stage, he shook their hands. Tonight, Chris Allen utilized the “unplugged” musicians and did not acknowledge them in the least. Also tonight, Adam made a point of giving props to Michael Orland for the arrangement of tonight’s performance of “If I Can’t Have You”. His recognition of others involved in putting together his performances just speaks VOLUMES about his character!! No doubt he has a fantastic voice and an unbelievable stage presence, which could easily go to his head, but he has remained so grounded!! That is why I think he is a phenomenal performer! He is truly a GREAT performer!!!! GO Adam!!!

Tatiana, yeah alot of acts do this sort of thing.