Idol Headlines for 4/9/08

MTV American Idol Recap

EW Behind the Scenes

Corey returns to entertain us for three minutes and launches right back into TV101. This time, it’s about clapping along to the songs. Don’t do it, especially during ballads. (Apparently, keeping proper rhythm is not the Idol audience’s fortà © and, subsequently, looks bad on TV).

Thank goodness TPTB finally got the memo! [Out of Synch Clap]

Far from it, he impressed just about everybody, especially Simon. I’ve never seen Cowell so focused, but the way he stared intently as Jason handled the ukelele like an old pro

Interesting. Simon is famous for not watching the contestants at all.

OK, I’m not one of those Taylor obsessives, but is Hicks just a total pariah for AI now? Is the new policy that he will never be asked to appear again, or pitch in on these charity thingies, or have anything to do with the whole franchise because he’s the winner Simon can’t stand? I’m not snarking here, just curious…..

JC pulled it off, put a smile on peoples’ faces and even shed a tear himself. Awwwà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Awww. I knew it!

colette Apr 9th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

OK, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not one of those Taylor obsessives, but is Hicks just a total pariah for AI now? Is the new policy that he will never be asked to appear again, or pitch in on these charity thingies, or have anything to do with the whole franchise because heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the winner Simon canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stand? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not snarking here, just curiousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..

Yep. I think you pretty much stated what’s going on.

The show last night was not great and was dissapointed in most of the preformances. I stated with the best Jason Castro reminded me of Tiny Tim but not what I call for me the wow .
Jason Castro I do not thing the” kid from a tv show” is that great of a singer as I once thought and the facial expression and “look dud I am here” tude remind me of a cast off of a cheek and chong movie….Maybe he is drinking the opposite od PAula. I just do not like him as much and do not understanding the swomming over him ..like ok ………….Brook a little dissapointed she is way to nervous and wears her emmiotions on her sleeve ,does not bode well on AI at all..show fear public attacks unless you are a sensitive guy…

This season is a trainwreck and this is not the most talented group….more than half will be on meds to get less stressed and one will to wake up…..This is the first year I want some of them voted off because of health and the get away from some rabit nasty fans……….

I really miss the “personaliy” contestants that sang prettygood…..crap I even want Kellie Pickler back……….

The fallowing weeks will weed the contestants out of thier boxes somewhat which willl spell doom for most except for maybe a few guys…my fianle take on this season. My finale take on this season right now I would buy no cds from any of them……

Just took a look at the ratings, and they’re still down from years prior

TOP 8 (Tuesday)

Season 5: 29.6 million
Season 6: 26.8 million
Season 7: 24 million (preliminary)

I would buy Jason’s music and Brooke’s music.

From MSNBC article: “The third singer that everyone loved was less of a surprise, as David Archuleta once again drew raves for his version of Robbie Williamsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Angels.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Always unpredictable in his song choices, the teenager made a great pick here.”

You see that people…UNPREDICTABLE! muhahahaha. At least someone knows what they are talking about. thanks msnbc

Far from it, he impressed just about everybody, especially Simon. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve never seen Cowell so focused, but the way he stared intently as Jason handled the ukelele like an old pro

Interesting. Simon is famous for not watching the contestants at all.

Heh Kirsten, even Simon can’t take his eyes off the beautiful Jason.

I still think Michael Johns knocked one out of the park and had the hardest song choice and best performance by a mile. Of course, Randy/Simon are upset because they can’t box him up. I am still in awe by how good his voice is.

Second best was Castro–he of the tongue bath. I think TPTB are trying to downplay Cook and Johns and begin to push Castro. Why — because they are pretty sure that Archeletta can beat Castro. Come join me on the Grassy Knoll. I have milk and cookies.

awwww pop, maybe some ice cream will help !

I’d chose choc ‘n rock, or maybe Hollywood Cheesecake –

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/01/18/american-idol-ice-creams/

Yes everyone who threatens David A “must” be destroyed because. Just because that’s all.

Please tell all the David A fans at the taping that they’re in on a massive conspiracy. Sorry, I’m sure they were “planted” and paid to scream at him. Almost every past winner and even past 2nd/ 3rd place finishers are/will return to Idol or IGB except one. Too bad, Taylor is so reserved. The real story aboutthe chill between him and TPTB would be interesting.

Taylor hasn’t even hit one-hit-wonder status. He didn’t get asked to preform because what would he sing? Some whomp song off his album that did terrible in comparison to other winning debut albums?!?! If you can only sell approx. 700,000 albums when nealry 30 million people watched you preform, then u didn’t do the job. Sorry Taylor, ur a loser. I would say that you would be a distant memory in a year or so…but u alrady are.

pop- we had Danny, but i guess american wasnt on the same page.

Sorry, I don’t buy the Taylor is a loser so he can’t come back. It’s not like Blake Lewis, Kat McPhee. Rueben or Kimberely Locke are setting the world on fire with their album sales. They could have sent him to New Orleans to do a taped thing for IGB. Something else is going on.

BTW, I’m not a Taylor fan. I’m just curious.

“OK, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not one of those Taylor obsessives, but is Hicks just a total pariah for AI now? Is the new policy that he will never be asked to appear again, or pitch in on these charity thingies, or have anything to do with the whole franchise because heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the winner Simon canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t stand? Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not snarking here, just curiousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦..”

No…I’m going to tell all of you Taylor Hicks fans the truth whether you want to believe it or not…ready?…are you sitting down?…ok, here it goes… After the show, Taylor said in a nutshell that he was better than the show and said he didn’t need it and would have achieved success in the real world whether he was on the show or not (yeah…haha keep telling yourself that)and then lightly insulted it. That’s why. Idol doesn’t plot against him, he did it to himself. Idol didn’t keep his songs off the radio, they just suck. Idol doesn’t want to be part of a mediocre-talented, ungrateful person. There you go.

dukes, I am a Taylor fan and he never said that. It was a misquote from an article in a magazine. But thanks for the lecture anyway.

I’m not a Taylor Hicks obsessive either but I do enjoy him and have read and saw many an interview and I have never seen him diss AI like you have said (a few times). In fact it’s been the opposite. Thank you for informing us though. I’ll make sure and not buy any more of his music now. *walks off, shoulders hunched with deep dissapointment in Taylor’s manners*

Noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going to tell all of you Taylor Hicks fans the truth whether you want to believe it or notà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ready?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦are you sitting down?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ok, here it goesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ After the show, Taylor said in a nutshell that he was better than the show and said he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need it and would have achieved success in the real world whether he was on the show or not (yeahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦haha keep telling yourself that)and then lightly insulted it. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why. Idol doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t plot against him, he did it to himself. Idol didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t keep his songs off the radio, they just suck. Idol doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to be part of a mediocre-talented, ungrateful person.

Well, I’m going to politely disagree with your theory (like a grown-up, ready?). I think there are some factual errors here, but I don’t see the need to rehash 2 year old quotes and such. In my opinion, whether a song sucks or not is pretty subjective. I’m with jpfan in that I think there’s a little more to the story here.

Taylor seems to say yes to a lot of charity appearances, so I can’t imagine he would have said no to this. And, I don’t believe the idol selections has anything to do with “star power” because outside of the blogosphere and Celebrity Fit Club viewers, I’m 99% sure the casual viewers at home barely remembered who Kim Locke was.

AI is the only show that I ever remember contestants from past years other than maybe the final two. And, I think it’s because of my visits to MJ’s. Those folks at home who just watch the show for easy entertainment probably couldn’t pick most of the previous contestants out of a lineup.

But either way, I personally do not find Taylor to be either mediocre or ungrateful. Just my opinion though.

What does preform mean. Doesn’t it have something to do with concrete? I didn’t know he was in the construction business. The things you learn.

You see that peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦UNPREDICTABLE! muhahahaha. At least someone knows what they are talking about. thanks msnbc

See, I live in a world of greys. Not black and white. It is possible for one person to think that a choice is “unpreditable” while another, equally intelligent person, thinks that the choice is “predictable”.

If we are all pod people and agreed with each other about everything, there would be no reason to visit here or even vote.

Noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going to tell all of you Taylor Hicks fans the truth whether you want to believe it or notà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ready?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦are you sitting down?

Ooo! I’m so excited. I’ve got my Mai Tai and my popcorn already. I just dragged my lawn chair out of winter storage and dusted it off. Okay, I’m ready. Everybody, gather round. Dukester knows the truth and is willing to share it with us.

After the show, Taylor said in a nutshell that he was better than the show and said he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need it and would have achieved success in the real world whether he was on the show or not (yeahà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦haha keep telling yourself that)and then lightly insulted it.

Cite. You of course have one for this don’t you? You wouldn’t just randomly write stuff based on some foggy memory without having any evidence to back it up, would you? Especially when you are insinuating that everybody else is stupid and you know the truth. That would be quite the hubris and I would never openly accuse of that.

Oh, and AI doesn’t keep people off the show for dissing it. Just ask Daughtry (yes, I know, he was just speaking the truth, but it was a harsh truth), Kelly Clarkson, Bo, Blake, Kat, and oh, yes, just about everybody they have had back on the show. Dissing AI is a right of passage for Idols. It gives them cred.

Idol didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t keep his songs off the radio, they just suck.

Well, most of them did suck (I still like the “Right Place”, so shoot me), but there is more to the story than that. The music industry is more complex than that. But, let’s not get into that because it’s SEASON 7.

Idol doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to be part of a mediocre-talented, ungrateful person. There you go.

Well, AI gives all evidence to the contrary on that one. Seriously, are we back to that karma nonsense? Somebody redirect karma to taking care of some of those dictators, will you? I see one of them is claiming to win an election that he somehow actually lost. You would think that if you left out everybody in the voters roll between C and M while inventing people living in an area which is de-populated, not to mention winning the dead vote in a land-slide, you could win your freakin’ rigged election, but I guess some people are just that unpopular. Nigel, take notes.

Taylor hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even hit one-hit-wonder status

Do you even know what a one-hit-wonder is? The music biz considers somebody to be a one-hit-wonder if they got a song in one of the top forty positions of the BB100. Well, guess what? Are you sitting down? Taylor managed to get a song to the top of the BB100 so he is most definitely (at this current time) a one-hit wonder. Granted, it was for a crappy coronation song, but not all Idol winners managed to get to the top of the BB100, so there is that. LOL. I’m pretty pedantic about the details. I’m not a numbers nut for nothing.

I’ve never heard Taylor diss AI, but I’ve heard from more than one source that he didn’t get along with peeps from the show. The fact that he’s not managed by 19 also may have something to do with it. Besides, has anyone considered he may not want to be on the show? Maybe he’s moved on and is focusing on music? In any case, he’s fun live and I’d go see him again in a heartbeat. Good luck, Taylor.

As for Archie’s “unpredictable” song choice, just because MSNBC says it doesn’t make it so. To me, the most unpredictable song choices have been from David Cook and Jason Castro. Who predicted “Hello” or “Billie Jean” from Cook? Who thought Jason would pick “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” or “I Just Wanna Be Your Everything?” Archie chose a song that he’s been singing forever. That equals predictable in my book.

I just pre-ordered a couple of AI tunes and in the process noticed that Iz’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is #14 on the Top 100 Songs list at iTunes. The medley version w/What a Wonderful World is at 62. RW’s “Angels” is charting at 37.

I should have just waited for Kirsten before I made my post. :clap_tb:

I too would LOVE to know what really happened between Taylor and TPTB I have read virtually every interview Taylor has done since appearing on AI and with the exception of the AI is fizzling out for me misquote he has been very grateful to AI This in spite of the jabs Siman and others have continued to take at him I think he was more than AI could handle but I would really like to know what happened I know mj says she had heard rumors of some of what went down. I would like to hear it.

Sorry Simon

I don’t believe a word you wrote about why AI chooses to ignore Taylor. Of course, he needed AI or he wouldn’t have tried out. He wasn’t making it on his own. And, he, to my knowledge, has never said anything that bad about AI. And, there are thousands of well known artists out there, who would love to sell over 700,000 copies of an album. He isn’t a failure, just didn’t sell in the area that previous winners have. I think much of that can be blamed on his so-called marketing team, or maybe they didn’t want to put out the moolah for radio play. One day, the whole truth will come out. And, it’s my understanding, that Taylor chose not to be signed with 19E, not the other way around. For those not in the know, they take 50% of your earnings. That could’ve been his reason for not choosing to go with them.

Who thought Jason would pick à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Somewhere Over The Rainbowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I did. I did. LOL. I was fishing around for inpsirational songs for him and that was the only one I could come up with. He’s not big into the big notes and Izzy’s version is amazing.

OMG. We are disagreeing! One of us must be wrong. (there’s a protester singer, he’s singing a protest song – Sorry. Dire Straits is on the iPod). Or maybe the world is unpredictable with some people being able to predict a given event while others cannot. Hmmm….a prediction paradox.

He could be in the construction bizness — he’s selling doors ! :cool2_tb:

Well, living in Birmingham, there are those who adore Taylor because they know him on a personal level. There are those who think he’s an asshat and, keep in mind, he wrote about his ass years in his book. That did happen.

The general consensus is that he’s extremely shy and introverted, surrounds himself with those he trusts and is wary of anyone on first meeting.

After being beat up by the business, so many doors slammed, so many who cheated him, I’m sure that he had a blueprint already for tptb. I’m also sure that tptb had their own blueprint and the power and money to back it.

But, I seriously doubt that he thought he was better than the show particularly when he has gone out of his way to say nothing but positives about AI.

Duke, do you have any proof that anything close to that was actually said – other than fanboard gossip?

LOL, Kirsten! I didn’t see your prediction, but I would never have predicted that in a million years. Of course, I wasn’t familiar with Iz’s version. Thank god Kat’s version is now erased from my memory bank!

duke:

You see that peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦UNPREDICTABLE! muhahahaha. At least someone knows what they are talking about. thanks msnbc

Unpredictable could also mean same song, bad delivery, same song, did it justice.

Well said Kirsten and thank you.

I bow to Kirsten. :thumbup_tb:

LOL, Kirsten! I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see your prediction,

Well, in all fairness, I did not post it here (so I could claim anything I want! Cite!), but that’s what I came up with while pondering it on my trip (What? It was a long car ride)

Taylor Needs Your Help

Taylor will be a celebrity guest at the 134th Kentucky Derby on May 3, 2008. Taylor is going to place a bet of $5000 on the horse that the Soul Patrol decides has the best chance of winning. The winnings will then go to the wonderful charity, Studio by the Tracks. Since it is a horse race, if for some reason the horse the Soul Patrol picks does not win, Taylor will still make a $5000 donation to Studio by the Tracks. So everyone do your homework and let us know by replying to this blog which horse will win the most money for Autism.

Your list of horses can be found by clicking here.
Studio by the Tracks – http://studiobythetracks.terapad.com/

Damn, did I just fall down a rabbit hole. For the record, 700k cds sold is hardly failure. So let’s just get that straight. I don’t care if Taylor challenged Simon and Nigel to duels at dawn it is so glaringly a failure of idol if they don’t invite Taylor again in some capacity. It certainly creates bad will and it says to the voters who buy the products they vend, both the cds and products shown in the endless commercials that we don’t need to care so much. So while giving the thumb to Taylor might delight some, it’s a bush league tactic, and Dukester I don’t know how many times this discussion has come up here, but cd sales don’t mean you are an artist, or even a good musician. As for your inciting crap with your silly Taylor fake quote, if you were privy to this conversation, why didn’t you tell us sooner. LOL.

And while I am at it, poporange what exactly has you so gloomy that last few weeks. I mean the season isn’t that bad is it? Well last night almost everyone was horrible, but until then it’s been fun. What’s up?

Taylor is going to place a bet of $5000 on the horse that the Soul Patrol decides has the best chance of winning.

Psst…Taylor…just give the 10 grand to the charity. It’s safer that way.

This sounds like something the compulsive gambler does in a Lifetime movie just before the woman boots him out for good. “I’ll take the mortage payment and bet it on this sure thing so that we can pay off the house. Ooops!”

There are no sure things in horse racing.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care if Taylor challenged Simon and Nigel to duels at dawn it is so glaringly a failure of idol if they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t invite Taylor again in some capacity.

Totally agree. Nigel and Simon need to remember that it’s not about their personal egos/theories/feelings/whatever, it’s about the Idols and the fans that watch the show.

Oh, and if anyone is considering the charity Studio By The Tracks — I absolutely support it.

My children spent 3 *wonderful summers at SBTT’s.* At that time, they held classes for all children and adults with the income from those classes supporting art lessons/classes for the deaf and autistic.

Daughter still has fond memories of Illa Faye Miller and the teachers allowing her to paint anything she wanted — her new tennis shoes, her arms, legs, face. :lol_wp: Those were *her* days. And, there is no kinder, gentler soul than Illa Faye.

I read something from one of the above today’s headlines. Sorry, can’t remember which contestant it was. Either Jim V from season 1 or Corey Clark. The writer stated that TPTB at AI threatened to pull their advertising monies from the Clear Channel stations if they played this person’s music. As I read that, I wondered if that might have been the thing that happened to Taylor? He couldn’t get radio airplay if his life depended on it, and, whether people agree with me or not, some of his songs were radio friendly.

I’m just beginning to believe this is a personal vendetta against Taylor because he ticked off the wrong people for some reason.

But, all is well. He is doing his own charity functions for the causes close to his heart. Maybe he isn’t into IGB?

I dread the 2 1/2 hour show tonight, but, if they raise lots of money, then it will be worth it.

Well, since Kirsten started walking that way . . . I’ll go a little further.

I wouldn’t give a contribution to IGB. I’d give it directly to the charity.

I find it quite pompous that Idol is using *our* money to garner praise for themselves.

And, I think it’s an insult that Simon can buy Leona a $5M house but he’s donating a few hours paycheck to IGB??? That goes for all of them ! Which paycheck is Ryan giving — KissFM? AI? IGB? Freelance? pffffftttt.

http://americanidol.commongate.com/post/Taylor_Hicks_insults_American_Idol

“American Idol, for me, is fizzling out. I want to take that opportunity and exposure”- hm, glad to see your in it for yourself taylor.

if you read the whole article, he doesnt thank idol in any way are you deff get the feeling that he is bitter.

now i’m sure all you hicks fans have more excuses for him so whatever. he was a terrible winner. there is no denying that. but what i hate is when a show launches a career and the person isn’t extremely grateful for that. and you cant argue that in any way. that much is clear. so thats my opinion- if your a fan of his, obviously you will disagree. but to each his own. can’t argue with the article tho

Dukester:

Calm down. If you continue to bait people, you are outta here.

“Damn, did I just fall down a rabbit hole. For the record, 700k cds sold is hardly failure.”

yes it is in the American Idol industry. Idol isnt the real world. He did terrible with sales in comparison with previous winners. And he had the largest viewing audience. Can’t argue with that, sorry.

Canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t argue with that, sorry.

Too bad Kristen walked away. I hope you are reading my posts, dukester.

Forgot to add, the above post in referenece to SBTT & The Kentucky Derby is from Taylors Myspace bulletin. You can find the list of the horses in his blog today.

wow, i deff thought that my opinion counted as much as the rest but since i clearly go against the majority my opinion gets barred. i’ll save you all the trouble and stop “baiting”

hm, glad to see your in it for yourself taylor

I hope all the kids are in it for themselves. The Idol machine uses them. If they’re smart, they’ll use it.

dukes, your opinion does count as much as the rest; but you are stating it as if your opinion if more important than anyone else’s. And rudely at that. We just like being civil.

wow, i deff thought that my opinion counted as much as the rest but since i clearly go against the majority my opinion gets barred. ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll save you all the trouble and stop à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“baitingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

It’s not your opinion I have a problem with. It’s how you present it. You come off as condescending and hostile. You seem to be trying to rile people up, rather than state an opinion.

There is a difference.

Somebody just posted the old Taylor article, and I just deleted it.

This is the Headlines Thread for April 9, 2008, not 2006. There’s no need to rehash this beaten, bloody and dead horse.

if you read the whole article, he doesnt thank idol in any way are you deff get the feeling that he is bitter.

That’s your cite? A blog article trying to prove a theory/opinion based on another article. You’d have to read the entire Relix article to be able to state what you just stated. I could write an op-ed piece out of frankenbites and “prove” that David A eats babies. BTW, the article you linked also contains outright factual errors.

Taylor is on record of thanking AI a bazillion times. This is the most bizarro reason for wishing failure on somebody, IMO. It’s not like he eats babies.

canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t argue with the article tho

LOL. Just imagining somebody saying that about my lovely baby eating article.

Be careful what you wish for (as Chris D would write) because if a contestant goes far enough in this contest, somebody somewhere will write a harsh article about them too regardless of whether it’s based on truth or not.

Too bad Kristen walked away.

I probably should have. LOL.

Yeah. What Kirsten said!

And, I did read the article. My first thought – how much was edited out.

“Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not like he eats babies.”

:lol_tb:

I so want to be Kirsten in my next life!!!!

I could write an op-ed piece out of frankenbites and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“proveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  that David A eats babies.

Was this article quoted in one of Nigel’s faxes? If so, please share!

I wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t give a contribution to IGB. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d give it directly to the charity.

Caro – I would totally agree with this, if people really did it. But, I think the whole purpose of fundraising drives and telethons, etc. is to get people to donate money they were not already planning to give to charity. To use that moment and your “celebrity” to convince someone to forego one more pair of Jimmy Choos and give some more money to charity, and perhaps to a charity they haven’t considered before. That’s why – this doesn’t bother me in the way that a Jerry Lewis telethon doesn’t bother me. I have no way of knowing if their motives are altruistic or not, so I just try to take them at face value.

And, I think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an insult that Simon can buy Leona a $5M house but heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s donating a few hours paycheck to IGB??? That goes for all of them ! Which paycheck is Ryan giving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  KissFM? AI? IGB? Freelance? pffffftttt.

I’m okay with this too. How much they each give isn’t up to me. I don’t know that there is an actual scale of how much each person should give regardless of how much money they make. It’s all relative, and I don’t think we should only call out rich celebrities on how much they give, but sometimes examine our own finances to see if there’s a bit more we could do without to help others. I don’t think my best friend needs $5.00 lattes every day – she could give that money to a good cause. And, being that it’s 2008, I think my sister in law could stop spending $40 every two weeks on those played out french acrylic tips. But, it’s their money. They earned it so they can spend it how they like. I like to give rich people the same benefit of the doubt.

But, I understand your frustration. It’s hard to see someone buy a $500,000 car on TV, then walk past a homeless guy. And, I feel you on Idol taking credit for what is basically other people’s money. I just think that they are perhaps raising money that wouldn’t have been raised otherwise, so I’ll cut them some slack.

bwaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Kirsten.

Let’s get real, the idols use AI as much as they use them. It’s still a great platform from which to launch a career.

Carolina that was a rumour about Simon buying Leona a house. She was asked about it by Regis Philbin yesterday. It isn’t true. And we do need to distinguish the judges from the charity as well. If one doesn’t want to give, or give directly that’s fine, just let it be for the right reasons. They are all donating their paychecks to this event amd I really think that while maybe it’s suspect as to the motives, if my donation tonight saves one child, or stops one kid from going hungry, I could care less about who screwed my favorite or if they throw Archie under a bus. Priorities.

ok i only posted that article because Kirsten told me to cite what i was saying. and seeing that she is an admin or whatever i figured that was justification enough. but obviously her posts don’t get the whole moderation treatment because she called out my opinion. i thought we all had the right to post our ideas on idol? someone should change the title of this blog to the taylor hicks fanclub cuz clearly u cant disagree with ppl who have been on these boards for a while without getting bitched at. everything in my post was about MY OPINION which is supposed to be allowed. if my opinion is that i strongly disagree with america naming taylor the winner, than why shouldnt i be able to express that. ill save u the trouble of banning me because this is it for me. people get too defensive on here.

iTunes Pre-Order Rankings:

1. Jason
2. David A.
3. David C.
4. Michael
5. Kristy Lee
6. Brooke
7. Carly
8. Syesha

Like last week, the boys take the Top 4 spots.

Was this article quoted in one of Nigelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s faxes? If so, please share!

Not directly, but this one comes perilously close to admiting it:

From: Nigel Lythgoe
To: AI Security Staff
Subject: Babies in Audience

Gentlemen

You are well aware of our standard Idol policy of not allowing babies in the audience, but it has come to my attention that babies are sneaking through our security net. We suspect that parents are smuggling them in hidden inside large stuffed animals and underneath signs. Just last night, one diligent security officer discovered a baby hidden under a sign featuring a picture of Simon and Paula kissing. We believe that the smuggler hoped that the sign would make the officer blind, but he was saved by the specialized protective eyeware we gracioulsy provide to all of our employees.

I cannot stress how important it is that all babies be kept out of the Idol audience. Not only does the sound of babies make Simon assume the fetal position, but it can also affect the contestants. You all know by now that one of our contesants, one for which we have very high hopes, begins to drool whenever he spots a baby. This results in excessive lip licking which has caused him a great deal of criticism. If this contestant does not win this competition, Clive will be very, very angry. We do not want Clive to be angry with us, do we?

So, no babies. Be ever vigilent. Check every sign. Rip apart every stuffed animal. Do not even permit rather pregnant ladies into the theatre lest we have another unfortunate event like we did during the Final 11 results night. It cost us a lot of money to keep that little snack…er…tidbit out of the tabloids.

Yours Truly
Nigel

PS Please remember not to take any of the “Angel Special” from the craft table. It is very expensive and quantities are limited due to the difficulty in finding people willing to part with the primary ingredient. Eat the caviar and filet instead. Thanks.

and seeing that she is an admin or whatever

Just to be clear. I am not an admin. I am a whatever. Only MJ gets to moderate.

but obviously her posts donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get the whole moderation treatment because she called out my opinion [SNIP] everything in my post was about MY OPINION which is supposed to be allowed

Let’s check the instant replay:

Taylor hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even hit one-hit-wonder status [] Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going to tell all of you Taylor Hicks fans the truth whether you want to believe it or not [] canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t argue with the article tho

To me, it seemed like you were making statements of fact rather than stating opinions. The facts seemed incorrect to me, so I refuted them. And BTW, I do get modded.

someone should change the title of this blog to the taylor hicks fanclub

There are some Taylor fans on the internet which think this blog should be called the “Taylor Hicks Hate Club”. It goes both ways.

Iz’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow has now broken the Top 10 of iTunes.

LOL, Kirsten. Thanks for the chuckle. Imagine the fun when Nigel learns how to use email!

PM, thanks for the iTunes update. How do you view pre-order status? I noticed Iz’s version SOTR is now #9 in top songs. Would be pretty awesome if it went the Jeff Buckley route and hit the top spot.

pj, yeah, that would be sweet!

Search “Top 8,” click “See All,” the albums appear in order of popularity.

people get too defensive on here

I just have to use this to give a shout out to the people on this blog. The thing I love about reading here is the fact that everyone has a different favorite or opinion about a performance and it is respected and makes it interesting. There are so many times that I can see something in a different way or catch on to something I never would have noticed before because of all the great personalities that come together here. MJ’s modding and her personality sets the bar. So once again dukesterathlete I have to disagree with you but I do so lovingly. :biggrin_wp:

I love spenserJ!

That said, I don’t think that it takes AI or any cash-cow corporation to define charity nor do I believe that AI’s charity is altruistic. Example: Bono. He impresses me, an open heart and pure intentions. If Bono started a reality show and 7 years later decided it was time to grow the corporation, he goes green, whatever, and suddenly charitable with others money, I’d dump him as well. But that’s not what Bono has done and I’m sure the opportunity has been available.

I see charity everyday, albiet on a much smaller scale and thankfully, no PR. Merely kind, generous, caring people whose hearts embrace anyone who needs help. They’re angels.

American Idol is about making money. They pick and chose their contestants, sometimes fools just to entertain the masses and entice the sponsors. Makes for good t.v. Then they decided to up their image and now, they’re all about Saving the World, one video at a time. I just don’t buy that because they are getting something out of it. No matter how small they’re buying, with our money, a reputation that came from our hearts, not theirs. They didn’t earn it.

My final thought — I read an article in Time Mag a few years back . . . “What Makes People Happy.”

They gathered a passel of scientists who spent lots of federal dollars determining this: it’s not your dream trip to Thailand or climbing the Himmalaya’s or your donation to American Idol. It’s “random acts of kindness”. Not scripted, not planned, and you ask for nothing in return.

I believe that’s true.

PS — Annie Lennox rocks! and she was recently dropped by her label. Go figure.

abbysee, I’m sorry, I read over and over that Simon had bought her a house and also read the articles just prior to that stating she couldn’t afford to buy a house on her own.

I just googled “simon cowel buys house for Leona” and stopped at 10 google pages that carried that headline.

Even the “Leona” official fan club site has it up.

Something fishy maybe. Maybe not!

Oh spenserJ — I didn’t address your stand-rganized fundraisers v. doing it on your own.

You’re right, too many don’t donate unless guilted. Sadly, in the past (and, for all I know, it carries forward) too much was going to the fundraiser and not much to the less fortunate. United Way is one example.

Carolina, I am sure I read some of those articles as well, but hearing it out of Ms. Lewis’ mouth was enough for me. We all know about one article being the sourse for hundreds of stories and the original being untrue, or shaded. I don’t tape Regis’ show but I am sure I am not the only one who heard it. But it’s always best to believe the sorted version. Remembering an earlier conversation on this thread, we should all know better by now.

I hear you on altruism and random acts of kindness. But how can you say it didn’t come from their hearts, in some way how could it not have? Millions would not be donating on this night at this time without them. Good on them. Maybe not random, but certainly kind. If only the pure hearted gave from a totally giving spirit, not much would get done. Remember about those people who heard but did nothing? We are culpable if we do nothing. It doesn’t have to be via this venue, but certainly we can’t vet down to the very sourse every time we give. Somewhere this started out as, how can we help. I have to believe that.

abby, we’re cool on the Leona issue. It could be, maybe it isn’t. In Hollywood, you never really know!

Re: how can I say it didn’t come from their hearts?

American Idol is a juggernaut. Everything is calculated and determined in their best interest. They’re in business to make money, period and, God knows, they’ve made a ton. They embrace the idols who sell and they distance themselves from those who don’t. Granted there are borderline idols – Rueben for example. They let him go but they still have a hand in his future. Supposedly they gave Taylor a pass — just in case. That’s speaks volumes.

Millions are donating and I wonder why – really. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to do it on our own everyday of our lives. Why do we need Hollywood to make it a happening? Why aren’t we at the Aids Shelters, the homeless missions, the battered women’s shelters, on site in New Orleans, Habitat for Humanity? Why do we need the glitter of Hollywood to draw us in? It’s all right in front of us yet we need glitz and glamour to make it happen?

That saddens me. I’ve worked with all the above and include, Meals on Wheels and Casa. I’ve held the hand of an Aids patient on her deathbed and comforted and cared for her 8 year old son. I’ve had gay guys with Aids call and ask if I could take their puppy or lend them a dress (heh!) Did I need Nigel Lithgoe or Simon Fuller or Simon Hisself to tell me what to do. No.

I believe that the only altruistic giving comes from one place — yourself. Not Hollywood.

Peace out !

The top 20 songs are out to vote on at AI for the songwriting contest.

I could sooooooooo see David Cook singing *Overcome* or *You Believed in Me* or maybe *No Turning Back*.

I could sooooooooo see David Cook singing *Overcome* or *You Believed in Me* or maybe *No Turning Back*.

I haven’t looked at any of the songs yet, but those titles are already making me laugh. LOL.

I’m probably going to end up picking the one that’ll most likely make the audience bawl and the tweens faint when Archie sings it at the finale. As much as I love and freaking adore Cookie, I’d hate for him to win this thing and then be obliged to record, like, bubblegum-pop or something for his album. *shiver*

Millions are donating and I wonder why – really. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to do it on our own everyday of our lives. Why do we need Hollywood to make it a happening? Why arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t we at the Aids Shelters, the homeless missions, the battered womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s shelters, on site in New Orleans, Habitat for Humanity? Why do we need the glitter of Hollywood to draw us in? Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all right in front of us yet we need glitz and glamour to make it happen?

I believe Americans are a generous people, carolina, but I also think we’re lazy and a bit self-centered at times. We get so wrapped up in our own lives, that even though we know all these things need to be addressed, they often take a backseat to our own issues. When something like Idol Gives Back puts it right in our face AND makes it as easy as can be to help, we do. Even in times when money is tight for so many, as it is now, we do. So although I really do believe that “Idol” isn’t doing a whole lot of giving back here, they are making it easy for the rest of us to do so if we choose. For that, they’re to be commended, imo. But, yeah….I don’t think they would ever convince me that their motives were purely altruistic. I don’t care. People will benefit no matter what the motives are for the Idol hierarchy. That’s a definite :thumbup_tb:

Leona did say that the house rumor was not true. On one of the entertainment shows last week, Simon also said that it was not true. That came out of his mouth on TV. I tend to believe him.