Kris Allen Set to Perform the National Anthem Sunday at NBA Finals

so i guess the other idols will be back in LA starting next week for rehearsals? ive seen tweets from anoop, matt hinting at coming back soon….and tour begins in a month.

GO Lakers

I like Kris and everything but I wonder if they’re going to allow him to change up the anthem, a la No Boundaries. The National Anthem requires some range to sing and he doesn’t have a traditionally “anthem-y” voice in my opinion.

I think he’ll do a fine, understated performance of the Anthem. He’s not theatrical and doesn’t need to be.

Tour rehearsals begin next week? Hard to believe!

Anymore tweets on when the iTunes downloads will be removed? I know next Tuesday is the typical changeover day.

I thought Adam being in LA and seeing as the Los Angeles Lakers are in the finals, they would have him do it. But good for Kris. Im sure his spin on the anthem will be great.

I think they’re all back in LA next week for tour rehearsals anyway.

I don’t think it’s a range issue so much as nerves. But if anything is practice for the vocal gymnastics in SSB it’s freakin’ No Boundaries, lol.

Ultimately, I’ve very proud that anybody can do justice to this not very easy to sing song. Go you…whoever you may be

I think Kris has shown me enough of his talent that I’m confident he’ll do just fine with this. Besides, it’s our National Anthem, a song that all American’s should sing (if they feel so inclined) whether they’ve got range or not, or even if they’re completely tone deaf. You don’t need Whitney’s vocal gymnastics to sing your country’s song. Just go on out there and do your thing.

Oh, and also…..GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Magic!!!!!

I think tour rehearsals in the past have started right around June 10, so that fits.

I don’t know whether Kris will do a good or bad job with the anthem. I kind of don’t “get” the SSB, especially as an accompaniment to sporting events. It just isn’t my thang and I never have understood what nationalism has to do with professional sports when a good chunk of the athletes are from halfway around the world.

I did hear a really good version done with a violin and no vocals once. And one that was just piano with performers signing it (instead of singing it) for the deaf. That was awesome.

So maybe Kris should pull out the viola and do an instrumental version instead of singing? It would make me happy. I have a feeling that the fans of Whitney and the shout-o-rama that was her SSB would not appreciate my choice of the solo viola, though. But they’re not likely to enjoy Kris and a stripped-down version any way he does it, so I vote he goes for the viola and surprises everybody.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LAKERS
in response to SpencerJ
and yes I do hope Kris does well
I am an avid fan of Adam but I wish the best for both of them and wish both of them well. Have nothing but positive thoughts where those 2 are concerned

I think Taylor did sing at the finales as I have pictures of him on the NBA floor and also one of him holding the trophy. I think Elliott sang for game 2 of the finales. I maybe wrong but he has sung at the NBA games and has pictures of him with some of the greats in basketball. Kris will do fine but Adam does a great National Anthem as witnessed at the military base in San Diego. Cook was not at his best last year but it is a challenging song and the hype is big.

As I said in the other thread, if Cook can get away with the utterly atrocious rendition that he did at last year’s NBA’s, then I think Kris will be fine whether he nails it or not. And I am a Cook fan by the way, but I think even his fans can agree that he did not do a good job on it last year.

All due respect to Kris… I really hope they have Adam do it soon as well. Moving stuff.

someone just posted on youtube this very sweet shout-out to Kris Allen (and the Idol 2009 finalists) from David Cook at a recent concert. DC, classy as ever….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jc5OQxutdo

I think as long as you are respectful to the National Anthem (as in, don’t do what a certain female comedian did), you won’t impact your career. I think that anybody that’s been around for a while has heard some pretty bad versions of the song, but as long as the singer appears to be trying, all is quickly forgiven and forgotten. On the flip side, it seems that only the Super Bowl versions of the songs ever get any traction (as in iTunes downloads and airplay), but those are almost always pre-recorded and lip-synched (the good ones are at least). So, you probably won’t help your career much by singing a great version. I think that whatever you do, the majority of fans will have forgotten it by the time of the first basket (although, it will live on in infamy for the Idol fans to constantly be contrasted and compared).

Fantasia isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the only exceptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks did not perform the Anthem at the NBA finals his yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦it was 3rd place finisher, Elliott Yamin who had the honorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Yes, he didn’t do it his year, but he did do it the next year (2007). He sang at Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland. Perhaps Fantasia has never sung for the NBA Finals at all.

VERY classy that Cookie is! Thanks for the link, colette

Go Lakers!

(If that’s not on topic, then, um… woot woot, Kris.)

disclaimer: if you dont hear much applause at the end of his performance….dont panic. its probably because us LA fans are always fashionably late to any lakers/dodger game and then by the time we park, check our bbs, get a drink…..kris and his NA will be long gone

LOL at the AP messing up another Idol story…seriously how hard is it to remember Hicks won season 4 ? (dont answer! :biggrin_wp:)

A few awesome NA’s from the other thread…

Marvin’s (AKA The Greatest EVER!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A

Stevie’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W54WciHjguM

Anthony Federov’s (thanks jersey! I’d forgotten how great this was!) (Yeah, I liked him…shut up!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X390XN15W9M

Love Elliott’s version too!

Somebody brought up that Toni Tennille did a great version, but I can’t find the video.

Any other greats?

I’m sure Kris can Allenize it, and make it his own without insulting anyone.

OK…I have no idea how to interpret this really, but there is a site called Idol Ranges that says Kris’s range (on the show) was 11 1/2 steps. What does that mean in terms of octaves? Is that good enough to do a decent SSB?

LOL at the AP messing up another Idol storyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦seriously how hard is it to remember Hicks won season 4 ? (dont answer! )

Are you just making a joke? (Because Carrie won season 4.)

Thanks for that link collette. Love DC! so classy he is. I’m a huge Cookie fan but really his rendition of the NA was not great and correct me if I’m wrong but I think he has even said something to the effect that he does not have the voice for it and it was nerve racking to do. He only sung it one other time with Andrew.

GOOOOOOOOO MAGIC!

oops…it was a typo and a joke…but how sad that as an Idol fan i didnt recognize that right away (and i voted for hicks in the finale !LOL)

As I said in the other thread, if Cook can get away with the utterly atrocious rendition that he did at last yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s NBAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, then I think Kris will be fine whether he nails it or not. And I am a Cook fan by the way, but I think even his fans can agree that he did not do a good job on it last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Ffi2tuRyI

I had to look it up for myself. Eekk…You’re right…sorry Cook, not so good. Doesn’t fit his voice very well. Archuleta pulls it off a lot better.

At the Pro Bowl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZZctQbwXb0

I think it tends to sound better when it’s not sung completely straight. Some voices work, some don’t. That’s ok though.

On the flip side, it seems that only the Super Bowl versions of the songs ever get any traction (as in iTunes downloads and airplay), but those are almost always pre-recorded and lip-synched (the good ones are at least).

Are you sure about the lip-syncing at the Super Bowl? Billy Joel certainly wasn’t. His auto-tune program was out of sync, but it was definitely, horribly live this year.

As a life long Rockets fan, is it okay to hope that neither team wins?

Taylor sang in the 2007 NBA Finals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aGGu1pNMds

All due respect to Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I really hope they have Adam do it soon as well. Moving stuff.

I agree, Thea. He’ll have to catch them on the return, though. If they’re starting rehearsals for the tour next week, I’m sure Adam wouldn’t fly to Orlando. But, I don’t think this will end in four. So, maybe he’ll still have a chance.

My team was out in November (yeah, they really suck!) (poor, sad Timberwolves!!) so I’m cheering for the Magic, cuz if I cheered for the Lakers, I’d be ridiculed!

Two of my favorite things ever coming together: Kris Allen and the Lakers! Man, this is even better than Kris Allen and Smokey Robinson.

Honestly, I’m not worried about it. The absolute worst thing that happens is he misses a note or something. Dude’s got perfect pitch so you can bet the majority of it will sound at least decent (plus it’s just the national anthem at a sporting event).

Are you sure about the lip-syncing at the Super Bowl? Billy Joel certainly wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. His auto-tune program was out of sync, but it was definitely, horribly live this year.

Billy Joel was live, but it’s almost always recorded. Whitney’s is probably the most famous SuperBowl version and it was definitely pre-recorded. Jordin sang it at the 2008 SuperBowl and she was pre-recorded as well. Word is that the NFL likes it to go off without a hitch (and singing in a MASSIVE stadium with crappy acoustics in the cold is not exactly conducive to hitch-free singing) and prefer it to be pre-recorded. Big names like Joel can insist on being live.

Uh oh – do I sense an NBA fanwar coming on?? :wink_wp:

As a life long Rockets fan, is it okay to hope that neither team wins?

You can hope for it, sure. But, I’m thinking it’s not likely. (Oh, and by the way, I shall now bust your chops foreva for the fact that you’re a fan of the trach boy! LOL).

I think the reason that only the Super Bowl NA’s get any kind of attention is because it’s the most watched television program in the US. It’s really the only thing left that’s a national tv event, so to speak. And, I too was under the impression that it was always lip synched (the NFL is pretty control-freaky that way, and football stadiums on live tv never provide for the best acoustics). Or, at the very least, they may sing live over their own backing track. Both of the well known performances here in Tampa (Whitney and Jennifer) were completely lip synched.

Somebody brought up that Toni Tennille did a great version, but I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t find the video.

Interesting, I’ve never heard it before. If anyone finds this – I’d love to see it. I am a longtime Toni fantard (I’m not exactly sure why – I just adore her).

The Lakers are terrible. I’d redact my votes for Kris if I ever found out that he was for the Lakers.

Just kidding about the vote redacting, but I don’t like the Lakers. GOOO MAGIC! But I don’t have much faith in them. Kris’s National Anthem might be the only thing worth watching.

Meh, I could really care less how anyone sings the NA as long as they make it about respecting the occasion and not about drawing attention to themselves with some ridic vocal gymnastics or stupid antics. It’s not like I’m gonna go out and download a copy. Kris will be fine unless he forgets the words or you know rearranges it to add some armpit fart accompaniment or something.

And I am a Cook fan by the way, but I think even his fans can agree that he did not do a good job on it last year.

Evs. Mileage. Etc. I remember thinking it was fine. I just went and listened to it again to make sure my memory isn’t falty. It’s not. Shaky voice showing nerves in the beginning, hit the big notes, got applause at the big notes, blah blah blah. He looked downright petrified though. Way less nervous with Andrew in KC.

More importantly…I hope Kris brings my boys luck. Go MAGIC! *sticks tongue out at Lakers fans* This would be a banner year if my favorite basketball team took home championship right after my Steelers won the Superbowl. (Why yes, my desktop background is still a photo of Big Ben and Santonio Holmes holding up the Lombardi trophy, and I might do a little terrible towel motion every time I turn on my computer. And no, it never. gets. old. Why do you ask?)

Oh Crap–I hope Kris Allen sings NA straight within his comfort zone..If he so-calls Allaizees it I will dislike it …Do not change the NA it is a sporting event not th artist show.. Kristen is right they will probably forget …BTW personally after 1 hour or so of pregame plus prepre game most just wantthe game to start and the guy to get off the court..

I agree. Don’t forget the words, don’t drag it out too long and all else will be forgiven. Good Luck Kris!

Ahh… more reasons why I love Kris Allen?

Allen said he would also love to meet Kobe Bryant.

So would I Kris, so would I (I do have a picture with him from when he was just starting in the league, which is pretty cool).

Oh and here’s stuff that’s actually relevant to this discussion:

He also has no plans to add any extra touches to the anthem

Allen said he had never sung the anthem in public before and has nothing planned. “I just want to get through it and not make any mistakes,” he said today.

This is all via LA Times: ‘American Idol’ Kris Allen to sing national anthem at Lakers game Sunday

As I said in the other thread, if Cook can get away with the utterly atrocious rendition that he did at last yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s NBAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, then I think Kris will be fine whether he nails it or not. And I am a Cook fan by the way, but I think even his fans can agree that he did not do a good job on it last year.

Oh yes. I am a big David Cook fan but I didn’t like that so much. He seemed very very nervous. But you know the fans aren’t there for the music so as long as Kris gets the words right he will be okay. You go Kris!!

One of my favorite versions of the SSB
The Dixie Chicks Super Bowl 2003

edit: don’t post the same thing in multiple threads

You can hope for it, sure. But, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not likely. (Oh, and by the way, I shall now bust your chops foreva for the fact that youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re a fan of the trach boy! LOL).

DAMMIT! (on both counts) LOL

Okay, since I love Sarah and you so much I’m leaning towards the *gag* Magic. Because I’m happy for y’all, not because I love the team…as long as that’s straight. I’m moving to LA though, so I need to get used to at least lying about Lakers love.

Hey, trach boy’s version of Every Time You Go Away was really good. The last half of that season was kinda meh for me, even if I did like Bo, so I was grasping…shut up!

I might tune in to see Kris sing the NA. I think he’ll do a good job.

Go Bulls!!! Oh wait…I must still be stuck in 1997.

Oh and hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s stuff thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s actually relevant to this discussion:

He also has no plans to add any extra touches to the anthem

Allen said he had never sung the anthem in public before and has nothing planned. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I just want to get through it and not make any mistakes,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  he said today.

This is all via LA Times: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹American Idolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Kris Allen to sing national anthem at Lakers game Sunday

Aw. He should go for it! Why go for “okay” when you have the capability to be awesome? He’d be respectful to the song. Whatever he does to it would work.

i think Kris wants to pay respect to the song.After all it represents over country.I would afraid if Kris wanted to do something huge with the song.
Kris sings his best when its just him and the guitar.He’s not a perform
it big kinda guy.Atleast thats what i got from idol.

Ok – I just watched David Cook’s youtube of SSB and for the record, I liked his version! I don’t like when people do all those crazy runs, and I think he sang it straight and very respectfully. Kris will do great! It is one moment in his career and it will not make or break him. Also, I must say I didn’t care for Adam’s version in the AI piece. The one someone pointed out of Archie singing it was beautiful. He does have the type of voice that is meant for a song like that.

The last half of that season was kinda meh for me, even if I did like Bo, so I was graspingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦shut up!

I felt the meh – I can’t even really remember who I liked that year LOL.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m moving to LA though, so I need to get used to at least lying about Lakers love.

It’s all good, provided your move to CA doesn’t make you a Raiders fan

I hope Kris nails it, it’s a dificult anthem to sing.

My favorite versions of the Star Spangled Banner:

Josh Groban

Dixie Chicks

Cher, It’s sounds a little crappy but it’s one of the best arrangements (vocally) I’ve ever heard.

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all good, provided your move to CA doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make you a Raiders fan

I only like football teams that my friends like. I do have a bff who’s cousin plays for the Chargers, yet he’s a Panthers fan so…Go Chargers?

Eh, I like tennis, basketball, and some equestrian and water sports…and poker! lol

I think Kris will sing with his guitar. He will do a great job, like he did with “Yesterday”, but this time with more energy. Looking forward to it, he is so creative with his arrangement and phrasing…

Love Marvin Gaye’s version, hope he can do something similar…

If you have the kris itunes pass, you can download an autographed pic now.

OKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I have no idea how to interpret this really, but there is a site called Idol Ranges that says Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s range (on the show) was 11 1/2 steps. What does that mean in terms of octaves? Is that good enough to do a decent SSB?

8 steps is an octave. If it is the site that I am thinking about, then the person qualified that statement by saying that was the range displayed on the show so far, earlier in the season WITHOUT counting his falsetto. I could tell that Kris showed more range later on in the season after I saw that calculated. Also keep in mind that there is a difference between a comfort zone for a singer and a much wider range of notes that can be “hit” for effect. I think that 11 1/2 steps is about the range of Kris’s comfort zone, not his limitations.

I noticed several different vocal experts independently put Kris at least an octave and half plus based on his performances on the show. I have been too lazy to map out his voice to verify anyone else, but about an octave and half comfort zone without his falsetto feels right to me for Kris. Kris will never have the crazy range of Adam, but Kris can still stretch his range out quite a bit if Kris really wants to with some training and more important conditioning. Genetically, he has got a lot more range that can be developed in the future too.

The problem for Kris, that as much as I love him, he has some bad technique problems that cut off his range on both ends. Particulary when he is tired, he strains to hit notes on both ends. This has really nothing to do with genetic range, but is due to Kris having vocal conditioning issues.

The notes that Kris stuggled to hit on the final 2 of NB, Kris did not change the key according to several people related to the show, Kris was just more relaxed and could hit the notes on the finale results night that he couldn’t the night before. It is not that Kris lacks range as much as that when Kris is tired, he does not have the conditioning to maintain his vocal range.

I not really a singer type, I much prefer songwriting instead, but if I do sing, I stay within less than an octave and half range for 99% of the time because that is my comfort zone. But I can hit over an additional octave worth of notes for an effect if I have to. There is a big difference between singing substainably in a range and hitting a note for a few seconds. If Kris can handle NB, then I don’t worry so much about NA.

Kris needs to be well rested and relaxed, but Kris has shown really strong mental fortitude, so I believe that Kris will be fine.

I only like football teams that my friends like. I do have a bff whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s cousin plays for the Chargers, yet heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a Panthers fan soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Go Chargers?

Yes trust me, nobody is a raiders fan …at least not in public….so Chargers are a safe bet

and i do hope he sings the NA w. a bit of Marvin Gaye flavor. i can honestly say kris has the ability to do so

I think Kris will sound good because he has a really pretty, pure voice. The only bad performance he really had was No Boundaries and that was more due to the lack of time to get that song to fit his voice.

I’m just imagining him in a basketball jersey.. I’m flashing back to memories of seeing him in a baseball jersey that looked too big for him. Our little pocket idol.. hehe

Eh, I like tennis, basketball, and some equestrian and water sportsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and poker! lol

Well then, next time you come to FL, remind me to break out the Texas Hold Em table

Every american can sing the song if they wanted to.You dont need range.You just need a pretty vocal.I seen alot of celebs who screw up the song.Kris will
do fine.

Well then, next time you come to FL, remind me to break out the Texas Hold Em table

I’m holding you to that!

No real money though. My poker face isn’t much better than Kris’. lol

I think Kris will do a great job on the National Anthem. His voice is very pure and very steady and I think he knows exactly where his strengths lie so he won’t attempt any notes he can’t reach. His AI songs certainly emphasize this. With the exception of No Boundaries on the show (which as both guys attested to was very hard to sing) Kris’s voice can do the song justice. I just hope he doesn’t change it too much, but from comments he’s said, I don’t think he will. I’m happy for him to get to do it, big television audience.

Go Bulls!!! Oh waità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I must still be stuck in 1997.

LOL! Go Cavs!!! Oh wait…I’m stuck in land before time…

I almost feel as if I’m on rewind. Wal-Mart, NBA – NA. Last year this time I was watching all of this for DC!!! I’m not sure why my level of angst isn’t as high though.

Go Kris!!! I think he’ll do fine.

I think Kris will sound good because he has a really pretty, pure voice. The only bad performance he really had was No Boundaries and that was more due to the lack of time to get that song to fit his voice.

This! I was just discussing w/ hubby how he virtually hit almost every note during idol. I also agree with the pretty, pure voice.

8 steps is an octave.

Actually, an octave has 8 notes, but 6 steps (12 half-steps). It’s kind of confusing, lol.

As for the NA, I think Kris will do just fine. If he can make a crappy song like ‘No Boundaries’ sound half-way decent despite the fact that it’s almost outside of his range, then I doubt he’ll have too much trouble with the anthem.

here’s the Kris-Smokey duet — not the greatest sound and weird video but a taste until something better comes along — I put it on the Wal-Mart thread too:

Hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a kind of jerky, un-synch-ed but cool anyway vid of the Smokey-Kris duet on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Get Readyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  hoping for better sound & pic soon:

http://www.rickey.org/?p=17320

Kelly did sing the national anthem during the 2005 NBA finals via satellite from her USO tour of the Persian Gulf.

Video’s here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKTGDwDb5i4

Adam would sing it better….sorry

Well that will be at least a few minutes of the NBA finals that I’ll watch. Can’t wait. Kris is an athlete, so he is going to be as star struck as David Cook was last year to sing in front of that group, but he is going to be great. It will be great to hear him sing live again. So glad that it will be Kris singing the National Anthem in his pure, genuine way and not Adam making a production out of it in his showboat way. I much prefer Kris’s style. Looking forward to it.

Adam would sing it betterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.sorry

Didn’Â ¨t he do an amazing job during his homecoming? Beautiful

Kris will be fine. He is self-aware and know he has a limited range and that his falsetto is shaky at best. He will do a nice quiet version. Just hpe he doesn ¨’t accomapny himself on guitar…that would be uh- well, a little tacky.

Marvin Gaye’s version remains one of the best…evah.

No real money though. My poker face isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t much better than Krisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. lol

Well, I’m so bad at poker, it would actually be in your best interest to use real money

Marvin Gayeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version remains one of the bestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦evah.

I love that one too.

For me, it is a rare moment when Kris Allen hits a bad note. So, I’m pretty certain he’s going to do just fine.

Kris has a clear,pure and sweet vocal.He’ll do fine.Adam would over-do it and
the song is not one to be screamed or to be touched with glitter.Its a a song to respect.Besides that Kris is the WINNER and the WINNER always sings at the NBA from what i know. Cry a bridge and get over it .

Adam would over-do it and
the song is not one to be screamed or to be touched with glitter.Its a a song to respect.Besides that Kris is the WINNER and the WINNER always sings at the NBA from what i know. Cry a bridge and get over it .

Have you heard Adam’s version from his homecoming. It was beautiful…and no, he didn’t wear glitter and a feather boa and do his incredible rock wail.

Yes, Kris is the winner.

Kris has a clear,pure and sweet vocal.Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll do fine.Adam would over-do it and
the song is not one to be screamed or to be touched with glitter.Its a a song to respect.Besides that Kris is the WINNER and the WINNER always sings at the NBA from what i know. Cry a bridge and get over it .

Except that Adam has already sung the SSB and DIDN’T overdo it at all. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWIGkbuz2g8

And as mj has posted above, 3rd place finisher Elliott Yamin sang at the NBA finals in 2006 (the year of season 5 won by Taylor Hicks).

Kris will do fine. He’ll be well-rested, he’ll have had plenty of time to practise and musically speaking, I think he’s one of the smartest singers (yes, “singer” and not just “musician”) that we’ve ever had on American Idol.

Well, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m so bad at poker, it would actually be in your best interest to use real money

Hmmm….

Adam would sing it betterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.sorry

elw, does it make you feel better spamming all the Kris threads? Every. Single. One. With how much Kris is boring and Adam is better? It’s a tv show. That’s over. No more competition. No more baiting.

Seriously, get a life.

I know this will get deleted, but I still feel better for having said it. Sorry, mj.

In all fairness I think David did an ok job. I have heard some horrible renditions. For some reason the name Roseanne comes to mind.

I think Kris has the same range as David so I’m sure he will do a good job as well. I had no plans on watching the basketball game but I guess I can tune into the beginning but as soon as Kris is done I’m changing the channel. He’s gonna look so cute and little next to those guys! LOL

elw, does it make you feel better spamming all the Kris threads? Every. Single. One. With how much Kris is boring and Adam is better? Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a tv show. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s over. No more competition. No more baiting.

Seriously, get a life.

I know this will get deleted, but I still feel better for having said it. Sorry, mj.

…and this will probably get deleted. In all fairness you should have scolded BubbleGum as well, as she spams even the Kris threads by always slagging off Adam, after glowing remarks about Kris. It really isn’t one-sided.

I apologize in advance, MJ.

Mj, could you delete my post? I woke up cranky but have now have my coffee. Thanks.

Adam would sing it betterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.sorry

Better is subjective. Adam would do it Adam’s way which is a way that I do not enjoy.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦and this will probably get deleted. In all fairness you should have scolded BubbleGum as well, as she spams even the Kris threads by always slagging off Adam, after glowing remarks about Kris. It really isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t one-sided.

One day I’ll work on my better judgement…

According to my understanding of mj’s rules, you can slag off on any contestant you want. I could care less if elw doesn’t like Kris or BubbleGum doesn’t like Adam.

Staying in a Kris thread and saying you don’t like Adam, or going to an Adam thread to discuss your opinion of that performer is miles different than going to Kris threads specifically to say how much you don’t like him in these drive-by posts that comes off as an effort to bait other posters and act like a 12 year old who didn’t get their way.

It’s the childish baiting that I object to, not the opinion.

Kris did a great job on the National Anthem, I really liked it.

Staying in a Kris thread and saying you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like Adam, or going to an Adam thread to discuss your opinion of that performer is miles different than going to Kris threads specifically to say how much you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him in these drive-by posts that comes off as an effort to bait other posters and act like a 12 year old who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get their way.

Still fits with Bubblegums posts, so call it on both or none.

going to an Adam thread to discuss your opinion of that performer is miles different than going to Kris threads specifically to say how much you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like him in these drive-by posts that comes off as an effort to bait other posters and act like a 12 year old who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get their way.

WHAT?? When it happens in an Adam thread it’s called “discuss[ing] an opinion” and when it happens in a Kris thread it’s called “baiting?” Uh, NO! With a couple of folks it’s baiting pure and simple and they know who they are. Hell, we all know who they are and it’s happening in BOTH threads. And what’s more, they are putting MJ to way too much work constantly putting out fires.

As punishment, I think those posters should be restricted to posting ONLY in the SPEIDI thread … for a term to be decided by MJ. Just a suggestion.

Kris did such a great job on the National Anthem. I was looking forward to seeing him sing live on television again and was not at all disappointed. A capella, pure, hitting every note right on pitch. I just love the kid, plus he looked confident and in complete control. I think he is going to surprise all of us with his poise as a performer.