Simon Cowell – The Tonight Show With Jay Leno – VIDEO

nvm

Wow. I thought Simon was incredibly funny and engaging on this. He didn’t dress up for Leno though. LOL! I will miss him on Idol. :D

Very cute to see him so nervous about the engagement questions!

The cheers when Simon mentioned Crystal’s name! She’s the definite frontrunner right now.

Blah to the winner/runner-up drama though Simon’s opinion is not exactly shocking if you watched last season.

I didn’t think that Simon pimped the hell out of Crystal. He said that she has got confidence and a great voice and he liked her but I thought that he was quite restrained actually.

“He didn’t dress up for Leno though.”

When he does dress in something other than those shirts that look like undershirts, he looks great. Anyone else laugh at Simon wearing the same shirt in the Idol clip as on the Leno Show? I will never understand his completely redundant wardrobe. You know a woman could never get away with that! And does he cut his own hair? IMO he is a handsome man. Maybe someday he will dress and groom to complement his features more than just for a finale show.

I love Simon. He is always intelligent and quite witty. I like it that he seems to have loosened up a little this year. Could be the engagement. I like it that he tells things as he sees them and apologizes to no one. Best judge ever on idol and has excellent taste when it comes to music. Go Simon!

Simon gets away with a lot because of his great sense of self-depreciating humor

Man, I wish he was like that on Idol and not so grumpy at times.

He’s an interesting guy, I doubt the show will continue when he’s gone, I like ellen but I miss Paula.
Interesting he came out and said Adam should have won, based on his talent as an artist.

Plus, Simon pimped the hell out of Crystal Bowersox in Part 2. Yep, Crystal is definitely his favorite this year…

So I guess that she won’t win. If I were Crystal, I won’t be happy.

Puh-leez, trudging up the tired old Adam vs Kris “who is the biggest overall artist” war and taking sides?!! (Does he even pay attention to the singles and airplay charts-??) Man, if Simon was blogging on MJ’s Blog, MJ would have deleted him! Simon, get over it!!!

So I guess that she won’t win. If I were Crystal, I won’t be happy.

He has supported many winners in the past. I think that what backfires and kills is OTT pimping and I don’t think that his comments were.

I do like Simon. I like how he’s not always politically correct, gives his true opinion, and calls people on their BS. Don’t believe he will get married until he actually does!!

Probably bad news for Crystal if Simon keeps up the pimping. But she’ll do the same probably no matter what position she ends up in. She’ll still make top 4 at least imo and I think she’d be happy without the confetti or the title.

After reading your review I thought the pimping would be much more over the top, he just recognized Crystal as the frontrunner which she is at the moment, nothing more than that.

Boy, I think Idol is really going to miss Simon.

Not down to the Top 12 just yet as Jay says to Simon but very close.

I can’t wait for the backlash.

In 5…4..3..2..

and I’ll be over here enjoying it all.

well that was the next best thing to a “Mea culpa” that we will get! As a 11′th hour decision, lets hope Mish’s heart is safe.
So cute that he blushes so easily too!

I don’t think simon is trying to pimp Crystle. Archie was the first to be acknowledged as a front runner, and David wasn’t acknowledged for another couple weeks. Lots of time yet for peeps to shine, like
Siobhan, Didi, Lilly,…..Just never know!

I personally get annoyed when any of the judges predict that particular people will win or definitely be in top 3 or 2!
I think Crystle would probably perfer “not to take it all”, as it
could seriously cramp her style. I just don’t think she will compromise her musical integrity if challenged. Who knows though?
TPTB have done a lot of compromising for both Adam and Kris this
year….which makes me grateful that the results musically are
just fine!!

springboard:
03/09/2010 at 2:53 am
So I guess that she won’t win. If I were Crystal, I won’t be happy.

He has supported many winners in the past. I think that what backfires and kills is OTT pimping and I don’t think that his comments were.

True, but its starting pretty early this year. We’ve all had the “girl is going to win” crap shoved down our throats… this is just the beginning. Just wait.

Well, he did go on all the talk shows last year and said Adam should win… he’d be coming off quite lame if he suddenly said something different now… even though I’m a little surprised (and happy) that he’s not holding a grudge against Adam for his so-called “attack” against SuBo… So lots of good points to Mr. Cowell from me.

BTW- I’d never watched AI before Adam, and I’m not watching this season, and the only little I knew of AI was that Kelly Clarkson came off of it, and that there’s that witty British judge on it…

I’m def. one of those who think AI will suffer without Cowell, and especially if he’s bringing his own show… good luck to everyone, though- because for me- AI is the wonderful show that introduced me to Adam, so I could never wish it or its producers, who supported Adam, anything bad!
Fantard much? Oh yeah

Simon seems so much more likable to me this year…even softer! I have no problem with him naming Crystal….she shines so much over the others…. IMO, he is stating the obvious. Every year is different….I just don’t think that naming her now will *jinx* her as it has in the past. But who knows…..other than Crystal, no one seems to be breaking away from the pact in talent as they have in the past.
BtW, I totally agree with what he said about Adam and Kris……I LOVE Kris the man…..I LOVE Adam the talent.

Leno sure likes Adam!

His fiancee appears to be very sweet and shy, and very much in love with him. I wonder if her influence is making him more sensitive. Great to see HIM sweating, for once! Good for Jay, needling him.

Jay Leno is crushing HUGE on adam, its hilarious

Pixie Baker:
03/09/2010 at 7:49 am
Simon seems so much more likable to me this year…even softer! I have no problem with him naming Crystal….she shines so much over the others…. IMO, he is stating the obvious. Every year is different….I just don’t think that naming her now will *jinx* her as it has in the past. But who knows…..other than Crystal, no one seems to be breaking away from the pact in talent as they have in the past.
BtW, I totally agree with what he said about Adam and Kris……I LOVE Kris the man…..I LOVE Adam the talent.

The way I see it this year is that Simon knows this is his last year and doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone, not that he did in the past, so he can relax more with the whole process. Also, from the few episodes I saw this year, I get the impression he is just going through the motions and can’t wait for it to be finished and he is probably somewhat bored with the whole show. Over the years I watched AI, I have “always” found that it was Simon’s comments that the contestants looked for and took to heart more than the other judges. You could always sense the anticipation in their faces, did I or did I not impress Simon.

With regards to the pimping thing, personally, I don’t consider it pimping at all. The way I see it is if you recognize talent you support and promote it. That’s how I felt about Adam last year. It was a no-brainer that the guy had super talent and the complete package and it would be rediculous for “any” of the judges not to relate to it. That being said, the others were talented as well, however, not in the same league.

With regards to the win/lose situation, give me a break. Adam knew full well going into the competition that he never had a chance in hell when it came to winning this in the USA. As Simon eluded in his interviews on occasion, sometimes it just gets into a popularity contest (combines with some politics) and we all know that that has happened in the past where the USA got it totally wrong.

The bottom line though is that it doesn’t really matter because everyone wins in some way or another because American Idol does provide the platform for these talented artists whoever they may be to get their face and voice out there.

Unless the contestants in Season 9 pick it up a few notches, I don’t foresee many/any of them going on to greener pastures in the music industry. There are two there that I would say could be sustainable. They certainly do have to put more of themselves out there.

Simon does it every year, so it’s nothing new. But, I think just the mere act of mentioning a contestant’s name favorably outside of AI is pimping them. It plants an idea in the minds of folks watching that maybe they should be voting for the contestant, or at least paying attention. It’s a little unfair, imo, and sometimes backfires on the contestant.

And I really hate when he starts the namechecking this early in the contest. At least wait until the kids hit the big stage…

I thought Simon was incredibly cheery on the top 24 show; figured it was because he was in love. The next week he musta sat on a tack, because he never looked at the contestants.

I kind of like his signature shirts; he is well, but not over, developed and has incredible posture. The shirt he is wearing on Leno could be more buttoned, though. Furry. When it turns grey, he will prolly either dye his chest or button up.

Go Crystal!!!

The only reason I am bothered by simon going on about Adam being the one who should have won is because it is disrespectful to Kris. Adam and Kris are both extremely talented, and both are building careers right now. Simon seems to be trying to cut Kris off at the knees. Of course, based on this, I’m not surprised there are no pictures of Simon posing with Kris (or Allison) at the Elton John party.

I haven’t watched season 9 too much. I think the talent is kind of average this season. Actually it’s downright boring. I know who most of the singers are but I don’t really care too much who proceeds forward or not.
I did find it interesting that Simon said Adam should have won. I agree and so don’t the sales charts obviously with CD sales of a 2 to 1 margin. But I think Kris is talented too and I’m sure he’ll find his own niche along the way. Maybe going the way of a Jason Mraz or Fray. I guess that is like Simon to not hold back. I don’t think he really cared for Kris.
It’s too soon in the show to like one singer or another. You have to see how they handle all types of music. To me that’s where the proof is. Some singers are only comfortable doing ballads with a guitar in their hand and others can sing the phonebook. We’ll see how Chrystal turns out to be.

I have no problem with him naming Crystal….she shines so much over the others…. IMO, he is stating the obvious.

IA – I thought his comment was perfectly in line with the way the competition looks now anyways – imo Crystal not only has one of the stronger singing voices and more natural performance abilities, but also one of the more confident personalities – something that is sorely lacking this season. I’m pretty ambivalent myself about this season so far, I don’t really have a horse in this race, but Crystal is still one of the best.

cakeygirl:
03/09/2010 at 8:14 am
Jay Leno is crushing HUGE on adam, its hilarious

LOL – I love how much Leno loves Adam :-) Seriously, why the hell did we have to put up with 2 Palin interview segments on last week’s show, rather than cutting out her time and giving us an Adam interview segment instead? Would have been soooo much better! Hopefully he’ll get to come back on the show later in the spring for both an interview and performance (fingers crossed!)

We have seen the pimping backfire so many times. I really like Simon but can’t he see that only hurts those contestants chances. Kris and Adam are both winners. They are both getting so many great opportunities to be involved in different things and put on shows in different places.

I wonder how Crystral will fare on the show. She is very good, but if she doesn’t show enough versatility, people are going to get bored.. but would she need versatility in real life?

Simon has his moments where he seems almost human. Being in love…and puppies bring out his softer side.

Having said that, I personally will be happy to see Simon move on from American Idol next season to “X-So-I-Can-Play-Puppetmaster-Factor” and insert himself into the contestants’ performances more directly like he wants to. If he could eliminate the voters altogether, I think he would. He just can’t stand it when America doesn’t agree with him, can he? I like Adam and hope he’s very successful, but I felt Kris deserved to win and Simon can stuff it.

As for his pimping of contestants during the season, that’s nothing new. Crystal Bowersox = Melinda Doolittle, in my opinion. She may actually win it but I suspect she will finish in third or fourth place due to her consistency mixed with overpimping which induces complacency.

Well I’ve always knew how Simon felt about Kris so it doesn’t surprise me that he said that. And really am sure Adam isn’t crying that he lost. His probably happy he didn’t win the title, his doing fantastic with out the win. I hope Simon doesn’t hurt Crystal’s chances of winning by naming her before the really competition begins.

would she need versatility in real life?

I don’t really think any singer needs the amount of versatility Idol demands. I can think of so many successful artists who would never get far on the show.

How cute are Simon and Mezghan — wow, so cute!

His pimpage of Crystal wasn’t even in the same ballpark of his exhorbitant pimpage of years past. To me this says that Crystal must be pulling high numbers and be far ahead of the pack right now. I know that the pimpage will get worst as the season goes on and that is why TPTB invented the fast forward button…

I really like Simon. I’m missing Paula’s enthusiasm and spark this season. Now when Simon leaves next season, it’s really going to be a different show. I don’t think it will be nearly as good after he goes. :(

I think that name dropping early on is as much to pimp the show as the contestants. It is a way of saying “look, the show is interesting, there is real talent there..”
Yes, it is unfair, but the show has never been fair..

That pimpage was mild to me. I’ve seen worse from Simon.

In the end I don’t think this matters all that much.

I did find it interesting that Simon said Adam should have won. I agree and so don’t the sales charts obviously with CD sales of a 2 to 1 margin. But I think Kris is talented too and I’m sure he’ll find his own niche along the way.

I think it’s weird that Simon thinks Adam is doing so much better than Kris… does he not listen to pop radio? I mean, LLWD is doing really well, and for the great majority of the public, radio play is their only perception of success. No one except hardcore Idol fans or chart followers are aware that Adam is outselling Kris 2 to 1. There is some public perception that thinks Adam is doing better than Kris, but I find those aren’t necessarily music fans, cuz even though Adam’s name is in the news more, his music isn’t.

I just heard one of the dj’s on my morning radio show talk Idol, and one guy said he heard Adam was doing better than Kris, and then the other guy countered that Kris Allen’s single was doing better than Adam’s, and essentially shut down the argument. I thought that was interesting that they didn’t even go into album sales or anything, but then again, it makes sense– radioplay is basically the public’s main measure of an artist’s success because people don’t follow sales charts. I remember being a little frustrated last year when my friends thought Archie was doing better than DC for a moment when they heard Crush all the time and Light On never. If you ask my friends, pop music lovers, all of them, they’d say Kelly Clarkson is killing it with this album, cuz her singles are all over the radio, and be surprised that it hasn’t even gone platinum. Anyway, I find it interesting that Simon thinks Adam is doing so much better than Kris. I’m just wondering what Simon is basing his opinion on.

By the way, I think Simon is entitled to his opinion, like anyone, on Adam vs Kris after the fact. I just hate when he comments on contestants during the competition. I happen to really love Crystal, and I still think it’s a bad idea.

But Simon and the judges have been doing that since day one, so they aren’t going to stop now.

It’s always been obvious that Simon thought Adam was better than Kris and should have won. That’s ok, it’s his opinion. But what I found vert disrespectful is Simon not even bothering to call Kris by name, just “the winner”. What was that?

I doubt Kris cares, though. He never seemed that bothered by Simon.

As for Simon pimping Crystal, that was pretty mild, in terms of what I’ve seen from the Idol judges in the past

Yes, Simon is definitely pimping Crystal, but I thought his comments on the show last week where he compared others’ performances to hers (unfavorably) and namechecked her about three times much more cringeworthy. Based strictly on her show performances, she is polished and confident but not completely outshining everyone else. Based on the original material of hers that has leaked online, however, I think she is a very talented artist and I’d like to see her get a record deal. Maybe coming in 2nd or 3rd would be better for her, lowered expectations – because she’s not likely to be a hit on Top 40 radio – and more artistic freedom.

He just can’t stand it when America doesn’t agree with him, can he?

I think America did agree with Simon. I think it’s the conservative-skewing Idol audience who disagreed with him.

Anyway, I find it interesting that Simon thinks Adam is doing so much better than Kris. I’m just wondering what Simon is basing his opinion on.

I can’t imagine Simon listens to the radio. But Adam is all over the place PR wise, and he has more buzz. The album sales situation was reported in the industry mags too… so I’m guessing that is what Simon is basing stuff on.

But I agree.. to most people success means you hear their songs on the radio a lot, and you see them on your TV/in your magazines/on Perez or TMZ a lot. Very few people actually know anything about album sales unless they see it on the front page of ITunes or in some magazine’s weekly listing of top albums IMO.

LaurelG

You think America agrees with Simon? That’s a little wide sweeping statement, isn’t it? First of all, most of America has little to no idea who either Kris or Adam even are. Of those who do know who they are, some would agree with Simon, some wouldn’t.

Yeah everyone has a right to there opinion,and everyone has a right to not agree with that person’s opinion. Like I said above I always knew how Simon feels about Kris and nothing is going to chance his opinion,unless it’s Simon himself. And am sure Kris doesn’t care what Simon thinks as long as Kris gets to keep doing what his doing. But Kris and Adam said that they didn’t go on Idol to win just to be able to get there name out there and get there music out there for people can hear them. Am happy for both guys and pulling for both of them to keep putting albums out there for me to buy. Also am sure Kris also already knows how Simon feels.

At this point in these guys careers, what Simon thinks, really don’t matter. Kris will have his platinum single today, plus he has a chance to open for some big names. Adam has a gold single and album, and is working toward platinum. He’s selling overseas which is a big deal for him and his record company. Both guys are doing what they love, and how they finished on American Idol, is no longer of any importance.

Simon simply gave his opinion, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. What Simon considers successful might be different than what others think. I don’t think Simon thinks success in terms of just the U.S. He thinks globally and name recognition.

Well I voted for Kris and am in American, so I don’t agree with Simon at all. But I still like Simon and I still think Idol isn’t going to be the same with out him on there. You can like someone but not have to agree with him,and just like me Simon has a right to his opinion. I also love Adam just not as much as I love Kris, and I want them both to do well.

Simon was not too bad in his pimpage of Crystal.
And as of the last remarks on ‘who should have won’ Simon is entitled to his opinion and for him a big voice will always top anything; a better overall artist? hmm… in my opinion just a bigger voice. The popularity contest thing is arguable. To have brought up a more popular style would have been closer to the truth i think. Adam and Kris are successful and this what matters.
Stll like Simon and like less Leno…

I didn’t feel Simon was cutting Kris down. Kris is not going to be everybody’s fave automatically since he won Idol. I never thought Simon was overly harsh on Kris, I really disliked his Rock and Jazz week performances too, way too safe on Rock Week.

The way Simon’s always displaying his chest cracks me up. I know he’s trying to be sexy but it comes across as a teen trying to act adult, cool, or something. Just funny.

Every season there’s a judge’s favorite who is tagged as the early frontrunner, and this year it’s Crystal. No big shocker. Though I do agree it’s a little unfair. And not just unfair to the other singers, but also unfair to Crystal. It’s hard to maintain momentum when you are the early frontrunner and actually pull off a win, especially when the precedent set with Kelly vs. Tamyra is that America likes to “discover” their own champion as the show unfolds. Then again, maybe the storyline they are setting up here is a shock boot better off not winning Daughtry-esque thing? Oh, show. Never change.

As for the Adam vs. Kris stuff, this is nothing new, either. When Simon gets his way and his favorite wins, he’ll generally pimp the idea that America got it right. When Simon doesn’t get his way, he’s a bit of a spoiled brat about it. No matter what Simon says, 19 seems to love Kris so I doubt there will be any widescale Taylor-izing. No worries.

I think it’s weird that Simon thinks Adam is doing so much better than Kris… does he not listen to pop radio?

I doubt that Simon listens to much pop radio, but if he does maybe he listens to one of the stations that plays WWFM a lot (I mean, its not like at this moment there is some huge, gaping chasm between LLWD and WWFM on the pop charts. Both songs are doing great). Anyway, I watched the interview and Simon did not actually comment on Adam and Kris’ success vis-a-vis each other. He responded to Jay’s comment re non-winners doing better than winners some years, and while he didn’t correct Jay’s name-dropping Adam as an example of this, I don’t think you can infer that this means Simon thinks Adam is doing better than Kris. But for many, including Simon, success can be measured in different ways. For many in the Idol bubble, if Kris sells one more record than Adam (or vice versa) then that means they are more successful. Others will factor fame/critical acclaim/other opportunities/international appeal into the equation. If Adam outsells Kris but Kris wins a grammy (or vice versa), who is more “successful”? Most people consider J-Hud successful because she won an Oscar, was nominated for a grammy and is asked to perform at lots of A-list music events. But her record sales have been relatively modest (by the standards of Idol bubble fans). Does the fact that she is not a platinum selling artist make her unsuccessful? In the real world it doesn’t. So, i guess my point is that we don’t know how Simon (or Jay Leno) defines success. Seems to me that both Adam and Kris have been successful — and looks like Danny is having success as well.

Idol is a reality show. I agree with Simon that therefore it’s a popularity show. That’s why they focus on back stories and even Kris said he and Katy were made to pose for pictures with the little aprons on. That was geared towards middle America. Most of the people who voted like crazy for their person has no intent on buying their album.

I think Simon strongly thinks Crystal is the most talented but, like Adam, is different and so he pushes for them a bit so the audience will at least listen and notice. But he knows that sometimes the most talented doesn’t win and it takes luck for that to happen. If you read comments after a show it’s filled with “that person rubs me wrong”, or I think he/she looked full of herself (in that few minutes I saw her). Kris was smart because he said very little and just looked like a cute sweet puppy. The key is to recognize it is not just about talent.

Jay does like Adam a lot which is very cute.

the precedent set with Kelly vs. Tamyra is that America likes to “discover” their own champion as the show unfolds. Then again, maybe the storyline they are setting up here is a shock boot better off not winning Daughtry-esque thing? Oh, show. Never change.

Well, I’ve heard it argued that Fantasia and Carrie were early pimpees who went on to win, so anything can happen. This year the contestants are so wishy-washy that nothing would surprise me at this point.

You think America agrees with Simon? That’s a little wide sweeping atatement, isn’t it? First of all, most of America has little to no idea who either Kris or Adam even are. Of those who do know who they are, some would agree with Simon, some wouldn’t.

I was responding to the sweeping statement “America doesn’t agree with him” which I’ve seen here on numerous occasions.

On Idol, people vote with phone calls and text messages and the pool of voters is drawn from the Idol audience. In the real world, people vote with their pocket books and, yes, Adam is winning that head-to-head contest because he has outsold the winner 2 to 1 in album sales (which are far more lucrative than single sales).

But it’s not only that … consider his recent appearance on Jay Leno and how important that booking was. It was Leno’s first week back and only his second show since returning. Everyone was watching the numbers carefully to see how he’d stack up against Coco’s numbers, Dave’s numbers and even his old Tonight Show numbers. I’m pretty sure they picked their guests very carefully and Adam was one of the ones chosen. To me that speaks volumes. Because there were advertising dollars at stake – popularity of guests impacts ratings impact ad dollars. In the real world, it all comes down to dollars, not votes.

Truthiness:
03/09/2010 at 3:56 am
I can’t wait for the backlash.

In 5…4..3..2..

and I’ll be over here enjoying it all.

LOL! I saw your comment first, then watched the video, and was very worried about what I would hear!

I actually thought Simon was very funny! He spent a lot of time attempting to avoid questions about his personal life, and in a humorous way.

It’s Jay Leno who I found annoying – probably partly because I sided with “team Coco” after “late night-gate” and partly because I found him to be unprepared/uninformed for some of this interview.

Unless I misheard him, Jay said “now that we’re down to the Top 12″ – ummm….no, Jay….we’re not down to the Top 12 yet. I thought he also said “the past few seasons….[the 4th/5th place finishers]…were more successful than the winners” or something like that, and then mentioned Jennifer Hudson and Daughtry. Jennifer Hudson was from S3, and Daughtry was from S5. As far as I know, Jordin was from S6 and is the most successful IDOL from that season, and David Cook is from S7 and is either the most successful from that season or close to a tie with Archie, but certainly not failing.

Jay is the one who brought up the issue of Kris/Adam, so Simon had to respond. It’s no secret that Simon has loved the big, booming voices (Carrie, Melinda, Archie, Cook, Adam) moreso than the singer/songwriter types (Jason, Kris) over the past several seasons. That said, I do find it interesting that now he’s saying a singer/songwriter type is “relevant, a serious artist” and now considers someone like that to be the frontrunner. Maybe it’s because there are no big, booming voices this year (Siobhan will give him a run for his money on that), or maybe after seeing the singer/songwriter types for a couple of seasons, combined with Taylor Swift’s success, he’s changed his mind. Given the large number of singer/songwriter types they cast this season, I’d say the latter.

I think it’s weird that Simon thinks Adam is doing so much better than Kris… does he not listen to pop radio? I mean, LLWD is doing really well, and for the great majority of the public, radio play is their only perception of success. No one except hardcore Idol fans or chart followers are aware that Adam is outselling Kris 2 to 1. There is some public perception that thinks Adam is doing better than Kris, but I find those aren’t necessarily music fans, cuz even though Adam’s name is in the news more, his music isn’t.

Ok, tbh – I think the general public perception is that Adam is bigger than Kris. It doesn’t even have to do with how the songs are doing (after all, WWFM is just behind LLWD now on POP, and selling almost as strong each week, and has been out less than LLWD).

No offense to Kris – but while people may know LLWD as a catchy song they like and want to buy, I doubt they know of Kris himself as well – he just hasn’t established himself (or been established yet) as anywhere near as much a fixture as Adam.

Case in point, most casual AI fans (or people who don’t even watch the show), immediately name Adam off the show, but many don’t know Kris by name – it’s just the reality.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, sales or not, numbers or not, the reality is that Adam is better known – is appearing more, etc. So Leno’s original comment (though decidedly he’s a huge fanboy, lol) didn’t seem as out of place, and Simon’s comment similarly didn’t.

I’ll go on to say, in summary, I actually think it’s more in the AI bubble that we tend to see them as more equal (analysing the numbers to know Kris has very strong airplay and singles sales, etc) – the people who aren’t following this as closely are not necessarily seeing it that way. JMO.

Oh, and re the Crystal pimpage backfiring – I generally believe that as long as the person matches the hype, they will do just fine on the competition. When they don’t – as in, if they aren’t as good as the heaps of praise they’re receiving, that’s when they can get in trouble.

ETA: mmb – just noticed that what you said is basically the same as my sentiments!

Do you think anyone cares what Simon thinks? Hah! What hasn’t he said or done before and during last season? And yeaah, I agree totally that when he doesn’t get it his way, he is pissed but really both Adam and Kris do not care. As for Kris, he even laughs when he’s asked about Simon and that makes me believe he also knows how ignorant Simon looks and sounds sometimes.It’s really laughable that he went on TV before the top3 last year to tell America Kris hasn’t got the voice to compete against Adam and Danny and he still won.
That was the day I realised he was all about the big voice being the only talent an artist must have to be successful. He should ask Taylor Swift.

Mary102,
LOL! you mean people buy the song without knowing who sings it? Are you serious?
Well, I’m 100% sure the 1 million people who have bought LLWD know Kris sings it. The fact that he is not all over the place doesn’t mean he’s not known but the bottom line is he gets to do what he loves, makes his money and hopefully have a long term career which is banker!

Simon is great. That was a good interview. He is entitled to his opinion and is never afraid to state it. It was fun to watch him squirm a bit when asked about his lady friend. He gets so giddy! Must be in love! Jay was pretty funny too.

Okay, just from what I hear from people.

It seems like Adam is more well known than Kris, but not because of the music. It’s because of the controversies. But most people I talk to know the song LLWD and not WWFM. I’ve heard LLWD many times on the radio and I still haven’t heard WWFM once. I think Kris is gaining more non idol fans than Adam. People outside of the idol bubble would more likely be able to identify LLWD than WWFM. I think Adam has more fans within the idol bubble than Kris does, and that’s why Adam is selling more albums than Kris is.

But I mean, we’re all in bubbles. And it’s hard to really perceive how well the whole public knows the Idols.

Well, I’ve heard it argued that Fantasia and Carrie were early pimpees who went on to win, so anything can happen.

Tru dat. Momentum is a fickle thing and will sometimes zig when you thought it would zag, and this season is one of the weirder ones so far. I just meant that historically, being the early judges’s fave can sometimes be a both a blessing and a curse, going back to season 1 with the Tamyra shock boot. As far as early favorites go, I think it went like this…Season 1: Tamyra- didn’t win/shock boot, Season 2: Ruben- won (barely), Season 3: Tasia-won, Season 4: Carrie-won, Season 5: Daughtry- didn’t win and then became the poster boy for shock boot outrage, Season 6: Mindy Doo- didn’t win/shock boot, Season 7: Archie- didn’t win, Season 8: Adam- didn’t win…. So, you never know.

I think America did agree with Simon. I think it’s the conservative-skewing Idol audience who disagreed with him.

I was responding to the sweeping statement “America doesn’t agree with him” which I’ve seen here on numerous occasions.

Fair enough. It should be noted that Ryan often says…”America voted and…” before someone is declared safe or not. In the context of the show, “America” voted Kris Allen as their winner and deservedly so, in my opinion (but not Simon’s).

Having said that, I recall that What Not to Sing’s data show that Kris had broader appeal of those surveyed, meaning a larger share of casual fans and fewer extremely positive or negative impressions, while Adam had deeper appeal among those who are most ardent fans but also stronger negatives. I think it follows that the more ardent a fan, the more likely s/he is to buy the artist’s product. A more casual fan might hear a song on the radio and eventually buy the album.

Having said that, didn’t one of the PTB say that an Idol winner can expect 250-500K (US) units sold from the American Idol fanbase? Then the question is what happens beyond the AI fandom? It’s probably a little early to write anyone off at this point becuase I think they’re all successful if they can make a living doing what they love, but I know that sales of CDs is how Simon and 19E measure “success”.

Adam has buzz, but so did Taylor Hicks as I recall. Taylor was everywhere in his season and after, but Daughtry got his own share of (he wuz robbed!!) publicity and eventually “won” the war of the spreadsheets. I know that Adam is supposed to be the big International Star and Kris the humble little American Singer-Songewriter. One is presumably more worthy of media fixation than the other, but I think it’s unfortunate that the AI competition continues to wash over these artists’ post Idol careers when judgments are made abot who was a worthy winner or who is “successful” as a recording artist.

But most people I talk to know the song LLWD and not WWFM. I’ve heard LLWD many times on the radio and I still haven’t heard WWFM once.

I guess it depends on where you live and what type of radio stations you and your friends listen to. Apparently you are in a market that is not playing WWFM. However, in many markets WWFM is played a lot, is on the nightime and mid-day countdowns etc. Both LLWD and WWFM videos get a lot of play on VH1 and MTV and are on the vh1 countdown. Both songs are on AT40, top 20/30 on Billboard charts, and within a few places of each other on the mediabase pop and hac charts. So its not at all accurate to say that no one knows Adam for his music when it is indisputable that a whole lot of people are hearing his song or seeing his video several times a day (not to mention watching him perform on ellen, leno, oprah, the stripped videos etc. etc. etc.)

I guess it depends on where you live and what type of radio stations you listens. Apparently you are in a market that is not playing WWFM. However, in many markets WWFM is played a lot, is on the nightime and mid-day countdowns etc. Both LLWD and WWFM videos get a lot of play on VH1 and MTV and are on the vh1 countdown. Both songs are on AT40, top 20/30 on Billboard charts, and within a few places of each other on the mediabase pop and hac charts.

Yep – when I went to SoCal – I heard WWFM several times, but never LLWD – it all depends on where you are. For actual AI (audience impression) – they are very close in POP (29 for WWFM vs 33 for LLWD)

It seems like Adam is more well known than Kris, but not because of the music. It’s because of the controversies. But most people I talk to know the song LLWD and not WWFM. I’ve heard LLWD many times on the radio and I still haven’t heard WWFM once. I think Kris is gaining more non idol fans than Adam. People outside of the idol bubble would more likely be able to identify LLWD than WWFM. I think Adam has more fans within the idol bubble than Kris does, and that’s why Adam is selling more albums than Kris is.

But I mean, we’re all in bubbles. And it’s hard to really perceive how well the whole public knows the Idols.

Ok, where to begin…

I beg to differ about Adam being more well known for just the controversies. Just considering all his high profile music gigs – IDK, but is Oprah’s audience, or Ellen’s or Jay’s hearing him talk about the AMAs for 30 minutes? No – they’re seeing a kick ass musical performance that gets tons of youtube hits the next day.

As I said before, I think people know LLWD very well, but do they know Kris? I’d rather more people know me, music AND controversies, than not know me at all. Just saying.

And as for just selling to the bubble – that time is over – the albums have been out for months now, so any AI bubble fans have already bought both of the albums. Now they are selling outside the bubble, I think it’s pretty safe to say.

Anyway, I watched the interview and Simon did not actually comment on Adam and Kris’ success vis-a-vis each other.

You’re right, mmb. I watched, and Simon didn’t really say that; he just said that Adam should’ve won, which is his opinion. And tbh, even though I generally prefer Kris’ type of music, and Adam isn’t my thing, I also always felt Adam should have won, for a variety reasons. So lol, what Simon said was fine. What Leno suggested, perhaps a bit less so. Anyway, Team Coco!

I think it is honest of Simon to finally say that Adam Lambert should have won as an overall artist. Kris is fine, but there is no way he had the same level of talent as Adam Lambert.

It’s probably a little early to write anyone off at this point becuase I think they’re all successful if they can make a living doing what they love, but I know that sales of CDs is how Simon and 19E measure “success”.

Simply because I agree with Simon that Adam should have won based on his level of talent and artistry doesn’t mean I’ve automatically written off Kris. I haven’t. There’s certainly room in the industry for both and, I agree, if a person can make a living doing what he loves, he’s successful in my book.

I know ppl have different opinions but Crystal is far and away the best contestant. Someone posted that Simon prefers the big voices like Melinda, Adam, Cook and now he’s changing his opinion going for a singer songwriter type like Crystal and not a booming voice. No it’s that Simon’s picks are normally the best contestants those seasons. Some of you may not agree but Melinda, Fantasia, Cook, Adam all did extremely well during their seasons, knew exactly what they were doing and always gave good performances. The fact that he said Crystal is not suprising she is one of the most talented contestants this season.

girlygirl:
03/09/2010 at 10:46 am
It’s always been obvious that Simon thought Adam was better than Kris and should have won. That’s ok, it’s his opinion. But what I found vert disrespectful is Simon not even bothering to call Kris by name, just “the winner”. What was that?

I doubt Kris cares, though. He never seemed that bothered by Simon.

As for Simon pimping Crystal, that was pretty mild, in terms of what I’ve seen from the Idol judges in the past

Simon needs to prove Simon is right. He will always ‘forget’ the names of anyone he didn’t pimp and he will also conveniently forget the people he did who turned out to be disappointments. Simon likes conspicuous consumption, big egos, and big personalities, along with BIG voices. The best thing Adam did last year was make Simon stop using his catch phrases to put someone down. They are ‘cruise ship singer’, ‘Cabaret’, ‘Broadway’. Simon couldn’t utter those words when that is exactly who Adam was. I’ll give the nod to Jennifer Hudson for help with banning ‘Broadway’ as a put down also.

I agree, this was mild for Simon on Crystal. He was far worse on last weeks girls night. I hate when any of the judges overpraise or name check a single contestant. It makes it unfair to all, including that person.

I think it’s a wrong to assume that Jay is a huge Adam fanboy. Jay looks for where he can get a cheap joke or ratings and any sort of controversy provides that.

Kris is fine, but there is no way he had the same level of talent as Adam Lambert.

Depends on how you define talent. You can define talent as vocal range, or talent for creating shocking performances, or you can define talent as consistently choosing songs and crafting performances that appeal to more of the AI voting public, lol. Or any other way. We could go on for days.

I know that Adam is supposed to be the big International Star and Kris the humble little American Singer-Songewriter.

You know what’s funny? Doesn’t it feel like they’re trying to find a female Kris Allen this year?

ETA: Am I the only one that thinks Crystal has a “big” voice. Just cuz she doesn’t do the showy vocals doesn’t mean she doesn’t possess a big voice… (don’t get me wrong, I love Siobhan)

You know what’s funny? Doesn’t it feel like they’re trying to find a female Kris Allen this year?

Because they know they can never find another Adam ;-) Sorry, too easy…

I think it’s a wrong to assume that Jay is a huge Adam fanboy. Jay looks for where he can get a cheap joke or ratings and any sort of controversy provides that.

Really? Did you see the fall interview between the two on the 10pm show? That was pretty obvious fanboying, and Jay was EXTREMELY supportive of Adam, especially re the whole AMA/ABC thing – and he did not need to be that way. In fact, if he just wanted the ratings, he could have bated Adam into being more “controversial” or something.

I would agree that there is definately room in the industry for artists like Kris and Adam – it isn’t an either or situation. I would absollutely love to sit in an intimate setting listening to an artist like Kris – like John Meyer’s Story Teller show or an intimate night club. On the other hand I saw Adam Lambert in Indio and he could easily blow the roof off any size of stadium, though I was thrilled to have a little more intimate setting with him as well. Adam is a a performing artist and he is hugely talented – very different he and Kris. I don’t think it should offend anyone because they are apples and oranges. Not everyone is meant to be a mega star, nor would they even want to be.

I know ppl have different opinions but Crystal is far and away the best contestant. Someone posted that Simon prefers the big voices like Melinda, Adam, Cook and now he’s changing his opinion going for a singer songwriter type like Crystal and not a booming voice. No it’s that Simon’s picks are normally the best contestants those seasons. Some of you may not agree but Melinda, Fantasia, Cook, Adam all did extremely well during their seasons, knew exactly what they were doing and always gave good performances. The fact that he said Crystal is not suprising she is one of the most talented contestants this season.

Yes, Crystal is very talented, but she has also got a great voice. I think that her pre-idol recordings make it more apparent than what she has done on the show.

Yeah it does seem that way smallie. Yeah I think Adam is talented but to me I think Kris is alot more talented and his more the type of singer I like. I’M the type that likes the laid back types more. But I do still like Adam also.I love Adam more now then I did when he was on Idol. But I would have been happy if any of the top 4 would have won. I think all type 4 are very talented and bought all of there Cd’s and love all 4 of them. But like I said I still like Simon even if I don’t agree with him.

I know ppl have different opinions but Crystal is far and away the best contestant. Someone posted that Simon prefers the big voices like Melinda, Adam, Cook and now he’s changing his opinion going for a singer songwriter type like Crystal and not a booming voice. No it’s that Simon’s picks are normally the best contestants those seasons. Some of you may not agree but Melinda, Fantasia, Cook, Adam all did extremely well during their seasons, knew exactly what they were doing and always gave good performances. The fact that he said Crystal is not suprising she is one of the most talented contestants this season.

There are a number of strong vocalists this year, at least on the girl’s side, and Crystal is definitely one of the strongest (though not yet sure if she’s THE strongest, given what little we’ve seen so far).

However, I think one reason Simon loves her so much is her confidence and ease on the stage. She’s technically proficient enough as a singer, but where she stands above most of the rest of the field is with that sense of self as an artist – she knows who she is, she’s “in it to win it” (lol, sorry for that one), and she has strong confidence which is always something Simon praises (in fact, looking at the above list of all of his favs, almost all of them had those same qualities in common, with the exception of Melinda and the confidence issue – which is why he always got on her back about that).

This year in particular, I think Crystal really shines in the confidence department over many of the other contestants, who all look like they’re mortified/going to be sick as they leave or approach the stage.

I beg to differ about Adam being more well known for just the controversies. Just considering all his high profile music gigs – IDK, but is Oprah’s audience, or Ellen’s or Jay’s hearing him talk about the AMAs for 30 minutes? No – they’re seeing a kick ass musical performance that gets tons of youtube hits the next day.

As I said before, I think people know LLWD very well, but do they know Kris? I’d rather more people know me, music AND controversies, than not know me at all. Just saying.

Yes. I live in So-Cal and WWFM is played quite often. Not to mention the buzz around Adam because of who he is, the TV performances etc. Plus…Adam is a “power gay” in Hollywood. I know he doesn’t like to wear that hat, but it’s his and it propels him into a whole other category of discussion and notoriety. Yes, Adam is controversial, but he is amazingly talented and has many facets that make him a noteworthy performer. He’s a star. Kris Allen is a good singer. But, there just isn’t much to talk about. Jack Johnson is the same way and has a huge fanbase and great career. Cool! To each his own.

I think Crystal has a fantastic voice to go along with her singer/songwriter vibe and guitar playing skills.I think she is much better vocally than Brooke White or Kris Allen. She reminds me more of David Cook than Kris talent-wise vocally. She has been one of the more consistent contestants so far also.

Crystal has certainly been one of the best girls this season. But it will be interesting to see how she does on the big stage with the theme nights. If she stands there and strums her guitar and plays harmonica for every performance, she may have trouble getting all the way to the end (in the real world, she can have a great career doing that — on tv, week after week, it could make people tire of her). While Kris was able to win as a singer/songwriter type of a guy, he was able to do that in large part because he was able to mix his performances up from week to week. One week he strummed his guitar, another week he played the piano, another week he sat on a stool sans instrument and just sang. Will Crystal (or Lilly? or Didi?) be able to do that to keep things interesting?? time will tell.

You know what’s funny? Doesn’t it feel like they’re trying to find a female Kris Allen this year?

Because they know they can never find another Adam Sorry, too easy…

LOL! So true!

I think they are trying to find a female David Cook. (or Daughtry) Both are your more successful singer/songwriter types that have come from AI. I also think TPTB really want a girl to win, so they are pushing that agenda.

You know what’s funny? Doesn’t it feel like they’re trying to find a female Kris Allen this year?

They seem to want a female singer songwriter guitar player, but why a female Kris Allen specifically? could be a female Daughtry or Cook, or more likely her own person.

They seem to want a female singer songwriter guitar player, but why a female Kris Allen specifically? could be a female Daughtry or Cook, or more likely her own person.

I’m not saying they wouldn’t be happy with a female Cook or Daughtry, but I don’t get the big rock voice vibe from any of these girls– yet. TBD :). And of course, these girls are their own person, but this is Idol, and these derivative shorthanded comparisons are par for the course :)

ETA: As I mentioned earlier, I do think Crystal has a big voice, but she’s not the rock performer that I would associate with a female Cook or Daughtry type. Of course, Cook had his softer moments (e.g. Little Sparrow, All I Really Need Is You, The World I Know) where he didn’t do the big rock performance with the lights and heavy band sound, etc, (I didn’t watch Daughtry’s season), but I just don’t see Crystal or any of the other guitar girls doing an Eleanor Rigby type performance… that’s why I didn’t make the comparison. Again, these girls are unique too, and it’s still early, so it’ll be interesting to see what they have to show us as the show progresses. I could see someone like Katelyn who’s very strong vocally and seems to have a few tricks up her sleeve to surprise us with a few curveballs.

They seem to want a female singer songwriter guitar player, but why a female Kris Allen specifically? could be a female Daughtry or Cook, or more likely her own person.

Well, I know in the past there were always theories (at least over at AI.com) about how tptb were pimping a certain person in order to conquer another part of the musical landscape for that season.

So, Kelly was their original pop princess, Ruben R&B/soul, Fantasia also R&B, Carrie country, Daughtry was pimped to fill the rock void, S6 didn’t really have strong pimping (or strong megastar contenders imo), S7 – eh, either Archie for the pre-Justin Bieber role, or Cook for more alt/rock.

So, this year, especially with the current state of music, not to mention what musical genres AI hasn’t yet conquered, I think they clearly are aiming to fill that T-Swift, singer-songwriter type.

So, yeah – I think it mainly just has to do with that agenda by TPTB. And they’ve stacked the deck this year to really make sure they get it.

ETA: Just had a thought, but at this rate they’ll need to come up with a hip-hopper next season imo ;-) Should be interesting – lol

I like everything I’ve heard from Crystal so far and she’s my pick for this year … at least from the pool of female singers. I just don’t want Simon or the other judges to spoil it for her. I agree that she has a quiet confidence and knows exactly who she is and wants to be. I felt the same with Kris and a bit with Adam. (I felt Adam wanted to be too many things.) That’s worth tons.

ETA: Am I the only one that thinks Crystal has a “big” voice. Just cuz she doesn’t do the showy vocals doesn’t mean she doesn’t possess a big voice… (don’t get me wrong, I love Siobhan)

No, you are not the only one. I think Crystal has the traditional Idol big voice she’s just packaging it in an Americana folk/rock/blues vibe.

I also think they have a lot more Kris types this year than Cook/Daughtry types. Both of the latter came off to me like rock wailers/lead singers in a band, as opposed to the Brooke/Jason/Kris lineage of giving off the solo artist and his/her guitar vibe. YMMV.

So, this year, especially with the current state of music, not to mention what musical genres AI hasn’t yet conquered, I think they clearly are aiming to fill that T-Swift, singer-songwriter type.

Yes, I tend to agree and I think that Crystal could be a good fit if she can shift her style to slightly more mainstream, let’s say pop..

Well, for what it’s worth, I live in the SF Bay Area and have yet to hear WWFM and have heard LLWD often. So I think for many in my area, Adam does seem to be a TV or tabloid celebrity rather than a music artist because his songs are just not heard on the radio.

Yes, I tend to agree and I think that Crystal could be a good fit if she can shift her style to slightly more mainstream, let’s say pop..

TBH – I think this is what could ultimately hurt her on AI. I don’t think she’s the kind to compromise to be more pop – I think that is decidedly not where her interests lie.

More than anything, Crystal actually currently reminds me of a female Bob Dylan – maybe it’s the guitar, folk-rock, harmonica thingy going on.

I predict one of the other women will win in the end, not exactly sure which one – it will depend on how it pans out in the coming months, but that doesn’t mean her or any of the others won’t still do very well after idol (right, Jay? ;-) )

You know what’s funny? Doesn’t it feel like they’re trying to find a female Kris Allen this year?

Female folk/pop singer-song writer who can play an instrument or two? … Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Barielles, Colbie Callait… With jazzy vocals… Adele, Ingrid… With a side of quirkiness? …Lilly Allen, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga…
If the PTB are determined to find a female winner that’s where it’s at in female pop music these days, I think. Well, there’s Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson too but they don’t have a Taylor-like girl (left) this season unless Katie Stevens does a 180 and totally changes her performance style or one of the extra WGWG can make something sound Tayloresque, and nobody comes close to Kelly.

ETA: Am I the only one that thinks Crystal has a “big” voice. Just cuz she doesn’t do the showy vocals doesn’t mean she doesn’t possess a big voice…

Yes, she has a big voice when she wants too but can show a lot of softness and subtlety when she wants too. That’s why she’s so good.

So, Kelly was their original pop princess, Ruben R&B/soul, Fantasia also R&B, Carrie country, Daughtry was pimped to fill the rock void, S6 didn’t really have strong pimping (or strong megastar contenders imo), S7 – eh, either Archie for the pre-Justin Bieber role, or Cook for more alt/rock.

I think Danny Gokey was meant to be their foot in the male country market, which is interesting because Danny didn’t sound country at all to me on the show but seems to be doing okay at it (shows how little I know of that market).

Well, for what it’s worth, I live in the SF Bay Area and have yet to hear WWFM and have heard LLWD often. So I think for many in my area, Adam does seem to be a TV or tabloid celebrity rather than a music artist because his songs are just not heard on the radio.

There are a lot of musical artists who don’t get radio play. I think radio play is nice, but it is not the predominant force it once was.

There are a lot of musical artists who don’t get radio play. I think radio play is nice, but it is not the predominant force it once was.

True. But as evidenced by the Billboard and Mediabase charts, BOTH Kris and Adam ARE getting plenty of radio play right now…in fact these songs are both among the 15-20 most played on pop and hac radio right now. So while some people may not have heard WWFM on the radio, it is indisputable that it is, in fact, being played on the radio a lot, in a lot of different markets (neither LLWD nor WWFM is being played by every station in every market.)

Well, for what it’s worth, I live in the SF Bay Area and have yet to hear WWFM and have heard LLWD often. So I think for many in my area, Adam does seem to be a TV or tabloid celebrity rather than a music artist because his songs are just not heard on the radio.

But the reverse is true for those who live in Chicago and only listen to Top 40 for example.
And as a side note, WWFM is holding its own compared to LLWD as after the 17 weeks of radio play that WWFM has, LLWD was #26 on pop, #12 HAC.
The idea that Kris is known through his music and Adam isn’t, is not based on any fact but on the perception of a few.

Simon didn’t refer to success anyway, only his own taste, but if he had, he would have spoken with his knowledge as a Sony exec, not from the point of view of some people perception of what the public perception might be.

Well, its not like its a contest. LOL. Both songs are getting spun. I guess because LLWD has been spun at this level a little longer then it stands to reason that across the country it probably has a higher recognition level than WWFM because WWFM is just now getting into that range.

But either way it kinda doesn’t matter, because they key question for both is how well known are they overall but how well know are they in their potential markets. So for Adam its pop buyers/listeners, and for Kris its the soft-rock audience (for want of a better term, I actually hate the soft-rock label). I don’t think we really know how many fans of say Gaga/Pink know who Adam is or how many fans of say The Fray/Matt Nathanson know who Kris is. {Disclaimer: I don’t mean literally the fans of those bands, just that type of audience for each).

i guess a lot of us kris fans were annoyed with Simon because being a judge on the show, he had overpimped Adam during the show while dissing Kris afterwards. the fact that he likes Adam better than kris does not bother me, but the fact that Simon likes one contestant better than another does not equate to a conclusion on who is more successful (in terms of radio play, sales or even media buzz) since its just one opinion. as many have stated before, both are enjoying equal amount of success but in my opinion, both are quite far from the success than kelly, carrie and daughtry have had. they still have a long way to go but i’m sure they will have successful careers.

i dont think simon should have pimped crystal since it will definitely affect the votes, either favourably (if people get convinced by simon) or unfavourable (if people think it unfair) but i dont think that at this stage of the competition crystal has anything to worry about cos she’s in a league of her own. she has to “grow” throughout the season or showcase her versatility if she wants to go all the way.

edit: does anyone miss conan? i liked him much better than leno

No offense to Kris – but while people may know LLWD as a catchy song they like and want to buy, I doubt they know of Kris himself as well

i normally dont respond to other comments on kris, but i have to say that its rather silly to assume that many people would’ve heard LLWD and not know who kris is. people associate a song with an artist and its not like kris is an unheard-of-entity. like it or not, he did win last year and people remember that and the fact that people are downloading LLWD at a rate indicates that kris, as an artist, is becoming popular.

So while some people may not have heard WWFM on the radio, it is indisputable that it is, in fact, being played on the radio a lot, in a lot of different markets (neither LLWD nor WWFM is being played by every station in every market.)

Yeah – using any sort of geographic indicator is pretty absurd. By that logic, from what I get to hear in DC, only about 5 songs are actually big right now.

Mary102 LLWD is one of them :)

Ok.my opinion on this

First of all I FLOVE Simon.my second favorite person ever on the show and I’ll be devestated when he leaves.
Second,since I think mj didn’t add it in her write-up to not start a fanwar in my yahoo alerts I go “Simon Cowell thinks Adam lambert should have won amrican idol”

anyway who’s read any of my posts here knows i flove both Adam and Kris,but I’m a bitterbert(yes one of those annoying people that just can’t get over it).I actually got in trouble finale night (which I call the end of the world) because my dad came home from a long trip but I was to busy watching the finale.I knew right before it was announed and as soon as ot happend I litterally shook my head in denial and cried. (I KNOW THIS SOUNDS PATHETHIC.THATS BECAUSE IT IS) I was crying non-sto for more than 3 weeks afterward.I was acting desperate.I was thinking about conspiracy theories,dreaming they would give the plastc trophy ;) to the rightful winner and I was in elementary school then so I on the playground I would take mulch and write out Adam.haha it’s actually funny now:) I even googled Adam lambert American idol winner petition.And my assignmen book was like my adam shrine last year where I scribbled his name over and over,and wrote down AI results.under winner I couldn’t bear to write it so u made my friend do it and then in my desperte fandom (this is hilarious but I was sorta kidding) I wrote die nextvto Kris Allen,and then because I still liked Kris,I changed it to please die.My friend Jack even came up with a name for what I did ” 6 stages of death” or something like that.In no particular order,denial,anger,depression and so many others.People thought I wasn’t coming to school the day after the finale.I got my yearbook signed with OMA.

Sorry for the rant,but the point is,I’m just not totally over it,no matter how ridiculous it seems (and I hope the above is giving a ton of laughs to Adam-haters :)). The only thing that’s made me kinda get over it I losing my favorite person in the world less than 2 months ago.

Anyway, I’m a total Adam tard,and the bitterbert in me LOVES what Simon said

But I really do love them both (and alli too:))

mj,.why does it say my comment’s awaiting moderation? I didn’t disrespect anyone else’s opinions or anything…thanks.

I don’t like crystal, but hey , I know a lot of people do..,

Simon said the other day the winner should be able to be a star internationally. He handles international stuff so he knows Adam should (always a question with him) have success worldwide. It’s not just US that counts – there’s a whole other world out there. Kelly spends mega time overseas. So, Simon just looks at it in a bigger picture.

What I think Simon really wanted was a Taylor Swift and you are right he doesn’t have one. What Idol has really not gotten is a true young star who attracts young teens once the show is over. I think Didi might still surprise us.

I wouldn’t say Crystal has amazing vocals but they are very good and they are unique and that is what makes singer/songwriters successful. I think she is more another Daughtry or Cook.

sma11ie:, I am a little confused, are you an Archie or David Cook fan?

Yes, Crystal is very talented, but she has also got a great voice

Ok- I’m not following the season – but this sentence makes no sense to me…

What’s the contradiction??

Simply because I agree with Simon that Adam should have won based on his level of talent and artistry doesn’t mean I’ve automatically written off Kris. I haven’t. There’s certainly room in the industry for both and, I agree, if a person can make a living doing what he loves, he’s successful in my book

I have to agree with this comment, it’s a big sea and room for many fish. However,I am reminded of the Oscars when Sandra Bullock won she said “did I deserve this or did I just wear you down”. I thought it was worth a chuckle and to answer her question, she deserved it for many reasons. That being said,to this day, I feel Adam lost solely for political reasons (without going into it) plain and simple. It was a no-brainer from beginning to finish and this time it ended incorrectly. But hey, they’re all winners because they all came away with contracts and, in the end, it was only a title and titles don’t guarantee success. The music industry can be very fickle, so, in my opinion, the true success will come with longevity. Time will tell who the true winner is…time and time alone. For now, let’s just enjoy what they offer us!

LaurelG: But it’s not only that … consider his recent appearance on Jay Leno and how important that booking was. It was Leno’s first week back and only his second show since returning. Everyone was watching the numbers carefully to see how he’d stack up against Coco’s numbers, Dave’s numbers and even his old Tonight Show numbers. I’m pretty sure they picked their guests very carefully and Adam was one of the ones chosen. To me that speaks volumes. Because there were advertising dollars at stake – popularity of guests impacts ratings impact ad dollars. In the real world, it all comes down to dollars, not votes.
THIS
plus I agree with two things:
MJ – when she said that early pimping can be hurtful (for Crystal this season)
that Simon just expressed his opinion about Crystal, he did not pimp here that much (yet????)

the whole “non-winners do so much better than winners” meme is seriously one of the biggest misconceptions out there. that only applies to daughtry.

kelly, carrie, jordin, and cook disprove that. and if we’re strictly talking about music sales, i’d assert that fantasia has done better than jennifer hudson, although the latter certainly has more visibility due to “dreamgirls”. clay outsold reuben, but it certainly wasn’t a daughtry-taylor situation. jury’s still out on the S8 guys, but while, yes, adam is currently outselling kris 2:1, the raw numbers aren’t that impressive for either. but for sure, if we’re talking about pop culture, there’s no contest.

sma11ie:, I am a little confused, are you an Archie or David Cook fan?

I’m a David Cook fan but I like them both… why?

ETA: Wait, is the confusion from what I said about pop radioplay and public perception of success, and how Crush had more pop radioplay than Light On? Yeah, I’m a Cook fan, but I understood how some people could argue that Archie was more successful arond the time when Crush was doing really well.

Anyway, the Cook and Archie examples are probably not the best examples of this phenomenon, since Archie didn’t have big singles after Crush. We’ve gotten into discussions right here on this blog in the past about whether David Cook or Jordin are more successful, and honestly, it didn’t seem like there was a a clearcut “winner”. Jordin had a much larger radio presence than DC, even though he’s pretty much sold as many of his first album as she has of her two… Or if you want to, ask any casual music fan if they think Kelly’s All I Ever Wanted record is doing in relation to DC’s debut, and I guarantee folks would say AIEW is doing better, because all 3 singles got massive pop radioplay, even though DC’s sold more. And I would agree with them! Grammy nom aside, AIEW is more of a success because it has 3 big singles. Or Grammy not aside, you can look at it another way, and say that AIEW got a Grammy nom in the first place because it had 3 big singles. Anyway, what does all this mean? How do you definitively define success? With so many different measures, it really is just wayy hard to compare.

edit: does anyone miss conan? i liked him much better than leno

Yes. I do miss Conan. I won’t be watching Leno, especially since MJ posts all of the IDOL related videos here. :-)

sma11ie:
03/09/2010 at 5:20 pm

sma11ie:, I am a little confused, are you an Archie or David Cook fan?

I’m a David Cook fan but I like them both… why?
because in your argument about Adam and Kris you have given the example of DC and Archie, but it was contradictory to me, that’s why I asked :)
because first you wrote, that it’s most important what they play on the radio, but then you wrote that they played Archie more, and DC less, and you were upset…. so I was confused :)

first you wrote, that it’s most important what they play on the radio, but then you wrote that they played Archie more, and DC less, and you were upset…

Yes, because even though I like them both, I am a David Cook fan, and it was frustrating to me at the time when people told me they thought Archie was doing much better, etc. I don’t really care as much about these comparisons anymore, but at the time, yes, it was frustrating. And yes, I think a lot of people define success as radio play. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I think it’s just how most people operate. Make sense?

How do you definitively define success? With so many different measures, it really is just wayy hard to compare.

Exactly.

I honestly think that Kris and Adam are still way in the Idol bubble in terms of who their fans are. Yes, I think most of the people buying their albums now are people who were fans of them on American Idol. I mean, I could be wrong though. I’m not saying one is better than the other.

In terms of Cook and Archie, Cook is selling more albums, but I think Archie is more widely known.

Well, for what it’s worth, I live in the SF Bay Area and have yet to hear WWFM and have heard LLWD often. So I think for many in my area, Adam does seem to be a TV or tabloid celebrity rather than a music artist because his songs are just not heard on the radio.

Susan Boyle doesn’t get radio play and EVERYONE has heard of her and her music.

I’m sure there are a lot of people in your area who watch Ellen, Oprah, The View, Jay Leno etc etc. So they have heard Adam sing and probably they recognize WWFM as his song.

Susan Boyle doesn’t get radio play and EVERYONE has heard of her and her music.

Yup, I’ve heard of her, but nope, other than that youtubey of her, I haven’t heard her music. But I’m not really her demo either. For all her record sales, her lack of radio play make her just a reality TV celebrity in my eyes, not a real recording artist.