Comments on: Thoughts on the Judges Save, and A Few Other Odds and Ends

By: clickchick

clickchick — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:57:33 +0000

So what if they were able to save MJ last season? they didnÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sign him eventually anyway and they seem to be pretty happy with the David tandem they ended up with.

I am a massive MJ fan and won’t get into a whole argument about whether he was or was not a shock elimination (though consensus publicly and in the media seems to indicate he was, but everyone has their own opinion). I did want to note, however, that 19 did try to sign him, he considered but ultimately asked to be released from his option because of his previous label issues, and they agreed. Both MJ and 19 have made statements about this, so this is not some fantasy created by a crazed, delusional fan. And, his new Sony distributed CD drops June 2 with his single releasing 3/31. :grin1_ee:

By: hypertwink

hypertwink — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:36:10 +0000

As for Michael..he did not deserve to leave..he has way more talent then alot of them. TPTB needed to get rid of him to make it easier for Cook.

They might have wanted him gone but honestly, MJ made it easy for them since he hardly shone or stood out in the Finals. Everyone was lifting their game and was experiencing increased momentum, except that MJ would have weeks of mediocrity with occasional glimpses of former glory. In a way, he did peak in Hollywood.

While I was shocked that he was booted off instead of the other two girls, I think that it was believable that he would be sent home because of a less enthused fanbase. ON a night where he and DC stunk up the place, it was no contest since despite splitting votes, the Word Nerds were more vigilant and rabid than MJ fans.

By: heart2

heart2 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:42:34 +0000

I get the idea that some of you really believe that your voting for two hours really matters. hee! they are following a script. I truely believe that DA was suppose to be the real winner last year…But, figured let’ make it DC and everyone can be happy. If votes really mattered… For one..No way Could Syesha Beat out Jason..if his fan base is as great as everyone says. Jason could have came out and just batted his eyes and received more votes then her.
As for Michael..he did not deserve to leave..he has way more talent then alot of them. TPTB needed to get rid of him to make it easier for Cook. (I am thrilled Cookie won) Yes, It was a shock and it was a horrible thing they did to Michael.

The new rule is pretty much a joke for me.

By: bean99

bean99 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 13:12:00 +0000

I don’t see the judges ever saving Kris nor do I think they should. He’s too ordinary as far as the competition goes.

I doubt the judges will use the save unless it’s for a truly shocking boot, in other words someone that has the talent to stay but for whatever reason didn’t get the votes. It could be they picked the wrong song that one week, fans are voting to keep someone who has been in the bottom a lot (like Syesha and KLC last season), the judges were particularly hard on them and knew it once they watched the show again, and so on. I’m not saying I like it but I can see what they’re thinking. I’m not sure about the resentment from others but it could happen especially if 2 different ones go the next week.

I was and am a David Cook fan, but never was that into Michael Johns. He seemed a bit too cocky and sure of himself while David was, to me, more likeable. One of his endearing qualities was that he seemed to be friends with everyone but especially Michael and Carly.

Michael was also friends with the others and seemed to be well liked by all including the crew backstage according to someone who works for the show. I don’t know how far he’d have gone if saved (I’d hazard a guess at anywhere from 6th to 4th) but I do think that Michael being booted so early helped DC with votes although I didn’t vote for him until the f2 because I wanted him to win over DA.

By: cookcricket

cookcricket — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:30:12 +0000

At this point I think Kara likes him the best and he needs more than just her to get a save should he get the boot one night. I donÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think Simon is really on board yet with him, even though I think heÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s probably one of the more marketable contestants.

Oh, I agree! It would be a complete shocker if the judges would save the likes of Kris. Therefore, I hope the fans do, at least for a couple more weeks…I want to see more of him.

ETA: thanks Suzanne! For some reason I’ve missed all of these and got to watch them all. This week’s was imo the funniest!

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:14:32 +0000

American Idol in 60 seconds is up. Jim Cantiello is so clever and so funny.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/353228/american-idol-recap-michael-jackson-week.jhtml#name=news&id=1605360

By: soundscene

soundscene — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:09:12 +0000

I especially think Kris is the darkest horse in this race. I donÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think weÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve seen everything he can do yet! I hope we can!!!

I agree with Randy’s comment last week that there’s something very Jason Mraz-ish about Kris. He doesn’t have the pipes that Mraz has, but he’s got that same appealing quality and acoustic-y charm, with a slight lilt in his vocals that makes a song his own without a complete overhaul of the arrangement. At this point I think Kara likes him the best and he needs more than just her to get a save should he get the boot one night. I don’t think Simon is really on board yet with him, even though I think he’s probably one of the more marketable contestants.

By: cookcricket

cookcricket — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:06:25 +0000

I personally am liking Kris and hope he builds up a fanbase and a following. But I donÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think the judges will save him when his time is up.

Shari, you may not see this, but I say, yes! Great minds think alike. I also like Matt G, Alexis and Allison. I would so love for for one these four to go forward. Dark Horse FTW! I especially think Kris is the darkest horse in this race. I don’t think we’ve seen everything he can do yet! I hope we can!!!

By: KrazeeK120

KrazeeK120 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:54:44 +0000

The only way I will like this rule is if it results in Danny Gokey being eliminated 2 weeks in a row. Otherwise, I hate it.

By: ShariG

ShariG — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:54:51 +0000

Interesting analysis Soundscene. I was and am a David Cook fan, but never was that into Michael Johns. He seemed a bit too cocky and sure of himself while David was, to me, more likeable. One of his endearing qualities was that he seemed to be friends with everyone but especially Michael and Carly. I also didn’t think their sound was very much the same, although I get your point. Michael preferred the big rock anthem kind of songs and was pretty predictable, while David’s choices were often surprising and very different week to week. I loved his versatility. I didn’t see Michael Johns as being versatile. I don’t think I would have voted for anyone if David Cook had been voted off. He was my only choice from Top 24 week forward. I do agree that it would have been interesting if Michael Johns had been saved, but think it would only have postponed the inevitable one week anyway. I actually thought season 7 finished just the way it should have. The Daughtry year was the only year that I really thought the voters missed the boat. I couldn’t believe it when he was voted off. Latoya London was a big surprise to the judges, but I didn’t think she connected with people very well. Sometimes when the judges are surprised, I’m not so surprised, but I was with Chris Daughtry, and like someone earlier said, he wouldn’t have been saved because it was week 4. I wonder why they chose week 5 to be the last time to use the save. If they save someone, will two be voted off the next week? I wonder how that will work.

By: ShariG

ShariG — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:43:49 +0000

Well, I don’t like the idea of the judges save. If it is in the hands of America (and the voters from wherever) it should be in our hands. The judges already have enough influence when a Simon says “pack your bags” or “this is the end of the line for you”. Or they fawn all over someone who actually had a rather mediocre performance. I agree that they won’t use it unless Lil, Danny, or Adam get booted earlier than the top three. I will be very, very surprised if we are not looking at those three for the homecoming week. I personally am liking Kris and hope he builds up a fanbase and a following. But I don’t think the judges will save him when his time is up.

By: soundscene

soundscene — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:07:25 +0000

If theyÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d saved Michael last year, AND if heÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d done great with the Mariah Carey song heÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d planned, then Kristy and Brooke would have been out as Nos. 8 and 7.

There’s another big “if” to think about with Michael staying–there was a belief among many that he was splitting votes with DC. It makes sense. Same general type of audience, even if their musical styles weren’t exactly the same. And the two were major buds and it showed. I think a lot of Michael’s votes ultimately went to DC. So what would have happened if Michael had stayed in the competition? In season 5, I think Elliott was basically out of the top 2 because he and Taylor were splitting votes, but Taylor had a more loyal, consistent fanbase. Kat was getting the girl power vote all to herself, meaning that Elliott probably lost a spot in the finale simply because his audience wasn’t different enough than one of the other contestants, even if his performances were better.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:42:19 +0000

I think it’s fun to think about what would have happened to figure out if this save thing really makes a diff.

My conclusion: I don’t think the save really helps. If someone gets the fewest votes when there are still 6 or more in the competition, then that person just doesn’t have the fanbase to make it much farther anyway. Thus, this twist is a load of hooey.

If they’d saved Michael last year, AND if he’d done great with the Mariah Carey song he’d planned, then Kristy and Brooke would have been out as Nos. 8 and 7. Then how would Michael have done with Andrew Lloyd Webber? Maybe worse than Carly, who picked a controversial song for middle America? So Carly might have lived longer in the competition with Michael going out at 6 instead of 8. Or he’d be out at 5th for sure–I can’t imagine him doing well on TWO songs by Neil Diamond. Maybe better than Jason? Hmmm.

If they’d saved Carly at Top 6, then there would have been two out at Top 5. Syesha and David C did best that week. Would Carly have done better than Jason (yes), Brooke (maybe but Brooke did great on her second song) and David A (probably no)? I think Carly might have lived until 4th maybe.

By: soundscene

soundscene — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:52:14 +0000

Good point. The saved contestant could wind up being very resented. I hadnÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t thought of it from that angle. IÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure the show has thought this through.

The saved contestant would only be resented if there is a clear-cut top 2 or 3 that most people are in agreement should be the top 2 or 3. Last year, whether people liked the Davids or not (or thought one was awesome and the other blah), most still agreed that they should be the top 2, and that an all-David finale would be the most exciting. Last year there were the Davids… and everybody else.

This year, whether by design or by chance, it’s simply not as clear-cut. Sure, we have the two mega-pimped contestants, Adam and Danny, and the semi-pimped Lil, but it’s not like we can’t imagine a perfectly reasonable scenario where 1 or more of those people don’t make the top 3. It’s not Danny, Adam, Lil… and everybody else–despite the pimping.

So I don’t think a “saved” contestant, if not one of those 3, would be widely resented for taking the spot of Adam, Danny or Lil unless he or she is simply terrible. Possibly there would be some anger from the Adam, Danny or Lil fan base, but no mass outrage. And as much as I think this season has less talent as a whole than last year’s crop, they did manage to get rid of the potential Kristy Lee of the bunch early on (Jasmine). There aren’t any Sanjayas, either. Some contestants need to step it up, but I don’t think anybody is so dreadful that they deserve scorn for replacing one of the TCOs, or would really receive scorn in any large amount if they do.

But I suppose we’ll see if anybody starts sucking it up in the next few rounds.

By: progression

progression — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:46:27 +0000

I completely agree that this is all about trying to boost ratings by creating !drama! and !suspense!, just like the “personality” contestants, the horrible staged sing-offs in Hollywood and the Wildcare farce in the semis. The producers seem to really not understand what made the show fun to watch in seasons past.