Posted on 03/25/2008 5:58:52 AM PDT by silent_jonny
LOL....
Glad you enjoyed them. My sister didn’t see Archie’s so I wondered if they didn’t both play everywhere...or some folks just left the room during the commercials.
Ewww...no.
Yes, for about 2+ hours and gave away a guitar at the three concerts we attended. He loves playing concerts. You can tell!
There were several AI parties in the KC area because of David Cook and they interviewed one mother of a bunch of kids who said she believed the negative comments by Simon made more people vote for Cookie. I’d love to know if it was intentional or if Simon was really just giving his honest opinion with no motives attached.
I really wish they would announce the winner earlier and show more after the winner sings his song. The show abruptly ends and all of us are left out of the festivities.
HAHAHAHAHAHA - funny!
Fixing American Idle
Where did 'Idol's' Mojo go?
By Bret Federigan, MSN TVDon't get me wrong. "American Idol" remains one of my favorite shows on the tube. I watched last night's coronation with as much rapt attention as the next guy. But surprising as it was given the hype, David Cook's stirring victory in the much ballyhooed final didn't do much to salvage what has been a disappointing season of America's still top-rated show.
There's no doubt that David Archuleta's got vocal chops. He can sing the hell out of a standard or a ballad. But when he actually chose to sing something out of his comfort zone (think Chris Brown's "With You"), he exposed a lack of range. And it actually made you wonder whether the baby-faced crooner's deep run to the final two had anything to do with the fact that he consistently chose songs that showcased his mellow, though inflexible, baritone. Who knows what might have happened if, early on in the season, the producers had actually forced Archuleta to sing something more contemporary, something more upbeat, more dance-friendly, or, dare I say, more his age? Especially with a group as vocally solid as this season's finalists, the producers should have forced the competitors to sing challenging songs - ones which taxed their vocal ranges and seriously pushed them out of their comfort zones. Only one competitor this season, David Cook, pushed himself to re-work pop standards into his own rock vocabulary (think of his version of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" or Lionel Richie's "Hello"). Look at where that got him. David Archuleta? In the season finale, he opted for yet another rendition of "Imagine," a song he's been singing publicly since the age of 13.
More than anything, America wants to feel invested in the process of choosing the next solo singing star. And this season's slickly produced competition has given the impression that the producers haven't given much thought to what America wants or needs from its favorite singing competition show. After all, by not [?] a wide margin, the audience chose David Cook, even after the judges proclaimed Archuleta the big winner on the season's performance finale. The viewing public wants to do what it wants, regardless of the not-so-subtle cajoling of the producers and the judges. The "Sanjaya Effect"? That was the "Idol" audience behaving badly, attempting to assert its importance in discovering America's next singing star. There was a time when "American Idol" pushed to the forefront of our cultural consciousness the Kelly Clarksons of the world, immature talents unsure of their own abilities but possessing the ability to grow into something big. The show needs to get back to that place. The producers need to showcase truly undiscovered talents, unlike this season where it was reported that Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, and Carly Smithson previously had recording contracts. They need to give us well-defined personalities, weaknesses and all, and make the show feel less staged and more unpredictable, from week one right through to the two-night finale. Maybe then, America will start coming back in numbers to a show it so clearly wants to love.
Thanks for the great links all season.
You always post the most interesting tidbits.
MJ’s recaps are terrific for those of us who had to miss the finale show.
America sure got this one right. “;^)
It’s interesting that all the write ups I’ve read regarding what AI is and isn’t lacking, the beg-a-thon is never mentioned. What about the ridiculous phone calls? What about stretching the results night from 1/2 hour to one hour? What about all the fillers they insert?
finished my training for poll worker (not poll watcher) - heck they paid me to go to the training and they pay $150 on the days you work elections....not too bad!
Most entertainment reporters are too politically (and liberal) to see anything wrong with the beg-a-thon, but I agree with every point you made.
I forgot about that - he gave away a guitar on each concert night, I think. Towards the end, after 11 pm, he thanked everyone for staying past the three-song encore, sat down and played some more! Loved it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
