American Idol Scam

OK, now we know. Adam was cheated out of winning American Idol by the show's corporate sponsors.

The NY Times is reporting it today that there were some shenanigans afoot, power texting in apparent violation of the rules. Remember that little print at the end of every show, about certain voting practices being prohibited?

Somehow, despite everything, Kris Allen prevailed. The biggest upset, etc. As it turns out it wasn't an upset. It was corporate robbery.

Well, they won't have to vote as many times next year to railroad whoever they're for in, because they won't have my votes to compete with. One person with a cellphone voting the normal way. There's no reason to even watch a show that's a scam.

No More American Idol

Do you believe I'm off American Idol? That I'm not going to watch it anymore? That's true.

That's how peeved I am that they couldn't find a way to make Adam Lambert the winner. And when I quit watching something, it's not only dead to me, as far as I know it's dead.

Take Survivor for an example. Survivor is dead to me. Not through any offense they committed, unlike American Idol, but just out of boredom with it. I was having a hard time getting interested. It would take me up to about the seventh week to know the people's names, etc. Then it was the same old same old same old same old .... all the time.

So one day I said That's it, and I quit watching it, and I never went back. And since the CBS station is only on at our house once in a blue moon (this is true), I never seen promos for it or anything. Somewhere online one day I think I saw evidence that Survivor is still on.

American Idol ... it's had its day as far as I'm concerned. I liked it. I started watching it in like the fourth season. Whichever season V___ Solomon (she was a woman contestant) was on. She was the first person I saw singing on American Idol. I think her name was Vonselle. I liked her right away but she didn't make it too far.

Since then I've been a regular viewer, even though they do tend to get a few duds in there. I actually thought Kris Allen was one of the duds along the way, but he surprised me by hanging on and eventually winning. I still think he's a dud ... but a lot of people like him.

So that's it. When I quit something, it's quit. Cold turkey, no need for nicotine patches. It's all willpower and determination.

Time For Bed

I was up and busy all day. I got up, like always, at 5:30 a.m. And it's been pretty much non-stop. One thing after another.

And I'm tired ... and cranky ... after American Idol. I think it's very likely, though, that one good side effect of this is to save me plenty of time next season. I'm not one to make a lot of "idol" threats -- but even when I'm enjoying it I'm still thinking, I could be reading or something.

I've had the ones I liked lose before. But they weren't as brilliant as Adam Lambert. Nobody is. The guy is definitely one of a kind. And what do we get, the kind of guy who's a dime a dozen. Indistinguishable from millions. This is one we don't forget.

I missed the first few seasons of American Idol and didn't feel like I really missed anything. So all I might be doing is reverting to my original intent, that I have plenty of other things to keep me occupied. We'll see what January brings.

Drat

I believe this Tuesday is the fourth Tuesday in a row where I've had something to do during American Idol. So once again, I'll have to watch a recording of it later.

Kris and Adam

I don't know if the foreordained-to-win Adam has it in the bag. I hope he does but I'm a natural pessimist when it comes to stuff I want. It takes some of the fun out of watching it. I prefer things after they're over and we've got the results.

But it seems to me that people would prefer Adam, generally. He's got super looks, a dynamic attitude, a great voice, etc. He's a knockout. I remember when I first saw one glimpse of him, I said I like that guy. And I haven't shifted from that for one second.

Liking someone so much, just like I said above, takes the fun out of watching it. Because it automatically made everyone else on the show, even from the beginning, a second class citizen. All I could see or hear in their performances -- not 100% of course -- was that they weren't as good. So you have a perfectly good guy, Danny Gokey, with a great family, a great voice, all the rest. And I wasn't able to warm up to him in the slightest because of this.

Even Kris. People talk about how "awesome" he is, and I'm like, What? Awesome? No way. But I guess he is pretty awesome, in a way. He can sing in a way that pleases people. He seems real good at playing instruments, the piano, the guitar. He has confidence to be out there. And somehow he ended up in the final two, so he's no slouch. Maybe I will grow to like him after this is all over.

But for now, it has to be Adam. Get him in there as the winner, then we can go back and like these other guys too.

Now, about Katy Perry, I thought that was stunning, the way she came out with the cape with Adam's name on it. I don't know how fair that was precisely, probably not very. I liked it -- don't get me wrong -- but you'd think American Idol the show would at least try to regulate too much favoritism.

All in all it was a beautiful thing. I loved it.

Final Four

It might be time for me to junk my VCR. I know I'm the last guy who has one.

Every time I record American Idol to watch it later, it seems, there's something wrong. Last night I came home to watch it and the sound wasn't there. Something wrong with the VCR apparently, since the sound was working when I left home.

So I had to watch blurry, bad little snippets at You Tube. What? People are just holding cameras up to their TV, then talking while they're recording. One of the snippets I watched had the camera guy making smart remarks at the judges, the contestants, whatever. Really, nobody wants that.

Anyway, it looks like I might actually be able to watch the results tonight. Including a performance by Chris Daughtry, so that'll be cool. He was voted off as the fourth of the final four, so it's fitting that he comes back for tonight.

I'm hoping Adam stays of course. Anyone else can go, preferably Danny or Kris, my preference being in that order.

Too Close For Comfort

I didn't see it coming that Adam Lambert would be, apparently, in the bottom two last night. I saw some speculation that no one actually said (like Ryan Seacrest) that he was in the bottom two. And that American Idol might've been yanking everyone's chain. But still it didn't look good to have him with the (hopefully) also-rans.

This guy needs to win. Or something will happen. Volcanoes will destroy cities. Trenches will open up and swallow continents. Mark my words. Mark them but don't test them. Certainly American Idol will lose one viewer, me. And that's a promise from me, the most trustworthy person you'll ever meet in this world or any other.

I wasn't overly enraptured by his song on Tuesday. So I was just hoping. Then when it appeared he was in the bottom two, I thought maybe a lot of other people thought the same thing.

He'll probably come in first next week, because people will be voting for him like crazy this time. No complacency!

Anoop and Lil

We said goodbye to Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds last night.

Not really sorry to see either one go, but Lil definitely had a lot of potential. Somehow she started stumbling and never regained her footing. I didn't think her performance was so bad, but the judges are the experts at music and they were all over it.

As for Anoop, he's just blah. Not interesting in the slightest ... although he can sing, if just plain old singing is what you want.

So that leaves, going by memory, Danny, Allison, Kris, Matt, Adam (of course), and I guess that's it. Did we start with seven last night? I believe so.

Of these, Danny can sing but is as boring as wallpaper. Allison is a real talent. Kris isn't my cup of tea but knows what he's doing. Matt shouldn't have been saved. And Adam is it. He has to be the winner. If he doesn't win, as I believe I've already said, I'll never watch the show again. I'm not a huge fan of the slow anguished songs, but he does them well.

It'll be nice when it's over.

Adam Lambert Last Night

Adam did "If I Can't Have You" for disco night.

He didn't do it with the usual disco style, but did another of his 'standing in one spot with the lights all subdued, with funky anguish' for his style.

I love the guy. And I was glad the judges loved the performance. But I didn't love it. It's good though if it gets him through. I prefer liveliness and not anguish.

American Idol Last Night

Let's see, the low vote getter was someone named Megan Joy. I remember when they started her name was Corkney or Corker or something like that. But apparently she got a divorce and changed her name midstream so her husband's name wouldn't be attached to her too much. I'm guessing. I heard something about it.

Whether we actually remember her at all is probably what she's facing now. I don't believe I will remember her. I'll read this blog someday and think, "Who?" But she was an American Idol contestant once upon a time. Just like three or four years ago. I'm drawing a blank except for Taylor Hicks and the ones who were the first several runners up. But whether I remember her or not doesn't matter. What matters is what she does from here on out. That is if she wants to have a career in music.

I missed her performance on Tuesday night. I just heard a snippet of it. But since the song she sang last night was a replay of Tuesday, that must have been it. Better or worse? That's what I want to know. Because last night was terrible.

Lady Gaga was there too and was amazing. I've never seen her in a performance. I have her CD, which is good, definitely in places. She might be called the new Material Girl in a way, since a few of the songs on the CD have to do with being rich and having lots of cool possessions. I like it pretty much. But I thought she was amazing on the show.

David Cook did a good job too belting out his new single. It's hard to believe it's only been four months since his CD came out. I have it too. I listened to it several times when I first got it but pretty much forgot about it. I liked it. I hate what they do, though, when they have a "hidden track," like on his album. They have this enormous blank spot, then his song begins. So I edited that out when putting the CD on my Ipod.

David Cook does a good job in performance. Being on Idol it was great to see him. But he sounds nearly anemic compared to my favorite this year, Adam Lambert. David definitely has a more traditional sound. Hopefully Adam will win. His style is great, wild, almost manic. I love it.

Missed American Idol

Boo-hoo. I had another appointment, social responsibility to tend to tonight, so I missed my weekly fix of American Idol.

We still use a VCR -- and something funky happened to the soundtrack, so that's no good.

I've already read a few recaps of it and I was home in time to see the final performance (Kris Allen) and the tiny snippet from everyone's song.

I backed it up and watched Adam and heard him a little bit, the sound wavering in and out of audibility. That sucks.

I checked his performance out at You Tube. But the good video of the performance didn't have sound, because of some alleged copyright violation. And there was one that was just a still picture of him that had good sound. So, if somehow I could put those together, I'd have it. I tried but it didn't match up. Better than nothing!

He did a knock out job on the song, even though I don't care for the song. But it gave him a chance to stretch out and let it rip, so that was good.

Hoping he goes all the way. It sounds like there was enough bad ones, or ones that got negative remarks from the judges, that we'll have a nice elimination tomorrow. Megan perhaps.

Adam's Motown Recording

Here's a story on the American Idol Motown recordings, available at iTunes.

I only have and only have heard Adam Lambert's song, "Tracks of My Tears." So I can't judge the others. But I see the author of that column distributes grades from A to D, with an A for Anoop and D's for Megan and Scott.

The different thing about these recordings is that they used the original Motown backing tracks. I don't think that was a good idea, because it'd be good to refresh them at bit. At least that's my criticism of the Adam track. It sounds like it could use an updated arrangement for his massively good vocals, jazz it up a bit.

I like his singing -- rock solid -- but think he's being held back too much by the backing track that's like a straitjacket. (It also sounds, on my Ipod, like there's some small amount of distortion on this recording.)

I Do More During The Commercials

I can do more during the commercials than some people do all day. I've noticed this. The commercial breaks during American Idol are long enough to get all kinds of things done. If I knew how to sew, I could be hemming dresses and altering suits and make quite a bit of money.

As it is, I'm able to run to the computer, look up a few websites, read the headlines, post in a blog. Or if there's big time chores to be done, I can do them. I can do the dishes, get quite a few done during a commercial break. Then leave them heaped up in the sink, then during the next commercial go running in and rinse them and actually get them all done. Of course if there's a couple skillets, that might need to soak during a song, then scrub it during the next break.

Tonight I jumped up, ran in, cleaned out the cat box, got outside, brought out a few bags of cat droppings, and a couple or three bags of actual garbage, got them in my big garbage can, got it dragged to the street, and got back in and they still weren't back to the show. So I went and washed my hands and took my medicine and made it back just in time.

The show's off now so I can slow down the pace. Except I want to get to bed within 20-25 minutes and there's still just a few things to do! Off!

Adam's Song - "Ring Of Fire"

I had to miss much of American Idol last night. I came in just as they were giving the judges' feedback for Scott McIntyre. So I saw live everything that followed that.

That meant that I missed my favorite, Adam Lambert. But I backed up the recording later and watched his section. It was "Ring of Fire," since it was country week. This is a song that we all know as done by Johnny Cash. I would've preferred he had hewed a little closer to the line on this one, but he jazzed it up with some Middle Eastern flare. I thought it was nice but it didn't blow me away.

I was daydreaming about how he could have done it. Like with an actual ring of fire around him, diving through a ring of fire, something like that. Or wearing big wide cowboy chaps and holding a lasso. Almost looking like a plastic man doing two or three alternating poses, kind of like a flashing neon light. That'd look cool. But maybe that's a little wild for live TV.

I figure he'll make it through tonight and be back on top of the world next week. (I don't think he did bad, mind you).

Adam Lambert And Everyone Else

How about Adam Lambert on American Idol? Huh? Huh? Did I tell ya? Yeah! The guy's great. They need to have him go first. Then we can just turn off the TV and save time.

Everyone else on the show pales in comparison, even the really really good ones, like Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta. I don't care for Scott McIntyre, too stiff, too fragile. I don't like Kris Allen, too ordinary. Who else? Michael Sarver, too boring. Alexis Grace, I'm big on her, but she didn't have it last night, but she approached it. I'm drawing a blank on whoever the others are. Someone Giraud, ehh. Megan, blah. No one should do "Rockin' Robin," I'm sorry. That song is pure crap. Anoop, not for me.

But Adam. Now there is a performer. Coolest looks, coolest voice, confidence, owns the stage. Very exciting guy.

American Idol

It's not real entertaining tonight for some reason. No one's blown me away, that's for sure. A lot of dreary, paint-by-numbers stuff so far.

The blonde girl, Kristen, was the best so far. And that's not saying much. Nathaniel, the drama queen guy, did a Meatloaf song. Not splendid, but he has enough self confidence to go out there and do it well, which I liked. There's no one I would vote for yet.

There's one kid who did some growling thing. He was terrible. I'm planning on looking it up on video somewhere because I was talking during it. But he was doing some interesting things -- it sounded like, but quite unnecessary and unappreciated by the judges.

Last week we had Allison and Adam. They were great. No one's measuring up so far.

UPDATE - Lil Rounds was definitely the best. So she'll make it. I would guess Jorge will make it, since he'll probably get every Spanish vote in the country. He's a charming guy and put a lot into it. I agree with Simon. It's stupid to give him dialect lessons trying to make him sound like everyone else. It seems like the point of going to Puerto Rico for auditions would be to find someone who sounds like people from there. There's a rich market for that and let the guy sing the way he sings. He was good. So Lil, Jorge, and, yikes, I don't know who else, maybe Felicia. She was back for a second whack at this. She looked great, sounded good over our TV, and did a good post performance interview bit. Sounded and looked great. (Oh, I forgot about Scott McIntyre. The judges raved over him, so he'll probably beat out Felicia.)

American Idol - Round 2

The only performers I really liked last night were Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert.

In general, the others went from completely sucks to tolerable. A lot of completely forgettable ones. I certainly wouldn't waste 99 cents downloading their songs at this point.

It was weird. I was very tired last night and could barely sit there; I wanted to get to bed. And Allison was sitting there with Ryan Seacrest, doing a terrible interview. I felt like I was in a haze where everything was lasting twice as long, or maybe that was just my impression. I was saying I don't like her at all. Blah. Then she started singing -- "Alone" by Heart -- and was the best female vocalist, in my opinion, by far. I was a big fan after her performance.

Then we had all the others. The big guy. What is he, a welder or something? He was on there, talking about how he wanted to provide for his family. I'm tired, remember, and I'm going, "Ahh! Who cares! We all want to provide for our family. That doesn't mean we have to go on American Idol!" I am sick of any hint of hard luck or having to provide for my family or fulfilling one last dream, all that crap. But still I didn't want him to do bad, and I guess he didn't do terrible. What'd he sing? Something I can't remember. He got criticism from all the judges, then he started to sweat bad. He was mad. You could tell.

Some of the others I didn't especially remember seeing before. One thing I don't really like is all the judge carping over their song choice. Just judge their singing, in my opinion. They give them a list of songs to choose from. That said, Kai -- a very primitive looking guy -- comes out singing some old Motown thing, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" and I was thinking that's not healthy. A guy like that needs to come out with something quirkier.

The tattoo girl had the current song "Girl, Put Your Records On." It seemed like what it is, very loose fitting. It's OK but I wasn't excited.

At the end of the whole thing was my favorite of the guys, Adam Lambert doing "Satisfaction." I love the looks of this guy. He's cool looking, and he's a guy who knows he's cool looking. We were looking at him thinking he looks a lot like Elvis in the face. It'd be interesting to Photoshop Elvis' hair on Adam's picture. Just to see.

He did a wild version of "Satisfaction," hitting some hot stuff that was insanely nice. I knew he was my favorite from then on.

The American Idol Winners

That's very brutal when you have nine people in one night kicked out. (Some may have a second shot in a wildcard round, but for the most part it's over.)

The winners included Alexis Grace. She was definitely my favorite. Wow. Very good in every way. I was happy to see her go through.

Next was Michael Sarver. He's more of a country artist. The oil rig guy. I was surprised that he made it. But he seems very likable, is a family man, and sings very decently. He would be the natural one for the country fans to gravitate toward. So that's probably how he made it through. I don't think he will win the whole thing, but he might do well enough to come out of it with a lucrative country record deal.

Then the last of the three was Danny Gokey. He has real talent. And seems nice enough. He'll probably do well just as he is, but for me, I'd like to see him exude more personality. And saying that's probably not that fair. I don't want the widower and recently passed away wife angle to be his whole story. Come out with something that shows other dimensions.

It was not much of a moment of suspense at the end when it came down to Danny or Tatiana. I can't believe there was anyone out there who thought between those two it'd be anyone but Danny. As far as I was concerned it was a foregone conclusion that he was going through. If anyone was going to be paired with Tatiana for a thrilling conclusion, maybe Michael Sarver. Because he was a surprising winner, I thought. They even said it was the difference of only 20,000 votes between him and Anoop Dog. So that's tight out of 24 million votes total. (If this was Minnesota we wouldn't know which one was put through till Season 10!)

American Idol

I didn't see it last night but we recorded it in case I ever want to.

I saw it tonight. I'm really tiring of the audition routine. It is getting a mind numbing sameness to it that is nearly putting me to sleep. But actually I'm a little tired anyway, since I only got seven hours sleep last night.

There was the usual array, the really nasty singers. The few who are pretty good. The cute, the quirky, the bizarre, like the guy sticking his tongue out and looking ... I hate to say because it's mean.

It's hard even to get up the energy to describe it. But thankfully they're going to get to Hollywood week next week. Hoping for some good drama, devastation, really. I have a real fondness for people's dreams being crushed and devastation. That's only half true, kind of jesting. But definitely drama is better than people cruising happily through. Look, only one actually wins, so that means a lot of people have to lose. (You can come in in the top eight or nine and still get a contract though.)