American Idol the Show - Media & Discussion

[mainer]

Thanks for the article, wvclayfan.  I remember a Ruben fan, after the conclusion of AI2, saying that now that the show was over she didn't know what she was going to do with her life!  I suppose a celebrtity Idol show wouldn't compete with the rags to riches version, would raise money for charity, and might be enjoyed by some and fill in the time between American Idol seasons.

Regarding the Corey Clark willingness to help Fox with its investigation of Idol, and agreeing to not go public about it, my concern is that the investigation could be bogus -- Fox just going through the motions -- and my concern is that Fox will not let the public in on its  findings. Idol is huge for Fox -- and in no small way because of Idol 2.  Idol is Fox's #1 show -- are they really going to let the truth come out?  Already, Idol has painted Corey Clark as a deluded liar -- ridiculed him and his parents -- on top of allegedly interfering in his career post Idol (and then letting people think he is paranoid).  The Idol folks dropped him from AI2 (for charges he was already cleared of) -- after he had gotten legal representation for Idol contestants (Paula's lawyer) that was not the conflict of interest that the reccommended Idol attorneys represented.  The Paula affair may also have been a reason to dump him (Simon Lithgo and Kimberley Clarke's notwithstanding). Idol has defamed and marginalized Corey Clark (this is not paranopia -- we all saw the skit) -- yet he was one of the more gifted contestants and is a tremendous, emerging talent.  

If you check the reviews of his terrific new dance (mostly) CD.  all of the negative reviews are from people who HATE Corey because of who and what they believe he is -- and have nothing to do with his music and talent.  He is twenty-two -- he does not feel, think and write like a twenty-nine year old songwriter. For the voice of a young adult male, the lyrics are right on.  Reviewers complain about his going into every little detail about his affair with Paula, after first denying that they had an affair in the first place, when thay apparently haven't read his book -- of which all reviews say how little he says about the details of the affair.  The real tell-all isn't about Paula, but is about what should come out in the Fox investigation.  I have no faith in Fox -- the network that creatively repackaged real news into terrible but convincing propanda and helped steal an election with dire long-term consequences.  I doubt that Fox will let the truth out.  I'm afraid they are just going to rewrite the history, damn the whistleblower, and use/abuse him even more.

I think that many Clay fans will really enjoy dancing around to Corey Clark, and I hope they give the CD an unbiased listen.

[mainer]

P.S. Those of us who are old enough to have witnessed the popularity, then demise, of disco -- don't expect dance club/R & B music to reign forever.  Already we see signs -- rock on a steady, invasive climb back, for example.  Nonetheless, as dance music goes, Corey's is refreshingly romantic -- without the mysogeny and vulgar language of some R&B.  The CD is varied, however -- in quality and genre -- just wait til you get to the final ballad -- it is just oh so lovely!!!

[claynadian]

Hehe I can just emagine Brittany spears and Clay Aiken being the top Two contestants On Celebrity Idol, and have Brittany fail misserably to Clay as they tell her "uh ya you may not win first place for sining, b/c lets be honest your only hear b/c you're eye candy, but you have won 1st place for nicest rack." hehe I feel Phycotic today.

[Rayline]

After four seasons of AI, who is your favourite winner and why?

[Princess Dorkling]

I'd say Kelly......Because I don't like any of the other ones. Nobody up there I really LIKE.....Just...yeah.

I HATE Fantasia and Carrie Underwood! Sorry, I do! 

Favorite contestants:
Season1: Kelly, Tamyra

Season 2: CLAY, Kim locke, CLAY, CLAY CLAY CLAY

Season 3: wha'ts her name..................oh well. I liked JPL, George, Laytoya...and whatsername! The big girl with the big voice! It'll come to me!

Season 4: Mario Vasquez. That SUCKED when he chickened out! He would have won! And Vonzell was who I wanted to win.

[clayistheway]

My favorite Idol winners are Kelly and Carrie.  In their respective seasons, they most deserved to win.   I, too, don't like Fantasia.  I think she's terrible - it's like listening to a mouse attempt to sing.  She whines too much and I can't make out half of what she says.  I liked Ruben but would still have to put him behind Kelly and Carrie.   

[Rayline]

I voted for Kelly myself. She's a good singer and her music is pretty good. Don't like Ruben too much. His singing isn't as great as I had thought (and heard) it would be and his music isn't my kind of thing. The other ones I don't know that well. I listened to a sample of Carrie's single. It wasn't that spectacular. Neither was Fantasia. I took a listen to her single as well.

[Pepe]

Sorry I can't vote as Clay is not mentioned.  Let's face it Clay is better than all of the above.  No one has a voice with the range and control and quality like his.

[Rayline]

I know he's better than them. :)

But I do like some winners more than others and I'm sure you do too, Pepe. I think Kelly is better than Ruben. But I think Ruben is better than Fantasia. Carrie is better than Fantasia too. Clay is better than all of them. But Kelly is the most talented AI winner.

[TaikenByClayton18]

Kelly is my favorite AI winner, she has an amazing voice and lots of personality when she sings. I also like Ruben but I do NOT like Carrie or Fantasia, they are just too boring for me.

[claynadian]

Kelly Clarkson- I absolutely love her, She has an amazing voice and puts so much emotion into all of her songs. She's one of the few people who came out of American Idol with some dignity and has made a lasting name for herself.

[KSChristian4Clay]

Kelly is amazing! I love love love her CDs. If you do not own it, go buy "Breakaway" after you've purchased extra Clay CDs of course! 

[songbird457]

I can't vote because I am tied with Kelly and Carrie. I love how strong and kick a** Kelly has become. I liked Carrie from the start too and am excited to see her career take off. I am a fan of country music (second to my Clay fan-ship) and am hoping to have both kelly's and Carrie's cd's (yeah Im a bit behind w/ kelly's) under the Christmas tree this year!

[Jan]

kELLY HAS MY VOTE!!!
I, ALSO HAVE HER "BREAKAWAY CD AND IT IS FANTASTIC.
 IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD IT IN ITS ENTIRETY THEN YOU ARE MISSING SOMETHING.

I THINK CONSTANTINE IS MY VERY FAVORITE IDOL PERFORMER.
 HE BRINGS EXCITEMENT TO EVERY SONG.
 I WISH HE HAD GONE FURTHER, BUT WE HAVE NOT HEARD THE LAST OF HIM YET.

I THINK BO WILL FADE, AS WILL FANTASIA.
 CARRIE IS A VERY GOOD COUNTRY WESTERN SINGER AND THAT IS WHERE SHE WILL STAY.
 THERE ARE A LOT OF COUNTRY WESTERN PEOPLE OUT THERE.
 SHE IS VERY LIKABLE.

POOR RUBEN, HE IS ON HIS WAY DOWN I AM AFRAID.

ALSO THOUGHT JOHN STEVENS WAS MUCH BETTER THAN THEY GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT "LONG LIVE OUR CLAY, HE IS THE BEST, THE MOSTEST, THE GREAT SINGER AND PERSONALITY AND EVERYTHING ELSE ROLLED UP IN ONE."

JAN

[fantasys about clay]

Torn between Kelly and Carrie just like most people here.  Kelly CD is amazing and definitely one of the best CD's ever made. It's awesome and everyone should own a  copy and if you don't it's not too late to ask for it for Christmas! I got Carrie's as well and it's awesome also. I love all the songs and her voice is just amazing. Ruben is gone! I saw on TV on Sunday and for a second thought "who is that? Oh wait Ruben!" Were never gonna hear from him again! Fantasia I cannot stand! I hope she is over as well. I think she is the worst Idol ever! She cannot sing! She does not hold a candle to Kelly and Carrie. I'm sorry.  It doesn't matter who wins the show it's what happends after it's over.

I like this topic! I'm sorry if I offend anyone who likes Ruben or Fantasia.
I love you all!
Andrea Aiken~

[aikenseeker]

Press Release Source: Niwot Data LLC


New Software to Simplify Voting on "American Idol"
Wednesday January 4, 8:00 am ET


NIWOT, CO--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 4, 2006 -- When the 5th season of "American Idol" hits the airwaves, will it be harder for you to decide which contestant should get your nod in this vote-in Reality Show? Now you will be able to use new software to help you decide, and then even make the actual phone call(s) for you.

With the TalentVoter(TM) program, you will be able to score your opinions of the performers in up to six programmable characteristics, such as voice, looks, and performance quality. TalentVoter adds the results, showing you which performers scored highest, for the current and previous shows. You can even enable TalentVoter to vote for both! The program makes the calls at the same rate as a telephone, redialing automatically for as long as you specify; thus freeing you from continuously hitting the redial button.

Asked about the benefits of the program, the developer, Sam Northington, said, "One of the main benefits is that the user can score the performers in any area they wish, and get very sophisticated, by assigning weights to each characteristic, so that the total score reflects which characteristics are most important to them."

The program can even be used to maintain scoring for multiple shows, and comes preset with the numbers of several shows, such as "American Idol," "Nashville Star," and others. For shows where voting is not by telephone, or if users don't have a dialup Modem, the program is still useful to track preferences, and then vote manually.

Additionally, with the programmable voting traits, TalentVoter can track the complexities for other popular Reality Shows, such as "The Apprentice," and "Survivor," where voting is not part of the attraction.

The TalentVoter software works on any computer running Windows98 or newer, and can be shared by multiple people using the same computer, with each having their own set of stored results.

The program is available on CD, for immediate delivery, and can be ordered from http://www.talentvoter.com, for $24.95 +S&H.

TalentVoter™ is a Trademark of Niwot Data LLC

Windows98® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

American Idol® is a registered trademark of 19TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia North America, Inc.

All Television show trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/060104/0105181.html

[mainer]

and what if people don't give a da_n about looks etc?  We aren't trying to second guess 19 Entertainment as to who will actually be the most marketable overall (remember when Simon told Carmen -- picking her during the wild card vote -- that she wasn't the best, but he thought she might be the most marketable?) -- we're just picking the one we like the best for whatever reasons -- the one we'll be the most likely to buy and listen to. 
And to have this device redial as many times as possible? -- I thought that the Idol people had something put into their phone voting service to discourage the use of automatic redialers...and this program may weigh each aspect equally -- whereas someone's voice may be so incredible. compared to all the other qualities, that nothing else even matters...
But it is a brilliant idea, nonetheless -- and so I wonder if the shows will try, themselves, to get around the inventor's patent by coming up with their own different voting systems, rather than let an outsider profit from their productions...or if the audience, like myself, will largely know what they like and won't worry about why they like it -- and will just want to sit back and enjoy the show, and keep the computer out of it...

[The_gang_at_Talentvoter]

You made some great observations about Talentvoter.  We also thought about these very same issues, during development and trials, and in fact incorporated solutions in the current version of the product.  The six voting characteristics can be chosen from dozens of pre-loaded traits, and you can also enter your own.  You can also assign a weight of importance for each characteristic, so what you think is most important will be reflected in the calculation of the total score.  We also set the program up to dial at the same rate as a normal telephone call, and we are simply replacing the "Redial" button, which people are currently using to vote multiple times.  I hope this answers your concerns, we are always open to comments and suggestions at info@talentvoter.com

[KSChristian4Clay]

Tampa, Florida -- A man has been arrested and charged with stalking a former contestant of the hit TV show "American Idol."

Fifty-nine-year-old Daniel Young is being held without bond, charged with stalking 20-year-old Jessica Sierra. Sierra, a Tampa native, appeared on the fourth season of American Idol in 2005.

Police say Young followed Sierra from California to Tennessee, and then finally to Tampa. He left her at least 38 voicemail messages, telling her that he loves her and is willing to go to jail for her.

Tampa Police officers booked Young into the Hillsborough County jail when he showed up at her grandmother's home on Tuesday.

Sierra has repeatedly asked the suspect to leave her alone and to stop calling her.

Young made his first court appearance Wednesday morning. The judge has currently refused to give him bond, because Young faces other charges in California.

A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Tampa Bays 10

[LadyC]

Kathy brought this wonderful pic to our attention on the Clay Daily thread.  (Thanks, Kathy!)  It had me laughing like a hyena, which is an ugly sight, I assure you, and I thought I needed to spread the humor!



Oh, come on!  Like it or love it - ya gotta chuckle at Simon's butt chin.