American Idol - Season 10 (1 Viewer)

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Hanson Yoo


The first batch of SAB's and chops are up right now.

The Big Pussy/Tiffany one is hilarious on at least two different levels.

 

[RAF]

Hanson,


As always... [SIZE= 20px][COLOR= #ff0000]EXCELLENT!![/COLOR][/SIZE]





I'm pleased that the post-Simon era seems to be working out a lot better than I thought it would and I'm looking forward to how this all develops.

 

[EricSchulz]

I'm also guessing (hoping!) that this change in judges might (PLEASE!!!) reign in Ryan and his shenanigans...no more "you're so gay...wink, wink" banter to exchange with Simon.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Great to see ya here, RAF!


Hanson, those Freakshow SABs are ELITE, my friend.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

I had DVRed these with the intent of not even viewing them if the initial reviews were bad. I ran through the first show last night and must admit that I was very pleasantly surprised.

I may give this show a chance this season after all ....

 

[TonyD]

Seems like they have downsized Ryan's role on the show.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Originally Posted by TonyD


Man that last dude's story was sad ... gotta admit it got to me ... it's amazing how some folks maintain after such tragedy. He has a great voice ... he would have made it even without the backstory....

 

[Mark_B]

I wonder why they still try to make us think that the celebrity judges are judging those folks at the same time the stadium is full of people? I mean look, the 2 new judges were not even chosen until AFTER the initial auditions were complete, but they still act as if all those people are waiting to see Randy and the gang. The stuff in Milwaukee tonight was even more obvious as the singers in the call backs were all weraing coats and sweatshirts. That 15 year old girl that drove from Denver. I wonder if she had to drive twice or does AI pay to bring them back?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I haven't caught every night, but is it just me or are they pushing the sob stories even harder than usual this season?

 

[Paul D G]

Originally Posted by Mark_B

I wonder why they still try to make us think that the celebrity judges are judging those folks at the same time the stadium is full of people? I mean look, the 2 new judges were not even chosen until AFTER the initial auditions were complete, but they still act as if all those people are waiting to see Randy and the gang. The stuff in Milwaukee tonight was even more obvious as the singers in the call backs were all weraing coats and sweatshirts. That 15 year old girl that drove from Denver. I wonder if she had to drive twice or does AI pay to bring them back?

While we officially dumped AI from our viewing schedule, we had to make an exception tonight because I grew up in Milwaukee. And because of this the way the show was edited was glaringly obvious.

The arena and the art museum where the judges were are a mile or so apart. So the arena were the initial auditions and the tent with 100 or so people waiting were the finalists.


And when they showed the montage of people getting angry at the cameras and crying their eyes out - they were all leaving the arena.


I get the reason for the editing but all the time warping back and forth was messing with my head.


And, yeah, the girl who came out from California. She had to go out twice then? I wonder how that worked. I doubt AI paid for it.


This was the first time I've watched AI live (well, i rarely watch anything live) but, holy cow, the commercials! I started timing them in the last 45m. Six minute commercial breaks, followed by five minutes of content, followed by another six minute break...

 

[Aaron Silverman]

According to the 10 pm news on the local Fox affiliate last night, the callbacks are only a day or two after the initial auditions. So people who travel just need to stick around for another day or two.


Of course, if it's true that Steven Tyler and J-Lo were not even signed until after the initial auditions were complete, then that doesn't make sense.

 

[Hanson]

There are actually multiple callbacks. The first round of cattle calls and the callbacks (I believe there can be up to 4 or 5 depending on how many slots they're looking to fill) are all handled by the production team. Then they make a final list of contestants to perform for the judges. Some contestants skip to the cattle call and callbacks altogether and go straight to the judges. The contestants are instructed to wear the exact same outfit with the same grooming from the cattle calls for continuity purposes, but you could see how different Chris Medina looked every time they cut from his audition to his interview.


Note that the cattle call and the judging locations are often in different buildings, so whenever you see a pissed off contestant punching the cameraman while leaving the cattle call arena instead of the hotel or whatnot where the judges are, they were rejected by the producers (which is why they never show you their terrible auditions). There is a list of pre-cleared songs to pick from, which is why there are so many repeats. And there's a song that everyone is supposed to remember so they can having groups of people in the stadium singing the same song.

They also have the contestants all sing the same song for those montages where everyone fails at the same song. I believe the songs are given to them that day, which is why there's such an enormous amount of fail. Also, the producers pick tons of crap singers for entertainment purposes, so they build fail into the system.


And finally, if you're wondering why some of these contestants appear to be collected in their remote segments after going apeshit on the judges, the remotes are taped between the callbacks and judging. And the reason some of the people appear deluded is that the producers tell them they're great to ensure their appearance. So it's not just them.

 

[Patrick Sun]

That girl Emma (True Colors) is not ready for prime time, and her vocals were on the meekish/weakish side. But she's photogenic, and it's only a plane ticket and hotel costs.


The last dude's story pulled hard on the heartstrings, and I was relieved that he could actually sing so he'd go on to the next phase.


Didn't like the wedding singer (the first one).


Too bad Nashville Star is in the tank, that kid with the ridiculously low country voice is not right for AI, but could make it in Nashville with the right exposure and management.

 

[Hanson]

The last guy sang well? Uh... I did not hear that. Gokey was better than that guy. The vocals were very meh and ordinary to me, which made the entire mawkish enterprise even more distasteful than I anticipated.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Will he be the next AI winner, no. But he was good enough to get a golden ticket. We'll have to see if he's a one-trick pony, or can handle the standard fare of AI potholes during Hollywood week to advance further.

 

[TonyD]

I thought hat last guy sang well enough to get through.


The made for tv editing doesn't bother me, it's a tv show for entertainment

why should I care about when the auditions and when the appearance to the judges took place?

I don't.


I did notice when the show opened they showed the stadium then zoomed out to the judes where they said something like, "...and across town here where the judges are..."


Stuck me as odd for a moment as I was wondering how the people get from the stadium to the judges but then I forgot all aout it because I didn't care.

 

[Hanson]

He may not be the next AI winner, but he's certainly taken the mantle as the next Danny Gokey. And it was probably passed in person. There's a youtube video of Chris and Jamar Rogers singing together from September. That's Jamar Rogers, Danny Gokey's best friend from season 8.


I hope this isn't the start of a little cottage industry in Milwaukee.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Count me surprised that a Harvard grad who won a White House internship (aren't those like, "golden tickets" in the real world?), would "waste" her time auditioning for AI. (Then again, a big pop star will earn more than most middle- or even senior-management will.) I was wondering whether she could in fact sing or not, but after a while during all the banter, figured that she's smart enough and level-headed enough to know objectively whether she can or not, and wouldn't be dumb or crazy enough to be a comedy (read: bad and doomed to fail) contestant. Not bad, though she won't win and might not even make it past Hollywood week. Hanson, love the SAB for her!

I'm on the fence about the last guy with the injured fiancee. Might have been good enough to go through anyway, but I do agree that getting her involved ultimately did seem a bit distasteful, especially when the judges all went over to meet her. I'm sure they genuinely meant well, but it all did seem a bit much, and dare I say, exploitative. Poor girl, she must have suffered some major head injuries in the accident. But kudos to him for sticking by her. Not that it's relevant to a "sing-ing comp-peh-ti-tion"

Overall, the tone of the new season has clearly been "kinder and gentler", i.e. they focus more on the positive (i.e. good singers), and don't "exploit" as many of the crazy/deluded types that were cannon fodder for Simon's most scathing remarks. Some of those turned down could still sing a bit, just that they couldn't stay in the same key (the guy who sang Stand By Me), or the tone of their voices wasn't good. And the let-downs were gentler, but that's simply a function of Simon not being present.


I suppose I'll keep watching.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Randy appears to be the really jaded one this season, and isn't all that afraid to tell those who can't sing, in no uncertain terms, that their singing is garbage and to get off the audition stage ASAP.

Not really sure that Lauren has a crazy awesome voice but has a good personality. Too much build-up, and didn't quite deliver yet for me.


Wonder how many pretty girls got golden tickets when only Steven and Randy gave the 2 yes votes while J-Lo voted them down?

 

[EricSchulz]

If anyone is interested, Season 9 contestant Crystal Bowersox's CD is today's (01/28/11) Amazon MP3 Deal of the day:




MP3 Daily Deal
Farmer's Daughter, the new album by Crystal Bowersox, who you might have seen on American Idol.

›Today's price: $3.99