Let me christen the first "American Idol" 2008 thread

Hard to say how much influence they have over the arrangement, and I know they're battling over a limited number of songs. I think that arrangement could have been workable, but she was off beat and didn't bring it.

I can only hope she turns to porn.

 

You're on crack if you think Archuleta won't be in the top 5.

 

wfw on Ami

 

Damn, Simon, you're really hung up on Ami, aren't you? You know that Playboy airbrush artist doesn't follow her around touching her up in real life, right?

 

I think he won't. Everyone thought Chris Daughtry was headed for the finals, and then PLOP went the votes.

 

I'll take bets at 5:1 that Archuleta isn't eliminated this week. Who wants some?

 

OK, the Archuleta kid annoys me to a level that is borderline irrational, but this killed me:

He's apparently totally focused and immersed in music... he's a former Star Search winner... he apparently tours singing.. and he doesn't fucking know any Beatles songs?!?!?

He sang "We Can Work It Out" because he recognized it based solely on the Stevie Wonder version? Screw that little dope. My oldest is 10 and he has several Beatles CDs, so the age thing is no excuse.

Anyway...

Syesha: WTF? She's got great hair and great legs, so naturally she pulls back the hair, wears pants, and does a boring version of "Got to Get You Into My Life." She'll be saved by the mediocrity of others.

Chickeze: That was really cool. He also did the near impossible by singing a Beatles song I was largely unfamiliar with.

Ramiele: Bad song choice. You can't screw with the arrangement of that song, but you can't show off vocally unless you screw with the arrangement. Pick something else. She was OK, totally forgettable.

David Cook: I really, really like the guy -- he's easily my favorite -- but I don't think that arrangement fits "Eleanor Rigby" at all.

Jason Castro: OK. He'll survive. His voice kind of disappears on the high notes.

Brooke: That was very good. There are very few in this who seem like artists as opposed to just good singers, but she's one of them. The list is probably Brooke, David Cook and Castro. The rest just strike me as good singers.

Karly: In terms of sheer vocal ability she's light years ahead of anyone else in the competition. She's got a lot working against her -- the tattoo, the recording history, the weird faces when she sings -- but she could win this.

Amanda: I really can't stand her, but there was worse this week.

David Hernandez: Oh my god, was that brutally bad.

Michael Johns: Probably my favorite Beatles song, and he was fine with it. The judges are high - they wanted him to change the arrangement so he could do more with it? Hell no.

Kristy Lee Cook: Didn't work.

The Messiah David Archuleta: I was driven to fits of laughter and glee when he botched the lyrics repeatedly. He'll probably win this thing, but I'll be rooting against him every week.

 

Just out of curiosity, what is your (and you are not alone) problem with him?

He comes from a humble background, seems like a sincere, nice kid and can really fucking sing. What's with the hate-on? Do you just hate front-runners on principle?

 

And here's a difference between you and me. I find him to be smarmy beyond compare. His very appearance on my television makes me unhappy. I just think he seems entitled.

 

That's just taking money, AB.

I don't think he's the be-all, end-all like a lot of people do, but I do think he's got some talent. I think your strong dislike toward him might be fueled by that.

 

Oh, no, not at all. I KNOW he's good. I know he's the favorite. And I'd be fine with him winning it. But someone having a sense of entitlement and someone being talented are not mutually exclusive.

 

But what else could he have done? What question could he have answered better? In what situation could he have reacted better? What could he have done to win you over? And I don't get how you see him as entitled. From what we've seen, he comes from a modest, bohemian background. He's had some exposure, but it's based on his talent -- not like he's from a Hollywood family or something. Maybe his family pushed him, but there ain't nobody on here who didn't have that.

Smarmy is if you think it's an act. I don't think it is, and have never seen or read anything to the contrary. I just don't get disliking someone because there's nothing against them. I think that would be a shitty position to be in if you were that person -- how do you counter that?

Just curious, how do you feel about Brooke? She seems like the female equivalent.