#1900028 - 02/27/08 06:36 PM
American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
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eric
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This is one of my guilty pleasures every winter. I enjoy watching this show and I've gotten pretty good at predicting what the judges will say about each singer.
This is a good show for gear spotting, as well. I am seeing an XS8, Fantom X7, Electro, Nord Lead (or maybe a Wave), Voyager and that is what I can see on stage. The one thing that has been really bothering me is this one very high string sound that they seem to use about 3-4x per night. This sound pierces through the stratosphere in a fairly artificial and overly processed fashion. I cannot put my finger on it, but it seems like a very thin analog string sound that has been EQ'd to the point that only dogs can really hear it. Has anyone else noticed this?
Aside from my last comment, I think the band is tight and I'm enjoying the show this year. I have not seen enough of the singers to have a favorite, but there are a few I'm watching more closely than others.
Who else is watching?
Regards,
Eric
_________________________
"Actually, this is what I came for. Look at all this gear. I love equipment. I love it to be stacked up high." | Stewart Copeland SoulerCoaster
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#1900031 - 02/27/08 06:42 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: eric]
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tonysounds
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I'm watching. I think the band is very good....but can NOT play rock. And that was proven many times tonite: Magic Man, Crazy on You, Carry On Wayward son (?!!!).
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#1900032 - 02/27/08 06:43 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: tonysounds]
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tonysounds
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OH....and there were more bad song choice tonite than I remember in past years.
And what are they hearing that they thought You're So Vain was good? Even on the replay, the intonation was "simply dreadful".
_________________________
http://www.myspace.com/tonyorant (A90/NordStage/Electro/XK1/Speakeasy AMA Roadbox3c/Receptor/JD990/FantomXr/MotifRack) You dont get tone on a diet. Hitting "play" does not constitute live performance.
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#1900036 - 02/27/08 06:47 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: tonysounds]
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MidLifeCrisis
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This is probably the worst collection of talent they have had on this show. Nobody is a real standout. As far as they guys go, there is not a single one that I would even choose to be the front man for my band.
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#1900052 - 02/27/08 07:04 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: MidLifeCrisis]
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SilverDragonSoun
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Not me, still boring to me.
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#1900062 - 02/27/08 07:19 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: SilverDragonSoun]
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b3keys
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I think that are a few "diamonds in the rough" contestants this year. I wish that Simon and Ryan would get a room already! Paula must not have been drinking or drugging tonight. She actually spoke and made sense as compared to Tuesday night - "I could just squish you, squeeze you and hang you from my rearview mirror." People are strange, strange indeed. Most peculiar, Momma.
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#1900139 - 02/27/08 09:22 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: b3keys]
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Dan South
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I don't do A-I. Singers rarely impress me. Some of them have real talent, sure, but most of them seem like prissy little diva-numbskulls who want all the glory but don't know s**t about music, songwriting, arranging, recording, or production. Other people do the real work, and singers take the credit. Why should I watch a show about shallow, clueless coattail-riders competing to be the number one shallow, clueless coattail-rider of the year?
A show about bands who write and record their own music would be far more interesting to me (and completely boring to a nation of imbeciles who believe that all you have to do to live the perfect life is to be "discovered.")
[wretches exorcist-green projectile vomit at the computer screen]
Take that, Simon!
(I wish I had a red-faced crap-dumping smily right about now.)
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#1900144 - 02/27/08 09:25 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: b3keys]
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Geoff Grace
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"Pitchy" "Pitchy" "Pitchy" ...
Can't the judges develop some guts -- or train their ears -- and say either "sharp" or "flat?"
Copout. 
Best,
Geoff
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#1900169 - 02/28/08 12:14 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Geoff Grace]
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Dave Pierce
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This is my guilty pleasure too.
I was shocked at the bad rock tonight, usually the band is pretty great. The complete failure to even attempt any sort of synth patch on Magic Man just flat out pissed me off. As did the guitar players work on that tune. Just bad.
Again, I usually love the band, and they probably have the toughest gig in TV. And in fact, now that I think about it for a second, this must be the hardest week. There are 20 contestants over two nights, so they've got to arrange, learn and perform 20 tunes in -- what -- five days?
There were 24 tunes last week, but it was the first show, so they probably had more than a week to prepare.
--Dave
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#1900179 - 02/28/08 01:47 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Geoff Grace]
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cjsm
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"Pitchy" "Pitchy" "Pitchy" ... Can't the judges develop some guts -- or train their ears -- and say either "sharp" or "flat?" Copout. Best, Geoff
That sums it up. Simon will at least will critize. Paula Abdul is useless as a commentator. She doesn't have to insult people, like Simon, but she and Randy and Simon should give more constructive criticism - like you say, they could at least say it was flat or sharp. Their commentary is overall amazingly lame.
I remember several years ago, when some singer did a reasonable white soul rendition, similar to the Back Street Boys. Paula praised it, but Simon slammed it. At first I thought Simon was being harsh. But when I thought about it more, I saw his point. He's not looking for a Back Street Boys copycat. The Back Street Boys already do it better. But what Simon doesn't do is explain whats wrong. He just insults.
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#1900253 - 02/28/08 06:22 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: eric]
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Joe P
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I watch after they get to "Hollywood", and then it is only when I can commandeer the TV away from Shrek the 3rd.
I noticed that one of the dudes on the show (the one with the "affectation" in his speech), looks frighteningly similar to Jessica Alba. 
Not that there's anything wrong with that!
Regards,
Joe
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#1900260 - 02/28/08 06:38 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Joe P]
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NY Keys
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I've only caught bits and pieces of it this year.
So far It's boring, Sorry.
I guess Randy's Word this season is "WHAT"
 go sit down.
Poor Paula - I hated that video promo here and Randy did last week.
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#1900279 - 02/28/08 07:06 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: NY Keys]
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Cygnus64
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I saw it last nite, Idol is a guilty pleasure but I dont get to watch enough because I often work at nite. The girls werent that good, and that one "rocker" with the crazy hair really has to go.
The judges all sucked last nite. Criticizing "The Song" is as stupid as you can get. In years past, I have also seen Simon criticize "The arrangement". Ummm, its not like these kids are writing out brass charts with Sibelius.  Judge the kid on the performance ONLY.
Ive played with 3 of the past finalists: Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey, and Clay Aiken. It was interesting to watch them in rehearsals, all of them acted like a fish outta water, even Clay. Clay had a very boring show, although I applaud him for hiring real orchestral players to back him. Melinda can sing, but has zero personality. Phil seemed like a decent Joe and was trying hard, but he didnt have it. Winning a talent show is no substitute for learning the biz and learning how to entertain an audience.
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#1900308 - 02/28/08 07:50 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Dave Pierce]
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meccajay
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I was shocked at the bad rock tonight, usually the band is pretty great./ they've got to arrange, learn and perform 20 tunes in -- what -- five days?
Much more than that!
I heard one of the contestants last night say she changed songs 4 times during the week. *hell on earth* Now imagine only half the contestants change songs only one time. That's 30 total songs, per that really conservative estimate.
So in reality the band probably has to be in an "on call" status for 50 or more songs per week! *yikes*
They've given Rikey Minor a staff of music directors/arrangers to help weed thru all the weekly mire of song keys, arrangements, backgrounds etc, but that still means the band doesn't know what there playing until probably Sunday or so for a Tues broadcast.
Stands to reason they take "shorts" on a lot of tunes early in the season. This probably why we fawn all over the band as the finals approach, cause they're finally "working" on the songs they play.
I found this behind the scenes vid from a couple years ago that somewhat explains..
Assoiciate MD Michael Orland:
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#1900309 - 02/28/08 07:53 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Cygnus64]
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Bill H.
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I hardly ever watch it, but did for awhile when the guys were on a couple of nights ago. Some guitar slinging rocker wannabe did "All Right Now" in G! C'mon man....the guitars can't play the signature riff right unless it's in A. It sounded like shit. He shouldn't have even been allowed to finish. Not the band's fault...
And there was some kid who did unbelievable vocal pyrotechnics on that old warhorse "Imagine". He went incredibly high and did very accurate stairstep runs up and down, not just once but throughout. This is like a figure skater doing nothing but jumps... very risky. I hope they didn't use Autotune. I was thinking... do they really make kids that way in the 21st century? Man...
Sorry guys. The singer in me comes out at times...
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#1900315 - 02/28/08 08:08 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Bill H.]
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meccajay
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BTW, here's 2 that should be in the final 4 this season-
Syesha Mercado
David Archuleta
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#1900333 - 02/28/08 08:34 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: meccajay]
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Mr. Nightime
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I'll admit to watching it with my wife every week. Some of them are pretty good, while others are not. My wife will point out a singer, and say they've got to go. Most times I'll agree.
This year there's added incentive to watch. Robbie is from Melbourne. There was a big thing in the local news about how he would play at the Metro in Melbourne. Yeah, a movie theater that has a full wet bar in the front instead of a snack bar. Place is a real dump. He needs to step up the rock thing if he has any hope. Was not all that good this week.
My wife loved Brooke's version of "You're So Vain", and she's in love with David. He's got a real shot at winning. She's had me download both songs he's done onto her iPod.
_________________________
I Need That Beer! - Sting "Seven Days" Ten Summoner's Tales www.fatcitysouth.com
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#1900335 - 02/28/08 08:35 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Bill H.]
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RABid
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And there was some kid who did unbelievable vocal pyrotechnics on that old warhorse "Imagine". He went incredibly high and did very accurate stairstep runs up and down, not just once but throughout. This is like a figure skater doing nothing but jumps... very risky. I hope they didn't use Autotune. I was thinking... do they really make kids that way in the 21st century? Man...
Sorry guys. The singer in me comes out at times...
Hard to believe that kid JUST turned 17. He is the most promising in the bunch.
I watched the recording of last night and it sounded like a jazz band trying to play rock. If jazz musicians don't get that, think of how you feel when you hear rock bands playing jazz.
Anyway, the rocker girl should have been much better but she blew chunks last night after doing so well last week. This year the talent range is much more narrow. The bad singers are much better than in the past, but as of yet there are no stand out singers. No Daughtry. No Clarkson. No Sparks. Not even a Clay Aiken.
I will say it is hard to judge anyone on one performance. Look at the difference a week made for the black guy. Last week he was horrible in every way. This week I really enjoyed his song.
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All I need is one more keyboard.
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#1900392 - 02/28/08 09:47 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: RABid]
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RABid
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I would be really happy if I could sing like this.
Chekize on AI.
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#1900409 - 02/28/08 10:10 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: RABid]
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JohnH
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I saw some of the trainwreck early auditions (always the best part) and have seen a little bit of the final 24 Tuesday. Unfortunately I've been busy with gigs and kart racing so my tv time is very little so I've had to delete the past week's shows. However, I'm totally in love with one of the contestants.
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#1900412 - 02/28/08 10:15 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: JohnH]
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Outkaster
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That one kid is the most honest and talented of the bunch. Simon usually knows what he is talking about to be honest. He has a good ear for talent. A lot of the women were really bad last night. It was boring.
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"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"
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#1900517 - 02/28/08 12:36 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: cjsm]
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stepay
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I'll admit I'm hooked on American Idol. I don't normally like "reality" shows, and I don't like it when poor contestants get all snippy in those early shows, but I do like seeing the bad singers who really think they can sing. I find that hilarious for some reason. I'm not a great singer, but I KNOW it.
I do also then like listening to the 3 or 4 good singers that are always in the top 24. This year is no exception really. There are about 4 in there that are pretty good. I think that Carly woman is pretty good. On the guys' side, David Archuletta (sp?) is pretty good.
They've gotten some really good singers in there in past years. I've actually been shocked. Tamyra Gray in the first season was incredible. Ruben Studdard could sing.
I agree that this year the woman who sang the Carly Simon song didn't do that great of a job. I thought it was very boring, and her guitar playing was poor. I will not miss a show though.
_________________________
Steve (Stevie Ray)
"Do the chickens have large talons?"
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#1901015 - 02/29/08 10:18 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: meccajay]
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NY Keys
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I was shocked at the bad rock tonight, usually the band is pretty great./ they've got to arrange, learn and perform 20 tunes in -- what -- five days? Much more than that! I heard one of the contestants last night say she changed songs 4 times during the week. *hell on earth* Now imagine only half the contestants change songs only one time. That's 30 total songs, per that really conservative estimate. So in reality the band probably has to be in an "on call" status for 50 or more songs per week! *yikes* They've given Rikey Minor a staff of music directors/arrangers to help weed thru all the weekly mire of song keys, arrangements, backgrounds etc, but that still means the band doesn't know what there playing until probably Sunday or so for a Tues broadcast. Stands to reason they take "shorts" on a lot of tunes early in the season. This probably why we fawn all over the band as the finals approach, cause they're finally "working" on the songs they play. I found this behind the scenes vid from a couple years ago that somewhat explains.. Assoiciate MD Michael Orland:
Not to Mention he is also the MD for DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS
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#1901026 - 02/29/08 10:49 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: NY Keys]
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Mike Davis
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I was shocked at the bad rock tonight, usually the band is pretty great./ they've got to arrange, learn and perform 20 tunes in -- what -- five days? Much more than that! I heard one of the contestants last night say she changed songs 4 times during the week. *hell on earth* Now imagine only half the contestants change songs only one time. That's 30 total songs, per that really conservative estimate. So in reality the band probably has to be in an "on call" status for 50 or more songs per week! *yikes* They've given Rikey Minor a staff of music directors/arrangers to help weed thru all the weekly mire of song keys, arrangements, backgrounds etc, but that still means the band doesn't know what there playing until probably Sunday or so for a Tues broadcast. Stands to reason they take "shorts" on a lot of tunes early in the season. This probably why we fawn all over the band as the finals approach, cause they're finally "working" on the songs they play. I found this behind the scenes vid from a couple years ago that somewhat explains.. Assoiciate MD Michael Orland: Not to Mention he is also the MD for DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS
I think we all agree that sight reading is an essential skill...
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#1901029 - 02/29/08 10:51 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Mike Davis]
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b3keys
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Skunk girl must go!
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#1901050 - 02/29/08 11:49 AM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: b3keys]
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Mr. Nightime
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I was very surprised when she didn't leave this week. Her rendition of Kansas was a disgrace.
Well, my home town contingent is gone now. After he butchered Foreigner, I can't say I'm at all surprised.
My wife thought the girl that came in third to last should have gone this week. She thought the girl was an arrogant little b**ch that should have been kicked off. After coming that close, you could see how shook up she was. Maybe now she'll drop the attitude.
My favorite girl - a toss up between the girl with the tatooed arm, and the little blond that sang Carly Simon. The guys, David A by a long way.
_________________________
I Need That Beer! - Sting "Seven Days" Ten Summoner's Tales www.fatcitysouth.com
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#1901061 - 02/29/08 12:05 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Mike Davis]
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Yoozer
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I think we all agree that sight reading is an essential skill...
I think most of us would agree that since it's all about the emotionally fragile person on stage who'll be forgotten completely about in half a year or so the band shouldn't bother and just use a backing track. Use an electronic drum kit and the audience wouldn't notice.
_________________________
"Part of an instrument is what it can do, and part of it is what you do to it" - Suzanne Ciani, 197x.
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#1901084 - 02/29/08 12:42 PM
Re: American Idol '08 - Who's watching?
[Re: Yoozer]
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Moonglow
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My wife and I enjoy American Idol. We like to watch the show while sitting on the floor with a plate of tacos and a six of Corona. I tend to agree with previous comments regarding the diluted talent pool this year. However, my main gripe has always been the judging methodology. All too often it seems the home audience votes someone off the show that I really like. I would much prefer that at SOME point in the competition (e.g., the last ten contestants), they would revert to a more quantifiable, multivariate rating system. To exemplify, the judges could assign numerical ratings to each performance on a number of dimensions. Then these ratings, along with the audience votes, would be factored into the selection/rejection process. I guess what I'm calling for is a weighted mean or multiple regression decision model.
_________________________
"Music is the breath of God speaking to man's soul, so we musicians are as close to God as man can be. We hear His voice, we read His lips..... That is why musicians are honorable." - Beethoven
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Moderator: Dave Bryce, Stephen Fortner
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) to see the talented, beautiful, well-off wrangler-girl hadn't made it (can't get her name).
