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Oh, good, Althouse is back to talking about "American Idol." I'm soooo sorry I complained about her blogging about "American Idol."
So, from painful hyena sex to painful Ryan Seacrest. It's almost an anagram!
What's Paula wearing? It looks like caviar.
Did you see that Donny Hathaway's greatest hits collection is at #25 in sales on Amazon today, thanks to Elliott's singing "A Song for You" last night?
Cute "Call Me" ad, with doggies and Taylor Hicks acting up.
Andrea Bocelli belts out a number. His "American Idol" appearance has his new record up to #4 on Amazon. Expect it to go higher tomorrow.
They're breaking the contestants up into 3 groups of 2. Katharine, Elliott, and Kellie start each of the 3 groups. Then, Paris is told to join Kellie, and those in the know are assuming that's the bottom group. Taylor goes with Elliott, so Elliott's safe! Chris joins Katharine, and clearly she's now safe. Elliott and Taylor are the top. Nice!
After the break, we learn that Elliott and Taylor were actually the middle group. That makes sense, doesn't it, because of Chris? Chris and Kat are seated.
And it's Kellie who's leaving! America got it right!
Aw, but she was very sweet. I think she got a little tired. Someone ought to build a sitcom around her character. We love her as a comedienne.
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Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Somebody already built a sitcom around her - Married With Children and Kelly Bundy.
If she sings country-pop, she'll do fine on CMT and in that world.
Do you guys really think so? I can't think of anybody comparable in the country world as far as the dumb blonde shtick goes.
And most country singers can really sing. She's not as terrible as she's been lately, but she couldn't hold a candle to most female country singers.
I don't know. I think Ann's right - she has a better chance as a comedienne/actress.
I wonder what drove them to change their tune on Katherine's performance last night. I thought the judges were too harsh on her but that's me. Any clues or was it just one of those things.
The daughter is disappointed because she really likes everyone who is left, even the guy, who in her charming words, has more grey hair than I. She was hoping Ms. Pickler would remain as the one you love to hate.
Is that the first time it wasn't a bottom three? And, therefore, Paris has never been in a bottom "two"? I think they did it that way to keep Elliot afloat and Taylor out of the bottom three.
Katherine seemed to benefit from the judge's harsh criticisms. She and Chris are probably looking at being the final two.
That makes sense, doesn't it, because of Chris? Chris and Kat are seated.
Spoken like a true homer. Not criticizing, I'm a bit of a homer myself, because I was thinking "makes sense, because of Katharine."
We can hope the Kellie Pickler story turns out as well as it started on AI but she was not a good enough singer to get any further. Good run though.
Did they say next week's theme? I've heard Elvis
Tim: Kat was originally my favorite, back at the audition phase, but she's become harsh and unplaeasant -- to me at least. I can't remember when I turned on her.
You're tempting me, Ann. I've never watched AI, but if it gets Donny Hathaway some play, it's got some depth to it.
This is completely and utterly off-topic, but I just wanted to say that I enjoy listening to Ann's podcasts. Please keep doing them, Ann!
Also, thanks for keeping the volume level steady in your last podcast. I listen at work to various podcasts with a tiny battery-powered speaker hooked up to my iPod, and it's often like listening to the TV. You know how once the commercials come on it's a dash to the remote to TURN THE VOLUME DOWN? It's the same with podcasts.
My one complaint about podcasters is that many of them don't realize that when they abruptly change the volume of their voice, many of their listeners are forced to quickly reach over to their iPod and turn down the volume.
The worst offender? The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack.
I think Idol is to music what Oprah's Book Club is to reading. If it gets people fired up about the arts, it's okay by me. Who knows, if they buy Bocelli's music, they may explore opera next.
I think Pickler just needs more training, like Paris. And she'll get it through the tour and so on. Katherine really lit up when she sand the classical duet with Bocelli--I don't think pop is her groove, but Idol is great exposure, but she's got a great voice.
And I *Heart* Chris!
Talent unnecessary -- see: Faith Hill.
I can't believe I'm going to defend Faith Hill, but after hearing her live, she's got a good voice. Really, she does.
[Katharine] is everything that is wrong with music today. She can hit the notes, but she just seems totally empty and is quite frankly boring as hell. Seems has the soul of an automaton.
See, I just don't get this. I comPLETELY disagree. She has great pipes and seems to ME to be a very sincere singer. In fact, at the risk of a forthcoming Althouse ban, I find Chris's singing to be annoying (that vibratto has GOT to go) and too "hey, look at me! I'm a rocker!"
And yeah, she's attractive, but it's just as likely that her attractiveness fuels the Kat-haters as much as it does the homers.
I don't like Katherine because I don't watch the show or the posted videos, I just listen to the mp3s. Hearing her with no video makes me think she's gotten this far by her video assets. She's got some decent vocal equipment, but I really can't stand what she does with it.
But, I had no idea she has (light (semi-)classical ambitions but if she does, that might account for why she doesn't sound comfortable in most registers. A cornerstone of classical training for females is to avoid chest voice as much as possible, and to especially avoid 'belting' (extended upper register chest voice) because it can eat a big hole in the middle of the classical singer's voice.
That would explain her frequent (mis)use of head voice in this material and her (to me) unidiomatic phrasing (it's like she learned pop just for this show, from records, as if it were a foreign language). It doesn't explain her pitch problems though (a problem she shares with Paris, they both have problems hitting an extended note straight on and getting back to the right pitch after any kind of cadenza.
NedLudd: I never heard from anyone (unsurprisingly). She did write on her web page about me, however, calling me "psychotic" and reprinting the very email she warned me not to publish. I assume she must have eventually encountered some people who told her how silly she was being.
Lou: Thanks for listening to the podcast!
Michael: Katharine's mother is a voice teacher, who was featured in the early episodes, so she's someone who's had a lot of training, but possibly not of the best quality.
Jinn: I agree that Chris could get too close to the too-much-vibrato area, but don't think he quite has.
Note to Katharine fans: She spells her name with 2 As not 2 Es. Like Katharine Hepburn.
"Katharine's mother is a voice teacher, who was featured in the early episodes, so she's someone who's had a lot of training, but possibly not of the best quality."
Well, she occasionally reminded me of the opera singers who would go on Johnny Carson and try to do pop songs with dire (and/or hilarious) results.
I should (but probably won't) go back and relisten to some of her performances.
Her training might be great, but I think she's applying it to the wrong repetoire.
Michael: I appreciate your insights re:Katharine because I certainly don't have any real musical knowledge other than knowing what I like.
I am not expecting her to be a finished product at this point, I only see great potential because I do not think she has properly found her niche yet.
As for the comments about her looks and personality ("Plastic Girl"), the way she dresses, etc. I didn't know it was high school.
Next week, songs from the year you were born and a Billboard top 40. Right?
I'll call your Ashlee Simpson and raise you Britney Spears.
Nathan, you've got to realize how funny that sounded. "Ok, so my particular example is no good, but my point remains." I actually agree with your overall point, but it's certainly not limited to Nashville. I heard Keanu Reeves once say that to succeed in Hollywood, you need two of these three:talent, drive, and luck (I'm guessing he first heard it somewhere else). I thought it ironic that HE was saying that (or maybe he was very self aware and knew which of the three he was lacking).
Point is, lots of folks are famous without talent, but through some quirk of fate, they appeal to the masses. Rod Stewart, for example. How that guy has the chutzpah to instruct anyone on singing, I'll never understand.
because they have ruined country music -- which I used to love.
Grandpa Simpson could not have said it better, though he might have added:
P.S.
I am not a crank.
Has there ever been a generation that was not convinced the younger generation has ruined everthing that was good an beautiful in culture?
But to the topic, I am glad Kellie is gone. I am also glad they arranged the program so she wouldn't be able to sing.
I am now at the point, where really kind of like everyone left.
I am sort of hoping Chris gets the boot so that he can cut his own deal on his terms. In fact, the only one I really think NEEDS to win is Elliott. The rest have looks / charisma / some sort of identity to parlay into some contracts.
"Has there ever been a generation that was not convinced the younger generation has ruined everthing that was good an beautiful in culture?"
Probably not, they just haven't been right until now.
I don't think Elliott will win. He may be the most musically talented of the bunch, but he's just not telegenic. If this were a radio show, then we could focus on voice alone, and he'd be the front runner. But it's a tv show, and we want to watch people that look good or interesting on television.
Katharine looks amazing on television. It's not even a question of her being pretty. It's how the camera captures her face, how her eyes and cheekbones work with the lighting. Chris is arresting to watch. Kellie was able to transmit her character visually. They each have something interesting to transmit. Elliot looks too uncomfortable at times. I want to like him, but he doesn't look like he believes in his own appearance.
It's easy to dismiss this telegenic quality as an absence of talent, but it's a vitally important for a television show.
Yeah, right, whatever. Does anyone have Kellie's phone number?
while it was expected, it was painful to watch Pickler leave...she's very likable, you just want her to do well.
Katherine is not. It's hard to put a finger on....it's not because she's lovely, she is. She just seems hollow, deceptive, and potentially very shrewish.
And I read (sorry, I can't remember where or who wrote it, but it was legit) that some of the crew on Idol were interviewed and they all said that Ace and Chris were both the biggest pains - both huge egos and demanding....
Did anyone hear what they're singing next week?
You pretty much describing not just pop music today, but pop music of every decade. This is a "pop" competition.
I cannot agree with how some of you are defining "pop music." What American Idol is about is music that doesn't mean anything. Sure there has always been pop music of that ilk. But there's also so much pop music that means a great deal to people. For example, when I was in high school I latched on to the music of a singer named Morrissey. His songs are pop music too, and so many of them could've been all over the radio had the Simon Cowells and Randy Jackson types of the music industry not conspired to keep it off. From when I've seen of this blog, the Beatles was an important group to Ann Althouse. They were a pop band, too. So were the New York Dolls, the Ramones, etc etc.
I don't care for this notion that pop music is supposed to be worthless, stupid, soulless, and un-moving just because that's what's on American Idol. I'm not trying to sound like a snob in posting this. I've tuned in a bit to because it's kind of funny. But the mentality of the people behind the show has a destructive and strangling effect on our culture. They've taken all the good music off the radio to cram crap down our throats every Christina Aguilera wannabe who may have "great pipes" but doesn't have a clue or a thing to offer, and now people are saying that that's how pop music is supposed to be?? Please. Maybe Paula Abdul was on enough drugs to get moved to tears by those so-called love song performances the other night, but they couldn't have left me colder.
I'm not slamming the contestants on the show. They're just kids who like singing and have been led to believe they can be pop stars by going this route. And, frankly, a lot of them are treated pretty badly by the show. I just despise this notion that American Idol represents pop music. It represents the destroyers of pop music. Sorry for the rant. :)
just listened to an MP3 of Elliott's performance on rickey.org... um, I'm floored. That was just unbelievably good.
It's official: if anyone else wins, I'm disappointed.
I think Kat is a human Rorschach Test. You see what you want to see.
I think you guys are right - and it goes for Kat and Kellie both.
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