Althouse: "American Idol." The Final 3 is tonight. The finale, next week. And here I am in Ohio with no TV.

May 12, 2009

"American Idol." The Final 3 is tonight. The finale, next week. And here I am in Ohio with no TV.

Gah! I've watched the whole season! Now what? Read Television Without Pity recaps?

53 comments:

lohwoman said...: Get a room.; 5/12/09, 10:14 AM
Mark Daniels said...: Consider it a vacation from popular culture. Maybe, instead of posting on American Idol, you could aim at doing a post that answers the burning question, "What's the latest finely tuned observation?"

Just a thought.; 5/12/09, 10:15 AM
Sprezzatura said...: Find a seedy motel that rents by the hour. You probably wouldn't even be the first customer to claim that they're checking in to watch American Idol for an hour or two.; 5/12/09, 10:19 AM
Sprezzatura said...: And, bring a case of Bud.; 5/12/09, 10:20 AM
MadisonMan said...: You know the Producers are going to do all they can to kneecap Kris in favor of Screechy ol' Danny.; 5/12/09, 10:30 AM
Ann Althouse said...: A motel... yeah... ugh.

There should be bars that show "American Idol," the way bars show sports events.; 5/12/09, 10:45 AM
Swifty Quick said...: Go to Walmart and get a TV.; 5/12/09, 10:46 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "You know the Producers are going to do all they can to kneecap Kris in favor of Screechy ol' Danny."

I don't believe that. Danny is Taylor Hicks 2.

Li'l Krissy is adorable!; 5/12/09, 10:46 AM
rhhardin said...: I threw out the TV first and then moved to Ohio.; 5/12/09, 10:48 AM
jeff said...: I used to live in Ohio, but I had a tv.; 5/12/09, 10:53 AM
Sprezzatura said...: Is it possible that there is a connection between not having a tube and doing things like "tracking" the 4-27 truthers. It's hard to see why folks would spend time thinking about such silliness if they had an infinite stream of silliness via the tube.

It starts w/o a tube. Then you self-identify as a neo-luddite. Then your family members tell the feds about your cabin in Montana (or Ohio).

Thankfully computers/blogging and cameras (and, I'm guessing, a love of indoor plumbing) will likely pull Althouse back from the brink.

Maybe,ironically, if Ted had a blog things would have been different.; 5/12/09, 11:00 AM
jen said...: Surely some Ohio reader near you is hosting an Idol-watching party .....?; 5/12/09, 11:07 AM
A.W. said...: i believe you can download the performances (possibly without visual), via itunes.

Just a thought.

But seriously, everyone, you need DVR's. its one of those things that before you buy it, you don't think you need it, but then once you have it you don't know how you lived without it.

i have tivo and i have to say my experience has been nothing less than wonderful. I got one around 2002 or so. you can pay monthly for the service, or a one time lump payment. i went for the lump. And the coolest thing was that when my tivo finally died, they made a deal with me. for $150 bucks (give or take), they gave me an even better tivo, and transferred by lifetime of service to them.

So i have to say i am a fairly satisfied tivo customer. the other ones are good, too, btw. really any dvr is a big step up, but i am pretty happy with the choices i have made. It is so nice to be able to spontaneously spend the night out doing whatever (work, romancing the wife, etc.), and not even to have to worry about missing your favorite shows. And i love the search feature. my wife didn't grow up in the US so she missed alot of great american movies growing up. For instance, once she revealed to me that she never watched "The Black Stallion." So i looked to see if it was ever going to be on in the next 2 weeks or so. it wasn't. so i told tivo to search the schedules constantly for that movie and record it if it finds it. about three months later i wake up and it had recorded it. i didn't even remember asking it, but it did. how cool is that?

As for AI, I actually like Gokey the best because he doesn't butcher great songs on a semi-regular basis, but apparently everyone likes the return of Warrant-style vocals in Lambert, so what do i know?

And i could live with Chris. Simon was being a bit of an idiot to tell him to get cocky. part of what is likeable in Chris is he has only enough confidence to get up on that stage and perform, and not a bit more. imagine that, a non-arrogant music star. Well, sheesh, we can't have that, can we?

Actually, none of these guys have come off as cocky. the closest was lambert, who struts while the music is playing and then is very quiet and gracious the rest of the time. i like that about all three of them.; 5/12/09, 11:14 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: What's an American Idol ;); 5/12/09, 11:24 AM
MadisonMan said...: I'm not a big fan of Adam's theatrical presentations, but you cannot deny that his pitch is spot on. People complain that he yells, but he yells very on pitch. As Danny so ably demonstrated last week, that's a rare talent among Idol contestants.

I agree that Danny is the second lamentable coming of Taylor Hicks. But he's been pushed down our throats all season by the apparently tone-deaf judges; why will they stop now?

If you want to see a great singing performance, here is one from Britain's Got Talent (and no, it's not Susan Boyle). This one makes my eyes watery, and that's hard to do. The poor kid looks so frightened to death and eager to please all at the same time, and has a great voice.; 5/12/09, 11:31 AM
Ann Althouse said...: 1. I love Adam.

2. I have a DVR -- 2 actually -- in my first home.

3. I actually do have a TV here in my second home, but it's not hooked up to cable. You can watch DVDs on it. We try to do that sometimes. Maybe I just need an antenna!; 5/12/09, 11:35 AM
traditionalguy said...: Most Sports Bars have more TVs than they need going at once. Maybe you could go in and tell them that AI is a new Olympic Event, like the Greek Chourus competitions. The laurel wreath goes to....?; 5/12/09, 11:36 AM
Michael Haz said...: Go to a bar, one near a University. It'll be on.; 5/12/09, 11:36 AM
Nasty, Brutish & Short said...: You're welcome at our house. There's a potentially crying baby (a negative) but also wine (a positive). We live in Loveland.; 5/12/09, 11:50 AM
Sprezzatura said...: Aaron,

Best of all a DVR makes watching F1 (which is the only real reason to have a TV) a lot easier. It's no fun getting up at 4:30 AM on the left coast, especially after a late night out.; 5/12/09, 11:56 AM
mrs whatsit said...: Ann, depending on what the broadcast signal is like where you are, you might be able to fake a functional antenna by hooking a coat hanger to the TV. I don't know if that even works any more with the input/outputs on current TVs, but it used to work in the Good Old Days on Good Old TVs, and perhaps your Ohio TV is of the Good Old Variety. Worth a try, anyway.; 5/12/09, 12:03 PM
traditionalguy said...: Its worse than you think. You have to have a digital TV to pick up broadcasts withn antennas today. You may have to go cold turkey...but you will be a better Blogger for it. Or there is always a Wally World close by with $100 chinese TV's on sale.; 5/12/09, 12:11 PM
mrs whatsit said...: I thought the digital changeover thing was postponed. Not so?; 5/12/09, 12:23 PM
Beth said...: You can at least log in at tivo.com and set it to tape if you forgot to before you left town.; 5/12/09, 12:27 PM
traditionalguy said...: Sorry if I am wrong about digital changeover...I remembered a February deadline, and have not heard anymore.; 5/12/09, 12:29 PM
MadisonMan said...: The digital changeover was pushed to this Summer because of a shortage of coupons for conversion. All the stations in Madison have converted anyway to all digital, except Fox.; 5/12/09, 12:56 PM
knox said...: I was really into Idol this season, but lost track with the move. I think Kris should win. It'd be fine if Adam wins, though I don't think he's star material outside of theater.; 5/12/09, 12:59 PM
rhhardin said...: Gosh that's right. You have to not have a digital TV these days. Not having an analogue one is so yesterday.; 5/12/09, 1:28 PM
Jennifer said...: Rickey.org gets audio, pictures and then video up pretty quickly. It is horrendously slow ON Idol night, but there's always the morning after.

It's not the same as watching the show, of course, but he leaves in most of the pre-song blabber and the judges.; 5/12/09, 1:40 PM
MadisonMan said...: knox, I'd be just fine with Kris winning, even though I get this vibe from him that he doesn't want to win. Either he or Adam could, I think, have success and probably will regardless of the outcome. But talk about different styles! Understated vs. WAY over the top! And both with good pitch.; 5/12/09, 2:23 PM
TitusHasMoved said...: We cannot have a flaming homosexual as the new American Idol.

It would be a plot to destroy America if that happened.; 5/12/09, 2:53 PM
paul a'barge said...: go to a bar.; 5/12/09, 3:29 PM
knox said...: MadisonMan, it's the best finale I can think of. Even Gokey's not bad, just boring. (I didn't watch season 1).; 5/12/09, 4:16 PM
Trooper York said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/12/09, 4:17 PM
Trooper York said...: You have to have your priorities in order.

And you an American Idol blogger.

Piffel and tosh.; 5/12/09, 4:18 PM
hdhouse said...: Fear not Ann...I won't watch it either. I've never watched it. I won't miss it and I'm not curious about it.

Why some are into it is a mystery for the ages. Make popcorn. Listen to Bach or Puccini. Go the CSO...they are top rate. Make a fire. Listen to crickets.; 5/12/09, 4:29 PM
Trooper York said...: Good plan. You can be just like
hd house. Just make sure you put on your Depends. Accidents will happen.; 5/12/09, 4:55 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Make popcorn. Listen to Bach or Puccini."

Eating popcorn makes noise. Why would you listen to classical music while eating popcorn? You listen to *pop* music with *pop*corn.; 5/12/09, 5:27 PM
hombre said...: Allison's gone. It's down to Adam and the boring brothers.

TIVO's good enough.; 5/12/09, 5:27 PM
Ann Althouse said...: The vacation from pop culture idea is pretty obtuse. I've watched all season, and we're down to the final 3. It's not the right time to stop.

Isn't it possible to find streaming live tv on line?

I did get an antenna, but it won't get Fox, which is on a UHF channel in Cincinnati.; 5/12/09, 5:30 PM
rhhardin said...: There's no crickets this early in the spring. You can listen to frogs.

If you're lucky you can sometimes hear a train.; 5/12/09, 6:12 PM
knox said...: Why some are into it is a mystery for the ages. Make popcorn. Listen to Bach or Puccini. Go the CSO...they are top rate.

Snob alert!; 5/12/09, 6:22 PM
rhhardin said...: When I was visiting the girlfriend in Miami she set aside an hour on Saturday night for the Carol Burnett show. You could watch that.

Here's one.; 5/12/09, 6:31 PM
Trooper York said...: Wait a second. Stop right there. You were visting the girlfriend?

Holy chicken feathers Batman.

Congratulations.

You still freak me out man.; 5/12/09, 6:40 PM
Trooper York said...: I mean I thought that Eileen Wuornos chick is kinda dead and stuff.

You don't mean?

Nah. Could that couldn't be right?

You freak me out dude.; 5/12/09, 6:43 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Carol Burnett hasn't be on TV in quite a long while. I think rh is reminiscing. Not the "was." Also, he didn't say "my girlfriend." He said "the girlfriend." Might've been somebody else's.; 5/12/09, 7:00 PM
Trooper York said...: Or it could be he has multiple girlfriends in differnt citys.

One in Miami. One in Vegas. One in New York. Wherever they have one of those CSI shows. Just sayn'; 5/12/09, 7:04 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: I'm not sure where the suspense is. Isn't Adam going to win?; 5/12/09, 7:19 PM
hdhouse said...: knox said...
"Make popcorn. Listen to Bach or Puccini. Go the CSO...they are top rate.
Snob alert!"

ohhhh oh here comes Knox..."duhhhh alert".; 5/12/09, 9:05 PM
Issob Morocco said...: The Holiday Inn Express in Celina has one in the breakfast room. Lots of people watching right now.; 5/12/09, 9:15 PM
amba said...: Get a television.; 5/13/09, 1:06 AM
amba said...: Oh, sorry. You have a television. Get a satellite dish?; 5/13/09, 1:10 AM
A.W. said...: mmm, watched it last night. i have thought for a while Adam was a shoo in for the final 2. And I have been pretty vocal about the fact i am not happy with that.

But I am starting to think maybe I was wrong, that he won't make it. Out of respect for Ann who might be watching it after the fact, i won't get too specific, but his first performance started good, and then he took what should have been a tender moment and tried to "rock it." i wasn't impressed. And then he picked one of the screechiest songs from Aerosmith ever, and although he sang it pretty close to the original, well, it is one of the screechiest songs from aerosmith ever. so this might be the end for him.

Especially because Chris and Gokey came on strong toward the end. I thought both of them were pretty flat in their first songs, but came on strong on the second. Chris actually made me like a Kenye (sp?) West song and Gokey found a way to sing to his lost wife without hitting us over the head with it, and sang it beautifully.

But then I have hated Adam every time he sang fast all season and he kept getting voted through, so what do i know?

And let me articulate it a little more. When Adam sings slow, he usually digs really deep and you believe he actually feels what he is saying. His rendition of that smokie robinson song for instance was beautiful. But when he sings fast, its always affected. just my opinion, but there it is.; 5/13/09, 8:18 AM