Great God almighty, that's annoying. Just tell us who it is.

*Drumroll*

One of the two of you ... is one of the three people ... who will stand over here for a second ... then one of those three people will be sent back ... and one of the two remaining people will be voted off.

Ryan may have killed herself with her childish handling of the situation, sticking her tongue out, mouthing the name "Ryan" before the judges announced the loser. She's definitely starting to grate on my nerves, and I was a huge supporter of her first performance.

Speaking of nerves, Paula's damn_annoying. Just because *you* think Simon's an a-hole (he is) doesn't mean you can interrupt everything he says with something you read in your "Book of Insults for Any Occassion." Simon's right. Stop lying to these kids. I like how he told Ryan (Seacrest) to put A.J. on his radio show if he thinks he's so good. Talk is cheap. Telling someone they're perfect at something they need work on just sets them up for worse failure in the future. Simon may be a dick, but at least he's straight with these people.

Frankly, I'm amazed that those 3 were the lowest vote-getters. If I had to pick, they would be the exact 3 I'd have on my list, but I expected less support for Nikki and R.J. for some reason. Good to see A.J. gone. He may be a nice kid or whatever, but he has no business in this competition. Hell that was painfully obvious when they did that incredibly lame Ford Focus Sing-a-long Jamboree.

I was really happy to see Nikki get positive feedback from the voters. Last week they had her 8th, she changed back to her style, and now she's likely 5th. Regardless of how far she makes it, I like to see people receive defineable feedback in situations like that, and it's obvious that the voters responded to her change. That's something she can take away from the competition. Now we get to see what Christina and Ryan can do with their information.

das

As usual, a fine interpretation from Das Monkey

I'm wondering how much each week's performance actually matters in some cases. Example: Ryan did the worst job on Tuesday, of that I'm sure. So should she have been kicked off last night instead of AJ? I'm thinking Ryan has 2 things that kept her on the show: a lesser opponent and her past performances. And she's a hottie.

So what would happen if Justin messed up a line or fell down? What if tamyra had to sneeze or cough during a high note? I'm thinking the audience takes all performances into account when voting. This is why Christina did poorly, but not poorly enough to get voted out. If the worst perfromances got voted out each week, there'd be no more Ryan or Nikki.

Speaking of Nikki, I'd still say she's on the chopping block next week. I think she shot her vocal load on Tuesday. Unless they can do song's from the 80's as another category, I'd say she's soon out of her league. Although Ryan's behavior was very nasty. I think she was thinking "I'M in the bottom two?! After one f'n bad song?!" A tummy only gets you so far, honey.

Random thoughts:

--Doesn't Kelly look like two entirely different people in "real life" and on stage?

--When Justin asked the crowd what they thought of him on Tuesday, Simon smiled and nodded. When Justin apologized last night, Simon winked at him. In both cases, I think that was Simon's way of saying, "This kid is going to be one huge star."

--I dread to see how they fill half an hour each Wednesday with fewer and fewer contestants to vote off.

--How can Justin not win at this point?

Speaking of categories, what do you think is in the works? I'd say 80's songs, ballads, Broadway showtunes or maybe Beatle songs? Thoughts?

I agree that Nikki is still on the chopping block. She's just barely hanging on. Still, I'm glad she had a moment of peace by not being in the bottom group. If they can move to 80's Power Ballads or Songs by Jim Steinman, she's still got a chance to hang on a bit further.

I too dread the thought of more of these half-hour shows. They're very painful. And I've grown to hate the Ford Focus with the same passion that I hate the Pontiac Aztec. At least the Focus isn't a butt-ugly ass-mobile like the Aztec. Product placement is a good thing ... to a point.

You ask about Justin. I wonder if over time his "look" will be less of a factor to the teenage girl contingent. They voted off A.J., and that kid was born to be in a boy band. If Justin continues to sing average and smile at how cute he thinks he is while Tamyra opens the gates of Heaven with her voice, will the tide turn in her favor? Or is Kelly taking votes away from Tamyra? I wonder how the votes look now. We're all just guessing here. I wonder if we're wrong about any of this, and R.J. is getting all the votes or something. I doubt it, but still. It sounds like most (not all, but enough to say "most") of us here believe Tamyra is the top performer from the group. I guess it's possible that she's also winning the votes in a landslide.

Regardless, I think we can safely say Tamyra and Justin will probably go on to bigger and better things after this. Tamyra's too talented, and Justin's too popular not to capitalize on it. Kelly might have an outside shot, but it's hard to tell what her drive is or the full range of her talent just yet. Also, I'd expect R.J. to get eliminated before too long, yet I wouldn't be surprised to see him performing professionally. He doesn't have the Pop Idol voice like some of the others, but he really does sing beautifully. Living in Atlanta, I'm sure there are plenty of musical opportunities he could persue after this. Musically, I wouldn't expect to see the others again; however, I wouldn't rule out something with Nikki and Christina as they both have good "looks" for various marketing.

das

Well it seems obvious that the performances are getting longer. It makes sense that when it is pared down to 4 people they will be doing full songs...but I could be wrong.

Am I missing something about the Ford Focus?

Although A.J. should have been axed...I really do NOT like Ryan...I don't care for her voice or her attitude...oh well.

THANK YOU! God, watching this show is so frustrating. Justin is a
mediocre singer at best. He only has a pretty good stage
presence going for him. But he is way too arrogant and self
confident. For that alone, I hope he gets the boot and soon.
But that ain't gonna happen. You've seen all the pre-pubescent
clearosil crowd holding "Justin" banners and squealing in the
audience. Brother!

I wish they would announce the next week's "theme" on the half-hour show. That would be kind of interesting to start thinking about it.

I can't believe the posters who don't think Justin is talented. Wha? He is far more than just a pretty face. Granted, he has not been showing off his amazing falsetto in the last few weeks, but he's got it. Comparing him to AJ? Blasphemy! AJ has a weak little voive and zero stage presence. I am so happy he is gone, his little voice made it sound like he was going to get knocked over in a strong wind.

Despite Ryan's meltdown, I am glad she made it to the next round, if only because of her earlier stronger performances. I think a person should be judged overall than on one bad performance. As far as I can remember, AJ has never had a great performance so I'm glad he lost to her.

Kind of weird that there are only two guys left in the competition (that is if you consider RJ male!). He is probably the person I want to see voted out next. He is just boring. And he needs to stop plucking his eyebrows so much, he looks too girly. Every time I see RJ, I think of Enrique, the gay kid from My So-Called Life. He was likeable, too, but not what I think of as "The American Idol."

So far, my preferences are in order:

Justin
Tamyra
Kelly
Christina
Ryan
Nikki
RJ

Although I think whoever wins, both Justin and Tamyra will definitely have careers after the show. The British show spawned hits from at least the top three vote-getters, IIRC.

The comparison to AJ was in image, not talent. And it wasn't even a comparison so much as pointing out that voters do seem to consider talent over image if they kicked him out, since he completely looks like he's in a boy band.

I agree that Justin is quite talented, though he hasn't shined so much in the last two weeks. Still, I don't think he's in the same league as Tamyra. He and Kelly are about on the same level, IMO, in terms of the total package (voice, look, presence, etc), but she's currently my #2. I think he'll need to break out with another great performance like the one from that second week if he wants to stay near the front of this race. That being said, I'm not really liking his personality right now.

das

Das, in response to a theory you proposed earlier in the thread, AJ was voted out because the teeny-boppers have Justin. With no Justin, AJ may have stayed on.

Interesting theory about the males on this show. I haven't thought about it, but they've knocked out 3 of the 5 guys already! That's probably good news for Justin, as he's getting that girl vote much moreso than RJ. This week, speaking of RJ, was as good as he's going to get.

It's odd how the #1 & 2 in the UK Pop Idol were guys. Justin's still the heir apparent because of the sum of his parts. He hasn't given his best performance yet, but I think he's doing that on purpose. Think about it--he doesn't have to worry about it yet. Let these arguements about Ryan and Nikki and RJ settle, then bring it on. He could sing "Happy Birthday" and make it every week.

Speaking of the musical styles, I wonder if they pick their own songs at the end. If so, Tamyra should do that "Dreamgirls" number from her earlier round.

Keep in mind, I failed Teeny-Bopper Dynamics in college, so take any theory I may suggest cum grano salis.

Intersting thoughts on Justin holding back a bit. I don't know if that's actually happening or not, but it wouldn't be that bad of a strategy ... to a point. You're right, though; he could belch the alphabet and make it past these early rounds. Might make sense to save a little for later to try and dazzle people when it counts. Even so, I don't know if on his best day he has what Tamyra's been showcasing night after night.

das

I'm sorry, but I think Kelly's pipes blow Tamyra off the map.
Tamyra overall has that star quality. Very attractive, sincere, etc.
But Kelly is also very cute and extremely genuine. I just like her
more for some reason. And for that, I hope she wins. At the very
least, some label will will probably offer her something if she
comes in second.

Well, I could see AJ in a boy band with maybe 4-5 other guys, but he simply does not have the personality to be a solo artist. Bland to the core. But I can't tell the N'Sync and Backstreet Boy members apart either, but I'd agree he'd fit right in.

Justin, on the other hand, is a solo artist through and through. He could never be in a boy band because he would outshine them all.

Justin did act a little cocky on Tuesday night, but he seemed to make up for it on Wednesday. He actually looked worried when they were telling him the results.

I think Tamyra is sensational, but she doesn't command with an audience quite like Justin does. I see him coming in at #1, her a close #2, and Kelly a strong #3.

Either way, I think they all have great careers ahead of them. I fear Ryan will be robbing laundromats in a few years.

Yeah she does. You're just too in love with Justin to see it. She makes me wannt throw my hands in the air and wave them around as if there were no repercussions. The two of them really stand above the rest in terms of audience control, though Kelly, as mentioned is almost up there with them right now (and IMO more vocally talented than Justin).



das

I think if you combined Justin's stage presence with Tamyra's singing ability you'd have the ultimate superstar

Well! Let me tell you that AJ could be in a bad boy band, but if this Justin was matched up against Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC in any category: voice, looks, stage presence, or dancing, he would come in 2nd in each category. He probably would lose all of them to JC Chasez of *NSYNC and Nick whatshisname from Backstreet too!

Seriously!!!

I don't see this Justin squiring Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, and Christina Aguilera in consecutive months! In fact, I think this Justin may be looking to squire Simon, *nudge, nudge* *wink, wink* *Enough said*

I dunno, every time I see that Justin Timberlake kid I am amazed that he is some big "teen dream". I mean, if he was just some normal kid in high school, girls would probably find him geeky-looking.

I remember always hearing about Justin Timberlake but not knowing who he was and when I found out, I was like "the geeky white boy with the Afro?"

I kind of figured him to be the "ugly one" in the group. Because most boy bands have an "ugly one". When I was growing up, we were all into Duran Duran, and Andy Taylor was the ugly one.

Well, I'm hating the artificial dragging out of the one who leaves the show. Just announce it already. One commercial break, annoying but understandable. Two?!? Ridiculous and rude.

Also hating the ford focus moments.

Anyway, as to AJ leaving - that was definitely the right choice. As to Ryan and Christina being in the bottom 3 - I think Christina is lovely but her voice has just been weird the past two songs. She's now at the bottom of the list for me. Ryan is just too young/immature to pick the right songs, and the stress of it all is getting to her so she's getting bratty. She's still more pleasant to listen to than RJ for me, though, so she's #5.

Here's my current ranking:

Tamyra
Justin
Kelly
Nikki
Ryan
AJ
Christina

And I too think that the top three will have careers after this. The rest - maybe modeling, maybe local singing but not national success, maybe other types of performance.

So I just read in the paper that American Idol has been renewed for another season to air in early 2003.

So I guess there will be TWO American Idols?

Actually, I think it would be cool if they used a slightly different format next time. How about look for groups as opposed to singers? It would be cool if you had different types of bands: rock, hip-hop, singing groups etc. I'd also like to see the hopefuls doing original music if possible.

I also think there are interesting ways they could tweak the format which would be brutal on the contestants, but fun to watch. Like, instead of having a general theme, how about a very specific one? Like "Van Halen Songs" or "Garth Brooks Songs" songs, or something where you might not see the finalists perform at their best all the time.

I'd love to see someone like RJ sing a rock song, or someone like Ryan or Christina sing country or something.

Or what if they had a set list of 10 songs that they had to pull from a hat and perform right away? They would have a week or so to learn the 10 songs but not a chance to specifically prep one.

That would be pretty hard, but it would be interesting to see who could improvise something good with little preparation.

http://reg1.hollywood.com/polls/americanidol/vote.cfm

Usually, the "ugly one" is the "talented one", either that, or it's his garage and instruments

I will not presume to be an authority on judging the looks of men, but judging from his list of conquests above (Britney, Janet, Aguilera), I would LOVE to see what the "good looking" ones are getting!!!

Just heard the 7/30 show will be a 70's theme.

Apologies. Probably should have posted that earlier - they've been advertizing it that way all week. Just figured everyone else saw the same ads I did.

I hope it's cool. I hope Nikki recalls BOOH was released in 1977. Maybe a litte "For Cryin' Out Loud" to scare the masses.

das

Hmm... I'm surprised people consider Kelly to be so talented. I like her personality and she has a very good voice. But unfortunately she is very little in control of her voice IMO.

And looking at Justin vs. Tamyra. Tamyra is clearly the more consistent one and probably the overall better singer. But of all the performances in this show, Justin managed to wow me once with his 2nd show performance, something that Tamyra couldn't do yet.

And well... I'm joining Simon in having a crush on Christina But she is not in the same league as the top two.