Missed last night results show but I'm glad to see that Mikalah is gone.

I haven't read the last few pages of this thread but can somebody tell me who was the other person from the bottom 3 (Mikalah, Nadia,???)

In regards to Mario, I don't foresee him having a long lasting career in music.

Bottom three:

Mikalah
Nadia
Anthony

Not a backlash with me. I've said since day one that I like Nadia's style and music choices, but her voice...I haven't liked one performance of hers.

If she had the voice I'd be her number one supporter.

Nadia was exposed as an entertainer first, singer 2nd. Vonzell pulled even with her this week. But tis still Carrie's and Bo's show.

True. I'm down with artists that have more entertainment value than singing ability (Janet, Stefani, etc.). Perhaps I would like an album of her, vocals helped by studio production.

When did the Pen Salesman get voted off? i must have missed it

Was Mikalah on the spray-on tan kick in the early days of the audition process? Looking back at the early footage and comparing to nowadays, her tan either faded fast, or it had to be a fake tan.

About this time a year ago. That was last season.

Justin Guarini isn't on the show any more? What happened?

aren't the auditions like back in october or something

makes sense that her tan would fade over the winter. (no idea where she's from though)

That sun deprived Las Vegas

Well, I hope your opinion is a minority one. Unfortunately I think a lot of people think like that. That is why contracts are 3 inches thick these days. Apparently AI's was not quite thick enough.

Look, AI should be a win-win situation for the contestants and the show. It usually is. AI claims a bigger percentage of the take from the contestant's sales and they should because in exchange they offer a built-in fan base and endless opportunities for exposure. Many artists would kill for those types of advantages. Why do you think tens of thousands audition? These contestants were nobodies and would have remained nobodies without AI.

To use your example, Mario's situation is just like many pro ball players. Its all about greed. That's why I don't watch much pro sports anymore. That's also why his strategy will hopefully backfire. He believes he can have the best of both worlds. Let AI make him famous and he skips out before he can make them any money in return. Not my idea of someone with any character. He won't get a dime from me.

I'm all for capitalism but I'm also one who believes in character and integrity. They don't have to be mutually exclusive. IMO the attitude you present in your post is exactly what is wrong with this country. It's like I've always heard in business, with a good contractor you don't need a contract, with a greedy SOB no contract will protect you.

Well its kind of hard to feel sorry for the owner of the "team", in this case AI. This is very similar to the Ricky Williams thing. He didn't want to play so he opted out. Much like the team would have done to him had they not wanted him anymore. AI would drop Mario in a heartbeat if they didn't feel they "needed" him anymore so why can't he drop AI. The people that lose are the fans but I wouldn't hold it against someone to try to better their life. This can't really be compared to team sports as AI is not a team competition. Mario is out to get the best he can. It may mean that he is out of AI but that doesn't mean he has no integrity.

Thanks.

Baloney. AI can't just drop contestants from the show if they don't "need" them and they certainly don't "need" any particular contestant. To find out how much AI "needs" Mario, check the ratings since he left. Wow, they have actually gone up and where will Mario be at season's end. Probably not where he thought when he quit. Who needs whom?

And yes, Mario has NO integrity. It's pretty clear he left because he felt he got his break through the show and if he continued any further AI would get a cut of his earnings. Yet, he lied and gave some excuse about taking care of family matters. Right!! His family said they didn't know what he was talking about. There is probably a clause in the contract that allows you out in case of family emergency and Mario took full advantage.

Having said all that, I'm glad he's gone. It reminds me of when Joe was voted off. I thought he sang well and didn't deserve to leave but then when he blamed the show for his departure I said Good Riddance!! Same in Mario's case.

After seeing that horribly cheesy Ford commercial (a new low even for AI standards) I can't blame Mario one bit for dropping out.

Agree with you 100%

Latoya and Carrie may be the best "Singers" the show has ever had. I am scared that Carrie may not win because she has maturity and her dress code is not flashy. But, when she sings, man she stops my heart.

My point was that the people making money at AI do not care about these contestants. They are basically pimping talent for money(i.e. Ford commercial). They drop them as soon as they dip in popularity. What's the difference in them dropping Mikalah and Mario dropping AI because he thought he had a better chance with another label? AI believes they have a better chance of making money by getting rid of Mikaleh. Mario believes he can make more money without AI.

Do you even understand how the show works?? Your post suggests that you have no idea. AI didn't "drop" Mikalah because she wasn't making them money. She received the least number of votes from callers and text messages. That's how this contest works. Its a contest. That's pretty much how all contests work. The best/most popular wins.

Let me fix your last sentence: Mario believes he can make more money now that he has been on AI. Before AI he didn't have a prayer of making any money in the business. You need a break. Mario got his on AI at no cost to him. Before AI he was probably flipping burgers and now that he quit, he will probably be doing that again this summer.

The show isn't called "Best singer," it's called "American Idol." And often, people with the best voices aren't pop stars. Does Carrie have a great voice? Yes. However, her country twang taints even the best songs, which is why I've never given her even one vote.

Frankly, out of all the people on the show, the only one I would say deserves to be a star is Bo Bice. He's got a great voice AND he's unique. He has everything it takes to be a massive star.

Nadia is really good (I couldn't believe she sang Otis Redding so well after only learning the song four days previously), but I think she has a problem getting fully into a song. She always seems to be holding back. But she's still the second best person on the show.

As for Vonzell, it's like Simon said, she has yet to do anything great. She does have a good voice, but she has no personality or spark and so she sounds utterly forgettable.

And I don't care if it's a miracle Anthony can talk at all, let alone sing, I wish he had stayed mute with the horrible songs he's choosing. Just about every one has been some kind of annoying 80's/90's torch song that gets played on soft rock radio stations. Fucking lame.

Also, did anyone notice Mikalah was wearing a cross necklace? It blows my mind to even think she might be Christian. She is the prototype Jewish American princess.

Um, Madonna has been known to wear one too, as have many others who probably would not consider themselves to be Christians. You cannot infer that wearing a cross necklace means anything as far as someone's beliefs despite what the symbol is supposed to mean. Some years ago wearing a cross became fashionable somehow that's all.

Um...Madonna IS a Christian. Just because she's a kabbalist doesn't mean she's not Christian. There have been non-Jewish kabbalists since the Renaissance.

Yea I just don't see AI as the saintly martyr you're making them out to be. After the show is done the winner makes the albums they say to make. Sure that's part of the whole deal and the contestants know it to some degree going in. I say some degree because I think a kid like Bo Bice thinks he's gonna drop a kick ass rock album when he wins. Not so. He'll put out AI's idea of a rock album. The lowest common denominator version. Call it LCD rock. Alice In Chains? More like Alice On Prozac. So AI makes it's money with a product aimed at THEIR fans, not necessarily Bo's. In other words AI pimps you 'til your contract is up. When Mario realized he didn't need to be pimped in order to sign a lucrative deal he bounced.
I'm sure there are plenty of AI fanatics who won't buy his album, but there are also alot of consumers out there who buy albums by artists they like just because they like them. Tell you what; the fact that he left the show probably got him some fans he wouldn't have had otherwise too.
As a brother in one of the strongest unions in the country, the words I hear sound more like, no contract = no work. That "good contractor you need no contract" attitude had workers working 20 hour days with no benefits or OT. Our contracts are 3 inches thick to protect us, the workers, from being pimped by the shop owners. AI the institution will never get my sympathy or make me mad at a kid who did what he thought was best for him. Mario was unhappy with his current shop, went back to the joint board, found another shop willing to give him the deal he wanted, and took it.

I saw and heard enough of Mario on AI to know that i'm already eagerly anticipating some kind of release from him.....be it just a single or a full album. I'll definitely be there to buy it. I still have NO doubt that he might have won it all if he had stayed.

His decision to quit the show...i could care less what his reasons or motives were, that's his business and not mine. Who am i to judge him?