American Idol - Top 11.2 (March 30 and 31st)

[Dragonlady]

I started watching Baby I'm Amazed and turned it off halfway I'm not crazy about that song to begin with, and it seemed like a pretty straighforward cover.

Both DH and I love that song but the arrangement was quite different than the original and more modern. If you aren't a fan of the original though, it's unlikely you'd like another version of it. Petty Snark: The title of the song is Maybe I'm Amazed. Nearly every line of the song begins with the word "Maybe".

McCartney released the song on his first solo album after the Beatles split and fans were blaming Linda and Yoko for their breakup. My thoughts at the time were that if Linda could inspire Paul to write a song like that, she had to be doing something right.

[genevieve]

Petty Snark: The title of the song is Maybe I'm Amazed. Nearly every line of the song begins with the word "Maybe".

Sorry - was just copying from the post above mine

I was in a dance to the orchestrated version of that and some other McCartney songs a few years ago. I actually liked it better without lyrics.


I'm clearly on the Lennon side of the McCartney/Lennon division

[cruisin]

Both DH and I love that song but the arrangement was quite different than the original and more modern. If you aren't a fan of the original though, it's unlikely you'd like another version of it. Petty Snark: The title of the song is Maybe I'm Amazed. Nearly every line of the song begins with the word "Maybe".

McCartney released the song on his first solo album after the Beatles split and fans were blaming Linda and Yoko for their breakup. My thoughts at the time were that if Linda could inspire Paul to write a song like that, she had to be doing something right.

I never heard much about Linda being part of the break-up. I always heard that she was a very kind person. I did, however, hear that Yoko was a huge problem, for everyone.

[PrincessLeppard]

Idoloonies is up at tvline.

I can't believe Michael is such a Haley fan. I almost couldn't watch that part...the parts he thought were awesome were the parts I hated.

I won't be able to watch tonight, so I need to pull a PeterG request here and tell all you people to list the person and song when you snark tonight. Because it's all about me.

[BigB08822]

I don't get the Haley love, either. I think her voice has a lot of potential and she could probably shock a lot of people by putting out some good records because they can do as many takes as they need in the studio. Her live performances are very hard to swallow because she growls her way through every word and somehow people think Casey does it too much. It can not be good for her vocal chords.

[flyingsit]

I don't understand how ANYONE thought Haley was great last week. The performance was RIDICULOUS. Fake-sexy NEVER works. But I also thought Lauren was bad. She sang "Candle in the Wind" as if she had no freaking clue what it was about, zero connection to the lyrics, etc.

[my little pony]

She sang "Candle in the Wind" as if she had no freaking clue what it was about, .

i'm not sure she has any clues on any subject, her sort of sullen vapidity turns me off though her voice isnt bad at all

[BigB08822]

I don't care for all the focus on connecting to lyrics and feeling the song. It seems to have really become front and center this season for some reason. I don't want someone to stand there and look bored to death but no one on this season is losing my vote just because they don't connect. I also think your (general you) idea of connecting to a song may be different than mine. I've always thought Stefano connected and part of that was him closing his eyes and really getting into the song, however so many others see that as a sign he isn't connected. Maybe it is more subjective than we think? Either way, they sing a verse and a chorus and throw in a glory note, they don't really have a chance to connect when the stories are incomplete as it is.

I like Lauren's voice and I loved how she made Candle in the Wind have a country vibe to it while still clearly keeping with the original. I just don't see how you can ignore good vocals and think someone was bad just because you don't think she connected to the song. These are really young people, they don't all have the life experiences or maturity to bring every one to tears. Doesn't mean they are bad or that they can't sing.

[Allskate]

II like Lauren's voice and I loved how she made Candle in the Wind have a country vibe to it while still clearly keeping with the original. I just don't see how you can ignore good vocals and think someone was bad just because you don't think she connected to the song. These are really young people, they don't all have the life experiences or maturity to bring every one to tears. Doesn't mean they are bad or that they can't sing.

Different strokes for different folks. You don't see why connecting with a song is important. I can't imagine thinking it's unimportant. (And, clearly, not everyone thinks that closing your eyes means you're connecting to a song. Phrasing matters to me.) You don't expect kids to connect to a song. I expect any kid who enters this competition to be judged on the same criteria as everyone else. Lauren entered American Idol, not Toddlers and Tiaras. I really wish they had raised the age requirement, not lowered it. And good vocals clearly are a matter of taste, too. I didn't think that Lauren was a stand out on last week's vocals, and I don't think think she's in a league with Carrie and Kelly. I also don't think her dumb blonde cluelessness is simply a matter of age. But, I'm sure she'll parlay her talent and her Pickleresque personality into a good career. I just won't be among those buying the CD or concert tickets.

[BigB08822]

Different strokes for different folks. You don't see why connecting with a song is important. I can't imagine thinking it's unimportant. (And, clearly, not everyone thinks that closing your eyes means you're connecting to a song. Phrasing matters to me.) You don't expect kids to connect to a song. I expect any kid who enters this competition to be judged on the same criteria as everyone else. Lauren entered American Idol, not Toddlers and Tiaras. I really wish they had raised the age requirement, not lowered it. And good vocals clearly are a matter of taste, too. I didn't think that Lauren was a stand out on last week's vocals, and I don't think think she's in a league with Carrie and Kelly. I also don't think her dumb blonde cluelessness is simply a matter of age. But, I'm sure she'll parlay her talent and her Pickleresque personality into a good career. I just won't be among those buying the CD or concert tickets.

I never said connecting to the song is not important. I just said I am a little shocked at the importance it has seemed to take on this season, in particular. I also don't think the younger contestants should be judged differently but it should be taken into consideration when it comes to expectations. In the end, there is no "judging" going on here it is all about voting and of course everyone is free to vote for who they want for whatever reasons they want. I don't understand what Kelly and Carrie have to do with Lauren. I never compared her to them. Just because I said she is a good vocalist doesn't mean she is the best to ever be on the show. In other words, you put a lot of words in my mouth.

[PeterG]

I never said connecting to the song is not important. I just said I am a little shocked at the importance it has seemed to take on this season, in particular. I also don't think the younger contestants should be judged differently but it should be taken into consideration when it comes to expectations. In the end, there is no "judging" going on here it is all about voting and of course everyone is free to vote for who they want for whatever reasons they want. I don't understand what Kelly and Carrie have to do with Lauren. I never compared her to them. Just because I said she is a good vocalist doesn't mean she is the best to ever be on the show. In other words, you put a lot of words in my mouth.

The new AI thread:

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=78301

[Allskate]

I never said connecting to the song is not important. I just said I am a little shocked at the importance it has seemed to take on this season, in particular. I also don't think the younger contestants should be judged differently but it should be taken into consideration when it comes to expectations. In the end, there is no "judging" going on here it is all about voting and of course everyone is free to vote for who they want for whatever reasons they want. I don't understand what Kelly and Carrie have to do with Lauren. I never compared her to them. Just because I said she is a good vocalist doesn't mean she is the best to ever be on the show. In other words, you put a lot of words in my mouth.

You seem to be the one putting words into people's mouths. Who were the people who had high expectations for Lauren and other kids connecting to the songs? I seem to recall most people here were apprehensive about how the younger ones would do and thought they weren't ready. And you seemed to be putting more words into people's mouths when you said people were ignoring good vocals and thinking Lauren was bad just because they didn't think she connected to the song. Who are all these people saying that Lauren was "bad" and "can't sing well" despite good vocals? The gist of your post was that people should not care a whole heck of a lot about Lauren connecting to the song because she sings so well. I disagree. I want better connection to the songs and I don't think she sings as well as you seem to think she does, whether or not we use Carrie and Kelly as the standard.

And I think the reason people are focusing on whether the contestants are connecting with the songs is because we have so many contestants who seem to have that problem this season. We've got a lot of contestants who just seem to be trying to fit any and every song into the same cookie cutter week after week and sound the same regardless of the song. You don't care about that and that's fine. Others obviously do care, and that's fine, too.

[BigB08822]

You seem to be the one putting words into people's mouths. Who were the people who had high expectations for Lauren and other kids connecting to the songs? I seem to recall most people here were apprehensive about how the younger ones would do and thought they weren't ready.

Oy vey, I should have known better than to respond (and yet I do it again). I am not going to find a specific post of someone's high expectations of Lauren or other younger contestants connecting to the songs. I simply made that connection based on the fact that SO MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING this season. You are not going to convince me that this season we have more people who aren't connected to the music. It is the same as every single season, some connect, some do ok, some can't do it at all. It just seems to be the center of focus and so I connected the dots and figure that with so many young contestants, maybe expectations were a little too high.

And you seemed to be putting more words into people's mouths when you said people were ignoring good vocals and thinking Lauren was bad just because they didn't think she connected to the song. Who are all these people saying that Lauren was "bad" and "can't sing well" despite good vocals? .

I can't get any more specific than this:

But I also thought Lauren was bad. She sang "Candle in the Wind" as if she had no freaking clue what it was about, zero connection to the lyrics, etc.

[Allskate]

I am not going to find a specific post of someone's high expectations of Lauren or other younger contestants connecting to the songs. I simply made that connection based on the fact that SO MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING this season. You are not going to convince me that this season we have more people who aren't connected to the music.:

I'm obviously not going to convince you. But, it happens to be my opinion that we do have a larger number of people this season who are not connected to the music. I don't think we have anyone this season who is particularly great with their phrasing and really connected to the songs, and there are so many who are being so persistent at doing the same thing every week with every song. I wonder if this is the result of bringing in Interscope and their producers or the return of Nigel. I miss Crystal, Kris, Adam, and Cookie

I can't get any more specific than this:

And that comment was specifically about being oblivious to the meaning of the lyrics. Not saying that she's really pitchy or has a terrible tone and therefore cant' sing or anything like that. People are not oblivious to the fact that she can sing. They just are aware that she doesn't seem to have much clue what the songs are about and, unlike you, that has a significant impact on their assessment of her.

[flyingsit]

Not going to belabor the point, but to me Lauren's disconnect from the lyrics was so glaring that it outweighed the vocal (which was only OK anyway). It was as bad as if a skater did a tango-theme program, with typical tango movements and choreography, to a waltz.