Blogcritics: Comments on "American Idol" - Episode 417 - The Top 8 Female Vocalists

Comment by Todd

Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:07:10 EDT

I still have no idea why people would watch this. Just look at a bar with drunks, it's funnier! (is that a word?) Todd www.fineluxurytime.com.cn

Comment by ann

Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:41:50 EST

personally i dont think aloha shud ahve left so soon , we cud have heard a lot of good stuff from her . same goes for nikko . thought joseph was too handsome to leave . there was something nice about sarah . liked celena and amanda too . BUT as they are no longer around , i have to comment on those that are there . personally i dont think antony , constantine , or scott shud be there . there is nothing super special about them , so i expect them to leave the show soon . anwar is too good . hes got my vote . superb !!! closely followed by mario and bo . they are good took , i have to say though it was anwar s rendition of waht a wonderful world that tilted me in his direction , till then it was even stens between the three for me . as far as the girls are concerned . i have to say i dislike only one . mikalah . simon is right she really is annoying . the nasal sound of her voice just makes my skin crawl . shes OVER dramatic , and i get the feeling she acts alot . i dont think she has ever had a genuine smile on her face the whole time . i HOPE she leave soon , what is america doing cant u ppl hear her ??? shes lousy . linsey i do love her deep voice , but i dont think shes gonna make it .same goes for vonsell . good but dont think she'll go all the way . jessica sings well but i dunoo ., im just not feeling it for her, dunno why , but i just dont like her for somereason . so my favs as far as the girls go are carrie and nadia hope i get the final five right ..... nadia , carrie , anwar , bo and mario GOOD LUCK U GUYS !!!!!!! guess in the next few weeks i'll be fine tuning my predictions

Comment by Steve S

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 23:38:48 EST

It's a reminder. I grew up amongst Good Ole Boys. It wasn't pretty.

Comment by Scott Pepper

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 23:24:20 EST

Steve, why do you have such an aversion to country music?

Comment by Steve S

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 20:15:20 EST

What if I have such an aversion to country music that it doesn't matter how well someone sings, I don't like listening to them just based on genre. THAT is why I don't like Carrie, but it's clear that she is talented at what she does. If you vote solely on talent, then that is what you are left with years later, what good does that do you? Kelly Clarkson can sing, but she sings music that sounds like it's geared towards a female teen audience, I just don't get into it. Did she deserve to win? I don't know because I didn't watch the first season, but here we are years later and I can admit she's talented but that I have no interest in buying her CD's or attending one of her shows. So why would I have wanted her to win? So when I vote, it's for talent, personality, genre, likeability, range and a whole list of other things, maybe some of them shallow, but I'm voting for MY OWN best interest on down the line.

Comment by Scott Pepper

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 19:35:10 EST

I normally try to stay out of these discussions, but I'll make an exception only to clarify a few points: 1) I have never stated my opinion on Ruben Studdard or Clay Aiken, as I did not review Season Two of "American Idol." 2) My personal favorite last season was Amy Adams; this season, Carrie Underwood. If anything, I tend to favor female country singers as a matter of personal preference. I believe I have explicitly stated Carrie is my favorite in nearly every post so far this season. 3) My prediction for most of last season was that LaToya London would win. This season, I gave Nadia top odds amoung the women and Anwar top odds amoung the men. I won't try and predict a single winner until after tonight's show. ** Note that my personal favorites have differed from my predicted winners in both seasons three and four. 4) I agree with Steve that Jennifer Todd vs. Ruben Studdard is more a factor of gender rather than ethnicity and that it is an unfair double standard. 5) I make no attempt to be objective in my reviews, and I don't know where anyone got that idea. These commentaries reflect my own opinions, nothing else. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I certainly enjoy reading those of readers who both agree and disagree with me. Enjoy the show tonight.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 19:13:24 EST

I'm pleased to see that Scott has so many people reading him so closely! I would suggest that readers keep in mind that he, ZM, and any reviewer is doing two things at the same time: telling what happened on a factual basis, including educated guesses on how the voters will respond, AND giving the reviewer's personal opinion as a critic. Reviews are just people (yes, it's true) and they have preferences and predispositions like anyone else. That opinion isn't anymore "valid" or important than anyone else's, other than the reviewer has taken the time and effort to write about it.

Comment by Shaun R

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 18:57:55 EST

While I think AIAIAIAI is a bit crazy, I actually see his/her point. From reading Scott Pepper's posts over the past few years, I feel if he only heard American Idol, but did not watch it, his opinions would be different. Scott has shown through his posts that he is all about the music and singing first, but now that there is this Nadia lady, who isn't the best singer even among the females (let alone up against the men), Scott is quick to pump her up for other reasons. But I do think if Nadia were white and Jessica were black, Scott would be a big Jessica fan and think that Nadia is destined to drop out sometime during the finals. I enjoy Scott's posts (As I would imagine AIAIAIAI does as well), but it is important to keep in mind any kind of favortism a reviewer has. After all, like AIAIAIAI said, Scott does try to be objective, yet a comprehensive reading all of his AI posts (including seasons past) would definitely yield favortism for black singers. I too would like to see Scott respond to the comments that he loved Ruben and thought Frenchie would have done well if not kicked off, but from the beginning of this season ripped into Jennifer Todd, who might I add, still had the best AI4 rendition of "If I ain't got you," even after Vonzell made a half-hearted attempt to sing it a few weeks ago. I honestly think if Jennifer Todd were black not only would Scott had nabbed her as one of the favorites, but she'd probably be in the finals right now. This is an important topic worth discussion (the topic of why America loves fat [Even really ugly and fat] black people but hates and ridicules fat white people). Shaun

Comment by simonaddict

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 15:17:59 EST

I can't believe AI is stating over and over how prejudiced Mr Pepper is, we heard you the first time and disagreed with you, let it go. ********************************* I am a overweight white female and have agreed with almost all of these reviews. The way I view it is weight is a problem if the talent is not good enough, it is used as an excuse. If you have the talent like Queen Latifah, Roseanne and Oprah weight would not be a problem. A good example is Scott Savol. He is not at all good looking, but his voice is wonderful. He has picked bad song choices that did not show his range and that hurt him, not his looks. I also love Ruben and voted for him to win over Clay. Yes, Ruben is overweight, but he has a beautiful voice that can melt butter. That is why I voted for him. (When playing a CD, the only thing I care about is how it sounds, not how the performer looked making it) IMHO: Carrie has the best vocals of the females, but needs to kick it up a bit to stand out even more. Jessica has a nice voice but I don't like her song choices or her style. Janay's voice does nothing for me and it is time for her to go. I love Amanda's voice and look forward to hearing more from her in the finals. She is also a good entertainer on stage. I like Vonzell's voice, but her song choices do nothing for me. I really like Mikalah's personality, but her voice is not strong enough to make the top 12. Lindsey, I am not sure about her. I loved her at her audition, but she has not chosen the right songs to showcase her voice. But, I hope she makes the top 12. Nadia is a great performer. She is fun and energetic on stage, but her voice does not compare to the likes of Carrie or Amanda. She should make the top 12 though. My favorite females are Carrie and Amanda. The best female in the group vocally is definitely Carrie. I would buy her CD in a heart beat. (Just as I have Ruben, Clay and Fantasia) I would probably buy a CD from Amanda, but none of the others, don't like their style enough to spend my money on.

Comment by Scott Pepper

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 13:17:25 EST

Glad to hear that I have a differentiated view.

Comment by Danae

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 11:08:07 EST

I think Jessica is one of the best singers, and on all the other websites this is what they are saying. This article is the only one i have read that puts jessica down.

Comment by Fan of Anthony Fedorov

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 09:44:34 EST

http://idol.wildinout.com/

Comment by Steve S

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 01:56:20 EST

This is silly AIAIAI. You said: Scott tries to say that he objectively thinks Nadia is better than Jessica. IN THE SAME SENTENCE THAT YOU SAID: Sure Nadia is the better performer I am still waiting for why Ruben is great and should have won AI2, but Jennifer Todd is too fat for Idol. Give us your reasoning Scott. We dare you. I'll let Scott take up your dare or not, but I'll offer my perspective on it. Even the judges told Jennifer that she was too overweight. Nobody told Reuben that. Where is your protest of Randy, Paula and Simon? A fat man and a fat woman will not be treated equally in this world. That doesn't mean it's right, but it's the way it is. At the risk of alienating half the population, I'd say the fault of that falls with Hetero-man, as a group. Reuben should not have won American Idol, neither should have Fantasia (I didn't watch the first season to know who all was in that), although Fantasia is a very very talented singer. LaToya should have won. But nobody ever listens to me!

Comment by AIAIAIAI

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 01:32:41 EST

Another point is that Scott tries to be objective. Simon has said that Jessica has one of the best voices among the girls (he might have even said THE best), while he said that Nadia is not one of the best singers vocally. That means that Simon, objectively, thinks Jessica is a better singer than Nadia. Sure Nadia is the better performer, and Jessica is ugly (Which tends to hurt women), but Scott tries to say that he objectively thinks Nadia is better than Jessica. If Jessica were black and Nadia were white, Scott would "objectively" say that Jessica was head and shoulders above Nadia and point to Simon's comments as proof. Perhaps most of you have not read Scott's entries on all season of AI, but they show a big track record of racism. I am still waiting for why Ruben is great and should have won AI2, but Jennifer Todd is too fat for Idol. Give us your reasoning Scott. We dare you.

Comment by AIAIAIAI

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 01:26:21 EST

Not different tastes, it's just that Scott always prefers a good black singer over a good white singer. Always, and that needs to be pointed out because it shows the bias in his entries. Scott has never explained why he loved Ruben, but when he heard Jennifer Todd's great voice, he said fat people can't win Idol. Scott just can't admit that if Jessica were black and Nadia white, he'd love Jessica more than Nadia. If you can't see this, you must have the wool pulled over your eyes. It's not about who you like, but Scott here consistently, SEASON AFTER SEASON, shows how much he goes for the black singers and that if people he didn't like so much had the chocolate skin, he'd be completely in love with them.

Comment by Steve S

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 01:08:26 EST

Jessica outsings Nadia every week Jessica is one of the two females that I think should go home this week. Janay is the other. Nadia is beginning to be my fav female artist. So what you're saying is, because someone has different tastes than you, they must be racist.

Comment by Natalie Davis

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 01:04:44 EST

Funny thing, Mr. or Ms. AI: You are the only one who sees this. Seems prudent, if the discussion is to continue productively, to ignore his/her future rantings. I surely will.

Comment by AIAIAIAI

Wed, 9 Mar 2005 00:19:42 EST

First of all, Scott's comments on Jessica PROVE he's racist. Jessica outsings Nadia every week, but Scott LOVES Nadia and doesn't care for Jessica. The reality is that if Nadia were white and Jessica black, Scott would be falling all over Jessica and not Nadia. RACIST. Jennifer Todd had AWESOME vocals in the auditions, but Scott constantly ragged on her because of her weight. Scott (if I remember right) loved Ruben, a fat BLACK guy. If Jennifer Todd were black (a la Frenchie), Scott would be falling all over Jennifer and still be mad she didn't make it to this round. RACIST. Now it's pretty obvious the 2 guys who need to go are Nikko and Travis, and the two women who need to go are Janay and VONZELL, but Scott Pepper, current President of the Entertainment Division of the NAACP, would never stand for 4 black people going home tomorrow, even if they are the worst singers. Thanks for proving yet again that you are a racist Scott Pepper. You may say I am crazy, or ask why would I continue to read the blog of a racist, but I would answer that people need to keep being reminded of your bias towards black singers and against white singers. It's so obvious over EACH AND EVERY SEASON of American Idol that it's not even funny. Just admit it Pepper.

Comment by Natalie Davis

Tue, 8 Mar 2005 22:29:22 EST

Eric, we are in sync again, down to likening the brash and sassy Jessica to Bo. And I too believe that Janay and Mikahla should and will be sent packing. There is a place for them somehow, someday, somewhere, but it isn't on the American Idol stage.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 8 Mar 2005 21:54:06 EST

damn that was quick Scott, thanks! I liked Jessica better than you did - I think she could possibly make to the end, but I agree entirely that Janay's time has long since come, and I also agree that Mikalah will probably be the other to exit. I don't much like Lindsay either but I agree she improved a bit and has looks going for her. I think a this point my personal faves are Nadia and Jessica, wh ois the Bo of the girls