Okay, I'm not familiar with Vote for the Worst, but the article is about one of the contestants specifically - who it turns out (& the show did not say) had a major record deal with a major label under which she put out a solo album. Which flopped. While I can buy the idea of folks who have been back up singers etc getting a shot at being the front person, the idea that the show isn't disclosing this kind of information about someone they are pushing through (this isn't the viewership voting them in at this stage) really bothers me, never mind the idea that they are getting s second bite at the apple. I understand that the rules say no one with a deal right now, but I'd be inclined to say no one who's had a deal in the past 3- 5 years (my bias) but that they aren't disclosing that she had the deal & lost it just feels underhanded & manipulative.

Okay, I'm not familiar with Vote for the Worst, but the article is about one of the contestants specifically - who it turns out (& the show did not say) had a major record deal with a major label under which she put out a solo album. Yeah, I figured that out when I looked at the link. I know her story. I don't necessarily disagree with the idea that they shouldn't be shady about it or that it shouldn't be a little more out in the open when they put these people through, but at the same time, it's never been fair. People with former deals, people who have recorded albums, people who have toured with superstars and people who have appeared on other competitions have been on every season. Jordan got a lot of flack last year for having been on another Nigel-produced show. Nikki McKibbon (though lord knows how she made it on either) got crap in season one for having competed on "Pop Stars". Taylor Hicks released multiple records before winning. Vote for the Worst, btw, is the site that encouraged all the Sanjaya voting last year. They like watching the show fail at things, so they build up the anti-Idol sentiment. It's not like they have to work hard what with AI not bothering to cover tracks on things like this, but they do tend to paint things worse than they are, which means that in addition to people who have recorded for major labels, they also throw in folks who have simply sung backup for some lame pop star. Unfortunately, if they start tightening the rules again, we'll have another season two and while last season was no cakewalk as far as some of those folks went, things have improved now that the rules have been made a little less strict. Overall, the actual finished product is less important than good TV. Which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it is what it is. And like I said before: I sympathize with them to an extent. They're working harder this year to get talent in there so they don't come out with egg on their faces. They lucked out with people like Jordan and Melinda, but they had too many people in their top 20 that wouldn't have gotten a call back at Six Flags.

Has someone put Simon on Klonopin? He's gotten ahold of someone's happy pills!

There's probably a direct correllation between Simon's good mood and Paula's tardiness. I'm still always skeptical about the bad auditions (and the "I sound like Paul Robson and Eddie Vedder" guy is now claiming to be an actor), but assuming that the kid who brought gifts really was just an enthusiastic fan of the show who wanted to be involved (instead of, you know, a whore) I like the way Simon and Randy both told him that he wasn't good enough, not that he sucked. Sometimes I think they're pointlessly cruel to people when they say they're awful because unless they're being obnoxious and argumentative, most people are going to leave on the "you're not right for this competition" note. Of last night, I liked the shy girl who sang Norah Jones and the last kid. And I felt bad for the guy who nutted up and forgot the words. I was glad they gave him a shot. He probably won't get past Hollywood, but at least it'll give him some experience and maybe help his nerves.

I loved the guy who forgot his words. I was really gald they let him through because his voice was great. I also thought the guy who sang Livin' on a Prayer was pretty good--much better than that psycho who attempted it last week! LOL That's a HARD song to sing, so it takes a pretty good singer to do it any justice at all. I liked the Norah Jones girl too. The only thing I'm concerned about with her is that she sounded so much like Norah Jones. Does the music industry need two of them?

Yeah, I kind of think that if they hadn't totally messed up her game with the Ryan/Paula switch they might have been less forgiving and pointed out that she pretty much sounded just like the record. I sort of got the impression that she had no idea what was going on and that they picked up on it. She's clearly a good singer, but someone should probably give her the same "talking to" that they gave Celine Dion girl.

Yeah! Josiah the poseur is gone.

Why is it that I've only heard maybe half of the finalists?

I think they are 'the chosen ones' and we are supposed to like them. I fully believe that that's the way the producers think. Give them screen time and people will love them and vote for them.

I think they are 'the chosen ones' and we are supposed to like them. I fully believe that that's the way the producers think. Give them screen time and people will love them and vote for them. It's that way every year and I've never understood it because it rarely plays out. I *completely* get why we don't know some people until Hollywood week, but once the auditions are over and everyone is dealt with and people have quietly dropped out and all legal issues are handled and they basically know who is going to be in the final fifty, I have no idea why they can't give us *something* in the two hour show. You know where it's going. Give us a few notes of these random strangers. You're absolutely right that they have the people whose stories they're promoting, but for the most part they're selling the stories themselves. And that only goes so far. While I don't mind the stories and am perfectly accepting of the fact that I'm being manipulated, it's still annoying to spend so much time getting to know Josiah Whatshisface (who I really hope they made a counselor available to whether any or all of that was an act or not) and then wondering "well, who the hell is that dude that looks like Orlando Bloom??". The bright side is that no amount of promoting them really makes much of a difference anymore. The downside is that I *like* Carly, but their transparency is very sad. If they'd just say "we like her, fuck you all" I would be satisfied, but they need to back off a bit if they're not going to admit that they want to make her a star. That said, I like about a third of them, don't care about a third and have never seen the balance. I was bummed that the geek didn't make it. I thought he would have been a lot of fun to watch and, frankly, he was better than the other guy. All I could think of while that guy was on stage was that he looked incredibly like Billy Zabka. If I learned anything in the 80s it's that guys that look like Billy Zabka beat up guys that look like the other kid, so I really should have seen that one coming.