richfame
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Post by richfame on Mar 4, 2010 22:31:59 GMT -5
Stupid show I know but does it concern anyone that tonight 4 minorities got voted off??!! A black girl, a gay black guy, a mixed race girl, and A chinese guy. Is american racist or whre these really the 4 worst contestents?
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Mar 4, 2010 22:39:30 GMT -5
Stupid show I know but does it concern anyone that tonight 4 minorities got voted off??!! A black girl, a gay black guy, a mixed race girl, and A chinese guy. Is american racist or whre these really the 4 worst contestents? American[sic] is racist.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Mar 4, 2010 23:22:51 GMT -5
I really don't follow the show. Have the winners all been white? I know they have not all been straight.
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TC
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Post by TC on Mar 5, 2010 0:42:40 GMT -5
Stupid show I know but does it concern anyone that tonight 4 minorities got voted off??!! No. I stopped watching a long time ago but the show attempted to shame it's own audience when Fantasia Barrino, Jennifer Hudson, and that LaToya girl were all in the bottom three. While I think they pick the winners and have the judges criticize contestants strategically in order to produce the result that they want, I don't think they are racist. They just want to sell.
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Mar 5, 2010 10:05:06 GMT -5
Interesting that this topic came up because I've been reading about a similar controversy over the last couple of days, with the whole step dancing brouhaha. I didn't really think it was worth posting -- maybe it still isn't (yes, yes, feel free to affirm that if you must) -- but in the context of the initial question, I thought it was somewhat appropriate anyway. Not sure if others have heard about it, but it has been pretty prevalent on the tubes recently. Here is Jemele Hill's take: sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=4956425The videos of the actual performances are all over YouTube. FWIW.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Mar 5, 2010 10:55:32 GMT -5
I really don't follow the show. Have the winners all been white? I know they have not all been straight. Was there a winner who was gay? (Don't know how to phrase that question better)
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Post by strummer8526 on Mar 5, 2010 10:58:04 GMT -5
I really don't follow the show. Have the winners all been white? I know they have not all been straight. No, but both Clay Aikin and Adam Lambert did try to pretend they were straight. I mean, neither was believable for 15 seconds, but it's not like they were "openly" gay. Answers: Yes, America is racist. That being said, the Asian wasn't very good, and Jermaine Sellers was ok but not "MUST stay on" good. I do think it says something that Bo Bice can do well on the show, though, and many minorities can't. But at least two of these vote-offs seemed alright to me. Now if the heavier black guy—the one who went first on the last episode and sang James Brown—if he goes home anytime soon, I'll be Editeded.
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 5, 2010 11:05:51 GMT -5
Ruben Studdard finished second, right?
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TC
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Post by TC on Mar 5, 2010 12:38:38 GMT -5
Ruben Studdard finished second, right? Studdard won. Both Aiken and Lambert lost in the finals. As far as I know, AI has never had a gay winner (unless you are making some tabloid-based argument that Clarkson or Barrino are gay).
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 5, 2010 12:47:04 GMT -5
So they have had an African-American winner.
Whether it is race-based or not... American Idol has a certain typical voter -- someone, keep in mind, who actually spends money to vote. Of course not all voters are the same, but I do think there's a consistent group or two that dominate voting.
I don't think they always win, for example, I think Lambert consistently got more votes when the anti-Lambert block was fragmented towards other singers.
It's worth noting that there's definitely a huge teeny-bopper bloc out there that tends to vote for the non-threatening guy who does love songs. That may not play well to certain people and may not really be based on race, but may disadvantage certain aspects that tend to correlate well with race.
(In other words, I like rock music and not a lot of hip hop. Most African-American artists are either rap, hip-hop or R&B. I don't listen to a lot of African-American artists. Am I racist? We may just have a situation here where the typical voting bloc member doesn't align with what some minorities' style).
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TC
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Post by TC on Mar 5, 2010 13:40:14 GMT -5
Whether it is race-based or not... American Idol has a certain typical voter -- someone, keep in mind, who actually spends money to vote. Of course not all voters are the same, but I do think there's a consistent group or two that dominate voting. I don't think they always win, for example, I think Lambert consistently got more votes when the anti-Lambert block was fragmented towards other singers. Couple of things - there's been two African-American winners (Barrino and Studdard). Second, no one pays to vote - that's why the phone spamming/war-dialing has been pretty successful within American Idol's history (see Malakar, Sanjaya). A lot of American Idol is just simple politics though - whether it is being able to fight off dog-whistle criticisms from the judges or choosing the right song to fit your fanbase/strengths. It is unabashedly a popularity contest and not a technically judged singing competition.
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hoyainspirit
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Post by hoyainspirit on Mar 5, 2010 14:05:39 GMT -5
I know I'm in the minority (pun intended ;D), but I've never understood the fascination with that program...
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Boz
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Post by Boz on Mar 5, 2010 14:15:59 GMT -5
I would watch American Idol if it was a "Battle of the Bands" type competition, and not just a bunch of singers, none of whom write their own songs (at least I don't think they do; someone can correct me if I'm wrong).
I know Fox tried this a couple of years back and no one watched, so I don't think they even completed one season of the competition.
However, I don't blame this on the concept. I think it was poor execution by Fox.
For instance, airing the show on Fridays at 8 p.m. Hey, if it's Friday at 8 p.m., I can go out and SEE a band play live instead of sitting at home.
There were other execution problems as well (bad judges being chief among them).
But I would definitely watch if a show like that came back. American Idol? Not for me.
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SirSaxa
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Post by SirSaxa on Mar 5, 2010 14:43:41 GMT -5
My mistake. I was thinking of Clay Aiken. I thought he won as his claim to fame was American Idol.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Mar 5, 2010 15:52:16 GMT -5
My mistake. I was thinking of Clay Aiken. I thought he won as his claim to fame was American Idol. No, he didn't win. However, like lots of other runner ups, he has had more success than the people who won. In fact, I'd say Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are the only winners who have been really successful (and probably the most successful of any other Idol contestants). OTOH, non-winners like Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry have all had commercial success.
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PhillyHoya
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Post by PhillyHoya on Mar 5, 2010 16:02:49 GMT -5
I would watch American Idol if it was a "Battle of the Bands" type competition, and not just a bunch of singers, none of whom write their own songs (at least I don't think they do; someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I know Fox tried this a couple of years back and no one watched, so I don't think they even completed one season of the competition. However, I don't blame this on the concept. I think it was poor execution by Fox. For instance, airing the show on Fridays at 8 p.m. Hey, if it's Friday at 8 p.m., I can go out and SEE a band play live instead of sitting at home. There were other execution problems as well (bad judges being chief among them). But I would definitely watch if a show like that came back. American Idol? Not for me. The X Factor (Simon's other show) is more like what you're looking for. Bands, singers, no age limit, etc.
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richfame
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Post by richfame on Mar 5, 2010 16:49:22 GMT -5
Idol is just so aweful, it seems like the judges cant take it.
Ellen is so talented and funny but she looks aweful with the HD and the closeup lighting. She kinda has a turkey neck.. IDK...
This will be my last year watching that show...
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SFHoya99
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Post by SFHoya99 on Mar 5, 2010 17:12:46 GMT -5
I watched one season because a roommate loved it.
But otherwise, I'm with Boz. If it was original music, with people playing instruments, I'd be a lot more interested.
The show is more about the judges, who can be entertaining at times.
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