<p>I know, I know, I know. Lots of friends like “The Race”, so I know it’s gotta be good. I won’t let myself watch it once because if I do… </p>
<p>Anyway, shouldn’t have lumped all those shows together. Some are just as good or better than my vices (which include, ucxx_dad, those marathons of SYTTD - funny, I can watch that show on re-runs even when I’ve seen the episode before). My list is a lot longer than I realized - Project Runway, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef - Just Desserts.</p>
<p>But I also watch and love most of the sports with “my guys”. </p>
<p>Hmmm, between cc and my Required Television Watching, I wonder how I ever get anything else done.</p>
<p>^^jmmom, you’re making me laugh! I often wonder how I get anything done, too, but I manage somehow. I also like watching sports, an addiction I had long before I met my H. In fact, he was complaining a few days ago that I like watching ALL the hockey games that are on. We get every playoff game here so it’s on practically every night, and some nights there are multiple games. I’m in heaven! </p>
<p>I like SYTTD, too. Having been MOTB twice so far, and 3 Ds to go, it’s such a fun show. I wish I knew who invented the DVR technology, I’d send a thank you note!</p>
<p>I took that statement to mean that he was grateful for the opportunity to stay in the competition long enough so that he could get America comfortable with his different voice and not really popular music style (gospel) and showcase his talent. </p>
<p>I am over James, seen it all before. Haley’s second performance was awesome. Scotty didn’t do a whole lot for me tonight, but what hoot seeing him and Gaga. I loved both of Lauren’s performances. It will be interesting to see how the votes go.</p>
<p>Agree with don’t panic - if you’ve seen Alan Jackson sing that 9-11 song there is no comparison. James is a great showman - I just don’t care for his voice. Loved Lauren tonight. Looking forward to seeing her in the hometown week.</p>
<p>I really liked Haley’s 2nd song. My vote for the top 3 are:
Haley
Scotty
Casey, err, rats, he’s aleady out. Okay, Lauren.</p>
<p>I suspect Haley will get voted out and I’ll be stuck w/ James, but I think when she’s great, she is really great. Unique, still looking for who she is, and still lots of potential. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.</p>
<p>Thank you, Lady GaGa for trying to get Scotty to hold his mike in front of him! Actually, GaGa seemed to give a lot better advice than many of the mentors who are supposed to help. Sheryl Crow did a good job also. Both helped Haley come up with great second round performances.</p>
<p>Did not like Scotty’s second song. Loved Haley’s second song, but didn’t like her first song. Loved both of Lauren’s songs. Actually liked both of James’s songs. </p>
<p>Round 1:
James – imho, strong on Don’t Stop Believin’. I thought he’d burnt himself out last week… but no. I don’t think he’s over.
Haley – bad song choice. Agreed with Jennifer, who actually had something to say; and with Randy that it didn’t suit her and that she was screaming the song.
Scotty - ho hum for me.
Lauren – probably the first time since her audition that I think she nailed it. I didn’t see what all her fans were raving about until tonight.</p>
<p>Round 2:
Haley – perfection from the first note.
Scotty – see Round 1
Lauren – part of the time she really had it; part of the time…… not yet. I don’t think she’s quite ready. She’s a child, really. Which is fine. But I don’t know if it wins AI.
James - nah</p>
<p>Bottom line? It’s a crap shoot, but I’m guessing America will bring it down to James and Scotty.</p>
<p>I didn’t absolutely love any of them tonight. I thought James and Lauren were the most consistent performers on both of their songs. The others had one good performance and one not so good performance. </p>
<p>I thought Lady Gaga was really funny, even though she wasn’t trying to be. I really laughed when she “confessed” to Lauren that she was too weird when she was 16 to be on American Idol. You think??? She looked like she was “freaking” with James when she was moving his hips for him. What was that all about? I kept getting nervous every time she hugged one of the singers, thinking that her beauty mark would transfer to their faces.</p>
<p>I think it will be James and Lauren fighting it out in the end, but too close to call yet.</p>
<p>I think the judges have overly praised James - he doesn’t have the vocal skills of Adam Lambert but you would never know it to hear some of the gushy reviews. I think he has talent, but the overdone praise has lead him astray imho. Last night’s performance would have been blasted by Simon for doing such recognizable songs so much worse than the original (and not for the first time for James).</p>
<p>Lauren has a good voice and a lot of talent but lacks self confidence, the judges have helped her by not being too tough. She will have a good career win or lose I think.</p>
<p>Scotty is suited to country music and clearly likes the stage - he will find his niche but does suffer in direct comparison to some of the country performers whose songs he’s covered.</p>
<p>While I didn’t love Haley’s first song choice I didn’t dislike it either and I thought she did a very good job with it. The judges are harsh towards her, if she had sung a song with radio play 50 times a day they would have said ‘you should be looking for something that people haven’t heard someone else sing over and over’ - although they would never say that to anyone else - particularly James who has been repeatedly guilty of falling shy of the mark on his popular covers. Haley’s second performance was, again, the best of the night. If she’s voted off I won’t be as interested in watching the show, she has the best voice still in the race and she’s gotten harsh, biased and unfair coverage on the show all season imo.</p>
<p>I’m afraid that if the judges gushed over Haley’s first song, she’d just flub the second. I don’t think that it is an accident that she comes back fighting after the judges trash her first song and hits the ball out of the park on the second.</p>
<p>I see the point that anger is perhaps helping Haley come back strong, but that is a recent development. Prior to this she has been cheated of premium exposure. </p>
<p>If another contestant does the same thing over and over (Scotty) they say ‘you know who you are’. If Haley does something too similar to her last performance they say ‘we want to see you grow, you need to push the boundaries’.</p>
<p>If another contestant does something a little unexpected, they are praised for their growth and courage to take on a challenge, if Haley does it the judges say ‘you really need to figure out who you are as an artist’.</p>
<p>The result is that the snapshot the audience has developed is James = hard luck kid makes good; Scotty = country boy, apple pie, all-American; Lauren = sweet young thing who needs our encouragment to take her boot laden wardrobe to the bigtime; Haley = girl who doesn’t know who she is.</p>
<p>If the judges treated Lauren the way they treat Haley all we’d have heard from Vegas on is how she needs to overcome her insecurity, get her nerves under control etc.</p>
<p>If Haley has been helped by her anger the past two weeks (perhaps this is the phase that follows stifling frustration?) that’s a good thing, but if the judging had been more even handed from the start we might know more about Haley than just ‘the judges don’t like her’.</p>
<p>bchan1 - you make some very good points. I’m one of the ones who does not like Haley, I don’t like her voice and I just don’t like her. I think Haley is a jazz artist - remember when she sang the duet with Casey and the judges LOVED her, kept saying why haven’t they seen this before? Maybe the judges know that the rock/pop thing is not her thing. I don’t know…</p>
<p>I really liked the judges in the beginning, but the last 10 weeks they have been useless. Some saw Simon has cruel, I saw him as constructive. I agree that the judges have lavished too much praise and it has not brought out the best in the performances.</p>
<p>James - I think he has gotten better, I like him, but he just isn’t my style.
Scotty - He’s a country artist. I don’t think anyone could sing an Alan Jackson song like Alan Jackson. Country singers tend to OWN their songs. I bet Scotty could pull off his own material. He is very confident on stage, especially for his age. He may win, who knows.
Lauren - she pulled that first song off beautifully, she is young but appealing. </p>
<p>My excitement for the entire group has waned since the beginning. I think the song choices have been disappointing and as I mentioned the judges have been no help to the contestants.</p>
<p>ETA: woody - but the truth may affect her current reality Plus, few are as smart as those on CC</p>
<p>Am just throwing this out there (and talk about conspiracy theories!), but do you think there’s any possibility that the judges don’t want Haley to win because of her proximity to last year’s winner? The two suburbs are right next to each other, and while I don’t know where each of them lived, they could be less than five minutes from each other. </p>
<p>I’m just thinking that the producers might see it as a downside to Haley winning. I’m sure they’d rather spread the publicity for a winner around the country and not go back to the same spot as last year.</p>
I also like watching sports, an addiction I had long before I met my H. In fact, he was complaining a few days ago that I like watching ALL the hockey games that are on. We get every playoff game here so it’s on practically every night, and some nights there are multiple games. I’m in heaven! </p>
Plus, few are as smart as those on CC</p>![http://cache.blippitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lady-gaga-in-high-school-1.jpg[/url]](http://cache.blippitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lady-gaga-in-high-school-1.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
