American Idol

Abrahammy, I agree, but to a SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER margin. I never thought C was the best singer, just interesting, which for me, like I said, is better than just a nice voice.

I was thinking too that the next step to losing on AI (is he the 6th too?) is going to the dinner.

Sunny 7th, Constantine 6th. Constantine is a better singer now than he was on AI. Maybe Sanjaya will be better when puberty is completely finished.

abrahammy wrote:

Sunny 7th, Constantine 6th. Constantine is a better singer now than he was on AI. Maybe Sanjaya will be better when puberty is completely finished.

I agree with most people when they said that he should have waited a few years and then gone on the show. He did himself a great disservice by getting in this early, thus ruining his chances of getting on here when his voice really matures. I mean, he'd still be adorable, but also talented - a winning combination. We haven't had any teen-idolish guys win this thing, and I think a lot of money can be made there.

Sanjaya is a 17 year old boy who tried out to support his big sister. The adults who run this thing did him a disservice by not making him wait a year or two. They put him in to be cannon fodder.

The problem: He's not cannon fodder. He's an embryonic star. Hence, we get somebody who is not ready for the competition taking on people who are less interesting and more prepared.

I agree that Con is a better singer, though I always said I didn't think he had a great voice. Like GE, it was his performance style that made him my fave of that season.

I also completely agree that if Sunny had waited about two years who knows just how far he could have gone.

Did anyone see him on Leno last night? Not only did he get the usual bit at the end of the monologue, but he got couch time at the end of the show! I have never seen that with a bootee before. Clay always gets way more couch time than anyone else from AI ever. I think that is because he is so funny! Anyway, Sunny did a really good job during his interview. Not so good at the bit because you could see him reading the cards. Jay said some really nice things to him about how classy he has handled everything (which is sure has for a 17 year old) and seemed to genuinely like the kid. It will be interesting to see what becomes of him. I felt bad for him because he is so disappointed to not be a part of the IGB next week.

Well.... Sanjaya was originally supposed to get cut at the Chair episode. When that guy got arrested for gay escort services, or some such thing, Sanjaya was added as cannon fodder. I think instead of thinking about him not being in the big fundraiser, I will of how he got to make the tour. That is going to be way fun and very lucrative for him, and it was not supposed to happen.

I am not up on this season...what is the "Chair episode"?

The Chair - each person goes in and walks the Green Mile to find out if they are in the 24 or not.

I hate that episode. There's almost no singing at all, just a severe intimidation technique set up to humiliate the losers.

New AI perk.

If you make the top 12, you get to be remembered as one of the real contestants and you get to be on the compilation album. You also get to be on the finale.

If you make the top 10, you get to go on tour and you make a LOT of money. LOTS of it. The difference between 11 and 10 is probably the biggest in AI.

The difference between 3 and 2 is a guarenteed recording contract.

The difference between 2 and 1 used to be guarenteed stardom vs. merely a chance at it, but now I think it's just confetti.

However, it seems that there is a new tradition, that goes to only one or two AI losers every year. If you are the most interesting person voted off in the rounds where the contestants are still only singing one song, you get... to go to the White House Correspondent's dinner. It's happened three years in a row now. So now, coming in fifth actually kind of sucks compared to sixth or seventh!

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If you make the top 10, you get to go on tour and you make a LOT of money. LOTS of it. The difference between 11 and 10 is probably the biggest in AI.

Hmmm. I recall hearing they were paid like 60,000 for the AI tour and their AI appearances and sponsorships if they were in the top 6 like Constantine was. I agree it isn't bad money for the 8-9 months of being tied up with the AI experience. But, lots of money???? Not really.

Now if someone gets additional deals because of their exposure on AI, now that could potentially bring in some serious money.

I've heard the money for the tour is more like $200,000. Then there is the $ tied into the sale of their merch during the tour.

So each of the top 10 Idols is paid 200,000 + for the the tour and their share of the merchandise sales? That kind of surprizes me. I would expect the winner to get that, but all 10 of them?

No wonder the AI machine is so cheap about putting much money into the AI tour. That is probably the only way they can make money on it.

Well they charge a shitload of $ for those tix and they play in huge arenas. And they're certainly NOT putting any $ into production values for the tour. Well, to be fair, I've only been to the AI season 4 tour, but I'm assuming they're the same.

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So each of the top 10 Idols is paid 200,000 + for the the tour and their share of the merchandise sales? That kind of surprizes me. I would expect the winner to get that, but all 10 of them? Shocked

Yeah, that's basically it. And if you are one of the people who is really popular, and a lot of YOUR merch gets bought... The Greek One was, in one interview I read, downright smug about how handsomely he'd been paid, and one rumor I heard (although not from him) said it might have been close to $400,000 all told.

So yeah, Stephanie Edwards is eating her heart out, and I just hope Mrs. Malakar and the Sparks family have good instincts for their children. Sanjaya wants to go to Berklee... he may have earned all the money himself by September.

Wow, it really jumped up! I read that Ruben got paid $200,000 for the tour and Clay $150,000. This does not include the merch which for Clay went thru the roof, and that the others got $60,000. Con sure didn't seem to be living or acting like someone who just got over $400,000. Maybe he stuck it all in the bank. Well, except for his pot fund

I agree with your little run down up there Abrahammy. It does suck to be 11th. All that work and no real payoff. Plus, they miss a lot of fun and what has to be an awesome experience. Too bad they don't let the whole top 12 go out on tour.

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Con sure didn't seem to be living or acting like someone who just got over $400,000. Maybe he stuck it all in the bank. Well, except for his pot fund Wink

He maintains two apartments in two of the most expensive cities in the world, he drives a leased Mercedez, he has self-published his album and he's planning a tour in late summer. All of it is on his own dime. He has uses for that money.

In addition to renting a small apt in NYC, he owns one too. I don't know if it's rented out and I don't know the size/location, etc., but to buy an apt in NYC takes some money.

Well, since I have not followed him in almost two years I really have no idea what he has going (unless it is discussed here), I just know right after the tour fans were worried about him and where money would come from if he didn't get a record deal or the TV role. Couldn't some of the money have come with his holding deal? I will just be shocked if I could find out for sure that those kids are making that kind of dough on the tour. It is so much more than the AI season 2 kids said they made - which was $60,000 for those other than top 2. Season 3's tour was a bust. I know 4 and 5 did well. I don't know if season 6 will sell nearly as well as the last two season's did.

(BTW, if he has so much money why not give the cell phone to Ham? )

Maybe because he's a selfish control-freak? I don't know; just an idea.

Has he gotten different apartments? Because from what I've heard about the one in NY...yeah, not so much.

The one he has here...I drive by it often. It's no great shakes either.

For someone like Sanjaya, a 17 year old kid, 60k would be like a half-million to someone else. I mean, he probably still lives with his parents. Granted, it won't set him up for life, but I'm guessing this kid, with his personality, will have a nice career.

I guess we shouldn't be talking about him in this thread, but, he lives in the same place in NY that he's had, but the one he owns is a different place.

He is going to be living in a different place in LA. He's staying with a friend now.

SPOILER FOR TONIGHT's show from someone who was at the taping!!

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Re: AI 6 **spoilers**

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Well, I'm back from the AI Dress Rehearsal Taping. Some interesting little tidbits...

It felt a little like coming home, as the show is taped in the same studio as the Rock Star shows. Believe me, though, it looks WAY different than it did. I thought it kind of odd, but Idol is taped on the CBS studio lot.

As most of you may know, the recaps at the end of the performance show are actually taped at the dress rehearsal. The only piece of the show that is really missing are the judges' comments. Since the judges are not present, they have stand-in judges in the judges' chairs who from the back resemble Simon, Paula & Randy. So if you see the judges during the recaps, you will actually be seeing the backs of the stand-ins' heads! Paula's stand-in had on a hairpiece to make her look more like Paula - it was pretty funny...

It took a while to get everything going and there was a lot of wait time... so the band played for a good 10-15 minutes. In the studio they sound terrific. As did the entire show. The sound mix was incredible - I only hope it translates as well on TV.

When they called the Idols out to the stage, out they came - minus Jordin. It took several minutes for Jordin to appear, and as she rushed in, she tripped and almost fell. I felt a little sorry for her. All of the Idols looked very nice, though Blake was a little less dressy than the others. Jordin seemed a less comfortable with her dress than the others, as she kept tugging at the waistband. At one point, the stage director had to remind LaKisha to smile. I get the feeling that she is just a very intense young woman, but contrary to what I hear a lot of people saying, she doesn't seem to have a bad attitude at all. All of the idols were playful and having fun.

First up was Chris with "If I Could Change The World" by Eric Clapton. I'm not a huge fan of Chris, but I thought he did a wonderful job of the song. He didn't sound at all nasal and gave a very good performance.

Next up was Melinda with Faith Hills' "There Will Come A Day". Wow! This girl is even better in person!

Third was Blake with "Imagine" by John Lennon with piano accompaniment. I thought he was a wee bit off on one of the transitions to falsetto, but on the whole another very good vocal and performance.

Fourth was LaKisha with "I Believe" by Fantasia. I know a lot of people are probably groaning because she is performing another song by a previous Idol, but let me tell you. She was absolutely wonderful! A beautiful, moving performance.

Next up was Phil with "The Change" by Garth Brooks. Phil also sounds wonderful live. His vocals were nearly impeccable - powerful and moving.

Lastly, Jordin performed "You'll Never Walk Alone". Not sure whose version. I thought the beginning was a little off - perhaps a little too low for her to sing comfortably - and her transitions in spots were a little off. I could be way off base, but she didn't seem comfortable with her clothes and that may have thrown her off a bit. She finished very strong, however.

Between the clips they showed for "Idol Gives Back" and the really good performances, it was a very moving show.

This is just a quick recap - hope this whets your appetites for spoilers!!!

Rickey has some fun Sanjaya vids to watch on his site. Sanjaya did the Top Ten on Letterman. It was funny and Sanjaya did a good job. If you watch be sure to watch all the way to the end because they bring him back out and there are some funny comments, especially what Paul says at the very end!

http://www.rickey.org/?p=3185

MORE SPOILERS ABOUT TONIGHT'S SHOW!!!

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Found this over at TWOP:

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Jordin - Randy told her tonite it was the best vocal by any Idol on any season
Chris R. - All three judges liked him. Paula thought one of his best
Melinda - a rock star as always. they all loved her.
Blake - Randy didnt like. paula impressed with his emotion. Simon liked his emotion too.
Phil - Randy and Paula thought he was great. Simon liked it but told him to continue going for the country style songs
Lakisha - audience loved it but judges slammed her. Simon thinks she shout sings.

I'm confused. I thought the dress rehearsal wasn't until this afternoon. And also, the show is live so how could they know the judges' reactions already?

According to a few spoiler sources, this week's Tues. night performance show was taped because of all the prep for tomorrow night's big IDOL GIVES BACK show. The contestants will be doing some numbers with the big guest performers etc. They probably need all day today, tonight and tomorrow to rehearse for that. Makes sense to me. I am sure they want tomorrow to go really well. They expect it to be their highest rated AI ever.