claytonic

I probably have a cheek to have an opinion on Harry Potter since I've never read an HP book or seen an HP movie despite the fact a friend put them all on an external USB drive for me. However, I do wonder why they didn't use animation so that there would be no issue with the children playing the roles, aging in RL. Animation assisted by technology is now so brilliant ... I just can't believe it. There is something special about the animated classics, they remain 'current' for future generations.

No argument there, couchie, my point is that they may choose to make some notes from the rehearsal performance they saw and use them for the performance that goes to air, so they have their "rehearsed" comments ready and at hand, and that would be totally acceptable if both performances were similar. However, Pawler made a mistake by commenting on the contestant's SECOND song from her notes when, as far as the TV audience was concerned, it was yet to be performed. Pawler obviously had a senior moment, and that's putting it kindly. They could have taken it out but I guess they thought it would create discussion about Idol, which it did. So it wasn't intentional on Pawler's part to give a premature critique .. I am not sticking up for her, just saying that it wasn't meant to happen, well at least I don't think it did! Hey,ausdon, DITTO to all that! Like you, I was planning to do some YouTubing as I always do when someone here mentions something that is unfamiliar to me. Also agree, nothing beats a good clean joke that isn't unkind to specific celebrities. For that reason, I find what's-her-name, the skinny b*tch with all the cosmetic surgeries... uncomfortable to watch. clayzycoffin, have a wonderful time!

I totally agree with you in principle but the thing is, couchie, television is all about illusion and very, very little is left to chance. Live television is made to look spontaneous but that is so far from reality. In fact, speaking of reality ... even reality TV such as Big Brother is manipulated ... what is shown is often out of context to the bigger picture and so viewers make judgments on something that amounts to borderline fiction. They would do anything to hold on to viewers because that means they hold on to their advertizers, and therefore their jobs. ETA: And YES, Pawler has appeared weird too many times for something to not be awry, be it her medication for a fingernail infection or whatever her manicurist did to her or someone slipped something into her cup of Coke. I have seen videos of her vehemently denying ever being under the influence of drugs or alcohol but don't believe her. I saw one interview she did where it was so OTT that I felt uncomfortable and embarrassed for her.

Didn't that happen because the judges had already seen the performances beforehand, and wrote notes to comment on later. That is why sometimes the comments don't fit the performance, because the performance that goes to air may be better or worse than the one the judges saw initially. I am not saying it is right but I can understand how something like what happened with Pawler could happen. I wouldn't want it to be without the likes of Clay Aiken and a few others that 'graduated' from the Idol, XFactor or ? Got Talent boot camps. Of course I can't deny the dark side of these shows but essentially, it has given talented unknowns an opportunity that they would NEVER have otherwise come across. Many of them tried desperately to get their music heard and had doors close on them, e.g. Kelly Clarkson. Tons of artists, internationally, who didn't win were able to capitalize on the exposure they got and create a career for themselves... it may not be a big recording career but it means actually being able to earn a living from live gigs and privately produce and release a 4 song CD to sell on MySpace because they had picked up a following of sorts from the national exposure. This has been the case for so, so many of them. There's one who told me she is eternally grateful to Simon for the opportunity he gave her to earn a living singing, something as essential to her well-being as food, air and water. OK, I know there are also those who had negative experiences on the franchised singing competitions but some of them really were delusional about their "talent" and couldn't accept that there was no future for them in singing. That's life.

WOW hard to believe rickshaws still exist. I thought they would be obsolete by now, and replaced by trishaws.

You know, I do believe that Simon DID see the potential in Clay as a popular recording artist, especially towards the end when Clay's star was shining so brightly... and when he did BOTW Simon said it could win him the competition. Simon also knew that Clay had those extraordinary voting numbers and had never been in the bottom 3. Also, (correct me if I am wrong), it was immediately announced that BOTH Ruben and Clay would release their albums at the same time, rather than the winner having his album released first, as it the way it is usually done (over here anyway). So to me, it was a huge thumbs up for Clay and they treated him "almost" as if it were a tie. Just the way I saw it, I really felt they were thrilled to potentially have two big stars come out of season 2. FromClaygary, that reminds me... no one answered my post either, so I will post it again: ANTM ? I just checked the glossary and it's not there, so someone is very slack ... :o

I am mainly referring to the kinds of emails I get which are full of hate for Obama, they hated him before he was elected and they hate him more now that he is in office. They sit and wait to pounce on every little error he may make or utter. I don't mind constructive criticism because if it can identify errors and offer solutions, that's fantastic. But criticism for the sake of it from extremists who have never held a responsible position in their lives, that's what I am talking about.

Actually, I wasn't necessarily talking about the fandom, I just happen to come across too many people who seem to go out of their way to disagree with Simon. And they are entitled to their opinion ... some of them remind me of people who are full of criticism of the government, yet they have no ideas on how to fix the problems faced by politicians. Of COURSE music is subjective!!! I personally don't know a single person who would disagree with that. Well, the example given (Il Divo) wasn't to prove anything except that Simon has an instinct for what works commercially. I can never forget how he predicted that not only would Carrie Underwood win season #4 but that she would outsell everyone else. I didn't think Carrie could beat Bo Bice, so I was amazed when she won, and now it seems she could pass Kelly Clarkson. I don't think Simon particularly liked country either, but that didn't get in the way of his vision for commercial success. That is all I am saying. I should probably be a little clearer. Because of the job I previously had, I came to the conclusion that all music was good if it was uplifting and moved people. I knew a few closet ABBA fans who felt it was not cool to admit they liked ABBA. (ABBA was huge in Oz) At that time, I had some friends who were ONLY into classical music and looked down on any other forms of music. I found the whole thing ridiculous, I was never ashamed to state what I liked. While I have always like classical music, there is some classical stuff that I just can't listen to because it is depressing and/or jarring to me. That's stating the obvious.

I don't understand why it isn't cool to agree with Simon. Sure there are times when he is off target but the guy is no idjit (who did I steal this word from? I love it....) he has uncanny instinct when it comes to what will "work" in the music industry. Just look at the success of the ".... " Got Talent, Idol and XFactor franchises plus a load of other projects he has been involved in; look at his brainchild, Il Divo. I know we all love to hate Simon, but without Simon, the music landscape, as it is today, would look very different. I may not always like him, but I always respect his professional opinion.

It never occurred to me that Simon was implying "gay" with his Broadway remark, not even when I watched the whole series properly for the first time, several years later when I already knew the rumors, not once did I think there was any gay implication about Clay in any of his performances. Call me naive but truly I didn't. It did occur to me that Ruben was favored but by the final stages of the show, I am sure TPTB would have been just as happy with a Clay victory, after all the bottom line was always about money and they KNEW that Clay had been receiving remarkable numbers in viewer votes and reaction of the public during his home town visit was indeed, as a radio station guy said, akin to "Elvis is in the building" (or something like that). Having watched Simon making controversial-type comments in numerous shows (Idol, XFactor, Britain's Got Talent), I have come to the conclusion Simon is first about creating a buzz, and buzz means ATTENTION. Australian Idol has a similar judge who, although lacking Simon's extraordinary persona, also liked to create controversy and attention for the show by, for example, telling a popular female contestant (who came 4th in the first series) that she needed to lose a couple of pounds or wear something more suitable. The audience was SHOCKED, and the media went into a frenzy the next day, with most TV channels covering the incident and women's groups snarling at the judge. I have no doubt in my mind that the judge himself didn't for one moment intend to hurt the contestant over an issue such as weight, he himself had two teenage daughters at the time. His only intention was to create attention for the show, and it worked, and the 'incident' even became an ongoing gag during the Idol tour for that year. As I said, the bottom line was always about $$$, and Simon had already been through the Pop Idol experience, the first Idol show in the UK, where the winner was gay and a huge success. Simon himself has always shrugged his shoulders at gay implications, reminding people this wasn't the 'dark ages' (my term, not his, but the context is the same).

I honestly don't think Simon looks down on Broadway, he's too entertainment-biz-savvy to not acknowledge what it takes to be able to play a lead role on Broadway where the artist has to be able to sing/act/dance, often all at the same time. In fact, just as some purists think only opera singers really can sing, there are purists who think that a true actor is one that can do live theater because film and television is easy-peasy when you can do retake after retake until you get it right. What I think is that Idol was initially about finding a pop singer who had the potential to sell multi-platinum albums. Simon is great friends with Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose name is synonymous with some of the most successful productions on Broadway and West End. Many artists would "kill" to be cast in a lead role on Broadway or the West End. Simon's remark to Clay about "being Broadway" (not sure the exact words) may have sounded like a back-handed compliment, but it was most definitely a substantial compliment to be told that if he (Simon) was casting Phantom of the Opera, Clay would get the role. I always saw it as a compliment and simply took Simon's remark as typical of Simon wanting to shake things up to create 'controversy' and giving something for people to talk about. The more people talked about Idol, the better. There was no other reason for them to show those hideous auditions of people who couldn't sing a single note.... except to get viewers to talk about the show and create a buzz.

I read this several weeks ago when it was just the Top 10, but it's been expanded and revised. Adam Lambert is #9, between Ruben and Fantasia. I tried finding that story but can't see it at comcast.net. Any chance of providing a link? ETA: Never mind, found it http://www.comcast.net/slideshow/tv-eyeoni...teidolrankings/ Geesh, Michael Johns deserves better than #42. Is Daughtry more successful than Clay? keepingfaith The current season 8 is not included in the list. I was looking for Adam and he is not listed.... Michael Jackson 'has skin cancer' If this is true, I hope he can get the best possible outcome. He's still a supreme artist, and he has young children.

Can't wait for the clack to be available for those of us living in "Neverland".... Cha Cha, have a great time but here's a warning about the Irish:

ANTM ? I just checked the glossary and it's not there, so someone is very slack ... :o solo, Hm, it's showing that it is your 13th birthday... so here's a quote for you.... Exactly, the best pics are the ones when the subject isn't aware he is being 'shot'. I just don't like fake poses and plastic smiles. ETA: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showb...icle2430156.ece

When someone has a career that requires them to be in the public eye, most especially in the entertainment business where it's pretty much a "visual art", if you get what I mean, I think having a nip and tuck or whatever is part and parcel of it. I think there is a big difference between wanting to look one's best (isn't that why we go to the hairdressers and wear make-up?), and being obsessed about one's appearance. I know a few of the latter and it is something I find annoying in women and particularly hate it in men, and I mean men who spend more time in front of the mirror than women.

I know those pics are posted to reveal the shoes but can I say that i don't like those "posey" pics of Clay? I don't like men in those kinds of poses. PLEASE don't shoot me for not liking SOME Clay pics!!

This really bothers me because it means people are financially supporting the exploitation of others, others who have families and children who would more than likely suffer the brunt of that kind of exploitation in terms of ridicule and humiliation. No matter how ridiculous a rumor or story is, there are always people who WANT to believe it. And those people need their heads checked, truly.

No truer words have ever been uttered in respect of the media, and most especially the sleaze media. Sadly, it is a reflection of society, i.e. "us", that the tabloids have existed at all. I know someone in the USA who takes turns with her family members... they buy the National Enquirer and pass it around. I mean, this is a woman who is well-qualified in her career, she is intelligent; why would she waste her time reading this kind of fiction when there is far better quality fiction in books, where the writers are, at the very least, talented. Another woman was obsessed with the whole Anna Nicole baby thing, who the father was etc. SHE told me Clay was gay long before he said so... I asked her how she knew, and she said it was all over the internet. I have been scratching my head over this, why would she (who wasn't even interested in Clay), make assumptions about a celebrity just from internet tabloids.

Bookwhore It's okay if you don't get Charice, it only matters that we get Clay..., right? (but hey David Foster, Oprah, Ellen, Celine, Bocelli et al seem to get Charice... and I was a fan before any of them.... so

aikim... Thank you... that was beautiful to watch! Thanks for the reminder, I need to watch that beautiful video again. I just loved it the first time I watched it. When I was in high school, I happened to sit in front of the only American girl in my class. She always giggled when I asked to borrow her rubber. Then I found out why. (I needed her ERASER!) Interesting about the 80% of unwanted pregnancies. If only more adoptions were encouraged, being adopted and wanted and loved is better than being with biological parents that don't have a clue.

How about a list of the best brands of Clack, so that when there is a choice, we can select the superior brand. Obviously, #1 brand is the Scarlett brand. For the benefit of those relatively new to the fandom, what others should we earmark?

Heeee......That is done for Last Restaurant Standing on BBCA and a few other shows, too. For Last Restaurant Standing, the opening narration actually mentions the subtitles, because not even the English restauranteurs could understand the French chef who was the judge. Yes BUT.... English is not the first language for the French chef, it is for Susan Boyle!

WOW that is one brilliant video! I guess there are no prizes for guessing WHICH pic is the final one? ETA: Susan Boyle was given subtitles when she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show — so US viewers could understand her.

OMG How did you get those pics of me?I stole them from another forum that had nothing to do with you, I mean Cher, so I figured they belonged in this one as well. ETA: annabear I think with a face like that, your baby can get away with anything...

Cher is 63 (on May 20) Personally, I never liked her outfits unless they were part of her concert, i.e. when she was performing, but that's my conservative side. But there's no one quite like Cher, I guess.