Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert

[berniedicters]

You have the trained ear, not me.

But do you think his coming in second has more to do with his poor intonation, or with the fact that he's homosexual?

I couldn't honestly say. I have the trained ear perhaps, but I know nothing about the mores of the people who run this show, or how winners are selected, and so on.

I could see how homosexuality could be a handicap if some of the more prehistoric attitudes we occasionally see in the US are in play here.

But if they wanted an excuse for binning him, then his intonation rather hands it to them on a plate.

 

[kabbes]

This thread is based on nothing at all. The best act by a LONG way won BGT. It's stupid to start postulating some kind of ulterior motive behind the vote when the best act did actually win. And the thread starter hasn't even bothered to watch the winners, making it even more of an attempt to start something of sound and fury with no actual basis in fact.

And, furthermore, even if the thread starter DID actually watch the winners and conclude that he preferred the singing of the second-placed contenstant to the dancing of the winners, he would surely still have to conclude that when it comes to dancers vs. singers on a talent show, it's not unreasonable for people to prefer the former to the latter.

And finally he would have to explain how out of ALL the acts that entered, the "dodgy voting" somehow allowed Boyle to come SECOND, ahead of all those other popular acts.

In short, this thread has no logic, no basis in fact, no basis in subjective preference and nothing of substance beyond a desire to create controversy where none actually exists.

I can't speak for the American act, because I have no interest in watching an American talent show and precious little interest in how Americans vote in an American talent show. Perhaps there was intolerance there, although you'd still have to explain how that intolerance still allowed him to come second in the whole damn show. Or perhaps the argument for intolerance there is as specious as the argument for intolerance towards Boyle.

 

[berniedicters]

Exactly - it's an image which no-one real can meet 100% of the time. Take a woman who is a bit older and average looking without a small fortune to spend on clothes/hair/makeover/plastic surgery/image and it's become the general perception (thanks to the media with its focus on surface appearance) that she's likely to be a bit of a waste of space, so it becomes surprising that someone who doesn't fit the image can sing. It's a sad indictment of the current obsession with image and looks.

All true, except that I don't think it's a "current" obsession - 'twas ever thus.

It may not look like it to us, but ever since there's been an entertainment industry, the "talent" has generally been sold to us on looks. OK, sometimes some real talent occasionally sneaks through, either because the good looking one actually happens to be good, too, or is amenable to scrubbing up nicely, or because systems have to be confounded sometimes, but I think that this is an area in which the adage "sex sells" applies more than usually...and always has.

 

[felixthecat]

Maybe not; but do you think that the guy who won Idol, is the better performer?

Better singer yes, better performer no.

I was backing Danny anyway - absolutely loved his voice and I was gutted that he didn't make it into the final. He was the only one that really made me sit up and listen. Personally, I'd put Adam in 2nd or 3rd place all the way thru.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I couldn't honestly say. I have the trained ear perhaps, but I know nothing about the mores of the people who run this show, or how winners are selected, and so on.

I could see how homosexuality could be a handicap if some of the more prehistoric attitudes we occasionally see in the US are in play here.

But if they wanted an excuse for binning him, then his intonation rather hands it to them on a plate.

Once the show gets to a certain point, it's no longer the judges who decide who stays or goes: 'America' decides, via phone-in voting.

 

[Space Girl]

I love Adam, I watched American idol every week just to hear him, I really thought he was fab and I didn't realise he was gay until towards the end of the series and I also loved his version of ring of fire

as for Megan - she's so cute but I just don't like her voice, loved her in the initial auditions but she either didn't pick the right songs or just couldn't sing and Danny, the lovely Danny, loved him from the start but despite the heart tugging story of his wife dying I still wanted Adam to win, I did think that it would be Adam and Danny in the final though

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

This thread is based on nothing at all. The best act by a LONG way won BGT. It's stupid to start postulating some kind of ulterior motive behind the vote when the best act did actually win. And the thread starter hasn't even bothered to watch the winners, making it even more of an attempt to start something of sound and fury with no actual basis in fact.

And, furthermore, even if the thread starter DID actually watch the winners and conclude that he preferred the singing of the second-placed contenstant to the dancing of the winners, he would surely still have to conclude that when it comes to dancers vs. singers on a talent show, it's not unreasonable for people to prefer the former to the latter.

And finally he would have to explain how out of ALL the acts that entered, the "dodgy voting" somehow allowed Boyle to come SECOND, ahead of all those other popular acts.

In short, this thread has no logic, no basis in fact, no basis in subjective preference and nothing of substance beyond a desire to create controversy where none actually exists.

I can't speak for the American act, because I have no interest in watching an American talent show and precious little interest in how Americans vote in an American talent show. Perhaps there was intolerance there, although you'd still have to explain how that intolerance still allowed him to come second in the whole damn show. Or perhaps the argument for intolerance there is as specious as the argument for intolerance towards Boyle.

It's true that I'd seen little of Boyle before making this thread: the main issue from my perspective, was the shabby treatment of Adam Lambert. I took the issue of Boyle's talent on faith, based on what I'd read of the judges' praise, etc.

As it turns out, after watching some of her youtube clips, I'm in full agreement that she was a very talented singer.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Better singer yes, better performer no.

I was backing Danny anyway - absolutely loved his voice and I was gutted that he didn't make it into the final. He was the only one that really made me sit up and listen. Personally, I'd put Adam in 2nd or 3rd place all the way thru.

I think the teenaged girl, last name Iraheta, was very talented. It was actually a pretty good season.