Rate Queen Night Performances

[idolsmidol]

1. Katharine--Great song, great performance. I felt like I was watching a real powerhouse singer at the beginning of a great career. Best of the night.

2. Chris--He gave a great performance of an okay song.

3. Elliott--Was a good performance (but I found myself missing Freddie Mercury).

4. Bucky (I can't believe I'm saying this) Picked the right song, and peformed it okay.

5.Taylor--Moved around more than last week, but sounded anemic when compared to Queen (I almost felt like I was in Vegas watching an Elvis impersonater). ALso, when he tried to kick over the mic stand and missed I involuntarily cringed.

6.Paris and Kellie--A tie for 6th. Both had pitch problems, but Paris looked the part. The first half of Pickler's song, she looked like a ghoul. If I was forced to rate one above the other, I really would pick Paris tonight.
Tonight it was obvious that the best female vocalist left is Katharine.

7. Ace--I think he will be gone tomorrow night--He sang "We will Rock You"...and he didn't.

[Idoleyes]

1. Katharine--Great song, great performance. I felt like I was watching a real powerhouse singer at the beginning of a great career. Best of the night.

2. Chris--He gave a great performance of an okay song.

3. Elliott--Was a good performance (but I found myself missing Freddie Mercury).

4. Bucky (I can't believe I'm saying this) Picked the right song, and peformed it okay.

5.Taylor--Moved around more than last week, but sounded anemic when compared to Queen (I almost felt like I was in Vegas watching an Elvis impersonater). ALso, when he tried to kick over the mic stand and missed I involuntarily cringed.

6.Paris and Kellie--A tie for 6th. Both had pitch problems, but Paris looked the part. The first half of Pickler's song, she looked like a ghoul. If I was forced to rate one above the other, I really would pick Paris tonight.
Tonight it was obvious that the best female vocalist left is Katharine.

7. Ace--I think he will be gone tomorrow night--He sang "We will Rock You"...and he didn't.

I agree with most of your assessments...

I was glad Taylor went back to his natural style...not his best performance...but better than last week...

I thought Kellie did a credible job on BoRhap...she really could have murdered it...wasn't so bad...

I thought Ace was the worst...sorry Ace fans...

Paris looked uncomfortable and sounded horrible, in my opinion...

Elliott 'just didn't do it for me this week Dawg..'

Bottom 3: Paris;Ace;Elliott - Ace or Paris goes home.

[idolsmidol]

If you are right then I bet it is Paris that goes home, because so many young girls "just loooooooove Ace, he is sooooooooo cute"

[Idoleyes]

If you are right then I bet it is Paris that goes home, because so many young girls "just loooooooove Ace, he is sooooooooo cute"

O.K. I can live with that...at least Ace didn't hit us with that Zoolander gaze...but I understand why the young girls like him...that's cool...

[buddyrj]

Not a great week at all...
I think Kat, Chris and Elliot were the best.
I also liked Taylor and Paris performances (but I know that it was not one of her best nights, far from it).
Bucky did it ok, but ok is not enough in this kind of competition...
The same apllies to Kellie, it was not so terrible as some of us expected, but please it was not a solid performance.
And I really thought that this week, and with this song, Ace should sing better than actually he did... His fans will need to spend a lot of time voting for him...

[McFeverish.....]

Here are my personal ratings:


Bucky: I thought his "voice" during the performance was decent, though his attempt to countrify the song came out mundane, and lagging. His voice didn't seem to lower or rise throughout the whole song; I think that if he would have truly rocked out the lyrics, it would have been a better performance.

Ace: Ace, Ace, Ace...you truly have a loyal fanbase. I thought his performance was mediocre, he didn't excite me or the crowd, and his voice didn't convey as strongly as Mercury's in a live performance. Ace didn't need to sing this song tonight....it was way out of his league.

Kellie: Kellie Pickler truly shined tonight. I was expecting a burning, acerbic, flop of a performance...but BOY did that girl give me a turnaround. Kellie truly worked that song to the best of her abilities, and this country girl turned into a rock diva. Her outfit blended perfectly with her song, and she rocked my world tonight.

Chris: With the presence and pizzaz of a Rock star, Chris really disappointed me tonight. His singing was executed well, but the song? People, after I heard it, I realized WHY it was never performed live. Chris picked a very bad song, and this should have been a night where he would SHINE. I was truly hoping to be blasted away tonight with an awe-inspiring performance of "We will Rock", or something of the like, but was sorely disapointed.

Elliot: Elliot is still an enigma to me. He's a very good singer, but his presence, and attraction toward the people is weak. He sang his song well tonight, and I appreciated, and enjoyed his little MC skit. This is what I want to see more from Elliot. Something personal and attractive to people.

Katharine: *The stadium is desolate, and quiet in the Fantasia Barrino concert* Why? Because Katharine McPhee has just stolen her audience.

It's obvious that I'm a Katharine fan, and I have to be honest with you....she was the *Bomb*.

I still like Kellie's a tad better than hers, because Kellie truly shone tonight....but this girl can sing.

I found only a few errors, and segments where her voice didn't carry...but truly, I'm wondering why she isn't singing at a sold out pop stadium somewhere in California yet.

Taylor: Taylor, you rock dude. You grow on me every week. At first I thought you'd be an archaic, corny man, but you've truly showed your spunk tonight! Taylor has come back, and I particularly enjoyed how he did his "epilepsy"^_^ jerks on that stage.

You did Mercury proud buddy.

Paris: Paris, along with Kellie surprised me tonight. I always see her singing true and blue R&B, but Paris rocked the house tonight. I don't agree with Simon's crappy judging tonight though....only remarking it was "weird".

No Simon....your "weird".

[yayamiddlesister]

Here are my personal ratings:


Bucky: I thought his "voice" during the performance was decent, though his attempt to countrify the song came out mundane, and lagging. His voice didn't seem to lower or rise throughout the whole song; I think that if he would have truly rocked out the lyrics, it would have been a better performance.

Ace: Ace, Ace, Ace...you truly have a loyal fanbase. I thought his performance was mediocre, he didn't excite me or the crowd, and his voice didn't convey as strongly as Mercury's in a live performance. Ace didn't need to sing this song tonight....it was way out of his league.

Kellie: Kellie Pickler truly shined tonight. I was expecting a burning, acerbic, flop of a performance...but BOY did that girl give me a turnaround. Kellie truly worked that song to the best of her abilities, and this country girl turned into a rock diva. Her outfit blended perfectly with her song, and she rocked my world tonight.

Chris: With the presence and pizzaz of a Rock star, Chris really disappointed me tonight. His singing was executed well, but the song? People, after I heard it, I realized WHY it was never performed live. Chris picked a very bad song, and this should have been a night where he would SHINE. I was truly hoping to be blasted away tonight with an awe-inspiring performance of "We will Rock", or something of the like, but was sorely disapointed.

Elliot: Elliot is still an enigma to me. He's a very good singer, but his presence, and attraction toward the people is weak. He sang his song well tonight, and I appreciated, and enjoyed his little MC skit. This is what I want to see more from Elliot. Something personal and attractive to people.

Katharine: *The stadium is desolate, and quiet in the Fantasia Barrino concert* Why? Because Katharine McPhee has just stolen her audience.

It's obvious that I'm a Katharine fan, and I have to be honest with you....she was the *Bomb*.

I still like Kellie's a tad better than hers, because Kellie truly shone tonight....but this girl can sing.

I found only a few errors, and segments where her voice didn't carry...but truly, I'm wondering why she isn't singing at a sold out pop stadium somewhere in California yet.

Taylor: Taylor, you rock dude. You grow on me every week. At first I thought you'd be an archaic, corny man, but you've truly showed your spunk tonight! Taylor has come back, and I particularly enjoyed how he did his "epilepsy"^_^ jerks on that stage.

You did Mercury proud buddy.

Paris: Paris, along with Kellie surprised me tonight. I always see her singing true and blue R&B, but Paris rocked the house tonight. I don't agree with Simon's crappy judging tonight though....only remarking it was "weird".

No Simon....your "weird".
I, too, was totally shocked by tonight's performances. They all did way better than I expected. Kellie, first of all, was the one that really surprised me. When I first found out she'd be singing Bohemian Rapsody, I thought 'OMG', but she really, really did GREAT! Go figure! She's supposedly dating Constantine and she sang one the same songs he did last year!!!!! Isn't that something?! I haven't decided yet who to put in the bottom 3? Any suggestions? Let's see.................maybe.............Ace - Chris (I know - I can't believe I'm saying that) - & either Paris or Katharine (although I like her so much and would hate to see her go). What do y'all think? Of course, I loved Taylor's performance!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o good! I only got 12 votes in for him and 10 for Katharine. They are the only 2 I voted for tonight. I didn't get to start voting until 9:10 (central) because we'd gone to some friends' house to eat boiled crawfish and didn't get home until that time.

[jppalm]

Full disclaimer: I am probably the only American who has never watched a minute of American Idol. That changed tonight. That's because the eight finalists were required to sing songs by my favorite band, Queen.

The good thing for the singers is that Queen's catalog is large and diverse enough that finding an appropriate song that fits each singer's style should be easy. The bad news is that when you sing it, you will be compared to Freddie Mercury.

The contestants were hit and miss, and so were the judges. It seemed like the judges were unfamiliar with some of the songs. I should have been a guest judge (he says modestly). I'm not a singer, but I know good when I hear it and I know these particular songs well. Also, since I had never seen any of these singers previous performances, I was judging them just on how they did that one song and not whether I liked them going in. So, from that perspecitve, here are my critiques in the order in which I liked them:

8th performer: Paris Bennett - Show Must Go On
After seven more-or-less mediocre performances of my favorite band's songs, I was not looking forward to someone tackling this one, which is one of my personal favorites. However, if anyone "nailed it" tonight, it was Paris. She's a little stiff on stage, but her voice was powerful enough to handle the song and she sang it well. I can see why Brian and Roger liked her.

3rd. Kellie Pickler - Bohemian Rhapsody
Singers only get a minute and a half and BoRhap is about a 6-minute song, so she had to do some serious editing. She had the best "production". Her costume, makeup and lighting harkened back to the video, and she sang it well. She must be a country singer, because I detected a bit of an annoying twang slipping in occasionally, but she did a pretty good job of suppressing that for the most part.

The judges agreed with Brian May, who said she was brave to take on this song. There's some truth to that because it's such a standard and because of how much editing you have to do, but another contestant was even more courageous. I guess someone else did BoRhap last year as well and did a good job on it, but I didn't hear it, of course.

4th. Chris Daughtry - Innuendo
Innuendo is a song that Queen has never performed live (and not because it's not a good song, as Simon Bar Sinister (SBS) said, because they never toured after it was written), so it was interesting to hear him do it. He did a nice job considering that, like BoRhap, it's about six minutes long and had to be severely edited. He is clearly the rock singer in the bunch. He has no stage presence whatsoever, but among the first four, he did the best job singing his chosen song the way it should be sung.

SBS complained that he should have chosen a more popular song, and there's something to that. Stone Cold Crazy would have worked well, or he could have done Tie Your Mother Down.

7th. Taylor Hicks - Crazy Little Thing Called Love
He said he chose this song (he had originally picked We Are The Champions) because it was something he could move around and dance to. I think I can safely say I've never seen anybody so uncomfortable and unnatural on stage. I didn't know whether to cringe or laugh when he was doing whatever it was he was doing. At least his convulsions didn't affect his singing. He was the best of the night at singing his chosen song. Next time though, I'd just as soon see him sing standing still. Maybe I'll just close my eyes.

6th. Elliott Yamin - Somebody to Love
Roger Taylor said in the intro that this is the toughest song to sing in their entire repertoire and I couldn't agree more. I've always felt that if you think you're a good singer, sing this and we'll see. Yamin took a risk by trying to tackle this and he was in over his head. He did a good job with the desperate feel of the song, but the singing was all over the place. He had the good sense not to try to hit the falsetto at the end, which was clearly out of his range. I felt that he was fighting with the song all the way. I would suggest a week of practice isn't enough to do a proper job on it.

The judges liked him, but I'm not really sure why. Maybe they appreciated the effort.

5th. Katharine McPhee - Who Wants to Live Forever
Katharine has a beautiful voice and she wasted it on this song. This is a melancholy and powerful song, and she sang it weak and syrupy sweet. My wife said it was "Mariah Carey does Queen" except Carey would have at least sung it powerfully. McPhee either doesn't have the pipes to do it or chose not to. She was originally going to sing Don't Stop Me Now, and I'm glad she didn't, although this didn't work either. Something like Killer Queen would have been better suited to her.

The judges liked her, by the way, which is an indication that they just didn't know this song or they have the hots for her.

1st. Bucky Covington - Fat Bottomed Girls
Bucky has a very polished voice, but this is a raunchy song, and he sang it like he was in a HS choir. He hit all the notes, but had no idea how it was supposed to sound. Totally the wrong song for him. He should have sung one of the ballads, like Love of my Life or Save Me, which nobody sang.

2nd. Ace Young - We Will Rock You
If I were to kick one person off for this week's performance, it would be him. He had the same problem Bucky did - his voice was too "perfect" for this us-against-the-world rock anthem and he didn't convey the right feeling at all. SBS was right on when he called it "We Will Rock You Gently". On top of that, he botched the lyrics. He should have sung one of the ballads also, perhaps Who Wants to Live Forever, which Katharine butchered later. Primarily though, he should have sang a song that he could remember the words to.

What I got out of this show though was just how good Freddie Mercury was. Nobody in this group was anywhere close, and they only had to do one of his songs in a style that hopefully suited them. I also learned that only five seasons into the show, America has run out of super-talented, but undiscovered singers. I would have thought we would have had more than four seasons worth.

[X1TX]

First off, I think Mandisa could have done a better job on "Who Wants to Live Forever" than Kat did. Brian May on his blog apparently agrees. Tough song and I think Kat did okay on it. So here's my take:

1: Bucky: He did better than expected. Maybe not good enough to keep out of the cellar, but good enough to be back next week. Good song choice for him though. Can't think of another song by Queen he could have done nearly as well.
2: Ace: BAD song choice and not very good execution. That song is not about vocals. It's intended to fire up a crowd in preparation for the rest of the show (with the 'stomp-stomp-clap' and the Brian May guitar lick). It's not primarily a vocal performance and this one wasn't done well. We'll probably get to listen to it again later tonight.
3: Kellie: A lot of flat notes, especially in the beginning. She didn't do as badly as I expected (but I was expecting a total dog howler) but it still wasn't great. Not only that, the song was cut (gutted might be a better word) to get it inside the time allotment. This removed any parts that were challenging and it removed the personality of the song. It took Pheasant Under Glass (with a bottle of Dom) and turned it into a ham on white. If there were justice in this world it would land her in the bottom three. But she'll get the "we got a hot one in the house" vote and be safe. As one of "The Anointed 3" (TA3) she'll be safe this week.
4: Chris: It "just didn't do it for me dog". More like a funeral dirge. Was a tad monotonous. But we'll see him next week. As one of TA3, he'll be safe.
5: Katharine: Good performance, though not perfect. Tough song to try and I'll give her props for not cutting out all the difficult parts like Pickles did to BoRap. Decent enough performance even though she did falter a little bit when she was stretching (but at least she DID stretch, unlike Pickles) but she'll stay out of the cellar with this one.
6: Elliott: Liked it. The part before the video and the song helped. Tough song and he went for it and did a decent enough job to stay out of the cellar. He does need to have some of whatever Taylor is smoking to help him use the stage a bit more.
7: Taylor: Good show. But it was almost like he was trying to make up for his sedentary performances of the last two weeks in one song. Someone give the guy a vallium. It was good, but it was like he was singing at one intensity level and bouncing around at another. He'll be safe from the cellar. And as one of TA3 he'll be back next week no doubt.
8: Paris: Showed some energy that she's been lacking. Vocally she did excellent. She wont' win this AI unless she turns it up in the coming weeks. Since she's not a member of TA3 she'll have to work harder to win. She'll have to exceed this performance every week from here on out.

Prediction: We hear Ace do a reprise of "WWRY" tonight.

[idolsmidol]

X1TX--You are probably right, Ace will get the boot--I am really curious how the bottom will pan out tonight. I actually thought the judges were milk toast last night--What is up with Simon--he was the most milk toast, very drab last night. If I can borrow his words--he was the one that was weird, not Paris!

[Idoleyes]

What I got out of this show though was just how good Freddie Mercury was. Nobody in this group was anywhere close, and they only had to do one of his songs in a style that hopefully suited them. I also learned that only five seasons into the show, America has run out of super-talented, but undiscovered singers. I would have thought we would have had more than four seasons worth.

I agree that trying to match Freddie Mercury's vocals was beyond the contestants, although I thought Chris and Paris had the best chance, given the sheer power of their voices.

In terms of the performances, I agree substantially with your assessments on the individual performances although I didn’t feel Paris’ performance was as strong as you seem to feel, and I personally enjoyed Taylor’s antics since that is his true persona. Katharine has the ‘pipes’ to do better on ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’...she apparently changed her song selection and may not have had enough time to get her breathing synchronized and was weak on the top-end of each “Forever..’

One thing that struck me as funny (and will likely be embarrassing for Ace in retrospect) was the way Brian May reacted when Ace told him he wanted to change the arrangement of ‘We Will Rock You’ to an ‘army beat’. Brian just said ‘I don’t think we are going to do your arrangement…not to my own song…’

As far as America having 'run out of super-talented but undiscovered singers', I don't think that is the problem per se, I think it is more that, for whatever reason, the super-talented performers don't make it on the show (with all due respect to the current performers).

Part of the reason may be the onerous contract they must sign in order to appear on the show, which, from what I understand, completely ties up the top 24 contestants up for a long time (5 years?), exclusively to the shows producers. As a result, a lot of ‘super-talented’ hopefuls that have a legitimate shot at doing something in the music business probably don’t enter the competition since they don’t want to be subjected to the exclusive contract.

I think contestants like Chris,Taylor, Katharine, Elliott, Kellie and Paris have the potential, with additional development of their skills, to sell records or generate interest on a mini-AI tour. The show attracts a large viewer audience (+30 million viewers per night) that, over the course of the show, is designed to build a loyal fan base for many of the contestants, just ripe for all the ancillary activity that happens subsequent to the end of the AI season.

The shows producers make a fortune from the show ($700k per 30 second commercial? Product placement, T.V. rights, merchandising, etc) and don’t have to do much after the show is over…their ‘investment’ in the contestants will already have produced exponential returns before the first ‘single’ is cut or the mini-tour is launched….it’s just becomes a matter of how much longer they can milk the ‘cash-cow’. Having said that, the exposure the contestants get is incredible, and all things considered, probably gives the contestants a huge boost in recognition that would otherwise have been impossible for them to duplicate on their own – and they should be able to translate that into some kind of return – if only by virtue of getting gigs at the local bar, or the personal satisfaction, confidence and professional growth that comes from appearing on such a show…

As well, judging from the huge viewer audience, the hundreds of million votes that are cast, and the passionate debates that often rage on message boards such as these, AI gives millions of people and opportunity to be entertained and have some fun watching the show and debating the merits of the performances etc. So it seems that everybody gets something, and at the end of the day it's just a T.V. show, as 'real' or 'unreal' as it may be.

Thanks for your insight, well done.

[jppalm]

Thanks for the info on the mechanics of the show. I can see why some would shy away from that contract. I realize I'm probably the only person who doesn't watch it regularly, but I certainly don't begrudge those who enjoy it. There's a lot worse on TV than AI.

I had a feeling Ace was in trouble when he managed to offend Brian. I don't think that is an easy thing to do. An earlier poster guessed we would see him perform WWRY again. Why in God's name would they put us through that one more time?

[jppalm]

2: Ace: BAD song choice and not very good execution. That song is not about vocals. It's intended to fire up a crowd in preparation for the rest of the show (with the 'stomp-stomp-clap' and the Brian May guitar lick). It's not primarily a vocal performance and this one wasn't done well. We'll probably get to listen to it again later tonight.

3: Kellie: A lot of flat notes, especially in the beginning. She didn't do as badly as I expected (but I was expecting a total dog howler) but it still wasn't great. Not only that, the song was cut (gutted might be a better word) to get it inside the time allotment. This removed any parts that were challenging and it removed the personality of the song.

Prediction: We hear Ace do a reprise of "WWRY" tonight.

When Queen does WWRY in concert, they put it in the encore, not at the beginning to fire up the crowd. They usually start with Tie Your Mother Down, which I was disappointed not to hear someone try last night. Only Chris could have done it, though.

I'm not sure what Kellie should have done differently in terms of editing. You take out 3/4 of a song and you can't help but remove the personality of it. Did you want to hear her sing the opera part? Queen doesn't even do that. How did the guy who performed it last year edit the song? Did he do a good job on it?

[FalseIdol]

Part of the reason may be the onerous contract they must sign in order to appear on the show, which, from what I understand, completely ties up the top 24 contestants up for a long time (5 years?), exclusively to the shows producers. As a result, a lot of ‘super-talented’ hopefuls that have a legitimate shot at doing something in the music business probably don’t enter the competition since they don’t want to be subjected to the exclusive contract.


If Idol winners are "forced" to sign long term contracts please explain why Kelly Clarkson has been on her own for two years now and refuses to even appear on the program.

Idol contestants are "offered" a recording contract and a two year deal if they win. But long term contracts are a recording artists dream and five year deals are not uncommon for established artists so your second "theory" about why this year's talent level may be lacking (if it is) also has no validitiy. It's ridiculous to think an up and coming artist would turn down a 5 year offer based upon artistic principles. 99% would sign such a deal with their fingernails if they had too---but most record companies aren't going to be anxious to give an unknown a five year deal.

[cinnamocha]

1. Katharine--Great song, great performance. I felt like I was watching a real powerhouse singer at the beginning of a great career. Best of the night.

2. Chris--He gave a great performance of an okay song.

3. Elliott--Was a good performance (but I found myself missing Freddie Mercury).

4. Bucky (I can't believe I'm saying this) Picked the right song, and peformed it okay.

5.Taylor--Moved around more than last week, but sounded anemic when compared to Queen (I almost felt like I was in Vegas watching an Elvis impersonater). ALso, when he tried to kick over the mic stand and missed I involuntarily cringed.

6.Paris and Kellie--A tie for 6th. Both had pitch problems, but Paris looked the part. The first half of Pickler's song, she looked like a ghoul. If I was forced to rate one above the other, I really would pick Paris tonight.
Tonight it was obvious that the best female vocalist left is Katharine.

7. Ace--I think he will be gone tomorrow night--He sang "We will Rock You"...and he didn't.

ACE PUT HIS ARTISTIC TWIST ON WE WILL ROCK YOU! THE SONG NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD!!! I THINK 'QUEEN' WAS NEW IT TOO! THAT IS WHY THEY WERE TRYING TO SQUASH HIS SPIRIT! ACE AND KATHERINE WERE ONCE AGAIN THE BEST PERFORMERS!!!

[buddyrj]

It is ok that you, for some strange reason, believe that Ace is a great singer... But please, it is a little to much to say that his stumble version of "We Will Rock You" is the best ever... Have you really ever heard the original???

[RushDog]

Taylor- Did really well. I'm glad the old Taylor is back.
Bucky-Did a great job. I was very happy for him.
Kellie -Really surpised me and did an outstanding job
Ace-Did poorly as I expected him to. I was happy that Queen refused his request to change the song.
Chris-Totally sucked. He'll keep his same fan base, but I don't think he'll have any converts after last night.
Elliot- Didn't impress me at all. I was bored with him as usual.
Katherine-Very powerful performance.
Paris- What can I say? She rocked the house!

[FalseIdol]

Paris- What can I say? She rocked the house!

Interestingly, the AOL Idol poll has her going home tonite.

They list the bottom three as:

3. Elliott
2. Ace
1. Paris

Although I like Paris, I concur with their bottom three except I would replace Elliot with Bucky.

Maybe we'll all catch a break and Ace will get sent packing.

Here's the link to the AOL poll. Once you vote the results will tabulate.

http://television.aol.com/americanidol/poll

[Idoleyes]

If Idol winners are "forced" to sign long term contracts please explain why Kelly Clarkson has been on her own for two years now and refuses to even appear on the program.

Idol contestants are "offered" a recording contract and a two year deal if they win. But long term contracts are a recording artists dream and five year deals are not uncommon for established artists so your second "theory" about why this year's talent level may be lacking (if it is) also has no validitiy. It's ridiculous to think an up and coming artist would turn down a 5 year offer based upon artistic principles. 99% would sign such a deal with their fingernails if they had too---but most record companies aren't going to be anxious to give an unknown a five year deal.

Frankly I don't know the exact commitment the contestants must make...I've tried to get that information - and even started a thread (What do they win (and give up) for winning AI) on this forum to solicit information - about the nature of the contract contestants must sign...but no one has provided comprehensive information.

I have read discussions on other AI boards than indicated the substance of the contract (5 years; own all rights etc)...but I'm surprised there is not more definitive info on the extent of the 'prize' for winning or the contractual commitment a contestant must make.

The long-term contract I referred to is not necessarily a 'recording contract'; it seems it's more an arrangement whereby the producers effectively own exclusive rights to a contestants promotional and marketing activity, and restricts their ability to sign with another label; as well as controlling the extent of disclosure a contestant can make regarding what transpired during the show; and provides for significant recoverable damages if that disclosure is breached.

In terms of Kelly Clarkson, I don’t know what happened to her (that’s another component of the question I posed in the thread I started) …I heard she was unhappy with the contract and how she was being treated, and ultimately bought herself out of the contract, and that’s probably why she is not inclined to talk much about AI or appear on the show.

I agree with you that, depending on the nature of the contract, most aspiring artists would jump at the chance to sign a 5 year ‘recording contract’…but if the contract involves the extent of restrictions that have been suggested, and the artistic/creative rights are totally governed by the record executives (something I think Clarkson had a problem with)…then fewer artists…even aspiring ones, may be inclined to sign... hence my suggestion that, if the contract they had to sign was onerous (from what I understand…), that may explain why more quality artists do not tryout. I still hold to that opinion – subject to someone providing details about the contract.

I’d be interested in any further light you can shed on the contract.

[FalseIdol]

I have never read the actual contract, but I know it has changed from year to year. The information I have comes from associates I know here in Los Angeles who specialize in entertainment law.

AI winners are not required to sign ANY recording contract with Freemantle Media or any other producer connected with the show once the season is complete. They are free to walk away. So is every other contestant. The season five contract prohibits contestants from entering into "...any talent management agreement, talent agency agreement, recording contract, songwriting contract, acting contract, modeling contract, sponsorship contract, or any merchandising contract ....until three months following the date of the first broadcast of the final episode announcing the winner of the competition." That's it.

The winners are offered a one record, two year management deal which they are free to decline if they choose.

Kelly Clarkson walked away from her deal with Simon Fuller after three years because she felt he was too busy to pay serious attention to her career.

The only other provisions the contestant are required to agree to, is that they cannot dispute the results of the voting and that producers are free to use any infomation they have on a contestant in any manner they see fit---positive or negative.

I doubt they have yet to face the contestant who said "I'm not signing this."

[Idoleyes]

I have never read the actual contract, but I know it has changed from year to year. The information I have comes from associates I know here in Los Angeles who specialize in entertainment law.

AI winners are not required to sign ANY recording contract with Freemantle Media or any other producer connected with the show once the season is complete. They are free to walk away. So is every other contestant. The season five contract prohibits contestants from entering into "...any talent management agreement, talent agency agreement, recording contract, songwriting contract, acting contract, modeling contract, sponsorship contract, or any merchandising contract ....until three months following the date of the first broadcast of the final episode announcing the winner of the competition." That's it.

The winners are offered a one record, two year management deal which they are free to decline if they choose.

Kelly Clarkson walked away from her deal with Simon Fuller after three years because she felt he was too busy to pay serious attention to her career.

The only other provisions the contestant are required to agree to, is that they cannot dispute the results of the voting and that producers are free to use any infomation they have on a contestant in any manner they see fit---positive or negative.

I doubt they have yet to face the contestant who said "I'm not signing this."


That's soild information, thanks...so the rumors about contestants having to 'sell their souls' are apparently not true...hence I have absolutely no idea as to why more talented contestants do not appear on the show...unless they are selected more for drama/entertainment/demographic value than solely on the basis of their vocal ability...

[aztecgoods]

Poor Idols, but who can live up to Freddie and now the power house Paul Rodgers who is PHENOMINAL. Katherine was by far the best I agree, Chris Okay, Ace whooooo, bye bye, that was really bad, can you imagine him trying to tell Brian and Roger to play WE WILL ROCK YOU different?? What a moron, would he tell Picasso, oh you need to paint Guernica a little different, the characters don't look real, what a loser, needs to go bye bye now. I can't believe Simon didn't bust him out for that. Just feel sorry for Simon, he's the one thats got to produce one of these 8 at the end. Katherine is the only hope, the rest I could see at any kareokee (yeah its my own spelling) bar. Lets hope Paul gets to sing with Queen tonight, show the idols what a real rock star is like. Long live Queen + Paul Rodgers (possibly the best rock band in the world EVER)