The Moon Garden Lounge

sugaree -- I can't wait.

Well, OK. All these Idol rumors are making me feel like this:



On a more positive note, I ran across some really beautiful quotations from the bohemian diarist Anaïs Nin, hand lettered and illustrated by Lisa Congdon. Thought they made a lovely space for reflection about Adam on a day like today.

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Okay, I didn't know whether to post this looooong post about my AI experiences and observations. Hope I don't piss anyone off. Here goes.


First of all, there are other people here who probably have more experience than I do about the whole thing as far as details about different seasons , judges and contestants, but here's my two cents.

I started watching faithfully in season 3. MY SIL got addicted the previous season and I decided to watch. She was a Clay Aiken fan and the few times I watched season 2, I liked the other guy (Ruben). I guess I don’t need to mention contestant’s and winner’s names for those who did not watch. I have never, ever voted. I don’t think the voting is fair and just always figured that my little vote wouldn’t matter since I never had the desire to sit up for 2 hours frantically voting for the person I liked. I’m not putting down the people who do vote – it must be exciting and fun. And it IS how a contestant wins the competition.

I have tended to like the runners up or other contestants and not the winners. I got addicted in season 5. Loved, loved loved Taylor Hicks from his audition and all through the competition. That’s when I found out there were online sites for AI. Started out on the AI site. A thread for every contestant. Thread for every judge. I remember being kind of shocked at the negative and nasty comments from fans of one contestant about other contestants. Then I found MJ’s. IMO, the best site for up to date, accurate news and spoilers about songs and other things. Again, there was a lot of nastiness about any contestant who was not your fave. I hate to admit that I got caught up in it too. I made my own nasty comments about the runner up and others. I have definitely really really disliked other contestants from almost every year. Danny Gokey anyone? I guess the competition is treated like a sporting event. Love your team, hate whoever they are playing. That’s the best way I can describe it anyway.

Then I learned about the many ways people figured how to vote. Buying multiple temporary cell phones and many other ways using other technology. I didn’t get into any of it, still did not vote, but cheered everyone on in their efforts. It became very important to me for TH to win. We thought he would “bring real music back”.

Then I discovered TH fan sites. I wound up staying at one for quite a few years. Became friends with a lot of people there. As TH got less busy and it became apparent that he wasn’t going to be a mega star, we started to talk about other things and that was very enjoyable. However, there were some members who still lived like the competition was not over. Several AI fans refused to watch the show anymore because they felt AI treated TH badly. Other fans posted hate about other contestants long after the season was over. Hated when other contestants were more successful than TH. Now, we’ve seen that here with people refusing to watch ABC because of what they did to Adam. Not knocking that either. It does make a point. I’m just in the camp of “if there’s a show on that channel that I like, I’m gonna watch it”. To the extreme, there was one real wacko there who started her own hate site about a contestant who was more successful than TH after season 5 was over.

There used to be a site (don’t know if it’s still there and don’t remember the name) that was totally dedicated to making fun of OTT fans of various Idol contestants. They would visit fan sites and quote the crazy OTT comments on their site so people could read about the “crazies”. A lot of this was taken out of context and exaggerated, as you can imagine. I’m sure they could find comments here to do the same with.

I’ve never understood continuing to act and think that the competition is not over. For me, when it’s over, it’s over. Contestant X won and my fave did not. I wish all the contestants success. If I like contestant X’s album, I’ll buy it. I like Kris Allen. I like some of his music and own it. I was not super upset when he won. I always felt that Adam would be a success whether he won or not. It kind of bugs me when people here used to put KA down. He won, he is who America voted for. Time to move on and concentrate on Adam. Whatever KA is doing does not matter to Adam or his fans in the grand scheme of things.

Now on to the judges. People are going to hate on them. If they say something negative about their favorite contestant, they are going to be pissed because what they say might influence how America votes. I have been pissed off at and said nasty things about the various judges over the years. I was thrilled when Paula was gone because I just did not like watching her. She acted stupid and out of it too many times and it was embarrassing to watch. Other people loved her. To each his own.

So, as an Adam fan, am I expected to agree with everything he says? I’m sure I will not. Will I say nasty things about him? I doubt it because I have usually respected his opinions even if I haven’t agreed with them. (Well maybe I will say things to my hubby and friends.) I wonder how those things will affect people here. I hope it doesn’t get too “personal” to his fans because it will happen. It’s the nature of a competition. Ever hated on a sports ref?

So after all this rambling, I guess I’m just saying that crazy fans do exist. They will say horrible, hateful things. They might continue to do so for years after an Idol season is over. They might hold a grudge towards Adam and continue to say hateful things about him because they think he might be the reason contestant X did not win. They might remember what Adam said about contestant X's performance of song Y and talk about it for years. That's just the nature of the Idol beast.

I really really want Adam to get the Idol gig because I think it is a great career move for him. I also know that it will not be all positive as far as watching the show goes. Some watchers will get to know Adam and love him. Some might feel the opposite.

sugaree and annala, thanks!! Would welcome other thoughts as well.

I know a little about the people you reference, just from being Adam's fan and also just from being part of American culture. Have heard about Gokey's jerkdom, etc.

Not being a fan of these kinds of shows, I kind of look on in wonder (and now, dread) at some of the controversies. For example, I just assumed that the voting on all of these types of shows is fixed. Never would have occurred to me that it was honest, at all. After all, it's not like they disclose the votes or have it tabulated by Price Waterhouse or something. I figured these shows always manipulate the votes to get the outcome they want and it still surprises me that so many people think it's for real.

As annala notes about Durbs, another thing that bugs me about these shows is the way that they exploit the contestants. Someone like Adam, a show business veteran, could handle himself, but to thrust an emotional vulnerable person like Durbin into the spotlight seems borderline abusive, no matter that Durbin volunteered for it all. Does that excuse it?

I don't boycott the show ... once I was watching (maybe when Adam sangs WWFM with the lasers?) and Ryan Secrest named Lee Dewyze "safe," then tried to force him to guess which of the other contestants had been "voted" off. The expression on Lee's face was pure revulsion and he refused to do it.

These are the kinds of games played by these shows that make me dislike them. I know Adam can handle himself and is more than capable of using the show to his advantage -- he's already shown that. Not everyone is that strong.

The main thing that shocked me when I first got interested in Adam is the very strong negative emotions that the show seems to engender in some people. sugaree, thanks for some of the background on this. For example, I've been blown away by the hostility on the main thread towards Randy Travis recently. I've watched the YouTubes of course of "Ring of Fire" week, and as far I could tell, Travis was at worst, bemused by Adam and arguably slightly patronizing in that he seemed to find Adam quite a character. There was no malice that I could see. I have no wish to debate this ... we all just see whatever we see. I'm just surprised at the true delight of some Adam fans in Travis's current tragedy. It seems OTT for Travis's "crimes" against Adam.

It is this "enemies list" aspect I dread if Adam gets this job.

What do you guys think of this:

It Isn't Just a Game: Clues to Avid Rooting
www.nytimes.com/2000/08/11/sports/sports-psychology-it-isn-t-just-a-game-clues-to-avid-rooting.html

A few excerpts:

This is not some light diversion to be enjoyed for its inherent grace and harmony. The self is centrally involved in the outcome of the event. Whoever you root for represents you.

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Studies over the last decade showed that while the run-of-the-mill spectator may abandon a team once it starts losing, more committed fans ride the same emotional roller coaster as the athletes.

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Among zealous male and female fans, Dr. Hillman's study found, the level of arousal -- measured by heart rate, brain waves and perspiration -- was comparable to what the fans registered when shown erotic photos or pictures of animal attacks, he said.

sugaree, I'll join you on the s--- list because I didn't like RoF either. I did end up liking the way he changed it up for Glam Nation, though. I agree, Johnny and June would have thought Adam was a total blast.

Can one of you Idol buffs explain to me how does it work for the contestants as far as what song they select? Can they choose any song or is there a list of songs they must use? Someday I would like to see Adam connect more with roots music -- he could be amazing.

On a closely related note, though -- you guys really have helped me realize that Idol is not a music show ... I keep trying to look at it that way ... it's essentially a sporting event. RoF was great television, something Adam understood. The whole Idol judge thing is driving me crazy. I wish they'd just decide!

I wanted to share this video -- it looks long but I was caught up in the whole thing because there is so much wisdom plus it's witty and fun to listen to. It's a wide-ranging interview with the British writer and actor Stephen Fry (love him!). Some of it relates to Adam's tweet this morning about reconnecting with friends, family, craft ... ourselves. I was feeling pretty discouraged this morning about RL things and listening to this filled me with hope.

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 18:



A few of the great thoughts, though Fry expresses them in a much more interesting way, include advice to avoid "goals" (Fry says it destroys creativity and enforces conformity), the importance of putting aside your ego for others, the overriding importance of kindness ... even how he copes, or doesn't, with "comments" on Internet articles. A great listen.