Archive through March 13, 2003
TV ClubHouse: Archive: American Idol (FOX):
Tonight's show 3/12/03:
Archive through March 13, 2003
Texannie | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 09:57 am     I kind of got the feeling that Simon was poking fun at himself when he said Joshua needed to lose weight...like he knew that Josh didn't and was poking fun at how everyone says that is all Simon can say. I don't think even Simon would dare telling Reuben that he needs to lose weight (which frankly he does and it's not safe or healthy for him to be that size!) but the PC backlash would be worse than if he said to someone slightly overweight. |
Car54 | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:07 am     I think Josh has a good attitude, image, and I was glad to see he can sing both slow and fast songs...I will be interested to see his range as they progress. I totally disagree with comparisons between his style and yodel girl's. He can sing things besides country...we have not heard that from her yet. I am convinced he will be in as long as the marines let him, but no way will he win...Simon would not have control of his time or availability if he is still in the marines and that is what it is all about. He will make it far, but he won't win ...I am guessing he will be called up and allowed to come back another season. |
Texannie | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:13 am     Car, by your comment you are suggesting that Simon controls the ending. Am I being naive and thinking it's our votes that do? |
Pantageas | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:20 am     On the weight issue, I think Simon is looking for "niches" to which to cater the 2nd American Idol. Ruben's weight is an easier fit than Josh's. Overweight male R & B niche? Luther Vandross, Heavy D, Biggie Smalls, Biz Markie, Fat Joe, Fat Boys, etc. Overwight pop star? I dunno, Meatloaf? Overwight country singer? Help me someone. Is Garth Brooks "pudgy"? I think its more that Simon thinks that Josh's niche is more of a "teen dream" thing, and he'd be better "posterized" with a few less pounds... |
Denecee | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:28 am     Well I was sad to see Vanessa be the one but remember she still has a contract with American Idol tour and other stuff I'm sure. Like she said we haven't seen the last of her. She's a very likable person. |
Mygetaway | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:29 am     Hey.. I saw on ET or AH last night that Evan/Joe Millionaire was there that night. I thought I saw him once in a shot behind Randy's head. Yuck..LOL |
Fruitbat | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:30 am     I see that too, Pantageas. |
Mygetaway | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:33 am     I agree with Pantageas. I was going to post something similar but changed my mind. Mentioning to someone they could lose a few pounds is easier than telling someone to lose 150 pounds. When I was working, the bigger I got, the less my customers seemed to comment to me about losing weight. (I had a regular senior group who always told me how they felt, lol) |
Prisonerno6 | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:34 am     Pantageas, you hit the nail on the head. Add to that the fact that, in my opnion, Ruben's voice is much better than Josh's (or Vanessa's), and he doesn't need to rely on a traditional "sexy" image to succeed. (I will avoid the whole morass of he's fat so he must be unhealthy, but trust me, he's nowhere near 400 pounds...) That said, I agree with Texannie, that Simon's comments to Josh were a bit tongue in cheek. Josh's push-up comeback was perfect. :-) On another note, is anyone else getting tired of Randy booing Simon when he's introduced? Dude, man, dawg, Simon's more popular than you, get over it. |
Webkitty | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:34 am     I highly doubt Simon has any control over the outcome. I think the winners and losers are determined by our call in votes, period. The thing with Ruben, he is obese, why bring up the obvious? He needs to lose a good 100lbs to get in the healthy zone, imo. (Ted from Survivor last season started out at over 300lbs, Ruben looks far heavier than Ted did, even at the beginning of S5) Ruben can't lose that weight quickly, now, while the competition is going, so why bring it up? If he were to win, I'm sure he would be put under a doctors care. I don't think it has anything to do with being PC or un-PC, I think its just commen sense. The girls that Simon commented on, Vanessa, Kim Lock and Kim Caudwell, could lose 5 to 10lbs during this competition, and it might help them look their best in their outfits. This is my reasoning why Simon made comments to the girls and not Ruben. Btw, did anyone else think that Kim C. looked slightly thinner last night? I think she serious about wanting to win this, and like Clay, is willing to take advice. I bet she saw the comment Simon made about her needing to lose her puppy fat and dropped it. |
Stcmom | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:37 am     I think I understand Simon's weight comments...He is primarily concerned about how a contestant can improve their marketability as the american idol not their health or lifestyle. With Vanessa, she was slightly overweight and it clashes with her personal style. The combination of vintage clothing and the extra 10 to 20 pounds made her look dowdy instead of trendy. Simon's suggestion of losing weight was doable for her and would really have improved her looks. With regards to Josh, he does looks stocky and I think his clothes is not flattering for his build. It is also hard to judge on TV but maybe the lifestyle they have been living has added a few pounds on him that Simon noticed. With regards to Ruben and Kim L...Simon does not mention weight to Ruben because his talent and personality is so strong he does not need to lose weight to enhance his image. He is like Oprah or Queen Latifah and starr Jones...they have star quality no matter what their size is. Kimberly L carries her extra weight with dignity and grace and knows how to choose clothes that will flatter her figure like that red jump suit so he does not make this an issue with her. She des have a problem with connecting with the audience that is why his issue with her is her personality. I do not think Simon is prejudiced against people who are heavy he only makes it an issue if it would help the contestants. |
Marymc | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:42 am     it's just disturbing that it's PC to tell a young girl who MILLIONS of other young girls can relate to that she needs to fit the skinny girl mold....it wasn't said for any health reasons. just some stupid "image"....yet you get someone who's MORBIDLY OBESE and heaven forbid we even question whether or not he's physically capable of completeing the grueling schedule of AI, or tour dates, should he win. and as far as josh goes...he's a married marine with a baby....there is no teen-dream thing going on there! i just think if weight is going to be brought up as an issue, it should be an issue across the board, and the bigger the weight problem, the bigger the issue. |
Stcmom | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:50 am     If you would make weight an issue across the board then there won't be a chance for great talents like Ruben and Frenchy to make it. |
Marymc | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:51 am     so let's not make weight an issue at all! |
Stcmom | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:10 am     First of all I would like to clarify that I was trying to explain Simon's position with regards to the weight issue and this was based on his comments on Oprah. I do agree that weight shouldn't be an issue at all but unfortunately, in the real world it just is. specially when it comes to the entertainment industry...if you are overweight you have to have loads of talent and star power to overcome what would be seen as a liability. |
Prisonerno6 | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 11:26 am     "MORBIDLY OBESE" Grrr.... Such assumptions we are making. I weigh 300 pounds, yet my cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate are all a "healthier" levels than many of the skinny counterparts I work with. That's because I actually get my butt out of my chair during the day, and I don't eat lunch out of the snack machine. My body just happens to metabolize my food (chicken, tomatoes and onions over whole wheat pasta for lunch today) a heck of a lot more efficiently. Trust me, when the world economy goes to heck and we're all back out in the wild hunting our food, you're going to wish you were me. :-) But I digress. I don't think Simon is saying nothing about Ruben's or Kim L's weight because they have to lose so much that there's no point. I don't think that we should assume their weight would have anything to do with their ability to complete the AI tour. After all, football is a pretty grueling sport, and I've seen some linebackers that would put Ruben to shame. But the image Vanessa was trying to put forth is, IMO, a skinny one, especially in that slip dress she wore the night Simon made those comments. I thought she looked *amazing* and *very* attractive in the vintage dress with the full skirt she tried on in her bio video. I doubt Simon would have commented on her weight at all, if she had worn that to compete. I really wonder what people would be saying if Simon told Clay he needed to work out and put on a few pounds... |
Marymc | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:20 pm     morbidly obese is a medical term. i meant no disrespect. i just don't understand the double standard. simon HAS told clay he "didn't look like an american idol"....he didn't specifically mention his weight, but i'm sure that was part of what he meant, along with the glasses, that his ears stuck out and a host of other things that our vacuous society deems less than perfect. i LOVE the fact that this competition has people of every weight, shape & color. what stands out the most about ALL of these singers is their confidence and comfort level within their own skin. THESE are the role models i want my child looking up to. |
Pantageas | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:22 pm     Weight shouldn't be an issue in this competition. But remember, the point of this competition is to pre-fab a new pop star(without the heavy paycheck that an already established artist would command). And of course, I guess, to sell commercial time... Marymc, as far as the teen dream thing, I don't want you thinking I'm disparaging Josh's talent/look , because I'm not. "Understanding" where Simon is coming from is not the same as agreeing with him. And neither marriage nor fatherhood disqualifies someone from "cute" status. Simon's issue isn't with weight. It's with how much money he can make with what each contestant brings to the table. And he's brutally homest with each one of them in telling them what he thinks they need to do to be successful(monitarily). Ruben losing 10 pounds doesn't improve his marketability,; for Josh it would. Kim L. losing 10 pounds would improve her marketability somewhat, but not as much as it would Kim C. We shouldn't blame Simon's attitude for selling millions of Britney(sp?) Spears' albums. He just wants to have another star to sell to those same exact people...hopefully one with more talent. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:22 pm     Random thoughts after reading through the new posts here. I thought Julia was stunned because of her close call AND because the audience booed when it was Vanessa and not Julia who was going to leave. I don't think Simon can determine the outcome but they certainly appear to be trying to nudge things their way.. notice that the three who were in jeopardy last night were each top two in their groups and were put into final 12 by the public votes.. the judges put three people into the finals (and surely would have put Clay in finals had he not won the public vote at wildcard time).. don't tell me they don't have a vested interest in seeing those people go far. People mention being unable to watch Josh's facial expressions (which I don't notice at all) but am I the only one who really really has a problem with all the contortions Trenyce goes through facially? She's way more distracting to me. I do agree that Vanessa could use more polishing and guidance and that's one reason (besides the fact that she was better than at least half of the others, IMO) I was hoping she'd stay longer. Clearly, last night, her outfit was an improvement, she has lost several pounds and was still working on a few more, and her singing AFTER being blown out of the water was a pretty amazing display of grace under pressure. I don't have a problem with Ruben's look, but he was clearly laboring and it affected his phrasing and ability to stay with the music. As for large football players, way too many of them are experiencing health problems and all too short lives and I think the trend is to stress fitness. I'm so tired of Randy and Paula's antics, they've gotten really really old, and since they are so constant and often inappropriate, it takes the power out of the comments that actually may have some merit. Same with Ryan.. do your verbal sparring or even flirting with Simon over your breakfasts and stop with the innuendo and silly comments. Oddly, I disagree about Corey's braids and normally I adore that type of style on men and women, but on him it seems to make him look skelatal in the face and his pale skin showing through, I dunno, it is better than the mickey mouse ear style and the hats.. I liked the 'fro he had on one show. However, he's showing that he can bring a variety of looks to the table. Garth Brooks is pudgy Seems to work for him. |
Muse | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:39 pm     Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Ruben is morbidly obese (medical term), too. I think he'll always naturally be a bigger guy, by the way (kind of like Ted on Survivor), just because of genetics. But he could afford to lose a *lot* of weight, and I'm sure it'd be healthier for him (I've been noticing how out of breath he gets when singing - that can't be a good sign). It'd be tough, but I think it'd pay off. I do think that Simon is a little hypocritical when he makes comments to Josh and Vanessa, but doesn't say anything to Ruben or Kimberley. Either don't say anything at all (my personal choice), or make it apply to all of the contestants that could shed a few pounds. And I have to disagree about Kimberley dressing to flatter her figure. I think red is a great color for her, and the clothes themselves aren't bad (*much* better than Kimberly C.'s weird attire, for example). But I don't think she should have worn such tight pants and a sheer shirt during the semi-finals (the black outfit). I also think the stuff tied around her waist last Tuesday (what was that? Cardigan or something?) accentuates her hips, which wasn't doing her any favors. But whatever...I think she's a pretty girl regardless, and I don't take her fashion sense into account when voting. Seamonkey, I'm not a big fan of Trenyce's facial contortions, either. It really turned me off of her performance of "Let's Stay Together" (well, that and the fact that she was belting it - I like more toned-down versions of that song, personally). I did think it was better during her Motown performance, although I still saw some of it. |
Car54 | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:44 pm     Texannie, sorry, just came back on line and saw your question about my post. No of course Simon does not have control over the outcome, but there are tons of things that he and the producers and the other judges can say and do to impact how the performers come across. I was really interested in the video intros...several very popular singers were presented in very dramatic videos that would help to engender a very positive opinion about them...other videos were sort of matter of fact and less dramatic...maybe that person is just plain less interesting, or maybe there is more interest in them as a contestant and more time and effort went into their intro. I still feel Vanessa lost some support by being given the snotty comment to read about Ryan...and his explanation did not come at a very prominent place in the show. I actually think Simon's opinions about Vanessa's weight may have helped her...there was a trememdous amount of backlash against Simon the week after he made his comment and Vanessa got a lot of defenders and a lot of media attention. I saw several interviews where she was featured prominently after that show. Lots of things besides the singing will impact how people are perceived and the show has a lot of control over that. I think Josh has been a publicity bonanaza for them and they know it, but I am betting he will not win if he is not truly available to do the full Idol deal afterwards. PS...I like Josh a lot. |
Tabbyking | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 12:53 pm     they waited until after a commercial to let us know the quip was (allegedly) cued. people could have missed it or, like my daughter, wondered if it was an afterthought to 'pretend it was staged'....it was just strange, because there was no other contestant 'given' something rude to say. has anyone seen an interview with vanessa yet? |
Yuhuru | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 01:15 pm     Prison, On Oprah, Simon said that Randy was really a great person and that they are good friends. So I don't pay as much attention to their interactions as I do SImon and Paula's. He gave the impression that she wasn't one of his favorites. I think if I hadn't seen Oprah, Randy's comments would get on my nerves. |
Walker | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 01:58 pm     i really dont see what the big deal is about rueben anyway..he has a good voice but i dont think its all that spectacular..and i didnt think his performance the other night was that great either..and his being terribly overweight doesnt help much and also the days of being a heavyweight r&b singer have kind of faded out also. |
Prisonerno6 | Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 02:00 pm     "But he could afford to lose a *lot* of weight, and I'm sure it'd be healthier for him" {Pushing my chair away back, banging my head on my desk} Anyone could *look* at me and say the same thing. Anyone who heard me breath this past week (I've had a very bad case of the flu) would say the same thing. My doctor, you know, that person who actually *has* a medical degree, tells me I would do more harm starving myself to lose weight down to the generally accepted standard, than to just eat sensibly, get a reasonable amount of exercise, and let the weight fall where it will. For me, that point is a lot higher than average, because of my amazingly efficient metabolism. I haven't noticed Ruben breathing heavily, but then I haven't been looking for it. But please don't throw around "medical terms" like morbidly obese when we know absolutely nothing about Ruben's health. Again, what would people say if I called Clay anorexic? Hey, it's a medical term... |
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