This week’s TV Week backlot talkÂ
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with Ken Warwick.
Ken on the contestant’s performances:
- Melinda - Ken says that the whole reason they do genres is to “catch people out.” To see “just how good they really are.” Can they sing absolutely anything? He says, “The fact of the matter is, Melinda can virtually sing absolutely anything, and I think…they’ve run out of things to say about them. It didn’t blow your socks off, but it wasn’t bad…any other week she’d have given that performance…it’s a good song.” Ken adds, that there are times when a singer just can’t do the genre, and the question becomes, will they survive to the next week? He says it’s all part and parcel of the entertainment factor of the show. me: I think the second reason is more likely why they do the genres…
- Blake - ”The trouble is, we know some of these songs so well–when you mess them around–sometimes it works…sometimes it doesn’t. The thing about the beatboxing is, we all know that Blake can do it, and he does it very well. But, sometimes it gets a little bit tedious.
- Lakisha - “There you go again, it’s not LaKisha’s genre, that…which is exactly why it’s there…to catch her up…it would catch anybody up. It’s one of those genres that didn’t really suit LaKisha last night.”
- Jordin - “She’s got a fabulous voice, she really has. She’s got great control, she’s got great quality and talent to her voice…she did well. You know…we are having trouble finding a genre that’s gonna catch her out.
- Melinda - Ken says, “She’s great, she can sing. She nailed it, I think.”
- Blake - Ken says, “No it wasn’t [his best night] he should have done something like “Jive Talking” which would have suited him down to the ground, but sometimes he gets a bee in his bonnet…I said, ‘I don’t know that, how come I don’t know that’ and he said, ‘Exactly why I’m going to do it. And I thought, ‘ooooh I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Blake.’ And to be honest, I don’t think it was a good idea. He’ll live or die by that, and he does do that, he lives and dies by the decisions he makes. So, if the public liked it, he’ll still be there. If they don’t he’ll be gone” me: Ken describes this with a bit of a snit in his voice. And this paragraph, peeps, describes exactly why TPTB don’t want Blake to win or even be in the Final Two…
- Lakisha - Chuck Ross mentions the fact that Lakisha never takes the guest mentor’s advice, and that her voice was hoarse at the end of her song last night. Ken says, “That’s the thing…when you get to the end of the series the voices have been going non-stop now…voices are pretty much on the edge…I even noticed it in Jordin’s voice that it just started to weaken off a little bit…not that they can’t sing, but that their voices are absolutely exhausted.
- Jordin - Chuck thinks she nailed both songs last night. Ken says, “I noticed the signs of tightness in that last song.”
Other Highlights:
- The songwriter contest is ongoing. Ken says, “Hopefully, we’ll get a good song out of it in the end.” Ken says that “generally” he likes the songs. Then he mentions again that he things that Blake’s song last night was a mistake. me: The mp3 was edited badly, so I’m not sure what he meant there…maybe that even good songwriters like Barry Gibb writes some clunkers.
- Ken says that he and Nigel pulled out of producing the Emmys this year because they are exhausted. He says between the charity special, the series and the finale, they need a break.
- They will be collecting money for Idol Gives Back right up until the finale.
- Chuck did not ask Ken to comment on tonight’s results.
hand jordin the crown now. it’s obvious that she is TCO and absolutely nothing anyone does will change that result.
for all of you that use text messaging, save your money and use the phone instead. your votes don’t matter.
I wonder why Nigel didn’t do it this week. Has Ken ever done it before? Maybe Nigel didn’t want to tell us whether or not it was a shocking boot.
me: Ken describes this with a bit of a snit in his voice. And this paragraph, peeps, describes exactly why TPTB don’t want Blake to win or even be in the Final Two…
You could be right, MJ. I think he may be one of the most unmalleable ones they’ve encountered. Heh. Well, I love that he has a bee in his bonnet and I’m gonna vote him into the final two.
Jersey, I think Ken has done it before.
pj, I’m right there with you. I’m going to do all I can to make sure he makes the final 2.
I know being runner-up isn’t always the greatest but being in any position can potentially not work; even being the winner. It’s just chance, luck and so many other uncontrollable factors. But I really want more weeks with him on the show. Esp. if it annoys TPTB.
Votes do matter or there is no way in hell Taylor would have won- TPTB did not want him to win, remember?
Of course, the votes count- otherwise last year would have turned out completely different. Hell, probably every season but season 4 would have turned out differently.
Ken alternates weeks with Nigel doing the interview.
They didn’t want Taylor to win last year either. And look how that turned out for them.
Speaking of bees and bonnets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy7KKzGsIuM
I love TMBG.
Would you really vote for someone just because the producers don’t like them or want them to win? Isn’t that the entire premise behind sites like VFTW? I hope that’s just hyperbole talking.
On another topic, If you didn’t vote in the songwriting contest, it’s too late. Personally I was very disappointed in the selections.
Exactly what I’ve been saying for oh, at least a month now. They don’t want him to win or in the top 2 because he’s not gonna budge on his artistic visions. They want someone who can go in and record an album in a short amount of time without fuss or struggle. Enter Jordin…
Yep. At this point, I don’t care what they think or say. They have made it MORE than obvious who they want, and they will pull out all the stops to make sure she wins.
F*ck them.
No, that’s not the reason I’ve been voting for him since Brandon’s exit. I like the dude. I also don’t mind sticking it to the man. If I can do both at the same time, all is golden.
Sorry, I say again that I loved Blake’s 2nd song. He sang it well; it worked for him. The song itself was good, and I loved the fact that it was different.
I am still going to vote my butt off Blake. I hate what they are doing to him now. They pimped him the whole season saying he was the strongest male contestant bla, bla bla and then on Top 4 night they completely bash him and I hate to see Blake end his run on this show in such a low note after all the FANTASTIC performances he put on…
It really makes me sad and mad..
Ok ok, Crown Jordin…I really just hope a great record label signs Blake.. The poor guy deserves it.
“Signs of tightness”? I’m sorry - Jordin shrieked the second song largely off key. It was absolutely abysmal and nearly impossible to listen to.
I’m sure Jordin’s a lovely person. She seems to have poise and a beautiful personality, and when she’s on she’s on. But for me, she’s spent far more performances either not quite on or WAY off than she has being totally on. I don’t understand the shameless pimping they throw her way.
I hate that it looks like they’ve decided Melinda isn’t as “marketable” within what they think is their target demographic. I believe absolutely that the demographic they draw today is vastly different than it was during the first season. I know Daughtry fans blame not voting or getting sloppy for why he exited when he did, but frankly, I think it’s because their audience isn’t as young as they believed and the non-angst-listening 30 somethings didn’t like the whole rocker thing. I’m sure they don’t think Lakisha is marketable, either. I would wager that they would believe Jordin and Blake to be more “marketable”. But doesn’t it count any longer that some are simply better, more talented, more consistent singers than others??
I’m getting really frustrated.
I’m pretty sure they know who their audience is. They may misjudge which contestant appeals to which demographic, but Neilson is pretty handy at telling them who’s watching the show and how old they are.
Also, I don’t mind some angst in my music and I’m well into my thirties. I don’t care for Daughtry too much, but he’s not half bad at what he does. I love rock, just not his version.
I don’t think Melinda is terribly marketable. She’s a good singer that has no X-factor. It is what it is.
Blake is doing exactly the same thing Chris D did last season and probably Taylor too. I remember Chris picking songs that weren’t exactly big hits because he liked them and thought they suited him. I think he was quoted saying almost exactly what Blake did about the Queen song he picked. Simon said he was being indulgent. I also heard that Taylor had some issues with the producers so this is hardly new to them. I think MJ might be right about them not wanting Blake in the finals. Maybe last week scared them so they jumped on the weaker performances this week. The silly thing is that like him or not, he makes the show a lot more interesting. I’d be bored to tears if he was to go home tonight much like I was last season after Chris left. I do think a lot of him going home was the lack of an organized fanbase to vote. I’m finding out now just how organized the SP really was last season because Blaker Girls have adopted some of them. I was lucky to get 20 votes a night for Chris in, lol. I’m not making that mistake this season.
I’m not so sure TPTB are really against the idea of Blake being in the Finals.
Exhibit A: Last week when Blis broke up they made the point of letting everyone know how close Chris R and Blake are to help transfer votes from one fan base to another.
Exhibit B: I’m not so sure how accurate DI is this year but the results were pretty convincing this week. I will say there is so fuggin way Blake was in bottom 2, no way. So they place him as a “bottom 2″ with LaKisha to help rile up his already fervent fan base.
So to me it looks like TPTB do want Blake in the Final Two. He is not an outsider, he is an insider. It looks like the producers are playing his fans exactly the way they want to play them. Damn they are good.
Dave, have I told you lately that you are pretty HOT?
After tonight I agree they want him in the finale. They never said bottom two, but they made it look like it. They want Melinda out.
It’s not changing my voting habits, though. I am going to vote as much as I would have either way.
I will say he’s not an insider. He still refuses to do what they want him to do. They don’t want him to win.
Spot on Dave.
Anyone who watched Dialidol can tell you that prior to Sanjaya’s exit that Jordin was always on the low side in the final results so it is reasonable to assume that she is getting the Fanjaya vote. What a shame that Blake didn’t fall heir to that voting bloc; he would have the whole thing sewn up by now.
Oh man, I just love grassy knolls!!! I think that TPTB DO want Blake in the finals because they can’t deny that he makes for good teevee (not unlike Sanjaya). Love him or hate him, peeps ARE paying attention to him.
And, at this point in the competition, I think he’s secured himself a decent career in the biz, regardless of where he finishes (see Daughtry, Chris). Winning ain’t necessarily a guarantee of being the most successful or being able to do things your own way and be supported in that (see Hicks, Taylor).
Plus, while some fans who lose their fave transfer their voting fervor over to a second fave, many stop voting altogether. S5 I phoned it in for Elliott all season and then didn’t even vote once in the finals.