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X-Factor USA |OT| Welcome back, Simon

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Jinfash said:
Praise the lord, Simone and Trolliver are off the show! The 3 remaining girls are 5 million dollar material, but I was surprised to see Drew outshining the other two. I have to give it to Leona, she was right all along.
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Drew is the only potential star I see. Melanie has an amazing large voice but its in the mold of voices that were relevant 20yrs ago...

Rachel is just a terrible singer...I like the judges hints that she should get off the stage and on to some sort of kids TV show...
 
I think the only act as polished as Drew last night were the Stereo Hoggz. They'd been completely off my radar, but they perfectly straddled the line between contemporary relevance and 90s homage. It was actually quite remarkable considering it was their first live show.

EDIT: Just noticed that the Stereo Hoggz were the only act to get a standing ovation from Simon.
 
I finally saw some clips. They got rid of the over-the-top performance intros with booming fighting game announcer voice aka the best part of the show.
 
Stereo Hogz were a major surprise. Weren't they the cheesy group, with overly rehearsed and outdated choreography, and praised for their B2M-like harmonies, even thought it never sounded like it at all, or am I thinking of another group?

Because that act seriously threw off my judgement about the groups.

Back to the girls, again Simon did a fucking smart decision by eliminating those two. He finally has a group of likable and relatable teenagers a lot of girls would have no problem voting for. People like Simone and Tolliver, on the other hand, would never get the support of that demographic. I mean seriously, Simone, what were you thinking?

Speaking of "what you were thinking?" I just LOVE how shamelessly she pimped her single. That was genius lol.
 
Of the boys, Marcus is the only one I can see having a chance. Chris Rene doesn't quite have the talent and Astro is too cocky. America will knock him down a peg or two when it comes time to vote.

Of the girls, I like Melanie's voice best, but I can see Drew sneaking in depending on song choice, etc. Rachel has spunk and can boom that voice, but she needs a little more polishing.

Of the oldies, as much as I like Lewis and Stacy, I think Josh is better. Fabulous voice. I think he'll struggle in the voting if he continues to look like he bathes in burrito grease, though.

Of the groups, Stereo Hoggz impressed this past week, but I like Lakota Rain. I liked that when they got thrown together, one of the girls opened up her house to them so they could start working together. In short, I like the work ethic and I think it has paid off for them. Intensity is Glee all over again without the talent. I suspect they'll be out first.
 
Either Simon is trolling or he's a moron. He let through two shitty singers while sending more talented people home so that the numbers would tune in to hate on them. That must be the reason. Otherwise his respect has dropped significantly.

Also, I want to hate Astro because he's not actually singing in this singing competition. However, I'd like to know if he's writing his own lyrics. Because if he is, someone needs to sign that kid quick. I love how he's fitting his style into existing songs and making them completely his own. It's almost an unfair advantage over everyone else who has to sing the lyrics they are given.

The over-30 contestants are basically a pity party for Nicole because she knows she'll be irrelevant and unemployed soon too.

I loved the abuse those judges were slinging at each other last episode. When L.A. said something like "I still don't understand what you're thinking" to Simon, I was hysterical! The day they announced which judges are getting which groups, I knew that this competition would come down to Simon vs LA and they are going to hold no punches.
 
Mumei said:
For someone who hasn't been watching this, have there been any stand-out performances I should seek out?
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Drew
Melanie


Yep.

AVclub said:
I loved the abuse those judges were slinging at each other last episode. When L.A. said something like "I still don't understand what you're thinking" to Simon, I was hysterical! The day they announced which judges are getting which groups, I knew that this competition would come down to Simon vs LA and they are going to hold no punches.
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LA was brutal to Simone. It was awesome. They pretty much all hated on her and said 'She isn't worth 5 million'

It was awesome.
 
Dude Simone Battle was awful. And she was awful during the other shows too. How the hell did she get through.

Simon deprived us of more DAT ASS for Simone Battle? UGH.

On another note, can I convince all of Lakota Raine (especially the brunette, omfg hot) to be my sex slaves. Okay thanks.
 
Astro is going to own this show. As long as he can keep doing what he does and doesn't have to try and sing, he should dominate.

Melanie Amarro or whatever couldn't handle that Whitney song. It wasn't at all awful, but that song owned her.

Little spunky girl SUCKED this week. Totally completely sucked. Got by on her charms and history.

Stereo Hogzz came off as a bit weird. I think it was just a mish-mash of stuff that didn't really gel together. Lots of potential.

Drew ruled. She's my #2 to Astro.

Burrito Slanger did well.

inTENsity actually was pretty good.

...everyone else, meh.
 
Leona Lewis said:
They're all here. I highly recommend Dexter's "Womanizer/I Kissed a Girl" mash-up and Thia's awesomely nuanced, not creepy at all rendition of "Sweet Dreams"
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Thanks!

I watched some of them... I wasn't much of a fan of the two you mentioned (sorry!), though. I liked Drew, though it did seem like the two performances there were rather samey just in terms of feel. I didn't really like Melanie; I think it's probably because I really do like the girl-with-a-huge voice archetype and I find myself comparing her unfavorably to other singers in that vein from past and present. And her versions are too similar for me to dispel the urge the make the comparison. Astro was fun, though I wouldn't have any interest in actually listening to the music he would put out. I liked Josh, though he needs to do ... something about the hair and buttoning his shirts. :|

Haven't listened to anyone else yet.
 
Leona Lewis said:
I think the only act as polished as Drew last night were the Stereo Hoggz. They'd been completely off my radar, but they perfectly straddled the line between contemporary relevance and 90s homage. It was actually quite remarkable considering it was their first live show.

EDIT: Just noticed that the Stereo Hoggz were the only act to get a standing ovation from Simon.
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The reason they suddenly got good is that someone gave them hard advice to just let the main guy do all the singing.

RubxQub said:
Astro is going to own this show. As long as he can keep doing what he does and doesn't have to try and sing, he should dominate.

Melanie Amarro or whatever couldn't handle that Whitney song. It wasn't at all awful, but that song owned her.

Little spunky girl SUCKED this week. Totally completely sucked. Got by on her charms and history.

Stereo Hogzz came off as a bit weird. I think it was just a mish-mash of stuff that didn't really gel together. Lots of potential.

Drew ruled. She's my #2 to Astro.

Burrito Slanger did well.

inTENsity actually was pretty good.

...everyone else, meh.
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I don't think rap is a good fit for the show because outside forgetting lyrics, it's a lot harder to mess up. In any case, I don't think the voting audience for this show is going to like Astro as much as L.A. Reid does.
AngmarsKing701 said:
Melanie Amaro. Her last one had a little pitchiness, but her initial audition was flawless.
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Pitchiness isn't a word. It's a Randy Jackson-ism for "singing off-key," "missing the notes" or when they choose to be precise (which they never are) either being sharp or flat.
 
Mumei said:
I watched some of them... I wasn't much of a fan of the two you mentioned (sorry!), though.
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That's because they were actually the worst. I was just playing with ya :-p

I totally agree about Melanie - she's technically competent and certainly has potential, but her rendition of Whitney was so safe that it compared unfavorably to the original (and many covers since then). I hope Simon lets her sing songs that allow her to avoid that "me-too" feeling, but that's unlikely considering his tastes.
 
Leona Lewis said:
That's because they were actually the worst. I was just playing with ya :-p

I totally agree about Melanie - she's technically competent and certainly has potential, but her rendition of Whitney was so safe that it compared unfavorably to the original (and many covers since then). I hope Simon lets her sing songs that allow her to avoid that "me-too" feeling, but that's unlikely considering his tastes.
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There's no way in hell Melanie is going to win. She's just not interesting enough. And she's falling into that "diva/belter" trap where they give her the most boring pop/R&B ballads to sing JUST because she can sing them. Singing Whitney is not going to win you the competition.
 
Leona Lewis said:
That's because they were actually the worst. I was just playing with ya :-p

I totally agree about Melanie - she's technically competent and certainly has potential, but her rendition of Whitney was so safe that it compared unfavorably to the original (and many covers since then). I hope Simon lets her sing songs that allow her to avoid that "me-too" feeling, but that's unlikely considering his tastes.
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Argh

I wondered what on Earth you meant by "not creepy at all" while I was watching it. :|

Anyway, I agree. The problem with Whitney in particular is that she probably had the most powerful mid-range chest belting of any singer in popular music in the last few decades, at least. Picking a Whitney song when you can't belt like that (or even close) is like, I don't know, picking a Mariah song when you have a two octave range; if you don't change it somehow you're bound to be compared and compared poorly.
 
Leona Lewis said:
I think the only act as polished as Drew last night were the Stereo Hoggz.
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While Drew's voice and cadence are aurally pleasing, she is so far from polished it isn't even funny. Unless one is willing to consign a 14 yr old to an entire career of sit-down lullaby songs (not trivializing her, she's one of my faves), that is. If she's going to win this thing she's gotta move and get people to move at some point. That one little vocal trick isn't going to win it for her by itself.




Angry Grimace said:
I don't think rap is a good fit for the show because outside forgetting lyrics, it's a lot harder to mess up. In any case, I don't think the voting audience for this show is going to like Astro as much as L.A. Reid does.
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He's not gonna sell records, period. 21st century kids are not going to be excited about someone rapping like it's 1994. Dunno why they're still stringing him along, tbh.

Also, LOL @ LA Reid in general on this show. Every week he manages to sound less in tune with modern music. I realize his group was somewhat weak to begin with but the only marketable talent he has is Burrito Guy.
 
Alright, watched a bit of the live show and WTF at LA Reid screwing Lomax over? I honestly thought the guy has an amazing voice and yes the song choice was bad, but was that not down to Reid? How could Astro or even the junkie go through over Lomax? Sigh. Sometimes man, I just dont get it.
 
qcf x2 said:
While Drew's voice and cadence are aurally pleasing, she is so far from polished it isn't even funny. Unless one is willing to consign a 14 yr old to an entire career of sit-down lullaby songs (not trivializing her, she's one of my faves), that is. If she's going to win this thing she's gotta move and get people to move at some point. That one little vocal trick isn't going to win it for her by itself.






He's not gonna sell records, period. 21st century kids are not going to be excited about someone rapping like it's 1994. Dunno why they're still stringing him along, tbh.

Also, LOL @ LA Reid in general on this show. Every week he manages to sound less in tune with modern music. I realize his group was somewhat weak to begin with but the only marketable talent he has is Burrito Guy.
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Burrito Guy is with Nicole. LA's best is Marcus.
 
shahkur said:
Alright, watched a bit of the live show and WTF at LA Reid screwing Lomax over? I honestly thought the guy has an amazing voice and yes the song choice was bad, but was that not down to Reid? How could Astro or even the junkie go through over Lomax? Sigh. Sometimes man, I just dont get it.
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Maybe because a guy with a lounge singer voice just won America's Got Talent this year (undeservedly, IMO) and they set Lomax up to fail so they wouldn't have to deal with that comparison in the voting.
 
CrazyDude said:
Interesting stuff about Stacy Francis. It seems like she not only sang at birthday parties for Tom Cruise and for Broadway, but also sang with Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston.

http://perezhilton.com/2011-10-28-stacy-francis-broadway-history-work-with-oprah-winfrey-whitney-houston-adam-lambert-lies-the-x-factor#.Tq9gELJv9rk

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/10/x-factors-stacy-francis-sang-with-tom-cruise-at-2004-party.html
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My wife was telling me about this. To me it basically doesn't matter because before this show I had no idea who she was, and she can actually sing.

Probably got a little preferential treatment for sure, but soon that won't matter and she'll have to fight her wait to the top like everyone else.
 
RubxQub said:
My wife was telling me about this. To me it basically doesn't matter because before this show I had no idea who she was, and she can actually sing.

Probably got a little preferential treatment for sure, but soon that won't matter and she'll have to fight her wait to the top like everyone else.
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The problem is that she presented herself as somebody who never had a chance to make it big.
 
JCX said:
How do we go about sending Nicole to the X Factor UK and keeping Kelly Rowland here?
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How about we just forget about both and get the judge that was supposed to be on the show?

2q3n4sx.jpg
 
CrazyDude said:
Interesting stuff about Stacy Francis. It seems like she not only sang at birthday parties for Tom Cruise and for Broadway, but also sang with Madonna, Prince, Whitney Houston.

http://perezhilton.com/2011-10-28-stacy-francis-broadway-history-work-with-oprah-winfrey-whitney-houston-adam-lambert-lies-the-x-factor#.Tq9gELJv9rk

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/10/x-factors-stacy-francis-sang-with-tom-cruise-at-2004-party.html
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Wow lol. I guess those were some serious crocodile tears she kept crying.

BTW that is a horrible, horrible job on Take My Breath Away, goddamn. Actually her vocals sound terrible on all the songs there. Tom Cruise loving it though. :P
 
CrazyDude said:
The problem is that she presented herself as somebody who never had a chance to make it big.
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That's a rather huge grey area so I don't have a problem with her previous career. I mean, that's really the point isn't it? Just because she was singing broadway or birthday parties (or whatever) doesn't mean that she 'had her chance' with the general public. I don't know of anyone who has ever heard of her.

Interesting as well, the "damning" 2008 concert flier that Perez is using to indict her also shows Adam Lambert...well prior to his American Idol exposure/fame. And yet Perez doesn't call him out for the same fraudulence? Its all rather stupid. The point of these shows is to give these artists access to the public at large who can then either embrace or reject them. Francis never had that before.

No problem with it at all.
 
offtopic said:
That's a rather huge grey area so I don't have a problem with her previous career. I mean, that's really the point isn't it? Just because she was singing broadway or birthday parties (or whatever) doesn't mean that she 'had her chance' with the general public. I don't know of anyone who has ever heard of her.

Interesting as well, the "damning" 2008 concert flier that Perez is using to indict her also shows Adam Lambert...well prior to his American Idol exposure/fame. And yet Perez doesn't call him out for the same fraudulence? Its all rather stupid. The point of these shows is to give these artists access to the public at large who can then either embrace or reject them. Francis never had that before.

No problem with it at all.
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I agree...total nontroversy
 
Leona Lewis said:
This word will now enter my everyday lexicon. Thank you.
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The word did come to me on its own when replying, but a quick google search showed an urban dictionary entry, so i can't take full credit ;-)
 
Simon ready to manipulate us, which means X-Factor is on.

EDIT: I have a question: do the judges pick the songs for all of the contestants?
 
MIMIC said:
Simon ready to manipulate us, which means X-Factor is on.

EDIT: I have a question: do the judges pick the songs for all of the contestants?
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I think so. Even in the judges' house round.

Damn, didn't realize Paula was so short. Her proportions look so wrong...
 
Lead guy's vocals definitely were not perfect, but damn they're entertaining. Best group by such a ridiculous mile.
 
This isn't that great so far, kinda sloppy compared to how on point they were last week. But then again, maybe it was just the song. Was that N*SYNC?
lol.gif


And based on AI, singers bathed in red lights during their performance have a bad track record voting-wise for some reason.
 
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