Simon always says you sound like you are on a cruise ship. I have been on many cruises and most of the entertainment is fantastic and way better than the idol contestants. A friend of mine is an opera singer and she sang on a cruise ship. The theme for two weeks was opera and the ship was packed. Has Simon been on any cruises lately? His cracks about hotels and karioke bars etc are getting very old. These kids are singing their hearts out. I know Simon tells the truth as he sees it and to be honest I think he is the one they listen to but to use other areas of the entertainment industry to belittle them is insulting to everyone.

• RE: Simons insults re cruise ships etc. ,kahanasunset, 09:51 AM, 05-14-05
• RE: Simons insults re cruise ships etc. ,Harrison, 04:56 PM, 05-15-05
  • RE: Simons insults re cruise ships etc. ,okaychatt, 06:27 PM, 05-15-05
• Depends on the cruise...,tamarama, 05:49 PM, 05-16-05
  • RE: Depends on the cruise...,LibraRising, 12:42 PM, 05-17-05
    • RE: Depends on the cruise...,Harrison, 02:48 PM, 05-17-05
    • RE: Depends on the cruise...,tamarama, 04:14 PM, 05-17-05

Agreed, but whaddaya expect Simon to say? Go on a cruise instead of watching American Idol? In the past, it was a real slam to be told you're only cruise ship material. (The way distant past.) Now, some of the best talent out there is on cruise ships (not to mention dinner theatre, local productions, etc.) When my daughter was in high school she was a dancer in "Best of Broadway", a popular high school production these days.

The talent in that show was amazing. I couldn't believe these young kids. Every single one of them was awestrikingly amazing at singing.

In my experience, the entertainment on cruise ships is tollerable, but I've never once been tempted to purchase a CD by one of these acts. They are lounge singers that landed a good deal and rarely more than that.

Often the acts seem pretty good because they are literally the only thing going on in "town" at the time. When you're competing against a night in the casino or cable TV in a cabin, you're going to come off well.

Cheesey, adequate and forgettable are words that come to mind.
I don't think the folks at AI are looking for that kind of Idol, though they've certainly found it in the past...

<When you're competing against a night in the casino or cable TV in a cabin, you're going to come off well

Good one, Harrison. We just returned from a cruise, and though a couple of singers were ok and the sets were pretty, the performances were entirely forgettable.

I'm with Simon on this one. The real, one-of-a-kind, in-depth talent tends to be elsewhere.

Everyone is entitled to my opinion.

I'm sure the talent on the higher-end cruise lines is fairly decent, but over all, cruise work is not desirable, and not the best thing for your resume.

In my days of 'full-time' performing, I did some of those crappy dinner theater jobs...yes, they're crappy.

Some of the folks I worked with did cruises too -- these are people who couldn't get cast in community theater shows back home, but because they're willing to be homeless, live in schmitty conditions, and make almost no money -- they get hired for cruise work.

It's still a step above the dreaded "passenger talent show," however.

A kyngsladye/IceCat masterpiece.