His latest proposal: we 'choose' the bottom three via our lack of support and the judges decide who goes home from there. (In other words, votes are only advisory suggestions with no binding power. He'll get those colonies yet!) So basically, he wants to install the Dance model, dictate the script even more than he currently does, give the Worsters their next-to-final insult, and sing his happy I Don't Care song all the way to the bank he owns. And the song will be pitchy.

Nigel is known for speaking more lies than Chris Harrison on a promotional bender, but -- well, it's not as if he could really think any less of us...

Pia already has a record deal. 12,000 copies: the final sales frontier!

• RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,MarkP, 09:07 PM, 04-10-11
• RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,csnumber23, 11:58 PM, 04-10-11
• RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,JoJo B, 09:51 AM, 04-11-11
  • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,Snidget, 10:14 AM, 04-11-11
  • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,Estee, 11:52 AM, 04-11-11
    • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,JoJo B, 01:57 PM, 04-11-11
      • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,Estee, 03:02 PM, 04-11-11
        • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,JoJo B, 03:34 PM, 04-11-11
          • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,Snidget, 04:24 PM, 04-11-11
            • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,JoJo B, 04:40 PM, 04-11-11
          • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,jbug, 04:26 PM, 04-11-11
            • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,mrc, 11:36 AM, 04-13-11
      • RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,mindy23, 01:06 PM, 04-13-11
• RE: Nigel masters American democracy.,Belle Book, 04:41 PM, 04-13-11

They would have to get new judges since these three can not take a stand on anything. Imagine them having to send someone home every week?

I would stop watching the show immediately. These judges are pathetic, everyone is great every week. As soon as Randy tries to criticize one a little, Jennifer jumps in and has a fit. They are paying Steven Tyler like 40 million to sit there and say you were great to them all every week.

This week they said everyone was great so how were we to vote? Then they act like idiots and have a fit because Pia goes home. Well, who should have went? They said everyone was great, well someone had to go!!

Pia already has a record deal. 12,000 copies: the final sales frontier!

I am confused. I always thought that no one could sign a deal until after the winner was crowned, and then released their CD first. Then all the others followed. I read some where that they were going to rush her into the studio and get something released ASAP. If that is true, then why bother going through the rest of the season? Why don't they just sign everyone and let the records sales decide who the real winner is?

There were noises about the changes for Season 10 and one of them was about releasing tracks during the season rather than waiting for everyone to forget who these people are before the music starts coming out.

Not all the noises pre-season ended being changes we are actually seeing, but they did discuss changing the no one releases anything until the winner's post tour CD comes out.

In this case, the deal is with Interscope, which means Jimmy Iovine met her backstage and handed her the papers before she could recover enough to consider reading them. The rules may be a little different when working with AI's own people -- or he may have it in his contract that he gets the first pick of those heading out the door.

And I heard they were rushing her into the studio as well. Gotta hurry before that notorious short-term memory of the American public hits its limit.

I don't have a problem with her getting a deal. We all know that was going to happen anyway. My problem is that they want her to record and release prior to the end of the season. To me, it's a big slap in the face to the other contestants.

So, what I would like to know then, is if anyone who gets outed, can get a contract.... exactly what does the winner get that makes them special?

I don't know what kind of release date they're aiming for: a good collection can take a few months to put together, but 'good' isn't necessarily the target here. (If you want to go conspiracy theory, her first track may have been written two hours after she left her audition site.) It would take a lot of scrambling to get a full album released before the end of the season: earliest likely projection would be summer.

As for what the winner gets, that's easy: they get the title. No matter how poorly they sell, no matter how quickly their career tanks, they get to be introduced as the winner of American Idol for the rest of their life or until everyone forgets why it was supposed to be important, whichever comes first. They don't necessarily get a career or so much as a historical footnote, but they do receive a credential -- at least until Nigel rewrites history again. (Apparently Chris Daughtry won his season. Who knew?) And ultimately, that title may be all they wind up with.

It could easily be argued that for the majority of seasons, the runners-up outpace the winners: if we've proven anything to date, it's that the people the viewing public vote for aren't necessarily the ones the buying public pay for. But gosh, they didn't win... and isn't that what was really important?

Probably not. I think the real goal for most of the contestants is Get far enough that someone, somewhere will believe I can make them a dollar and hope the paperwork shows up accordingly. The winner gets their own contract -- a very ugly one -- but the losers ultimately have more flexibility, and possibly even more control over any resulting career. (The question of 'should I throw this game?' has probably come up at least once.)

But for a few, the driving goal is to become The American Idol. That's the hope, that's the dream, and that's the only reason they show up here instead of another singing contest.

Most of them get culled during auditions.

And ultimately, that title may be all they wind up with.

The last few seasons have proved that to be very true!

I think the real goal for most of the contestants is Get far enough that someone, somewhere will believe I can make them a dollar and hope the paperwork shows up accordingly. The winner gets their own contract -- a very ugly one -- but the losers ultimately have more flexibility, and possibly even more control over any resulting career. (The question of 'should I throw this game?' has probably come up at least once.)

Other than Chris Daughtry, and perhaps Jennifer Hudson ( her music success is a bit sketchy.. she got lucky with Dream Girls), what other non-winning contestant has come to enjoy a successful career? For that matter, what winner since Carrie Underwood has really had any top of the charts success.. none that I know of.

Depends on what you mean as success. A fair number are making enough money so they don't need a day job. And to be fair a good number of AI alums aren't interested in the mainstream get big radio play kind of music but just making a normal amount of money you can live off of can be something many people never get.

I think that people can make a living at their music even if they don't win makes it worth being on the show for a lot of people. Probably get better talent with the also rans getting contracts than if they could somehow make it so only the winner can ever work in the music industry.

Depends on what you mean as success.

I was thinking of success in terms of mainstream radio play. I do realize that there are a lot of past alums that are doing other things and are successful in those areas. I guess I am just stuck on the fact that to be the "winner" or even runner-up they should have some kind of record sales... and it hasn't been the case as of late.

It's seems, they are better off not winning.

what winner before or since Carrie Underwood

fixed that for ya

Kelly Clarkson

>I don't have a problem with
>her getting a deal.
>We all know that was
>going to happen anyway.
>My problem is that they
>want her to record and
>release prior to the end
>of the season. To
>me, it's a big slap
>in the face to the
>other contestants.
>
>So, what I would like to
>know then, is if anyone
>who gets outed, can get
>a contract.... exactly what does
>the winner get that makes
>them special?

Exactly!! And as we've seen in the past, more ousters have done well, while the 'winners' have drifted into no-man's land, so, why not just give them a head start while we're at it???

Actually, I kind of like the idea. Of course, it would really work if the Bottom 3 singers had to sing for their lives before the judges deliberated. It would certainly make it less likely that people like Sanjaya from Season 6 would outlast much better singers.