I agree. Bo's is the first AI CD that I will buy.

Icey bounced my Dicey

>I agree. Bo's is the
>first AI CD that I
>will buy.
>

Me Too!

"Evil" Dr. Will: Reality Show Legend!

Well, I can't say that because I have Kelly's first CD. But I will DEFINITELY be buying any of Bo's CDs.

New from Sigs by Syren!!

I agree that Bo will outsell the other idols...if they let him do the right kind of music.

I liked Kelly in the first year but they pop-starred her after she won so the music that she did on the show has not been what has been offered. So I have not bought any of Kelly's music.

Please, record producers, and Simon, if that is you--please let Bo be Bo!!! We want the 70's rock redone by Bo! Not some written for AI songs that are not his genre.

I think Bo will win it. He has led in the most recent polls taken on AOL etc.

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Bo for the win.

And does anyone recall the mysterious poster who posted a few weeks back that this year a guy would win but don't ask them how they knew, they already said too much....or something like that?

Was Simon's nod to Carrie a reverse psychology move?

Or does Simon really think Carrie would win?

Or was it to sell a few extra thousand albums no matter whether Carrie wins or not? So if Bo wins, then he can say that Carrie was as much a winner, etc., etc..

Those who are saying they think Carrie will win, but would want Bo to win....are you saying that to prepare yourself in case Carrie does win...or do you really think Carrie will win?

Also sign me up to buy Bo's songs--I'll probably do it through itunes but I will buy nonetheless.

i want Bo to win, but based on the songs last night, I think Carrie will win. The two "original songs" seemed more geared to Carrie than Bo.

Although, I did hear something this morning about the chance that they'll declare a statistical dead heat and declare them both winners. And since they have such distinctly different styles, this won't be a bad thing.


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I am the polar opposite of you.

I want Carrie to win, but I think Bo will win.

There's no way they can delcare a dead heat. Last weeks vote came down to 2% differnce. They have to declare a winner (even though they'll both be famous).

In the end, those of us that walk away winning, win more than just a loss - Audrey, Apprentice loser

LAST EDITED ON 05-25-05 AT 10:43 AM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 05-25-05 AT 10:42 AM (EST)

My pick is for Carrie to win it, and here is why...

1) We had a lot of new viewers last night as there was nothing on the other networks at the same time as Idol. Carrie did a better job last night than Bo.

2) There were less then 2% of the votes dividing Bo and Carrie. Bo's fans are vocal, which makes you think he has a lot of support. I think Carrie fans are more quiet.

3) Country sells more than rock. Country fans will vote for Carrie.

4) Carrie is in trouble, and more Carrie fans have a tendancy to vote more often than Bo fans, who vote once and are satisified he is going to win.

I like Bo. I think he is going to be very successful, but for the betterment of his career, I don't want him to win. Why? Because I don't want Randy producing his album and I think Bo needs to take the process slower to make a better album. Carrie is still young and giving her a already produced hit is something she needs to start off her career.

"The Simon of the Wabash Valley"

Bo's fans are vocal, which makes you think he has a lot of support. I think Carrie fans are more quiet.

A radio DJ that was at the show said the crowd was about 70% Bo, 30% Carrie.


New from Sigs by Syren!!
Keep lookin' up, cuz that's where it all is. o-

>3) Country sells more than rock.
>Country fans will vote for
>Carrie.

I don't get where this comes from. There is not a single country artist in the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart or in the top 20 of the Album chart. Not one. However, there are many rockers mixed in with the pop/R&B/rap.

The album chart lists the Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Bruce Springsteen, the Killers, and Green Day in the top 20. The singles chart has the Killers, Green Day, and 3 Doors Down in the top 25. I would think that if country outsold rock there would be a country act or two in the hot 100 or in the top album sales.

Just sayin'.

I'm such a slut for the blues.

Green Day's not really rock though. More pop than rock.

I think Bo will win and he should. My reason is he is a much better performer. Also, if you noticed the song "Inside your Heaven" is the song that will be released on the radio. Now who did a better rendition of that song? Bo won that one. I think he has a much bigger fan base and I personally do not think it is as close as they are saying. Remember last year they said Diana and Fantasia were so close now you hear this year it was a landslide. We will see tonight but my money is on Bo.

Also, if you noticed the song "Inside your Heaven" is the song that will be released on the radio. Now who did a better rendition of that song? Bo won that one.

Bo did do a better job of it last night, but I really would rather hear Carrie singing that song over and over and over and over again on the radio. I wanna hear more rock/blues stuff from Bo.


New from Sigs by Syren!!
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Is the voting still open?

"3) Country sells more than rock"

Can that possibly be true??? I've never bought a country CD!

I'm rooting for Bo. Even though the last song Carrie did last night was amazing, her first song was TERRIBLE!! The second not much better. Bo has been consistantly great. Ever notice how much the audience loves him??? He is the better performer (Carrie looks like a wooden doll up there) and he would be a fantastic American Idol.

Bravegirl,
I agree with you 100%. Bo is the better performer. OK, some people may appreciate Carrie singing a song on the RADIO but would you pay big dollars to see her in concert?? I think this is where Bo should beat her. The girl once again was a wooden stick on stage, you would think by now after how many weeks on television she could loosen up more. She should have no excuses by now except the fact that she prefers animals to humans.

Doubtful that country sells more than rock. Here is an article from last year--note this key quote:

"One of the things I like about country music as a genre is that it is so small that a couple of records can make a big difference," added Mr Grady.

-----------------------------
Article from 7/14/2004:

Country music sales climb in US
Country music sales in the US have risen by more than 10% in the last year, thanks to a wave of new artists, industry sources have said.

The rise of 11.2% has led to a "sense of optimism", according to Luke Lewis of Universal Music Group Nashville.

"The really good news is that new artists are contributing in a big way," said Mr Lewis.

The new wave of artists includes Josh Gracin and Gretchen Wilson, who topped the country charts for several weeks.

"The pick-up in sales is not attributable to a couple of big superstars. The sales are spread out among a lot of different artists," said Mr Lewis.

Country upsurge

Six of the artists in the Top 25 of the Billboard album chart on July 10 were new country acts: Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, Josh Gracin, Julie Roberts, Dierks Bentley and Josh Turner.

Four other acts - relative newcomers Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts and the more established Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith - are also in the upper reaches of the album charts.

Last year, The Dixie Chicks, one of the biggest country acts in the US, sparked controversy when singer Natalie Maines criticised US president George W Bush at a concert in London, shortly before the Iraq war.

Some radio stations refused to play their tracks, and Bush supporters burned their CDs in protest.

Maines subsequently apologised for the phrasing of her remark, but maintained that she had the right to criticise the president and his policies.

Strong debut

Gretchen Wilson's debut album Here for the Party has sold almost two million copies after only eight weeks in the charts.

"That was a big surprise, and it represents a couple of million units that nobody thought was going to be there," said John Grady, president of Sony Music Nashville, Wilson's record label.

"One of the things I like about country music as a genre is that it is so small that a couple of records can make a big difference," added Mr Grady.

In the first six months of this year, more than 31.3m country music CDs were sold, compared to 28.1m sold in the first six months of 2003, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/music/3892581.stm

Published: 2004/07/14 10:14:33 GMT

And here is the same article with more detail--this one is from CBS news in July 2004. From this info, no way country outsells rock.

Note that country is around 31.3 million units out of 306 million units from this key quote in the article--so country is about 10 percent of what is sold in albums:

"Country sales reached 31.3 million units through the first six months of this year, compared with 28.1 million units for the same period in 2003, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Overall albums sales also were up, from 286 million units to 306 million - a 6.9 percent increase"

----------------------------

New Stars Lift Country Music Sales
NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 13, 2004

Last summer, country music's hottest act, the Dixie Chicks, was in a meltdown. Country CD sales were sliding and record executives were praying for a spate of holiday releases to perk up the industry.

This year the mood is sunnier on Music Row, with country sales up 11.2 percent, a strong lineup of late-year releases on deck and CBS set to air a two-hour country music special Wednesday.

"There's a sense of optimism," said Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville. "The pickup in sales is not attributable to a couple of big superstars. The sales are spread out among a lot of different artists. The really good news is that new artists are contributing in a big way."

Six new artists were in the top 25 of Billboard magazine's July 10 album chart: Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, Josh Gracin, Julie Roberts, Dierks Bentley and Josh Turner.

Relative newcomers Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts were there, too, as were Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith -- two more established artists who've recently reached superstar status.

Wilson has become a phenomenon, topping the country charts for several weeks and hanging near the top of Billboard's overall album sales chart. Her debut album "Here For the Party" is approaching double platinum after only eight weeks on the charts.

"That was a big surprise, and it represents a couple of million units that nobody thought was going to be there," said John Grady, president of Sony Music Nashville, Wilson's record label.

"One of the things I like about country music as a genre is that it is so small that a couple of records can make a big difference," Grady added. "Kenny Chesney had that huge run earlier in the year, and of course now Gretchen has done really well."

Country sales reached 31.3 million units through the first six months of this year, compared with 28.1 million units for the same period in 2003, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Overall albums sales also were up, from 286 million units to 306 million - a 6.9 percent increase.

It's a sharp turnaround from last summer when the Dixie Chicks were seeing a backlash from fans after singer Natalie Maines made a disparaging remark about President Bush at a London concert shortly before the Iraq war.

After sales of the band's discs plummeted and some radio stations banned their singles, Maines apologized for the phrasing of her remark. But she continued to say she had the right to criticize Bush and his policies, and the group has yet to regain favor with country listeners.

Also blamed for the poor sales were an ailing economy, a dearth of releases by blockbuster artists - especially compared to the flashy releases of 2002 - growing competition from DVDs and video games and illegal downloading from the Internet.

When the final numbers were tallied for 2003, country sales were off nearly 10 percent.

One reason for country's improvement, says Joe Galante, chairman of RCA Label Group/Nashville, is the state of pop music.

"There really isn't any popular music out there for adults," Galante said. "If you look at the top 10 records, nine of them in terms of singles are hip-hop. No disrespect to the format, but what do you do if you are a 40-year-old woman, or a 35-year-old woman, and don't want to talk about (OutKast's) 'Hey Ya!"'

New releases by several top-tier acts are expected to continue the upswing. Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Shania Twain, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney are among the artists either putting out new material or greatest hits packages in time for Christmas.

"We haven't even seen our big guns yet," Lewis said. "I think the best is yet to come."

The genre also should get a boost from "CMA Music Festival: Country Music's Biggest Party," set to air 9-11 p.m. EDT Wednesday on CBS. The first-time show is a collection of highlights from last month's four-day Country Music Association Music Festival in Nashville. It captures performances by new artists such as Wilson and Bentley as well as established stars like Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride and Willie Nelson.

If the two other network specials that feature country music - the annual award shows by the CMA and the Academy of Country Music - are any example, artists will see a spike in sales. After the CMA awards aired last November, the Billboard top 75 country albums chart had a nearly 170 percent weekly increase, according to the CMA.

"No doubt it will help," Galante said. "It's a two-hour commercial for a lot of acts and for the city of Nashville at the same time."

By John Gerome

Thanks for the info Zazzy! I couldn't imagine that country would sell more than rock n roll!

I voted for BO and have been rooting for him the whole season.
But I think Carrie will win and here is why;
The voting lines were open for 6 hours late into the night.
This means that the winner is the one who had more spazzed-out re-dialings fans that stayed up all night voting. I'm sure both of their lines were completely filled up probably the first three hours, but the answer lies in whose fans you think were more likely to stay awake and keep voting the second three hours.

On the other hand (and I'm not up on exactly how tween-agers are begin parented these days).

I wonder with the later hours if that doesn't favor the person that appeals more to the older group. The most obsessive also (if my memory of 10-20 are correct) are also more likely to be the younger teens that probably had school the next day and no way would I have been allowed to stay up to 1 am voting on the phone.

I just have a feeling the most rabid Carrie fans may be young enough that they were the ones on the line for the first hour or so after the show ends. Thinking back to Clay vs Ruben. I think more of the rabid Clay fans would have been of the group being forced to bed long before voting was over than Ruben fans, and Ruben edged it out. Same with Fantasia and Diana, come to think of it.

But then again, maybe all the young teens get to stay up to 1 am these days.

Are hormonal middle-aged women that believe he sang "Vehicle" especially to them --

(when everyone should know he was singing to ME *ahem*)

-- and can easily stay up until midnight to dial the buttons off their phones

Wonder if Bo will be able to live with himself now that he has sold out.

Moves courtesy of Syren

I don't think he sees himself as having sold out. He just has a bigger audience to sing for now.

Of course, that may change with an album fulla carp like they had to sing last night.


New from Sigs by Syren!!
Keep lookin' up, cuz that's where it all is. o-

>Who do you guys think will
>win? Most of us want
>Bo, but who do you
>think has it?
>I want- Bo
>But I think Carrie will win
>it...
>
>What do u guys think?

See now I think the opposite. I think Carrie deserves it, but that Bo will win.

In all the years past I was always certain who was going to win. I picked Fantasia right from her audition. I picked Ruben from the audition and Kelly, she was always a favorite after her big band performance. But this year, the 2 finalists are so different. It is like comparing apples to oranges. One is rock and the other is country. I like them both. Both are humble and not cocky, both seems to be gentle, good souls. Let me be the bad guy for a moment, I was thinking, How many rock singers do we know that have a 1 man show? Barely a handful. You had Elvis of course. They today there is Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp and who else, I can't think of anyone else. There just isn't many. It is very hard to be a one man rock group and I definately think he is good enough to pull it off in the long run, but will it really last? On the other hand, Carrie, a country singer. There are scores of coutry women at the top of the country charts. I think she could definately have a huge country career. But she may get lost in all the women stars. I personally would benefit more from Bo's record. I don't like country and I love rock. So personally think Carrie can definately singer better, she is just so effortless, no matter what she singes, her voice is always amazing, she will become a star weither she wins or looses, BUT I think Bo will win, because he is rock and America wants to see a rocker win and rock is more mainstream and he is really really good, the acapella was amazing. But for the record, Carrie can sing better-technically.

FTR, Sting began in a rock group (the Police) and Jon Bon Jovi is in a rock group. It's called Bon Jovi, but it most certainly is a group (just ask Richie Sambora). As for solo rock artists, does Bruce Springsteen ring a bell? Guess what? He has a band, too. All rock artists do, whether they are considered a solo act or rock group. Pretty hard to do a rock show solo, with no band at all. Bo will have a band. Heck, Bo already has a band he's been playing with for years. I really don't get the point you are trying to make about that.

I'm such a slut for the blues.

USA Today Poll as of 3:30 CST:

Bo 62%
Carrie 38%

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-05-24-idol-recap_x.htm

Please don't take this as support of either Bo or Carrie, but can you really believe a 'Bo vs. Carrie' poll which comes directly under the headline "A vote for Bo Bice - You know it's Bo."

Talk about unscientific.

The sort of person who would read the article "A Vote for Bo" is obviously the sort of person who would then cast a vote for Bo in the poll.

For instance, if the headline were "Star Wars Sucks" and then the poll beneath it said: "Does Star Wars Suck?" I have a feeling that "Yes" would outdo "No" by a wide margin (whether or not Star Wars sucks.)

Check out AOL Poll

"CARRIE LEADS THE AOL POLL"

Bo 50%
Carrie 50%

I don't know who is going to win but I think its going to be alot closer then alot of people expected....

I think (hope) that Bo will win. From my conversations with other viewers, he has gained a lot of fans. Suprisingly, even the younger crowd digs him. I've been a huge Bo fan from early on, and while I want him to win, I would be OK with Carrie winning. She's a pretty young woman with a lovely voice and a sweet disposition. I think she has a good career ahead of her.

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