Top THIRTEEN?! Wasn't it supposed to be TWELVE?   

That's what is so odd. I figured Anoop would be the FIRST one picked and was totally shocked when they chose Jasmine, Megan, and Matt. I didn't think that they were picked in order, they just had four spots... although all the viewers thought initially there were only three.

I guess that I like Jasmine MUCH more than Megan, but I still don't see anything special about Matt. I don't actually like the other Matt that much either lol. I have several favorites, and I base it on their likeability as well as raw talent, confidence, and showmanship, because a live competition is about all of it, not just one.

it's all about money... imagine how it will rage anoop's fan to state something like he is because of mercy, not talent... really, if this is an all singing showdown, and the judges will shut up... i think anoop can stay

Hmmm. I guess that I just disagree with the choices the judges made and seriously feel that America would not have chosen the way they did. I wouldn't think it was such a big deal if it was not so out of left field. Megan does not have a great voice and she doesn't really scream 'sellable' to me. Jesse Langseth did, and so did Mishavonna. I actually like Joanna Pacitti but people keep telling me that the issue there is that she KNEW the producers... so I guess you're not allowed to know people involved with a competition you want to be involved in now.

oops sorry.. because of my internet i posted this comment twice

Are you talking about Kristen? I didn't think Kendal was terrible but not top 12 either. See, I wish I could vote online for Idol, I would. I also wouldn't keep doing it over and over and over either. I'm not into 'stuffing the ballot box' because it takes way too much time. In lieu of the online vote casting, yep, all carriers need to be accepted. I have unlimited texting, I don't see why I should be able to get in on the action!

*shouldn't*

That's right, make me go look it up! Yes, Kristen. You're right, if Kendall had gotten in it would have been on looks more than singing!

Hehehe! Oh yes, the final curtain on the Tatiana Show-Soap-I-WAS-born-to-sing... YES. LOL! I don't see anything wrong with her getting an offer to sing or act or something, but studio, nothing live please and thank you. At least she can be edited so she APPEARS halfway normal. Live shows cannot be edited!

Thanks for the nod on Mishavonna. I loved her... I loved her original audition, and the background that she had tried last year and then gotten cut before hollywood, and her second chance this year. She seemed so seasoned and professional already, I hope maybe somebody saw her and will offer her something just based on what they heard. I didn't actually watch the episode with the last round of performers, I only saw the clips when they were doing the votes for the last group before wild card, so I may be the only one who didn't actually see Felicia Barton sing. I remember being kind of let down by the last group of contestants, the best ones were in groups one and two (in my opinion) except for Lil and Scott - and what do you know, who gets chosen but Lil and Scott lol.

What I love about this group is that they are so unique, for instance when I think about some of the girls, I enjoy them for different reasons. Alexis is so different than Allison, and she is very different from Lil. It's going to be hard to make a choice because it's like choosing an apple or an orange, there is nothing 'the same' about any of them. I could say the same about Danny, Adam, and Anoop for instance. I love them all, but for very different reasons. I wouldn't have wanted to judge either, talk about tough choices. Lil is easily much better than Jasmine, but she's a little bit older and maybe more seasoned, and it shows.

season 8 is already showing. qtv. up to date. it's fun. and bittersweet, with the stupid tatiana....go go go!!!

Ramiele? I really liked her . I liked Sanjaya too though... hehe. Not everybody gets a nod from a record producer or talent scout but many of them do, so I think AI is a great tool for exposure for people who are trying to break into the recording industry. Sometimes I think that it's just as good if you DON'T win but make say.... top 6 or whatever because the contract with AI is very strict, I don't think you get much creative control. I could be wrong, don't quote me, but I think people who get more creative control usually own more of the whole thing than the record company, and it's just not slanted that way for an idol contestant. It's not meant to be, and I do think most of the contestants know this and accept it before signing on for the contest.

As far as saying the wild card picks are 'not good enough', I say that in reference to who WASN'T chosen by the judges and in one case who wasn't even IN the wild card pool to begin with. I'm not saying they were not GOOD, but in comparison to a few more deserving contestants, no, they were NOT 'good enough'. Like I've mentioned before, it is a package. Can they sing, yes, but are they marketable? Do they blow you away? Do you want to see more? Would you buy an album? Would you go to a concert? This is what I'm talking about. Just because someone can sing on key and likes to sing does not mean they fulfill those other things.

great to hear that you like ramielle and sanjaya too though i am not too concerned if you like him cause he is not filipino. as packaging goes, it is the most important thing i think in being a successful singer. i think that ramielle has the packaging but what lacking is the voice power. i think her voice is not strong enough to be a good singer though the quality of voice is there. cause i think her voice is sweet. but her voice has limited voice range. it is not that flexible as like the idol winner in her batch who i forgot the name. how is his album doing now. has he new album again. is he able to become a successful like the former idols who got many successful album.

LOL! I always think it's funny when someone talks about where someone is from, I mentioned Sanjaya mostly because he was someone I liked and a lot of people didn't. I don't really care much whether someone is filipino or a certain nationality, does that really matter? All that should matter is talent and presentation, and ultimately how motivated the contestant is and whether they display that emotion in their singing.

on the first few season of AI i really didn't like the show. cause i feel the show is too foreign and too americanized and doesn't have any international appeal to me that is why it really matters if there is a filipino cause it makes me feel that the show is not any more exclusive for americans and makes me feel what the show is really for. when there is no filipino before i just feel that is just another US singing contest and nothing more. and so i think that a filipino in the final 12 really helped this program to gain popularity here. cause there are so many singing contest here locally. and no one really bothered about AI cause we had too much singing contest. and only the filipino in the final 12 made the locals here give this contest a notice and watch. cause there were curious how a filipino will be able to fair among other contestants as we all know that americans are really good singers.

it is not because that we care much about the nationality. it just makes us more at home with the show with a filipino on it. but we don't have problem patronizing other americans show even without a filipino on the cast except only on this singing contest. but now that we are much familiar with this AI now and i think that people now here watch it even without filipino contestants in final 12. but for me it really lessened my interest to watch this show if there is no filipion at all on the top 12.

Ok, I guess that makes sense from your viewpoint. I don't honestly think that deeply since I am American and I live in the US lol. I do like to see a variety of singers (or contestants say in a dance competition etc) but really to me what makes them interesting is how unique they are. I'd rather see 12 people who are all very unique and different than 12 people who are so similar you feel like you are seeing the same person perform over and over, know what I mean? I think there is a lot of talent everywhere, no matter where someone hails from, American singers are no more talented than filipinos or folks from australia or someone from russia lol. Since AI is an American-produced show though, I guess being able to know US top hits and sing well in english is important...

LOL! I liked Jason Castro because he was different. I'm not usually into folksy type rock but he grew on me. It seems strange to me to say that looks do figure in, especially when the contestants are 17... I mean I have a 17 year old. I guess it IS true though. A live show does incorporate the looks factor, and it should. It was funny to see Jason's brother come to Idol this year, I was actually disappointed that he didn't make it.

I like what you're saying about the voting, in some ways I do think it might be good for the judges to have the final say when it's clear a good performer is getting shafted. Of course with the popularity of the whole VFTW (vote for the worst) and the way THAT whole thing has taken over people who hate Idol anyway, I'm not sure how well it would work lol.

I'm looking forward to it also, Ju'not could have replaced Matt easily... or even the FIRST Matt. I like Danny too, I look forward to seeing what he can do

Don't get me wrong looks matter but sometimes it appears to out way the talent. And your right there is alot of vote for the wrost. I was excited to see Jason's brother as well but they never really showed him other than the initial audition. So makes you kinda wonder if he really could sing. I'm not sure how well the voting would work out either but it just seems something about it has to change.

Kinda getting away from the top 13...what about the judges this year? Mainly Paula and Kara, Paula is cracking me up just like last year. She sounds like a 13 yr old boy hitting puburity sometimes. Kara has something about I just can't figure out. Rumur is Kara is there to replace Paula for next season. I hope they don't do this only cause I think Paula is a great element to the show. And her tiffs with Simon are classic!! Randy just cool!

LOL! I do not think looks should OUTWEIGH the talent, no way.... but I do think that things like personal stylists are important as the competition goes on. Some of the contestants are not shopgirls and wardrobe kings, so that can be part of the problem. Also, I noticed a lot of the judges telling people this year that they just didn't know what kind of artist they were, lots of them asking 'WHO are you, WHO do you want to be? Show us.'

It's one thing if someone sings rock and is rockish, has that vibe, dresses that way, carries themselves that way, but when you have a girl with purple and blonde hair and she has a great voice but what she sounds like doesn't match what she LOOKS like, of course the judges (and us) might feel like she has an identity crisis lol.

I was just disappointed about Jason's brother because I thought he DID have a good voice. There is actually a LOT of raw natural talent that shows up at the first auditions and it must be hard to narrow it down. The biggest problem is say you get 20 EXCEPTIONAL contestants from one venue... you know, like when they go to Jacksonville FL or whatever. Then they move on to somewhere in Texas, say Dallas. They get 20 more EXCEPTIONAL contestants. There is no guarantee that just because each group is the best of the best from their locale that they are also better than the other group, or individuals in the other group.

Ahh... the judges! Paula has been a fixture on AI from the beginning. I love the play between her and Simon, not sure how much of it is candid and how much is edited but it is funny either way. Ryan Seacrest is about on par for me with Jeff Probst (Survivor) as far as annoying, they both do a great job of annoying me. Think 'AFTER...the break' and 'immunity is BACK UP for grabs'.. *snicker* I swear the two of them make quite a team with their overused phrases there. I like Kara but I don't know anything about her. Is she a singer? A producer? I know she is something in the music industry but I must be stupid or out of the loop because I thought I should know WHO she is and I don't. I do like her though, she is more like Randy than Paula and in general not like Simon, and I like the fact that we have Randy who is fair and actually offers CONSTRUCTIVE comments, Kara who does mostly the same, and Paula who stumbles a bit.... at least it balances out Simon of the nazi-nasty-destructive comments lol. I definitely do not want Paula to go away, but I'm not sure how many more years this show can continue. I guess indefinitely because there are so many people who want to get on it lol.

You and I are very much on the same page its quite funny to me. You are so right about Ryan, I honestly have never seen survivor so I cant agree or disagree with your comparison. But Ryan's AFTER...the break has gotten so old. Not that I can think of another way to do it but it is very annoying. Kara is a song writer if I'm not mistaken. Or at least something more along those lines. They said it on the very first day I think but they only talked about it briefly. I think the show will go on for as long as its rating allows it to. They can allows find talent so I think that is safe its just how long can they keep it interesting enough to draw people to it. I honestly did not start watching it until last season, but that has a lot to do with me work schedule more than anything. Either way I almost think if they don't keep Paula then it wont stay much longer. I only say this because she has so much personality and such a big fan base that I dont think Randy, Simon, and Kara could keep it interesting enough. At least thats my thoughts If shes not there next year I might still watch it to see how it is without her.
This has been really to discuss with you by the way....thanks

LOL Yeah your the same as me . I didnt care for tatiana either . But adam and danny are great. I love adams rendition of satisfaction. ANOOP DAWG in da house lol I love that guy.

I like Alexis, Allison, and Lil lol! I just realized that the top 13 is MOSTLY guys this year. I guess my pics for the guys - Adam, Anoop, Danny. I like Kris and Scott too though. I could honestly take or leave the rest.

LOL! I just left you a comment this time . Anoop caught my interest the first time, as did Adam. I think it's going to end up being between Danny and Adam even though there are some girls to watch. It's not like in previous seasons where you have 5 people and they are all similar. Among them this year they are so different, so many different reasons to like them so it's going to be hard to choose.

I really like Anoop too... I just feel that Jesse and Mishavonna should have made it instead of Megan and Matt. LOL! I also do not feel that if they had done 3 spots instead of 4 that would mean Anoop WOULDN'T have made it. I don't take the fact that he was chosen last as any indication that they made an extra spot FOR him. I think Anoop was a guaranteed certainty even before the judges began showing their pics for wild card.