The 12 Dumbest Comments to Date from This Season's American Idol Judges
6. Ellen
The Comment: "Just try to feel the song a tiny, tiny bit more if you're going to do a song like that."
Spoken to: John Park, after his performance of John Mayer's "Gravity"
Pitch Problem: The issue with selecting the worst Ellen quotes is they're generally bland and meaningless -- neither memorably bad or good. If she has any continued problem, it's that she waters her criticisms down so as not to offend, or even disagree with anyone in the room. John Park botched his John Mayer performance, and all Ellen offered was this senseless bit of "advice." "Feel the song a tiny, tiny bit more?" I'll get on it?
5. Simon
The Comment: "You've got to look at someone like Justin Bieber."
Spoken to: Aaron Kelly, after his performance of The Temptations' "My Girl"
Pitch Problem: Simon muttered it under his breath, but by God, he said it. Justin Bieber is a cooing R&B/pop 16-year-old. Aaron Kelly is a 16-year-old country-pop singer with a penchant for old folks' material. This means Simon has never heard a Justin Bieber song, because there's no comparison here. It makes sense to compare contestants to successful artists, since ultimately they'll compete against one another, but it makes no sense to compare two singers based on age and gender alone.
4. Kara
The Comment: "It's a happy song! Because you're a happy girl. No "Landslide," depressing song. It's not for you. This is for you. Happy, smiling people -- Lacey Brown."
Spoken to: Lacey Brown, after her performance of Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me"
Pitch Problem: Imagine if a male record exec said this to a young chanteuse. It would sound so satirical, so caricatured, and so hackneyed that the guy who produced The Brady Bunch's "Johnny Bravo" would seem jarringly real in comparison. Also, Kara, the REM song is called "Shiny, Happy People," if that's what you were referencing.
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Comments
"How disturbingly literal. If Paige is “smiling,” that means she doesn’t understand the song?"
Uh, if it's an angry song, and there's no anger behind the smile, then yes, that's a good indication that she didn't connect with it. Would you want someone breaking into a big grin while singing Eleanor Rigby? You Oughta Know? Top of the World?
If you really wanted some bad comments, how about the universal praise Lily was given after she butchered I Fall to Pieces? (Which also featured some inappropriate smiling.)
Lol, Crystal is the truth and the light and the way.
It seems to me that the judges try too hard to not step on any toes while giving constructive criticism. When Paul was a judge, she would sugarcoat too often to be straightforward. Simon definitely more straightforward, but I think he's been asked to soften up because he is not as direct as he used to be.
david- you're right about lilly's version of i fall to pieces... no smiles should've been in that song either, so why wasn't she criticized like paige? b/c it's all b.s. and gut instincts and kara is too busy trying to push her lips out to look full, and trying to connect with anyone but her husband to 'get it right.' she's a d.b., or, as my friend likes to say, a cocky w-bag.
With the judges focusing so much on "interpretation," it seems puritanical and limiting to rag on someone for getting too smiley. There's more than one way to interpret a song, particularly a singalong number like "Walk Away." It's not "You Oughta Know," where the lyrics are an evisceration. In fact, the line, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, just walk away" is downright unassuming.
Am I the only one who thought the whole ripe banana comment by Ellen was stupid! I can't believe it didn't make the top 12.
I find the judges were very harsh and mean the first 2 weeks of semi finals and soften up on the 3rd week. Ellen was so bad the first week as the first to judge with very limited vocabulary of 'great' and 'adorable' and tended to side with the other judges when asked again. I find her useless.
Kara should be told not to keep going because the more she carry on, it's the KISS of DEATH for the contestant. She acts like a prosecutor exacting a death verdict in absolute dismissal how unconscionable the contestant is in rendering a bad performance. She should leave it to Simon and just focus giving constructive critique. Kara is very destructive in ending a contestant's dream. She gave that KISS of DEATH to Alexis Grace last year when she dismissed her, "You have lost your edge, right?" How can one redeem oneself after that?
Simon has softened up but it's too late for some. Their confusing and contradictory advices have warped the natural talents and belief of the contestants in themselves. And they heaped undeserved praises. You can see through their hidden agenda.
Mr. Virtel, I don't picture you as the small town grocery store type . . .
I think Kara's comment about "smiling" is the most telling moment on Idol. That is the main problem> Everyone is worried about being "pitchy" so no one bothers to actually feel the song... Siobhan Magnus singing "Paint it Black" was technically perfect but completely soul dead.
Many of the greatest singing artists of our time were pitchy all over the place. Who cares about technique when they rock your world?
Justin screams like a sissy girl on this video. He is so childish yet. LOL!
http://www.vida.tv/video/Justin_Bieber_Sissy_Girl