No American Idol spoilers here. I don’t want to ruin the festivities for our West Coast friends.
But if anybody wants to chime in about what happened on Idol tonight, let’s talk in the comments.
I’ll be the first one there.
:-)
Okay. I Need To Talk About It.
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Well, I’m here…I’m disappointed…..
Did I sense some…tension between Haley and Lauren? I just hate this time of year when nobody really deserves to go home.
1) I WEPT watching Scotty’s and Lauren’s hometown visits. I was so touched by their reactions and by the way their hometowns responded to them.
2) I’m totally fine with Scotty and Lauren being the top 2. I thought that they would split the country music vote, but tonight I thought about how the South loves to rally behind its own – and I don’t know why that part of the equation never occurred to me before.
3) I think Haley was shocked when Lauren’s name was called.
4) I wish Haley hadn’t given herself that little shout-out at the end of her farewell song. That may just be her personality, but it didn’t come across as gracious.
5) I’m a fan of gracious.
6) And that’s all I have to say about that. :-)
Well, I have to admit I fogged up when that sweet Scotty got emotional at the high school. I would have given him the title, there and then. Bless his time.
I had to do a happy dance. I didn’t realize just how much I wanted a Scotty/Lauren finale until they were deciding between Lauren and Haley.
I am totally with you on 1) above. Some of the most touching hometown visits ever. Ditto on 4) also.
and you are correct – Haley did not show good home-training at the end. She looked down-right stunned when her name was not called. Lauren was just standing there, hoping for a hug or something, and Haley was just staring.
@Cheryl – I think Lauren’s likeability factor definitely worked in her favor…Haley seemed to be a little more polarizing, you know?
@Pat – Your comment made me smile…can’t count the number of times I heard the phrase “home-training” when I was growing up!
I just don’t think I’m goiing to watch on Tuesday……and I honestly can’t say I was rooting for Haley to win……wasn’t that….but I thought she deserved to be there with what she has done this season…….vocally, she does things, tries things, performs things that Scotty and Lauren just aren’t capable of…….I honestly hope JLo isn’t back as a judge…..I want the judges to give constructive critiques……but they should keep their personal opinions to themselves…..they need to be Switzerland…….I thought when they said the number of votes was so high, I thought that probably did not bode well for Haley……I’m sad for her…..I don’t really care who wins……
Great point about the high vote count, Cheryl – because you have to think that a large percentage of those votes were from teenage girls, and that definitely favors a Scotty / Lauren match-up.
Yeah…it was the home training, wasn’t it?
She just wasn’t gracious AT ALL.
I’m very pleased with the results.
Is Haley the best singer? Yes!
But I just didn’t like her, and I think a lot of America felt that way too.
The way it all played out reminds me a little bit of “Survivor” – because if you win every single challenge but don’t have a social game, you’ll never be the winner. Haley made the most progress throughout the season and was the strongest last night (I thought), but she didn’t play the social game as well as Scotty and Lauren did (and I’m not taking anything away from S’s and L’s talent – I’m just pointing out what I think caused the final vote to fall out like it did).
I think a) Haleys music doesn’t appeal to the masses…it fits a niche and b) good manners go a long way and that’s all I’m sayin’ about that. Ok-one more thing… If Haley’d had a little less attitude in recent weeks I think she could have been there.
Because I tend to fast forward through the contestants’ reactions to the judges’ comments, I think I missed seeing Haley’s reactions that rubbed some people the wrong way. I’m gonna look up the last few performances on YouTube and check out what happened.
I definitely will agree with you about the polarizing personality…….my best friend and I have had some interesting discussions about Haley….my friend absolutely could not stand her……and to be honest, I probably wouldn’t like Haley personally…she just has earned my respect for the way she sang…………I agree with the character issue….it is obvious Scotty and Lauren were brought up very differently than Haley…….both of Haley’s parents are musicians…..definitely probably a lot looser in their child rearing………frankly, I felt bad for all three of them standing there……they all had to be sick to their stomachs………….and I’m sorry….I must have missed what Haley said at the end….????…..I guess I was in shock also!!!
I know everyone has had comment’s about Haley’s attitude…..mostly from her reaction last week…..and you know she probably could have handled it better…..but I don’t hold that against her….simply because I myself have seen Randy and JLo be very critical of her while giving a pass to a lot of other contestants….and I’m not trained for any of this but Scotty/Lauren were not perfect on their singing….and they just kept telling them how wonderful they were……it was week after week…….I think last week’s response was the culmination of too many weeks of getting the raw deal with them……..a lady I work with watched Idol every week but NEVER voted until last week….and she went and voted for Haley…..because of the things Randy and JLo said to her….she goes I was outraged….they crossed the line…………if you haven’t watched Haley carefully each week…..maybe you didn’t see that they had lots of bad words for her…….and not for others……so I just think last week was her pent up emotions from that happening too many times…..Maybe I can give her that break because I too, was frustrated with how they did her………..
Yes! I felt like Haley came across kind of like a smart ellick (sp?)when the judges weren’t super nice and that’ll turn people off quick.
Like I said on Twitter, as the mama of a little boy, there’s just something about Scotty that fills me with joy. His family is precious and they obviously love the Lord, and I just love seeing him live that out on TV. I’ve found myself so many times hoping my little boy ends up with that kind of public witness. And Scotty’s darn cute to boot!
I love that Lauren is also in the final two. Country music, for the win! WOOHOO!
Both of their hometown visits had me doing Oprah’s ugly cry. I was flat-out boohooing. What sweet kids! I’ll be happy if either of them wins, because I’ll be buying both of their albums, but I’m really, REALLY pulling for Scotty. I’ll vote for the first time this season.
Now, about Haley. I’ve never much cared for her. She tends toward the SHOUTY and I’m not a fan of the SHOUTY. And I’ve been uncomfortable with aforementioned little boy in the room and the bleeping of her profanity they’ve had to do. She doesn’t seem like much of a gracious loser and doesn’t seem to take criticism very well. Not the best role model. America got this one right.
I agree with you – Scotty and Lauren seem like really sweet kids…and they have seemed genuinely happy for each other’s successes all season long.
I am as pleased as I can be with the results although the great error in all of it is that James is not still there and in the finals. He so deserved to be there.
Being from Chattanooga, I’m all for Lauren, but we love Scotty too. Haley’s bad language, talking back to Randy a few weeks ago, the reports that she and Casey were inappropriate in the house, and her growling just really turned me off. I never could like her even though I do think she was the best performer last night.
As for the judges, I don’t think Steven Tyler ever says anything useful. JLo did encourage Scotty’s use of vibrado and Lauren’s going for it on big notes, and for Haley to choose a song that America recognizes. She at least gave them things to work on a few times. Randy, “in it to win it” and “a little pitchy” were overdone 5 seasons ago. I have wondered all season what Simon would say. I do like having Jimmy’s take on the performances b/c he tells what he thinks.
My prediction is that Scotty will win. Lauren still needs to have a big moment on stage. Hopefully it will be next week. I’m interested to see them both perform the same finale song.
I really like her voice – but I think I missed A LOT by fast forwarding through pretty much everything besides the performances and the judges’ evaluations.
I thought JLo really tried to be constructive the last few weeks. Randy gave Stefano constructive criticism, but since Stefano left it’s pretty much been the same generic advice over and over. And I’ve enjoyed the Jimmy stuff, too – but he didn’t do Haley any favors by picking that Fleetwood Mac song for her last night.
Confession: I just started watching this season of Idol last week. (Kind of like taking a helicopter to the summit while the rest of you climbed the mountain. Ahem.) SO: I had no history with Haley and my first impression was not a great one. Lauren and Scotty seemed humble, real and sweet. Haley? Notsomuch. Excited to see the country singing contest. (PS: What did Scotty whisper to Lauren when he hugged her after he won? It sounded like, “I know you’ll win”. Do they have history together?)
I could hear Scotty talking but couldn’t understand what he was saying. And the ironic thing with me (as far as Haley goes) is that I wasn’t that impressed by her for the first 8 or 9 shows – but then warmed up to her voice over the last 4 or 5 weeks (when she seemed to sort of throw up her hands and sing the stuff that she likes). I think she could have a really interesting career – hope she gets some good guidance from people who know what they’re doing!
Well, I wanted Haley to make it to the final two. Then I saw and heard a few things in the home segment tonight, the shout out at the end of her song and I thought, “Wow.” I agree with you. It didn’t come across as gracious at all. I don’t think Scotty is a strong vocalist at all and am wondering how he’ll fare if Lauren does what I know she can do.
I’ll be watching the finale through my fingers while Scotty sings. I.just.cain’t.watch.that.boy.sing.
I’m pulling for Lauren!
AND ANOTHER THING. Can we talk about way back in Hollywood week, when groups were picking on that sweet boy from Louisiana, and Scotty took a stand and said it wasn’t right? I tear up EVERY time I think about that. Talk about home-training! What mother wouldn’t just explode in glitter if her son or daughter did the right thing in a moment like that?
@mississippimama That’s so true…
Was it just me or did I not see Scottie sign any autographs? Maybe I missed it. You’re definitely right about the cute factor helping his chances, though.
And y’all. I’m southern. But I don’t think I can sit through an all-country finale. I’ll just pop by here next week to see who wins.
“Explode in glitter” !!!! I LOVE THAT SO MUCH!!! I’m adopting it into my everyday vernacular.
New here, but I’m just gonna dive right in. :) I grew to be a Haley fan over the past several weeks. I just like her voice. I like what she’s been doing. Not a fan of her personality so much (wasn’t aware of inappropriateness between she and Casey, but I didn’t like him at all. Reminded me of that guy from the Old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.), but I also feel like in that business some of that “attitude” is needed. Another thing I’d like to point out in addition to both Lauren and Scotty being from the south, they’re both from small towns. Chicago? Not so much. I think that went in their favor. I think a better final would have been Lauren and Haley.
I’m not a big Scotty fan, so I’ll be cheering for Lauren. Though I’m debating about watching.
@K&C’s mom – they’ve been going to school together while on Idol. As far as I know that is all the history they’ve got.
P.S. Please excuse my terrible punctuation.
@Beth That’s exactly right – the small towns ALWAYS rally behind their contestants, and I think it’s a big boost as far as voting goes.
I’m surprised Haley made it this far. I never cared for the raspy sensual stuff. Thought she would go before James. Didn’t seem like she had the fan base like Lauren & Scotty. I think Haley’s votes will swing to Lauren (girl to girl). Lauren wins. Scotty remains my favorite.
Loved the humble hometown hoorah! Touched me to see Scotty break down & cry like he did. They’re both so young & seem to be handling the instant fame very well. They seem to handle themselves so well.
Okay, I have to say the “guests” on the show were a mess! So unbelievably sensual. I wanted to crawl under the treadmill I was on—happened a lot for me this season. How sad on a family type show. I get embarrassed to say I even watch some of that stuff at times. I have enjoyed the genuine competition and big hearts these kids have shown toward each other and their talents.Have so enjoyed the music. Don’t know if these judges can make it for the long haul. And, throwing in the best for last, I love your blog. See you next Tuesday for the delightful showdown cause neither one has much to lose!
BooMama, can I ask you what church you attend in Birmingham? I’m asking for church attending purposes.
I am so proud! Both Lauren and Scotty have Scriptures on their American Idol page as their favorite “quotes”. Scotty and Lauren have both stood by their convictions. The South has stood by their two “kids”. AND last but not least….”God don’t like UGLY!” So glad Haley is gone! BooMama you have got to go back and see her in all of her UGLINESS last week! I think she had a chance before that, but America obviously doesn’t like UGLY either:)
One more thing….were you all singing Kenny Rogers’ song with Scotty last night??? That song choice was GREAT!!!! I told my husband it brought me right back to my mom’s Oldsmobile with the 8 Track Cassette player!!!
I will have to say I jumped for JOY when it was announced that Lauren made the finale with Scotty – I think Haley should have gone home when she was in the bottom 3 all those weeks in a row. Honestly, I thought the finale would always be Lauren and James. I have voted the past 2 weeks for Scotty and Lauren and I am excited to see a “country” finale – I think both will do great! Carrie Underwood has outsold all past American Idol finalists/winners – and I’m sure both Lauren and Scotty will do just as well.
I do think the judges have not been as harsh on the contestants this season. I think Lauren and Scotty’s problem is their age and they are not as comfortable on stage as Haley, James, Casey, Paul, etc. Hopefully that will get better soon (like by Tuesday! ha!). You have to understand their is no limit on votes so for those who have unlimited texting (not me) can vote as much as they want – which leans toward the under 18 crowd.
While I am way late on the discussion, I have to agree with everything already said – Haley did grow on me and the chances she took but I saw a big ol bucket of ugly in her when Pia got voted off. She had the biggest grin and she had the same look when James was voted off. I’m still steamed about both of them being gone. After watching Haley’s stunned ‘you got to be kidding me’ look, it clicked with me as to why she was so relaxed the night before – she thought she had the whole thing in the bag. And her snub to Lauren? Not cool! Hope her serving of humble pie will chill her attitude out as she does have a lot of talent.
:: At the risk of a possible Overreaction-Resulting-in-Regret comment ::
Scotty’s hometown visit warmed my heart. His humility made me cry a little.
Lauren’s trip home was nice. I appreciated the inclusion of storm damage footage.
And then I was assaulted by the Scherzinger / 50 Cent “performance”.
Reaching for the remote to fast-forward, I hit Pause instead. And I thought for a minute about the families in my neighborhood that I knew were watching AI together tonight. And I turned off the TV, heartsick.
So the producers think this is appropriate for early-ish prime time entertainment? Okay, then. I’m done. Call me a prude [insert SNL church-lady face here], but I hated to think of Scotty even walking back on that stage.
[And now I'm thinking... when the heck did I even get comfortable with the name of the show?]
Rant over. Sincerely,
“Convicted” =/
I lost interest in Idol a few weeks back but I do like Scotty – so much poise for a 16 year old. But, am I the only one who thinks he looks like a cross between Clay Aiken and Alfred E. Newman?
haha jill – very true!
musically, james deserved to win it all. he was extremely talented.
have never been a scotty fan. he’s just hasn’t shown himself to be very versatile. i.e. all his stuff sounds the same.
haley – cocky, rude.
lauren – with the right “handlers”, she could really go far. i just hope the industry doesn’t sully her.
Gracious seems to win votes, apparent by the outcome. Lauren and Scotty both have alot of graciousness (is that word?) and class..Haley, hum??
My girls and I were DYING/CRYING during Scotty’s homecoming! Also loved sweet Lauren’s. Haley had a great voice that has grown on me over the weeks but I could not stand her cocky attitude and I think that hurt her. We Southerners don’t care too much for “city-fied” attitudes! Also, the guest dancer/singer was way over the top…both my young 20 year old daughters jumped for the remote to change it!
@Beth – your Casey = Yukon Cornelius comparison made me SNORT! Thanks for the morning giggle!
We have been bored with AI this season. I hate to say it, but I miss Simon. While he was harsh, he at least challenged the singers to improve themselves. Sick, sick, SICK of Randy and his “you worked it out”, “yo’ dog” blathering ad nauseum.
JustBetty: I am w/you!!! And I’ll be sending my thoughts directly to the TV station….SOOOOOOOOOOOO inappropriate.
AND I cringed at the thought of Scotty being in the audience and then having to go back onto that very same stage…..ugh.
I want to say I loved reading all your comments. The ones that were not Haley fans articulated themselves very well and were spot on with her nasty attitude. Maybe we would have all loved her if she grew up in the greatest part of this nation, the SOUTH. She would have been taught humbleness, graciousness, and one of the greatest assets most southern have for them, southern charm.
Not sure if I am even going to vote Tuesday night. I love Scotty and Laureen equally.
@Terrie – Your comment made me smile. :-) I think there are gracious people all over the country…and we all have our share of not-so-gracious, too. Though lots of people in the South do seem to stress the importance of being polite, I don’t know that any one region has a lock on good manners (my last trip to the movie theatre here in B’ham was a prime example of that). However, I think it’s pretty obvious that Scotty and Lauren are both warm, loving people. Haley probably is, too – but maybe it just didn’t come across as much on television.
Can you tell I’m trying really hard to give her the benefit of the doubt? :-)
I didn’t get through all the comments yet but I agree with what you said about it being like Survivor, Sophie. I do absolutely love Haley’s voice. She also grew leaps in bounds in my opinion. At one point I didn’t think Haley had what it takes to even get as far as she did but she pushed through and proved herself. But I have to say that her attitude turned me off quickly. Very quickly. Therefore, I absolutely did not want to see her win. Perhaps this experience will humble her and she will come back stronger all the way around.
I’ve loved Scotty and Lauren from the beginning. I did not, however, think Scotty would make it this far just simply because I figured America wouldn’t go for a country music guy. I felt that he and James were very strong all along and was shocked when James left. {I don’t like metal, but James was way up top in this show i my opinion. Plus he didn’t just sing metal on the show. It’s just that I know that’s his fav genre.}
Scotty and Lauren apparently have {as said above} good home-training. They show humility, not expecting to win, seemingly. They just seem genuine. LOVE Lauren but I do think she probably needs some growth vocally. She’s grown throughout the show, though. I’ll be thrilled with either one of them winning.
Ya’ll said everything, I agree with the two finals. I loved their hometowns. I thought Haley was ugly acting…especially at the end when her parents were there to comfort her and she just couldn’t stop her relationship with the camera! I fast-forwarded the Nicole-50 cent garbage but…but…but…NO ONE mentioned the In Vo La or whatever? Wow…I thought they were fantastic…I am not into that kind of music but when one hears voices that beautiful…oh my….I really enjoyed it!!
JustBetty, I appreciate much your comments. I was watching with my youngest. She is FOUR! NO, to that post hometown visits performance. JUST NO! I agree with the title. I’ve never liked it. Tried to ignore it. Even the videos they’ve been showing–NO! JUST NO!
I love the judges this season. I love how they’ve worked together ‘overall’. BUT, I am beyond sick of Steven’s bleep, bleep, bleeping. It’s just not necessary. It’s sad that they are allowing it when younger family and friends are in the audience. Sad.
It’s not ‘just’ that Scotty and Lauren are such warm people. They both are amazing vocally, however, their personalities, and again, ‘home-training’, makes it easy to pick them.
I haven’t been a fan of Haley’s since day one. Something didn’t feel right. Last night, after her performance, her shout-out confirmed my gut instinct of her. I love Lauren and…. watching Scotty cry as much as he did made me see that he is genuinely grateful for this experience and fully deserves his spot. Sometimes I still wish they’d throw a wrench and bring back Paul to fight for the title. I miss him, dearly!
And one more thing…was anyone else disturbingly disturbed by Nicole Scherzinger’s performance?!?!?! Thank goodness my 10 year old was already in bed. My fiancé and I were DISTURBED! So much for family TV.
I have never been a fan of Haley’s and it has nothing to do with her singing. Yes, she is very talented and I even enjoy hearing her sing.
It’s her desire/attempt to be sensual EVERY.TIME.SHE.SINGS that drives me crazy!
I think she made a decision very early on that she would be “the sexy one” and it just comes across as sooo wrong. As a mom of a young teen girl, it breaks my heart.
With that said, I think Scotty and Lauren are the right top two and I’ll be happy no matter who wins.
What is becoming more and more apparent with Idol, is that young elementary age girls are really influencing the vote. I am fine with Scotty and Lauren. As a 51 year old woman, I probably would have chosen Pia, Casey, James or even Paul. Both Scotty and Lauren are sweet, sweet kids and hopefully will be really great role models. When Lauren met that little boy that had saved his baby brother from the tornado- Goodness. My husband and I both cried. We both said simultaneously. ” They put him in a new shirt and tie.” it was so touching.
So on that note, Idol is a mixed bag giving mixed messages to young girls. ( Here I go again) Every single singer that has hit that stage, other than the young Italian boys, have gyrated, been suggestive, worn skimpy stuff, and overall given the wrong message. Young women/ girls are just being fed too many conflicting messages. No wonder they are confused.
Stepping off my soap box.
Totally agree – loved Scotty and Lauren’s reactions to the hometown visits. But the most telling thing was Haley’s reaction when Lauren’s name was called – she just stood there like she was stunned that she wasn’t selected. Maybe she should have been but lots of times in life where you need to pull on your big girl panties and smile like you mean it. Or react like James did when he was voted off.
What did Haley say at the end of her song last night, anyways? I couldn’t make it out….and I can’t find on the internet anyone who actually put it in text for America to read.
My opinion: Haley had the best voice, but the worst attitude and was the most unlikeable. It’s a shame that she isn’t a nicer person – because she was definitely my favorite singer.
Also – I think she fell victim to the Adam Lambert curse – going up against more wholesome people always gets you voted off. She got bleeped out too much and showed off her boobs too often. Morality surprisingly goes a long way on Idol voting…
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