‘Idol’/'X Factor’ coverage migrated here
For fans of the AJC “American Idol” blog, the content has migrated here.
There is also a dedicated page for “Idol” fans here. As I’ve already done this week, I’ll be tracking “X Factor” as well.
And for folks who normally read this blog and have no interest in “Idol” or “X Factor,” no worries. My coverage of other radio and TV-related topics will continue unabated.
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197 comments Add your comment
JTesla
September 27th, 2011
4:39 pm
Sam-A, I’m visualizing something out of the movie Misery.
Sorry Harriett, I lost track of all the new shows. I just know that the wife is burning out the DVR. Shas done some very complex mathematical calculations to record every show she wants 2 at a time when there are 4 or 5 in the time slot. I think her solution to that problem involved the mastery of Quantum Physics.
Rickster
September 27th, 2011
4:43 pm
Followed by “Eight Days a Week,” “Your Loving Flame,” “Really Love You” and “The Back Seat of My Car.”
Branch Loveless
September 27th, 2011
4:45 pm
The new show I want to check out tonight is “Ringer”; yes, I was a big “Buffy” fan! Love that Sarah Michelle!
Sam-A
September 27th, 2011
4:52 pm
You’d certainly rather “see”it than “hear” it. I don’t think even auto-tune could help me!
Sam-A
September 27th, 2011
4:53 pm
good evening one and all
Rickster
September 27th, 2011
4:56 pm
It’s a good thing that that the super-secret, undisclosed, well-armed, highly secure but oh-so-comfy bunker is heavily soundproofed.
Of course… the serenade would work into my plan to hold Sir Paul for ransom. He’d definitely pay to get out!
Rickster
September 27th, 2011
4:58 pm
Have a great evening everyone. I’m a getting outta here.
Branch Loveless
September 27th, 2011
5:00 pm
Bye, Sam-A. See ya, Rickster. You two kids have a great evening and stop agreeing with each other so much!
I’m outta here for a little while, also. Zzzzzzz time!
Deirdre
September 27th, 2011
7:25 pm
Y’all are doing so great! Rodney would be proud! Page 4(actually page 2 on the old blog)and not one truly obnoxious post yet. “What the….?” doesn’t count. Way too mild-mannered!
I just got my mom’s TV Guide in the mail today and there’s lots of new shows still to see. JT’s description of his wife’s quantum physics with the dvr is exactly what I’ve been doing. I get the feeling that Mrs JT and I would get along very well!
JTesla
September 27th, 2011
8:59 pm
You probably would. She almost got me roped into Terra Nova, there is a reason I was avoiding it. The father/son drama was enough to get me to walk away, but otherwise a very well done show.
So, how do they communicate with the future if the gateway is one-way? Did someone step through and go “oops I can’t get back” and everyone on the other side just decided that they weren’t disintegrated or warped into the middle of the planet or worse yet warped to a realm filled with Nancy Grace’s mommy bags?
Deirdre
September 27th, 2011
9:17 pm
Be careful, JT or I’ll post that picture again………it’s science fiction…suspension of disbelief and all that….and teen boys are notorious for father/son conflicts…believe me, I know! That was the most realistic part of the whole 2 hours!
Other than that, it was just good fun. Ask Mrs. JT.
JTesla
September 28th, 2011
12:28 am
Oh I liked it, my favorite TV show right now involves a time traveler in a small blue police box, so suspending my disbelief isn’t a problem.
The father son thing was just too cliché for me, I’ve seen that type of realistic too many times. For me it’s become akin to “framing”, where the main character is framed for something and they have to clear their name to friends and the world. Blech I will not watch any movie that I know involves that premise. I just hit a point where I decided that I’ve had my fill for life. No more for me thanks. So ‘angst riddled teen son rebelling against a dad who is really trying’… nope. That woudn’t force me to stop watching Terra Nova though, it is just that I don’t want to get sucked into a new series.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
7:02 am
Morning!
No angst ridden cliches for JT…sort of like no sad animal movies for me. We all have our standards.
I taped Glee last night but I fear I might not be watching it much longer. What started out as a clever show with great musical numbers has deteriorated quite a bit, imo.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
7:58 am
Good morning!
I quite agree about Glee, Deirdre. It lost me midway through Season Two. It just was not the same show and began taking itself way to seriously. I loved the bitchy wife/student crush thing, and the tension with the pregnant girlfriend,unrequieted love thing. They could not sustain that, and I know it, but somehow something got lost along the way. I watched for fifteen minutes last night and then turned to something else.
I watched Unforgettable at 10. Meh.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
8:05 am
The creator of the show seems to want to turn it into a campaign for human rights. Not a bad thing at all but he’s so heavy-handed about it that the fun has gone away. Sue Sylvester, who started out as a funny adversary has turned into a monster, Kurt’s story, so warm and gentle, especially with his dad, now starts to grate on my nerves. His boyfriend is so talented but too perfect and all-knowing for a hs kid. And while the slushie attacks were funny and had a point in the first season, wouldn’t hs tormentors have moved on to some other torture by now?
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
8:10 am
As far as the new and returning shows are concerned; The Walking Dead returns Oct 16th. Homeland, a new show that looks very interesting(with Damien Lewis and Claire Danes)begins Sunday on Showtime. And Hell On Wheels brings westerns back to tv and I WILL be watching it when it begins on AMC in Nov. Hubby has been hoping for a new western. He liked Deadwood a lot on HBO. I hope this one lives up to the promise.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
8:11 am
Exactly, D! I was thinking about the Kurt story line too. The thing with his dad was heartwarming. I don’t believe the boyfriend as the hs kid either. And, I do not like the Sue character at all any longer.Sad, because I was definitely a Gleek the first year. Don’t care at all now.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
8:13 am
I know it is not new, but I am now a fan of Parenthood. Have not watched enough to know all about each relationship, but enough to have enjoyed the past two times I watched.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
8:28 am
TV Guide is also picking the hits and misses from the first week of new shows. So far, The Playboy Club is the only solid “miss”(who didn’t see that coming) X-Factor is listed as “Jury is still out”, with this quote:
Cowell built up The X-Factor as an American Idol-like ratings death star that would crush everything in its sight. It didn’t happen.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
8:37 am
I have watched The Playboy Club both times it has been on. I did not think it was great, but not as bad as all that. It will be interesting to see what happens with Simon’s show and his vendetta.
Woodpappy
September 28th, 2011
9:15 am
Hey I just saw wher David Cook is coming to Athens Classic Center in late October to do a show…
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
9:19 am
I watched the Sarah Michelle Gellar Twin thing first show, but it didn’t excite me enough to return (and it runs against “What Not To Wear” which I’m addicted to). My sister said it’s gotten much better but so complicated that I would be totally lost to try and watch again. Tried to watch the one with the guy trying to prevent crimes before they happen, but after 20 mins I was bored and moved on. Not at all excited about “X Factor”, but will watch a couple more before I ditch it. I think that’s all the new shows I’ve watched. Just finished “Food Truck Race”, which I really like, and “Closer” which I adore. Looking fwd to (or already enjoying) new seasons for “Walking Dead”, “Amazing Race”, “Chuck”, “Hawaii 5-0″. I’m having the same DVR problems. Seems like a couple nights are jam packed with stuff, and my DVR only records 2 shows, and while I’m supposed to be able to watch a 3rd, it ain’t happenin’! And try to get info from Comcast – haha! I’ve called a hundred times trying to get help setting up PIP – and still don’t have it or a clue how to get it going!
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
9:25 am
I have Comcast and only 2 shows can be recorded at the same time and you have to watch one of them. Makes no sense to me but that’s the way it works. On the up side, if you have Comcast, often as not a show will be on On Demand a few days after its first airing. That helps the dvr situation a lot!
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
9:27 am
It does – I spend a lot of time “On Demand”. And thankfully, many of my shows are available there. It really helps.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
9:30 am
I have Time Warner Cable here in SC and we have the same trouble. I’ll be watching a show, having set to record two others, and at the appointed time a notification flashes up that a recording is set to begin in one minute. Then, the show I am watching flips to one of the ones being recorded–without me doing a thing. Aggravating. As you say, D, makes no sense. If you had time to watch one of the recorded shows, you’d already be doing it and not recording.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
9:35 am
In this case, technology needs to catch up with viewer demand.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
9:41 am
I’ve got Prime Suspect dvr’d but haven’t watched it yet. I like Maria Bello so I’m looking forward to seeing it.
JTesla
September 28th, 2011
9:57 am
Your DVR has two tuners, tuner A let’s you watch one show and tuner B let’s you watch another. Its like having two VCR’s. So if you are watching channel 2 on tuner B and tuner B is scheduled to record channel 8 in a few minutes you get switched. To watch a show that isnt being recorded you’d need a third tuner. Now they just need a cheap box with 4 tuners, or make it easier to feed cable through a PC.
Of course, more tuners costs more money, cable companies being as they are.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
10:01 am
Thanks for the explanation, JT.
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
10:12 am
AT&T advertises that you can record 4 shows on their DVR system. Don’t know if we Comcasters can have it, as cable has always been a monopoly in each area of the city. Seems like I’d have 3, with my cable box, tv and home theater unit, but don’t know how I’d put them all together to record.
Rickster
September 28th, 2011
10:24 am
I have AT&T U-Verse.
It’s great being able to record four shows at once…. on the rare occasion I can find four shows that I want to watch on at the same time.
Woodpappy
September 28th, 2011
10:31 am
or not
JTesla
September 28th, 2011
10:42 am
A while ago Comcast had, I believe a 5 tuner DVR, but the monthly cost was priced outside what we were willing to pay. So far two tuners plus On Demand have covered what is needed.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
11:04 am
I am off to another meeting. Talk to y’all later.
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
11:18 am
I already pay $100 a month, with only 1 box, no premium channels (HBO, Show, etc) and only a $16/mo DVR/HD addon. Can’t afford much more with Comcast! And the sad thing is they offer all these $25/mo for first year for NEW customers only. I was first on the system when it was called “Marietta Cable” back in the late 70’s. It’s been thru several name changes since those days. They never offer any really good prices for faithful customers of many years. Sux!
JTesla
September 28th, 2011
11:31 am
Sam-A, give them a call. The wife called up a few years ago looking to lower our rate, they gave us a deal just to stick with them. Of course she did that again a few months ago and they couldn’t offer anything, but you don’t get anything if you don’t ask. Just last week she called and was offered lower rates for signing a 2 year contract. It pays to call them every year or every few years.
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
11:37 am
JT: Thanks! I’ll call them. I have found that true with my gas bill (Scana) – calls to them have gotten me better rates twice.
Have you boys seen Carrie’s new look with bangs?
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
12:36 pm
We should be getting a new thread sometime today. Rodney wrote 2 new threads in advance and one is supposed to post today.
Woodpappy
September 28th, 2011
1:56 pm
Sam-A…the magic words are “I want to terminate my service cause I found someone cheaper”. You’d be amazed how quick they can get you a deal to stay with them.
G
September 28th, 2011
2:21 pm
I don’t understand how some AI fans aren’t the least bit positive about XF. To me, it’s the same as AI only with a few tweaks to the format. The only setback I notice so far, is they allow too much time for bad acts. That’s kind of AGTish to me. As the show progresses, I expect better talent to bubble up and get more air time.
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
2:33 pm
G, re XF…I absolutely hated the Roman gladiator-like responses of the audience. It’s like watching group-think in action. The second episode was almost all bad…2 hours of bad just to get to the angelic voice of one contestant. Don’t put me through 2 hours of bad! And I also have a “been there done that feeling about it all. I think Simon may be too late for audiences to care.
I will watch the “boot camp” to see where it’s going but it better start getting good at some point in the near future.
JTesla
September 28th, 2011
2:40 pm
G: “it’s the same as AI only with a few tweaks to the format”
Bingo. As Deirdre said: “been there done”. I like Simon, I like LA Reid, I like to look at Nicole, but the “been there done that” with Paula and Simon… I don’t like it. “Been there done that” with… well quite a bit of it.
Now, why doesn’t that translate over as much to my views of Idol for me? Well in a way it does, I’m steadily tiring of the genre, Idol included. However, if given two equal products I’m going to stick with the one that I’ve always used. In this case, so far, Simon has failed to provide a better product, in fact there are several areas that make this product far inferior.
G
September 28th, 2011
2:52 pm
What I like most about XF so far, is the seasoned acts. That part of it reminds me of The Voice. Yeah, I’m biased to older acts, because I really appreciate folks paying their dues. The majority of young acts sound young and inexperienced. I still believe in a higher age limit (18 and older). Kids belong on a kids show.
LOL @ D! “Gladiator audience”. I actually like that format. You get an early temperature from the public.
Between LA and Simon, this show SHOULD be able to produce a quality talent to win it all.
Sam-A
September 28th, 2011
3:05 pm
G: I agree with what my fellow oldtimers have said. Except Paula is actually the only thing I DO like about XF! It’s like a “poor man’s” Idol for me. Too much like AGT, which is too much like the old “Gong Show” Hate the very reactionary audience! Don’t like all the ages – too young and too old! 15 to 30 enough of a span for me. And the “bad” ones have not been nearly as funny/nutty as Idol gets. Like Tameka from season 1 or 2 (can’t remember) – funniest thing I’ve seen on tv! Just bad singers.
The first week was pretty dull. As Deirdre said, will finish off the additions, and maybe first show, but if it doesn’t get better, I’m outta there.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
3:26 pm
I think JT and D may be onto something, as far as my thinking goesd. D said Simon waited too long, and I think that is so. JT said “been there, done that,” and I agree somewhat. I do enjoy seeing the two of them together, but this does not resonate with me the way it did on Idol (in the first five years or so). However, I can tune “gladiators” out and not let them bother or influence me at all. JT said he preferred to stick with the one that started it all, and that is the way I feel. I did not feel any allegiance to The Voice, and I will never feel anything special for XF.
Harriett
September 28th, 2011
3:28 pm
goesd?
Deirdre
September 28th, 2011
4:27 pm
new thread