I have to disagree with Chan about Anoop not being ironic. The whole 'Anoop Dog' concept is ironic, or, to be more precise, an oxymoron. This guy is like the new Pat Boone, only he shows more self-awareness. The 'Dog' part - he performs songs originally recorded by Black artists who have some kind of 'street cred' image as gansters, dopers, or players. But 'Anoop' is the antithesis of that. He's a clean cut, upper-middle-class college boy with good manners. He was probably in Student Government at UNC. So his act IS a kind of karaoke: if we enjoy Anoop it's exactly BECAUSE he separates the songs from their contexts and has fun singing them, a fun he offers to share with the listener/viewer. I enjoyed his performance of 'Beat It' more than I ever enjoyed the MJ version because Anoop made the whole tough-guy pose so ludicrous as to be irrelevant. And in so many of those MJ songs (Bad was the worst) MJ is posing as this I'm-down-with-the-bad-ass guy when he actually was psycho freak living in a Peter Pan inspired mansion with a chimpanzee. Named 'Bubbles.' In other words, Anoop's faking in this song was no less ridiculous than the faking by the ol' King of Pap' himself, except it was less annoying by virtue of being more transparent. Anoop has never beaten anything or anyone, he has no prerogatives, he's (to invoke the great Captain Beefheart) 'as safe as milk'. And he puts on a show. So yeah, he's only a more talented version of the guy down the hall in anydorm USA who 'gets wild' and sings into his shampoo bottle, but compared to the pure shit as shit Idol promotes so consistently, I'm thinking there's not anything wrong with that.

Guys... I think we got our work cut out for us. The judges like her because she is really pretty and not conventional. The girl next girl looks but the rebel with out a cause tats. I don't know if this is the best pick for us. I think we should pick boy band reject Allen (guitar guy). He sucks and is so simple. Everyone else is okay I think at lease. But as a faithful follower I will vote for you pick for us. I did sneak some for Anoop and Jorge. None of their lines were busy.

The show wasweird and they should not do MJ week again. MOst of them did well with what they had but it is just so ovious that they have their favs and they are going to save them at all cost.

I am predicting....Dead Wife, Blind Scott and Slum Dog (Anoop) for the finals...... man wouldn't that just be pure entertainment.

Great review as usual, and lots of interesting comments.

I thought the overall level of the karaoke singing in this top-13 was better than in any previous in the first week (though I wasn't watching the first few seasons). Its seems like most years there are at least 6-8 in the Top 12 who are so obviously bad that you can easily identify the 4-6 producer "favorites" - this year, I'll give the devil his due, even the worst aren't HORRIBLE - just mediocre.

But to "Keep it real", its just as clear that there's no one out there who is actually a "great singer". Several could potentially be successful "pop stars" for a year or two - of course that's completely different from being a "Great Singer."

Several great moments in the show, most already beaten to death. - I LOVED how they dogged WHore-hay for being old fashioned - and you could just TELL how bad he wanted to blurt out I DIDN'T PICK THE DAMN SONG AND YOU ASSHOLES KNOW IT!!!!

but somehow he resisted the urge.

Anyways, the judges dog him for being old-fashioned, then Megan comes out and sings that ridiculous Rockin Robin - and gives a performance that would have seemed out of date and trite 30 years ago when the original was released!! CAW!! CAW!!! And gee, what a surprise - the judges LOVE her ridiculously irrelevant and old fasioned performance.

Maybe its a generational thing, but those who think Megan is "Smokin hot" - did you grow up in a trailer park? Cause she looks like a trailer-park-honey to me. I could really see her working as a waitress in a truck stop. She is probably an ideal VFTW pick, except that the producers really seem to like her - and that takes ALL the fun out of it, IMO.

I actually thought Allison wasn't bad at all, and I'd put her in the top 4-6 based on performances last night. But as others have noted, they've clearly "Cast" her as the "Rocker Chick", and we all know that character gets killed off pretty early each year.

Anoop probably IS doing his whole "act" as an exercise in irony, and if so - Props to him. but I just can't get past the image of EVERY performance from him as something you'd see at a frat party when the drunk frat president gets up on stage with the band and tries to impress his date.

Adam - oh, this guy gives new meaning to "ridiculous, cruise-ship, karaoke performance" GOTTA LOVE IT!!! Its Meat-Loaf meets Freddie Mercury and tries to over-sing and out-emote him.

And whoever made the post about the gay angle - BINGO!!! BRILLIANT!!!

They took the deal with the gay stripper guy last year (which turned out to be a minor black-eye for the show IMO), and figured out a way to make it work in their favor!!! Look for some sort of fake "Scandal" around week 4-5, and for Idol to make an equally fake "Stand" for equality or tolerance or something-another so they can look progressive (And get the gay audience watching the show). I predict it will work like a charm.

<p>Hey Ramdass,</p><p>On "Prerogative" I thought Anoop was clearly being ironic.  I didn't get that impression last night.  He seemed too serious about it.  There's no wink at the camera to show that "it's all a joke."  If he is being ironic then he's an amazing performer.  I just think he genuinely likes 20 year old pop music.  </p><p>Hey Wittsend, </p><p>I touched on the Paula wax-face discussion last week.  Here: <span style="color: #4d4c4c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px" class="Apple-style-span"><a style="text-decoration: underline" href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2007/11/1114_paula_abdul.jpg">http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2007/11/1114_paula_abdul.jpg</a></span></p><p><span style="color: #4d4c4c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px" class="Apple-style-span"><a style="text-decoration: underline" href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tmz.com/media/2007/11/1114_paula_abdul.jpg"></a><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal" class="Apple-style-span">This confirms your theory that Paula is starting to look like Joan Rivers.  And wigs, too.  Don't forget the wigs.  </span></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #4d4c4c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal" class="Apple-style-span">Best wishes,</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #4d4c4c; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px" class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: #000000; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal" class="Apple-style-span">Chan </span></span></p><p> </p>

Perhaps you all were distracted by, as Prof Chan said, "Paula's ... exploded remains of her beloved parakeet Percy splattered all over the front." of her dress" BUT did no one notice her make-up, the swollen face and the mother-of-the-bride flabby skin hanging over the sides of her dress?

Who ever put on her make-up looked like they were pissed. Or was Paula trying to cover up the effects of having a date with Chris Brown?

The blind guy ... his performance ... thought I was watching a commercial for a Christian Rock CD collection ... felt like I should be waving my BIC from the couch ... oh, BTW the judges are going to let us "vote" off blind guy . They'll look good for putting him through and let us"voters" do the dirty work. Can't you just hear Simon saying "Sorry Guy, what can I tell you America has voted ... "

This two hour show last night ... so sucked the big one ... sooo scripted .... sooo predictable ... for once I was glad I had to walk the dog ... in the dark and in the cold ... and damn if it wasn't still on when I got back in.

HA! Finally, someone besides me compared Allison's performance to be at times shades of Amanda Overmeyer! Was in the chat last night discussing it and when I suggested she sounded even remotely like her, I was told no way.

I gotta watch Megan's performance again...I missed the CAWing O.o

Oh I've been noticing the teeth thing for some time now...you don't need a high def TV to see the difference...he reminds me of a cow that chews its cud.

I am honored that Prof. Chan found my earlier post worthy of this reply:

> "On "Prerogative" I thought Anoop was clearly being ironic. I didn't get that impression last

> night. He seemed too serious about it. There's no wink at the camera to show that "it's all a

> joke." If he is being ironic then he's an amazing performer. I just think he genuinely likes

> 20 year old pop music."

I didn't mean wink-wink-it's-a-joke irony. I think you're right that Anoop just likes what he sings. But he'd have to be pretty f-ing stupid to be unaware of the contradiction between his persona and his choice of material. The first hit google brings back for a definition of 'irony' says stuff like "indicating an attitude opposite to that which is ostensibly stated'. Oppositeness does not necessarily mean making-fun-of. For him, being him, to present the music he does in a public arena, requires him to discard it's ostensible meaning. Anoop is _being_ ironic whether he means to be or not, and the Worster love he was getting last night was, I think, I result of folks picking up on this irony. It's just silly for the Student Council President to sing songs by wife-beating crackheads and ape-molesting psychopaths, and invoke the image of a guy who really did come out of the thug life. It doesn't really matter whether Anoop is aware of this or not (The Intentional Fallacy). We can read the contradiction between who Anoop is and what he sings in different ways: as painfully pretentious and oblivious, or as a kind of charming innocense. I was feeling more of the latter (maybe because i detest Michael Jackson?). So maybe if Anoop is taking it seriously, maybe what 'it' is, is doing something silly for fun (??)

Here's another part of the defn. of 'irony' that might apply: "organizing a work so as to give expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., esp. as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion." Anoop hangs his contradiction out there, and his persona is clearly detached from the personas of the performers who popularized these songs, though I think he wants to keep parts of the emotion as he detaches from subject and theme.

Pat Boone had huge hits covering Little Richard records. It doesn't get much more ironic than a virginal churchboy singing "Good golly Miss Molly. You sure like to ball. When you rockin and a rollin, you can't hear you're mama call." But you can't cross the same river twice, and I can't imagine Anoop (and OK, I'm doing the South Asians as bright stereotype) being 1955-vintage clueless.

Have I over-analyzed this enough yet... :-)

Paula appeared to have put filler in her cheeks, maybe Restalyne or Juvederm or some such gel filler. It dissolves over time so it originally looks kind of puffy and there is some redness and swelling which was probably covered by a truckload of foundation.

Either that or she lit her face on fire by accident and someone put it out with a shovel.

~~