Appearance a major factor? Yeah, it sure has hurt the careers of Dylan, The Stones, etc., etc.

And being a back-up singer is just some people's comfort zone. I applaud her for deciding to take the big step. It's going to prove very worthwhile.

ITA. Like I've said before. I don't need AI to help me give to the needy. I know how to write a check.

DVR it and fast-forward to the recap at the end.

no, its the neck.

Without our papaya, the show was.....flat! The show now has a permanent Sanjaya shaped hole in it that no one else can ever fill. It's so terribly depressing.

Name me 5 truly butt ugly but famous FEMALE singers. Right here, off the top of your head. The reality is, looks matter for women a million times more than it matters for men.

Off the top of my head:

women - barbara streisand

men - tom petty, mick jagger, steven tyler, bob dylan, ringo starr, bryan adams, the dude from REM, etc.

I agree with pianoman. A thoughtful, meaningful critique of singing (or whatever value you believe this exercise serves) is worthwile..and interesting to read. Anything less is a like eavesdropping on an uninfomred 10 year-old who talks to himself while kicking a tin can down the street...

Please, think a little bit..then write it on the blog. If you find that you're not in the proper mood, try putting yourself in the "time-out" chair for a few minutes. Give it a try...

And by the way, you might be interested to know that some of the greatest artists in the industry started as background vocalists...ever heard of Tricia Yearwood.

I said appearance AND demeanor love. Dylan, the Stones, and all of those other "ugly" creatures can get up on the stage and make themselves gorgeous. Kinda like a certain finalist.

I'm not saying anything bad about background vocalists. A lot of people get their breaks from that. Tricia Yearwood is a good example to prove my point. She is blonde and gorgeous, and she was much thinner when she was first signed.

Amen. Luckily I was able to get my weekly fix. He was on Letterman Monday night and he was too funny. I hope you kids were able to see.