Interesting tidbit I found about the Wild Card show... hmm

I recently discovered the Idol fan's wet dream that is whatnottosing.com.... it basically has reviews and analysis on EVERYTHING Idol and a compilation of reviewers from the internet giving each performance a score. Every performance, for every season (it's actually really interesting to see all the old performance reviews) well anywho, I saw this tidbit in an article, it's kind of interesting to think about:

And now for a brief interlude. The next weekend, two seemingly innocuous stories appeared on the Idolsphere. First, several sources (we think MJ's Big Blog was among them) reported that an Idol fan had waited on Giraud while he was out shopping for clothes in Los Angeles. He told her – shh-h-h! – that he was going to be singing Motown on the upcoming Wild Card Show and that he needed a hat for the performance. "But how could he possibly know that he'd...??" Well hang on, there's more. Here at WNTS, we'd recently launched a new Idolmetrics study on the effects of pre-semifinals exposure, and our reader-researchers had started to submit their data. Hey, we announced cheerfully, whaddya know: those control-freak producers are finally starting to spread the spotlight a bit. There were 15 pimp piece recipients this year, by far the most of any season. Their names were still listed on our home page when Group Three took to the stage....

http://whatnottosing.com/library/editorials.asp?id=52 there's the link it's under the heading "Cleared for Takeoff on Runway Eight"

I don't know if I want to believe this because it's like the friend of a friend thing that almost never come true. But the whole article talks about the manipulation of the producers and the non-existence of Iraheta and Allen before the semi-finals.... Could he have already known he was gonna be in the WC show before we all found out (and we were led to believe they all did too?) Like I said, I don't know if I believe this... but it's interesting to read/discuss... did anyone else know this?

and anyone who likes to analyze the show and talk about it as much as me (I'm lookin at you OvenMitt, haha!) it's one of the most interesting articles I've ever read! It'll blow your mind! but fair warning they're not exactly on the Matt-train like we are...

Thanks so much for the post! What an interesting article! Jeez, lots to take in. But, I do agree that a lot of it makes sense. I don't know if I believe that they ALL knew who was going to be on the WC show, but I'm sure Matt (and some of the others) had a feeling they would be back. I mean I will say this, before the WC show even aired I said they would put through Matt, Jasmine, and Megan. I definitely did get the feeling they already had their minds made up and there was some manipulation going on. I REALLY started to believe this when after watching the 3 groups of 12, Danny, Adam, and Lil ALL sang last/got the pimp spot and all 3 were highly praised in auditions and hollywood week. What's REALLY crazy to think is that if Matt had made it through Group 2 with Adam, would Kris have even been brought for the WC show? Same for Allison if Jasmine had gone through. I think from watching prior to these weeks, it was obvious the producers liked Matt and Jasmine. And it's kind of funny because I remember watching that week and when I saw that Kris made it through, I said something like hmmm he made it through because basically all the other guys that were showcased didn't do so great. Anyways, as far as the WC show went, I really wasn't impressed with Megan's performance and I was bummed that Anoop sang the same song he had already done. But again, this brings me back to the point that I definitely think that the judges had picked who they wanted to go through for WC before having any of them perform. Lucky for us, Matt RIGHTFULLY deserved the spot! On a sidenote, it's funny to think back how the judges really did have high hopes for Lil! I think I remember reading that when Simon was on Jay Leno or some show, that he called the final 3 to be Adam, Danny, and Lil. No wonder why they were so hard on her! She messed up their plans! lol

that site is seriously blowing my mind right now... I feel like they should hire me because I've thought and said many of the things they've written.... I was just reading another article all about Kris and how he won, and they reiterate the thoughts we've had about Matt being the original stealth TCO, the one right below the Adam/Lil/Gokey trio of doom....

Allen's four-second audition snippet couldn't have won him many fans, particularly since about half of the brief video focused on Kara's reaction. More helpful was his exposure in White Chocolate, whose performance of I Want You Back was the highlight of the Hollywood Group episode. The clip was surely meant to spotlight Matt Giraud, and the producers were no doubt delighted that Giraud's three unpromoted groupmates, including India Morrison and Justin Williams, pitched in strongly to produce a memorable moment for him. All things considered, Allen came out of the semifinals as perhaps a quarter-step above a blank slate.

Before we move on, let's take a closer look at the White Chocolate clip. In many ways, it was a microcosm of all that went wrong for the producers in Season Eight, and all that went right for Allen. Recall that the abysmal episode featured precisely five minutes of on-stage singing (our junior editor pulled out the DVD and painstakingly clocked it), stretched out to fill a 60-minute time slot. Seems that 19E believed that America was far more interested in watching the New Adventures of Bikini Girl and various other backstage pissing contests. Only one other group performance was even close to being aired in full (Gokey's), with the rest being covered via montages and cut shots. Thus, White Chocolate stood out even moreso than it would in a normal year: a minute to remember amidst an hour to forget.

When Allen finally started drilling his way into the public consciousness a few weeks later, millions of viewers were left wondering, "Where'd this guy come from?" Web searches would lead them to the one and only significant early airtime he'd been awarded. "Oh yeah, White Chocolate – I remember them, they were awesome!" In short, the producers' scheme backfired on them that night: they chose to emphasize the dramatic rather than the melodic, and in the process they ended up inadvertently showcasing a contestant who was not on their short list of front-runners. They would repeat this blunder several times before the season was through.

Kind of makes me mad at Kris more!!! I think we all can agree the reason people remember the White Chocolate group was Matt (hell, they were even named after HIS childhood nickname!) Matt, in all honesty, is the reason Kris got to the top 13. If not for the White Chocolate group, and the debacle that was Coldplay... Kris would have been forgotten by group 3. I'm fairly certain Kris would not have been brought back for the WC had Matt made it out of the 2nd semis instead of him. This article about Kris and the one I posted the link to earlier are all just killing me right now. I find it HILARIOUS that in a season where EVERYTHING was manipulated (probably the most manipulated season yet) the 1 person (other than good ol Allison) who made the top 13 that wasn't pimped even in the slightest ended up winning. Kris COMPLETELY ruined the script of the Danny/Adam finale from day 1.... Adam fans can cry all they want about how he lost, but the real losers of this season were the producers!

pebbles87 wrote:

that site is seriously blowing my mind right now... I feel like they should hire me because I've thought and said many of the things they've written.... I was just reading another article all about Kris and how he won, and they reiterate the thoughts we've had about Matt being the original stealth TCO, the one right below the Adam/Lil/Gokey trio of doom....

Allen's four-second audition snippet couldn't have won him many fans, particularly since about half of the brief video focused on Kara's reaction. More helpful was his exposure in White Chocolate, whose performance of I Want You Back was the highlight of the Hollywood Group episode. The clip was surely meant to spotlight Matt Giraud, and the producers were no doubt delighted that Giraud's three unpromoted groupmates, including India Morrison and Justin Williams, pitched in strongly to produce a memorable moment for him. All things considered, Allen came out of the semifinals as perhaps a quarter-step above a blank slate.

Before we move on, let's take a closer look at the White Chocolate clip. In many ways, it was a microcosm of all that went wrong for the producers in Season Eight, and all that went right for Allen. Recall that the abysmal episode featured precisely five minutes of on-stage singing (our junior editor pulled out the DVD and painstakingly clocked it), stretched out to fill a 60-minute time slot. Seems that 19E believed that America was far more interested in watching the New Adventures of Bikini Girl and various other backstage pissing contests. Only one other group performance was even close to being aired in full (Gokey's), with the rest being covered via montages and cut shots. Thus, White Chocolate stood out even moreso than it would in a normal year: a minute to remember amidst an hour to forget.

When Allen finally started drilling his way into the public consciousness a few weeks later, millions of viewers were left wondering, "Where'd this guy come from?" Web searches would lead them to the one and only significant early airtime he'd been awarded. "Oh yeah, White Chocolate – I remember them, they were awesome!" In short, the producers' scheme backfired on them that night: they chose to emphasize the dramatic rather than the melodic, and in the process they ended up inadvertently showcasing a contestant who was not on their short list of front-runners. They would repeat this blunder several times before the season was through.

Kind of makes me mad at Kris more!!! I think we all can agree the reason people remember the White Chocolate group was Matt (hell, they were even named after HIS childhood nickname!) Matt, in all honesty, is the reason Kris got to the top 13. If not for the White Chocolate group, and the debacle that was Coldplay... Kris would have been forgotten by group 3. I'm fairly certain Kris would not have been brought back for the WC had Matt made it out of the 2nd semis instead of him. This article about Kris and the one I posted the link to earlier are all just killing me right now. I find it HILARIOUS that in a season where EVERYTHING was manipulated (probably the most manipulated season yet) the 1 person (other than good ol Allison) who made the top 13 that wasn't pimped even in the slightest ended up winning. Kris COMPLETELY ruined the script of the Danny/Adam finale from day 1.... Adam fans can cry all they want about how he lost, but the real losers of this season were the producers!

I totally agree! PS thanks for posting these great articles! I honestly think that if Matt had made it through they probably would not have brought back any other guys from that group (since they already would had Adam and Matt), maybeee Kai (they showcased him quite a bit) or the other Matt because wasn't he like Michael, the good old blue collar worker Dad with a likeable personality? I really don't think Kris would have gone through! But you knwo what else, all of this got me thinking back to the fact that I think Matt was really strongly favored by AI behind Adam and Danny. I guess once the top 13 started, Gokey/Lambert mania took over after the first night when Paula declared what the finale would show (Why'd you do that Paula?!). But interesting bit about hollywood week and Matt/Kris group the only group really getting any screen time. That was definitely done to show Matt and let's face it, Kris just happened to be there in AI's eyes. Actually, this goes to show how much AI brainwashes us, it wasn't until a few weeks ago when they brought up the white chocolate performance again that I even remembered that Kris was part of that group! Wow, they really didn't like Kris! You know, Kris may not have been my favorite contestant from the beginnning and I may not think he has the strongest voice, but good for him for proving himself and building a strong fanbase that brought him to the win that totally shoved it to the producers. He totally had the odds stacked against him and remained really mellow the entire time even though AI was shoving him under the bus. I have to respect him for that.

pebbles87 wrote:

that site is seriously blowing my mind right now... I feel like they should hire me because I've thought and said many of the things they've written.... I was just reading another article all about Kris and how he won, and they reiterate the thoughts we've had about Matt being the original stealth TCO, the one right below the Adam/Lil/Gokey trio of doom....

Allen's four-second audition snippet couldn't have won him many fans, particularly since about half of the brief video focused on Kara's reaction. More helpful was his exposure in White Chocolate, whose performance of I Want You Back was the highlight of the Hollywood Group episode. The clip was surely meant to spotlight Matt Giraud, and the producers were no doubt delighted that Giraud's three unpromoted groupmates, including India Morrison and Justin Williams, pitched in strongly to produce a memorable moment for him. All things considered, Allen came out of the semifinals as perhaps a quarter-step above a blank slate.

Before we move on, let's take a closer look at the White Chocolate clip. In many ways, it was a microcosm of all that went wrong for the producers in Season Eight, and all that went right for Allen. Recall that the abysmal episode featured precisely five minutes of on-stage singing (our junior editor pulled out the DVD and painstakingly clocked it), stretched out to fill a 60-minute time slot. Seems that 19E believed that America was far more interested in watching the New Adventures of Bikini Girl and various other backstage pissing contests. Only one other group performance was even close to being aired in full (Gokey's), with the rest being covered via montages and cut shots. Thus, White Chocolate stood out even moreso than it would in a normal year: a minute to remember amidst an hour to forget.

When Allen finally started drilling his way into the public consciousness a few weeks later, millions of viewers were left wondering, "Where'd this guy come from?" Web searches would lead them to the one and only significant early airtime he'd been awarded. "Oh yeah, White Chocolate – I remember them, they were awesome!" In short, the producers' scheme backfired on them that night: they chose to emphasize the dramatic rather than the melodic, and in the process they ended up inadvertently showcasing a contestant who was not on their short list of front-runners. They would repeat this blunder several times before the season was through.

Kind of makes me mad at Kris more!!! I think we all can agree the reason people remember the White Chocolate group was Matt (hell, they were even named after HIS childhood nickname!) Matt, in all honesty, is the reason Kris got to the top 13. If not for the White Chocolate group, and the debacle that was Coldplay... Kris would have been forgotten by group 3. I'm fairly certain Kris would not have been brought back for the WC had Matt made it out of the 2nd semis instead of him. This article about Kris and the one I posted the link to earlier are all just killing me right now. I find it HILARIOUS that in a season where EVERYTHING was manipulated (probably the most manipulated season yet) the 1 person (other than good ol Allison) who made the top 13 that wasn't pimped even in the slightest ended up winning. Kris COMPLETELY ruined the script of the Danny/Adam finale from day 1.... Adam fans can cry all they want about how he lost, but the real losers of this season were the producers!

Well, to add my two cents, (& make everyone else mad....again...in the process). I think Matt's duet was cut because of the fact that Kris won. Think about it: Matt & Scott found out the morning of the season finale that their duet had been cut. Mind you, that tptb already knew who the winner was. They also knew that Matt & Scott's duet was phenomenal. (Based on what Scott said the production crew said, & our own ears). They also knew that there would be a huge backlash (which actually did happen) when America found out that Adam was not the winner. (How dare little ol' measly Kris be the winner.)

They couldn't let The Winner of American Idol (the person whom they have to market and sell records for) be upstaged by anyone else in the finale besides the 2nd place runner-up, (whom they also plan on using to make money).

Think about it, was there really another memorable performance from the finale by another contestant besides Almighty Adam & the Kiss/Queen thing? Matt's duet would've blown everyone away, & would've been talked about probably second to Adam's (the history-making factor also included here). And Kris & Keith Urban, truthfully, were quite forgettable as well (I also find it interesting that Scatt, were supposed to perform after them). Not to mention, people would've also compared Kris' meager piano playing skills from the night before.

And don't even get me started on the Billy-Joel-couldn't-make-it-bullshi*t-story. Terrible planning AI, & we can see right through you!

crys7 wrote:

pebbles87 wrote:

that site is seriously blowing my mind right now... I feel like they should hire me because I've thought and said many of the things they've written.... I was just reading another article all about Kris and how he won, and they reiterate the thoughts we've had about Matt being the original stealth TCO, the one right below the Adam/Lil/Gokey trio of doom....

Allen's four-second audition snippet couldn't have won him many fans, particularly since about half of the brief video focused on Kara's reaction. More helpful was his exposure in White Chocolate, whose performance of I Want You Back was the highlight of the Hollywood Group episode. The clip was surely meant to spotlight Matt Giraud, and the producers were no doubt delighted that Giraud's three unpromoted groupmates, including India Morrison and Justin Williams, pitched in strongly to produce a memorable moment for him. All things considered, Allen came out of the semifinals as perhaps a quarter-step above a blank slate.

Before we move on, let's take a closer look at the White Chocolate clip. In many ways, it was a microcosm of all that went wrong for the producers in Season Eight, and all that went right for Allen. Recall that the abysmal episode featured precisely five minutes of on-stage singing (our junior editor pulled out the DVD and painstakingly clocked it), stretched out to fill a 60-minute time slot. Seems that 19E believed that America was far more interested in watching the New Adventures of Bikini Girl and various other backstage pissing contests. Only one other group performance was even close to being aired in full (Gokey's), with the rest being covered via montages and cut shots. Thus, White Chocolate stood out even moreso than it would in a normal year: a minute to remember amidst an hour to forget.

When Allen finally started drilling his way into the public consciousness a few weeks later, millions of viewers were left wondering, "Where'd this guy come from?" Web searches would lead them to the one and only significant early airtime he'd been awarded. "Oh yeah, White Chocolate – I remember them, they were awesome!" In short, the producers' scheme backfired on them that night: they chose to emphasize the dramatic rather than the melodic, and in the process they ended up inadvertently showcasing a contestant who was not on their short list of front-runners. They would repeat this blunder several times before the season was through.

Kind of makes me mad at Kris more!!! I think we all can agree the reason people remember the White Chocolate group was Matt (hell, they were even named after HIS childhood nickname!) Matt, in all honesty, is the reason Kris got to the top 13. If not for the White Chocolate group, and the debacle that was Coldplay... Kris would have been forgotten by group 3. I'm fairly certain Kris would not have been brought back for the WC had Matt made it out of the 2nd semis instead of him. This article about Kris and the one I posted the link to earlier are all just killing me right now. I find it HILARIOUS that in a season where EVERYTHING was manipulated (probably the most manipulated season yet) the 1 person (other than good ol Allison) who made the top 13 that wasn't pimped even in the slightest ended up winning. Kris COMPLETELY ruined the script of the Danny/Adam finale from day 1.... Adam fans can cry all they want about how he lost, but the real losers of this season were the producers!

Well, to add my two cents, (& make everyone else mad....again...in the process). I think Matt's duet was cut because of the fact that Kris won. Think about it: Matt & Scott found out the morning of the season finale that their duet had been cut. Mind you, that tptb already knew who the winner was. They also knew that Matt & Scott's duet was phenomenal. (Based on what Scott said the production crew said, & our own ears). They also knew that there would be a huge backlash (which actually did happen) when America found out that Adam was not the winner. (How dare little ol' measly Kris be the winner.)

They couldn't let The Winner of American Idol (the person whom they have to market and sell records for) be upstaged by anyone else in the finale besides the 2nd place runner-up, (whom they also plan on using to make money).

Think about it, was there really another memorable performance from the finale by another contestant besides Almighty Adam & the Kiss/Queen thing? Matt's duet would've blown everyone away, & would've been talked about probably second to Adam's (the history-making factor also included here). And Kris & Keith Urban, truthfully, were quite forgettable as well (I also find it interesting that Scatt, were supposed to perform after them). Not to mention, people would've also compared Kris' meager piano playing skills from the night before.

And don't even get me started on the Billy-Joel-couldn't-make-it-bullshi*t-story. Terrible planning AI, & we can see right through you!

You know what, you make a really good point! Not only how could a performance outshine Kris or Adam, but Danny or Allison too. While I did love Allison's performance, I think Matt and Scott would have blown it away! But you're right. How could the 5th placer and what was Scott 8th place? do better than the top 4. And another thing, supposedly the "rough rehearsal" happened close to the finale. If you look back at all of the other duets, there is a part in the song where the idols stop singing, and the big ta-da celeb comes out to sing. In Matt and Scott's performance, they sang straight through the entire song, where the ejrkelj was Billy Joel supposed to come in? And the performance was what close to 3 minutes? I don't think they would have give them much longer than that. So yeah, what was Billy Joel really supposed to come out and do? It was PERFECT with just Matt and Scott, and the visual from what Scott described (the pianos facing each other) would have been outstanding. Oh yeah, and then BillyJoel he was never invited/going in the first place. Hmmmmm very fishy!

Thanks for posting this!
I agree that the judges and the producers had already made up their minds who they wanted in the Wild Card round!
Congrats to Kris for messing up their plans!

jamerce wrote:

Thanks for posting this!
I agree that the judges and the producers had already made up their minds who they wanted in the Wild Card round!
Congrats to Kris for messing up their plans!

oh your welcome!!! I was just browsing around the Idol world and found that site... it's very interesting what they have to say and the data they've collected. Chock that up to the boredom I find myself in while babysitting my niece (you know it hasn't occurred to me yet that I should actually be watching her!)

These two articles have me thinking about Matt being the original stealth TCO. He had a pimp audition package, we were shown "Georgia" (which put him if not in the top 3 at the very top of the list of contestants to watch), the White Chocolate thing (which I never realized there was only 5 mins. of actual singing that episode...wow Idol meander much?) which arguably put him ahead of the rest AGAIN (Ryan's "I believe what the other contestants are thinking right now is DAMN"). The only early thing I don't get is why they put him in the same group as Adam? If he were in the top 3 boys along with Gokey Okey and Glamberace (haha, I found that nickname on some blog, it stays in this post!) why wouldn't they have put him in group 3. I can't imagine that they REALLY wanted Scott in there (and if they did, I find it to be really low to use his handicap as a ratings tool!) The only other 2 guys in that group that were pimped were Jorge and Von (and really, can't see them wanting either of them over Matt either!)

Then, with all this in mind what changed? He was a WC pick (which thankfully Matt performed up to snuff and DID deserve to go through, Megan and Jasmine however, not so much!) He performed great in MJ, Country, and Motown Week.... then the B2 happened. Which if Nigel Lythgoe is to be believed (and he should be, he WAS the producer afterall) and they CAN and DO manipulate who stands in the B3 with the eliminated contestant..... was Matt actually in the B2 or did they place him there and why? I don't know this is alot of questions to ponder... and the show's over!

You know it worked out for us because we're Matt fans, but I find it to be a little disheartening that he knew he was gonna be in the WC before group 3 had actually performed. I mean what if their plan didn't work out and say Alex Wagner Trugman (remember him?) had replaced Scott in the top 13? I just really hate Idol now!

And the whole Adam/Kris finale thing. I never thought of it that way, but you could be right! It's still very hard for me to believe that they could honestly with a straight face think that NG, Tatiana, and Bikini Bitch were more important and more appealing to the audience than ANY of the top 13 (replace Matt and Scott with any of the other top 10 and I think you'd find a similar reaction!) But, to play devil's advocate to your theory, why would they want to risk the chance of making money off of Matt? I mean, if they did perform that and people did go GAGA over it, they have the first rights for contestants after the tour. They could've seen that and signed Matt right away... I think 19E doesn't care how they make their money (whether it be by the winner or otherwise) they just care that they're making money... look at season 5 for example... they're grinning like Glamberace at a finger nail polish convention over the success of Daughtry!

I seriously write novels on this forum... damn I'm long winded!

Okay, this is blowing my f*cking mind right now! I need to sleep on this and collect my thoughts.

Okay. I've slept on it. Here goes:

First of, Pebbles, this isn't a tidbit, this is a BOMBSHELL! This article actually validates every conspiracy theory I ever had about Matt, TPTB, the manipulation, everything! Aside from the fact that Matt was the unfortunate epicenter of proving the theory, it's spot-on. These are four things that are at the forefront of my mind:

1. Matt WAS the original TCO. HE was supposed to be the one with Adam in the finale. Heck, he was probably even supposed to have won. All roads lead to this conclusion. Why? Well, to begin with, Matt received the largest amount of pimping that flew under the radar (or, at least, what TPTB consider under the radar). They were trying to etch Matt into peoples' subconcsious, with things like White Chocolate and Georgia, while using other contestants' antics, rather than talent, to make them memorable. Also, as Pebbles just mentioned in her last post, they were consistantly pitting Adam and Matt against each other. From the semi-finals groups, to the subsequent performance orders and mentioning Adam during Matt's critiques, TPTB wanted us to, again subconsciously, associate Adam to Matt. Or, Adam versus Matt, as it were. Kris was never the TCO. Would they work that hard to shove him out? He always had terrible performance slots, never had comparisons to ANY other contestants, and they routinely gave him middling critiques. I honestly think TPTB tried everything in their power to keep Matt in the game while not appearing to shove him down the publics' throats. It worked with the wildcard, not so well with the save, and, in what brings me to my next point...

2. Bottom 2 after LGIO ruined Matt's chances. Even looking at the whatnottosing.com charts for Matt's first few performances, he got high marks up to and including LGIO (this is excluding VLV, but I'll get to that later). Everyone looks to this point in the competiton as the turning point for Matt, and it's painfully obvious in hindsight. He had that confidence boost from being wildcarded, he picked perfect songs and executed them well, and he even got the holy grail of compliments from Simon: "You are now a frontrunner"(plus another comparison, this time to Danny). So Small was the high-water mark (we didn't know that then, however). It should have been no problem for Matt to breeze through after LGIO by all accounts, but I think TPTB tried to get sneaky and fucked it up for him. I think they artificially put him in the bottom 2 to stir up his growing fanbase, but it backfired. Why? Mostly because Simon reenforced that negativity with his "Nobody likes you" comment (whether directed at Matt or not, it was attached to him nonetheless). But also because of the semifinals incident. People probably started thinking, "Well, he didn't get voted through the first time, so maybe people really DON'T like him. I'll support a safer bet, like Danny.". That was the week that tides turned for many of the contestants, including Lil (downhill) and Allison (upswing), and that fanbases began to solidify. It was the exact WRONG point in time for TPTB to be experimenting with stimulating fanbases. Wrong for Matt, anyway.

3. Why in the hell did Matt choose "Viva La Vida"?Can we all agree that this move was Matt's biggest misstep? I love Matt, but now I'm gonna be brutally honest: he should have NEVER chosen that song. It just wasn't right for him at all. If Matt wants do sing soulful rock, I'm all for it. But VLV isn't that. It has no inherent soul, and since not even Matt's injection of vocal runs and bluesy tone could change that, it came off terribly. And Matt never lived it down. When he tried to venture into (more successful for him) rock songs, he got shamed and VLV was cited as why he needed to stay put with R&B. Even Gokey (fuck you, Gokey) doing that insipid impression of Matt just put more negative associations into viewers' minds, instead of the positive ones TPTB were attempting to implant. This constant reminder of Matt's moment of failure, coupled with the B2 sham, conspired to eventually bring Matt's confidence into the gutter, and in turn to be discarded by the public. I know you all felt that anxiousness every week, on pins and needles, hoping Matt would pull out a performance like the ones we fell in love with. I think that's exactly how he felt, wanting so badly to get back to that sweet spot, but getting more confused and belittled by the judges and the fickle voting public. Poor Matt got run ragged, and could never recover from it.

4. When everything went to hell, TPTB tried to overcorrect, and really screwed themselves. So we know TPTB had a script. We know that it veered off course, thanks to Matt and Lil not living up to their expectations (Matt right off the bat, Lil as the competition wore on). They really wanted to work this Matt thing out, seeing as he was the "script" version of a darkhorse. The most acceptable choice to battle it out against Adam in the finale (soulful vs. rocker, sweet guy vs. "sweet boy", sexy vs. sexual, on and on), even moreso than Danny (too extreme of a contrast). But Matt thwarted their plans early on and Danny stole his intended thunder. So, they refocused on Danny, while toiling behind the scenes to recify the Matt situation. I honestly think TPTB worked until the bitter end to keep Matt in the game. By then, though, the public had made up their minds, and it actually started to anger people that Matt got so many second chances. They were onto the manipulation, and Matt was evidence of that. Meanwhile, as the article mentioned, TPTB had two contestants they didn't bargain for. They decided to back Allison at this point, a fact made painfully obvious by the Lil/Allison switcheroo. They couldn't deny Allison was performing in every way Lil wasn't, so they flipped the script. They made that concession because Lil wasn't meant to win anyway, just to provide a more balanced Top 3. I really think Kris was the raspberry seed in their wisdom tooth: he was becoming a more annoying problem with each passing week, but they couldn't pry him out of there. By NOT pimping Kris so hard, he actually became the anti-Matt. The PUBLIC booted Matt from the part of stealth TCO and put Kris in his place. As the article mentions, the inadvertant feature of Kris during White choclate provided people with a reference as to why Kris was still a legit part of the finals. So, the more TPTB tried to shoot Kris out that cannon, the more the voters set in their heels. I really feel that Kris' win was the result of the public fighting back when the manipulation became so painfully clear. I don't think it had anything to do with Kris actually being the best or most favored contestant. He is a SYMBOL. He's the big "Fuck You" the public gave to TPTB for trying to tell them who to vote for. This is the sad part, because TPTB used very talented and worthy people to try and propell their agenda (ie: Matt, Adam, Danny), they just didn't trust those people to advance on their own merits.

Whew. I'm glad I got all that out. Ooh, one more thing:

Crys7 brought up the very valid point that perhaps Scatt's duet was cut to keep Kris from looking lackluster. I love this angle, and think it's true. I mean, I've had a suspicion that even though Matt didn't pan out for TPTB like they'd hoped, they can't deny his immense talent and huge marketability. The are still manipulating, but now their method is to be greedy. Greedy with Matt, downplaying his value, and giving him just enough affection to keep him wanting to stay. They may have told Matt something totally different than Scott to smooth over this snub; I even recall reading that Matt got an invitation to perform on the show next year. But perhaps he got more promises, like, say, the sweet record deal type of promises. Maybe Matt even had some pull, since he was put through the ringer so badly. He probably said, "But what will you do for me?" Heck, maybe he even negociated the jam session and concert tickets with Colbie Caillat, all arranged by TPTB as a barter for his diminished presence at the finale. Maybe more than that! We all know that Matt made his second album on the stipulation that he could use some of his own material. I think he's learned about making deals with record companies and has done some manipulation of his own. Plus, he himself has stated that he gets that AI is a show, that people play their parts, and so on, which actually validates the rumor that he bought clothes for a performance that had yet to be announced. I'm almost certain he knew he'd be in the finals, and it was probably because TPTB told him that. I know this paints Matt as a co-conspirator, or sneaky, but if it's true, I see it as him being super-savvy and strategic about his career. This was Matt's one avenue to hit it big, because it wasn't gonna happen in Kalamazoo. I don't blame him one bit for seizing an opportunity! He is an intelligent guy, who knows he has what it takes to make it (see audition interview!). There is nothing wrong with being passionate AND strategic about your career: that's what it takes to make it in the music industry!

Okay, now I'm off to go apply to grad school, because, let's face it, I just wrote my final thesis right here.

Wow.. Leah, you're awesome. I love the way you think.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

Yeah, I read that article with my mouth wide open the entire time. I thought, this is EXACTLY what I’ve been thinking all along. TPTB really did see Matt as TCO and tried their derndest to keep him in the competition and there HAD to be a script written out that DID NOT EVER include Kris but I think it did include Allison after awhile. I’ll get to that later! (this is really fun analyzing this show, I don’t know why but I feel smarter thinking about this and reasoning it, even if I am wrong!)

The trip to the bottom 2 really did ruin Matt as far as the show’s concerned. I honestly think that it didn’t ruin him in TPTB’s eyes (because they didn’t put him B2 anymore after that til he got eliminated and even gave him the save) but it screwed with Matt’s head. He was on a rockin high after 4 very highly praised performances but found himself 1 person away from being eliminated in 10th place (and I think ANYONE who watches the show can say that he didn’t deserve that!). He then started thinking about everything too much. YFM wasn’t the disaster that the judges wanted us to believe and if he wanted to sing soulful rock that should have been fine. But if you remember that was the week he performed out in the swaybot pit from hell and even said in his Idolatry video he wanted to perform behind the judges! He started thinking about every angle he could to get back to the glory. The script of “tell Matt he has to stay in his little box of soulful doom” worked with YFM, they praise him with LGIO-B2, they give him arguably the worst critique of the night with YFM-no B3. He also started taking what fans said literally. I think if I remember correctly this was when he started wearing the hats all the time. This was either because he read that his fans liked it (because we do, but I’ve since forgotten what his hair looks like and would like to see it again!) or he was reading the nasty comments about his mole and it made him feel bad. But he hasn’t taken that damn hat off since…. he’s overthinking EVERYTHING! Then while “Stayin Alive” was a ballsy choice (I liked the humor behind it) and performed well, it was done as another strategic move to keep him alive. I can’t remember what song he said he wanted to sing before that, but he said he wanted to sing a different more funky choice of (I think another BeeGees tune) the song which I’m sure would have gone over better with Simon and the fans.

You’re totally right too about TPTB overcorrecting themselves and it ending badly for them. I really feel like the script had Allison in their plans after she was in the Bottom 3 for Country week (which again would have been waaay too soon for her to go). I think they saw the judges and fan reaction to her B3 and realized people actually did find her appealing. And like you said Lil wasn’t supposed to win anyway so they flipped the switch over to Iraheta. Kris, however, never was in the plans and I think the producers are probably stilled pissed he won. Had it not been for Matt and VLV, Kris wouldn’t have been there. I think the plan for the top 12 was Danny, Anoop definitely from group 1 and any one of the girls except Tatiana, then from group 2 Adam, Matt, and Megan (or Jasmine) but never Kris and Allison. From group three they wanted Lil, Scott, and probably Felicia or Von (I don’t think Jorge was in the plans because he was eliminated right away in MJ week) A few middling contestants get eliminated in MJ week but then the bombshell about the top 4 already being worked out is revealed (it made no sense then, but I’m fairly confident it wasn’t BS now) and Alexis gets eliminated in a half shocker/half let’s cover our ass move. (She was the most expendable of the 4). It's no coincidence that she was eliminated that same week, especially since people were still up her butt because of her talent. A few more middling contestants get eliminated and its time to use the save. Matt was the PERFECT choice for it. If they had used it on Adam or Danny it would have seemed too much like manipulation, Kris and maybe Allison didn’t deserve it then, and they were NEVER gonna use it on Lil or Anoop. Matt had enough talent to warrant staying but didn’t have to pimpage to cry foul (even though people still did). All the manipulation worked for Kris, because I think at this point was when he caught the most fans. I truly see most of the “Kratt” fans who had supported them both up to this point jumping ship to Kris because the writing of manipulation was on the wall. All the prodding and manipulation the producers were doing to make their finale set, ended up backfiring in their face and HELPING the one contestant out of the top 5 they didn’t want. They tried their damndest to make it look like they WERENT manipulating things that it became so obvious that they were! AI jumped the shark this season. Kara is their cousin Oliver. The save is their "very special episode". And the Kris win very well could be the nail in their coffin.

That was a long post, I think I might join you in Grad School. I’ve spent more time analyzing and writing about this then I ever did any essays I needed to write in college. If only they had a class “American Idol for Dummies”, I’d be right there!

I know FOR SURE that had Matt not messed up with Viva la Vida, Kris Allen wouldn't have even made it in the Top 12. It's AWFUL for me -- because of this one mistake from Matt, I'm stuck with a season 8 American Idol whose voice irritates me! Uuuugggh! I'm sure many in TPTB feel the same about Kris Allen's voice that's why he was not one of the chosen few that they wanted for sure in the Top 12.

When Matt played different genres and refused to stick to soul, as TPTB wanted, he was dropped and replaced with Kris Allen as the stealth favorite. They then built up Matt for the save for the sake of drama coz they could see he didn't have a strong enough voter support - giving him pimp spots in group performances - just to show he was worthy of a save. After that save, they were done with him.

I have no idea if 19E will sign Matt. If I really have to guess -- they won't. I'm ok with Matt working his way up in the industry through hard work. I think TIME will prove that Matt is worthy. I even think he'll become Grammy-great eventually. It's comforting to know HE is ready to do it this long and difficult way.

Wow Ladies, some of your post are amazing. I am so proud to be Matt fans with you all

Okay, here's the sad thing, Pebbles: I actually took notes on your post to use as reference for MY post! And, like you, I spend more time critically thinking about Matt and TPTB's master manipulation than I ever did on college essays! Guess that's why I was an art major!

I love that you brought up the Alexis/Top 4 thing. That was the moment I realized how shady TPTB were being (don't know why it took so long!). It was just all too convenient that that info would leak and then Alexis would get booted. I think that may have been the one TPTB-manipulated boot of the season (Matt's elimination incident was done by voters, but with LOTS of help from TPTB. The two worst judges giving weak critiques? Capitalizing on Matt's flubbed notes? Smack-dab in the middle performance spot? The voters took it from there.), but why, you ask? Why not at least let Alexis stay one more week, so at least she could be on the tour? Well, because TPTB needed to do something harsh and drastic to ensure that other, more valueable contenders had security. Alexis wasn't going to win, so it was of no consequence. They pay the 10 touring Idols the same amount, no matter who they are, so Sarver for Alexis was just dollar amount over same dollar amount.

Also interesting was your take on Matt's "desperation" to return to his early-season glory. I never thought about the hat in that way! I actually see the hat as a symbol of Matt's new identity as a famous person. Famous Matt can pull off fedoras and scarves; Matt cannot. And it IS funny that when Matt took off his hat, he got eliminated (well, the FIRST elimination, that is!). Do people really hate his mole that much? Hmm, I don't even notice it, but that's because I'm mesmerized by other attributes! But I do agree about the pit of hell: why, Matt, why? He just seemed like a wannabe trying to impress the cool kids. And furthermore, why did Kris perform in the exact same spot the next week? That was sketchy. Oh, and BTW, Matt's other choice for Disco Week was "How Deep Is Your Love". That would have been sweet, but oh well.

This Kratt thing also bugs the shit out of me. Always has. Why do people insist on doing these kind of things? How was Kris even worthy of being paired with Matt for support in the first place? Oh, that's right, White Chocolate. Kris should be thanking Matt every day for him winning this thing. If I could hop in a DeLorean and go back in time, I would go to Hollywood back in what, January? February? And I would tell Matt to kick Kris the fuck out of White Chocolate. That was like the butterfly flapping it's wings that caused the hurricane a few months later! I feel like that little incident led to Matt getting over-confident and experimenting with VLV, which led to Kris shining by comparison, which led to.....

TPTB creating the save. Since their plan for the cherry-picked Top 12 didn't pan out, they needed an insurance policy. I am beginning to think that, since all their other favorites moved through without a hitch, they dreamt up the save FOR MATT. Notice how they only mentioned the save when the finals began? It had never been spoken of up until then. They had to have seen how Adam, Danny, and Lil were shaping up, and got panicked about Matt. They wanted Matt (at that point, before it all unraveled) to get AT LEAST into Top 4, at any cost. So they created a warm fuzzy around the save by recalling such beloved castoffs as JHud, Tamyra Gray, Daughtry and Michael Johns. Good move, TPTB, the Johns incident was fresh in people's minds and the sting of it made people think, hey, maybe this save thing will be great! Am I exaggerating by thinking this was done solely for Matt? No, although I'm sure it would have served a few others well. It's just that Matt was the logical choice, both back then and now in hindsight. It would have been the perfect vehicle to paint Matt as the "underdog", but you mentioned before, all the Kratt assholes had switched to Kris to fill that role. TPTB created their own backfire and didn't even realize it until it was far too late (prolly around Top 4).

And that "jump the shark" analogy was priceless! Kara as Cousin Oliver? Haha! Except Cousin Oliver was better at math and didn't have to parade around in a bikini for acceptance.

I'll end with this: Looking back, I think Simon pointed out what would be Matt's undoing from the beginning: "Your problem is that you don't believe in yourself." Even if this wasn't true to begin with, it would be an underlying factor that hurt Matt, perhaps more than all the screwing with him TPTB did. Thanks for planting that seed, Simon.

At the end of the day, I am so thankful Matt came in fifth and not worse. Many things could have happened: he might not have had a chance to perform at the try outs, he might have chosen the wrong song at that first opportunity and been passed over, he could have blown it with a song other than Georgia or for the White Chocolate song, the judges might have not chosen him for wildcard, etc.

I look at this as how lucky Matt is to have reached fifth place. So many things might have happened to prevent that...but didn't. Fifth place affords him many opportunities that I know he will capitalize on. He will not be a superstar out of the gate like Adam and Kris (yuck) but he can now build a career, the normal way and not the typical AI way - hurry and get a CD out before everyone forgets you. Matt has staying power. I thank god for AI because it gave the music world (and us!) Matt.

let’s face it, analyzing this show is more fun than writing papers (I should know that’s ALL I did for the last 4 years!) It provides me with a way to get out all the things I’ve been thinking while watching the show the last 8 years… it’s just now the stupid producers are making it painfully obvious!

Another point of the Alexis thing… I just realized that I said Opry week was the week Allison became the new it girl of the season… Duh pebs, she just replaced Alexis as the predetermined top 4 with the trio of whores pimped out by 19! (Which damn us viewers, we gave them ¾ of what they wanted…. I bet they were real pissed at Lil for laying a turd on that plan!)

And I like your take better on “famous Matt” being able to pull off fedoras and scarves better than mine! I hate feeling like he’s so self conscious about something that doesn’t even matter… It makes him human, it gives him character! And I don’t notice it either, if I’m lookin at his face (which I rarely am if there’s a crotch/butt in the shot!) I’m lookin at those scrumpous lips that kids got!

And I love this: (Matt's elimination incident was done by voters, but with LOTS of help from TPTB. The two worst judges giving weak critiques? Capitalizing on Matt's flubbed notes? Smack-dab in the middle performance spot? The voters took it from there.) You’re TOTALLY right that they made it as obvious as possible who “should” get eliminated i.e. who they were gonna save the next night! The judges critique that night still kills me! Look at who Kara and Randy (aka the useless ones) got to critique that night: Matt, Anoop, Lil, and Kris (which Randy called pitchy and a mess and that was the single performance of his I actually liked!) …. The contestants already out of the plans of TPTB. Man, they really weren’t high on Kris at all! Hmm makes you wonder? And also I believe that Simon/Paula got to critique first (I looked it up, Allison went first and S&P got to critique her and suspiciously gave her great comments on arguably her worst performance on the show) Why would they critique first? Wouldn’t it have been more plausible to start with R&K because their seats are first and Randy has gone first for the entire duration of the show? No, because they were only allowed to critique the contestants being set up to fail! Nobody gives two shits what Randy (for me for you dog) and Kara (I’m sorry sweetie but…) have to say.

To me everyone this season had a role to play. Their auditions weren’t for a singing show, it was for Fox’s new reality hit spinoff of “The Hills”. Everyone had their past Idol shoes to fill.
Matt is so clearly the Jhud of the year, the contestant easily the most talented but they treat like shit and will eventually come back to be uber successful (we can hope anyway)
Kris was the David Cook: the contestant nobody really knew about until he switched up a few songs and made them his own (although less successfully than DC) and eventually beats out the early front runner. which makes Adam the Archuleta: the early frontrunner who “shockingly” loses at the finish line. Allison was the Daughtry: the rocker that’s not gonna win because people don’t get her and according to the judges doesn’t have a personality… but will prolly bite them in the ass in the end as well. And Gokey, well ol Danny Gokey Okey is the new “Soul Patrol” bitch in town. The contestant who does stupid shit on stage (the dumb heart thing and that God afwul dancing!), has ZERO market, but somehow makes Pauler cream her panties every time he opens his mouth (and what is with Paula tweeting her little heart out about Danny and how much she loves him... isn't she supposed to objective to these kids?)….. it all makes sense now….

And the Simon audition quote is the theme of Matt’s journey on American Idol. Whether or not he did actually believe in himself (I believe he DID until the B3) it painted a picture in the viewers minds: if he doesn’t believe in himself, neither should we.

Ok wow you girls are good.

My take is that they wanted Matt in a box. He is to well rounded for a box so he was his own man. When that happened they moved on. They thought he would be easy to mold but he has his own ideas. He is smart he will come out of this on top. He already knows how to talk to the media and make connections. I think we will have many years of Matt G to come.

As for Kris well he happened to be the lucky on in all of this. I dont hate kris at all. I think he seems like a nice dude and didnt take anyone's spot on purpose. Actually he isnt getting good press right now so really all any of this has done has made it even easier for Adam to be a star. Idol still gets what they want.

pebbles87 wrote:

let’s face it, analyzing this show is more fun than writing papers (I should know that’s ALL I did for the last 4 years!) It provides me with a way to get out all the things I’ve been thinking while watching the show the last 8 years… it’s just now the stupid producers are making it painfully obvious!

Another point of the Alexis thing… I just realized that I said Opry week was the week Allison became the new it girl of the season… Duh pebs, she just replaced Alexis as the predetermined top 4 with the trio of whores pimped out by 19! (Which damn us viewers, we gave them ¾ of what they wanted…. I bet they were real pissed at Lil for laying a turd on that plan!)

And I like your take better on “famous Matt” being able to pull off fedoras and scarves better than mine! I hate feeling like he’s so self conscious about something that doesn’t even matter… It makes him human, it gives him character! And I don’t notice it either, if I’m lookin at his face (which I rarely am if there’s a crotch/butt in the shot!) I’m lookin at those scrumpous lips that kids got!

And I love this: (Matt's elimination incident was done by voters, but with LOTS of help from TPTB. The two worst judges giving weak critiques? Capitalizing on Matt's flubbed notes? Smack-dab in the middle performance spot? The voters took it from there.) You’re TOTALLY right that they made it as obvious as possible who “should” get eliminated i.e. who they were gonna save the next night! The judges critique that night still kills me! Look at who Kara and Randy (aka the useless ones) got to critique that night: Matt, Anoop, Lil, and Kris (which Randy called pitchy and a mess and that was the single performance of his I actually liked!) …. The contestants already out of the plans of TPTB. Man, they really weren’t high on Kris at all! Hmm makes you wonder? And also I believe that Simon/Paula got to critique first (I looked it up, Allison went first and S&P got to critique her and suspiciously gave her great comments on arguably her worst performance on the show) Why would they critique first? Wouldn’t it have been more plausible to start with R&K because their seats are first and Randy has gone first for the entire duration of the show? No, because they were only allowed to critique the contestants being set up to fail! Nobody gives two shits what Randy (for me for you dog) and Kara (I’m sorry sweetie but…) have to say.

To me everyone this season had a role to play. Their auditions weren’t for a singing show, it was for Fox’s new reality hit spinoff of “The Hills”. Everyone had their past Idol shoes to fill.
Matt is so clearly the Jhud of the year, the contestant easily the most talented but they treat like shit and will eventually come back to be uber successful (we can hope anyway)
Kris was the David Cook: the contestant nobody really knew about until he switched up a few songs and made them his own (although less successfully than DC) and eventually beats out the early front runner. which makes Adam the Archuleta: the early frontrunner who “shockingly” loses at the finish line. Allison was the Daughtry: the rocker that’s not gonna win because people don’t get her and according to the judges doesn’t have a personality… but will prolly bite them in the ass in the end as well. And Gokey, well ol Danny Gokey Okey is the new “Soul Patrol” bitch in town. The contestant who does stupid shit on stage (the dumb heart thing and that God afwul dancing!), has ZERO market, but somehow makes Pauler cream her panties every time he opens his mouth (and what is with Paula tweeting her little heart out about Danny and how much she loves him... isn't she supposed to objective to these kids?)….. it all makes sense now….

And the Simon audition quote is the theme of Matt’s journey on American Idol. Whether or not he did actually believe in himself (I believe he DID until the B3) it painted a picture in the viewers minds: if he doesn’t believe in himself, neither should we.

God, it never even dawned on me that R&K critiqued the four "weaklings"! I guess it's okay for TPTB to be so blatant in their motives because most people won't even realize it's happening, and even when people like us do, it's too late to do anything about it! Wily bastards!

Good call on the Opry Week switch. I was getting to that conclusion with my Motown Week tide-turn theory, but you mentioned the Alexis throwover, and now it all makes sense! Plus, Alexis' confidence shattered much easier than Allison's, which I, and I suspect other viewers noticed right away. She was too willing to compromise herself, whereas Allison didn't waiver. People don't dig spineless desperados so much.

And I think you are SOOOO right about the "roles" the contestants played this season. At least, I hope you are! I would be thrilled if Matt's career went the path of JHud. She reminds me of Jamie Foxx, actually, who is multi-talented, keeps his hand in lots of different creative mediums. That's Matt, our jack-of-all-trades! And I fully expect Allison (my distant, second fave) to have a good career. With all my whining about them touting her as the next Daughtry, I think it's in the cards for her to be a star. Look at all the shit they gave her, and she STILL placed ahead of their stealth TCO!

AAAHHH! I just can't wait for all this shit to be over and done with, and for Matt to put out a bomb album. I know it's gonna be SOOOO long! I mean, Jason Castro and Brooke White haven't even released their albums yet! WTF? But again, as Kristy Lee Cook, Kat McPhee and Bo Bice's first post-Idol clunkers have shown us, 'tis better to be patient and put out work with integrity and passion rather than to release a rushed, badly-produced trainwreck just to have something on the store shelves.

As a non-american all these media-stunts, master-plans, schemes, scripts and you name it have somewhat gone over my head (can you say that in english!?) I have not been able to follow every episode, but I must say that this is almost like dirty politics - maybe worse - since the contestants are sort of clueless and just pieces in a puzzle. I know not to believe everything you hear/read :-) but this all gave me a very bad taste in my mouth. It sort of all comes together and it is not a pretty picture.
When it comes to Matt I am certain that this will not end with just 15 "months"" of fame - Something grand will come out of all his struggles. I feel bad somehow - because I agree with you that he does/did have som self-confidence issues - but maybe with all the support of his fans he will come out stronger and trust that he really has this mad and massive talent, that we all see and hear. And that is why I must - again - complement Jenna on all her efforts in keeping this forum alive, exciting and truly doing everything she can to promote Matts talent through this forum. She is really working her ass off!!
So here is afro right back at you, Jenna

yeah, this whole season left such a bad taste in my mouth. I knew that I was feeling the manipulation as it was happening but now that we're talking about it afterwards, it's become so painfully obvious what was going on here. And I can't help but wonder how many people don't realize this... it's obvious that people do, because viewership is down and the people buying the Itunes songs are down. This will end up hurting Kris the most, he won the season that was manipulated, and to some he didn't deserve it. He's got such an uphill climb ahead of him,.... and he won the damn thing!

I think Alexis was also the male version of Matt: they tried to keep her in the "dirty" box (which I just didn't get... ok guys let's tell the girl to act like a slut on stage... good advice!) but the difference was she caved like you said and Matt didn't.

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if there wasn't all this dirty stuff going on. Would Matt have even made the top 13? If he had would he have made it further than what he was supposed to? Would Kris have won? I can't help but think because Matt's talent was unparalleled, he would have at the very least gotten a lot more credit when it was deserved. Oh well, can't change things now.

I know we all have confidence in Matt that he can and will make a solid record. I have all the faith in the world that he will be signed by someone, there is at least 1 label out there who realizes his immense talent. My only worry is how he will be marketed once he does put one out. Many idols put out records and don't go anywhere. Why? Because the fans don't even hear about it. I didn't know half the people who have put out records even did! The only people 19E seem to be interesting in giving a good marketing campaign are the winners (and this doesn't always work out as well) and runners up. We've all been hoping he goes the way of Castro and signs with someone big. I hope that Castro gets backed by his record label and has his singles shopped to radio stations and that this happens for Matt too. It can't hurt that he's got some big names writing with him and interested in working with him. That alone will help market an album (a song co-written or co-sung (we couldn't be more lucky!) by Colbie Calliet or Gavin DeGraw will get noticed more than one without them!)

what I want Matt to do first is, before putting out his own album, pull a JT and sing on someone else's record. If he has his hand in on a hit single people will notice him and pine for a Matt Giraud album. He's got the talent to sing any genre, he can do something like this and get away with it. My dream is for him to sing on a Rihanna song or a Colbie song.... get the exposure under someone elses name first!

Wow this is some good stuff! I know I've been watching Idol since the beginning (minus most of Season 3 and 4), but really, Season 8 has to be the most TRANSPARENT season when it comes to producers' manipulations. I have felt for awhile that Matt has always been TCO and favored by TPTB. The format this year really was unfair, but fortunately it worked in Matt's favor as he performed so strongly in the beginning. I still can't stand that they used a Top 36--I feel that this was their biggest mistake. A good point that was brought up was why did they put Matt in Group 2 with Adam? Maybe they wanted to start early with us seeing the two of them duking it out in the finale (think Closer performance)? It was clear that they wanted a male winner this season, and they got it--though not what they expected, obviously!

I'm gonna be nice to Kris because what's done is done really...and I don't have that strong of a hate for him though he does annoy me with that acoustic schtick of his lol...(Sidebar: Do you guys think that those who play instruments on the show are favored over the pure singers? Two guitarists beat out the early solid singers two years in a row. Hmmm...) Kris is so lucky that Matt slipped up. I do feel that Matt has carried Kris in a lot of ways. The White Chocolate thing of course (in which only Matt sang really great). Viva La Vida. (though I must say I didn't think it was as BAD as everyone claimed! I think it was his stage fright that did him in...he had to go second and was just so nervous, poor guy!). And then his elimination which let Kris hype up his "Hey I can play the piano too" schtick (which purely annoyed me, especially after singing Apologize AND Heartless, which we wanted Matt to sing!)

The LGIO Bottom 2 broke my heart. I was in Vegas that week for a conference, and I missed Matty's performance--got in at 8:30, and I couldn't vote. I tried several times but it didn't go through--I had given up after an hour. Was it because I had an east coast cell? Well, I just hated that farce, and I hated that every week following Ryan CONSTANTLY brought up that ONE time he was in the Bottom 2. It was complete bullshit and drilling that in Matt's and America's head clearly was for some agenda. I looooved hearing Matty as a front-runner. It was a beautiful thang, of course you all remember! They just kept jerking him around and trying to put him in "that" box. The VLV reminders were also annoying. I stand to what I said...it wasn't that bad! I love Chris Richardson, I really do but if you listen to his "I Don't Wanna be" from his first round in semis, it was HORRIBLE but they ate it up anyway!

I think Matt was the darkhouse they had written for the show...it makes perfect sense. And I believe that TPTB think that Matt is marketable. Save the Top 13 and 11 weeks every single week Matt had a feature in the group numbers, I can't ignore that. And they threw him a bone in the finale by the special, sexy, super short solo with Santana (yay alliteration!). I think they are unsure of what to do with Matt though, because they see how versatile he is versus your "package" artist. And since he has so many sounds, perhaps that's why his iTunes don't sell as well? I don't know. You have to say you know what to expect from Kris every time.

Ahh so many theories so little time! I analyze this show way too much.

Wow, I love reading all of your posts! Great thinking ladies, great thinking! : ) One tidbit I wanted to add was that I love how you brought up the idea of the TPTB having certain roles for their favored contestants. And, what I think got Matt on their bad side was his whole "not choosing a side". Didn't Kara say something dumb like: choose the bluesy side of rock or the soul side of rock? Yeah lady, put more energy into writing craptastic singles (sorry! hehe). What I think is that Matt was certainly a top notch contestant in their eyes, BUT only if he upheld his bluesy, piano man role. Even in his audtion, Simon immediataly compared him to Elliot. This is exactly the shoes that they wanted him to fill! But, but, but Elliot is no rocker. And it was painfully obvious that they did not want Matt to do any type of rock whatsoever which got me SOO infuriated because: since when have AI contestants (while they're on the show), with the exception of a few, merely stick to one genre? Uhhhh, Adam, anyone? Why was he allowed to perform complete rock and roll performances, black nail polish and all but then was applauded for doing slow ballads looking like Elvis. Why was it okay for him to be multitalented but not Matt? This really bugged me the whole competition but it makes sense now. They wanted Matt to be a frontrunner, but they wanted him to be the smooth, savvy, good looking, vulnerable, quiet yet confident piano man (hmmmm, Kris, anyone?) I mean I have it my mind after watching a few seasons that AI can't handle too many rockers in the same season (at least 2 males). And I use the term rocker loosely as any guy who doesn't really fill the cookie cutter David Archuleta role. Adam was already Mr. Rocker, and Matt and Danny would be the ones competing against him (kind of like Taylor, Elliot, Chris..and it was painfully obvious that wanted a male winner from the get go). Unfortunately, since Matt didn't take Kara's wonderful words of wisdom of only fitting one mold, they thought less of him being a frontrunner. And look who becomes the new underdog. And another thing, I was so angry after he sang YFM, I thought it was soooo great! Why, just because it sounded like the original? Uh, i'm pretty sure up until Season 6, 90% of the contestants on AI would sing almost identical to the original versions, I guess it's NOT a compliment to sound like a well established, renowned singer. Okay, I'm done for now! : )

I feel like this forum is my cocain addiction… with each new post I find myself analyzing this show even more… a show I’m actually (although you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way I talk about it) embarrassed that I watch (and I’m NOT watching anymore, I’ve only ever fallen for Chris Daughtry and now even more so with Matt… I just don’t think I care anymore!) I’m gonna quote both Janizzle and meagsmatt so I’m gonna bold what you guys said!

I do feel that Matt has carried Kris in a lot of ways. And then his elimination which let Kris hype up his "Hey I can play the piano too" schtick . I think you’re totally right here. I think after Disco week, TPTB were done with Matt. They tried everything they could to “make Matt happen” (if I can quote Mean Girls) and most people weren’t having it (I think Matt didn’t catch on because of the pimping, they screwed him over for the people who didn’t like the games. Most people thought Adam deserved the pimping and Danny still had delusional fans backing his sob story) They quickly realized after the save that it didn’t work. This was when the iTunes sales mysteriously were leaked and we were all shown that Kris was actually outselling everyone but Adam. (yeah, I really believe this was an accident… NOT!) Then Kris took over for Matt in a way… they didn’t need to make him part of their plans… they prolly knew it would work without the pimping… And the sad piano playing he did on “Apologize” I don’t know if he’s a good pianist or not… but he wasn’t even playing half of the time! Quit trying to be Matt… you’re not as good, sexy, or charismatic as him so just no! I will really never know why they didn't just manipulate the results more to make Matt the winner. He's the most marketable, has the most current sound (have you guys heard the kind of album Adam wants to make, he's all over the map from dance to rock to electronica... that formula NEVER works coming from this show!!), arguably the most charismatic interviewee, and is normal enough to not scare away middle america (sorry Adam!) He's a good spokesperson for the show and they pissed away the chance to use him!

And it was painfully obvious that they did not want Matt to do any type of rock whatsoever which got me SOO infuriated because: since when have AI contestants (while they're on the show), with the exception of a few, merely stick to one genre? This began to piss me off the week Matt sang “You Found Me”. That very week, Danny Gokey sang “What Hurts the Most” a country song… since when was Gokey a country singer? Why was it ok for him to dabble in another genre and Matt couldn’t. What were they gonna say to him if he made Rock Week? You should have sung a Michael Jackson song again? And let’s face it, the judges can compare YFM and VLV all they want… but while both are rock songs, they’re two totally different styles of rock! The only thing Coldplay and the Fray have in common is a piano… that’s IT! The Fray is definitely the kind of sound Matt can have. And don’t even get me started on Kara saying HYERLAW is a rock song??? In what freakin universe lady… a universe of crappy songs about mountains, streams, and hurricanes?

Gosh, I really write novels about this show… I think I’m gonna write a book someday!

OvenMitt wrote:

Whew. I'm glad I got all that out. Ooh, one more thing:

Crys7 brought up the very valid point that perhaps Scatt's duet was cut to keep Kris from looking lackluster. I love this angle, and think it's true. I mean, I've had a suspicion that even though Matt didn't pan out for TPTB like they'd hoped, they can't deny his immense talent and huge marketability. The are still manipulating, but now their method is to be greedy. Greedy with Matt, downplaying his value, and giving him just enough affection to keep him wanting to stay. They may have told Matt something totally different than Scott to smooth over this snub; I even recall reading that Matt got an invitation to perform on the show next year. But perhaps he got more promises, like, say, the sweet record deal type of promises. Maybe Matt even had some pull, since he was put through the ringer so badly. He probably said, "But what will you do for me?" Heck, maybe he even negociated the jam session and concert tickets with Colbie Caillat, all arranged by TPTB as a barter for his diminished presence at the finale. Maybe more than that! We all know that Matt made his second album on the stipulation that he could use some of his own material. I think he's learned about making deals with record companies and has done some manipulation of his own. Plus, he himself has stated that he gets that AI is a show, that people play their parts, and so on, which actually validates the rumor that he bought clothes for a performance that had yet to be announced. I'm almost certain he knew he'd be in the finals, and it was probably because TPTB told him that. I know this paints Matt as a co-conspirator, or sneaky, but if it's true, I see it as him being super-savvy and strategic about his career. This was Matt's one avenue to hit it big, because it wasn't gonna happen in Kalamazoo. I don't blame him one bit for seizing an opportunity! He is an intelligent guy, who knows he has what it takes to make it (see audition interview!). There is nothing wrong with being passionate AND strategic about your career: that's what it takes to make it in the music industry!

Okay, now I'm off to go apply to grad school, because, let's face it, I just wrote my final thesis right here.

Well, in the LKL interview, when asked about salaries, Scott did say (jokingly) that Matt was the negotiator. & Matt said (jokingly, again) "I made some arrangements"....I wonder how true that was. LOL!