American Idol Season 12 **OFFICIAL THREAD**

all the laughter all the tears I want to see Mariah and her crazy I want to see Nikki and her CRAY I want to see Keith and his flat hair I want to see Randy and his dawg I want to see Phil and his Phillips I want to see Bo and his jandras I want to see Mandesa and her feets I want to hear Lazaro Arbos stutter! All that and Ryan's shiny chicklet teeth on tonight's show

• And we’re off, with Nicki and Mariah getting into it over Nicki’s gaudy hat. It seems like a playful argument, but with undercurrents of “I hate this bitch already.”

• Well shit, OP and I are the only ones who watched?

• I watched too. It was fun, and always a blessing to be graced with Queen Mariah's presence. Nicki is CRAZY, but pretty funny. You can tell they are feuding for the camera, but there is real dislike there. Some nice contestants and the Phantom of the Opera guy made me laugh. The tone this season seems wackier and campier than usual, which is fine by me.

• Ten minutes in, and I switched channels. That's all I need to see of this season.

• Loving Mimi. She's crazy and she knows it. The hate in Nikki is so clearly evident. I can't believe they didn't put the one legged dude through to Hollywood.

• Mimi is so over. Couldn't bring myself to watch this contrived drama.

• I don't watch any of this shit until the live shows. Until then it's a complete and utter waste of time.

• I liked the one legged guy too and agree that he should have been put through.

• Well I hope it gets better, I was bored through most of it. They are spending too much time on each contestant, though I imagine that is because they have to give adequate face time to all on the panel. Mariah is so dreadfully fake and boring. Terrible idea to put her on as a judge. Nicki is surprisingly funny and actually charming, I was shocked, I expected to HATE her! But she is growing on me. IMO she is the star of the panel, the only interesting one really. The only contestant I really liked was the 17-year-old country girl who sang Super Bass, I think she could go far.

• Niki's response to the off key asian kid. "Your range is bigger than Mariah's" Was very funny you have to admit.

• So far, I'm liking Nikki. Mariah seems so about herself, which is distractingly boring.

• Yeah, Mariah is stuck-up on herself, but she is the singing star.

• R6 I agree. Nobody cares about Mimi or this stupid show anymore.

• Mimi is a big old fat hot mess

• Not even one page of replies about the Mimi/Nikki TV "feud" the day after.

• I love Mariah. She looks great for 43 and having no plastic surgery or botox. At least she can sing and offer the kids real advice, Nicki doesn't know when someone is off key. You couldn't see b/c of the far camera shot, but at one point Mariah told a kid "it's good to have some originality" and looked over at Nicki.

• Nicki is a no-talent, but she was a pretty good judge last night. I thought I was going to dislike her, but I was wrong. You forget that Keith Urban was even there! I thought the one-legged guy was very good, but that's JMHO.

• Historic low ratings for the show. And it's about time. It still won it's timeslot but the juggernaut is dying. Big Bang Theory did better last week.

• I was prepared to judge them harshly, but I actually believe that this panel is a vast improvement over the Steven Tyler/J-Lo debacle. Mariah and Keith seem engaged by the people coming in to audition, and Nicki is okay, although you can tell she is going to be a HUGE camera whore. But it wasn't nearly the trainwreck I was expecting it to be.

• Mariah is not going to take this vulgarity much longer!

• [quote]Historic low ratings for the show. And it's about time. FOX is fucking stupid. They keep paying the judges on these stupid singing shows outrageous amounts for shitty ratings. Look at the X-Factor mess - they paid Shitney $15 million for one season and ratings were lower than before. Now with Whoriah, they paid her $17 million for historic low ratings. Real smart. Hopefully they'll just pull the plug on these stupid ass shows soon.

• Mariah looked like shit last night. She looked like she just rolled out of bed.

• I thought this was supposed to be a singing competition, not a reality show bitch-fest between feuding roommates. Yet, almost all comments are about the two female judges. This will be the "story" of the season and viewership will drop until the producers realize that they must manufacture an explosion between the two and viewers will tune in to see if the women punch each other.

• [quote]Mariah looked like shit last night. She looked like she just rolled out of bed. What's new? She's a lazy pig who can't even hold her own umbrella.

• R23 is right. This season will be less about the contestants than any other season. It might as well be called American Idol 12: Mariah & Nicki take charge. That said I'm enjoying it more than I have in years. The two of them are a riot together, and as others have mentioned I'm surprised by how funny and charming Nicki is. This season will be more for than gays than ever before.

• It's ridiculous they are shelling out these big bucks to people like Mariah and Jennifer Lopez yet refused to pay Paula like 10 million a couple years ago.

• Lazaro (the stutterer) pinged. Just me?

• I was surprised to learn that Nikki Minaj is 30 years old. She behaves like a 20 year old. I wonder how long she'll be able to hold on to her tween fans.

• "Lazaro (the stutterer) pinged. Just me?" No, it's not just you. He both clutched the pearls *and* did a Stefon. Repeatedly.

• This show is done. Will not be back after this season.

• The sob stories are starting to get old. One gal tried to foist this tale of battling "anorexia" (all the while looking average) and it must have worked, because it sure wasn't her singing that got her through Round 1.

• The show will definitely not be cancelled this season. Sure it's down 20% from last year's premiere, but it still scored a 6.0 in the rating share and had over 17 million viewers. That blows both The Voice and X-Factor out of the water, and it handily won the night. Idol is on a ratings decline that may never be righted, but it's nowhere near the cancellation point. I think they will get 3-5 more seasons out of it for sure.

• Keith Urban seems gayer than I'd expected and I like him very much. Nikki goes back and forth between charming and just being an attention hog, I'm okay with her. Mariah is kinder and more interested in the contestants than I'd expected, so I like her more than I'd expected. Lazaro is super cute and has a nice voice. I'm skeptical that he'll be able to sustain but we'll see. He is, however, super cute.

• I think Mariah is really unattractive. She doesn't have good facial structure or features.

• Mariah and Nicki are actually book smart in ways that other "divas" aren't. They're probably the only two female stars who don't make extensive use of co-writers and ghost writers when they write songs. Nicki used the word "fruition" in an interview and I was like "Lil' Kim doesn't even know what the fuck that means."

• [quote]Nicki is a no-talent, but she was a pretty good judge last night. No she wasn't. She keeps calling barely talented people "a star" . But then she has no talent either. She's rude and disrespectful but she ain't stupid, she knows how to get camera time. She clearly needs attention when it should be on the contestants.

• Nicki was hilarious flirting with all the boys last night. I like her!

• Why did they let Randy Jackson come back for another season? He's more pointless than ever.

• [quote]Why did they let Randy Jackson come back for another season? He's more pointless than ever. He snagged Mariah. They are long time friends and collaborators.

• Did Ryan just pretend to be interested in some female contestants breasts?

• [quote]Did Ryan just pretend to be interested in some female contestants breasts? Ryan is straight! You forgot that he's dating Julianna Hough.

• Aw that was cute. "Please don't fight. It makes me sad."

• Nicki Minaj, Rhianna, Kei$ha, and Justin Bieber would not be stars without auto-tune 20 years ago.

  Just%20sayin

• Wait, what?! Mariah hired more security for THAT??! Oh, my sides.

• Mariah and bacon!!

• Mariah looks fantastic tonight! She truly is the greatest evah!

• Re Mariah-you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

• Mariah, looked great tonight. Nicki looks like her face never moves. Did she get botoxed?

• "Girls, girls! You're BOTH pretty."

• LOL R49

• Mariah is almost 44 and looks great.

• I did like the bacon interlude. I started to watch it again just to see what the fuss is about and I think Keith Urban and Mariah come off pretty well, but I think Minaj is going to sink the show as it goes on.

• The way Keith Urban calls everybody "baby" is a huge turn on for me. Instant boner.

• I tried to watch, but I couldn't, it just so boring, same old same old. Same vulgar vocals, girls shouting extremely loudly the same same boring hackney songs, sung the same way with the same response by the judges. Boys with weak vocals trying to sing like swing kings, but with zero charisma and no real style or talent. These shows are over. The only good this is the tension between Nikki and Mariah and Ryan seems to be edited out a bit with is good.

• They are now saying that Nicki was actually fighting with Randy, and not Mariah. Btw, they did edit the fight for Primetime.

• I think Keith Urban would be cute without those stupid tattoos on his arms, which are distracting in a bad way. I also think Minaj is interfering too often with the judging, and becoming more like the Nikki Minaj show. I don't think she will be judging in the next season, because she seems like a pest.

• [quote]The way Keith Urban calls everybody "baby" is a huge turn on for me. Instant boner. I agree.

• What's with all the "daaaaaaahling" bullshit?

• American Idol and American Family are DOWN in ratings!

  http%3A//www.deadline.com/2013/01/tv-ratings-american-idol-down-csi-modern-famil

• Sorry, try again!

  http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/tv-ratings-american-idol-down-csi-modern-family-mariah-carey-nicki-minaj/

• I never liked Nicki before but when I watch her in American Idol, I enjoy her funny and smart comments. She makes me laugh! I can see why Keith is always farting at her jokes.

• [quote]American Idol and American Family are DOWN in ratings! The ratings just keep falling and falling. I really think that after this season it's time to pull the plug. These judges don't even deserve the outrageous amounts they're making if they can't bring in the ratings. Same goes for the stupid X-Factor. The only singing show people watch now is The Voice.

• Hate to break it to you R62, but even though Idol is falling hard it still outperforms The Voice in millions of viewers and the 18-49 rating share.

• R63 Doesn't matter when they're paying judges outrageous amounts and the ratings keep getting worse. They're wasting money.

• r63 is right. Even though the ratings for Idol are down from previous seasons, it is still the #1 show on TV right now. FOX will run the show into the ground before it pulls the plug. Until the show costs more to produce than the revenue that it generates Idol will remain on the air. It is a cash cow for the network even though production costs have increased this season and the amount being charged to advertise on the show has decreased due to last seasons drop in the ratings. I agree that I am not sure why Randy is even on the show. He has to be pulling in between $3-$5MM this season. Seems like a waste of money. As I have watched this season, I find myself focusing on Mariah, Nikki and Keith. I forget Randy is even there. Idol's biggest problem seems to be repetition. Hopefully the show will shake things up a bit during Hollywood Week and the live shows. The show has become stale and changes need to be made apart from bringing on new judges every few seasons. Jimmy Iovine was a nice addition a couple of seasons ago. Last season they also threw Tommy Hilfiger into the mix as a wardrobe consultant. Obviously that did not work, the producers ditched the concept after a few weeks and Tommy was absent for a majority of the season. If Idol wants to remain relevant, I would suggest that they continue to make tweaks to the format to keep it fresh and exciting. Perhaps giving the judges a little more control over the outcome of the initial live shows would help, who stays and who goes. Also, Idol needs to limit the number of votes people are able to cast each week. Fangirls have hijacked the voting to the point where a cute guy that appeals to tweens wins season after season.

• [quote]Fangirls have hijacked the voting to the point where a cute guy that appeals to tweens wins season after season. And, don't forget the southern states hogging up the voting as well. The voting should be limited like DWTS.

• I'm enjoying Keith, Mariah and Nicki. I'm surprised by Mariah's enthusiasm and kind comments toward many of the auditioners; I didn't know she had it in her but good for her. DL is full of people like r62 who love to proclaim that their preferences are universal. If they're not interested in something, then nobody else is either, obvi.

  you%27re%20not%20that%20important%2C%20dahhhhhling

• I was hoping that Nikki "no-talent" Minaj would not come back when she walked out.

• I really liked the sweet red headed kid.

• Hate the tattoos on Keith but otherwise he's hella sexy. Pretty blue eyes.

• r65 Actually, The Big Bang Theory's last episode performed better than any AI rating this season(20.3 million viewers, 7.0 in 18-49). With AI on now, it might make a dent in TBBT's ratings but I doubt it. They were neck and neck for total viewers last season. TBBT outperformed AI in the 18-49 demographic last year but only has now toppled over it in total viewers.

• If you'd told me a few years ago Mariah Carey would be reduced to judging a reality show, I wouldn't have believed you.

• Wow Mariah is on point tonight!!!

• Keith is HAWT

• I haven't watched much over the years so I don't know if it's normal for people who don't know the words to be put through. It seems kind of offensive to people who did bother learning the words, especially since some of them went home. Also, the Lazaro love eludes me, I don't think he is that great and from what I gathered he has been in this country for at least 18 years so using not being from here as an excuse to not know a song is kind of lame.

• This season is awesome. It is probably the MOST gay friendly season in 12 years, most likely BECAUSE closet case Simon Cowell isn't in charge. I love how you have transgenders, ambiguous, gay, straight, you name it, the judges have put them through. I honestly believe that these four judges are looking for raw talent, and they ALL seem gay friendly. Mariah knows and loves her gay fans (we really seem to adore her!), Nikki loves anyone who's offbeat, Keith is Australian and very gay friendly, and Randy is all about the singing. It's a very interesting dynamic, but these judges are putting through everyone who Simon would have instantly cut. As a result, we have fat, strange, unique, offbeat, gay, TG, and every other kind of person under the sun who have made it through. I absolutely love it. Perhaps we might even see our first openly gay AI winner?

• Remember when this show was about finding actual talent that sells records? Yeah, me neither.

  Kelly%20Clarkson

• They are putting to many people through who don't have enough talent. I don't think they're being honest. Too worried about how they come across I guess. If you can't be honest and make the tough calls you shouldn't judge a show like this.

• I had to search and search for this thread. Why no interest? I think all the men are gay this year.

• Randy is having gay panic.

• Keith Urban is a homo.

• I think Keith is kind of cute. I like his accent. I kinda want to fuck his hole.

• I really like Devin

• Keith always looks like he is gay, stoned and happy from a butt plug. Nicole was married to another short gay man for 10 years, so it is all making sense now.

• the red-head is kinda off-today. The 18 year old in the red-jacket was really bad.

• Devin's a great singer but charisma-challenged. Curtis will get sent home by America very early no matter how well he sings. He's a nasty pig who oozes arrogance and insincerity.

• R79 Because people are bored of this show.

  Simple as that.

• The first episode I watched this season was the GIRL SEADON DEATH ROUND and I was extremely bored with the contestants. The judges were more interesting, I was surprised they all seemed to give good advice.

• I wanted Chris to get through. They kept that Jolley, shit over him?

• Curtis seems stuck-up on himself.

• Only one dude could sing, and that was the black guy. What a bore!

• Devin hit some really good notes and has a great natural voice. The weirdo kid sang horribly tonight and I can't believe they put him through. He did hit an amazing note/run when he did group rounds. People say they can't stand Mariah, but I like her and she gives the best advice any judge has ever given because she is so keyed in on their singing. She points out specific words/notes and mostly focuses on their voice unlike Nicki who says she is obsessed with the men, asks if they're single, and tells the women to change their hair.

• R92, you're being simplistic about Nicki. She's giving astute and concise criticism to the contestants, too, like when she told one of the ousted girls that she was doing a "pageant version" of a song, smiling through it when it was, in fact, sad and poignant.

• Thank god that flaming faggot is gone. Nobody wants to see that!

  Adam%20Lambert

• I was so sad all the out gays got sent home. Jayda and the skinny black kid with the nice body. Now we're left with only the closet cases. [quote] Curtis will get sent home by America very early no matter how well he sings. He's a nasty pig who oozes arrogance and insincerity. It's hilarious how miss thang is all religious and pious and church this and church that, and then after her performance she starts flaming out by tearing up, covering her mouth with her hand, blowing kisses, and waving like a teenaged girl. It's really unbelieveably crazy. The Mexican-Chinese kid is decent, but the last guy who got sent home was a million times better. The skinny autistic dorky kid has a HUGE ego, and he's going to implode when all that fame gets to his head. Just watch. The only one left who can sing is Devin. I have a feeling that this season is going so suck - HARD. Oh, and it'll probably make our collective ears bleed.

• ZONETTE??!! REALLY? She looks like Flava Flav!