A couple of clarifications in my thinking on the subject: 1. With one or two exceptions, I am not a fan of the vocalists who have been contestants on AI. To me, AI is an entertaining TV show, not a source of new music or musical talent. Almost none of the contestants will be able to make a long-term living in the entertainment industry.
2. That said, when it comes to listening to people attempt to sing, I much prefer to listen to someone who can actually sing. And, you're much more likely to find that on AI than on SNL. Melissa P. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of PGage Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 12:21 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [TV orNotTV] Re: Does 'SNL' Sound Suck or the Bands Suck? On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM, Pollak, Melissa F. <[email protected]> wrote: > > P Gage asks: > > "In response to Melissa, is it really your claim that this list of 16 > musical acts is significantly inferior to the final 16 singers on AI > in any recent season?" > > In general, the answer is yes. > > In my opinion, among the acts listed, the only ones who could make > past Hollywood Week vocally are David Cook (naturally) and Beyonce. > Adele has had some vocal training, I believe, so perhaps she could've > made it to Hollywood. But none of the others actually know much about > singing (e.g., did you hear Duffy attempt a line or two of Bridge Over > Troubled Water at the Grammies? Painful.). They all receive > tremendous help technology-wise in the recording studio -- so these > days it really doesn't matter if they know anything about singing -- or they don't. > And, the American public in general is so lacking in music education > that most believe that Taylor Swift is a good singer. By the way, she > wouldn't have made it to Hollywood on American Idol. Well, I guess this just comes down to radically different musical tastes. I am pretty main stream when it comes to music, but of the two full years I have seen of AI (and I am watching it again this season) I doubt that there are more than 2 or 3 of the top 17 in each year (total of 34) that I would rather see than anyone who has been on SNL this year (and David Cook is one of those 2 or 3, who I would prefer to the Jonas Brothers or Taylor Swift). I know you are an AI expert so I will defer to your judgment - I literally am unable to tell the difference between what she does and what 95% of the top female contestants on AI do. I don't know how much vocal training the Cold Play guys have had, (and it does not make much difference to me) but I much prefer their music to anything I have ever heard on AI. Ditto Duffy (and I did hear her try to match Al Green by doing a few bars of BOTW - not a wise decision on her part I agree. But I would listen to her scratch out the entire Simon and Garfunkel oeuvre like that than 10 more second of David Archuleta. All of that is fair enough - obviously people differ in their musical preferences. But stating that you do not enjoy the kind of music on SNL is different from arguing that the music on SNL is of lower quality than that found from the final 17 singers in a typical season of AI - frankly that seems to me to stretch fan loyalty to its breaking point. I do not really enjoy Kanye West, but I can still acknowledge that his music is well liked and respected by people who like that genre, and I don't really have a problem with him as a musical guest on SNL. If I start seeing Finalist numbers 17-10 as musical guests on SNL, I think I will have to conclude that the party is finally over for that show. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TV or Not TV .... Smart (TV) People on Ice! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
