Who thinks the "Idol Machine" still has voting credibility...or is it truly just a production plot to draw in viewers?
122065
It's a TV show.  The only purpose of the enitre show is to get people to watch commercials.  They do whatever will make people watch.
152179
I know! I don't watch it anymore b/c that's the only reason I watched it in the first place. Did you know that it's all fake?! Other people really do it all. Ty is such an actor. I really dislike him. He dosen't even do his secret room...someone else does it for him. FAKER!
587356
I don't believe those ratings either...and if Nielson provides a box for their ratings who gets the box? Some little town in Kansas? I know of no one that has actually been contacted by any tv ratings company...I think it's all made up. I mean...who watches all those moron shows anyways?
104753
I love American Idol (even though I'm from the older generation - 52) and have watched it since the firt American Idol.  I love watching the people who think they can sing, but can't, but have to give them kudos for having the guts to get up in front of the judges and television, with millions of people watching and take a beating like they do.  But I love Idol most for the seriously talented young people that you see once in a while that get the chance to be successful in music when you see that they do have the talent and ambition but left on their own, they would have much less chance of "being discovered".  I think the show is great for helping serious artists looking for a break.
65105
It helps both, the Phone Company and the Poll TV Program.\n\nYou will notice that these messages carry a different charge. The same charge is levied to you message and then the same is shared between the Phone Company and TV Program Producers.\n\nWhat it is probably helfull about is to get a more generalized opinion from audiences whom the producers cannot see.\n\nA number other benefits include, but may not be limited to, Viewer Statistics, Viewers preferred and most watched programs, Companies to provide better and more targetted products. The mileage is unlimited for the right kind of company.\n\nIn my personal opinion, it is still somewhat convoluted. No one knows whether the winner was voted or selected.
26752
Yeah They Know because it's not live. The American Idol episodes you are seeing this season were taped over the summer. They are still taping and the winner will probably win soon, but you won't know who it is until it airs at the end of the season
576457
I'm totally addicted (again) to the show this season.  But this year something is new.  I'm voting every single week.  I adore Benji and Donyelle and will continue to vote for them until they WIN (I hope).  They make magic together when they dance, and I could watch them for hours.\n\nActually I think all the dancers are so much better this season so it's sad to see people go each week, but I'm still pulling for B&D.\n\nFYI watching the final cut this week right now on SF Bay area Fox\n (channel 2).\n\nThanks for asking.....what fun!
657664
The commercials say that 20 friends win the lottery.  To me, that sounds like the cast will be too big and will cause characters to get lost in the story line.  Also, with such a specific amount, depending on if they took that as a bulk sum or spread out between 20 years...how much money did each one actually get?  The show sounds like it will be interesting for about 2 episodes...after that no one will care what kind of pricks money will make these "friends" turn into.
558417
Of course it is fake.  Sane people would never go out and do that to their bodies unless they had some control over it.  They do get hurt and they do put their bodies through the ringer but they are all choreographed and they know who will win before they step out to see the crowd cheering them on.  \nI like it because it is better than a soap opera.  It's like Survivor meets Real World meets tough Enough meets General Hospital... all to good music with great drama, men and women in revealing costumes showing off their goodies and beyond all that... it's a couple hours away from every day stress that makes me laugh, scream at the TV and basically forget my problems as i watch them battle out out for my viewing pleasure.
254548
I was shocked as well. Extremely shocked, he was sooo good!!! You're right though, he'll still make make music, probably already has a record deal :) Who will I vote for now? NO ONE. My faith in American Idol has died.
356345
No one has won yet. The final results show is in a few more hours. (see http://www.americanidol.com/ for the hour)\nI expect Taylor to win, based on last night's performance.\n\nI think that the show is partially rigged: they do carefully select contestants for amusement value (intersting life story, personality) rather than talent in the first few rounds. \n\nI think that the final rounds are not rigged, as they depend upon our votes.\n\n....a few hours later....\nTaylor won!!!!
234632
I definitely believe it's rigged. Please read this for the evidence and why I think this..I am 100% convinced it is rigged.\n\nAlso there were similar problems with the phone lines last year.\n\nIn fact, I copied all the evidence that slipped through on last year's website and sent it to Scott Savol and his family who I meet. \n\nAlthough I don't remember it all, one thing was the night before the final..(the day the last two finalist sang) they showed a clip that summarized the show..then they briefly flashed all the final 12..they were in order from the first voted off to the last and Bo was the 11th flashed and Kerry (sp?) Underwood the last night before "we" voted showing someone at idol knew she would win..\n\nThey did the same thing on a previous show..had them all sitting next to each other (I think it was week 5 or 6 ) and they had them all in order of them when they were voted off..this showed Scott leaving in the week he eventually left in (in fact all of them) as the 5th place (7th voted off) before he was voted off and right after what Simon said was his best week..again someone knew..several others were kept after their worse week or left after their best week and comments---though others were much worse that particular week. \n\nThe albums in the last 4 seasons released a list of songs before they were voted off and the songs on the preview list had the singers listed in the order they subsequently were voted off (although they changed the song order last season in some of the cds after it was discussed on line..(they have changed the online website to minimize this happening again by changing the format).\n\nThey banned people reopeatedly for listing information and deleted their threads and/or words...even the words fixed are banned from the site. I personally went way back into the threads once and found a thread with a list of the songs put out three weeks previously..it had them in the order that they were subsequently voted out..Anthony then Scott etc. I was stunned and I answered the old thread "OMG--look at the date this was posted. and it shows people being voted off in the exact order they eventually were three weeks before it happened. This bumped the post to the top and it was on they..within a few minutes (the moderator apparently read it) the entire thread was gone (but luckily I had copied it and others and sent them all to \nScott Savol) and I was banned from the site. Each time I tried to get on and post evidence, they promptly banned me even though I used different names and email addresses. It was the evidence they didn't want posted as it would cut into their profits if people knew the show was fake.\n\nCarrie was also prominently feautured in the CD (which came out before te show was over)as one of the few people wearing colored clothes in the left corner (we read left to right)...again suggesting someone knew she'd win and they wanted er prominently featured.\n\nAlso an online paper in England honoring one of the producers with an award..mentioned in te text..American's idols winner Carrie Underwood a full 2 days before she was the winner. It turned out the reporter messed up and thre article was not supposed to be printed until after the final results were announced. Several people printed the link to this paper with the paper's date verified on it and I also copied this and sent to Scott. I hope he shared it with his friends on idol during or after the tour.\n\nI think there was more stuff as well and it all convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubtthat American idol is rigged..\n\nI never waste time calling now (and they are stealing money with their deal with cinular wireless) when people pay to vote with text messaging if it is rigged. \n\nI vowed no matter how much I like a singer or singers I will never buy a cd if the person is under contract with American Idol and if idol also benefits. I think the show--like fox's other reality shows are
171864
I agree with the comment above. Also a higher frequency  will lead to a higher memory rentention on the commercial's message. If you can only air your ad once during Idol then chances are your target market won't remember the ad. Not only are you trying to grab the target markets attention you are trying to compete with other ads during that same time slot.
77827
Chris will win for three reasons.  Two are respectable and one is ethically controversial this season.  Reason one, he is the overall best performer.  Two, he is obviously getting the hightest number of votes..which brings us to number THREE..The folks at FOX dig him and they couldn't be more obvious about it.  Do you think it mere coincidence that he always has the best posistion in the line up for each weekly performance?  Heck no..He was the last performer last Tuesday, because FOX knew that viewers would sit thought the entire two hour show just to see the "Christer" belt out another great song.  Still don't think the big heads at FOX love him more than the others? Well consider this.  Where was Little Kevin's Big thousand dollar fog and light show on his big musical number? LOL..Get real..Chris's number looked like the encore at a Genesis concert!  I won't even mention his placement in the whole "All I Want" campsite parody from Toad the Wet Sprocket.  However, it should be noted that I like him and am glad that things are going so..uh..well for him!
253444
I think that the immunity idol can only go to the final three. So after that he can't use it anymore. I am not sure if they can steal the idol. I think that since Terry has it, he hides it so know one will see it. Also they probably had to sign a contract with it included telling them they can't steal things like that, but I could be wrong too.
326471
American Idol says a lot about modern American culture; only here in this day and age would we choose our celebrities from a panel of game show contestants.\n\ngod help us all
89940
I say that they are judging more on the looks...America's votes I mean. David's (Radford) a crooner, not a lot of people like crooners, so why's he still on? It's just like in Season 3 (sorry, got to meantion this one part), after Jenifer Hudson left, John Stevens said "it should've been me." and he's a crooner as well as David. America's becoming more and more shallow nowadays...so when the American Idol gets crowned to a person with good looks, but a bad singing talent, you'll know why