Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox
It certainly seems like the producers are behind Haley Reinhart — the American Idol contestant has been given the pimp slot two times during the course of the finals. And the fans are behind her — the dark horse of season 10 has been awarded rallying cries of support online from fans of the singing reality show. Yet, the judges still can’t seem to get in Haley’s corner, regardless of her awe-inspiring vocals and interesting risks. So what’s the deal? What’s the judges’ beef with Haley?
Granted, I’m a bit biased. Always a fan of the underdog during Idol seasons past (Jason Castro, Constantine Maroulis, Kris Allen and Clay Aiken… yes, the last two were once underdogs during their respective seasons), I can’t help but be in Haley’s corner. But you have to admit that the judges’ criticism of Haley last night stung, especially considering she was following Jacob, a contestant who sang an incredibly painful, off-key rendition of Jordin Sparks’ and Chris Brown’s “No Air”… and was showered only with praise from J.Lo, who called Jacob one of the show’s best vocalists. Yes, Haley sang an unrecognizable song, Lady Gaga’s “You and I,” for her first number. But she sang it well. Better than well, actually. She sang it, in Steven Tyler’s words, beautifully. So why did the judges choose to critique the song and not Haley’s vocals?
Randy and J.Lo’s harsh words towards Haley only proved to highlight the flaw of the judging this season — their criticism encourages contestants to play it all too safe. (Scotty wouldn’t have been nearly as complacent during half the finals if he got some nudging to change things up from the panel.) Speaking with Ryan after the panel, Haley said that she’s now learned she shouldn’t take risks. Sad, considering without risk-taking, we wouldn’t have Kris Allen’s “Heartless,” Adam Lambert’s “Mad World,” Blake Lewis’ “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bo Bice’s “In A Dream,” and pretty much any performance from David Cook. And, furthermore, their criticism of Haley for choosing an unknown song makes no sense: After all, we are expecting these Idol kids to release unknown songs in the future, right? Would the judges criticize Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” because it wasn’t already sung by Phil Collins? Should Carrie Underwood had released an entire album of Edwin McCain covers?
Yes, the judges made up for their “You and I” criticism for rightfully praising Haley’s “House of the Rising Sun.” But, still, after last night’s episode, Haley fans are starting to raise hell. Where’s the love for our little growling soul, when lesser singers like Jacob and Lauren get rewarded all the praise? And, more importantly, what’s the beef?
Follow Kate on Twitter @KateWardEW
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‘American Idol’ on the scene for Top 5 night
I agree with u.
Lauren is not a lesser singer unless you prefer off-key growling.
She absolutely is a lesser singer. Growling is just something people are hanging their criticisms of her on. She goes for the notes – Lauren totally avoided them in Unchained Melody. She’s too young and not ready. I think she has great potential but she isn’t up to par with the others yet and is her only because each week, someone does worse than her. Jacob or Lauren should be bottom 2. Either going is fine with me. AND…watch The Voice – singers are MUCH better there.
can you give me a single performance of lauren with WOW moment? there u go, thanks you crickets!
I don’t know if you noticed that Lauren has trouble with high notes. Plus I have noticed that her hair seems to be getting fuller…must be extensions. Haley’s hair looks to be her own.
I haven’t watched this season, but just listening to snippets on the radio today….girl stunk! Maybe when you don’t have the visual, the audio stands on it’s own. Nope. Wouldn’t like to hear THAT on the radio.
Lauren has a burgeoning career as a sleep aid. She has no style and only sings pleasantly – like a female Pat Boone. She could probably do more if she had two brain cells to connect together, but that appears unlikely.
Lauren is a boring singer. She hadn’t had ONE standout moment this season and her voice is nothing special.
Lauren is awesome considering her age she is just barley 16 (this November). I don’t know many 16 year olds that can sing like that! Haley is fantastic but she is 20 and her voice has fully developed unlike Lauren’s so lets cut her some slack!
@Robert, this is about finding the best singer, not about forgiving those with undeveloped voices. I liked Lauren in the beginning, but she really hasn’t had any “wow” moments the entire season and I really don’t understand how she hasn’t been in the bottom three. I guess personality and “being from the south” make up for boring performances.
Haley on the other hand has a beautiful voice and knows how to use it. She deserved all the praise from last night and I hope she ignores the judges and continues to take risks because her performance of the Gaga song was fantastic!
So vocal cords become fully developed between 16 and 20?? Um, ok, sure!
She is pathetic compared to Haley and should have went home several weeks ago – bouyed up by lots of teenyboppers wanting victory for one of their own
Lauren is boring. They just think she is a mix of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. They want money from all the teen girls.
Robert, female vocal cords don’t fully develop until around age 32, fyi. It’s not really legit to be giving Lauren (and not Haley) a pass for not being “fully developed,” because as far as I know, Haley is 20, and 20 ≠ 32.
Lauren’s only real problem is Lauren. It’s her confidence. You can see it in her mentoring sessions. She has no idea how powerful her voice is. She could hit any note she wanted to, she has trouble believing she can go it. At 16, I don’t blame her.
Given all the above *SHE* is in the top 5, and last night first song was well done. Then she pulled back.
As for Haley, Song One: Swing and a miss, Song Two: A Home Run.
@Robert…why are you are using age as an excuse for Lauren?? That is not right! I gotta say, the young Katie Stevens from last year who had flaws and mistakes…even she was more wow-factor than Lauren.
Lauren is a lesser singer. I think she will be quite good in a few years. Her potential is unlimited but she is lacking in life experience and emotional maturity which leads to mistakes, missed notes and reflex giggles. She would have been really amazing if she had waited a couple of years.
My 13-year-old son came into the room during “Unchained Melody” and after a few moments of watching, said, “She has to catch her breath, look – she can’t finish singing without gulping.”
once again the sexist double standard. in season 2 ruben was so boring i fell asleep. lee dewyze… need i say more. dude got SO much praise for “staying true to who he is”, yet put the audience to sleep each week. so now, lauren has to be held to a higher standard? no way!! and poor haley letting the jack-a$$ judges kill her spirit. THANK GOD for people like her taking risks. i said the same thing last night with randy. i could care less how well someone sings a song i’ve heard 1,000 times. give me something fresh and you get my vote: which haley did MANY times. go HALEY!!!
Off-key growling? Are you serious? Clearly you’re either a Scotty/Jacob fan or you’ve never taken a music class before in your life.
Well, for someone 16 or younger with great voice, a few names came to mind…Haley Westenra, Charlotte Church, Billy Gilman, Hunter Hayes…I’m inplying that these people have great voice when they were 16, oh, heck, Leann Rimes has great voice when she was 16…just saying.
You are all the pathetic ones, sitting from the comfort of your couches and bashing these people. You all can’t possibly fathom that someone would like someone that you don’t. A pathetic lot, you all are.
You can have issue with the growling, but Haley is never off key or out of tune. A fact that not one singer from this season can claim besides her.
Adam Lambert on Haley… “I love Haley so much because musically and vocally, she’s doing things that are at a top-notch level.”
I’ll take Haley’s ON KEY growling over Lauren’s scared little girl reluctance to sing a big note. What a wuss.
Completely agree!!!!
I think Haley was one of the best if not the best of the day. When J.Lo stated Jacob was one of the shows best vocalist my jaw dropped. Is this woman on something cause from where I was sitting he sucked and frankly I don’t care for his voice and I’ll add another thing.. stop comparing him to Luther Vandrose cause I’m a big Vandrose fan and he does not come close. I haven’t voted in a while but this definately got me to send multiple votes her way. Apparently the so called “most beautiful woman in the world” (not sure who voted her in) can’t stand to share the stage with “real” talent. I smell a little feline envy stench coming from somewhere. P.S. I think Lauren, Scotty and James did awesome as well but I was so ticked off about Haley was didn’t get a chance to vote for anyone else.
Haley is an awesome singer indeed. She hits the notes, she has passion, she’s a natural singer. I’m sorry but as much as I like James, he has potential, last night until he sang in his strong head-voice (which wasn’t even perfect), he sounded flat. THAT was bad karaoke. He could still win it so why aren’t the judges being truthful, kudos for feeling real emotions, but the renditions weren’t great.
And I am so bored with Scotty and Lauren, the squeaky-clean all-american country singers, ugh!!!
Scotty has a unique voice, and will likely have a large following of little girls. There hasn’t been a young country singer like him in decades, so he could still be objectively be voted off.
And Lauren has a great voice, but I agree that she is too young, and needs more training to hit those notes and hold them long enough for us to get shivers. Her performances always leave me wanting more.
Nothing to judge??? Oh come on.
Haley rocks, and it’s about time the judges realized it.
BAKER or BACKER or Bakker726…..If you are such a Luther fan, maybe you should spell his name correctly, its VANDROSS. You want your name spelled correctly, right?
I voted for Haley (about 50 times) last night. I’m not sure if they took all of my votes but the voice kept saying “Thank you for voting for contestant #5.) Haley’s “House of the Rising Sun” was one of the best things I have heard all season.
Jacob sucked… he is gone. James, and Lauren were weak and lackluster. Scotty, although newly entertaining, was pretty much Scotty (boorrring.)
The Judges are mean to Haley and bend over backwards to support the lesser talent. James is a decent singer but not in the same league (unless you count effective rock screaming and theatrics.) Lauren is good but has a limited vocal and emotional range and is too tentative to excel. Jacob is just weird. Scotty is improving and will have a decent country career but he’s limited in what he can do.
Haley is an vocal artist, like Casey was a musician, except she is much cuter. Her voice has a lot of nuance and is easily identified as Haley. Seems like she is giving the judges everything they have asked for (risk, identifiable style, confidence, etc.) and they still diss her. Shame on them.
DCypher, you think Scotty has a voice that has not been heard in country music in decades? Ever heard of Randy Travis or Josh Turner? Scotty is mediocre at best and Nashville will chew him up and spit him out. His arrogance will do him in.
@Dycypher. Have you check out Hunter Hayes? A twenty years old who has been singing since he was three…anyway, Hunter has more talent & personality in his little finger than Scotty has in his entire body, voice and all.
HALEY ROCKS IT! The judges are truly OFF here! Absolutely no comparison to Scotty! AND what’s James all about anyway? sure he can hit high notes and work a crowd! Where’s the talent?
HALEY! that’s where!
I totally agree — she is awesome. And when they want her to pick ONE genre? I say look at Kelly Clarkson! She started out pop, she’s done a rock album, she’s done classical songs, and now she’s kinda country! And everyone still loves her.
If you like different kinds of music, you can showcase them all on Idol. Boo Randy and J-Lo.
they stomp Haley for choosing an unknown Gaga Song… but how many in the AI audience knew 30 seconds to Mars or Sammy Hagar Heavy Metal(for which James was praised). The judging this year is IN.CON.SIS.TENT.
I like Hayley. She is a natural singer & seems at ease when she sings. I didn’t “get” the judges either. They are trying too hard to save Lauren, who, has a decent voice, but lacks self-confidence. I have not seen her sings anything that makes me go WOW yet.
Haley is very mediocre. From time to time she can give a decent performance. However, she is almost always very uncomfortable on stage. The only reason Ward wrote this article is because she is also from the Chicago area.
What are you?? A paid hack for Lauren or Scotty?? Haley is the ONLY contestant left that is worthy to be there…..
Uncomfortable on stage??? Haley owns the stage. If you don’t like her singing fine, but that comment destroys all your credibility.
Moron!
Uncomfortable on stage?? are you getting confused about who you are watching? Because Haley is vastly more comfortable on stage than Lauren, who basically stands there waving or listlessly drifts around like she memorized ‘oh i have to walk here, stand, sing this note, then walk over there, stand, sing that note.’ Your ridiculous comment about her being mediocre merely underscores your inability to hear or see things properly.
What does being from Chicago have to do with anything?
“The only reason Ward wrote this article is because she is also from the Chicago area.”
really speaks for itself.
SAVE THE GROWLER!!!!
“SAVE THE GROWLER!!!!”
I resemble that remark!
And yes, Haley was hands-down the best last night. Dial Idol has her in last place so we’ll see. I’m guessing she has no chance of winning — hope I’m wrong — but final 3 would be nice.
“The family dog doesn’t vote.”
The last ‘growler’ was sent home last week.
Heh. Save the Growler. So we all DO still prefer Slezak over EW’s crappy coverage. I like Annie Barret…but she seems completely bored with the assignment. EW was stupid to let Slezak go.
WardIsAHack, sounds like you’re the HACK!
Im with you Ward, the only thing I’d add is she is a spoiled brat!
@rebekah I think you may be talking about Lauren, who broke into tears upon her first critique last week. With Haley, I get the impression that though she may have a relatively comfortable life, she’s had to work hard to get what she wants.
i think haley is THE MOST comfortable on stage… she is far superior to lauren or scotty
if you are going to trace lauren’s performance in the whole season, it would look like a flatline. nothing great. nothing bad. just flat!
Are you and I watching the same show??? Lauren is very gifted, but I do agree she is young. She does need a little more mentoring and vocal coaching, which seems to be missing this season.
Actually i completely agree, Lauren is a good singer, can carry a tune with her sweet voice. but she is boring, I don’t get goose-bumps when I listen to her. Haley on the other heart, that is heart and soul right there!
Lauren is wayyyyyyy better than Hailey. Her voice is beautiful. Hailey should have gone home long ago.
Well I agree with cine and DCypher so I guess we are watching the same show while you, DeAnna, are watching something completely different. No one said Lauren isn’t gifted – she is just boring. BORING. Her performances are half-hearted and disappoint ESPECIALLY when you consider her vocal skills. If you are going to make excuses for her performance ability based on lack of mentoring and vocal coaching, then you should consider how all the contestants receive the same mentoring and coaching. And yet most of them (Haley and James) consistently turn out interesting, full-power shows.
What’s the Judge’s beef with Haley? She’s proving them wrong and singing better than they are judging!
What judging? They are smoking something this season.
You are right about the bias against her. Media – disclosing the story behind the bias is a story I would like to read.
The judges stink!
Let me put it frankly, Haley sings better than J.LO. Period. Full Stop!!!
I agree as well. They have been harsh on Haley from the beginning while praising lesser singers. Also, last night James was way off key on both songs and they still loved him for his emotional style. I didn’t know Idol was about who could bring the tears.
Thank you!! I was wondering how come no one said it. James sounded off and flat at the beginning of both his songs, it made me cringe…where was Simon to call it like it is?
I think that Haley outdid James, the best male singer, that week. James didn’t sound that strong on the Without You song, becoming emotional and tearful at the end. It might have been nerves or nervousness at the beginning. He had an off night after all those superior weeks. It could be a Haley/ James finale the way it looks.
Idk. For me (for you) Haley is talented, but nothing spectacular. Her lyrics always sound garbled, I can’t figure out what shes singing half if the time. I agree they pick on her, but I think she (along with the rest of them) still have a lot of work to do. And if she’s going to “dance” she should try it in front of a mirror a time or two. Shes so awkward.
Compared to the rest of the over-hyped, tone-deaf, big-headed, lethargic, over-praised singers left in the top 5, Haley is freakin’ vocal GENIUS.
Not only did Haley sing the song well, it was a great song! I hope to see the Randy and J Lo with egg on their faces when Lady Gaga once again goes to the top of the charts when she releases this song.
Seems they not only don’t like Haley, they also don’t like Lady Gaga.
As if J Lo’s music is anything anyone would want. I will buy Haley and I will never own anything J Lo has recorded.
I must be with Randy and J Lo. I despise Gaga and Haley.
Yesterday, Lady Gaga was on Oprah and sang “You and I” and it was fabulous. Haley did a very good job covering it. And I am one of the crowd who isn’t familiar with 30 Seconds to Mars, yet James got no criticism. I usually do enjoy him, but he was way off last night. Haley rocked both of her songs and should have gotten good feedback for both!
Well, we always hope the judges nut-up and actually critique the contestants. So, why be mad when they actually do!
Totally agree. The judges suck and have some sort of beef with Haley. I think Haley’s great – sometimes she isn’t fantastic, but a lot of times she is. And she’s a total underdog. Lauren has no wow factor either….the most I was ever impressed with her was in her first audition.
Haley sings like she’s playing a role… her growl is not authentic, it’s a gimmick. Every line she sings is so controlled and calculated that there’s no room for natural emotion. Lauren is not perfect, but she is a natural talent who sings with pure, heart-felt emotion.
Lauren connects the least of anyone left what are you talking about natural emotion? maybe in a few years
The treatment of Haley prompted me to vote – something I haven’t done in years. I just felt such fury at the judges (JLo and Randy) after the LG song.
Me too. Somebody has to stick up for her.
Maybe that was the judges plan. They’d dump on Haley to make everyone vote to protect her. And they pimped Jacob, hoping no one would vote for him because they’d think he was safe.
Tookie – you make a very good point.
Tookie – I can only hope that’s exactly what they were doing. I feel like they had constantly mentioned “Oh well you have a second chance” And then as noted she had a great second song, in the final spot. I’d like to think that was their plan all along, I really want to believe it.
Was that the strategy they were using with Pia, too? It worked so well for her!
I thought both of Haley’s performances were the best of the evening. I loved the Lady Gaga song and she brought the house down with House of the rising sun. It was one of the best performances ever on Idol. I was flabbergasted at the judges criticism of her! Jacob, Scotty and Lauren all performed poorly last night.
I really dont think Randy and J-Lo are smart enough to come up with a plan like that.
yep I agree. Judges think they have the public figured out. Read TWITTER that will tell U how people voted.
GLAD THIS THING IS ABOUT OVER. it’s starting to bore me.
I’m with you guys! Haley did a terrific job and I’m so disappointed in the judging, I texted until my fingers were numb! Go Haley!
Haley’s rendition of House of the Rising Sun was absolutely amazing!!! I loved it. My hubby loved it more than the original recording artists recording! Yes, the Lady Gaga song was unknown, but Haley did it justice and then some. Also, the judges came down on Haley and it was Jimmy Iovine who told her to sing it! C’mon, judges! Come down on Jimmy…NOT Haley!
Yeah Hailey, GO HOME
Let me guess, TEXAS Jessie… you’re hoping for a Scotty/Lauren finale?
Same with me! I haven’t voted since Season 2 and I just had to last night!! I can’t believe the “judges”. They do not critique anyone’s vocals. I just had to vote for Haley because of her harsh treatment from those three.
I did the same thing.
I would by her CD right now!
Amazing!
I have all of Haley’s itunes and they are better than her live performances, she over sings a bit live but she almost has to with the judging.
Haley may not be a main stream as the country singers but I love listening to her and not bad to look at either.
i agree – it’s baffling to hear them dump all over Haley when just minutes before they were praising and fawning all over someone like Jacob who misses most of his notes and basically stands up there screeching. There was another article somewhere that said this is a case of the judges simply being schoolyard bullies and picking on the contestant who was on the outskirts from the beginning. The more I watch Idol this season, the more i’m inclined to agree.
A wildly successful pop singer/acteress, the lead singer of one of the most popular rock bands ever and a recording producer who has worked with some of the best talent of our generation….and this is the best they can come up with. If I didn’t know all that, I would think they were tone-deaf….
I think Haley is amazingly talented and I don’t understand why the judges pick on her!
Haly is AMAZING every time. She ALWAYS gives a WOW proformance!!
I stopped listening to these judges 5 shows ago
I now don’t watch idol live but tivo it and watch it later on just so I can fast forward through the judges comments cause otherwise they’d be too infuriating
I do the same. I can’t stand the judges. J-lo is just another Paula Abdul, she can’t say a bad thing about anyone(well apparently except Haley). Steven is cool, but a horrible judge. He is clueless about how to critique a performance. Sure Randy is ok, but I believe their are a lot of politics in the judging these days. I don’t watch the judges comments anymore, I just tivo and skip them. That way I can also skip Seacrest and all the other nonsense the show does.
I do that too, I also find I enjoy watching it while not really looking at the tv too. That sounds strange, but I think the Voice has a point. I find I enjoy Scotty more when i don’t have to watch him becuase he annoys me when I look at him. So yeah, listen to the music then fast forward through all the rest.
I actually do the same thing – for scotty’s performances i always watch it with my eyes closed because his vocals are lovely but his ridiculous over-wiggling eyebrows and smarmy smirks make me nauseated. For Jacob’s performances and the judge’s comments i always just flip to another channel entirely for those sections cuz they are just an assault on my ears and a waste of time.
Jacob and James were painful to listen to last night. UGH But the judges save their criticism for Haley? She was amazing but I guess they have already determined who they want in the finals and Haley isn’t the ONE.
Exactly!! I was wondering if I was biased about Haley because i love the girl, for the first time in Idol history I can say I’d buy her album. But the judges are so biased it’s painful to watch. they have their hearts set on twitchy James, awkward Scotty and Dippy Lauren
Happened to hear her sing on Carole King night. Thought she was mediocre.
then you are in the minority
Not really
Dave you can join cameobrooch in the minority then
I do admit that I’ve been on the Haley bandwagon since pretty much the beginning; however, it’s difficult to comprehend why every contestant is not getting the same treatment. Yes, Haley has gotten the pimp spot in the last two weeks, but she has had 0 pre-performance interview packages, has had Evil Jimmy criticizing her work ethic and her inability to define herself as an artist, and has had little love from the judges. Personally, JLo’s critique of the Lady Gaga song was completely stupid. As a concertgoer, I revel in the unknown opening band in the hopes that I can discover something new. It is never about bands playing a song I know; it is more about them wowing me with their singing abilities. I’ve discovered some of my favorite artists because of that.
They do not get the same treatment because Idol is a show for cable TV, a popularity contest;pruned and fed every second of the day by its producers. It is not a real competition folks. That doesn’t mean it can’t be fun still. The producers think its good ratings when the judges are confrontational. It sparks blogs like this.
But the Idol producers want the finalists to sing the same familiar songs over and over every year. Isn’t there a chance that they can let them sing unreleased or never heard of songs from those big name artists? Those songs actually showcase those finalists’ voices better than the hit songs we already recognize.
Really, Haley is so ignored! We don’t know anything about her family. Is she in school? Is she working? Any early videos of her singing as a child? When they panned the audience in the beginning of last night’s show, we saw signs supporting everyone but Haley. She has made it to final 5, someone must be supporting her! I had no clear favorite when they got down to final 11, but the clear bias against Haley has made me support her all the more. And her wonderful “House of the Rising Sun” has more than vindicated that support. Of all the contestants, she is the only one who has made consistant and obvious growth and progress. And, on a side note, Lauren did a great job on the Carrie Underwood song. I wish we saw that kind of confidence in her every week. And maybe we would have if the judges would actually give constructive criticism to all.
i agree completely with you, sometimes i wonder if her and steven are just there for fluff to fill the seats seriously they need to really step it up-Lauren is sweet but way too immature for the pressures of show business and needs to go home she will fall apart with any kind of stress esp in the finale and god forbid if the teenys vote her in as idol how would she ever do a concert, and interviews , she also stretches that accent of hers way to the limit trying to be a combination of kellie pickler and carrie underwood and its not working….
Amen. Amen. A thousand amens!
AGREED!
Haley sucks! Pia was the best singer.(period)
Ummm….. NOT!! Pia was about as boring as they come; a one-trick pony!!
Hey Jan… YOU SUCK stfu you jealous LOSER
I agree Pia was the best singer and will be the best seller… just see the record deal already inked and $100,000 already made on one night’s performance. However, Haley is a great singer with her own style as well. Different voices completely. Both great.
I was never much of a Celine fan but she sold 200M+ album and Pia has a similar style of singing.
I like the blues and love listening to Haley’s itunes, to each their own and more power to want they like.
True, Pia has a similar style to Celine Dion in terms of how they both stand there singing loudly while flailing their arms in the air. But the difference IMO is that Celine infuses her songs with emotion and impact while Pia gives the impression that she is just singing random words that happen to form a song she has no connection to or interest in.
Exactly!
I hope all of the criticism bites all those judges in the butt. Seriously, what are they thinking? Calling Jacob one of the show’s best ever?!?! That is a load of horse hooey. Haley is amazing. This is just fueling our love for her. Haley FTW!
I’m not gonna lie; I didn’t like her at first. However, she’s grown on me and now I’m a fan.
This just further shows that whatever Jimmy tells you to do, you have to do the exact opposite. I can’t believe they dogged her for the song choice when she didn’t even pick it.
100% agree with all you wrote.
I, also, didn’t like Haley at first. Last night, I thought oh no the judges are pushing her under the bus again. Why would they criticize her for singing a lesser known song; at least, Haley wouldn’t have anyone else to be compared too and she did an excellent job. I heard a clip of the second song and was really impressed by her. I hope she makes it to the final.
you lost me at “Pimp Slot.” what year do you think this is, “player?”
Where have you been? That’s what is is, and a phrase currently used regularly.
“Pimp slot” is what lots of people semi-jokingly refer to the closing number. Kate didn’t come up with it.
It’s a commonly used term to refer to the closing number. Perhaps you should brush up on modern vocab instead of mocking a word that you clearly aren’t even familiar with.
Yes, it is commonplace now. I hate it, along with “baby bump” and “drinking the Kool-Aid” but I have accepted that for now, they are used acceptably in mainstream media.
Drinking Kool-aid has been around since the ’60s. Originated with the book: Electric Koolaid Acid Test. Read it sometime. Great book!!
I know the book. However, the term “drinking the Kool-Aid” is a direct reference to the Jonestown Massacre, in 1978, where over 900 people were led to their deaths by being told to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid. And they did it, for the most part, willingly. For over 30 years the term was not in common usage. It’s just in the past three or four years that I’ve seen it used as a metaphor for “going along with the crowd” or believing any hype associated with a certain individual… like saying, ‘you’ve obviously drunk the Kool-Aid’ in reference to being pro-Obama…. or anti-Obama, for that matter. It basically means not thinking for yourself (although opinions are personal, of course). Anyway, it is a direct reference to Jim Jones and what happened in Guyana in November of 1978. That is why I find it so distasteful. I was in San Francisco when they were shipping the bodies back (as most of the members of the ‘Temple’ were from there). I was only 11 at the time, but it had a lasting impact on me (as it should) and I shudder every time someone uses the term in what has become accepted use.
Squish – You are right. The first time I heard it in that context was from Sean Hannity referring to Bill Clinton supporters. I often think back to that remark when I see all the koolaid he has been drinking since then. That’s why I don’t trust any of them no matter what side they say they’re on. There is only one color they are interested in and it is green and it goes into their pockets. F’ the rest of us.
Well, this is waaayyy off topic (but really, more interesting)… but you are 100% correct.
I was so mad last night. She might have done a song people have not heard, but she sang the HECK out of it.
she was good she song her butt off
AGREED – Haley was the best of the night, by far. And I’m not even generally a Haley fan.
Completely agree. I’m not generally a huge Haley fan either, but you can’t argue with a performance like that.
She sounded great on that song. I think she heard and loved the music and words and immediately wanted to sing it. And that was a melodic Lady Gaga song versus the typical electro pop dance songs she’s had hits from.