Leave Ryan Seacrest Alone
Lighten up, America. So Ryan Seacrest had a little fun Tuesday night (April 13) during Elvis night on American Idol. Big deal. Contestant Tim Urban is all boo-hooing because Seacrest did a little aisle dancing during his performance of "I Can't Help Falling in Love." Urban said, "It was a little weird, because people laughed at [Ryan] dancing in the middle of the song, so I had to zone it out. I could kind of catch it in the corner of my eye that he was dancing. I just tried not to think about it." I've got news for you, Urban. If you think it was distracting to watch Seacrest dance, wait until you do a real live concert and all kinds of people are yelling, screaming, pushing, shoving and -- oh, yeah -- drinking way more than they can handle. And sometimes, even grabbing your private parts. (Ask Tim McGraw and Faith Hill about that one.) Seacrest did you a favor. So instead of looking for an apology from him, you should be thanking him for teaching you the realities of live performing. Learning how to zone them out now, while you're just getting started, is one of the best lessons American Idol can give you.
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Steve says:
I love Tim Urban. He keeps getting better every week. But yeah, I agree with you Ryan was just having fun. Who doesn’t wanna dance to Elvis?
Terri says:
*Sigh….All Tim was doing was making a joke with his easy-going demeanor…he didn’t mean anything by what he said.
sad Katie left says:
Maybe just maybe you don’t expect the emcee of a major talent competition to get up and start dancing causing a distraction during your song in a singing competition?
Can things be blown out of proportion? Of course they can! Case in point!
ananth says:
i completely agree:). i mean this is after all american idol., not some sappy talent show. in my opinion, urban has gone about being too sanguine about it. he isn’t even a professional yet :P
memarc says:
Alison, I will agree with you so long as you do/did not have a problem with people saying how Taylor cannot sing live. These people are only doing her a favor and hopefully her live performances will improve.
P Robear says:
You make an excellent point - however the Brian Dunkleman comment by Seacrest was just weird and unnecessary.
D Trotter says:
Tim’s chances of winning are negligible anyway. Ryan’s dancing has nothing to do with it.
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Robin says:
D Trotter - Are you watching American Idol? The brink of all that is evil in the music business?
Peacock Queen says:
&$^%****
I agree with Alison on this one. Tim Urban should be thankful he is still standing on stage with Ryan Seacrest, not complaining. The guy is terrible. What is amazing is that individuals such as Paige Miles, Katie Stevens, Didi Benami, Lacey Brown, and quiet possibly Lee Dewyze, Casey James and Crystal Bowersox go home so the girls can have “Mr. Dreamy” on stage. What is right about American Idol is that it gives talented people a chance. What is wrong with American Idol is that people vote for all the wrong reason, which is why Tim Urban is still around. But it all works out in the end (such as Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, and Jennifer Hudson).
Peacock Queen says:
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Nope, he is NOT as good as the others, in my opinion. He has had his chance, and he hasn’t shown me anything that says he deserves to be on Idol. That may bother you, but that is my opinion. Also, sounds like complaining from Tim Urban to me. Has anyone else blamed Ryan for being voted off the show? If someone sneezes during one of T. Urban’s performances, will he be able to carry on? How about a fart???? The girls wave signs with his name on them while he is singing. I guess he can handle that.
Simon has already said it. The reason Tim smiles while the judges are telling him how bad his performances have been is because he knows if he just stands there and smiles, he will be back. Irregardless of talent, or lack thereof.
TG says:
Yes,let’s all keep supporting “vote for the worst” website and give Temmeh a win to get this miserable show out of it’s misery for good.
Susan says:
PQ - Ah…must have missed Tim complaining about getting voted off the show because of Ryan. Last time I checked, Tim wasn’t voted off the show. If there is more information about this and proof that Tim was actually complaining, then why doesn’t Alison post that proof. Instead she posts one little sentence in which SHE decides what was in his head when he said it. And you’re right PQ, Tim’s talent is greatly lacking compared to the rest but he WAS NOT voted off whether you like it or not so he should be afforded the same chance as everyone else. How old is this kid…16, 17? Why does he HAVE to know how to deal with distraction at this age and talent level? This is the first time he’s had any real exposure with this kind of thing. It isn’t his fault he’s continually been voted to stay on the show over and over. Why aren’t you screaming at the judges for giving him raving reviews from his performance Tuesday night? You’re simply in hate mode and Timmy’s your target right now. Have a heart and cut the kid a break. Oh, wait a minute, judging from your post, you have no heart. Sorry, my mistake.
countryiscool says:
I’m with Peacock, I am amazed that Tim is still there and that Katie was voted off. Katie had better vocals and more personality. Tim goes on tour this summer with the gang, he may as well get acquainted with the unpredictability of a LIVE audience NOW, than later.
D Trotter says:
Robin, sure I watch AI, it’s a love/hate thing, lol. (You comment on Taylor blog’s, don’t you? ) But I never let AI interfere with anything really important. (Like “Lost”:)
It’s not like the show is w/o ANY merit. Some of the personal stories are very moving. Then there’s the “give back” shows; they’re nice. And there are always some contestants who were poor working folks one day and singing stars the next. Peacocks been educating me.
Anyway, I’ve been arguing for some time with hardcore AI fans who feel the show has gone down the tubes this year. For my money, I feel that Crystal and Casey are two of the most natural artists they’ve ever had (wish they could do their own material). I also love that neither knows what a high C is, or seems to be letting the AI hoopla-doopla affect them. (Although it was disconcerting to see them prancing around smiling like escapees from Glee during the group’s Elvis “tribute”.)
Robin says:
D Trotter - I knew you were a closet fan :) I think AI has ALWAYS had it’s problems. First it was Paula until I realized without her there’s something lacking. I’m not sure what it is, but maybe it’s the pure fact that Kara is annoying. Kara probably has more value to add to the critique’s than Paula, but only marginally.
I’m not a big fan of the AI machine, but I do believe it has found and developed legitimate great artists. Some of which will be with us throughout our portion of music history. (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert). There are others that are great and very successful, but are probably not going to stand out in our portion of music history (David Cook, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson). There are others that will have long standing careers, but won’t be the superstars of their industry (Pickler). And, there are yet others that are pure flashes in the pan.
It certainly shouldn’t be the ONLY way to find great talent, but bringing talent to the public to let them decide on occassion, is a great thing. I think it’s lived it’s life though - just like Star Search before it. Without Simon, it’s certainly going to die a hard death.
Part of the problem it has this year is that vocal talent isn’t the forefront, “finding an artist” is. You can’t “find an artist”. A competition like this finds talent and the “artist” in that talent has to be built. 70% of the people on this show hasn’t been developing their talent in the same manner that someone that moves to LA or Nashville and pursues a record deal. The people that are successful on AI doesn’t have all that prior experience and that’s the charm of it. Their raw talent is “found” and voted on and then their artistry is born and raised.
Robin says:
Oh, yeah, I comment on blogs about Taylor because I don’t hate her. I just think her talent in every way (singing especially, but also writing) is WAY overrated.
Peacock Queen says:
Susan,
I am not in hate mode, and I do know that Tim was not voted off the show. Tim has been in the bottom more than once, and I believe he thought his number was up, so he was blaming Ryan for distracting him in case he was voted off the show.
There have been and is now people in the music industry who can sing. Etta James, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood just to name a few. Then we have the ones in show business who cannot carry a tune or sing very well, but they are “cute.” We hear all sorts of lame excuses for why they don’t perform well live, such as “couldn’t hear for the fans” or “there was a technical problem with the mic.” But Tim’s excuse of “I want to be an entertainer but don’t distract me by being entertained by my music” is probably the worst one yet. Sorry, but I am with Alison on this one.
If you read my other posts, you will indeed see that I do have a heart. My heart is for the ones who are talented and being sent home for the wrong reasons. I am not shallow enough to live my life on how someone “looks.”
See Robin’s comment above about Taylor. No hate, just a “not really talented” to be so overrated. That is how I feel about Tim. Not hate, just an opinion on music.
Susan says:
Peacock - I see you chose to ignore most of what I said. Not surprised. What are you rambling on about all those other artists. We’re taking about AI here. You still haven’t said why you enjoy picking on some sweet, naieve kid who is totally out of his element. Does it make you feel good? Obviously. I asked for proof that Tim was actually complaining. What Alison quoted couldn’t possibly be judged as complaining unless you were there and heard his voice. All the other things you say are speculation. Again, where is the proof. If you prove to me that he comlained that Ryan was going to cause him to get voted off, then by all means, do it. And I have read your other posts. And no, when you are mean spirited about someone you have no heart. You’ve ripped this kid apart and sounded as if you enjoyed it. Heart? Hardly.
Robin says:
“Heart”??? This is about the music, not a Disney theme park ride. If Tim can’t handle Peacock (a mild mannered musically opinionated person), then he’s sure not going to be able to handle the hoardes of critics out there. Maybe he’s in the wrong game.
Susan says:
The kid made it through to where he is on his coattails. He knows this and hasn’t made it a secret that he realizes how lucky he is to have gotten this far. He has had no prior music experience. Everyone knew that, yet he kept getting voted to stay. And somehow this is his fault? You think he deserves the venom you holier than thou mouths are spitting at him? You ask what heart has to do with music? Are you serious? Does something have to be a “Disney theme park ride” in order for people to treat others with respect? Would you like your son or daughter to be talked about as people are talking about this kid? All this kid did was explain what it took for him to concentrate on his performance while Ryan did his little dance and the only reason he talked about it was because someone asked him. He didn’t complain, he didn’t whine as far as I know. I’ve asked for proof of this complaining and whining 3 times and no one has given that proof. From what I can gather all this venom is being spewed from Alison’s opinion and reading between the lines. Again, if you present me with facts that prove me wrong, bring it on. I’ll always cop to being wrong if I am. I’m waiting……
Peacock Queen says:
****
Gee whiz, Susan, Alison said “Lighten up” and I agree! Alison simply expressed an opinion, and I happen to agree with her and so do a few others. There is no need for you to be so angry or upset over this. Everyone has an opinion, and we are all entitled to our opinions. If someone disagrees with you over another person’s vocal or musical ability, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a heart or that they enjoy “ripping” into some sweet kid. It simply means they have a different point of view with regard to music.
If something is going wrong in your life right now, I hope it works out for you and things get better. You seem to be taking the comments about Tim Urban personally, and you shouldn’t. AI is all about people expressing their opinons via voting, and you cannot let what another person thinks about a talent show bother you so much. We are all human, and we sometimes see things differently. That is all.
Susan says:
And yet a fourth time. Where is the PROOF that Tim was complaining and whining. Let me see a quote from someone that was there and heard him. Give me the audio or video of him complaining and whining. Since this proof has not been forthcoming, I can only assume there is none. And of course you agree with Alison. Her skewed opinion is based on nothing. I don’t make assumptions based on gossip which is what you all have done. If that’s what you’re into, then I have nothing left to say.
Julie says:
Susan is right — Tim did not complain at all. he should not be on the show any longer and deserves to be voted off — but his comments were fine. This is a singing competition . And Alison, these are not professionals yet. They are amateurs, young ones at that, and Ryan is a well paid pro that was acting like a 5 year old boy. Seems to me like you are enjoying ranting against teens lately.
Peacock Queen says:
Tim was quoted by Entertainment Weekly. If he did not say anything about Ryan distracting him and being “weird”, then it is up to the editors of Entertainment Weekly to set the record straight. In any case, I expect that Ryan will address the issue with Tim on Tuesday night, and put the entire issue to rest. I doubt Ryan meant any harm, but I do think he will apologize to Tim.