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How to FIX AI How to FIX AI
- From: ksux
-
Description:
Reviving AI that is DOA
I tried to quit the show. It was Season 3. My mother started watching the show. This was my sign that AI was no longer hip and trendy. I boycotting that Fantasia Barrino year. I found new hobbies and new shows. Life was fine, but Idol kept bringing me back. She was the girlfriend I just couldn’t shake. For me, that “girlfriend” took the form of Carrie Underwood. She brought me back to the show. The thought of meeting a new “Carrie” kept me intrigued for the next five years. Some would argue that Carrie Underwood would be just another news anchor in Oklahoma if not for the platform of AI. That would be a bummer….(To borrow an ad term from Miller Lite – that would be a trav-sham-mockery). On the positive ledger of AI, at its best, you gotta love the excitement, the office chatter, the format and most importantly…Idol was the fertile ground where major artists were found. Kelly Clarkson. Jennifer Hudson. Kellie Pickler. Chris Daughtry. And of course…. Carrie.
Unfortunately, the last few years of AI reminded me of my scalp in my early 20’s. With every passing year there has less and less reason for joy. The Idol franchise was transformed from Fabio to Mr. Clean.
American Idol lost its way. Let me pinpoint the wrong turns…
Too many theme shows that viewers don’t care about. It’s hard to find true creative spirit in a contestant when they are forced to sing Elvis and Sinatra. Those picks would have been fantastic choices….in 1965. Not now. You want relevant artists in contemporary genres and then you give them these choices? It would be like telling English students they can write an essay on their life, but can’t use any words invented in after the Middle Ages.
The emphasis on the judges’ role on the show is WAY too much! This year I would love to stopwatch the screen time of contestants vs. judges. I’ve seen enough of Simon, Kara, Ellen and Randy. After 1500 reviews, Simon and Randy don’t have a whole lot of unique observations in the tank. Ellen needs to find a new role on the show…like a sideline reporter or backstage. DioGuardi is pretty, but adds little. The best seasons of AI focused on what the finalists would sing and do. You could jettison the judges’ comments. We knew they were good and compelling.
This pains me to say. I miss Paula. She was wacky and unpredictable. Thos two elements are desperately missing this year.
Ryan Seacrest got a big head. In the early years, he added so much to the show. He was quick, witty and the smoothest person the set. That’s why he got 7 different jobs. Now, he is a distraction, long winded and his interplays with Simon remind me of a bad radio morning show that completely cuts out the audience.
I don’t care about the finalists. They lost the “Olympic Coverage treatment” of these individuals. Stir some emotions AI producers! Make me feel SOMETHING about these people. I have more connection to the strangers in a karaoke bar in Sioux City.
There is a talent void. Maybe after nearly a decade..all the good singers are found? I have an idea to fix this. More on that later.
Too many darn rules. AI has made a fortune. They can cover the rights to just about any song. How about a few weeks of “Sing whatever the heck you want night”.???
There has been an abundance of contestants (especially the last few years) that had the personality of toast. Additionally, I get the feeling a lot of these people have no clue what kind of artist they want to be. It’s like they are a college student with a “General Studies” major for four years. Think about the successes of AI.
Carrie Underwood – Country
Chris Daughtry – Rock
Adam Lambert – Theatrical
Kelly Clarkson – Pop
Jennifer Hudson – Broadway
Much like the AI franchise, too many contestants have lost their way and true spirit.
Here’s how to fix Idol for one more glorious year before that new Cowell show takes over.
1. Get the band back for one more year. Simon. Paula. Randy.
2. Ellen talks to fans in the crowd
3. Kara watches from home. No offense. Just one too many cooks in the kitchen..and this isn’t about the judges.
4. Have AI alumni do produced pieces that tell us what they are up to now (both good stories and bad)
5. More back stories on the contestant.
6. Shorten up the season.
7. This one is key. Go to bars, musicals, and recording studios. Get some talented MUSICIANS. Think Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, Carly Smithson etc. Just make sure they don’t have a current deal. Past recording deal? Yep. That’s fine…and…preferred.
8. Find the entertaining non winners like Sanjaya, William Hung, Pants on the Ground guy. Head to You Tube. I can find you 25 contenders in one day of surfing the web.
9. No themes. Unless, they are extremely vague like “Song you have heard on the radio” night or “Songs recorded in the USA” night
10.Original song night. Look, they will eventually all be doing their own songs or lesser known songs, let’s start that process now. There are 5,000 songwriters waiting tables in Nashville alone. Tap into that.
11. Minimize that AI theme song. Enough already! Play it once a show. That’s good.
12. Return the Q&A segment from viewers.
13. Highlight various excerpts from AI bloggers / journalists. Think of Bruce Miller’s witty comments, positive and negative words about the people in the Finals. These people need a thick skin to survive. Get used to it.
14. Ban the following phrases from the AI vocabulary “Song choice”, “100 – whatever percent”, “Dawg”, “This is American Idol”, “Sing the phone book”, basically 70% of judges comments.
15. No more “Up with People” singing montages.
16. The Ford commercials go into the commercial break.
17. Easy on the ballads. Give me some tempo.
18. Bring back the homeless kid living in his car..Josiah Leming.
19. Shoot on location at a bar or arena one week
20 Show the votes. Have breakdowns by state. Think election night. The drawn out mysterious spooky music bed is dated – much like the franchise.
I believe I may be a little too invested into this little tv show. It’s sad really. I just want one more season…done right. I’ve put in about 409 hours into American Idol…which coincidentally is the length of Taylor Hicks’s post Idol career.
Send all hate mail to tony@ksux.com.
Tony Michaels
KSUX Program Director / Morning show host / AI Addict
- Blog post
- 4 months ago
- Views: 99
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Shopping Challenge Shopping Challenge
- From: ksux
-
Description:
Tony & Candice competed with KMEG's Sarah Te Slaa & Alex Roberts and the Sioux City Journal's Bruce Miller and Samantha Suttle at Hy Vee on Hamilton with the Argosy Casino to benefit the Food Bank of Siouxland. Here are some highlights...and lowlights...
- 4 months ago
- Views: 217
- Not yet rated
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Tony's week at the YMCA - Week Tony's week at the YMCA - Week 2
- From: Tony_and_Candice
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Description:
Desperate Measures - Week Two Review
First off, Congrats to KSUX afternoon on-air dude Ronnie Lee! He is melting away the L-B’s and still finds time and energy to blog dang near hourly.
Here are some highlight / low lights from this past week at the Norm Wait Sr. YMCA in South Sioux City:
* No speeding tickets this week! Although 25 mph on that road to the Y feels like a snail’s pace.
* I can’t swim. Never could. I tried many times as a youth and as an adult. I’ve come to realize this body doesn’t float. Bummer. With a wee bit of trepidation, I tried "Water Aerobics". It was actually really enjoyable and I never realized I could sweat so much in a pool. I didn’t die. And if there was ever inspiration to get a toned body, going shirtless in front of media elite will fuel your desire to hit the treadmill. My biggest fear during the session was the uneasy feeling that my swim trunks were going to shimmy off to never never land in the deep end. If given the choice, I may plot to run for a towel than retrieve the trunks. Sorry. I don’t float.
* My personal trainers (Angela and Melissa) have a weird sense of humor. One day last week we met on the basketball court to "play cards". I imagine this is the way you have to "play cards" in prison. Hearts are running lines, Spades are push-ups, Diamonds are sit-ups, Club’s are mountain climbers and Jokers are a 60 second (what crime did I commit?) wall sit. So, for example, if you draw a Queen of Spades - you will do 10 push-ups, then it’s on to the next event. It was a very challenging hour and I will never look at a deck of cards the same way again...or prison.
* Personal Trainer Susie enters the picture for "Group Ride". It sounds like a leisurely outing where we look at pretty trees on the big screen projection wall, but this turns out to be a grueling cardio work-out. My favorite line from Susie was: "Just resign yourself to the fact this is going to be hard, then just do it". That’s pretty good stuff right there. I’m not sure if she coined that phrase or if it was "borrowed" from Michael Jordan’s biography but she did an outstanding job of motivating. She welcomed me as "the first timer to the group" and said if I do this on a regular basis, the L-B’s will melt away. After 45 gut wrenching minutes...I am drenched with sweat and an odd sense of accomplishment.
After all my workouts this week (including some treadmill work) and even a jog through my neighborhood it was time to hit the scale, in front of the trainers who have invested their time and did their very best to inspire me....
In full disclosure, I ate slightly better than last week but skipped a few workout sessions due having some work gigs and family stuff.
(Drumroll please......)
I am down 4.4 pounds from last week. I am just 6 pounds away from my "wedding weight" in 1998 - back when I had "Fabio-like" thick tufts of hair...
I need some more "inspirational quotes" to keep me going. "Get moving chubby baldy" is nice, but if ya can top that e-mail me.
Tony@ksux.comBy the way, they are forming a new "Desperate Measures" class soon, just call the Norm Waitt Sr. YMCA... Be prepared to sweat. The staff there is top notch and never once referred to me as chubby.
Desperate Measures - Week one review
As many of you may know, our buddy Bruce Miller from the Sioux City Journal joins us in studio every Friday morning to educate us on all things cinema, tv and entertainment. Sometimes, we learn far more. He asked us if we were doing the media challenge at the Norm Waitt Senior YMCA. I asked around the station and sheepishly called the YMCA and queried "Are you guys having a chubby media people challenge and can I get involved?". Melissa on the other end of the phone was very gracious and told me I needed a "partner". I chose our afternoon guy Ronnie Lee and off we went to "orientation" that next Saturday.
I cheerfully checked in for Day one at the Y. After changing in the locker room, I opened the door to the studio where we were meeting...ready for a new "toned" me, I asked "Hey, is this where all the chubby media people meet?". A nice young lady responded, "No, this is Palates". I turned a deep shade of red, uttered "Crap" and ran out of the room.
Finally in the right spot, I meet our competition that included Tim Seaman and News Director Carla Kreeger from KCAU, Bruce and Amy Hynds from the Journal, and Monica from another radio station. We did push-ups, sit-ups, and a battery of tests. One of those tests on the treadmill measured our POV2 score. Lance Armstrong has a score of 70. I eeked out a 28. Our trainer Melissa said that wasn’t too good, but we’ll get it better. For the record, my partner Ronnie scored an 8. Just kidding. Read his blog for his take.
That night, I watched the Huskers on Pay-per-view. Hey, I spent $30 on it, I felt obligated to celebrate with El Fredos right?
Sunday - day of rest.
On Monday, I raced over to South Sioux City from work to meet at 11am and get our flash drives complete with our workouts. At this point in the blog, let me point out that the speed limit on that road to the Y is actually 25 mph and not 42 mph. I made a mental note to leave earlier next time after a nice conversation with a SSC cop. I start the cardio workout 15 minutes late. Then, do some relatively easy lifting.
I met with Angela on Tuesday night with Bruce and Ronnie. Holy torture! I’ve never been to boot camp, but this is the closest I’ve ever been. We marched around the Y with weights, did "suicides" in the gym, did what seemed like 3 hours lifting weights (it was probably 30 minutes) and then we all worked on our "cores". I don’t think my "core" has been worked in 20 years. Yikes.
Wednesday morning, my lovely wife left town and my youngest son had a fever. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) no workout today. Bummer.
On Thursday, I could not extend my arms because of pain. I walked around like "Hans" from the old SNL skits. It was this day, I learned the importance of stretching before, during, and after workouts.
On Friday, I was a bum. No good excuse here.
Saturday, I met with Bruce for a class called "Group Power" with Alfredo. 60 minutes of lifting weights to Euro - techno poppy music inspired to motivate us. They did throw in one Rascal Flatts song "Fast Cars & Freedom" during a contemplative moment when I felt like crawling into a fetal position and crying. The group was comprised of 15 very fit women, and 2 other men. They were all very welcoming. The instructor and several members all offered to help me and my buddy Bruce. I met with our instructor Alfredo afterwards and he told me that he does a 5:45am class on Mondays with about 15 - 20 very driven, dedicated people. Where do these people find the inspiration to work out that hard on a Monday Morning?
Afterwards, I was talked into doing a Power Kick Aerobics class with Carrie. I am not graceful at all. This class proved it. I did bounce around a lot and ducked out after 30 minutes. My highlight was shadow boxing to the song "Baby Got Back". My sweaty body gyrated and grooved in ways I haven’t seen my Senior Prom. That’s another blog.
On my way out, I saw a throng of people competing in the Tri-Sate Tri. I am nowhere near that athletic. I was hoping some of their inspiration would rub off on me by simply watching them go by....
Ok, here’s the Week One tally after taking a few days off to recover, El Fredos Pizza and Cheese Runzas from my adorable and enabling wife.... I lost 1.8 pounds and I feel a wee bit more energetic. I’m sure my POV2 score is up to a 29. Watch out Lance!
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 422
- Not yet rated
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Tony's Desperate Week 1 at YMC Tony's Desperate Week 1 at YMCA
- From: Tony_and_Candice
-
Description:style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium;"
Desperate Measures - Week one review
As many of you may know, our buddy Bruce Miller from the Sioux City Journal joins us in studio every Friday morning to educate us on all things cinema, tv and entertainment. Sometimes, we learn far more. He asked us if we were doing the media challenge at the Norm Waitt Senior YMCA. I asked around the station and sheepishly called the YMCA and queried "Are you guys having a chubby media people challenge and can I get involved?". Melissa on the other end of the phone was very gracious and told me I needed a "partner". I chose our afternoon guy Ronnie Lee and off we went to "orientation" that next Saturday.
I cheerfully checked in for Day one at the Y. After changing in the locker room, I opened the door to the studio where we were meeting...ready for a new "toned" me, I asked "Hey, is this where all the chubby media people meet?". A nice young lady responded, "No, this is Palates". I turned a deep shade of red, uttered "Crap" and ran out of the room.
Finally in the right spot, I meet our competition that included Tim Seaman and News Director Carla Kreeger from KCAU, Bruce and Amy Hynds from the Journal, and Monica from another radio station. We did push-ups, sit-ups, and a battery of tests. One of those tests on the treadmill measured our POV2 score. Lance Armstrong has a score of 70. I eeked out a 28. Our trainer Melissa said that wasn’t too good, but we’ll get it better. For the record, my partner Ronnie scored an 8. Just kidding. Read his blog for his take.
That night, I watched the Huskers on Pay-per-view. Hey, I spent $30 on it, I felt obligated to celebrate with El Fredos right?
Sunday - day of rest.
On Monday, I raced over to South Sioux City from work to meet at 11am and get our flash drives complete with our workouts. At this point in the blog, let me point out that the speed limit on that road to the Y is actually 25 mph and not 42 mph. I made a mental note to leave earlier next time after a nice conversation with a SSC cop. I start the cardio workout 15 minutes late. Then, do some relatively easy lifting.
I met with Angela on Tuesday night with Bruce and Ronnie. Holy torture! I’ve never been to boot camp, but this is the closest I’ve ever been. We marched around the Y with weights, did "suicides" in the gym, did what seemed like 3 hours lifting weights (it was probably 30 minutes) and then we all worked on our "cores". I don’t think my "core" has been worked in 20 years. Yikes.
Wednesday morning, my lovely wife left town and my youngest son had a fever. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) no workout today. Bummer.
On Thursday, I could not extend my arms because of pain. I walked around like "Hans" from the old SNL skits. It was this day, I learned the importance of stretching before, during, and after workouts.
On Friday, I was a bum. No good excuse here.
Saturday, I met with Bruce for a class called "Group Power" with Alfredo. 60 minutes of lifting weights to Euro - techno poppy music inspired to motivate us. They did throw in one Rascal Flatts song "Fast Cars & Freedom" during a contemplative moment when I felt like crawling into a fetal position and crying. The group was comprised of 15 very fit women, and 2 other men. They were all very welcoming. The instructor and several members all offered to help me and my buddy Bruce. I met with our instructor Alfredo afterwards and he told me that he does a 5:45am class on Mondays with about 15 - 20 very driven, dedicated people. Where do these people find the inspiration to work out that hard on a Monday Morning?
Afterwards, I was talked into doing a Power Kick Aerobics class with Carrie. I am not graceful at all. This class proved it. I did bounce around a lot and ducked out after 30 minutes. My highlight was shadow boxing to the song "Baby Got Back". My sweaty body gyrated and grooved in ways I haven’t seen my Senior Prom. That’s another blog.
On my way out, I saw a throng of people competing in the Tri-Sate Tri. I am nowhere near that athletic. I was hoping some of their inspiration would rub off on me by simply watching them go by....
Ok, here’s the Week One tally after taking a few days off to recover, El Fredos Pizza and Cheese Runzas from my adorable and enabling wife.... I lost 1.8 pounds and I feel a wee bit more energetic. I’m sure my POV2 score is up to a 29. Watch out Lance!
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 265
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Bruce on American Idol Bruce on American Idol
- From: Tony_and_Candice
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Description:
Bruce talks about the first week of AI.
- 1 year ago
- Views: 421
- Not yet rated
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Bruce Millers calls in from Ca Bruce Millers calls in from California
- From: Tony_and_Candice
-
Description:
Bruce Miller is out in Hollywood reporting on the new shows and rubbing elbows with the stars.
- 1 year ago
- Views: 359
- Not yet rated
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Bruce Miller KSUX ringtone Bruce Miller KSUX ringtone
- From: Tony_and_Candice
-
Description:Tony & Candice lovingly made this for their Friday morning bud from the Sioux City Journal!
- 2 years ago
- Views: 407
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2008 CMA Awards Show Nuggets f 2008 CMA Awards Show Nuggets from the couch
- From: Tony_and_Candice
-
Description:
2008 CMA Awards show nuggets from Tony's couch
The CMA Awards show remain my favorite of the genre. The sound quality is FAR superior than that of the ACM which sounds like a cheap AM transistor radio. I enjoyed the 1-2 punch of co-hosts Brad and Carrie. They make a pretty good team and kept the show moving forward at a pretty quick pace. Brad is a funny individual and Carrie is one classy star that America can relate with thanks in part to that ratings bonanza singing competition tv show on Fox.
Speaking of ratings, it was interesting to see the big moments happen at the top of every hour.
Check it out...
7:00pm - Brad Paisley and Keith Urban’s "Start a Band"
8:00pm - Taylor Swift and then the Kid Rock performance
9:01pm - Carrie Underwood’s moving "Just a Dream"
Were tv execs trying to woo potential new viewers tuning into ABC after the conclusion of other shows?
Who is more adorable? Reese Witherspoon or Julianne Hough? I would give a slight edge to Reese Witherspoon who was sporting some of the reddest lipstick I’ve ever seen on television. Let’s just say it was a far cry from KTIV’s Kristie Ver Mulm’s infamous chocolate mocha lipstick. Reese stars in that "Four Christmases" movie that looks like it could be a hoot. Too bad, the trailer didn’t include any Tim McGraw footage.
What the heck was up with Jay DeMarcus’ coat? Only Ralph Ferley (Three’s Company) could pull that off. I wish the tv crews would have showed more Rascal Flatt’s wives. Wowza!
CMA Highlights
1) The Leslie Sponder segment before Carrie Underwood’s "Just a Dream". Her husband Trey was killed in action on June 28th, 2005.
2) Brad Paisley ran off the stage and kissed Kimberly’s pregnant belly (Huck’s future sibling).
3) I really enjoyed the Raggae guy during Kenny’s performance. Where can I get one of those hats?
4) Shania looked fantastic. Ask Kenny.
5) Kid Rock puts on a SHOW. What a fun concert that would be!
6) Keith Urban’s "Sweet Thing" and Keith & Brad jamming on guitar....
CMA Lowlights
1) Who was the big surprise artist? The Eagles? We knew they were on the docket. Shania? She DIDN’T SING. What the heck? I expected a Palin sighting. Bruce Springsteen’s name was the rumored on the internet machine. He was nowhere to be seen. What a major let-down.
2) The Carrie Underwood dress made of black feathers. Really? How was that a good choice?
3) Closeups of James Otto. He’s a great singer. He put on a great concert with Big & Rich at the TEC, but he looks like a goofy looking radio guy. And this is coming from... you guessed it, a goofy looking radio guy.
4) Why does it always have to end at 9:59:59? The Grammys, Oscars, AMA’s all go long. Get Shania Twain into her performing duds and let ‘er rip!
5) Hugh Jackman was a bit rigid for a presenter. Here's a novel idea. Ban the teleprompter. Talk from the heart. These presenters are big musical artists and big time movie stars. They can't memorize three sentences...or God forbid, wing it?
6) Kenny Chesney seemed very melancholy and almost sad when accepting the Entertainer of the Year award. He seemed a little tired/overwhelmed/stressed/depressed. Don’t you think?
I’d love to hear your comments.
Tony Michaels
- Blog post
- 2 years ago
- Views: 500
- Not yet rated
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Lady A's Hilllary Scott Talks Lady A's Hilllary Scott Talks With Candice, Bruce Miller and Josie
- From: Josie_Cooper
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Description:Hillary gave us a call Friday morning. She will be playing "Riverfest" with her band Friday at WinnaVegas.
- 2 years ago
- Views: 190
- Not yet rated