Messageboard

About Lee from UK: Favourite Songs: All I've Ever Wanted, Underneath the Stars, The Roof, Outside & Butterfly. Favourite Albums: Music Box, Daydream & Butterfly Instagram: @leemdylan

Carla (37,533) by Lee from UK Hi Carla. I take your point and respect your opinion. However, I disagree with your point about Mariah saying "Your voice is more for Pop", "you're more country". Rather than this being insightful, as you said, I find it more akin to pointing out the obvious. We don't need to be paying anybody $18 million to sit there and point out the obvious. That's what Nicki and Randy are there for. In my humble opinion, Keith is the most critical and insightful person on the panel and I don't just mean negative criticism, he is constructive and more often than not gives the singers something they can work on, as opposed to simply describing their performance like the other judges do. I mean look at poor Lazaro. Instead of telling him how to get better or how to improve his singing, Mariah talks about how courageous he is coming back on stage week after week. That's not constructive or helpful in anyway. Surely the judges with their wealth of experiences, skills and abilities should be able to give him something to work on. Btw, I want Candice or Amber to win. (Wednesday 10 April 2013; 22:30)

Carla (37,527) by Lee from UK It's not that we want Mariah to be mean to the contestants; we just want her to be useful and provide constructive criticism. If I knew Mariah was sitting only a few feet away from me, listening to me sing every week and being paid to judge me, I would want her to say something to me that I could take away and use. Every now and then she will say something generic like "You should use your mid register more", but she has said that to about 4 contestants now and that's as good as it gets. I know Mariah isn't a vocal coach, but she is the voice of a generation and has yet to give anybody any advice on how to get better and progress in the competition. Having "nice shoes" will only get a contestant so far in the music industry. It's their vocal technique that counts and Mariah has that bucket loads. It won't hurt her to share some advice with the contestants besides how to choose the "right song". (Wednesday 10 April 2013; 14:41)

Performing live on Idol (37,506) by Lee from UK I agree with the person who said Mariah is looking amazing lately. She is still dropping the pounds and looks extremely healthy. I think Keith gave a great live performance on Idol this week. With the type of music he does and the fact he plays the guitar, any bad notes he hits are forgiveable. If Mariah eventually performs on Idol, the public will not forgive a single note out of place. Not after 12 years of people citing her as their major influence and 12 years of comparisons on Idol. The fans will always be Mariah's harshest critics, but for the people who have paid her no attention until this season of Idol, I would imagine they have higher expectations of her than we do after all of the hype. (Monday 1 April 2013; 15:57)

Judging the judges (37,378) by Lee from UK This may be a little controversial but I agree, in a big way, with this article about Nicki and Mariah's judging styles. I think they are exactly on point and have hit the nail on the head. The only thing I disagree with is their view on Keith. Keith is actually a pretty good judge, he clearly knows what he is talking about, especially when it comes to technical musical issues. Maybe that's why Mariah doesn't give the technical critiques I thought she would, because Keith gets there first. Keith gives the good with the bad and isn't backwards in coming forward about it either, unlike Mariah who will try desperately not to say anything too negative. (Tuesday 12 March 2013; 9:33)

Idol comments (37,297) by Lee from UK Well, thank the gods for that. Mariah brought it to the live shows. Her comments and criticisms were well developed and thought out. I am glad she has been the last one to speak on the panel during the sudden death rounds. She speaks to the contestants about their technicality and you can see they are really listening to her because she knows her stuff. This is what I've personally been waiting for over the last few weeks. In addition, Mariah looked hot during the last two shows, something reminded me of the Butterfly era, it could have been her smoky eyes. (Saturday 23 February 2013; 18:33)

Almost Home (37,235) by Lee from UK This is unlike anything Mariah has done before. It is quite anthemic and sounds like something you would expect during the credits of a movie (which is good for what it is). I would love to hear an acoustic version of this with a bit less production. I'm glad the breathiness has been kept to a minimum. The voice here makes me look forwarded to the new album. (Tuesday 19 February 2013; 0:16)

RadChad and Jenny (37,216) by Lee from UK RadChad, I basically summarised your post (37,191) by using a direct quote which was not at all out of context. Unless, of course, you usually say one thing but mean another. Jenny, sometimes the truth is harsh and can often come off as rude. I have yet to hear Mariah give useful constructive feedback. But like RadChad says, we may just have to wait for the live shows. I personally do not believe it is an editing problem. Why the hell would you pay someone $18 million dollars and then not get your money's worth on the show? I think they didn't show a lot of Mariah's comments during the Hollywood rounds because she didn't have a lot to say. Like with all reality TV shows, you can only edit what you are given. (Sunday 17 February 2013; 11:38)

RadChad (37,202) by Lee from UK You said, "I do believe that if Mariah was the only female judge, her personality would shine more and her critiques would be more in-depth/get more airtime." Now if this was true, than Mariah has huge problems. Why on earth would she need to be the only female in order for her personality to shine through, that statement is bordering on ridiculous. Mariah's dullness on Idol so far and her lack of enthusiasm has nothing to do with "another female judge". Mariah would look just as uncomfortable and give the same vacant, useless comments if it was just her, Randy and Keith. If this has been caused by Nicki's presence, as you said, then she needs to get over it and grow a pair. (Saturday 16 February 2013; 18:01)

Scott and Edward (37,189) by Lee from UK I agree with you two one hundred percent. Mariah is obviously the most qualified judge in terms of experience and ability, but she lacks the ability to express herself unlike Nicki. I agree with Scott that Mariah seems to be too much in her own head, maybe over thinking her comment. I spoke here recently about Mariah being unable to complete a sentence, like she gives up half way through. I think in the Hollywood rounds Mariah found it too difficult to speak to and judge the contestants and say "No" because she is trying to spare their feelings. Nicki, on the other hand, has no problem telling the contestants exactly what was wrong with the performance or to get over themselves and stop with the pitty party. I have yet to hear Mariah give any sound advice that could help a contestant improve, but maybe she is saving it for the live shows. (Friday 15 February 2013; 9:07)

"If you want a diva, sometimes you've gotta pay the price" (37,162) by Lee from UK Another classic Mariah quote. This one is up there with "If she called me something that begins with a 'B' and ends in an 'itch', I rebuke it." Seriously though, as much as Nicki's talking voice annoys me, she is certainly trying to be a good judge and putting in the effort. It wouldn't surprise me if she was the only one kept on for next year. I hope Mariah puts on a good show for the live rounds. On another note, as much as I love Mariah's curly hair, I think she always looks stunning with straight hair. (Friday 1 February 2013; 14:01)

CDC (37,133) by Lee from UK I agree 100% with what you said about Mariah's judging performance so far. I too am hoping she becomes more critical or, at the very least, more helpful. I assume that she is saving it for the more serious stages later on. The hope is that, with Mariah's reputation for being "The Voice", she will be able to give contestants hints and tips on how to sing better. Moreover, I would enjoy it if Mariah gave contestants examples of how to improve. In this way, not only will she be a better, more helpful judge, but she will also be showing everyone out there who has ever counted her out that she is in fact very qualified to be in the position she is in. At the moment, we just aren't getting that. I did enjoy the snippet she sang of Billie Holiday though. (Friday 25 January 2013; 13:27)

Examiner (37,102) by Lee from UK Is it just me or does the Examiner write inaccurate articles all the time? I'm sure Camp Mariah is a career awareness camp for inner city kids. (Thursday 17 January 2013; 22:38)

Mariah's behaviour management technique (37,079) by Lee from UK The other thing I loved about the conference was Mariah's ability to control the audience. She was like a teacher in class when everybody was hooting and yelling while she was trying to speak: "I already told you I have bronchitis, so I'm just going to wait." She puts her head down and it goes silent, then she starts to talk. She is the boss. (Friday 11 January 2013; 20:07)

RibbonB (37,076) by Lee from UK Yes, maybe you're right about that one. There are however, plenty of other examples were it seems like she is about to say something hilarious but it doesn't quite come to her quick enough so she just completes her sentence with "whatever". She is looking exhausted recently, I guess that's the toll of having two children under 3 though. (Friday 11 January 2013; 10:26)

Is it just me? (37,071) by Lee from UK Is it just me, or is Mariah failing to complete a lot her own sentences lately. Each interview I have seen she begins a phrase or metaphor and then gives up. "If we ever see another Bob Marely again, It'll be a cold in... wherever." (Thursday 10 January 2013; 21:17)

Idol Live Stream (37,070) by Lee from UK Watching the Idol Live Stream, I thought Mariah did quite well considering her "bronchitis". She looked uncomfortable though, but that could've been due to her illness. I hope she is a bit more lively and spontaneous during the live shows. I thought we would be getting a few more "Mariahisms". I loved the Mariah fans in the audience trying to out shout the Nicki fans. (Thursday 10 January 2013; 21:14)

Minaj (37,008) by Lee from UK I have just been watching the Nicki Minaj fly on the wall documentary (not through choice) and caught her saying that Mariah "met her match this time". Has Mariah responded to this in any way? I know she spoke to Barbara Walters, but has Mariah made any other comment on this situation? Part of me wants her to have said something witty in return, but on the other hand I think it would better if Mariah waited until the live shows to lay in to her. I couldn't let it go if I was Mariah. (Saturday 29 December 2012; 11:32)

Bill (36,980) by Lee from UK I also enjoy analysing Mariah's songs. I love hearing vocal layers I've never noticed before. It always tends to be older songs that I haven't listened to in a while. I love hearing new things in old songs. (Tuesday 18 December 2012; 1:20)

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (36,888) by Lee from UK On the topic of different versions of Mariah's Christmas songs, there is a different version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen on the re-release of Merry Christmas, the one that came with the DVD. It contains extra acapella layers. (Monday 3 December 2012; 11:23)

Christmas performances (36,863) by Lee from UK Mariah's performances at the Rockefeller Centre this year were amazing. I absolutely loved the way she sang Christmas Time Is In The Air Again. I can't believe how good she sounded during AIWFC as well. For years, I have been waiting for this kind of vocal performance from Mariah. I love the way Christmas Time Is In The Air Again sounds similar to the Jazz songs Mariah spontaneously sang at the Jazz club. This makes me more confident for any future performances on American Idol. Mariah still has it and it makes me so happy. (Friday 30 November 2012; 0:09)

NFL performance (36,273) by Lee from UK I think Mariah did the best she could with a mediocre song. Yes, she looked good, no she didn't sound great. The high notes at the end were nice, but they weren't enough to save the performance. I heard more of her backing singers than I did of Mariah. The best bits for me were the videos of her getting ready before even making it to the stage. And on that note, you can't have this giant build up to your entrance and then deliver a weak performance once you get there (Thursday 6 September 2012; 11:06)

Hair extensions (36,068) by Lee from UK Having watched the video for Triumphant, I had only one thought. When is Mariah going to loose those awful hair extensions? They are very "Charmbracelet era". (Wednesday 22 August 2012; 10:18)

MC Summer 2012 (36,001) by Lee from UK Looks like the exciting summer we have been waiting for is going to become "MC Spring 2013". It doesn't quite have the same ring to it. (Sunday 12 August 2012; 18:26)