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Idol Sour Note
'American Idol': Siobhan Magnus is new Vote for the Worst choice
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"American Idol" finalist Siobhan Magnus has nabbed the Vote for the Worst title now that Tim Urban is gone, which tells us that VFTW has completely lost their street cred in our opinion.VFTW has been around since Season 3 of "Idol," when it actually backed Jennifer Hudson very early on in the semi-finals (oops!), but quickly turned to red-headed crooner John Stevens. They also managed to land Scott Savol in the Top 5 of Season 4, Kevin Covais in the Top 11 of Season 5 and (most notably) Sanjaya Malakar in the Top 7 of Season 6.
This season, we could not argue with their choice of Tim Urban (though we do take umbrage with their inherent purpose). He didn't even originally make the Top 24 and he clearly was going to last a long time despite very mediocre performances because he is super cute and, well, we all know who really votes for this show, so let's move on.
However, with Tim Urban's ouster from "Idol," the site has chosen to back Siobhan Magnus. Their explanation is:
This show has become so milquetoast with bland performances from the likes of Casey, Aaron, and Lee each week. The only Worster thing to look forward to is Siobhan's screeching, talking back to the judges in the slowest possible manner, strange outfits, and bipolar antics. She's been slowly but surely campaigning for our love for weeks, and it looks like it finally paid off. She's clearly one of the worst singers and she does the #1 thing that a VFTW pick has to do: entertain.
We don't agree with this line of thinking. If VFTW were really going to stick by their title (and historical choices), then Aaron Kelly would be the obvious choice here. He has a big voice and a heap of talent, but doesn't know what to do with it yet and is flat or sharp more often than not. They are picking Siobhan merely because she's kind of a weirdo, but she is nowhere near the worst singer left. VFTW just lost all their credibility.
Secondly, our pal Shirley Halperin at our sister site Los Angeles Times says she is OK with this choice because she wants to see Siobhan stick around and more votes are more votes regardless of where they came from. While we agree that we'd like to see Siobhan outlast Aaron Kelly, Casey James and Michael Lynche, we don't want to see it happen this way.
Vote for the Worst is mean-spirited. The site may act like it's all in good fun, but that's what a lot of bullies say. Tim Urban told Zap2it during his exit Q&A, "I'm actually kind of sad that I was on that website." You could hear the disappointment and sadness in his voice, like he didn't understand why he had to be picked on in such a way.
And that's what VFTW does. Is the "American Idol" machine above mockery and ridicule? Absolutely not. But these contestants are not hardened, seasoned performers who know how to roll with the media taking cracks at them. They are just trying to come out every week and perform and hopefully find a way to make it in the music industry. VFTW may be a great way to mock the "Idol" machine, but there are actual people behind the ridicule, some of them very young, and perhaps getting called "worst" really hurts their feelings.
If VFTW really wanted to stay true to its mission, Aaron Kelly would be on the block. But even that disturbs us because that feels a bit like beating a kitten to death with a shovel. So maybe we wouldn't be happy with any choice.
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Vote for the Worst hasn't lost their minds...Siobhan is the worst as far as I'm concerned. I think her voice is awful to listen to!
Who cares? Do you think that they had anything to do with Tim staying for as long as he did? They'd have to have a large collections of losers who stay home to vote merely because they want to bring down the machine.(I'm not taking away from the fact that any who votes for two hours is insane and deluded.) I'm just saying that VFTW and its followers are a bit sad and pathetic. Don't give them credit when credit isn't due. Tim had a big fanbase of Tweens that kept him in the competition. VFTW will claim victory and celebrate but what they are doing and celebrating is no more pathetic than the tween speed dialers. They all need to get themselves lives.
They just put her up there because she has a shot at winning the competition and if they pick her, they will likely boost her votes and then they will be able to claim that they got a "Worster" to become the American Idol.
1. VFTW's effect on the actual vote is GROSSLY OVERRATED by entertainment writers that failed math. They don't have enough people to influence the voting.
2. On site owner Dave Della Terza: I've read enough interviews in which he makes wild claims that I no longer believe anything he says.
3. "Mean-spirited" is an understatement. I haven't looked at the site in years, but they used to use half truths and outright lies in a manner that would make Joseph Goebbels blush.
4. A site like that is bound to attract lowlifes. If I had children under 18, I would block that site.
VFTW hates the judges and producers of Idol. Since they are gunning for Magnus and Casey as much as they can at this point to slip an awful BM into the top 3, no matter how well Casey and Siobhan sing...Siobhan is their selection to get AI judges and producers goat.
VFTW was right in the sense that they judged BM and Aaron not entertaining at all, and Casey and Lee "personality challenged" - leaving Siobhan as entertaining and nutty.
To me, that would be gloriously and endearingly whacked. There was something honestly magnificent about the craziness of Magnus taking on by far the hardest song last Tuesday, doing it note-perfect...But somehow arriving at the logic that nothing would be be better than doing Mariah/Whitney dressed up as a rainforest fairy with butterflies hanging on wires off her outfit and head.
THAT is just to the stratosphere, wild!
They selected Magnus purely because she has a shot at winning and they want to be able to stake the claim that one of their Worsters won the whole show.
I don't like the site, but I think she is the worst left at this point. Your opinion that they lost their street cred just reflects your bias. Your opinion isn't a fact, it's just that...an opinion.
You think VFTW is mean spirited? Take a look in the mirror at yourselves. How you have spoken about Aaron is no different than how VFTW talks about their choices. You're in the same league as VFTW, LA Times, MTV, and MJ who has a meaner spirit than all combined. At least VFTW is honest about themselves.
hasn't anyone noticed how disproportionately tough on Siobhan the judging has been? They've panned the last who knows how many performances while Lee (who I like) is a much worse singer, always pitchy, and he gets praised. For this reason I think Shiobhan's a good vftw pick...the judges have decided to throw her under the bus and so keeping her there subverts the judges (which is part of vftw's mission statement).
What a clever ruse, VFTW. (Sarcasm Intended)
Choose Siobhan - one of the acknowledged fan favorites pretty much already guaranteed to garner more then enough votes to stay in until the final two are chosen - and then attempt to take "credit" for her remaining in the competition.
VFTW is no longer playing AI. AI is now playing you!