Katharine McPhee - Season 5

[Leo]

I thought we almost all agreed that votes didn't have a whole lot to do with winners and losers on this show. Chris and Elliott below Katharine in votes? Anyone actually believe that one?

I have no difficulty believing that. Chris may have had lots of fans, but they may not necessarily have been in the AI voting population. (There's probably a pretty hard cap on how big the fanbase of an alt-rocker is.) As for Elliott - he went out on a week where Kat turned in a good performance and Elliott was a bit sub-par. Also, there's a good chance her last-two appearance gave her a bounce back during the final three week. I do not believe there was any chicancery at all.

[Uncle David]

I missed the memo where we almost all decided votes didn't matter on AI. As far as I can tell they are the ONLY determining factor.

[natashapierre]

I have no difficulty believing that. Chris may have had lots of fans, but they may not necessarily have been in the AI voting population. (There's probably a pretty hard cap on how big the fanbase of an alt-rocker is.) As for Elliott - he went out on a week where Kat turned in a good performance and Elliott was a bit sub-par. Also, there's a good chance her last-two appearance gave her a bounce back during the final three week. I do not believe there was any chicancery at all.

Until TPTB decided that rock actually had an audience and decided to push Chris, they had always gone with the common wisdom on rock -- that it has an audience but not as big an audience as more generic pop. My bet is that this is just as true as it ever was; plus, the rock audience that exists is also a lot less likely to watch and vote on a pop tv show than folks who are interested in seeing potential pretty young pop divas. Hence -- doesn't surprise me a bit that Katharine edged out Chris, especially cause he was just a tad woozy in his performances on Elvis night, compared to his usual intensity, I thought.

Same thing for Elliott. He's got scads of passionate music fans, and I think he's going to sell a lot of albums some day, but I doubt that he got a lot of casual voters on the night he was voted off. He was a little off his game in the performing that night, kind of a banked fire, I thought (despite his vocals being bang-on as usual -- even "Open Arms," in my decidedly biased opinion!).

Plus, the votes that night were to all intents and purposes a statistical tie, which might not have existed had there been more open phone lines in some areas, for all we know (or might have -- hard to tell). In any case, I'm sure that phone lines in Richmond, for example, got maxed out, and I and some others I know got in very few votes for him in some other east-coast locations, despite assiduously dialing for two hours.

Anyway, that night was pretty much a wash among the three candidates, and understandably so, it seems to me, since they all have different sorts of appeal and, whatever one may think of Katharine's inconsistency as a singer during the second half of the season, she has a lot of television appeal to a lot of people and rightly pulled in votes on that score, I'm sure.

[Uncle David]

Good summation nata! Let me add...

Leo's point specifically mentioned Alt-Rock. I think he's right. There may be a decent fan base for Rock, but Alt-rock is a genre that may have real limitations when it comes to voting on AI.

I also think Kat garnered some additional voting from the backlash to the judge's critiques. Although she deserved to have the flaws in her performances pointed out, the judges went so far overboard I think they inspired her fan base to mobilize and perhaps boost her percentage that tiny bit necessary to edge out Elliot for the final two position.

[razorbacker]

Good summation nata! Let me add...

Leo's point specifically mentioned Alt-Rock. I think he's right. There may be a decent fan base for Rock, but Alt-rock is a genre that may have real limitations when it comes to voting on AI.

I also think Kat garnered some additional voting from the backlash to the judge's critiques. Although she deserved to have the flaws in her performances pointed out, the judges went so far overboard I think they inspired her fan base to mobilize and perhaps boost her percentage that tiny bit necessary to edge out Elliot for the final two position.

IMO I think that the limited voting alt rock fan base could be extended to a limited career. I just don't see this as being a genre that is going to carry Chris to great heights. By turning down fuel I certainly hope he has a good handle on where he is going to go.

I have to agree with others & say I thought Chris & Elliott were below Kat on the voting. If, as everyone is saying, TPTB don't have a lot of faith in Taylor, why wouldn't they have swayed votes to boot him. I don't think there were any voting anomalies. Kat & Taylor were the Top 2 on the night they needed to be.

[graycat11]

I did
To paraphrase, Kidd was the interviewer and asked Kat if she got frustrated at times because she had so much talent and it seemed like some of the untalented people were hanging on while others with more talent were sent packing. Paris' name was mentioned as well as Kellie's. Kat said that she was frustrated because she felt she gave some very good performances and Simon would rake her over the coals, while other people seemed to be skating by on their personality. She did say she gave every performance her all, and implied that the other girls weren't as talented as she is. However, she really was led into her answer by Kidd. A more savvy person wouldn't have responded, and she probably regrets being so candid.

Kat doesn't come off as being too bright, smart.

[graycat11]

I didI think Kat is a beautiful girl with a lovely singing voice and a lack of maturity. I don't want to roast her for it, she's just trying to keep herself in the spotlight as long as she can.

She's going about it in the wrong way, she'll stay in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

[laura000]

I seen her on the early show this morning with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend didn't look like he was in his 40's though. Was that a rumor?

[natashapierre]

I seen her on the early show this morning with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend didn't look like he was in his 40's though. Was that a rumor?

Was the guy balding, cause the boyfriend is, a bit? I didn't see the Early Show but read elsewhere that she was there with a close male friend, not the boyfriend. Don't know the facts, though.

[natashapierre]

Sorry for the double post.

I beieve that Katharine's boyfriend is Nick Cokas, a producer/actor/etc., described here -- http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=772 47637