The Hollywood Reporter confirms Idol appearance by Haley

[john]

Someone on IF said they would trade all the staging for the extra minute. This may lie at the heart of the uneasiness many dedicated fans felt initially about the performance. The sense of the performance being compressed, or more hectic, was compounded by Haley breaking free and rushing to the far end of the stage. All in all, it wasn't a bad performance, it just had a different feel than we were accustomed to.

I found that rush down the stage a bit distracting and would have preferred she not be moving around so much. Several of her most powerful moments on AI last year occurred when she was sitting or standing in one spot. But Haley will continue to refine her staging. She should soon be getting the opportunity to go on various talk shows and sing without the big production. The music video needs to be put out there stat.

[mwwayne]

I do not post much here, just not a very good writer but I have been coming here reading all the comments for a long time. I fell in love with Haley’s voice when I was in the kitchen one night and heard this girl singing O-Darling in her audition on AI and I have love every thing she has sung since. I am over 50yrs old and have been a music fan all my life, love all kinds of music. Nobody and I mean nobody I have listened too in my life can sing from any genre and make any song their own the way Haley can. Haley has stayed true to her word; to her music and “Free” is a perfect example of that. She is taking all the good stuff from the past and bringing it into the future with her own little twist, just like she said she would. I do not mind when her loyal fans critique her I know they just want what is best for her but she will need a huge fan base for her to be able to spread her music. As much as some of us don’t like it, the over the top productions sell and attract more fans. We should not worry Haley will always do music her way, for now she needs the all the attention she can get so just sit back and enjoy. For me, while I was watching Haley perform “Free” on the show I realized I had just fallen in Love all over again with the greatest vocalist of this century.

[My Alter Ego]

I do not post much here, just not a very good writer but I have been coming here reading all the comments for a long time. I fell in love with Haley’s voice when I was in the kitchen one night and heard this girl singing O-Darling in her audition on AI and I have love every thing she has sung since. I am over 50yrs old and have been a music fan all my life, love all kinds of music. Nobody and I mean nobody I have listened too in my life can sing from any genre and make any song their own the way Haley can. Haley has stayed true to her word; to her music and “Free” is a perfect example of that. She is taking all the good stuff from the past and bringing it into the future with her own little twist, just like she said she would. I do not mind when her loyal fans critique her I know they just want what is best for her but she will need a huge fan base for her to be able to spread her music. As much as some of us don’t like it, the over the top productions sell and attract more fans. We should not worry Haley will always do music her way, for now she needs the all the attention she can get so just sit back and enjoy. For me, while I was watching Haley perform “Free” on the show I realized I had just fallen in Love all over again with the greatest vocalist of this century.

Speaking for myself, I don't believe that I was critiquing Haley -- her performance was typical Haley, which is to say terrific. The staging was, to me, over the top and that's something that is utterly ridiculous to me. I can't "buy into" OTT -- never have, and given my "advanced years," probably never will.

That said, I don't believe that to be a "true fan" one has to slavishly adore every single move the "object of adoration" (OOA) makes, syllable enunciated, breath inhaled, etc. I believe that to be a "good, true fan", one must have the ability to keep a certain objectivity. Perhaps there's a distinction between what I just suggested and what some of you seem to consider a "loyal" fan.

[danzeb]

Someone on IF said they would trade all the staging for the extra minute. This may lie at the heart of the uneasiness many dedicated fans felt initially about the performance. The sense of the performance being compressed, or more hectic, was compounded by Haley breaking free and rushing to the far end of the stage. All in all, it wasn't a bad performance, it just had a different feel than we were accustomed to.

I found that rush down the stage a bit distracting and would have preferred she not be moving around so much. Several of her most powerful moments on AI last year occurred when she was sitting or standing in one spot. But Haley will continue to refine her staging. She should soon be getting the opportunity to go on various talk shows and sing without the big production. The music video needs to be put out there stat.

When the song ended, my wife, who had never heard the song, said "I have no idea what the song was about." The staging was so odd and distracting that it was hard to concentrate on the song. When a song and performer are mediocre an elaborate stage production is a useful distraction. That's not the case with Haley. It should be mostly about the song and not the visual effect with someone as good as Haley. It was probably exciting and fun for her to do such an elaborate performance and I can understand that but I think she received poor guidance and I hope she realizes it. Let's see what she does next time she's on a big stage. That said I'm sure many people loved the theatrics and maybe that's the direction Haley wants to go.

[Miguel]

I had a post earlier in the thread about the guy who was in charge of the staging. He was a child dance prodigy. He was sixteen when he helped Britney Spears stage one of her tours. I think, given that background, he's going to be prone to movement. Haley isn't creating rhythmic dance music so she needs minimal props/setup.

In retrospect, the cage really isn't that elaborate of a prop. If she had been freed from the cage and then gave the rest of the performance with minimal movement more attention would have been paid to the song.

It's my recollection -- the videos have now been pulled -- that the lighting was a bit subdued compared to her Idol performances when she was a contestant. Seems like when she was freed there should have been some additional brightness added to provide clarity.

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edit:

They have an official channel now:

[john]

I had a post earlier in the thread about the guy who was in charge of the staging. He was a child dance prodigy. He was sixteen when he helped Britney Spears stage one of her tours. I think, given that background, he's going to be prone to movement. Haley isn't creating rhythmic dance music so she needs minimal props/setup.

Like some of the pop producers, I worry about guys like this. I don't want Britney Spears dancing.

Seems like when she was freed there should have been some additional brightness added to provide clarity.

I wanted closer, clearer views of her face. She was distant and shadowed much of the time. Hard to find instances where she is looking at the camera.

[nammah8238]

I had a post earlier in the thread about the guy who was in charge of the staging. He was a child dance prodigy. He was sixteen when he helped Britney Spears stage one of her tours. I think, given that background, he's going to be prone to movement. Haley isn't creating rhythmic dance music so she needs minimal props/setup.

In retrospect, the cage really isn't that elaborate of a prop. If she had been freed from the cage and then gave the rest of the performance with minimal movement more attention would have been paid to the song.

It's my recollection -- the videos have now been pulled -- that the lighting was a bit subdued compared to her Idol performances when she was a contestant. Seems like when she was freed there should have been some additional brightness added to provide clarity.

For Haley right now it is about selling records. She got rave reviews from all the big outlets. That is what sells records. She has to have a wide fan base to be a commercial success. After her 1st CD and she has expanded her fan base she may be able to branch out to other things like jazz. She doesn't have to win a Grammy to make a good living. Look at Tony Bennett. I don't think he has ever won a Grammy but he will never have to worry about money. I think 19 records knows what they are doing. They are spending a lot of money on Haley because she is the real deal. So why don,t we all sit back and watch our girl be come famous. Then we can all say we were fans from day one.

[My Alter Ego]

For Haley right now it is about selling records. She got rave reviews from all the big outlets. That is what sells records. She has to have a wide fan base to be a commercial success. After her 1st CD and she has expanded her fan base she may be able to branch out to other things like jazz. She doesn't have to win a Grammy to make a good living. Look at Tony Bennett. I don't think he has ever won a Grammy but he will never have to worry about money. I think 19 records knows what they are doing. They are spending a lot of money on Haley because she is the real deal. So why don,t we all sit back and watch our girl be come famous. Then we can all say we were fans from day one.

Or, at least, early on. Great idea!

[Miguel]

What would Haley think if she read these comments? Would she be upset we didn't seem to appreciate the effort she put into it?

She might be taken aback because she did everything she could to make this a spectacular performance. She succeeded too. The positive commentary by the media outlets is proof of that.

We have been critical of the staging primarily because we believe it was a distraction from her vocal performance and the song itself. Also because Nigel and Lane hyped the staging a bit on Twitter beforehand, raising our expectations and calling our attention to it. We've also acknowledged that this staging was star treatment and part and parcel of modern performances.

It's been an honest dialogue -- no one appears to have made mean-spirited or trolling statements -- so I think it's okay.

If Haley does read see this discussion, it will give her some things to think about. And, like she always does, she can decide what advice to keep and what to discard.

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JMT provides some good perspective in this post on IF regarding the staging:

I'll go back to what some of us said last night. The staging of the performance served a PURPOSE-- which IMO is to generate excitement for her and to get her seen by a wider audience. Clearly Jimmy sees Haley in the same vein as other female singers at the top of the charts, including some of those in his own stable. Remember, some of her performances last season had significant staging-- although none to that level.

IF we attend a concert that includes Haley this summer (which I think is very likely for many of us) will she be staged like last night. Of course NOT. We'll get the Haley many of her fans expected. I've said this many times, but everybody wants something different from Haley. Some of us "Dad Fans" want Rocker Chick Haley. Others want Jazzy Haley. Others want Pop Haley. The list goes on. It's an incredible tribute to the girl that she can attract such a widely diverse fan base.

Will Haley break out of the "Idol Bubble"? Personally, I think she's doing that right now. For evidence, just go to MJS Blog and read if you can stomach it. The disparity between the "professional" view (reviewers, writers, bloggers) of Haley's performance (and the single) and many of the Idol Bubble is staggering. IMO a lot of those people are jealous of Haley's success (and soon to be stardom). ALL HAIL QUEEN HALEY!!!

[Miguel]

Also noteworthy from the E-Online story is this recap just prior to the Haley section:

Seacrest asked Heejun to respond, and the class clown offered two confounding non-clarifications for his behavior. 1) "When I was ripping the clothes off, it was a metaphor for who I really am," and 2) "I'm not trying to be a star. I'm just really happy where I am, so…."

It's to Erika's credit that she didn't slap him here, knowing she was probably headed home in a few minutes instead of this bleary-eyed prankster who'd just announced he wasn't too interested in a singing career after all. Oh honey. That attitude simply will not fly, especially when you work with kids in J. Lo's native Bronx. "You shouldn't sell yourself short. You should teach those kids they can be stars, too," Jenny sweetly reminded Heejun, her "superpink" gown blowing up a giant bubble of disappointment that soon encapsulated all three judges. Ryan had to cut to commercial and then pop the bubble with one of Randy's spare pins.

Psssssst. J. Lo. Heejun Han is not a star!!!

Here is a star.



THIS! Is American Idol. No, seriously, this is practically the logo for the show, but way better. Haley Reinhart is a badass bitch.