[nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane andAmericanIdol

[Ray Foret jr]

Tibble, in your message you ask, "and
for Ray, is Kelly Clarkson a barefooter like yourself?".
    Well, from what I hear, she did perform barefooted on American Idol 
barefooted and on many of her tours; but, from what I hear, she no longer 
does.  To be a true barefooter, you have not only to perform barefooted on 
stage, you have to go around barefooted inside and outside as much as 
possible.  Now, Joss Stone is said to be barefooted all or most of the time 
on stage and much if not all of the time off it.  Performing on stage 
barefooted may be part of a singers appearance because they know that some 
guys like to see women that way; or, it may be just a matter of physical 
comfort and personal preference, as it is for me.  She wasn't the first or 
only singer to appear on stage in that condition; nor, I suspect, will she 
be the last.
    I'd have, however, to disagree with Kaye, though.  The cane does not, in 
my opinion, detract from one's appearance; rather, it can be used to enhance 
it; somewhat like a kind of stage prop.  Okay, so that's not really why the 
cane is there.  Still and all, why not take advantage of its presence?

Sincerely yours,
The Constantly Barefooted,
Ray
Home phone and fax:
(985)360-3375
E-mail:
rforetjratcomcastdotnet
Skype Name:
barefootedray

God bless President George W. Bush!
God bless our troops!
and God bless America
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tribble" <lauraeaves at yahoo.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane 
andAmericanIdol


Hey all -- until this thread I didn't know it was a hypothetical
situation -- thought there really was a blind guy in American Idol -- and
for Ray, is Kelly Clarkson a barefooter like yourself?
But as for dancing and other coriography, I can't see the tv at all, but my
family has described to me some of the more interesting antics of the
singers in past contests, for example when Taylor hicks was in Idol (he won
for those who don't watch), one of the songs he sang in the competition was
"Play that Funky Music White Boy" , and according to my sighted family
member, he danced around a lot then laid down on the floor on his back to
sing part of the song.    Other contestants have also dong outrageous things
like going and grabbing one of the judges (usually paula) to Dance.  Also,
some have dressed in extremely scanty attire, and some changed their hair
every performance -- Sanjaya for example.
So visuals are just as important as sound.  And did anyone see (hear) the
movie Shrek 2? At the end on the non-audio-described version was a spoof on
American Idol with Joan Rivers and Simon Caul and featuring the characters
in the movie singing about 11 numbers -- one of these acts was the 3 blind
mice singing "I Can See Clearly Now the Rain is Gone".  Quite funny when my
sighted friend described the coriography of the mice trying to dance around
but bumping in each other and knocking each other down.  I'm sorry but I
thought that was hilarious.  I'm a sucker for parodies.
Enjoy Idol, which is tonight -- they are down to the top 12 so the voting
starts for real to drop 1 per week.
--le




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ray Foret jr" <rforetjr at comcast.net>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 10:50 AM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane
andAmericanIdol


Wait!!!  no need to get all bent out of shape yet; you see, this is only a
hypothetical situation.  IN reality, there was a blind guy who did attempt
to appear before the judges I think back a couple of years ago; but, as I
understand it, he didn't even manage to get in to the audition room; so,
neither Randy, Paula nor the stuffed shirt Simon was able even to see or
hear him.  I have an unpleasant suspicion that they wouldn't let a blind
person on the show anyhow.  But why?  because of the lack of visual stage
presence.  What I mean by that is this.  Does the blind person just stand
there still and sing; or, does the person move around and dance and all
that?  You will notice that Robert has obviously dealt with that question
very directly in his thought provoker.  Read it carefully, and you'll see
that Robert has anticipated this very issue.  Obviously, the blind guy sure
just doesn't just stand there and sing.  Let's give it some thought.  Do the
judges pay more attention to how a contestant looks or how they sound.  This
is a sighted world; and, whether we like it or not, how someone looks is
almost more important than any other consideration.  So, if you just stand
there still and sing, the chances are you're not  going to arouse any
enthusiasm on the part of either the judges or the audience.  As I
understand it, there was a young blind lady who did manage to appear before
the judges, but, it was her lack of visual stage presence that did her in;
and, she never even got in front of the  camera in the judging room.

Sincerely yours,
The Constantly Barefooted,
Ray
Home phone and fax:
(985)360-3375
E-mail:
rforetjratcomcastdotnet
Skype Name:
barefootedray

God bless President George W. Bush!
God bless our troops!
and God bless America
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Powers, Terry (NIH/OD/DEAS) [E]" <powerst at dcpcepn.nci.nih.gov>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane
andAmericanIdol


Go Ray, go!
That is a discrace on the blind.  He has no right even saying anything
about the man's cane.  I missed that episode.  I did not even know we
had a blind person on the show.  I think he is the first and I am sure
glad we are finally represented.  I sure hope he stands up for his
rights.  His cane is his means of getting around.  It sure looks better
for the man to use a cane and be able to walk one the stage, alone, than
to have to have a sighted guide.  This reminds me of the airlines taking
away our canes.
If a singer had MS or CP..., would he have the nerve to take away their
walking cane?  I bet not, so why is he questioning a blind person using
a walking cane for navigation.  This could lead to a 508 case if it gets
out of hand.  In my opinion, he is being discriminated against and could
be taken to court.  I see he said nothing about that man with the real
long hair!

Terry Powers


-----Original Message-----
From: Ray Foret jr [mailto:rforetjr at comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 8:23 AM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane and
AmericanIdol

Well, to me, this is a no brainer.  We all know, of course, that it's
respectable to be blind.  We all know that the white cane draws
attention to us, in one way or another; usually, we hope, a good way.
We know this, but, many sighted still do not know it.  The white cane
would, as a matter of fact, draw attention directly to the performer
rather than away from him.
Besides which, the white cane could be used as part of the appearance
aspect of his performance.  IF some female American Idol contestants
perform BAREFOOTED as part of their appearance or preference, (Kelly
Clarkson comes to mind) Why not the white cane for the hypothetical
blind performer?  As for Simon, well, that stuffed shirt doesn't seem to
like anything or any one; so, what can I say?

Just my $0.02 (Zero Dollars two cents) worth.

Sincerely yours,
The Constantly Barefooted,
Ray
Home phone and fax:
(985)360-3375
E-mail:
rforetjratcomcastdotnet
Skype Name:
barefootedray

God bless President George W. Bush!
God bless our troops!
and God bless America
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "nfbtalk" <NFB-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 9:16 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] New THOUGHT PROVOKER #131- White Cane and American
Idol


NFBtalk members
RE:  White Cane and American Idol

Simon, Paula and Randy are faced with judging if a white cane is a
detractor
to the performance of the first blind American Idol contestant. See if
you
agree with their Judgment. fellow judges If you have not read the
PROVOKER,
it follows.  Recall that I collect responses and post them upon my web
site
for all the WWW to read and learn from and that URL is-
Http://thoughtprovoker.info  If you wish to receive THOUGHT PROVOKERS
sent
directly to you, just write me and ask, at-  newmanrl at cox.net

THOUGHT PROVOKER 131
White Cane and American Idol

White cane arching, swaying, at times twirling like a baton in his
fingers,
the young blind man belted out his vocals and danced in rhythm to the
driving beat of the stage band and supporting voices of the backup
singers,
all part of his well rehearsed number for the audience and judges of
American Idol, the hit television show. The competition was in the third
week, eight contestants had already been eliminated, four in each of the
proceeding two weeks. This week four more, two males and two females
would
be voted off, sent home by America's voting audience.

The live audience responded enthusiastically, obviously having liked the
young blind man's rendition of the eighties rock tune. The radiant smile
and
confident movement of the young man on stage told the watcher that the
singer felt he'd given a good performance.

"Check it out! Check it out! Dog!" Loudly proclaimed Randy, the first of
the
three judges standing on his feet, bent arms waving the beat, looking
excited and pleased. "That was hot! That is what we saw in you from the
first tune you sang in front of us.  it's the enthusiasm of delivery,
good
clear tone, and the way you handle yourself. Dog! Good song choice--that
was
perfect for you. I liked that! This was the best performance of the
night!"
Randy was beaming so hard, he could have been an ad for toothpaste.

Paula was next, face beaming, still standing where she had risen to
dance
behind her chair, "Brent, that was a stunning performance; great vocals!
Your parents. who are in the audience, can be proud of you. You looked
natural up there; you had the audience loving you! And hey, you can
dance!
We hadn't seen that in your earlier performances.  You looked good; you
need
to do more of that. I think you are going to be in the final twelve and
the
other singers will have to work hard to beat this performance."  She sat
down, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows to check what the
persnickety judge on her right was going to say.

The cameras shifted to the final judge. He had sat, arms crossed, taking
in
Brent's performance with his usual critical eye and half smile.  With
serious tone and British-accented speech, Simon began one of his
infamous,
well known intros to an evaluation of a singer's performance. "To be
honest
with you, I have mixed feelings about you." The audience erupted with
hoots
and jeering in response to the judge they loved to hate. "Wait a minute,
wait a minute, let me have my say." And with the return of quiet to the
hall, Simon addressed the now unsmiling, serious young singer. "On the
positive side, I think you actually are one of the top two voices in the
competition." The audience responded favorably but quieted down quickly,
knowing that Simon had more to say. "But my problem is." Simon's
eyebrows
came together as he frowned in concentration.

"Ah, what? The ever eloquent Simon is lost for words!" blustered Randy.

Turning a serious face to his fellow judge, Simon answered, "Well, we've
never before had a blind contestant and I'm struggling with how to
phrase my
comment." Abruptly turning back to the waiting performer, face
determined,
Simon continued, "Brent, I will not treat you any different, I owe you
that,
and I'm going to tell you what the problem is. It is . as we tell you
all,
in this business you have to be believable. And in your special case,
you
have to be acceptable." The audience reacts, Randy and Paula's voices
add to
the storm of protest and Simon has to again pause. "Now wait a minute,
wait!
Let me finish. Hear what I've got to say." With order restored, Simon
went
on, "I did not say a blind singer would not be acceptable! As everyone
else
here, I'm aware of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, and other blind
musicians
who have made it in professional music. But there's a difference at work
here. Now what my problem is--I said your vocals were one of the best,
but
on stage I believe you will have to lose that white stick. It was .
annoying; it kept drawing the eye, taking the focus off of where it
should
be, on the singer. Sorry, the stick is not compatible with being an
Idol."
THOUGHT PROVOKER 131
White Cane and American Idol

White cane arching, swaying, at times twirling like a baton in his
fingers,
the young blind man belted out his vocals and danced in rhythm to the
driving beat of the stage band and supporting voices of the backup
singers,
all part of his well rehearsed number for the audience and judges of
American Idol, the hit television show. The competition was in the third
week, eight contestants had already been eliminated, four in each of the
proceeding two weeks. This week four more, two males and two females
would
be voted off, sent home by America's voting audience.

The live audience responded enthusiastically, obviously having liked the
young blind man's rendition of the old rhythm and blues classic. The
radiant
smile and confident movement of the young man on stage told the watcher
that
the singer felt he'd given a good performance.

"Check it out! Check it out! Dog!" Loudly proclaimed Randy, the first of
the
three judges standing on his feet, bent arms waving the beat, looking
excited and pleased. "That was hot! That is what we saw in you from the
first tune you sang in front of us.  it's the enthusiasm of delivery,
good
clear tone, and the way you handle yourself. Dog! Good song choice--that
was
perfect for you. I liked that! This was the best performance of the
night!"
Randy was beaming so hard, he could have been an ad for toothpaste.

Paula was next, face beaming, still standing where she had risen to
dance
behind her chair, "Brent, that was a stunning performance; great vocals!
Your parents. who are in the audience, can be proud of you. You looked
natural up there; you had the audience loving you! And hey, you can
dance!
We hadn't seen that in your earlier performances.  You looked good; you
need
to do more of that. I think you are going to be in the final twelve and
the
other singers will have to work hard to beat this performance."  She sat
down, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows to check what the
persnickety judge on her right was going to say.

The cameras shifted to the final judge. He had sat, arms crossed, taking
in
Brent's performance with his usual critical eye and half smile.  With
serious tone and British-accented speech, Simon began one of his
infamous,
well known intros to an evaluation of a singer's performance. "To be
honest
with you, I have mixed feelings about you." The audience erupted with
hoots
and jeering in response to the judge they loved to hate. "Wait a minute,
wait a minute, let me have my say." And with the return of quiet to the
hall, Simon addressed the now unsmiling, serious young singer. "On the
positive side, I think you actually are one of the top two voices in the
competition." The audience responded favorably but quieted down quickly,
knowing that Simon had more to say. "But my problem is." Simon's
eyebrows
came together as he frowned in concentration.

"Ah, what? The ever eloquent Simon is lost for words!" blustered Randy.

Turning a serious face to his fellow judge, Simon answered, "Well, we've
never before had a blind contestant and I'm struggling with how to
phrase my
comment." Abruptly turning back to the waiting performer, face
determined,
Simon continued, "Brent, I will not treat you any different, I owe you
that,
and I'm going to tell you what the problem is. It is . as we tell you
all,
in this business you have to be believable. And in your special case,
you
have to be acceptable." The audience reacts, Randy and Paula's voices
add to
the storm of protest and Simon has to again pause. "Now wait a minute,
wait!
Let me finish. Hear what I've got to say." With order restored, Simon
went
on, "I did not say a blind singer would not be acceptable! As everyone
else
here, I'm aware of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, and other blind
musicians
who have made it in professional music. But there's a difference at work
here. Now what my problem is--I said your vocals were one of the best,
but
on stage I believe you will have to lose that white stick. It was .
annoying; it kept drawing the eye, taking the focus off of where it
should
be, on the singer. Sorry, the stick is not compatible with being an
Idol."


Robert Leslie Newman
E-Mail- newmanrl at cox.net
Web Site- thoughtprovoker.info




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