Pick a winner from the first group of 8

American Idol: Season 3 Forum

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Fantasia Barrino
Age:19
High Point, NC
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/images/index_dianad.jpg
Diana DeGarmo
Age:16
Snellville, GA
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


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Jennifer Hudson
Age:22
Chicago, IL
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


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Marque Lynche
Age:23
New York, NY
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/images/index_mattm.jpg
Matthew Metzger
Age:23
Cincinnati, OH
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


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Ashley Thomas
Age:23
Irvine, CA
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/images/index_erskinew.jpg
Erskine Walcott
Age:24
Las Vegas, NV
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04


http://www.idolonfox.com/contestants/images/index_katiem.jpg
Katie Webber
Age:22
Santa Cruz, CA
Status: Perfoming 2/10/04

This poll is to see who we pick to win the group of 8 and who will also advance. Please do NOT vote until all the contestants have sung. We also ask that you vote on talent, not how "hot" you think someone is. I will close this poll out tomorrow right before AI airs.

Fuscia ...........

Do we only get one vote? Two people will advance. Could we have a separate poll for Runner Up?

Old Scout

Hmm, I think 1 poll will be fine. We surely can't all pick the same person, can we? Any other mods want to chime in?

Hey, do you which week Heather Piccinini performs?

I missed Katie Webber sing last night (we lost power) - was she good?

It is on tonight at 8.

Okay...Im sitting here watching it...and I have to say...so far Im VERY impressed with Diana...she was really really good!!

She set a BIG stake...hope everyone can follow it!

So...thats it for now.

I hope its okay that Im doing this...

Marque?...for me? Not overly impressive.

Ashley...nah...I didnt like it.

Katie...Well...regardless of what they said...I thought she was pretty good....I liked that song and her voice is really great...Maybe the one drawback I have is that she "looks" too brittney...but the difference is she can sing...so I guess they cancel each other out. Of course this is just my opinion.

No, I think that we can leave it with everyone getting to pick who they think was the best.
Just one vote each... because if we open it up, you can vote as many times as you want.
We don't want that.... we want a fair vote. So, just pick your top 1 tonight.

Can't wait till it's on here... mystic, you will have to let us know who you think tops out!

Matt wasnt bad, not overly the greatest....but pretty good.

Fantasia was incredible!

I think she was the one that topped out...not only for me but the judges as well....All I can say is that if she isnt voted for in this round...we are destined to see her come back for a wild card...that I guarantee!!

Whew ... tough tonight !

This is just my take on the
Performances and not necessarily the talent and potential.

-- Top 3 performances were by
Diana, Jennifer & Fantasia

Diana ... knocked them dead with a great opening number. 16 years old. Wow !

Jennifer ... did an exceptional job with "Imagine". I think it was a gutsy choice and she has a really different & unusual sound.

Fantasia ... is super but her style & delivery was a bit too practiced for me.

If I had to pick one I'd pick Jennifer.

-- Next level of perfomances
Katie, Erskine, Matt

Katie ... sang a jazzy song which I really liked and was also a departure from the norm. She has nice presence .. pretty girl.

Erskine ... changed his look and did a pretty good job with "Open Arms."

Matt ... sang "Memphis" and I thought he was great but his voice just didn't sound loud enough. Heaven help me, but I agree with Simon that there is something reminiscent of Clay in Matt's presence.

If I had to pick one from this group I'd choose Matt.

Marque and Ashley were IMO, the bottom two performers, but Marque is such a pleasant handsome kid ... I don't know.

Marque ... I expected more and was a little disappointed.

Ashley ... I don't remember this girl at all and I think she did just an ok job with "Crazy"

I have NO idea who will advance, but Simon was asked on TV today before the show was aired who was good and he said Fantasia & Diana so I think they will be finalists whether it's advance now or get picked in Wildcard.

WOW !

How can I be SO RIGHT and yet SO WRONG at the same time?

I sat down and watched the show with my pre-ordered list on a clipboard at my side. It wasn't long before I knew that I would have to make some major changes in the ranking.

Initially, I had Ashley Thomas in the #2 spot on my list but after seeing her performance tonight I knew she was going to drop way down the list.

Initially, I had Jennifer Hudson at #7 on my list but she gave a VERY good performance on John Lennon's classic Imagine. She definitely needed to be much higher.

Katie Hudson started out at the #1 spot on my list and after her performance I knew that she was the solid choice to remain in that spot. He stage presence, vitality and performance were very professional (Simon said she sounded like a Hotel Lounge Singer and he didn't mean it as a compliment -- Simon is an ASS!). Her rendition of the Nat King Cole standard "Orange Colored Sky" was exciting and fresh (Paula whined that she wished Katie had not selected such an "old song" -- Paula must have vapor lock between her ears). Randy said Katie's performance was "kinda hot". I think that was a compliment.

I was so RIGHT about Katie Webber's talent but I was so WRONG about Fantasia Barrino. I had that young lady at the very bottom of my list before she started to sing tonight. Now, she is at #2, right behind Katie (and it's a very close race!). Wow! What she did with Bonnie Raitt's "Let's Give Them Something To Talk About" was absolutely amazing. She reminded me of a young and energetic Aretha Franklin, her voice has that much power. Simon told her, "You don't need this contest to get a recording contract. You're going to be a star." I couldn't agree more.

As for the others in GoE#1, I raised Marque Lynche, Erskine Walcott and Diana DeGarmo on my list, while simultaneously dropping Matthew Metzger down a couple of slots.

So, my TOP 3 for this group are:
1. Katie Webber (Winner)
2. Fantasia Barrino (Runner Up)
3. Diana DeGarmo (Wild Card)

How did the rest of you vote?

Old Scout

Well, the show starts in a few minutes out here in California. I can't wait to see how my observations compare. Old Scout, I love how thorough you are. Great job.

I went with
1. Diana
2. Katie

I think the voting will be
1. Fantasia
2. Diana

scout ... you and your analysis, list and even a clipboard ... love it

Katie just blew me away completely. Going into tonight, she was not near the top of my list, but of all the singers tonight, she is the only one who gave me chills. That happens only every once in a while. This is looking to be a great, tough season and I will have a hard time deciding who to vote for. As of now, Katie has my lead and I really hope she makes it through to the next round. Especially over Fantasia.

Hmm...

My top three:

1. Fantasia
2. Diana
3. Katie

You know I really liked Jennifer too...but I think Im placing her right behind katie.

Okay... here's my thoughts, as I'm sitting here watching it live. I will post this at the end, but it's my initial thoughts on each performance:

Diana - I'm just not all that impressed. Yes, she can sing, but she doesn't have the voice that draws me in. She held some notes quite well, and came across powerfully. But, she's still not "my" choice. She DID sound like Christina Aguilara. That's not bad... and perhaps over a few years of a professional voice coach, she will be belting out the ballads.

Marque - first thought is that it's the WRONG song for him. He's NOT Bette Midler, and "Wind Beneath My Wings" should be sung differently, with more "umph, or power". I think that the song selection will cause him high votes. Randy said he sung it well. I don't think so. I liked Simon's comments... he was right on. It wasn't the right song. It was a 'safe' choice? I don't think so on that... because it just wasn't a good pick.

Ashley - OH NO... Crazy by Patsy Cline!! She butchered the song!! Bad choice, and bad voice. My cats are climbing the walls... their tails are puffed up... and hissing at the tv. Poor Patsy... she's up in heaven just crying over her song getting hacked!!! Oh yeah... great comments Randy. WHAT... Paula said she did a good job? BLECK! Simon's comments were on the mark... he was right. Lasso'ing a bull?! Bye bye, Ashley. You aren't going to make it. Maybe you should try to get crowned the prom queen, because you aren't going to be the American Idol.

Katie - I don't like her outfit. She looks like she's wearing a zebra. But, let's see what her voice brings our way. Jazz... hmmmmmmmmm, I don't know. I don't think that this particular song delivered her full potential... but, I do like her. She has a powerful voice, but didn't use it tonight. Despite that 'flash, blame, alakazam.' Wrong song, in my opinion... but, she's got such a great stage presence. She can shine. Ohhhhhhh, Paula agreed with me... the wrong song, but still good.

Erskine - Ohhhhhhhhh, Open Arms by Journey. That's a hard song to pull off. Steve Perry has such a high voice. He's doing quite well. It's not the best choice for him... but, it does show he's versitality. He seemed a little flat on some notes there, especially at the end. Still, remembering him from the past couple weeks, he has some great potential. Hmmmmm... I don't think that Simon is right. This wasn't a "safe" song. That could have gone really bad. And I love what Erskine came back with. Not the best preformance... but it was okay.

Jennifer - Well, I'm glad that she didn't wear the 'space suit.' Beatles song? Bad choice.
I don't think that she delivered this as an American Idol. I felt like I was in church...
Good comments Randy... not too good. Paula, she just can't critique. She's too 'nice.'
Simon... he thought that she was GREAT? Holy cow... what in the hell is he drinking?
She was NOT Great tonight. She was mediocre... and I can't see her going forth tomorrow night.
Oh god... the tears... the tears!!! I can't stand to see a woman cry. Breaks me every time.

Matthew - oh wow... he was ini there last year, in the top 48. I don't remember him.
But, he does come across with a nice attitude... a nice guy. Humble....
"Walking in Memphis" dosn't seem like it was the right song. He songs, just okay, to me.
He doesn't deliver a powerful performance... let's see what the judges think, and if I'm off too bad!!! Okay, Randy was with me on the lack of power of vocals. Paula ever the "proper" judge... can't hand out ANY bad comment. And she always says something about 'how cute they are'. Simon thought that he was really good. Hmmmmmmmmmm I think that if he sang a better suited song, I would like him more.

Fantasia - before she even steps on stage, I'm expecting her to blow me away. I think, from what I've seen of her so far, that she's going to be someone that will be hard to compete against. She's got a powerful voice. Oh yeah... she just started and I like her. She's got stage presence... and she does sound like Macy Gray. She needs to not bounce while preforming though... makes her voice "shake." I think that she could be in the top 4. She's got a good voice. And Randy is right... she's got the "attitude" for the stage. Paula is on too. And Simon... YES!! He was awesome. And he's really right on... he picks people really well in my opinion. They know who is going to make the top.

Okay... so, my order is, for tonights preformances:

1) Fantasia
2) Katie
3) Erskine
4) Diana
5) Matthew
6) Jennifer
7) Ashley
8) Marque

O.K. here are my own thoughts.

My favorite tonight was Katie. She has an awesome voice and is such a great performer. Simon was wrong about her sounding like a "hotel bar" singer. She should have sung a Mariah Carey song and knocked it out of the park. She is the one to watch.

Diana, very good voice, performed very well. She was not as bubbly tonight and I liked that. She could have picked a better song than "Music in Me" to show off her great range. She is kind of the Nice Christina Aguilera as Simon said.

Ashely, well, I was going crazy listening to her butcher Patsy Cline. She sounded screechy on the high notes.

Marque sang "Wind Beneath My Wings". Simon was right, he did sell out. The song did not fit his vocal style. He did not have a big enough voice to pull it off.

Ersquine sang "Open Arms". Clay sang it last year. The big difference is that Clay had passion when he sang. I felt no emotion from Ersquine when he sang. Steve Perry has an awesome voice, this man just did not pull it off.

Jennifer Hudson. Girl get a tissue. She looked good, but I just kept thinking gospel singer. Her style is so gospel and the song was just o.k. for me.

Matthew, oh matthew. What a cutie pie. He just did not have the vocal chops for me, but he did perform very well.

Fantasia. She performs well, but OMG I hate her voice. It is so nasal. I just don't like it at all. It gets on my nerves. Very jazzy voice.

Reason I didn't put Katie on top was because of the song she chose. She was very good but I think she should have chosen a song more relevant to being a Pop Idol, which is what this competition is all about.

Fantasia's style was unique so she may be on top. Matthew's performance was good but not strong. Diana had the best overall perfomance.

Forgot to put my order

1. Katie
2. Diana
3. Matt
4. Jennifer
5.Fantasia-sorry folks, I hate the timbre of her voice
6.Marque
7.Ersquine
8. Ashley

Well as for me i can say that Fantasia really did a great job. She has a very strong voice and it really blew me off....i was very impressed! she reminded me of my favorite singer, tina turner. I like Matthew too not because of his voice but his good looks i think he is really cute. He sang okay though. My favorites are Fantasia and Matt.

KJ ..........

That was a GREAT job of analysis. Very detailed. Very objective.

You spelled out many of the same comments that I had noted down next to the names on my list. And came to just about the same conclusions. Example: Ashley Thomas. My notes -- "NO! Bad Song Choice! Awful Rendition. Sings Flat Notes. Please, Make It Stop!"

I wonder if our picks will be so similar in future Groups?

Old Scout

Marc, you crack me up! So, did you watch it tonight? What are your thoughts?

Yes, we want to know what the big guy thinks.

of the 8, i liked matt the best (probably the song mostly). although overall i wasn't really impressed with any of them. the songs just didn't fit the singers. i'm glad that most of them will be going home. just my opinion. the only exception i might have would be fantasia. good raw talent, but i don't care for her singing style.

K.J. You did an outstanding job with the pictures and the review. Thanks a million.

Well, here's my 2 cents worth:

Katie -- I loved the song, her voice, her stage presence, and I got thru on the phone and voted for her about 10 times (redial button is great).

Fantasia -- She's too motown for me. She has a great voice but there's something about her. I think it's not different and unusual. She's not Ella Fitzgerald or Diana Ross. She's too bouncy.

Diana -- She was great. I thought I'd definitely vote for her as she was the first to sing. But as the show progressed I changed my mind. She's cute, has a great voice and think she'll make it to the top 10 because of the wildcard.

Jennifer- definitely, Gospel. Plus to pull off Lennon's Imagine you have to be superior. I think she did total injustice to that fantastic song (one of my favorite songs). And I don't think I can watch more weeks of her crying all the time!

Marque -- He's got stage presence and good voice.

Matthew -- I didn't like his song, but he's got a good voice, great looking and great stage presence. Hopefully if he goes on he'll pick better song selections.

Ashley -- Sorry, get on with your life.

Erskine -- Thought he was okay.

My choices:

(1) Katie (GREAT!!!)
(2) Matthew (handsome, great voice, but pick a better song next time)
(3) Diana (cute, great voice)
(4) Marque (okay)
(5) Erskine (okay)
(6) Ashley (go back to your regular job)
(7) Fantasia (sorry Simon, too predictable)
(8) Jennifer (go home and dry out your eyes!)

I think that those of you who so enjoyed Katie will end up being correct and she will end up as a finalist.
That said, and I'm taking a risk, sorry, but I don't think she or Fantasia will win.

Katie was smart enough to choose a song that IMO really did not rely on her voice. With Katie it was her flashy look, pretty presence, hair tosses, etc., ... but it came off BIG. Even Randy said he kind of liked her "Elvis thing". Maybe I read more into that statement than there was but think about it. Understand ?


Katie's song choice ... and I know I'm taking yet another risk here:

This is a fluffy song that requires little voice control and is really very easy to sing.

...................

Orange Colored Sky

LYRICS

I was walking along, minding my business
When out of an orange-colored sky
Flash! bam! alakazam!
Wonderful you came by

I was humming a tune, drinking in sunshine
When out of that orange-colored view
Wham! bam! alakazam!
I got a look at you

One look and I yelled timber
Watch out for flying glass
'cause the ceiling fell and the bottom fell out
I went into a spin and I started to shout,
I've been hit, this is it, this is it!

I was walking along minding my business
When love came and hit me in the eye
Flash! bam! alakazam!
Out of an orange-colored sky

...................

Further, it IS a Forties song ( Nat King Cole). So, if/when the redheaded kid John Stevens picks a Fortyish Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin tune let us reflect.

I think that any one of them could sing Katie's song and do a fair enough job ... heck, I would venture a guess that all of US here could sing that song without getting "the hook" ... but how well could any of them sing "Imagine" ?

I say Katie came out big and safe EARLY ... which is very smart. You have to stick around for awhile to really wow the viewers ( see Kelly Clarkson and Kim Locke for reference ) so Katie may have bought herself a ticket to stick around.


-- Who will probably be voted through:

Diana, Fantasia

-- Who I would put through:

Matt, Jennifer

Diana, Katie


BTW, I hope my thinking makes sense, and this will be fun for me to discuss all of this as the show goes on ... especially since my opinion/gut reaction varies "a bit" from folks whose strong opinions I admire.

This is just a fun comparison of this GOE with last year's finalists.

This is probably based more on their look, image and persona than the actual talent, but then again ...

So shoot me

.....................

Marque - Charles

Erskine - Josh

Fantasia - Trenyce

Jennifer - Kim Locke

Matt - Clay

Ashley - Carmen

Katie - Kim Caldwell

Diana - (Can't rememeber her name at the moment but the one in the cat fight with Kim Caldwell )

...............

Placed here for Delta:

[FONT=arial]
I watched this show with amazement! Absolutely Amazing performances from all the kids, but there are two I thik will be in the draw , first is Diana the 16 year old kid that blasted or belted outher song with the calm of a trouer performer. I had her number down on my notes to vote for as sooon aa she sang,.. Then along came the same ol same ol guys who can't hold a note without ahhh oh ahhhhya,and the girls trying to be someone other then thereself.

In walks emotional Jennifer and gives an emotinal performance and she was goood. I think she may pull it over as she is the Black Girl and people always vote for that one ) no offense)

Waited patiently for the rest and then in walks Fantasia, OMG she ruled the place, and like Simon said she is a Star now> I hope that doesn't keep people from voting for her

She is the best and I think you saw the newest American Idol last night with Fantasia ruling the place and rockin to the max.

I do believe that Diana and Fantasia will go thru tonight.
Well we shall see.
D

I was just curious. Did all of you vote. I called in for Katie at least 15 times (redial) and Matt about 10 times.

Yes, and if something interesting didn't come on I would have redialed some more. I was curious though. If each contestant has one telephone number to call in, does that mean that only one person can get thru at a time? Or are there many lines for one #, kinda like a conference call? Just wondering.

I tried calling in for Fantasia last night, but it was busy each time.
I've found that you can start calling in, at least last year, about 4 - 5 minutes before they announce that you can.
When Kelly was competing that first season, I called like 30+ times each week, for her, before they opened up the lines. And then I did the same thing for Josh and Clay last year.

This year... well, I have yet to say who I think will be my pick until we see the remaining 24 preform. Anything can happen!

I believe that they have massive trunk lines. But, there is a max amount on them. Don't know what it is though... a high number.

You know, the whole thing about American Idol is this:

While the judges say things, and I think that 'sways' the votes that are phoned in, people can surprise us and even though we think that we've got it down to who will go through tonight... we could all be shocked. It could happen. Don't think that it will... but one should never count their chickens before those eggs hatch.

I remember being so shocked these past couple of seasons with people who didn't get booted off... so, you just never know.

Mystic I am still stuck with the Race card being the major reason Ruben won last year. Pay no attention to my idiotic thoughts. I m a poor loser and obaf and myself pulled for Clay until long after the contest was over.

Maybe she's saying it about ME

Hey, I picked Kelly out from her very first audition.
I said... "that's the winner, right there."
Man, I should have placed a bet in Vegas.

The only people that I don't want to see go through... wouldn't be disappointed if they did go through, would be: Marque, Jennifer and Ashley. The other 5 all have a shot... wouldn't mind seeing their potential. But, these three can go home and whine (and I will offer them some cheese to go with that) that their 15 minutes of fame wasn't enough.

I'm with you KJ. As I said before, Jennifer sang Imagine so horribly I was about to turn it off. And I think Ryan should have given her a box of Kleenex for the ride home.

Like I said I m a loser with Pickin Am Idols I backed Justin against Kelly, bso thats how much I know. It just that Fntasia is ssuch a stand out so early on ike clay oh ny How can we feel sorry for Clay? He is rich and famous now and taking to the cash registers all over the world. Double Doulble Platimin

Gomg on tour with Kelly soon. He y anyone hear what Ruben is up too?

i love matthew metzger! he is sooo hot and from my hometown! he is great!

Hey KJ can we vote more then once like on the real show?

Nevermind, Delta you have one freaking day you are not in trouble and you can't stand it. Shut up and play nice.
There I said it for you KJ.

that would be awesome- because then it would be more accurate- like i voted a bazillion times last night for matthew. so you know- i wonder if that would effect it at all?

This just in from Entertainment Today - Gopher Central

LOS ANGELES, -- A botched "American Idol" audition has turn-
ed William Hung into an anti-celebrity with Web sites, fan
club and a Top 10 radio hit in his honor. Hung, who was rude-
ly dismissed by the "American Idol" judges during his Chinese-
inflected performance of "She Bang" by Ricky Martin, is the
latest in a surprising by-product of reality shows, the anti-
celebrity, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Ken Warwick,
the executive producer of "American Idol," who coined the
phrase, said the making of anti-celebrities is becoming fre-
quent. "Bless him, William will be inundated with offers,"
Warwick said. Indeed, three Web sites about Hung went up in
the days following the Jan. 27 airing of his audition, with
one generating 4 million hits in four days, causing a temp-
orary shut down of the site. Chicago's WKSC-FM has played a
remix of Hung's performance that has made it into the
station's Top 10 request list. The attention has bewildered
the 21-year-old University of California at Berkeley civil
engineering major. "There is fame and there is infamy," said
Hung, who moved to California from China when he was 11. "I
don't know if this is bad or good."

Great idea. I didn't know there was a thread on him. You never know who's going to become famous and who's not. Maybe after I retire (next year I hope) I'll go to Hollywood and be discovered. I can't dance, sing or don't have a model's looks, but who knows, anythings possible.

OBAF - I love the idea. The worst gets the grand prize. Maybe a trip to SNL so we can make fun of Simon.

Less than 1 hour to go until I close the poll. Very surprising to see. 43 votes and it is tight.

Fuscia ..............

When you close the poll, will it still remain on the forum so that people can read the posts? I know you're going to shut down the vote counting function but you're not going to remove the whole thread, are you?

I apologize if this is a dumb question but I am relatively new to the INReview system and still learning how everything works.

Thanks,

Old Scout

It will just shut down the voting. You will be able to see it-I think.

Katie was ok. She totally has an American Idol look but I think last night she could have picked a better song.

I just want to say that I am really impressed with this 1st round. The judges picked very talented kids.

POLL CLOSED AND WE HAVE A TIE!

Fantasia and Diana tied. Katie was third. Who would have thought. The poll is closed, but feel free to post in here still.

Well... interesting results that we've got here. Can't wait to find out tonight.

Warning though.... DO NOT POST ANYTHING TONIGHT!!!
Sherry or I will post after 9pm, pst.
If we have problems with this, the forum will be closed on nights like this.
Don't ruin it for many of us who are sitting here, where it's 5:30pm now, and those on the east coast are half way through the show.

Let me update this post. We will have one thread for each night where the "winners" or "losers" are revealed. This will be a thread with the date of the show, and no names of the contestants. If you want to post in there, fine. But DO NOT start new threads. We don't want spoiler info in the thread names.

No, we shouldn't have to stay off line. And if we have people making their own threads, with spoiler info, then we can have it ruined for us by just looking at the newest posts from the main forum. So, each week, either Sherry or I, or Josh, will start a thread to be used for you all to talk in about that nights show. Okay? Will that work for everyone?

Well, if they don't... then I guess that they won't be happy with the staff when the following week comes around and they can't post!!!

Just one last question ... next week and in the weeks thereafter ... will it be ok to still post in the Poll thread after it closes if the post contains spoiler info ?

I guess I'm wondering if it would be easier/safer to just combine and turn the Poll thread into the Show(s) discussion (which it sort of was this week ) and then leave it for discussion of winners, losers all of it ... after the poll shuts down.

I can clarify if you need ... but basically ... one thread each week marked

"Poll, Show Discussions, (2-17 & 18) All Spoilers Go Here"

I don't know if that makes sense. I just don't want it to get spoiled for you guys ... you deserve to have the FUN of the show.

Thanks for doing ALL of this.

Please go here: Sticky: Everyone Must Read!! Regarding Spoilers!!

We're going to do it like we have set up in the link in my above post.
We want to leave the weekly threads open for all to come in at any time...
That's why were making specific threads just for the spoilers.