Just some thoughts on image... nothing against them personally, the forum needs some new threads!

Jessica is probably their chosen Idol, which is fine, I don't really have any favourites and she seems OK.

I was just thinking of what makes her popular other than her voice (since they can all sing to some extent) and realised that compared to the others she looks the youngest (in a realistic way, not ridiculous OTT, overtly manipulative Little Mix way, still about that pimping). I even said before the last series of XF that they had to create a youthful girlband who looked like teenagers if they ever wanted a girl band to win (they must've read the thread and following it word for word, I think I might have even mentioned boyfriend stealing!!!).

The fact that the other female Idols look SO old compared to their actual ages had really helped her out. Shannon was the only one who seemed younger than Jessica - until Shannon stood next to anyone.

I haven't watched the auditions this year but could not believe Skylar was 18! I thought she was at least mid 20s. I understand she is country, but her styling and everything is just so matronly. I don't understand why she is happy with this?

Elisa has a low voice, can't remember how old she is but definitely looks and sounds mature. What will go against her mainly though will be her awkward, hunched stage presence. Sorry I like her but even my BF said this when he watched her perform.

And then Hollie, who should look young, because she is young, and she has the tiniest little features ever and is petite. and yet she looks so old! and so bland. I don't see any star power with her, and this is reflected in her whispy hair, pale makeup and old person clothes.

Anyone else think jessica's youthful look is helping her get votes, particularly in comparison to the other female idols?

If I have Jessica, Skylar and Hollie standing next to each other not knowing their age, I'd say all of them are teenagers and I'd think Hollie is the youngest, not Jessica. Plus I find Hollie hotter than the other 2 also.

And I don't think it'll have any impact on the votes, unless it's kinda a youngest age contest or something.

I think the voting demographic will connect more with Jessica, even though others are a similar age to her
Hollie is definitely very pretty.

Hollie, to me, looks more youthful, but Jessica's not far behind. I definitely connected more with Jessica though, because as Jimmy Iovine pointed out last night, Jessica put more soul into her singing, while Hollie is more about the technique so she lacks feeling when she sings.

Come to think of it, why can't Jimmy replace Steven Tyler and be the new Simon Cowell? He seems more than capable of being constructive.

I don’t really think image has a great impact when you have a voice as phenomenal as Jessica’s. As much as I think the other girls are talented if you put them on stage in a vocal battle Jessica would blow them all out of the water effortlessly which is what urges the public to vote for her. Also given what happened to Pia last season I think the voting public will be much more conscious of making sure that does not happen to Jessica this season.

On a side note I actually think out of the girls her image and the way she dresses is the most mature and “star-like”, she certainly looks older than her age. Was a really good point to raise though!

I thought Hollie looked great in the results show last week but on the performance night she looked awful. Jessica looked much more age-appropriate in her performance.

It's a shame that Hollie has never 'let go' on stage as well. I love the tone of her voice but I think she should have stayed away from Idol this year and come back when she had a bit more confidence.

I wouldn't mind Jimmy replacing Steven or Randy either. He seems to be getting fed up of having to 'correct' the other judges' critiques on contestants like DeAndre. I wouldn't be surpised if Steven was gone next year anyway - he used to look high in season 10, now he just looks bored.

I really like Jimmy, but he has the chance to watch the show and every aspect of it as many times as he wants before we hear his opinion. He maybe knows the results or at least have the chance to see some result predictions and so will have an idea who's doing good and who will be in trouble. Will he do any better than the judges sitting on a judge chair in the live shows, I'm not sure.

I think an added bonus to Jessica is her young age along with the fact she performs to such a professional standard.

She's also trying different things each week (thank heaven she's not listening to Jimmy, if she was she'd be singing ballads every week and it would start to get boring) and she also seems to have a personality without it being over-the-top or cocky.

The thing which really stands out for me with Jessica's image isn't her youth, because she carries herself and performs as if a lot older than 16, but how self-composed and stylish she is. She's one of those girls who could wear practically anything and still manage to look good. To use a hackneyed Louis Walsh phrase, she "looks like a pop star".

Contrast this with that of Hollie, who until she recently had a softening Kylie-style makeover, looked like someone's Nivea gran whenever she had her hair tied back. That'd be what Steven Tyler was referring to when he suggested she should let her hair down. Hollie's image, her singing style and choice of diva ballads all make her seem very old-fashioned, whereas by contrast Jessica seems fresh and young (i.e.current.)

I agree he has an advantage, but I still think he would be able to give more constructive criticism. Mainly because his label will be signing the winner after the show is over and he will have to work with them (I think so anyway).

Jenny, Randy and Steven don't really seem to think about the contestants in the long-term. They only seem to care about if they hit the notes right. Not that the singing isn't important, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone like Jimmy on the panel to give them advice from the 'business side' of things. I think Randy worked for record labels before but you wouldn't guess it from his comments every week :yawn: