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The new season of American Idol is starting Tuesday. Let me start out by saying that I’ve never watched a whole season of American Idol on television except at the end of last year’s competition because of our local guy, Adam Lambert.
However, like everyone else alive and breathing on the planet I know that there is a show called American Idol, and I know the way it generally works. I know that some of the finalists it has produced have gone to superstardom, while some of the winners fizzled out. I know that starting after the second season, the ratings have declined every year. And I know that in each season the show’s format has changed. Some changes have improved the show, most have not, and some have not worked.
Last year, a fourth judge was added to the panel, horrible mistake, I thought, and I was right. Not only was Kara DioGuardi a drag and a bore, she contributed one of the worst finale songs ever. This year, they’ve added Ellen DeGeneres as the fourth judge because Paula Abdul is gone.
The mystery is why Paula’s gone. The producers must know something we don’t know. I don’t believe it’s about the money. I don’t watch the show, as I said, but I think letting Paula go is another huge mistake. The chemistry and interaction between the three original judges was an integral part of the show’s appeal, you could tell that Randy and Simon were struggling last year to integrate DioGuardi into that vibe, and it just didn’t happen. Hard to figure how DeGeneres will fit in the mix. But more than that, Paula Abdul was a wild card herself, no one ever knew if she was going to go off the rails in her personal life or on the show or both; she kept people’s interest precisely because she seemed more than a bit unstable. I could care less if DioGuardi lives or dies, same with DeGeneres, nothing against them, but would be hard to pick two more vanilla people. Paula Abdul was empathetic with the contestants, often emotional, always unscripted, sometimes bizarre. That’s entertainment.
Add all of this to another iffy voting result from last season, and it may be that some viewers will have had enough of the show. My guess is the show will start with strong ratings because people will watch out of curiosity, and to check out the new auditions and contestants, but that unless there’s another breakout star or some controversy that draws audience attention, the ratings will crash. Whatever the changes to the format and team of judges, American Idol will surely go on, no longer the shooting star that blazed across the broadcast heavens the second season, but it may not be the Death Star it was once known as, either (NCIS nearly caught up in the ratings last year), maybe more like a dying sun throwing off a few brilliant rays, reminders of it’s days of glory.
The new season of American Idol is starting Tuesday. Let me start out by saying that I’ve never watched a whole season of American Idol on television except at the end of last year’s competition because of our local guy, Adam Lambert.
However, like everyone else alive and breathing on the planet I know that there is a show called American Idol, and I know the way it generally works. I know that some of the finalists it has produced have gone to superstardom, while some of the winners fizzled out. I know that starting after the second season, the ratings have declined every year. And I know that in each season the show’s format has changed. Some changes have improved the show, most have not, and some have not worked.
Last year, a fourth judge was added to the panel, horrible mistake, I thought, and I was right. Not only was Kara DioGuardi a drag and a bore, she contributed one of the worst finale songs ever. This year, they’ve added Ellen DeGeneres as the fourth judge because Paula Abdul is gone.
The mystery is why Paula’s gone. The producers must know something we don’t know. I don’t believe it’s about the money. I don’t watch the show, as I said, but I think letting Paula go is another huge mistake. The chemistry and interaction between the three original judges was an integral part of the show’s appeal, you could tell that Randy and Simon were struggling last year to integrate DioGuardi into that vibe, and it just didn’t happen. Hard to figure how DeGeneres will fit in the mix. But more than that, Paula Abdul was a wild card herself, no one ever knew if she was going to go off the rails in her personal life or on the show or both; she kept people’s interest precisely because she seemed more than a bit unstable. I could care less if DioGuardi lives or dies, same with DeGeneres, nothing against them, but would be hard to pick two more vanilla people. Paula Abdul was empathetic with the contestants, often emotional, always unscripted, sometimes bizarre. That’s entertainment.
Add all of this to another iffy voting result from last season, and it may be that some viewers will have had enough of the show. My guess is the show will start with strong ratings because people will watch out of curiosity, and to check out the new auditions and contestants, but that unless there’s another breakout star or some controversy that draws audience attention, the ratings will crash. Whatever the changes to the format and team of judges, American Idol will surely go on, no longer the shooting star that blazed across the broadcast heavens the second season, but it may not be the Death Star it was once known as, either (NCIS nearly caught up in the ratings last year), maybe more like a dying sun throwing off a few brilliant rays, reminders of it’s days of glory.