American Idol Season 7 Begins tonight with a two-hour episode featuring the Philadelphia auditions.
The peeps who follow my blog know by now that I positively LOATHE the audition phase of the competition. After 6 years, it’s the most predictable phase of the competition. At this point, finding contestants who are totally clueless about their lack of talent amid the famewhores who show up to sing badly just to get on TV is getting tougher and tougher. It’s so tough, in fact, that last year, the producers resorted to picking on mentally challenged contestants who truly didn’t know better. Bleah. It made for some truly uncomfortable tv-watching.
There is an outcry from the media every year about the cruelty of the auditions, yet nothing changes. That’s because the auditions attract people who love a good trainwreck. And it attracts those people in droves. Idol racks up their highest ratings in these initial weeks of the competition, so for that reason, it will be business as usual as the parade of wannabes begins in Philly tonight.
Oh, and please. If I read one more article that predicts the imminent demise of American Idol–GAH! It’s a nice hook for the pundits to hang their hats on, but seriously, aren’t we jumping the gun a bit? The ratings are down 1% from last year–hardly a nose dive. Sure, a few former contestants were dropped from their contracts, but so were a bunch of other artists last year. The record industry is in decline, anyone notice? And anyway, after 6 years, some contestants are bound to do better than others.
But, is the number of huge stars Idol turns out Idol’s big draw? Personally, what happens to the contestants after their season is over interests me, but does not affect how I feel about the show itself. American Idol and and the recording industry are two separate worlds. When I vote for someone on Idol, it means I want to keep seeing them on my TV screen. Will I buy their records once they’ve graduated into the music business? Maybe, maybe not. Does their performance in the real world diminish their achievements on the TV show? Not at all.
As long as Idol continues to entertain me, I’ll tune in. Of course, Idol was less entertaining last year, due to the assed-backward way TPTB produced the show. The emphasis on mentors, the lack of backstories and time spent on the talented contestants in the audition phase made it hard to connect to this year’s crop of contestants. The producers have pledged to get back to what made Idol work–putting the kids front and center. If they deliver what they’ve promised in interviews, Idol could have a memorable season.
If the producers can fix what ailed Idol last year, when Season 8 begins next year, the headlines will be altogether different.
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MJ summarizes my opinion on it all. I can’t even bring myself to read another article on the outlook for this season. I truly hope it’s more like Season 5, when I was vested in a contestant for who they were and how they sang. I do hope that they do bring in some mentors so the ‘kids’ get to hang with some famous folks as that’s one of the ‘perks’ of being on the show for the contestants.
I will probably watch the first rounds, only for the hope of seeing someone good, as I do every year…. how many hours of life do we lose???
Well, I will check in on the audition process but sporadically. I will be watching the debates and if Im not sound asleep from those then I will switch back and forth to Idol. Here’s hoping that we can get a shred of the magic back. Im not hopeful.
I wanna get a glimpse of Simon. I have always had a little “thing” for him.
This is the best “pre-game” article on American Idol I’ve seen this season. MJ gets it.
95% of the press and bloggers see the assignment to write about American Idol as a “no lifting, no sweat” project.
TPTB contribute to the confusion of those who equate recording success with winning the Idol crown, which goes to the favorite live performer. If it was a recording competition, Ryan S could run it on his radio show.
As long as American Idol remains genuinely “live performance”, I can still hold out hope for magic.
I with dingo…debates and spot check on AI for me tonight.
I’ll be watching! PLEASE, AI! Give me someone good to root for, AND GIVE THEM TO ME EARLY!! A little bit of the “bad” auditions goes a loooong way. Give me a pen salesman! Give me a rocker! Give me a gray-haired man!
SURPRISE ME!
What do “Wait For You”, “Over You”, & “Tattoo” all have in common? They’re all songs on the latest Kidz Bop album, of course!
Thier also catchy pop-candy songs a kid could also write between classes..and thier popular.
Well said, MJ! Looking forward to this season, hope they don’t make the mistake that really irked me last year, which was that really talented folks didn’t even make the top 24, like Tami Goswell. Get us invested in the top 24 early on.
Tony - “Over You”? Do you mean “Over It” or “It’s Not Over”? I don’t know what “Over You” is.
The radio station I have on in the mornings has been running frequent ads for American Idol, and they do not normally run ads for national TV shows.
The one this morning that made me fall on the floor laughing was the one “remember when Chris Daughtry pumped gas? when Carrie Underwood had never been on a plane?” and something similar about Kelly C..
In other words, you want backstories, we’ll give you back stories.
I can’t stand the bad auditions. It wouldnt be so bad if we had only a few of those and more good ones. Hollywood rounds is a fav of mine.
I agree that the show can be entertaining regardless of album sales afterwards. However, Kelly Clarkson put this show on the map as the only reality show that delivers. The excitement is in thinking the winner can be a superstar in music. So I hope they find that talented person this year.
“Over You” is Daughtry’s 3rd single.
I was looking forward to Hollywood until I found out those stupid Brittenum twins were rumored to make it. I loathe those idiots. Wonder if they’ll wear their state issued prison outfits? Maybe with their winnings they’ll be forced to pay those people whose identities they tried to steal. I can’t believe these damn jackasses are getting tv time - geesh.
As long as there are no more “bush baby” jokes, I think I’ll enjoy the delusional idiots.
Good news for some the recap show on idols. A candian article stated nigel saying it will feture Katherine Mcphee and Rueban I do not no how though. It is probably a good bet Elliott will be a feature too and I will bet pj a case a beer that Taylor will not be mentioned.Nigel is not that warm but the dance show he is.
Here’s some good tv - let Elliott be a guest judge when that Brittenum doofus he had to perform with does his song. Wonder what E would do?
He is too nice Elliott will just sit thier wondering how much it stinks(the guys singing) deep inside and wondering when he will let trainwreck out as his next single.
Elliott made that popish sounding song sound prettygood otherwise it is not the best out thier.Yes this is a completement I do prefer totmatoes myself for entertainment value though…You will be missed LU
Oh no. First Dance Wars, now this.
Save me !
I’ll watch because I can’t not watch. I don’t particularly care for the auditions either..but there are some good people that sneak out within all the bad. :)
I am in the camp that loves the auditions for various reasons. I like trying to spot who I think will *win* as they audition.
I like the bad auditions. Everyone knows by now AI shows the bad ones, so these kids should have at least gotten a cheap tape recorder, or even a cpu mic and recorded themselves singing. These kids know coming into the rounds that they will be judged and sometimes harshly, and yet still come on. Some just want the 15 seconds of fame. I would say there is the one person out of thousands who is totally *clueless* and those are just sad, again, they knew coming into it they might be one of the *bad ones*.
I will say Simon’s remark last year was horrific and yes that had me mad. I don’t agree with the picking on someone’s looks etc but for me all’s fair on the remarks about their singing.
I still have the all time classic *Like a Virgin* audtion on tape. Yeah maybe that makes me *bad*, but darn it was too funny.
Simon looks very very very very bored with it all. There is no energy at the judge’s table. And the contestants seem like reruns from past seasons….yawn…..sorry folks but I think I’ll tune in in 2-3 weeks when they get to Hollywood.
What I hate about the bad auditions is that they are essentially using and making fun of these people, sometimes people who have serious problems or some mental deficiencies at times. If they’re just clowning, no loss but most are seriously thinking they’re good. I wouldn’t mind a “few” bad ones, characters etc. but good grief put more half way decent ones in there that didn’t make it. Not everyone who doesnt make it is a bad singer. I dont care to see two hours of bad singers…its NOT funny anymore! Give some of the others some tv time.
AND…they didn’t “get through” to our star judges by chance. The star judges don’t see every single audition, just the ones that have been pre-auditioned. So whomever is letting those awful ones through to Paula Randy Simon is doing so KNOWING they’re bad. I rather don’t like that. OK let a few characters through for your entertainment, but hey not several hours of them.
I like to see auditions of those that have half a chance at least, to spot those potentials…like Taylor, Elliot, Daughtry, etc. but if I have to listen to hours of awful embarassing I probably won’t anymore. will wait till hollywood unless I read in MJ’s about someone. OH…DINGO’S BACK YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO