MTV.com contacted Idol Executive Producer Ken Warwick for a statement on the seemingly ”professional” backgrounds of some of Season 7’s rumored Top 50:
It’s all part of what makes the early-season “Idol” episodes so mesmerizing: a heady mix of the bizarre, the talented and, of course, the talent-less, all hoping to get famous (or at least get their 15 minutes). The ultimate goal is the discovery of the “diamonds in the rough,” the sublimely skilled singers who have somehow fallen through the cracks. Of course, if you believe the rumors that have been swirling around “Idol” fan sites in recent days, those diamonds are becoming more difficult to find — which is why the show producers have seeded this year’s field of contestants with a handful of ringers: male and female singers who have been signed to major labels, worked with established songwriters and musicians, released albums and even been nominated for Grammy Awards.
The whole thing has created such a stir — and brought into question the very validity of a show created to find undiscovered talent — that MTV News went to “Idol” executive producer Ken Warwick for comment. And while he didn’t deny that some of the season-seven contestants had previous experience, he explained that the process of finding new, never-before-discovered talent has grown increasingly difficult, given the show’s popularity.
Here’s what Ken has to say:
“The truth of the matter is, there are too many people who come on to audition for us to go into all their backgrounds,” Warwick said. “We judge it purely on, when they walk through the door, if they have a record company attached to them already, then we’re not interested. If they have a management contract, they’ve got to lose it. it. … We take them on the merits of ‘Can they sing or not?’
“There are kids who are sufficiently good out there, that maybe should be stars,” he continued, “and the fact that they’ve been a backing singer to someone else in the past — if they were within the age limit and they meet all the criteria that we set — then who are we to say, ‘No, you can’t have another go [at it]’? That’s ridiculous.”
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He kind of has a point. But I think that it’s a totally different story if producers are actively loading the talent pool with has-beens. Let them come on their own.
Ummm, yeah sure… okay. Whatever you say Ken. Uh huh. Yep. That definitley seems to be how it works… only those that can sing.
Sounds like more of the usual BS spin to me.
However, we will not really know anything, or be able to comment upon it, until the final 24 are announced.
When that happens, there will be no secrets anymore as there are just too many sleuths who unearth everything and publish it immediately for all the read, and share, on the internet.
If Warwick, Lythgoe, etc. do not think they will get a world of criticism for ringers on this year’s show, then their heads truly are buried in the sand, right up to their butts.
I see the plan. They have decided to treat us like we are stupid. That there is no way we could have cracked the super-secret that Simon/Paula/Randy don’t actually sit there and have every single person in those stadium shots audition just for them. And that the Hollywood round happens in real time. It some how magically occurs a few days after the auditions and a few days before the competition begins. WOW. I wonder how they get those little people inside my TV set and how Santa manages to be at every mall I go to.
Like they didn’t have time to figure out who the Irish girl is. It’s been TWO years since the first started chatting her up.
Even so, before the final 24 is selected, they’ve done tonnes of interviews/questionares, performed background checks and even criminal checks. We know from past lawsuit cases they even have to produce letters from people they have previously done business with to prove that they no longer are under contract with them. I wouldn’t be suprised if they don’t require proctologist reports.
Ken is so full of carp.
That doesn’t make any sense at all. None. They can’t find new talent because they are too popular? Wouldn’t being popular mean that more people are likely to know about them and want to be on the show? It’s if they had no popularity that they would have trouble finding contestants.
Or is he saying “It’s tough to find never-before-discovered talent because we are so popular we have to spend all our time answering phone calls from agents and filling our three stooge’s audition roster full of previously-found-and-failed contestants that we have no time or audition slots left for the never-before-discovered talent”.
Look, I’m not saying that previous flops can’t be on the show, but at least try to come up with some logical excuses.
BTW I have to say I’m quite looking forward to Season 8 where Ruben, Taylor, Katharine, Diana, Justin, Bo et al will be competing since they are all currently without contracts and they all obviously know how to get through the audition rounds. Ken will probably figure out who they are after about the Final 9 and by then it will be too late. Oops, Taylor and Bo probably miss the age requirements, but the rest are in like Flynn.
You know, forgetting about the “stacking the deck” issue for a moment, I’m not sure how I feel about someone from Ireland coming in and being positioned by the producers to win a show called American Idol. Is this young lady an American citizen? I remember some hulabaloo about her two years ago and something about she needed a visa. You know they are going to push the heck out of her with promos, personal hardship stories, etc. if she’s one of their top picks. Why doesn’t she audition and win “Irish Idol”? I wish her no ill will, I just question why she’s being forced down our throats.
Now, THAT is the biggest lie I’ve EVER heard. I actually went to one of the audition sites (with my husband, who auditioned…he is quite good…I forced him to go), and I heard many, MANY people (including my husband) who are much better than many of the people who have been on the show and did not make it past the first round (which, as you all know by now, is NOT Randy, Paula, and Simon). So I don’t know why they say that they are having a hard time finding talent. There was a TON of it all around me at the audition.
And, doesn’t that statement contradict itself? They are having a hard time finding talent because the show is popular? What kind of sense does that make?
I really don’t like how the show has turned from a show about honest, hard-working, talented people trying to appeal to America and make it big into a ploy for Fox and washed-up singers to promote themselves to us. It’s not right that the final 2 get a combined airtime of 20 minutes in a 2 hour finale, and the winner isn’t even announced on time. If this pattern continues, you bet I won’t be watching next year.
End rant.
Oh goodness, I think the point is, what if a person, who had a shot several years ago, comes to OPEN auditions and gets chosen to continue? I mean I don’t think the producers are going to casting agents asking for people who have had deals and then don’t have them. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t some recruiting going on but I think that they actually do think the viewers are savvy enough to know when they have been taken for a ride. Believe me most of these so called ringers will not get to the final 12. That is the gimmick for the year, the shiny faced NEW discovery will be just that. Not a pro, not the grammy nominee, not the irish girl. This is just another idol smoke screen, they know that so much of their intrigue is internet driven, blogs, message boards, web groups…..they know we are watching them.
That is the WORST load of crap I’ve EVER heard!! God, I’m literally insulted at how stupid they think we are.
I dont get it. The normal thin everyong bitches about is that “Is this the best that AI could find” “This top 12 sucks” etc. So now they’ve went out and found AMAZING Talented musicians, and people bitch about that. I just dont get it.
MJ…I just updated the blog.
I think the thing that sticks in most people’s craw is the fact that Hennessy (Irish girl) had a $2 million record contract and blew it. I think I read that only 300 actual CDs were sold. Someone like that doesn’t really deserve a slot when there are talented people who have never been given opportunities to shine are turned away.
I was kind of aghast at some of the Philly crowd who were put thru to Hollywood. The black girl with the disabled child was possibly the only one in the bunch who had an ounce of talent. There was one insipid little blond who sang in an insipid little voice and still got voted thru to Hollywood. I think that Simon was in disagreement with Paula and Randy on that one.
selecting the the top 24 is not in the public’s control.
if the voting AI viewing public takes into account their former connections and chooses not to vote for him or her on that basis, then so be it.
otherwise, what’s the big deal?