Note I said faltering and not failing. American Idol is still far and away the number one show on television. But ratings are down for the second season in a row, so those in charge would be fools to simply ignore this. And since you are the ones tuning the show out more than you used to, they've reached out to the viewing public to see what they feel is and isn't working.That's right, American Idol conducted a market research survey to find out what we really think about the current season and the show in general. Basically they asked if we like the Top 12, why we watch the show and how we watch the show (DVR, live, etc.). Do we visit the web site, blah, blah, blah. Interestingly, there are several questions specifically eliciting feedback on each of the four main components of the Idol machine. It seems they're feeling out the public on how important Ryan, Paula, Randy and Simon are to the show.
I think this is a great idea. And maybe mixing up the panel wouldn't be a bad idea. So You Think You Can Dance initially had only one static spot on the judging panel, though they now have two of three. But that third spot rotates among the various choreographers for the show and they each bring a different perspective that's valuable to the contestants and the audience. By keeping to the same three judges for seven seasons, it's become somewhat predictable. How many of us already know whether or not Randy, Simon and Paula are going to like a performance?
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Need more American Idol? Get an inside look at Season 7's contestants and think back to these scathing (and hilarious) Simon Cowell quotes.
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Maybe the chaos of Paula's forecast review last night is an indication that it's time for her to retire from Idol. She can then focus on revitalizing her singing career and getting on Dancing with the Stars. Just make sure we don't replace her with another happy singer who can't say anything mean to all those adorable contestants.
I think Randy and Simon still give valid criticism, even if Randy is predictable in the way in which he does it. And I don't think Idol is Idol without Ryan Seacrest. He really is the glue that holds the show together and is a consummate MC for the series. Yes, I wish he and Simon would tone down the silliness at times, but he really does do an excellent job of steering a live show, which past awards shows can prove isn't the easiest thing to do.
Also mentioned were the current layout of the audition rounds and Hollywood rounds. Should they be combined? Are we tired of the "bad" singers that make up so much of the first several episodes? I'd say just tone those audition rounds down to four or five episodes. Then give us two or three episodes to stretch our ears in Hollywood and see more of who's going to make up the voting pool before we get to the "chair" episode. There's still an appeal to those early rounds in that we like to see both the surprisingly awesome as well as the dreadfully awful. It just got to be too much of the latter and too much in general of it before we get to the meat of the show.
I think the changes that have been made since those first seasons are more to blame than anything else. In those early years we spent time back at the mansion the kids all lived in during the competition and got to see them goofing off and hanging out. The whole show felt a lot less commercialized and sensationalized. The early rounds were shorter and we weren't mired in impenetrable theme weeks and mentors out the ass, all looking to promote their newest project. Take it back to basics and the magic of the show is still there.
So what do you guys think about American Idol? Is it too late to right the ship. Would some new blood on the panel inject some much needed life into the show? Should they tweak the format of the earlier rounds? Fire Ryan and rehire Brian Dunkelman? Put me on the panel so America can finally hear what I have to say!
Oh, and a caveat that many reports seem to be missing when spelling the doom and gloom of American Idol is that, while it's ratings are down season-to-season, they're still on par with the rest of network television, which is also down. It's just that until last year, Idol was bucking the trend of lower ratings by growing each year. And that's why the folks in charge are polling the public about their prized product to see what we prefer. Personally, I think it's a smart move. Idol is getting a little stagnant sure but is nowhere near ready to be put out to pasture.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-30-2008 @ 4:10PM
Skippy said...
Change the voting so that you vote for who you want kicked off instead of who you liked the most.
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 1:57PM
Dan said...
1. Make it one person-one vote like a democratic process should be.
2. Get rid of Randy because he is always biased from the first week or two (Last year he hated Phil Stacey and continually said negative things even when he did really well, same this year for Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado) and his language is really contributing to the dumbing down of America.
3. Get rid of Paula because she really brings nothing other than annoyance to the table. She interrupts Simon constantly any time he gives an actual criticism, and nothing she has ever said has ever been useful. Honestly, what's her purpose?
4. Add more singing by the contestants on results night, allow each one of them to sing a wildcard song where they choose their song without having to worry about voting.
5. With the addition of two new valid judges (people with experience in auditions, like Broadway directors and record execs) to replace Randy and Paula, use their opinions to formulate part of the voting, like a 25/75 split with the judges/voters votes respectively.
6. Show only the two or three worst auditions and then nothing but people who will make it to Hollywood. I don't need 7 minutes on the guy who is over the age limit who just came there for his 15 minutes of fame. And I don't need to hear people butcher songs, they do enough of that in the later rounds. Basically, make auditions last for four 2 hour episodes and then do two 2 hour Hollywood shows.
7. Have theme weeks still, but never two in a row. Allow contestants to choose their own songs, the quality of performances are always better when a contestant is in their comfort zone.
8. REVEAL THE VOTE TOTALS!!!! The credibility of the show is hurt when the "Surprise elimination" seems to come more often than it should. Generally this lack of visible vote totals hurts the older or more talented contestants like Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Asia'h Epperson and Melinda Doolittle who don't have the stupid teenybopper vote like the less talented Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks (who was talented, but not as much as Lakisha or Melinda) and David Archuleta.
9. Raise the age range from 16-30 to 18-35, those 16-17 year olds always get extra votes simply because they are in high school and the teenyboppers vote for them in droves. Allowing older contestants in would dramatically increase the overall skill and talent of the contestants.
4-30-2008 @ 4:16PM
P. Ryan said...
I think they should do it like "Dancing with the Stars'. The contestents should be judged by the viewers and the panel of "so-called" judges and add up the scores and that's how you're voted off. Then you'd be judged more on your talent and not the popular vote.
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4-30-2008 @ 4:44PM
CK said...
I agree. It's becoming too much of a popularity contest vs a talented singer contest. I definitely think if you're going to have judges, give them a little power, or else why are they there?
Paula, poor thing, should be replaced. But not by somebody permanent. It should rotate, like Jason mentioned. SYTYCD has a good thing going. I like the way they let the public vote then put the bottom three up for elimination by the judges vote.
4-30-2008 @ 4:18PM
David said...
I wouldn't change a thing. They're the highest rated regularly-scheduled show on TV, 7 years running. They're beating everybody. So why would you change it?? Nothing lasts forever, and eventually this show's dominance will end, but keep riding that wave until it does.
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5-01-2008 @ 2:26PM
Dan said...
The Tonight Show has changed its format many times, so has Jeopardy, in 30+ years of dominance, even Wheel of Fortune and Price is Right tool around with things. You're like the Ford executives who were all "We're number 1, so we don't need to improve" while so many others are vying for its title and eventually replacing it on top. Just because you're number 1 doesn't mean you don't need to improve things.
4-30-2008 @ 4:30PM
Concern Wrestling Fan said...
I like the Rock the Cradle idea where the judges judge and thier top scored person gets immunity and then the rest are up for vote.
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4-30-2008 @ 5:19PM
R-Bro said...
Paula really, really detracts from my enjoyment of the show. At the same time, I'm pretty tired of "theme weeks" and would prefer if the singers could sing whatever they want.
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4-30-2008 @ 6:26PM
Leota said...
Totally agreeing with this but I think they also need to get rid of Randy. I can predict his string of remarks usually by the first thing that he says, it's always some combination of "it was a little pitchy for me dawg," "I'm not mad atcha," or "it was aight." But at least his comments aren't as completely useless as Paula's. I'm also sick of how she interrupts Simon every single time he talks.
4-30-2008 @ 6:01PM
Oreo said...
I would change it so you do vote for your least favorite, but then that would confuse people. That way you don't have the insane fans voting 100 times for the same person.
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4-30-2008 @ 6:21PM
smashthesymbols said...
This is the first and only season of American Idol I've ever seen, but there's a few things I'd change already.
First, I'd mix up the judging some. Simon would stay as the permanent anchor, but I'd rotate the other two spots. Paula and Randy can stay and appear from time to time, but they'd be gone as far as weekly appearances. I'd also change the voting format so that the judges have a say in addition to the viewer's vote.
Next, I'd cut the theme weeks back some. It gets tiring hearing everyone do the same artist, especially in the early rounds, so I'd drop all but a week or two of the specific artist themes. The rest would be a wider theme such as a specific genre and/or time period. I'd also make the first couple rounds completely open. Letting the singers pick anything they want to sing would let us learn a bit more about them. Which leads right to me next point....
I'd like to see a bit more about of the singers behind the scenes. I'd don't want every detail, I don't care about their personal lives. I would like to see a little more of their personalities though. As is some of the singers have seemed like one-dimensional cartoons, a little extra time devoted to behind the scenes would go a long way in making them seem more like people.
My last idea would be to change the format of the audition and Hollywood rounds. Those first episodes of auditions were mostly useless for me. Why waste ten minutes of airtime on someone you know will only sing for 20 seconds. I'd cut those episodes down to one or two at most. That would leave room to expand Hollywood a couple episodes and see more of the people who can actually sing, and especially the ones who will actually make the show.
So that's what I'd change. Of course, I'm way outside the target audience of this show. As I said before, this is the only season I've ever watched and I've never bothered to vote. At first I started watching out of boredom and a lack of cable, then I found out through early spoilers online that someone I went to school with would make the top 24 (and is still going strong actually) so that kept me around. Honestly I have no idea if I'll ever watch another season. I just thought I'd throw in my two cents as a mostly outside observer, someone who doesn't have six previous seasons to compare this one to.
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4-30-2008 @ 6:39PM
Stacie said...
The music needs to be more mainstream. They're alienating a huge demographic with the song choices the past few seasons - no what the contestants choose but what they have to choose from.
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4-30-2008 @ 6:56PM
drasko said...
Yes. Why do they have not anything from the last 10 years? The young guy who sung Mika was a hit. He got a recording contract.
4-30-2008 @ 7:44PM
skim said...
1. Get rid of Paula and Randy. Not only is their feedback predictable and useless, they also have clear biases. The music industry is huge. There are plenty of people who can provide interesting feedback and commentary.
2. Keep Ryan. He's the key to the show. Simon can eventually be replaced.
3. One phone one vote. It's silly that there are people who are speed dialing for two hours, while others vote only once.
4. Put ALL the auditions on the web (for songs you can get the rights from publishers). And let the public vote on a few wildcard spots for the top 24. This would create an interesting community of reviewers, bloggers, and personal sites promoting people's favorite artists.
5. Show fewer bad singers. That's getting real old. Show more decent singers who didn't make the cut. This would tie in to the web vote for the wildcard spots.
6. Give face time to every single person who made it to Hollywood. Getting there is a big accomplishment, and they should be recognized for it. This will make it more fair for the contestants who make it to the top 24.
7. Get rid of the chair episode. That's a waste of time.
8. Provide more entertainment during the results show, and rush through the elimination in the last 5 minutes. Maybe show some "behind the scenes" videos. Make the Ford music videos more watchable.
9. Assign a professional producer to each contestant to give them advice about song selection. It really detracts from the show when half the contestants pick crappy songs.
10. Reduce their promotion activities, and have them rehearse twice as much. And give them even more voice coaching. The franchise is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Invest a few more bucks in the contestants.
11. Invite winners of Idol contests in other countries to perform.
12. Get rid of themes that revolve around a single artist. That doesn't give the contestants enough leeway to choose decent songs that fit them.
13. Get rid of the Broadway theme. It always sucks.
14. Make sure the judges are very familiar with each song before the show. Give them each an iPod preloaded with each song (and the right arrangement of each song), along with detailed info on the artist, song writer, etc. It's shameful that the judges don't do their homework.
15. Don't air the show live. Edit out worthless judge comments. Don't let the show ever run long.
16. Let the eliminated contestant choose to sing ANY song that he or she has previously sung. The way it is, we are forced to listen to the worst song again every week. Let them pick a song they can sing well.
Reply
4-30-2008 @ 8:18PM
Jen said...
Yes to everything skim just said. Bravo!
4-30-2008 @ 8:58PM
Saragee said...
Great job Skim......as someone who has been watching since the very beginning, you are spot on with your suggestions.
I hope AI producers read this site because despite AI being the number one show there is much room for improvement. If I could add my two cents I would change the following:
1)Shorten the auditions. Yeah some of the delusional can be quite funny but it's getting old. And for heaven's sake, please show the auditions of the 24 who will subsequently make it. Give us more time in Hollywood so we can start to root for some of the singers that make it and empathize with those that don't. Get rid of the chair episode or make it a small part of the whole show.
2) Limit the amount of votes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I could only choose one, this would be it. This way sites like VTFW would have no power, and neither will the tweens who can sit there for hours voting. This would make it more a talent competition than a popularity contest.
3)Rotate the judges with Simon being the only constant one. He's the only one that is completely honest, if at times cruel. Both Randy and Paula have lost their credibility, IMO.
4)I still like the theme weeks, but they should be more general, ie 80's music, etc. Keep the mentors to one or two a season and choose one's like Barry Manilow who have producing experience and really work with the kids and bring out the best in them. David Foster would be another excellent choice.
5)Shorten the results show back to 1/2 hour and I like the idea of past idol winners performing.
6)Finally, keep Ryan - he does an excellent job moving the show along, but cut out the crap with Simon - it's not funny anymore. I also think the singer voted out should be able to choose their "goodbye" song. Having to again sing the song they were voted out on is adding insult to injury, both to them and us!!
5-01-2008 @ 12:23AM
Jimmy said...
Some good thoughts, but I have to disagree on No. 2. Simon is the reason I watch the show. If he goes, so does any shred of integrity the show has managed to retain. It cannot and will not survive without him.
5-01-2008 @ 8:41AM
Donna said...
I agree, its too much of a popularity show. Jason should have been gone along time ago. He can't sing. He isn't strong enough of a singer. His song choices have alot to be desired.
Reply
5-01-2008 @ 11:38AM
Joe D said...
Changes I would like to see are:
1. One vote per phone number.
2. Stop the mentors. We are watching the show to see the contestants perform, not to watch a commercial for the mentor's new project.
3. Cut back on the early audition rounds and the bad singers. It is so obvious after 7 years that the majority of these bad singers know they are bad but are just there to get their face on national TV. If there are 5 audition cities, cut it down to three shows. SHOW ALL THE GOLDEN TICKET SINGERS!
4. Stop with the one hour results show. Is there anybody who actually wastes their time watching this one hour commercial live? I only DVR it and watch the group song and then fast forward to the end. I don't need to see the mentor sell their new CD, or the Ford commercial, or Ryan tease each person as to whether they are save or not. Go back to the 1/2 hour format. Better yet, the vote off only takes 2 minutes, just tack it on to the beginning of the following week's show.
5. Stop Ryan from saying "after a nation-wide vote" every freaking time!
6. Stay within your time limit. I have a DVR, I tape other shows. When Idol goes over their time, I miss the end when DVR changes channels. You waste time during the show and then go overtime...its almost like its being done on purpose so that the show counts in the ratings for the next hour's block also.
7. Definitely get rid of Paula. They are called JUDGES! A Judge doesn't say "honey, you look amazing, I want to eat you up". Judge the freaking performance!
8. Stop showing the stage parents in the crowd, we are watching the singers, not the parents!
9. Give the actual vote totals for each singer. By doing that, you let us know that you are not really sending one of the best singers to the bottom 2 or 3 just to add some suspense to the results. I assume you don't show the votes now because if we knew the total number of votes, then the producers could not change the results when they want to.
10. Dump the stupid "chair" episode.
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5-01-2008 @ 12:12PM
marty lyon said...
Having the American public choose who stays and who goes is unfortunately, for the contestants, the dumbest aspect of the show. How in the world is Jason still standing ahead of Michael Johns and Carly Smithson?? This is not a popularity contest. Year after year, they prove they have absolutely no ability to pick correctly. Case in point!! Ruben Studdard beating out Clay Aiken? How about Daughtrey getting the boot too early. What a joke that was. He was head and shoulders better than those that remained.
My suggestion would be to hire a large panel of judges all famous and related to the music industry. By large, I mean 12. A group that truly understands vocal ability and would not put up with the likes of Sanjaya and one of our current idols..........Jason.
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