Will finals help 'American Idol' regain its edge?

[Naco1776]

If no longer a supernova, Idol remains a hit, and it's the only one of the current singing shows to have produced real stars. It may be the most successful show in TV history in terms of ratings dominance and what it has done for its network, Adgate says. Even today, "If Fox decided to cancel this show, the other three would pick it up, no questions asked."


"It's still a Top 3 or 4 show (in young adults). I don't think in its second year I would have guessed it would still be so strong in its 12th year," says Fox reality chief Mike Darnell. "It still has an enormously loyal audience. When you look at contemporary shows that started with us, say, Survivor, it's still on the air but it's not doing near the numbers Idol still does. It's really a television miracle."


Will finals help 'American Idol' regain its edge?

 

[pklongbeach]

I think the end of the article says it all.
A leaner tighter Idol.
You can't go backwards. And you can't just dismantle the entire thing.
Stay focused on what you do well.

( I do think one epic fail this season has been Nikki. I don't think anyone is willing to admit it midseason, but her brutality makes her untrustworthy, and her antics make her anlienated to many. And finally, her willingness to perpetuate this hatred towards Mariah (Mariahs fault just as much as hers) is just making her a very unlikable figure in the whole sceme of things.)

 

[gaycarebear]

I think the end of the article says it all.
A leaner tighter Idol.
You can't go backwards. And you can't just dismantle the entire thing.
Stay focused on what you do well.

( I do think one epic fail this season has been Nikki. I don't think anyone is willing to admit it midseason, but her brutality makes her untrustworthy, and her antics make her anlienated to many. And finally, her willingness to perpetuate this hatred towards Mariah (Mariahs fault just as much as hers) is just making her a very unlikable figure in the whole sceme of things.)

I disagree. Nicki's brutally honest critiques are refreshing, especially since no judge has wanted to get booed (see: Jlo and Steven Tyler) for being honest.

Plus, I love her animated self. She's hilarious, and I love that she doesn't care what people think of her. A lesson we should all learn.

As for Mariah, while she does have an impressive resume, often times, her feedback is so self-centered and rather...boring.

 

[maddkat]

^ I agree after 3-4 seasons of almost no criticism or honesty Nikki is a bit refreshing.
However I wish the producers would get her to tone down the antics.They are very off putting.

I love how they pretend Idol is even remotely close to what it use to be in numbers.

 

[pklongbeach]

And so the truth is somewhere between all three of our images of it.

I agree that she is a "breath of fresh air" if you consider what judges the show "has had".
The last two years of "ass kissing" has been brutal for me. I can't stand mediocre singing while everyone calls it wonderful (see my posts at TS thread, hee hee).

But that does not mean that I want someone to come in who is so blatantly self-serving that she intentionally disrupts the proceedings just cause she wants to have her own opionion on things regardless of relevancy.

Point being: I don't actually believe that she even bothers to give much thought to what she says. I think she goes out of her way to be contrary to common sense just to gain attention. And that is really frustrating.

I think she is cruel to people needlessly. I don't believe Simon was ever like that. Cruel, maybe at times, but not needlessly and not intentionally.
I always believed he was saying what he felt in his gut. And it was not very nice sometimes. But it was the truth non the less.
I don't believe Nikki tells the truth. I believe she comes up with things to say that are cruel cause she want to have attention on her. And that is just plain messed up.

So yes, a breath of fresh air. And much needed. But not by someone who is going to comnondeer the whole show just to get her own jollys off!

 

[Carrieflattsfan]

IMO, Idol lost its 'edge' a long time ago. The focus shifted to celebrity judges and trying to make 'fresh' changes, and I think it ruined the dynamic of the show. I enjoyed the earlier seasons, because they were ACTUALLY about the contestants, and it was more low-key (now, there's a glitzy stage, new judges every season, etc). I can't exactly put my finger on it, but the whole dynamic of the show has completely changed over the years.

At this point, the show has been around for 10 years, the audience has changed, and we've virtually gotten the same WWWG for about 3-4 years now. Unless the core audience changes again (which I doubt will happen), I think Idol will continue to decline. Plus, Idol has gotten more into the drama over the past several seasons, and that's not what the earlier audience watched Idol for. It used to be the auditions were goofy and then everything was about the competition; now, it's about the drama, sob stories and judges. Of course all of that played a minor role at some point in the show, but I feel like everything about it is so bloated now. The producers are trying too hard to regain the magic the show once had. Honestly, I think its run its course, and I would be happy to see the show go off the air. What's the point of watching if 12 year old girls are gonna vote for the young, cute guys every season? Someone like Carrie had the chance to be successful in the 'real world' because of her talent and personality; the audience actually wanted to support her. Now, I feel like young girls vote for the cute guys, and no one is truly thinking about establishing a great ARTIST.

 

[pklongbeach]

IMO, Idol lost its 'edge' a long time ago. The focus shifted to celebrity judges and trying to make 'fresh' changes, and I think it ruined the dynamic of the show. I enjoyed the earlier seasons, because they were ACTUALLY about the contestants, and it was more low-key (now, there's a glitzy stage, new judges every season, etc). I can't exactly put my finger on it, but the whole dynamic of the show has completely changed over the years.

At this point, the show has been around for 10 years, the audience has changed, and we've virtually gotten the same WWWG for about 3-4 years now. Unless the core audience changes again (which I doubt will happen), I think Idol will continue to decline. Plus, Idol has gotten more into the drama over the past several seasons, and that's not what the earlier audience watched Idol for. It used to be the auditions were goofy and then everything was about the competition; now, it's about the drama, sob stories and judges. Of course all of that played a minor role at some point in the show, but I feel like everything about it is so bloated now. The producers are trying too hard to regain the magic the show once had. Honestly, I think its run its course, and I would be happy to see the show go off the air. What's the point of watching if 12 year old girls are gonna vote for the young, cute guys every season? Someone like Carrie had the chance to be successful in the 'real world' because of her talent and personality; the audience actually wanted to support her. Now, I feel like young girls vote for the cute guys, and no one is truly thinking about establishing a great ARTIST.

PErfect assessment!
(except I would have added something about that annoyed pinkhaired one on the jduges panel, hee hee)

 

[Carrieflattsfan]

PErfect assessment!
(except I would have added something about that annoyed pinkhaired one on the jduges panel, hee hee)

Oh, don't get me started. . Nicki annoys me to no end (even the tone of her voice). And, I think she has no business being on a judging panel with 3 talented, hardworking, and serious artists. Nicki just seems so fake and gimmicky to me; I don't think she has any reason to have such a huge, ego, either. Yes, the judges should be honest and willing to critique the contestants, but Nicki (who, IMO, has little talent to back up herself), should not be giving this kind of advice. I think it was a huge mistake to bring her in, and I haven't been watching. I tried to watch one episode, and I couldn't take it.

 

[pklongbeach]

OMG, ok so I am not crazy!

 

[JB172]

I disagree. Nicki's brutally honest critiques are refreshing, especially since no judge has wanted to get booed (see: Jlo and Steven Tyler) for being honest.

Plus, I love her animated self. She's hilarious, and I love that she doesn't care what people think of her. A lesson we should all learn.

As for Mariah, while she does have an impressive resume, often times, her feedback is so self-centered and rather...boring.

Jason I totally agree with you about both Nicki and Mariah.

All the comments sections on whatever site that covers AI had people b!tch and complain over & over & over again about the judges not being tough enough and Nicki does that and people b!tch about that.

As for Mariah I personally think she is as bad as Randy is, out of every 50 comments she makes maybe two of them are useful.

 

[JB172]

Oh, don't get me started. . Nicki annoys me to no end (even the tone of her voice). And, I think she has no business being on a judging panel with 3 talented, hardworking, and serious artists. Nicki just seems so fake and gimmicky to me; I don't think she has any reason to have such a huge, ego, either. Yes, the judges should be honest and willing to critique the contestants, but Nicki (who, IMO, has little talent to back up herself), should not be giving this kind of advice. I think it was a huge mistake to bring her in, and I haven't been watching. I tried to watch one episode, and I couldn't take it.

IMO lack of talent or having the most talent as anyone ever does not make or not make someone a good judge.

Examples of having talent but not being a good judge see Mariah, J-Lo and Tyler.

 

[Carrieflattsfan]

IMO lack of talent or having the most talent as anyone ever does not make or not make someone a good judge.

Examples of having talent but not being a good judge see Mariah, J-Lo and Tyler.

No, talent doesn't have anything to do with actually judging a singing show. But, I think that Nicki shouldn't have been selected for the show in the first place (let's face it: she's popular and brings in viewers, which is what Idol seems to be looking for these days). I guess I just have a hard time taking her seriously when she really brings nothing to the table herself, and she's so arrogant to everyone.

Tyler and J-Lo weren't good judges, but they both have years of experience in the industry, and both have built empires off their names alone; I can see why they were chosen for Idol. Nicki, though? She just seems to be looking for attention to me. (Mariah does the same to an extent, but at least she has the experience/credibility to back it up).