AI in the Media

[mojoween]

In a USA Today article posted today Jennifer said "The girls really stand out. If we could have, we probably would have had 20 girls in the Top 24."

Ugh. Didn't we already basically do that once? And it was awful?

And it's funny how I keep seeing that "The Voice" is more popular now, and yet I have never had the desire to check that show out and I wouldn't know if someone out there in pop culture was an alum of that show.

Regardless, I really am going to miss this stupid show. The ads I saw last night with Fred Savage, Lea Michele and Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson made me all sad.

[Mertseger]

Yahoo Music is letting a bunch of AI alums tell tales after school starting with Blake Lewis: https://www.yahoo.com/music/first-person-my-american-idol-experience-by-191954633.html .

[TVFan17]

Idol is shortened again this season. It looks like it will be wrapping up in April. Personally, I would love to see them shorten the auditions and maintain the live shows, but who knows.

 

This actually supports what I read and posted about in this thread last year (right when the last season ended).  I couldn't remember where I read it because there was an onslaught of articles about the show ending this year, and they were all popping up on my news feeds and home pages at the same time, so I did not include a link.  But I posted here about how something I read indicated that the show's schedule would be reduced/altered somehow, either in hours, or in number of episodes, or whatever.  I wasn't sure how it was going to be altered, but that was what the piece I read indicated -- that the season would be cut back in some way.  I think people doubted me because they had not read the same thing, but I knew I was not imagining it!

 

I am definitely going to miss this show!  Even though I think it is time for it to go, I have been watching it for so long and just can't imagine Januarys without the start of "American Idol" in the future.  It's been such a fixture on Fox for so long.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Sherry67

[TheGreenKnight]

The hilarity would ensue after all 20 girls are eliminated with a top two of white guys. Regardless, a girl winning this season would be the only thing to look forward to. If they'd got Simon back on the judging panel and JLO/Harry off of it, maybe I'd feel differently. I'd be happy with girls on par with the top 4 from the Mariah season, but you know they'd pimp some girl that's as awful as Jax or Joey last year.

 

That quote coming from JLO sounds a little unbelievable though. Has she ever had a nice thing to say about any girl on American Idol? I still think she only pimped Jena Irene because it was top 3 and JLO didn't want to be blamed for a dud like Caleb winning.

[drafan]

I wasn't going to watch one second of AI this season....and then there was a preview with baby-faced try-out day Adam Lambert smiling at me and kind of endorsing it, and guess what????? I'm baaaack!   Nice marketing, show.

[MarkHB]

And it's apparently official: American Idol ends on April 7.

 

The three-night Grand Finale week kicks off on Tuesday, April 5..., with “AMERICAN IDOL: American Dream,” a one-hour retrospective episode, featuring Seacrest, current and former judges, contestants and the behind-the-scenes team sharing their IDOL memories. Then, the series will bid farewell when the remaining finalists battle it out live from the Dolby Theatre on Wednesday, April 6.... On Thursday, April 7..., the 15th AMERICAN IDOL will be crowned and the farewell celebration will continue, as IDOL pays tribute to the past 15 seasons, the amazingly talented contestants and the millions of fans who called, tweeted, texted and championed their IDOLS.

(Specific times removed, but they all start at 8ET).

 

Schedule summary from the article: auditions run through Jan. 21st, Hollywood Week will be shown the 27th, 28th and 2/3, 2/4 is the "Showcase Round" and Top 24 reveal, the Semi-Final round will run for the next 3 weeks of February (Tuesday/Wednesday) culminating in the Top 10 reveal and their first performances on 2/25, and then there are 6 more performance shows including the one in Finale week (Thursday only, no results shows).

[Qoass]

I'm glad they're doing a memory-lane special separate from and before the finale so that the current season finalists don't have to share the spotlight.  It will dim soon enough.

[MarkHB]

I'm dreading the finale for that reason... at home we're horrified that it could turn into a rerun of S9, where it was all about Simon's departure and not about the contestants.

[TheGreenKnight]

Simon's farewell show was the only good thing about season 9 though... And I'm guessing the same will be the case for this year, looking at the "talent" these judges found the past two years.

[yourpointis]

Jennifer Lopez Slammed for Saying 'American Idol' Contestant 'Sings Like a Heavy Girl'

Fan favorite judge Jennifer Lopez is facing some hot water after her comments about contestant Lindita Halimi during Wednesday's season premiere. Halimi, who lost an incredible 150 pounds before her audition, wowed Lopez and her fellow Idol judges Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban with her rendition of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World." However, Lopez's comments about Halimi had some viewers a little miffed.

"She sings like a heavy girl," Lopez tells Connick Jr. during the performance, the comment clearly meant to be taken as a compliment.

"That's true. She didn't lose that part," Connick Jr. replies.

 

 

 

Fan favorite judge Jennifer Lopez? When did that happen?

 

Not surprisingly, some viewers had plenty to say about the exchange on social media.

 

 

How does a "heavy girl" sing @JLo ?!?!  Very disappointed  @AmericanIdol #JenniferLopez #AmericanIdol
1:25 AM - 7 Jan 2016

 

 

How dare Jennifer Lopez say that this girl "sings like a heavy girl" like WTF does that even mean! She's got a strong voice and worked hard.
7:22 PM - 6 Jan 2016

 

 

did Jennifer Lopez really just say she sings "like a heavy girl" ????? how is that.... what ??!?? #AmericanIdol
10:21 PM - 6 Jan 2016

 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'm judging this not a spoiler since it was revealed on a National newspaper website, for The St. Louis Post Dispatch three days ago.

Brandyn Burnette, the auditioner who was hug assaulted mid performance by HCJ chose to voluntarily withdraw from the competition prior to Hollywood Week. The article wasn't sure if the show will address it in any way.

The singer/songwriter "lane" just got slighty less crowded with one of the better candidates IMO taking himself out of the running...

[MrsMoltisanti]

Just saw that the lovely and gorgeous Pia Toscano who is a back up singer in JLos act got engaged to a back up dancer in JLos act. I actually didt know that Pia was a back up singer for Jennifer.

[Qoass]

Pia appeared with J-Lo last season although she wasn't featured in any way.  I just hope her marriage to a back-up dancer goes better than Jennifer's did...

[MrsMoltisanti]

That's for sure.  Hope the match up is on more equal footing.

[rose711]

Fox announced that the judges pick the top 8 and the voters pick the top 2 out of those remaining in the top 14.

http://americanidolnet.com/american-idol-2016-judges-top-8-viewers-vote-wild-cards/

[Jextella]

Yahoo Music is letting a bunch of AI alums tell tales after school starting with Blake Lewis: https://www.yahoo.com/music/first-person-my-american-idol-experience-by-191954633.html .

I love how he thinks of AI as a remix show....contestants are their to do their best version of someone else's song.  That is a really good way to look at it.

 

I'm glad to know Blake said his experience was "amazing".  I thought I had read that he was a little bitter or something. Glad to know it was a good time for him.  That says some good stuff about the show.

 

Blake is a master remixer.

[yourpointis]

‘American Idol’ Star Katharine McPhee Finalizes Divorce – See How Much She’s Paying

 

“American Idol” and “Scorpion” star Katharine McPhee and Nick Cokas are finally divorced.

Here are the divorce terms from court documents obtained by PEOPLE:

 

McPhee and Cokas are splitting the rights to songs McPhee recorded during their marriage, as well as income from her acting work. However, the American Idol runner-up retains full rights to income from touring and live performances of her songs taking place after the separation.

 

McPhee must also pay her ex little more than $102,000 and could wind up giving him up to $400,000 per year (prorated at a max of $33,000 a month) – depending on her income. The spousal support expires Oct. 31, 2017.

 

[dcinmb]

L.A. Times - A behind-the-scenes peek as 'American Idol' tunes up for its final bow

 

 

[Kromm]

Simon Fuller pulls back on the notion that this is the end of American Idol.

 

American Idol is "coming back for sure" at some point, so don't worry

'The next generation of Idol will be pioneering again', according to Simon Fuller.

[Qoass]

I thought this was a terrific essay on AI's success as a TV show vs. its success in launching record sales.

[TVFan17]

In this article, Jennifer says that her favorite contestant (from her time as a judge) has been Phillip Phillips - http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/keith-urban-jennifer-lopez-harry-connick-on-end-of-american-idol-20160407

 

For some reason, that surprised me -- I'm not sure why.  Out of all 4 of the guys who won on her watch (before Trent won), I wonder why she picked Phillip as opposed to, say, Nick or someone.  I think Phillip is talented, of course, but they're all talented to some degree.

 

Keith says in that same article that Caleb is his favorite winner from his own time as a judge.  He at least gives a reason for the choice.

 

The article was published just before the finale 2 nights ago, so I wonder if the favorites would still be Phillip and Caleb.  I know that Jennifer was hoping a woman would win this year, and that didn't happen.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Sherry67

[Kromm]

Phillip is the one to produce the most commercially successful pop music from her time on the show, I suppose. I mean nobody would make that point with Nick would they? 

[mojoween]

Bullshit. He wasn't even her favorite from his own season.

[perfectstorm]

J-Lo actually has been very consistent in what she has said about Phillip.  Of course she is going to align with the media, industry who considers him successful, especially among the male winners.

 

This is what Simon Cowell had to say in a recent interview with Lyndsey Parker

Did you pay attention to any of the winners or contestants from the seasons after you left the show?

I didn’t, to be honest with you. I liked Phillip Phillips, and that was about it. I couldn’t remember anyone else

https://www.yahoo.com/music/simon-cowell-am...&soc_trk=tw

Edited April 9, 2016 by ifoundit

[atomic]

58 former contestants reflect on what the show meant to them: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/american-idol-alums-reveal-what-the-show-meant-to-them#.qdzgJ8Dmd Nice words from everyone aside from salty Tim Urban's post lol.

[TheGreenKnight]

JLO probably would've said Scotty if he hadn't just been dropped from his label. She's only ever cared about promoting herself (and that paycheck), and picking a flop or an unknown would not make her come out smelling like roses.

[TVFan17]

Does anyone know if there are still Idol shows in other countries, or have they all wrapped up by now?  I don't mean X-Factor or anything like that, but actual international versions of Idol.

 

Remember the "World Idol" show -- or whatever it was called -- not long after Kelly Clarkson won American Idol?  She was the reigning American Idol winner at that point -- I don't think that Season 2 of Idol had even begun yet, though I could be wrong on that -- and she went on to compete in World Idol with winners or contestants from the other Idol shows around the globe, kind of like the winner of Miss USA might go on to compete in Miss Universe.

 

I wonder why the World Idol idea didn't continue.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Sherry67

[Kromm]

Does anyone know if there are still Idol shows in other countries, or have they all wrapped up by now?  I don't mean X-Factor or anything like that, but actual international versions of Idol.

 

Remember the "World Idol" show -- or whatever it was called -- not long after Kelly Clarkson won American Idol?  She was the reigning American Idol winner at that point -- I don't think that Season 2 of Idol had even begun yet, though I could be wrong on that -- and she went on to compete in World Idol with winners or contestants from the other Idol shows around the globe, kind of like the winner of Miss USA might go on to compete in Miss Universe.

 

I wonder why the World Idol idea didn't continue.

It's execution sucked, and it didn't have the kind of crossover appeal the makers wished it might. People in the various countries didn't care enough to watch anything but their own flavor of Idol (many which still exist) and any desire they had to see what junk other countries produced was already more than satisfied by the horrible cheesy but apparently popular one-per year Eurovision show.

[bluwater]

Good to hear that both Dalton and Mac are charting with their music as well!

 

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7333071/american-idol-mackenzie-bourg-dalton-rapattoni-rock-charts

[ari333]

Good to hear that both Dalton and Mac are charting with their music as well!

 

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7333071/american-idol-mackenzie-bourg-dalton-rapattoni-rock-charts

 

Good for them! They seem like sweet dudes.

[Bill1978]

Does anyone know if there are still Idol shows in other countries, or have they all wrapped up by now?  I don't mean X-Factor or anything like that, but actual international versions of Idol.

 

 

Germany's version of Idol has just entered the Finals stage. It's called Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS). I think it is up to Season 13

 

Idol's Wikipedia has a list of all series and where they are up to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idols_(TV_series)#Idols_around_the_world There are still 8 Idol shows in production.

[shipmate]

Final Reality Check is up on Tvline.com.  A 3 parter.  We will miss you most of all Michael and Melinda!

 

http://tvline.com/2016/04/19/reality-check-finale-american-idol-best-worst-performances-judges-seasons-video/

[Qoass]

I was really hoping they would carry on with The Voice.  I just love Mindy Doo and wish her every good thing.

[Rick Kitchen]

19 Entertainment sues Phillip Phillips in retaliation for his lawsuit against them.

[drafan]

On 6/3/2016 at 1:49 PM, Rick Kitchen said:

19 Entertainment sues Phillip Phillips in retaliation for his lawsuit against them.

Does this mean we can finally scrub his name off the winners plaque for once and for all?

Geez...the show had been on for 10 years, and he shopped himself around to all the reality talent shows, so he definitely knew how this goes down. (Although the DNA can't be that swift, considering what he's been named.....maybe he never read the "fine print".) Then he lazy-assed himself to the win, was handed the only AI coronation hit, and feels he isn't expressing his true artistic self ????

I just can't stop being amused.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Maybe PP thinks he outsmarted 19E by signing his name, Phillips Phillip?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

http://tvline.com/2017/02/09/american-idol-revival-nbc/

Well, this is even faster than I was expecting (potentially).

What do we think.....could The Voice and a re-booted AI co-exist peacefully in NBC's yearly schedule?

Edited February 9, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Ohwell]

I'm all for Idol coming back (can't stand The Voice) but it depends on who the judges will be.  For example, one of my fears is that Jennifer Hudson would be one of the judges, and I can't stand her.  I think she's a judge right now on one of the UK shows but she could possibly leave that one and come back to the States as a judge.  Ugh.  Also, no more J-Lo, Mariah Carey or Harry Connick Jr. (I know he has his show now but who knows how long that will last?).         

[Qoass]

This is the first winter in years that I haven't had Idol to distract me from the cold and dark and I miss it so much.  That said, I'm not sure you can go home again.

[holly4755]

Not to worry, the one judge they just have to have - is J-LO !!! Hey guys did you ever notice the ratings never went up each year she was on the show, just down and down - well except after the Maria/Nicki year, anything was better than them. 

they are also considering Kelly Clarkson - two people who will never have a bad word, but at least Kelly will give them correction in the nicest way so they can improve, and  she has plenty of experience judging and can actually sing not auto tune. 

J.Lo & Kelly Clarkson Returning To ‘American Idol’ Reboot? NBC ‘Wants To Make A Splash’

[Neet]

I wasn't immune to the pain of no American Idol this year, although the show had really soured towards the end, and another stripped back season reeking of hospice care treatment could have been painful to sit through just for the sake of tradition. After the past several dreadful seasons of Idol, a single year's absence probably isn't going to bring back the lapsed audience from the mid-2000s or find a new audience that somehow wasn't willing to watch recently, so what kind of plan could NBC have in place to make the brand worth anything? Especially if they run America's Got Talent during the summer (which actually does quite well, still) and also hold on to The Voice. Of course, they'd cut down The Voice to one season a year, which they should have always done, but that's still an awful lot of talent shows for a genre that has been labelled as 'tired', especially so if they're all running on the same network.

Assuming the rumor of a new season is true, do the producers think there's going to be a new pool of talent coming to audition for Idol? Sometimes, it's easy to notice some of the same faces shopping themselves around to every outlet they can, and it makes the amount of hopefuls still out there after so many years of talent shows seem diluted.

The prize of a recording contract has lost a ton of value, as well. Record labels seem to turn their nose up at anybody from a talent show these days, under the assumption that they're given a fast track to fame or that singing others' songs doesn't show any translation to being able to sell original material, both of which are true to a degree. Too many of these winners being rolled down the assembly line has probably also made them not want to take a chance. A few posters at mjsbigblog suggested a cash prize, which may be a better option, as the winner could then have better control of their own post-show fate and also be judged (by the general public) on how intelligently they implement the money instead of being thrown into a label/management that may not care about them or completely mishandle their career. It's easy to say that Caleb and Candice "suck" because they didn't get catapulted to superstardom, even though they probably had little hand in how things turned out after the confetti fell. The genres they're in are pretty damn unmarketable, but still. I know X Factor USA had a $5 million prize, even though Melanie Amaro faded into obscurity so quickly that it was probably "$5 million******" with several obligations and strings attached that she probably never saw 25% of that number.

With things like YouTube, Vine (until recently), Instagram, etc.. making it possible for anybody to get famous overnight, winning these shows and getting "famous" is becoming kind of worthless. Because the music industry is getting mostly confined to YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, it'd be nice for American Idol to collab with any of these services to gain more relevance. Maybe they could embed a simple voting option on each of the YouTube uploads of the performances, which increases the necessity of rewatching the performances and thus having people become more invested in the contestants after repeat viewings. The videos getting many more views than previous seasons' YouTube uploads could potentially increase public perception of Idol being a dead brand, at least online, and maybe even help people give it a chance if it's no longer considered totally uncool. If NBC could contact Jimmy Iovine, maybe they could work out some type of exposure deal for the winner on Apple Music. I'm just spitballing, but I think if they really want to bring the show back so soon, they have to get fully on board with where the music industry is and what consumers' listening/purchasing habits are.

Judges like JLo are totally worthless and add nothing to the show, unless somebody out there thinks that $20 million is worth her infinite rambling and closeups while contestants are performing. I don't get why some fans want old contestants to judge the show, it reeks of pointless nostalgia and makes no sense to have somebody who made it to 5th place in 2008 with a poor post-show career to guide somebody on winning a talent show, as opposed to a long-standing musician or talent manager who has real knowledge of the industry. With that said, I still wouldn't advocate a return of Harry Connick Jr.'s comedy hour, where he's brimming with unfunny jokes all night long. A fresh cast of judges who haven't appeared would be nice if they really want to revamp things. I can't stand hearing "bring back the original judges" or the years of old women fawning over Adam Lambert, but that's just my opinion.

[TheGreenKnight]

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 9:50 PM, holly4755 said:

Not to worry, the one judge they just have to have - is J-LO !!! Hey guys did you ever notice the ratings never went up each year she was on the show, just down and down -

Yeah, I might've been interested in an Idol reboot just to get rid of JLO, but what's even the point if they're bringing back the worst part of the show in the later years. I'd rather get the all-Idol judging panel they considered at one time (Adam, JHUD, Kelly).

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It's baaaaaaa-aaaack!

Several outlets report ABC will bring it back, after NBC and Fox could not come to agreement with Freemantle.  Premier expected in March.  Formal announcement also expected at the legacy upfronts coming up soon.

NO.  Sprinkles in NOT expected to return to the show in any capacity.

Here's one report:

http://www.tvguide.com/news/abc-american-idol-revival/

[Ohwell]

That great news.  And yay!  No Sprinkles! 

[MarkHB]

I'm actually a Seacrest fan, and don't think the show will fly without him at this point. :(

[holly4755]

I am not sure exactly how he did it but Secrest kept things moving along and stretched things out (oh so much stretching ) when it had extra time, not everyone is good at it. One of the things I noticed even with Secrest when they changed producers the show would run long or have a lot of time to fill at the end, they had to bring back the original producers for a while.  So  it could bode ill without Seacrest to adjust. I also preferred the results show when it was a separate show and live and only 1/2 an hour. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

If Seacrest would have been willing to come back, my guess is that the judging panel would have completely turned over. With him out, I wonder if they might try to lure HCJ back for at least a little continuity...

Dream host/panel combinations for the reboot? ....Cat Deeley, Kelly Clarkson....and then I'm not sure...

[TheGreenKnight]

I'm not sure Kelly would actually do a judge role, but she did do Duets on ABC, and the exposure might would help with her transition to a new label/album release.

I can't believe they'd get rid of Ryan and bring back duds like JLo and HCJ.

[MsTree]

If Ryan can't do it (and I'm sure he'd find a way), then I say bring back Dunkelman!  If we're gonna start fresh, then for nostalgic reasons, start from the beginning.

Edited May 6, 2017 by MsTree

[TVFan17]

I'll be honest -- I have missed the show this year.  I watched it for way too long to not feel the loss.   But I liked it the way it was, where it was, and when it was.  In other words, I liked it premiering in January, on Fox, and with Seacrest as host and with a 3-judge panel.  I liked the last judging panel they had.   I also liked having different theme weeks.  Sure, there could have been some tweaks here and there to freshen it up a bit, but each season was really only as strong as its contestants and judges. 

Ultimately, I think the main issue with the show losing popularity is that the audience just tired of it because they had watched it for so long.  There was a lot of viewer fatigue, also because of the fact that so many similar singing competition shows had popped up in recent years.  There was just an overload.  I never thought that Idol was necessarily doing anything wrong, per se, or failing in the formula that made it successful in the first place, as much as I just felt that the audience outgrew it.

But now... a different network... a different schedule (no longer starting in January)... and no Seacrest?  It's going to flop.  It might pull in some viewers at first -- people who are curious to see the reboot -- but, in general, I think that it is not going to work, and it certainly won't be the juggernaut that it once was.  If ABC can convince Seacrest to come aboard, along with maybe one familiar judge, there is at least a chance for survival.  He is in the ABC family in different ways, so I think there is a good chance Seacrest will eventually be involved in the Idol reboot.

Edited May 8, 2017 by TVFan17
revised sentence