American Idol Changes – Same ole’ Same old

Am i the only one that really enjoyed the semifinals of the last 3 seasons? In my opinion, that was one thing about the show that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need fixing. Without more chances to see the contestant perform on EQUAL levels, we may not have had people like Jason Castro, Elliot Yamin, or even Jordin or DC make it as far as they did. That part of the show is crucial for those who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get airtime. I have a feeling this season is going to be really frustrating.

Mehhh.. I really don’t like that.
Top 12 is 3 weeks after the first semi.final round. I think people will probably be more familiar with those who performed the week before than those who performed like a month before.
Plus, seeing the contestants grow is one of best things about it. Going to top 12 we should have a bit more than only one full perfomance, it’s not enough and we can be missing really good ones.

I was a fan of the format during the last 3 seasons, that’s one thing I didn’t want them to change.

Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I hate this format! The semis should not be changed back for all the reasons MJ mentions. I have been a faithful fan of every season and I am really NOT looking forward to this…

I’m a bit confused by the switchback to the old semis format. It seems like, overall, they did a good job of picking the finalists the last three years. Yeah, there was a Sanjaya and a Haley Scarnato in there, but I don’t get the sense that people felt like the structure was not picking good finalists. And you definitely will lose the opportunity for some people to grow on the small stage

What might have been more interesting would have been to have kept the same structure, permit the judges to add on a small number of wild cards on top of the Top 12 picked by the fans, and then have double eliminations for the first couple of weeks of the finals. That way, you still get a structure that people seem to like that gives people a chance to grow and earn their way onto the big stage, while also giving the judges the chance to save someone that they feel like the voters missed.

Am i the only one that really enjoyed the semifinals of the last 3 seasons? In my opinion, that was one thing about the show that didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need fixing. Without more chances to see the contestant perform on EQUAL levels, we may not have had people like Jason Castro, Elliot Yamin, or even Jordin or DC make it as far as they did. That part of the show is crucial for those who donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get airtime. I have a feeling this season is going to be really frustrating.

You just posted this same thing in the headlines thread. As I said over there, the Wildcard round also gave us people like Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson, so it goes both ways.

Can’t see them finding a better performer than David Cook, can’t see it getting any better than the battle of the Davids. Sorry, you need to make sure that talent like David Cook’s doesn’t slip through the cracks. Idol needs to make a way of finding this kind of rare talent, and making it shine through to all.

Oh that’s too bad that they are going to fix something that’s not broken as far as the voting goes for the top twelve. Don’t they realize that the show is the most popular show, because the viewers get to participate? And now we are going to get stuck with the judges favorites in the top twelve? Ridiculous!

Now instead of voting for multiple contestants in the early rounds to help them make the top twelve, I will only vote for one if they use this format.

Now, a contestant who has one great song in their repertoir will sail into the Top 12, while a talented contestant who needs some time to grow (think David Cook peeps) could be eliminated right off the bat.

That’s what I’m saying. Remember Elliot Yamin? Brooke White? Asiah & Sundance, who had one good week and flamed out? Or Jasmine Trias? If the best top 12s you ever had, seasons 5 & 7, came from the other format, WHY would you go back to this one? And now that they’ve successfully introduced non-bombastic singers into the mix (Brooke and Jason) to great effect, why would you do to a format that puts them right back at a disadvantage? OF COURSE the glory note people gonna sail through. Again. This makes the producer pimping even more crucial, because without it you are toast. We no longer have the time to get to know each singer a little bit, we have to make sudden death descisions and only 3 go through. Ugh. Stupid.

Ugh. I don’t like the old format at all. I agree with what everyone has already said. Plus, so much depends on what group the singers are put in. Wasn’t it group 2 in season 2 that had a bunch of great singers but then other weeks had all mediocre singers? The format for the past few seasons really allowed the contestants to find their footing and for the audience to get to know them. I just became a whole lot less excited for season 8.

We will absolutely have people in the Top 12 with whom we are not very familiar. Dang it!!!

Though I am ecstatic about the wildcard round, the judge-pimping irks me to no end, so I’m not excited at all about them having a say in this aspect.

This format could make the season very exciting, as some under-the-wire contenders are revealed. It could also be torture, if we find out that 80% of the Top 12 basically sucks.

My only hope is that we get to see some major contenders during auditions and Hollywood week. That way, we’ll be slightly familiar with all of them.

Thank goodness David Cook auditioned last season. That’s all I’m sayin’. He definitely would have been lost in this fray.

The one way I personally would tinker with the semi-finals is to have the eliminations based on the 4 lowest ACCUMULATED scores. Not just the Bottom 2 of the men and the Bottom 2 of the women but the bottom 4 of the two nights put together. So the Top 12 would be the Top 12 period. Not the Top 6 guys and the Top 6 girls.

You just posted this same thing in the headlines thread. As I said over there, the Wildcard round also gave us people like Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson, so it goes both ways.

Clay Aiken would have made it through with the newer format. All he needed was an extra week or two to grow.

Jennifer might have had issues, though, but only because she was competing against two similar singers. In another season, she would have had no problems at all.

Exactly. Fantasia was already buzzing. LaToya created her own buzz with what was probably her best performance – “All By Myself.” JHud was loud and had bad clothing choices. It took her a while to grow. Had she not been chosen as the wild card (by Randy Jackson, I believe), I don’t think she would have made it.

You just posted this same thing in the headlines thread. As I said over there, the Wildcard round also gave us people like Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson, so it goes both ways.

Yes, but you could argue that the reason they needed the wildcard round was BECAUSE of the old format. Both competed in talent heavy weeks, handed in good performances, and got screwed because only 2 could go through in a round where there were 3 or more really outstanding singers. So that is not a good defense, in my book.

If they really wanted to save some talented people, they could have kept the old format, let the public vote it down to 10, and let the judges add back 2. Something along those lines. But this way we will get more of the wildly uneven Top 12s, IMO.

ETA: Everyone beat me to it. LOL! That’s what I get for stepping away from the computer before I hit send.

I’ll probably watch it. If I don’t like it, I’ll watch something else. I don’t think idol should be making changes just to be making changes, and that’s what it sounds like. It sounds like something that worked is being changed. We are all hoping you don’t end up with a bunch of no-talents good lookers (people who look good but have no talent). Then I will probably watch something else. I don’t think that this contest should concentrate on looks as much as it does. Looks does not come through too well in a recording studio. We were lucky last season that David Cook is so good in so many ways. Can you believe that he might have been missed if he had applied this season instead of last? I can’t imagine not having David Cook as my American Idol. The show will never top last season, never.

Canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see them finding a better performer than David Cook, canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see it getting any better than the battle of the Davids. Sorry, you need to make sure that talent like David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t slip through the cracks. Idol needs to make a way of finding this kind of rare talent, and making it shine through to all.

I see your point, but this is going to mean that the contestants have to make their one shot count. No one REALLY paid attention to Cook until his Hello performance. Perhaps if they get better themes or do away with them completely, it will help us get a more Hello caliber performance from talents like that of Cook.

Without more chances to see the contestant perform on EQUAL levels, we may not have had people like Jason Castro…

But Jason BROUGHT it his first time out with Daydream. He made it count and that is what made him popular so quickly. That’s what I mean…they have to make it count. I just don’t think people will forget the ones who perform early on anymore than they did in the first three seasons. It wasn’t an issue then, so why would it be now?

I guess I am in the minority that sees these changes as not so bad. You can find both good and bad sides to either format if you really think about it. I think one good thing is that it keeps the contestants that start strong from having to prove themselves over and over again to a fickle voting public.

WHY would you go back to this one? And now that theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve successfully introduced non-bombastic singers into the mix (Brooke and Jason) to great effect, why would you do to a format that puts them right back at a disadvantage?

Because the producers want to make damn sure that their pets make it to the finals, that’s why. I hate this format for the semis, but I’ll be watching to see how it plays out.

Thank goodness David Cook auditioned last season.

A lot of folks have said this, but I’m thinking that the judges would have chosen DC as a wild card if this new format were in place during season seven (and the viewers didn’t vote him into the finals). A snippit of his Hollywood audition was used in one of the pre-season ads, so the producers must have had an eye on him early on.

Am I reading it right that there won’t be an “America’s choice” in the wildcard round? Three contestants move on for three weeks (9) three judges’ choices = 12. Am I missing something?

This is going to mean that the contestants have to make their one shot count.

But, that one shot that counts doesn’t mean that they deserve to be in the competition. Some of them only have that one “perfect” song. Amazing Grace, anyone? This way, you’re only going to get 3, maybe 4, who actually make it work every single week. Potential boredom. I looked at KLC and Ramiele more than I ever wanted to last season.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thinking that the judges would have chosen DC as a wild card if this new format were in place during season seven (and the viewers didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote him into the finals). A snippit of his Hollywood audition was used in one of the pre-season ads, so the producers must have had an eye on him early on.

I’d love to believe that. But, his “Happy Together” (which would have been his one shot with this format) didn’t exactly scream VOTE FOR ME!! That is assuming that HT would have been his choice. He put himself on the radar with his outside-the-box performances and arrangements. I love to growth without additional judge input. That’s part of the excitement.

Yes, but you could argue that the reason they needed the wildcard round was BECAUSE of the old format. Both competed in talent heavy weeks, handed in good performances, and got screwed because only 2 could go through in a round where there were 3 or more really outstanding singers. So that is not a good defense, in my book.

Okay well then, we know that this time, they will allow THREE through, not just two, so that will help. That plus the Wildcard (second chance) round gives them enough chances in my opinion.

I will admit that I like the wild card. However this new format makes it easy for the one hit wonders to make it to the final twelve.

All I know is that if the final twelve are boring, I will watch the show like I did in season six, which was not much at all.

You can find both good and bad sides to either format if you really think about it.

What was bad with the semi-finals format during these last 3 seasons? May not be perfect, but it was better than before, it’s something they improved. Season 5 and season 7 brought us the best top 12 talent, why change that?

I think one good thing is that it keeps the contestants that start strong from having to prove themselves over and over again to a fickle voting public.

Why is that good? The contestants have to prove themselves every single week, they have to be consistent. If they are the public will still vote for them. Just because someone starts stronger does not mean they don’t have to prove themselves anymore.

No guarantees that DC would have made it through as a judge’s choice. Simon was at least somewhat meh on him during the audition process—he gave him a no during Hollywood. And it did take DC a while to grow into the performer that he was by Top 8 guys.

Which is another thing. One thing that I like about Idol is when you see a performer grow. Honestly, it was my favorite thing about Jordin her year, was that you could see her improving over the season. And DC definitely improved in his performance skills throughout last season. I think that you’ll see less of that with this structure.

Am I reading it right that there wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be an à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Americaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s choiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the wildcard round? Three contestants move on for three weeks (9) three judgesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ choices = 12. Am I missing something?

That’s what I’m seeing too:

The judges will bring back some semifinalists and pick three to round out the top 12, a practice that gave new life to Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson in the past.

So, they are going to have a week where nobody is allowed to vote? That sounds terrible. I’d almost say I wasn’t going to watch except that I’m never allowed to vote anyway. Somehow, I don’t think Clay would have made it to the finals if it hadn’t been the voters. I don’t think that Simon would have picked him. Maybe Paula might have.

Anyway, if only the judges pick (and who doesn’t get to pick? Or is it going to be some weird combination of judges, producers and Clive each picking one?) during the Wildcard round, it doesn’t sound like much of a Wildcard to me at all. Why not just have the judges pick their favourites and announce them at the end of the third week and have done with it?

I really prefer the old format better. They better give everybody in the final 36 at least some air time (who am I kidding?) and not put all the good singers in one group again (who am I kidding?). Is it too late to get creepy Nigel back?

What was bad with the semi-finals format during these last 3 seasons? May not be perfect, but it was better than before, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s something they improved. Season 5 and season 7 brought us the best top 12 talent, why change that?

And we could still end up with another Season 6 on our hands.

I just like the “make it count or get out” mentality personally.

I didn’t watch in the beginning with this old format, so it’ll be different for me. I am not super excited because I think it’ll give people that perform later an advantage because they see who is making it through, with which styles and songs etc. I also think it’s a bummer that we lose a big chunk of the growth period and end up with less experienced performers on that ‘new HUGE stage’. There is potential for some serious train wrecks! Yowzers!

I was hoping for changes like more Hollywood week (which we got, yeah!), different themes that aren’t so crappy (only time will tell if that’s a gift we get), and they could have mixed it up so it’s just the bottom 2 vote getters leave every week in the semi’s, no guy/girl segregation. I think that would have been a tweak!

The ‘wildcard’ round is a Thursday night episode for whomever asked.

Okay, now that I know the new rules (top male, top female and third (or in some cases, second) hightest vote getter), here is who Dial Idol would have predicted into the finals if we assumed that they only got 1 week to build a fan base (just looking at the Week of 24 and assuming that the groups were not stacked):

David Archuleta
Ramiele Malubay
Michael Johns

Jason Castro
Asia’h Epperson
Danny Noriega

David Hernandez
Carly Smithson
Jason Yaeger

From the remaining? Here are my guesses as to who each judge would have picked:
Simon: One of the blondes, probably Kristy
Randy: Syesha Mecado
Paula: A mystery to me. Chikezie?

RE: Idol Gives back — they can make that a special program on a different night and time than the regular AI. I loved the giveback and I donated….sorry to see it cancelled.

Wow. That would have been a different Top 12. Jason Yaeger? Danny Noriega? I repeat, Jason Yaeger?

So Kirsten, if I’m reading this correctly, fully half of last years top 10 may not have been voted in using this year’s method? Including 3 of the top 5? Wow. I know its all speculation, but wow.

Speaking of… MJ, you were cited as a source on Elvis Duran this morning about this very topic. :biggrin_wp:

So Kirsten, if Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m reading this correctly, fully half of last years top 10 may not have been voted in using this yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s method? Including 3 of the top 5?

It kind of looks that way. When I think back to the early seasons of Idol, I remember a fair number of people getting through who only had 1 or 2 good performances in them. Of course, we’ll never really know if some of those let go after failing to get voted in from their semi-final rounds might have made it further if they had have had time to grow (though, certainly, some of the WildCard contestants like Clay, Jennifer, George, JPL did go onto build fanbases).

This style of semi-final format really favour those who get a lot of audition/Hollywood round exposure and those that have had previous performing experience (don’t need to grow. They are already fully formed. e.g. Latoya Jackson who had no previous exposure, but knew how to play to a crowd). Those that can glory note tend to do well. It’s even more important to “stand out from the crowd”. If you get stuffed into a group with somebody who sings the same style and who had more exposure during the audition/Hollywood rounds, you are likely doomed. Voting trends will be different under this style of semi-finals because, as noted above, people are less likely to spread their votes. Instead of tossing a few votes to somebody who just impressed you, most people will just vote for the one person they really want to get in. So, you have to be a favourite right out of the gate.

I think people like Jason who make it count with no previous screen time will do just fine. Most likely Jason’s performance of Daydream would’ve gotten him through with all the buzz surrounding that performance. LaToya is another good example of someone who made it count without previous screen time or very little.

Latoya Jackson who had no previous exposure, but knew how to play to a crowd)

Latoya was the lead singer in a cover band for years, no? She knew how to perform.

But I agree totally with your assessment of how the voting goes using this type of eliminations.

I hate this format!! The un-pimped, yet really talented people are at a huge disadvantage here. At least before, they had a chance to show what they could do over a couple of weeks and have a shot at top 12. Now? Not so much.

I just pray that they do away with semi-final themes if they’re going to this…

I hate this format!! The un-pimped, yet really talented people are at a huge disadvantage here. At least before, they had a chance to show what they could do over a couple of weeks and have a shot at top 12. Now? Not so much.

Again…I repeat Jason, LaToya…

I just pray that they do away with semi-final themes if theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re going to thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

This I totally agree with.

Latoya was the lead singer in a cover band for years, no? She knew how to perform.

Yes, we are agreeing. She had performance experience. I just meant that she hadn’t been shown on Idol before her semi-final round (so she was an example of how previous performing experiencing can help overcome lack of Idol exposure).

Here are a few extra tidbits about the new season from EW

And you can forget ’80s night; Warwick’s plan is to have the top 36 sing from a catalog drawn from the top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since the chart began in the 1950s all the way to the present.

Well, while that doesn’t mean that we won’t get songs from the 80s, it does give the Idols more room to move. Hopefully, it won’t be the subset of 50 songs like they did last year (ie songs of the 80s were really 50 songs from the 80s).

Still, don’t think it’s all going to be modern:

Warwick is mum on upcoming theme nights, except for one: “This is the 50th anniversary of Motown. Motown was so prevalent for so much of our [audience] demographic that it would be a crime not to do it. Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s enough stuff there to keep on going forever.”

Idol likes its Motown. They are also going for some younger mentors.

Againà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦I repeat Jason, LaToyaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Of course it’s just speculation… but lets say Jason was in the same group as Michael and Archie… he could have not made it. We really can’t know that he would make it just cause DD was a good performance.

Of course ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just speculationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ but lets say Jason was in the same group as Michael and Archieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ he could have not made it. We really canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know that he would make it just cause DD was a good performance.

True…no one will ever know what might have been. Okay now I’m starting to sound like a country song – LOL!

I don’t know…all in all, I can totally understand why people are frustrated with the change to Semis. Only time will tell how it will really play out. I think though you can tell a lot from one performance. It will really force the contesants to go big or go home.

I agree with most everyone’s complaints about going back to the old format for the semi-finals, but one thing I hope happens with this change is that there will not be themes for the semi-finals again. Many have said that if this system were applied to last year then David Cook would not have gotten through, but that goes on the assumption he would have had the exact same performance. Given the chance to sing any song he wanted, who knows how he would’ve done that first week; he may have hit it out of the park for all we know.

That was my one complaint about the semi-finals in Season 7, was the addition of themes for those weeks. Since the Top 12 already has theme weeks (rightfully so, I enjoy those), the preliminary rounds were a chance to see what kind of artists these singers would really be. Daughtry getting to sing Hemmorage, Elliot singing Moody’s Mood for Love, Blake doing Virtual Insanity, were all IMO great examples of showing who they wanted to be as artists without the confines of theme weeks.

Also, while early camera time does help a contestant before getting to the voting rounds, I don’t think it’s the be-all end-all. Kelly Clarkson had virtually no camera time and then tore it up with RESPECT, and nobody knew who Jason Castro was going into week 1 but he was instantly a favorite after that.

So anyway, I’d prefer to keep the choosing of the Top 12 the same as the past few seasons, just do away with themes for those weeks.

Many have said that if this system were applied to last year then David Cook would not have gotten through, but that goes on the assumption he would have had the exact same performance. Given the chance to sing any song he wanted, who knows how he wouldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve done that first week; he may have hit it out of the park for all we know.

My point exactly. There are so many variables that go into a given performance. Different circumstances most likely would’ve meant a completely different performance.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a bit confused by the switchback to the old semis format. It seems like, overall, they did a good job of picking the finalists the last three years. Yeah, there was a Sanjaya and a Haley Scarnato in there, but I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get the sense that people felt like the structure was not picking good finalists.

The main reason that happened in season 6 was because too many great singers were given the door in Hollywood week (and most were never shown).

As for the inabilities to get fan bases if not shown, having recognition online, i.e. their MySpaces and other sites, do help mitigate that somewhat and could allow their names to leak out more than in earlier seasons. That is why last season (for the first time?) there were fan clubs and stuff online for people that were never aired…

Okay, now that I know the new rules (top male, top female and third (or in some cases, second) hightest vote getter), here is who Dial Idol would have predicted into the finals if we assumed that they only got 1 week to build a fan base (just looking at the Week of 24 and assuming that the groups were not stacked):

David Archuleta
Ramiele Malubay
Michael Johns

Jason Castro
Asiaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢h Epperson
Danny Noriega

David Hernandez
Carly Smithson
Jason Yaeger

From the remaining? Here are my guesses as to who each judge would have picked:
Simon: One of the blondes, probably Kristy
Randy: Syesha Mecado
Paula: A mystery to me. Chikezie?

One factor not taken into account in that thought is the 12 extra people. If we threw 12 more people from season 7 in that were cut in the top 50, some of them may have been popular enough and good enough that they would have likely been highly competitive anyway – such as Josiah Leming, Cardin McKinney, Brandon Green and Colton Swon.

Maybe AI is just tired of spending moo-koo bucks on a winner that tanks! There are some AI winners that have had a real difficult time finding a niche after the hype of the show is over. The “suits” may be speculating that many fans will be swayed by the judges decisions in putting someone into the top 12, thereby helping the odds of having a money maker come out on top.

Face it….if this was strictly a fan-vote competition we wouldn’t have ANY judges or commentary on a singer’s ability. The voting would be strictly associated with a performance, nothing else. Don’t kid yourself…a lot of votes are cast in accordance with the judges’ comments. And since the judges are paid by the suits you’d think that they would vote the Company line!

LaToya Jackson would have had plenty of exposure. She’s Michael Jackson’s sister. LOL. I know, I know….

Jason Yaeger? I repeat, Jason Yaeger?

Okay. I am still, to the day, scratching my head over this one.

Thanks MJ. I are you going to listen to the press conference? All these changes are somewhat head-scratching? I mean, reallY? I think Nigel’s departure will be palpably and keenly felt. It’s a reall loss to the AI brand and show. I think people discount how much an executive producer can influence a show.

Well, here is what it boils down to for me. I never watched an entire season before season 5. Why? Because for seasons 2 & 3 (I missed 1 except for the finale) it was painfully obvious who the contenders were. And there were never more than 3. And I mean not only who had a shot at winning, but who had a shot of having any kind of real career. Once they got to the big stage 90% of them would completely fall apart. They were in way, way over their heads. And they all yelled at me, off key. From there it was a long, painful, boring process of waiting for these people to get voted off until you got down to the handful that might actually make something of themselves.

Season 4 I was so used to that pattern that I didn’t tune in until halfway through, and missed some good peeps because – suprisingy, they were a little better that year. Not as many Whitney wannabees. More quirkier voices/personalities. Then came season 5. We had people who performed well out of the gate, then we had some sleepers who snuck up on you. And they were varied in style. Great Top 10. Season 6 suffered from the judges putting through too many of the same type of female singers and a weak bunch of men. But still there was a nice diversity and depth to the top 10, and there were some contestants with different voices/styles (Blake, Sligh). And we lost a lot of the early flameouts. Season 7, we all know how that went. Even the arguably worst person in the top 10, Kristy Lee, wasn’t really all that bad. We had lost most of the people who would have been completely overwhelmed on the big stage.

To me, going back to the season 1-3 format means going back to an abundance of “showy” singers and a higher proportion of shell shocked contestants in the finals who have no business being there. By the end of the top 11 show there will only be 1-2 people who have a chance in hell of making it in the business. And they will all yell at me. And they will not have musical personalities, because we never really got to know them that way before we voted them in. And it will suck.

I hope I’m wrong.

Thanks MJ. I are you going to listen to the press conference?

I don’t get invited to that stuff. LOL.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get invited to that stuff. LOL.

I guess the producers know who you are and try to silence/go against you a lot?

If it were up to me, you’d have the job as the leading producer.

Another argument against the new format:

In S4-7, because only the bottom 2 got voted off each week, different contestants who appealed to different tastes had a greater chance of remaining (for example 10 out of the 12 in the first week of semifinals). A rock contestant like Chris Daughtry, for instance, wouldn’t have to have broad appeal, but could instead, appeal to a specific demographic as long as that demographic was big enough to carry him through to the next round. Because of this, in Season 4 onwards, we saw many genres represented in the group of 12 finalists.

When you allow only the Top 2 from each group to get through, and you assume that the audience is generally the same for each semi-final episode, you will get the same types of 2 contestants getting spots in the Top 12. Like tina said, we will probably see an increase in impressive, but screaming belters. That gets old after like two weeks.

I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid the diversity in musical styles will be lost due to this change, and that American Idol will revert back to its pop-star redundancy.

Maybe AI is just tired of spending moo-koo bucks on a winner that tanks! There are some AI winners that have had a real difficult time finding a niche after the hype of the show is over. The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“suitsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  may be speculating that many fans will be swayed by the judges decisions in putting someone into the top 12, thereby helping the odds of having a money maker come out on top.

Face ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.if this was strictly a fan-vote competition we wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have ANY judges or commentary on a singerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s ability. The voting would be strictly associated with a performance, nothing else. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t kid yourselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦a lot of votes are cast in accordance with the judgesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ comments. And since the judges are paid by the suits youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d think that they would vote the Company line!

Excellent point. I actually don’t mind taking some of the power away from the viewers. Viewer votes are how we ended up with people like Kevin Covais and Sanjaya in the Top 12. Utterly ridiculous! Yes, the judges made the mistake of putting them through to the Semis based on semi-decent earlier rounds, but it was their teenybopper and grandma fanbases that let them advance even though the Semis served to show their that they clearly could not cut it at that level. America clearly does not always get it right.

I hope Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m wrong, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m afraid the diversity in musical styles will be lost due to this change, and that American Idol will revert back to its pop-star redundancy.

I doubt it since people like Brooke and Jason were incredibly popular among fans and their presence has certainly opened up a lot of doors and appreciation for that type of style on the show. Plus it’s going to be three that advance from each group this time, not just two. The top male, top female, and then the next highest vote getter.

When it all shakes out each season only produced one viable star.

1. Kelly
2. Clay
3. Jennifer Hudson
4. Carrie
5. Chris Daughtry
6. Jordin

season 7 is still to be determined.

Of the first 3 seasons, using the wildcard method, 2 out of the 3 successes were wildcards. Perhaps the producers want to go back to the format that allowed them to “save” a good contestant that would have otherwise been out.

primeminister Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:29 pm

I hope Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m wrong, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m afraid the diversity in musical styles will be lost due to this change, and that American Idol will revert back to its pop-star redundancy.

American Idol is a search for a pop star. Maybe the producers want to get back to the original concept.

Of the first 3 seasons, using the wildcard method, 2 out of the 3 successes were wildcards. Perhaps the producers want to go back to the format that allowed them to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“saveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a good contestant that would have otherwise been out.

But in the next 3 seasons, they found those stars without the wildcard. And 2 were the biggest selling artists out of the gate that they’ve ever had.

American Idol is a search for a pop star. Maybe the producers want to get back to the original concept.

But again, their biggest sellers haven’t been pure pop. They were Country and Pop/Rock. Even their biggest seller under the old system was and an updated version of Barry Manilow. Why try to find pure pop now? Why would they fight the system that brought them the biggest sellers? Kelly broke big on her SECOND album. Jennifer had been off the show for years. Those coming off the show and directly blowing up were not pop artists.

Viewer votes are how we ended up with people like Kevin Covais and Sanjaya in the Top 12. Utterly ridiculous!

We ended up with those contestants in the Top 12, because the producers advanced them to the Top 24 in the first place.

Viewer votes are how we ended up with people like Kevin Covais and Sanjaya in the Top 12. Utterly ridiculous! Yes, the judges made the mistake of putting them through to the Semis based on semi-decent earlier rounds, but it was their teenybopper and grandma fanbases that let them advance even though the Semis served to show their that they clearly could not cut it at that level. America clearly does not always get it right

While I’ll give you Kevin and Sanjaya (at least Sanjaya was interesting), what about the judges choices of Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberley Caldwell and Leah LaBelle. Those were some pretty dire choices by those supposedly in the “know”. No judges choice has ever gone on to win the show or even be a runner-up.

Here is how they finished:
Season 1:
RJ Helton: (5th)

Season 2:
People’s Choice: Clay Aiken (2nd)
Randy’s Choice: Kimberley Caldwell (7th)
Simon’s Choice: Carmen Rasmusen (6th)
Paula’s Choice: Trenyce (5th)

Season 3:
People’s Choice: Jon Peter Lewis (8th)
Randy’s Choice: Jennifer Hudson (7th)
Simon’s Choice: George Huff (5th)
Paula’s Choice: Leah LaBelle (12th)

Of the first 3 seasons, using the wildcard method, 2 out of the 3 successes were wildcards. Perhaps the producers want to go back to the format that allowed them to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“saveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  a good contestant that would have otherwise been out.

A) I don’t think Jennifer Hudson counts. She might have got some good cruise ship gigs from her time on Idol, but she earned her success by routes other than Idol. Idol may have helped a bit, but it did not make her a success, IMO.

B) I don’t think Clay Aiken can be used in this context either. He was the people’s choice and certainly wasn’t a judge favourite. The new format allows the judges to pick, not the people. So, changing to this format wouldn’t have helped him to be picked.

C) Define viable. Studdard, Locke and Gracin certainly have had their successes. All four of those Season 2′s Idols had initial success and then trouble with their latest release. Why is one viable and the other three are not? If one hit CD doesn’t make one viable, then how can we claim that Daughtry/Hudson/Sparks are viable? Isn’t it too soon to say?

LaToya Jackson would have had plenty of exposure. Sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Michael Jacksonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sister. LOL. I know, I knowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

Oops.

Irina,

Fantasia is not only a viable star. She is a proven star. She’s WAY outsold Jordin and starred on Broadway in addition to that. Jordin is struggling to even reach platinum. Those singles have sold well, but singles barely even make money.

American Idol is a search for a pop star. Maybe the producers want to get back to the original concept.

But see, the most pop of all them is Jordin, and she’s hardly the most successful. I actually think the producers still like diversity… I think what they want is people with more personality, or in Simon’s mind, people who create controversy so the show doesn’t become as boring

I like the idea. We aren’t wedded to 6 girls/6 guys. Now if they decided to make one of the three Wildcards an “America’s choice”, it would be perfect.

Fantasia is not only a viable star. She is a proven star.

Fantasia is just about to begin filming the movie version of the Broadway musical “A Color Purple.”

I saw her on Broadway in the role of Celie–she could very well be a breakout movie star, like Jennifer Hudson, when the movie is finally released. She was fabulous in the role.

Fantasia is just about to begin filming the movie version of the Broadway musical à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A Color Purple.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Wow. How did I miss that?

I hope it’s awesome.