Idol Headlines for 5/24

A fourth judge would be Awesome!!!

Well, I’d rather they get rid of Randy rather than add another. Ah well, at least they’re thinking about new stuff.

Lowering the age for younger contestants? Not so much — but as a selfish, older woman-type — I need my eye candy over 20-something. No fun for me if the men are actually all boys. It’s sucks being in the wrong demographic. Silly people — I have a very *big* checkbook and I know how to use it.

Cook sure is smart. Friendly to Ford, good sport ’til the end. I love it, and hope he can still be well thought of in the industry even though he’s not coming across too cool. I continue to shake my head in amazement — did AI know what they had?

And Jason and the lashes curler — now we know why Cook called him “lashes” in his little goodbye clip when Jason went home.

I really like knowing all these little back stories.

Having Simon Fuller predict you’ll sell millions is a good omen for Cook. They must feel pretty confident that this a winner that can do it for them. A fourth judge?? More judges comments and less singing just doesn’t do it for me. Plus lowering the age of the singers seems like a horrific idea.

Both of these “radical” changes seem negative to me. I just wish it could return to being an amateur singing competition where everyone is a little goofy and then one of these people blossoms into a star. But they’re moving into a direction where they need the winners to be radio friendly from day one so I don’t see that happening.

I think lowering the minimum age is a terrible idea! They should raise it to 18 so the contestants wouldn’t need chaperones and wouldn’t have to do 3 hours a day of schooling.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I love it. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s nice to have a new car,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  said Cook, whose last ride was a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that he admits he ran into the ground. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Ford has been amazing throughout the whole process. I definitely could see this as the start of something.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

He really is the dream spokesperson for the title. Amazing.

I don’t know how I feel about a 4th judge. I can barely get through what the current 3 say.

A fourth judge? Can’t we just replace Paula?

Actually I’m not sure I’d want to replace Paula, because without her I’d actually have nothing to decipher when she talks!

I don’t like the idea of a fourth judge. It would upset the chemistry those three have together.

Also a big HELL to the NO on lowering the age to 14. As we can see, the teen vote isn’t what is winning. So why lowering the age? Hello, American Juniors anyone?

I think 16 is too young.

I’m all for raising the age to 18. If you aren’t old enough to vote, you aren’t old enough to be voted for.

I’ve grown to like Cook. He is very intelligent and decent. They are very lucky to have someone like him win this thing. It’s funny because in the past contestants (like Taylor and Kelly Clarkson) have been admired for fighting the AI man and being the rebel. This season Cook gets high marks for being a “company man.” The Ford comments were perfect. This is one winner who doesn’t need a PR minder.

I’ll be 100% honest and say, I kind of liked it when they didn’t seem so comfortable going with the AI flow even though it was fun knocking them for it.

I hope they don’t lower the age limit. I don’t want to see this going the way of gymnastics and figure skating which is dominated by prepubescent prodigies. Raise it to 18. I have a hard time pulling for young kids and if there are some attractive ones, you just feel creepy at some point..

Darn you, Dave White. Now my listen-holes want to hear The Boogie belching “C Is for Cookie.”

A fourth judge would be Awesome!!!

I guess this means 19E can’t find a way out of their contracts with Paula and Randy. Rats.

I think lowering the minimum age is a terrible idea! They should raise it to 18 so the contestants wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t need chaperones and wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to do 3 hours a day of schooling.

Dvls, I could not agree more. That would turn AI into The Jonas Brothers Variety Hour.

A fourth judge wouldn’t be a bad idea, but how about making that judge under the age of 30 huh? I mean, with the average age of the idols I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Also, for what it’s worth, I was so happy to get my life back after Wednesday night but have realized I apparently don’t want it back. Still reading everything idol. Can you say “intervention.”

Having Simon Fuller predict youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll sell millions is a good omen for Cook.

I hope they release their iTunes numbers from throughout the season.

>>British TV mogul Simon Fuller is the real winner of American Idol

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re still a goliath,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Mr Fuller told The Times, referring to the status of the show à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  a spin-off from Britainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Pop Idol à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  as the most-watched show in the US. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re still bigger than anything else, and now David Cook is going to sell millions of records for us.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ >>

this comment by simon pretty much made me want to throw up. he’s going to sell millions of records for “us” meaning “you,” instead of for “us” meaning the fans! blech.

Goes to prove that all they think of the $$$ that are going into TPTB pockets — not of David or the fans. :thumbdown_tb:

I really think lowering the age limit is stupid. These “kids” are at such a disadvantage with having to go to school for three hours a day in the first place. I hate that idea.

And anything that would limit the judge’s “effect” on how America votes, I would be completely supportive of. This season seemed so “crafted” it took a lot of the fun out of watching it for me. For me, these season was entirely predictable. It may actually be my least favorite season as a whole, although I like Cook well enough. I’m actually considering reading books next year instead.

This season Cook gets high marks for being a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“company man.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

I think Cook knows how to pick his battles! Plus he has the advantage of historical perspective, which proves that when winners try to buck the system, they are doomed from the jump. If he’s cooperative and goes along with just enough of the BS to keep TPTB happy, he will earn more freedom when it comes to putting together his album. This guy is not only talented, he’s also very smart.

A fourth judge wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be a bad idea, but how about making that judge under the age of 30 huh? I mean, with the average age of the idols I think it wouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be a bad thing.

Amen!!

I still think Randy needs to go – he used to be one of my favorite judges but he is just worthless now.

No no no to 4 judges and lowering the age to 14 – IMO it should be raised to 18.

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Foxydonna- you’re so right. I think Cook really benefits from seeing what has happened to those who went before him. Of course, it helps that he is intelligent to learn from their mistakes (or wrong battles).

BTW- Idolatry was soo freaking hilarious this week! Yes to happy trails! No to meth addicts!

I hate the ideas of adding a 4th judge and lowering the age limit. AI just doesn’t get it, do they?

Well, I’d be okay with a 4th judge if that person had some constructive things to say. But, if it’s just more stunt casting, or another wind up toy with 4 repeated phrases like Randy, then thanks but no thanks.

Lowering the age is ridiculous. Especially when this year, some of those young kids were nothing more than canon fodder, who were put on tv for someone’s amusement.

I still think Randy needs to go – he used to be one of my favorite judges but he is just worthless now.

Randy has gotten really obnoxious. It started becoming more noticeable last season, but this season I was absolutely done with anything Randy had to say.

When Paula says more coherent things than Randy, you know we have an issue.

I felt he was nothing but a hypocrite all season. I’ve always expected that out of Simon, but Randy used to be my favorite judge because he always seemed to have the right thing to say and tactfully, and now I don’t think Randy knows what on earth he is saying.

Now we get things like Molten Hot lava. Whatever, Randy.

If they really are (stupidly) considering lowering the age limit, then they need to put the show on earlier or shorten the voting period to give the demographic a fighting chance (or maybe move the show to Friday or Saturday). A lot of school age kids go to bed between 9-11:00 pm depending on age. And any of them participating in sports have an even more restricted time. A “not 14-16/17/18 year old” will have a larger window for votes.

Plus, aren’t there child labor laws somewhere.

Although I never believed Archuletta would win this year (no way Nigel’s accepting two 17 year winners in a row), I really wish he would have waited a year or two. Don’t get me wrong, he’s gonna be fine, but I just think it would have been a bigger payoff for him if he would have waited.

Well yeah, every once in a while Paula does have moments of clarity. But if I had to replace only one of the judges, she would be my choice. I seriously hate Randy, and I have for quite a while. But, watching Paula make a fool of herself time and again is just uncomfortable. I cringe when she babbles nonsense. Because it’s not funny anymore, it’s just sad.

She is just walking humiliation to me. And her supreme dorkiness when she stands and claps and “dances” makes me want to avert my eyes. I just can’t watch her anymore without feeling anything but pity. It hurts my heart. And I’ll never figure out how someone who used to be a dancer and a choreographer can be so terribly off the beat and akward.

I think I’d be okay with replacing either Randy or Paula; Simon’s the only one I listen to these days (albeit that I wanted to throw my book at the TV because of his comments on finale night). But in any case, the show needs a judge who is as fair as fair can get, and will give constructive criticism when called for — instead of analogies no one can understand, or another “cruise-ship-theme-park-meatless-hamburger” label.

LOL @ Idolatry this week. I didn’t even know that Cook had had a slight wardrobe malfunction on Wednesday. Thank you for recapping that moment, Slezak.

If TPTB are enough of jackasses to lower the age limit to 14, I might stop watching the show altogether if I have to see more obnoxious Hannah Montanas and Jonas Brothers running around on stage. And I know a few of my own friends who are thinking of trying out for Idol once they turn 16 — if they lower the limit, I will have to tie them down and talk them out of auditioning. 14- and 15-year-olds aren’t for this show. Hell, I don’t think anyone under 18 should be on there.

Lowering the age limit to 14 is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I, along with a lot of the others on here, feel that the age limit should be RAISED to 18. Get the kids out of school before putting them in the AI pressure cooker. Allow them freedom from their parents, too. The younger the contestants get, the worse the stage parents will get, I’m afraid. Unless they want more Jeff Archuletas, I highly suggest they stay away from lowering the age limit.

As far as a fourth judge is concerned….well, that depends on who it is. I remember sometimes in Season 2 that the guest would sit on the panel and I enjoyed most of them. If they do add a fourth judge, I really think it needs to be someone fair, but not terribly harsh. I really think that getting rid of Randy would be good for the show. He has a 4 word vocabulary and his favoritism has gotten WAY out of hand. Paula’s incessant babbling is annoying at times, but she doesn’t make me want to throw my remote at the TV. I gotta say, I was really impressed with this year’s contestants. Carly, Jason, Syesha, and David Cook all had perfectly acceptable excuses to throw their mics at the judging panel at various points throughout the competition, and they all restrained themselves. Nice going, guys!

Come on be real, at 14 and 15, kids are still going through voice change, especially guys. That’s going to be embarrassing. David A’s voice cracked few times this season whichI think happen due to the voice change.

How in the world do they think 14 year olds are going to be able to cope with the grueling schedule the contestants are put through? Simon Cowell started this,and, he’s an idiot for suggesting such a thing. I don’t want AI juniors.

Are TPTB reading these blogs, or are they even listening to the public? You know, the people who watch and vote, not only with their time, but, their pocketbooks?
Have they had a dumb ass attack?

They don’t seem to understand the real reasons they have turned people off their show. It’s called “manipulation,” and not honoring or supporting a winner. Telling us we are stupid, that we got season 5 all wrong. There is still a backlash from their shenanigans and throwing Taylor under the bus, while promoting their own chosen winner.

Replace Randy. Its time for him to go. He used to be fair, give constructive criticisms, but, has become nasty. He doesn’t wear that well. He isn’t Simon.

MJ, you have a popular blog, maybe a written petition with the thoughts from all the posters here would be in order to submit to Simon Fuller. They are digging their hole even deeper with their stupid suggestions.

Have they had a dumb ass attack?

Dear Sky,

That would be an affirmative

Yours truly, t2

I’m for raising the age to 18 at least. What are they thinking? They already complained that this should be a singing competition versus a popularity contest. Tweens tend to vote for other tweens or people just a little bit older just because of age. If they want to change things then make it for anyone 20 or younger and call it Junior American Idol. That’s stupid. If I had my say, I’d even go so far as to restrict the age from 20 to 29.

Adding another judge–that’s all we need. Get rid of Randy if you ask me. All he knows is “pitchy, dawg, etc.” Get a real producer there who knows what people buy and listen to. Simon often doesn’t even know much about music. I laughed when he thought Little Sparrow was about “birds.” Didn’t he even listen to the lyrics?

Frankly, I thought Paula had some coherent moments now and then. She at least had the smarts to support Cook to even get him into the final 24. If it hadn’t been for her, and Simon had his way, Cook may not have made it through. She proved to be right when she said “I feel like I’m already looking at the American Idol….”

They barely have enough time to sing their abbreviated versions of songs now as it is. Cook had many 1:30 minutes of songs and some of them should have been at least 2:00-2:30 to make a stronger impact. Now with another judge–forget it, it will take too long to listen to them.

Lowering the minimum age to 14 would put the final nail in the coffin as far as I’m concerned. There’s no way in hell I could get into the show with a bunch of 14-year-olds in the top 12. No way. I’ve said all along they need to raise it to 18, ending the need for chaperones and even school. I hope they rethink this.

I am SO against lowering the age limit. If anything I could see raising the limit to 18 so the contestants don’t have to have a chaperone or go to school why trying to compete on the show. It’s not like there aren’t enough good singers out there that they can’t fill 24 slots with people over 18.

4 judges would be too much. I don’t need 4 critiques to try to persuade me who to like. I wouldn’t mind Randy or Paula having a substitute every few weeks, though.

Loved the makeup article. Bronzer and eyelash curlers for the guys! Just be easy with the guyliner, please.

I really hate that line The Daughtry That Won. That is so unfair to David and just so stale. I’m not even going to read that story.

I really hate that line The Daughtry That Won. That is so unfair to David and just so stale. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not even going to read that story.

Yeah, I skipped over that one too. In general, I hate this line of thought because it is dismissive and rude to both Chris D. & David C. It implies that they’re these interchangable, one-dimensional rockers when clearly that is not the case. They may be in the same genre of music, but they’re vastly different.

Lowering the age would be like watching one of those kids beauty pageants. Something icky about it. Bring back Jr. Idol or Star Search for precocious young ones.

As far as the judges go: Simon can be trusted to judge from a commercial point of view only. Not sure that he knows much about music outside of the Top of the Pops world though. Paula leaves me with a “Huh?” most of the time or makes syrupy remarks which aren’t helpful at all. Randy used to be good, what happened? Would be nice to see someone who has come up through the business and understands both the artistry and business sides.

A 4th judge means that one of the 3 other are on their way out…it’s contract time, I wonder who’s leaving?
They had Gladys Knight & Dionne as judges…I like Slezak’s suggestion of Jody Whatley. Or maybe Sheila E., however, she’s on the road a lot may not have time.
Please please do not lower the AI age. haven’t we learned from the teens that get booted out first?

There is something weird about teenagers competing with the
mid twenty somethings. Rather than lower the age to 14 I would
like to see them do separate shows if that’s the case. Teen Idol for
14-19 and American Idol for 20-29.

Archie competing against MJ and Carly never seemed right to me.
I wonder what their reasoning is behind the idea of lowering the age.

They are just trying to get the tween demographic to watch again by lowering the age limit to participate.

They want the tween bucks, big time. They want to tap into that Hannah Montana/High School Musical/Jonas Brothers audience. And they want it BAD. Think about it, they have had success in almost every genre of music. This genre – High School Musical, Jonas Brothers is one area where they don’t have a winner.

It’s all about the money baby!!

It won’t work because–

we grownups can stay up until 1am to vote, tweeners have to listen to Mom and go to bed.

“we grownups can stay up until 1am to vote, tweeners have to listen to Mom and go to bed.”

Hmm, well my 16-year-old is often up until 1 AM working on school projects. Hubby and I are usually asleep before she is so we can get to work in the morning.

Nix on lowering the contestants age and a fourth judge. Not enough time as it is for singing. Get rid of randy this year, paula the next year and simon the year after if he doesnt wake up and quit his pimping too. Toss nigel on a boat to china too while you’re at it, can’t stand him. Only one I think has to stay is seacrest. Simon could be replaced by sharon osbourne. She is as ascerbic as he is and would be a refreshing change.

I have to go to work in the morning too, but I sure as heck stayed up until 1 AM to vote for Cookie.

I moved a little slower in the am, but I dragged myself to work.

It was all worth it, every minute I spent voting with two hands.

To see him win was PRICELESS.

Another thing they don’t understand is the fact that teenagers are so fickle. That could be the reason they have lost the majority of this demograph. This contest is no place for 14 year olds. I’m all for raising the age to 18.

Simon really is clueless isn’t he? He seemed to think that David A. had the teen and granny vote. Truth is, most of his fan base fell in between. The show airs from 8-9 p.m. est., and, voting is for 2 hours. That brings us to 11 p.m., and, kids have to go to bed, do homework, etc. They don’t have the time to allocate 2 hours for voting. Or 4 hours, for that matter. Parents aren’t going to allow tweens to stay up until 1 p.m. to vote for an American Idol. That is quite possibly the reason for the lopsided victory for Cook.

I can’t believe how clueless these producers are. If they lower the age, then I know for sure I won’t be watching. Its bad enough reading how some of the older women fawned over David A., but, can you imagine this with a 14 or 15 year old? It’s almost pediophilic (is this a word?)

Canadian Idol works well with 4 judges, but, I’m all for getting rid of Randy. I’d also like to see less manipulation from the judges. Just critique the performances, and, let the viewing public decide who they want to vote for. Of course, they don’t want a Sanjaya to win, but, it’s their fault for putting him through the competition in the first place. It made for good tv, however, I think they tried to make Jason this year’s Sanjaya, and, it didn’t work. They had Kellie Pickler in season 5, as the airhead, ditzy blonde, when in reality, she is neither. She may be blonde, but, not a total airhead.

Bye, bye, American Pie. Oops, thats American Idol.

MJ, if you become the fourth judge, can you still keep your wonderful blog? If not, please don’t leave us.

I would be happy with any of the following judges:

Michael Slezak

Chris Sligh

Mark McGrath

Chrissie Hynde

Dave Navarro

My dark horse pick would be Taylor Hicks. The fireworks between Taylor and Simon could be more explosive than the stage pyrotechnics that nearly singed Jason’s dreadlocks.

Canadian Idol works well with 4 judges, but, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m all for getting rid of Randy.

The one thing that I love from Canadian Idol would be to rotate the judges critique. For the first performer, Randy would start first, for the second, Paula would start first and for the third, Simon would start first. And so on. I think that would spice up the coments more and actually give the other judges a chance to be more relevant (and rebut Simon without having to shout at him).

Right now, it’s designed so that Simon always gets the last word. That makes his words more important and has made the other two judges even lazier. If they rotated, we might get some more interesting comments. Although, Paula might get really confused

The 14 year old age limit is a terrible idea for all the reasons previously mentioned. The killer for me would be watching Simon rip the 14 year olds to shreds. Sure, they or their parents chose to go on the show, but I still don’t want to watch it.

Here are my top suggestions:

1) Come up with some new themes and make them more open. We spent most of the season mired in a time 40 years ago.

2) Get those lawyers to clear more songs. You are making close to a million dollars per 30 second segment. Surely, you can afford to spend a little to get clearance for some great songs that haven’t been done on the show 750 times. If necessary, start clearing them weeks in advance. Work those connections. Get Clive involved. It seems sometimes that the show spends 15 weeks convincing us these kids aren’t modern enough. How is that a good way to brand a product?

3) Rip out the mosh pitt. In fact, re-design the entire stage. Get the band back on the floor.

4) Make the Idols human. Give us some of those behind the scenes clips that they waste on Idol Extra.

5) I suppose it’s pointless to ask them to dial down the pimping.

6) Get the kids some real help. Give them arrangers and vocal coaches that can spend more than 5 minutes with them. Heck, give them one each and let them develop a style. Look! A new way of pimping your faves!!!!

7) If you must do IGB again (and you would look like Grinches if you do not) take the entire competition week off. Just focus on the special and make the season one week longer. The kids had to perform 4 nights that week and they looked exhausted for weeks afterward.

More Hollywood.

9) Show everybody’s audition in the top 24. If they are too boring to show, then don’t put them through to the Top 24.

10) Get rid of the coronation song. Get real song writers to write a real song. Months from now, DJs will use “Magic Rainbow” to mock DC. Nobody likes the coronation songs. Nobody. People buy them to show support. Why not give them something they would be proud to own?

Changes I liked this year? iTunes and instruments. Keep those.

Aw guys, don’t skip “The Daughtry That Won” it’s Dave White. To be read with tongue firmly planted in cheek! It’s one big snark.

It implies that theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re these interchangable, one-dimensional rockers when clearly that is not the case. They may be in the same genre of music, but theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re vastly different.

I love Dave White, but I agree.

Obviously he’s not a rock fan if he thinks those two sound the same.

ETA: Why do the TPTB think lowering the age to 14 would work? They stacked the Top 24 with a bunch of teenagers, and only one of them made it to the Top12.

ETAA:

More Hollywood.

I actually liked the idea of starting the series with an extended Hollywood week that incorporated flashbacks. We talked about this at the MTV thing, and although it would ruin my spoiler fun, the producers should think about cutting the Top 40/50 down to the Top 24 on a live episode, where the contestants are finding out their fates at the same time as the viewers. That would be some awesome TV. I hope they get rid of the mosh pit, but something tells me that’s not going to happen.

There have been a ton of these articles, 5/10/7 things to do to improve AI. I think they need to keep nearly everything intact, but add a few judicious twists that will liven things up a bit.

Having said that, all the changes in the world probably won’t bring the ratings back to Season 5 levels. AI is experiencing an inevitable ratings downtown that comes with the age of the show.

ETAAA: Also, they should incorporate broader and YOUNGER themes. Even this old fart got sick of the constant stream of golden oldies this year. BRING BACK THE WIDE OPEN SEMIS! Allowing the kids to sing songs out of their own repertoire is the best way to get a sense of who the kids are as artists right off the bat.

I think Simon tossed out the “lower the age to 14″ bomb just to get people talking about what an idiotic idea it is. And then hope that all the talk and outrage brings tons of people back to the show because they heard things might change and OMG! they might start having 12-year-old contestants and I gotta see what crazy thing they do next!

I also think the problem with the aging demographic is that, well, their demographic is aging! Like, duh. So the 23-year-olds who got invested in Kelly’s win are now 30. And the 33-year-olds are now 40, and so on. The problem is that they’re not attracting new viewers who were 7 or 8 when Kelly won, but that’s tough to do. Clearly, putting Miley Cyrus on IGB didn’t work — that was the lowest-rated show of the season.

Plus, in books at least, they know that people read up. That means that books with teenagers as the main characters are usually purchased and read by pre-teens, while teens go for books with adult characters. If TV viewing works the same way, then it’s not going to make the preteens tune in to see 14-year-olds. Plus (except for Archie) the younger contestants were the first to go this season, so they clearly didn’t capture a fanbase. Meanwhile, NOBODY watched Amercan Juniors, did they? That ought to have been a hint that just because they have a bunch of kiddies singing doesn’t mean 18-49 ratings success.

Terrie – what an idea – Dave Navarro or someone like him. That would be something to throw someone so completely different in the mix. I doubt he would ever do this but, I would really like to see Billy Corgan get to sit by those judges and tell it like it is, straight up – no BS and extremely knowlegable in music and life. I think that they need an actual musician with intelligence like that to sit with those three. I know Randy’s done this or that and Paula has had some hits -but???

Bring back Quentin Tarantino!

(or, at least for a week. the guy KNEW HIS STUFF back on “Movie Night” top eight of S3. His comments were biting, honest, and constructive. He was even able to slightly critique Summertime, for goodness sakes!)

After a little consideration, I think a fourth judge just might be extremely helpful for the franchise. It allows some fresh perspective for a show that is increasingly becoming tired without having to unceremoniously oust Randy or Paula, which I could see becoming a PR nightmare for the show. And it’s not like it’s never been done. Canadian Idol has made it work (and it’s one of the many reasons why I prefer Canadian Idol to American Idol, as much as I love it), and American Idol did with the guest judges in the earlier seasons. All they need to make sure of is that the new judge is sharp and insightful, and maybe without having to be as mean as Simon (we only need one of him, really). And to top it off, when Simon leaves after the 2010 season (is that the right season?), we’ll have had a few season to adjust to and embrace the new judge.

I still think Randy needs to go – he used to be one of my favorite judges but he is just worthless now.

“Dawg you can sing the phone book!” First Donna Summer said that to Fantasia when she was a judge….and now Randy has stolen the line….and repeated it too many times. He’s not someone I listen to anymore.

As for Paula — honestly, what would we talk about?

About the TV ratings: Simon must be out of his mind to say that they need to lower the age….just bring back Junior Idol….that’s the answer….they had the show, they didn’t give it a chance, it would be a great summer replacement…just bring it back.
Teens are on the video games…I know my nephew first thing he does when he gets home is play his video games into the night….that’s why they aren’t getting the teens.

Bring back Mark McGrath as 4th judge! Please do not lower the age because you know that is just wrong. Why would they put these kids together with the adults (age limit is 29 right?) Somehow, one of them might harass the little kids. It’s just wrong! Plus it will add more immature fans which is just scary!

ETAAA: Also, they should incorporate broader and YOUNGER themes. Even this old fart got sick of the constant stream of golden oldies this year. BRING BACK THE WIDE OPEN SEMIS! Allowing the kids to sing songs out of their own repertoire is the best way to get a sense of who the kids are as artists right off the bat.

AMEN, MJ. The themes felt so constructive this season. I’m all for theme nights….but my god, were they narrow this year…and just bad. I also really missed truly getting to know an artist based on their semi’s. I felt that the semi-rounds was the time that you really got to understand what an artist was about..and a whole season of nothing but theme nights left SO much to be desired.

I loved the wide open aspect of things. That’s where some of the most PHENOMENAL show stopping performances came from.

Also, I’ve heard the Daughtry/Cookie references now a few too many times for my liking.

I’m going to be honest: I’m by no means a Daughtry fan, and never have been. I disliked him on the show. I don’t own his album. I change the channel on the radio when he is on, however sometimes there is just no escaping him. I do wish him all the success in the world, but he isn’t getting a dime from me.

Comparing Cookie and Daughtry is like comparing apples to apples. They are both rock musicians but that is where it ends. I don’t even see them putting out an album that sounds remotely the same. They are two different artists entirely. As far as I’m concerned, Rock music a broad spectrum and there is room for both of them.

To me, Cookie has heart, where I never saw that with Daughtry.

Well, I have to agree with almost everyone. Lowering the age would be a huge mistake. If anything, I think it should be raised to 18. That would eliminate school and stage parents.

I’m not sure if I want a fourth judge…. just replace Randy or Pauler already. Get rid of one of them and have the third spot be a rotating affair of guest judges, maybe even ones who haven’t been watching the show. It might lend itself to judging purely on performances sans bias or agenda.

Nice to see Ace getting a nice concert review!

RE: The Granny vote

I’ve been thinking about this. I’m not a granny but I am of a granny age/demographic.

We grew up listening to music in the 60s and 70s. We attended Days on the Green and loads of other Bill Graham presents concerts. I remember cutting school to wait in line for Rolling Stones tickets. Will music ever be so innovative again? Anyway, I think that gives alot of us some validity when it comes to discussing music and purchasing CDs. AI would do well to remember that and not treat that demographic as Lawrence Welk watchers. Heck, THAT was what my own parents and grandparents watched!

It’s hard enough to hear the judges insult adults, it would be very off-putting to hear them insult 14 year olds.

They need better and younger themes and the themes should not start until Top 12. They also need to get rid of the pit.

I want Randy gone. Too bad he’s not going anywhere. *sigh*

Well, as I stated over and over again, why don’t they bring back Junior Idol? Simple as that!

Chicago-sally they won’t bring back jr. idol cause it sucked! Simple as that. It’s only a decent summer fill in when there is nothing else good to watch. That is the ONLY reason I watched that show. ETA: bringing back idol jr. won’t help idol sr.

Some of those parents were awful like an imagined jeff archuleta and daddy mcphee combination. Horrendous.

Getting the youthful viewer is more predicated on getting the rights to better music than younger contestants. I also think that this show continuously bites the hands that feed it. From the pissing off of Taylor fans, to the courting of younger viewers. This show is what it is, cheesy, glorified karaoke, at it’s best. It’s not like having a season box at the Met. Get over yourself. Serve your clientele, and stop telling the ones you have that they aren’t really wanted.

I love Dave White, and would love to meet Xtreem Aaron. His love of Fannie and Taylor make me love him all the more. He gets them.

I liked alot of the idea for fixing the show. This blog should be their focus group.

Expand Hollywood week. Let us get to know who we are voting for. Watch the editing of that though, I know how sneaky you guys are, Nigel, talking to you.
Stop the big pimping. It looks manipulative and heavy handed. Saw too much of the man behind the curtain this year, and it wasn’t cool.

Three judges are good, four might be better. It can’t screw with the chemistry of the show. I actually like Randy but his critiques need to be less about trying to sound hip and outsmarting Simon. Egging the crowd on when they boo Simon get on my freaking nerve. As does the booing of Simon. Simon, sadly is the star of this show, and some respect needs to be shown.

I know the show is on a strick timetable, but I would like to see the truncated songs end. Give them 2.5 minutes for a song, less filler and bs. Just let them sing.

Please people let them sing songs from this era, not my grandmas. If I want to hear oldies, I have my cd collection for that. I want to hear the style of the competitors, and less restricted playlists. The show is making tons of moolah. Spend some of it.

Blow up the mosh pit. Well clear it out first. No carnage is necessary. It’s distracting and well distracting, even David Archuleta commented on that he couldn’t hear over it some nights. That sucks.

This show has legs, it has a loyal following that should be listened to. I have watched every season. Liked most of them. This year was a squandered opportunity as the talent was awesome, and the interest was there, but somehow it was downhill almost immediately. I think it was the negative press about the ‘ringers’ that did it. I think alot of people actually believe the fairy tale stuff and they want their idols to be babes in the woods. None of them have been, but the illusion was there. Maybe something has to be done to address that as well.

Sally- Just NO!!! They are not going to bring back Jr. Idol…cause that shit didnt work the first time they tried it.

Lowering the age limit….Hell to the NO. I wasn’t a fan of either Jordin or Archie and a big part of the reason was I couldn’t buy what they were trying to sell me when they sang. I was horrified watching Entertainment Tonight last night and they had an interview with Jordin regarding her vocal cord injury. She was so distraught with the thought that she may not sing again. She actually said ” That can’t happen. What would I do? I am suppose to sing” At the ripe old age of 18 Jordin defines her life by the ability to sing???? How truly sad for her. I dont want younger contestants on the show until they are out of school and have a bit more maturity under their belts.

Cut off age….I would prefer 18 and/or out of highschool…. drop outs need not apply.

Daivd c has a disney commercial now a ford one maybe and a whole bunch of talk shows…The guy will be pimped to high heaven .Way to go AI and yeah they have him in thier grip.The disney one is quite corny it would be with any contestant…..well the good thing AI has not tatoed “drink coke ” on him yet…..( It is affiliated w/ AI the commercials)

In simon’s book “I dont mean to be rude but…” he said that they were originally going to have a fourth judge in the mix, but the person (I forgot the name) just didn’t “fit” with the rest.

Simon didn’t want him/her there, so it became a three-some.

I’m a “no” vote for a fourth judge.

The above post was a snark on AI producers use the main advertisers or one w/ a new theme park to promote certain contestants/products in them..Daivd C is a very good sport they do not deserve him at all….
Sidenote-Should of deleted talkshows

Oh great AI is now trying to kill sports..this is probably not the first a sappy cornation song? WhyAI WHY?

They played Cookie’s song during the NBA finals! Celtics/Pistons game. Who says jocks can’t relate to magic rainbows? :laugh_tb:

I heard the song on the NBA finals too.
I agree with the Village Voice critic. The fact that he can make this sap sound decent is a good sign of what he’ll be able to do with actual good material.

To me, Cookie has heart, where I never saw that with Daughtry.

I tend to disagree with this and wont go on and on as this is now Cooks time, but. I saw his big heart in the love he has for his wife and her two boys to the extent that he adopted them. I saw his heart and got all teary eyed as he sat with those children in Africa and they sang his song with him. On his CD he thanks God first, his wife and children and I could go on. I just dont think anyone should compare the two like they are doing, they are both all good in their own right and well deserving.

This is exactly why I vote “no” to lowering the age for Idol.

Trina…I heard cookies song during the celtics game also…made me happy

not sure if anyone caught this, but the day after the finale the today show was talking about both davids and mentioned at the end of the clip that both davids would be on the today show, thursday May 29th…so get your dvr and tivos ready

clip is here if you wanna see it

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=45923059-22e1-4a72-9aea-0c0fcf8d17f5

I can’t even watch This, so I see you at 18 and raise you one. How about 19?

One thing I notice with the CI judges is they are less harsh than their AI counterparts. The mean spirit of the judges on Jason Castro’s elimination night was a classic example this season, and methinks that is something TPTB today regrets.

Four judges in CI really makes no difference, it just takes two of them to equal one Simon. I think Paula and Randy should be replaced. Seven years is a long time in reality television.

Reading about Jason and the eyelash curler was hysterical. Has it been posted about Cookie getting a chopper motorcyle? I saw that on TMZ. If I “won” that goodie with all the judges faces on it-i would get it painted pronto.

I agree with the improvement ideas stated here, i.e., *NOT* lowering the age, opening up the themes so more contemporary songs can be sung, getting rid of Randy..

But (I’ve read it elsewhere, so it’s not really an original thought) if they didn’t have the restrictive themes — we’d never have gotten Little Sparrow, Hello, Always Be My Baby. Come on, my beloved Cook never would have sung any of those songs on his own without the push from the theme nights — right?

He was in his Innocent box — and got shoved out a bit — which was a good thing, imo. (I *flove* Innocent-studio version, so don’t get me wrong here.)

There’s something to the themes when you can do it up big like Cook. Other wise you get Eight Days a Week and Michelle. (and I love Castro too…!)

I think alot of people actually believe the fairy tale stuff and they want their idols to be babes in the woods. None of them have been, but the illusion was there. Maybe something has to be done to address that as well.

There’s a big difference, in my opinion and I think in many other people’s minds, between someone like Taylor, Daughtry and Cookie, who work the bar scenes and may self-publish a cd and someone like Carly who has had the force of a major label behind a debut cd. When this show first premiered it was TPTB that fostered the idea of finding undiscovered talent and that is where everyone got that idea from. The viewers didn’t pick it out from thin air. They now seem to want to take a different approach, but I don’t think it was too successful this year. In my opinion, although she had some good performances, Carly didn’t do much more than highlight why she wasn’t a success the first time around.

As for the other suggestions, I wholeheartedly agree with not lowering the age and expanding the themes. Dolly Parton could have easily headed a country night that still would have put a lot of this year’s singers at a disadvantage. ALW could have been show tunes. One artist nights are simply too restrictive. If show tunes is too broad….do show tunes from a certain era. Bring back Big Band night! That was terrific!

Yes PLEASE!!! Bring back Junior Idol for the summer! That way my girls will be occupied while I clean out the attic!

PJ, thanks for pointing out the Ace Young review in the headlines. I had skipped over it and after your comment, went back and read it. It is nice to see Ace get a nice review. He definitely deserves it.

Having Davids C coronation song played at an nba game= big time cheesy payola….or self promotion for AI. They contestant should stck to singing the NA,on the radio or even tv if it fits(probably be fox). The fans will be happy while the majority are wondering what the heck that are watching the game…Rainbows and sunshine thank his lucky stars the poor guy was not singing it in Phil football when thier was snow durring halftime ,because I hope he can duck…Thanks AI for bringing cheese to sports trust they bring thier own…….rant over -dislike when AI messes w/ sports—

I think Daivd C(despite AI kissing) will sell 1 million at least and will be like Carrie U by keeping close ties to the show and thanking them…First week maybe 300,000 or more in sales.IMO not into both Daivds music .

I really dnk what AI does thier do what they do and they will say they listened to the public even if did not. Cuasual fan AI has to keep them the whole competition not just to see what happens durring the end or beginning..

Some of those parents were awful like an imagined jeff archuleta and daddy mcphee combination. Horrendous.

That’s why it would be a hit the second time around — the parents! the public wants drama and something to talk about. If you try and contain “news” and gossip it makes it seem contrived. When we go to work the next day we want to talk about more than just the songs & singers….we talk about the hair, the dress, the attitude. The producers are the ones playing it safe, which makes it a dull show.

I agree with vfox: I enjoyed the songs they chose…if they sing too contemporary songs (i.e. Beyonce, Alicia Keys) then what you get is Imitation.

I would love to have more Hollywood week. That part of the show is so interesting to me and it seems like you get more raw emotion and talent in their songs.

I agree with everyone else about the age limit. Heck even with Archie being so talented, it still made a difference to people in his believability factor.

I would rather stick with the three judges. I like their chemistry and they all crack me up. I really think that it would make for an awkward sitation in a lot of ways. (prolly behind the scenes too)

I would also like to not see Carrie Underwood next year. I’m sooooooo tired of her. I think it’s wonderful that she is grateful and loyal to the show but it has just been overkill.

Lastly, imagine this season with less restrictive themes! It was mostly all songs that were old. If the must have the themes split it up a bit. We had Neil Diamond and Andrew Lloyd Weber back to back. Gawd.

Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why it would be a hit the second time around à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’  the parents! the public wants drama and something to talk about.

Oh, this reminds me of something. Did you guys ever see a show called “Showbiz Moms & Dads”? It was horrifically awful in a way that cracked me up for days and days. Just the behind the curtain look it gave you into those kiddie beauty pageants was enough to show you how vile that industry really is.

So yeah, if they brought back Jr. Idol, with a good dose of behind the scenes crazy parents each week, sign me up.

I’m with all of you who’d love an expanded Hollywood week. That’s the portion of the competition that I feel the viewers are shortchanged on.

And, I can live without ever seeing Carrie Underwood or Jordin Sparks again. But, I understand that they have fans out there in Idol world who are happy to see them when they appear on the show. So, I can live with it IF, they rotate it a bit, and also bring back some other people we haven’t seen in a while. Oh, and when they do bring back Jordin & Carrie – they need to dress them better. Carrie looked like a high-class call girl in that outfit, and that gold dress made Jordin look like she weighed 300 lbs.

SpenserJ I always love your comments! You crack me up!

I would have to add that I think Fantasia has been on quite a bit also but she always brings some emotion and more @_@ to the show so it doesn’t bother me quite so much. I mean, I laughed for hours over Simon’s face this last time! But bring on Bucky and Ace.. so many others that we care about too!

As far as the themes go, what the show needs is balance between older songs and more contemporary songs. Having all of the older music this season alienated the younger viewers that the show is desperately trying to keep and having all contemporary music would alienate the older viewers that the show definitely does not want to lose. Personally, I have very wide musical tastes and enjoy music from many different eras, but I was honestly dying from the Dolly Parton/Inspirational/Mariah Carey/Andrew Lloyd Webber/Neil Diamond five-week combo. That isn’t to say that there weren’t outstanding performances during those weeks or that the music itself isn’t valid, but put it all together week after week, and no wonder you’re losing your younger viewing audience (and I’m not surprised to see some older people get a little tired of it also). Really, nothing else quite makes you a relevant pop star than singing the golden oldies for the entire competition. But I digress. Just balance old and new music, and you’ll have fixed one of the major reasons why this season wasn’t quite the hit they were looking for.

And continuing the topic of theme nights, less restraint is good. I’m not opposed to having one night be the music of some artist, but having four nights of it (especially within the same five-week period) was a bit much. Maybe having one or two nights dedicated to the music of different artists, but make sure that they have very different styles of music and are many weeks away from each other. I mean, while Neil Diamond week wasn’t the best (as much as I adore Brooke’s version of “I Am … I Said”), Bon Jovi week from Season 6 was pretty good.

And one more comment on theme nights: we need some new ones. I only really started to pay attention to Idol during Season 6, so I’m not up on all of the theme nights they had before then, but we could use some innovative ones. While the idea of the music from the year you were born night was kind of a head-scratcher (even with Brooke’s “Every Breathe You Take” and David Cook’s “Billie Jean”), it was a step in the right direction. Canadian Idol has had some success with the Unplugged night. And I enjoyed its Number 1 Hits night also. Other nights that would be cool to see: new wave, R&B, and the returns of big band/standards night and disco night.

I think I’m all talked out on this subject now. Haha

Your damned if you do and damned if you dont it seems with Carrie. Everyone goes on about how Kelly or other Idols should be more loyal to Idol and come on then you have someone who has done amazingly well like Carrie, who also went to Africa last year for Idol Gives Back, doesnt think she is above the show that helped start her career and she still gets clowned on. I only wish I could still wear an outfit with which I forgot to put my pants on too and look that perfect. My favorite that year was Bo but I can no longer argue with my sister on who has done better than any other Idol, even though Bo is the one I will always prefer from that year

I kind of thought they were trying to suggest a wedding gown with that strange outfit Carrie wore, due to the song. That was the only possible explanation I could come up with.