Sure, they have to do it fast. But they should be able to at least READ them, and they should have the opportunity to know what the hell they are being given an ultimatum over.

No one is going to take away a contestants right to read the contracts. And a “lawyer” is provided to them to answer any questions they may have concerning the legal language. It may not be their personal attorney but it is an attorney (that’s more than most of us get when we sign our lives away on a mortgage contract).

Also based on what we have read on this blog there are many Idols from this year that have had the opportunity to sing in Public and to be compensated for their endeavors. So to say “they can’t even sing in the church pews” has to be an out and out distortion of the truth.

What we know for certain is that an Idol participant cannot sign a recording contract outside of 19 until 3 months after the final when 19 releases them from their Idol contract. I also think (not positive here) that they cannot enter into a management contract except for 19 during that time.

But, somehow, the outcome was pretty good, based on how much people are enjoying the top 10 on the tour. There certainly are a few of the top 10 whose careers I plan on following, and this is the first year that has been the case. Yeah, Adam hooked me on the show this year, but I look forward to following the careers of Kris and Allison, as well, and potentially a couple of the others.

Why should Idol need to get into negotiations with someone who is wanting/needing to use the show to get a career going? If Idol was doing something illegal, I think that would come to light after 8 seasons. I don’t doubt that not everyone is happy with the contracts, since we all our slice of the pie, and the bigger the slice, the better, but when you can be easily replaced, you don’t have much bargaining power. That’s true in many career fields, especially in this economy.

JuNot got exposure from the show that he couldn’t have obtained elsewhere. We wouldn’t even be talking about him if it wasn’t for the show. That seems like a pretty good deal for someone who didn’t want to play by their rules.

I’m assuming that the production schedule of the show, (this is a TV show, after all), requires that things move along quickly. The producers don’t have time for someone to contact an outside lawyer, who might take a few days or weeks to review the contracts, suggest changes, etc. The producers need to know who is going on to the next round *now*, so they can move forward with the TV show.

Sure, they have to do it fast. But they should be able to at least READ them, and they should have the opportunity to know what the hell they are being given an ultimatum over. Its not like they are signing benign releases. They are signing away their future rights, locked into a very tight bind that will keep them under control for the forseeable future. And they don’t even get to pick their representation! Just don’t shove them in a room and say “sign or die”.

J’Not didn’t make top 24/36 last time, it was probably his first time dealing with that contract.

People have been asking for backstories and behind-the-scenes info for years. I think TPTB took it to the extreme and ruined the joy for a lot of viewers thereby resulting in the consistent drop in ratings. The whole set-up for S8 was bad from the start until the end.

One thing that I find curious is how are the idol finalists going to pay for an outside lawyer to contest the contract and draw up a new one that is more to the contestants liking. And AI would then just say “no thanks” and send the contestant on their way.

As “bad” as the contract may seem to someone like JuNot he really had/has only 2 choices: sign or walk. Well, obviously he signed and now he “regrets”.

I bought a DVD about AI thinking it was just a show about the contestants – but it ended up being an expose on Idol. Listening to Cory’s whole story, I am inclined to believe him. My point is that more than one person has said this about Idol, so in my mind makes it more believable. They also had other contestants on who said other unscrupulous things. To me, it’s interesting that multiple contestants would say the same thing.

Do you actually believe that Idol would come out and say “Corey was questioning our methods too much and wouldn’t go along with them, so we are disqualifing him.” or “we found something in his past that would dq him”?

This confirms for me that it wasn’t necessarily Danny’s idea to “pimp” the tragic death of his wife. He probably had to agree to do that to move forward on the show, and if he wanted to pull back from that at any point in the show, he probably had no choice, and had to continue on with that. Danny got all of the blame, but clearly, Idol should get their fair share of the blame, too.

If we’re only basing this on his statement, I’m not sure that I would take that at face value, though I do suspect that there is at least a grain of truth in that. But, if I’m offered a job somewhere, and am too difficult when it comes to coming to an agreement with the company, the job goes to someone else, so why wouldn’t that be the case here?

I’m assuming that the production schedule of the show, (this is a TV show, after all), requires that things move along quickly. The producers don’t have time for someone to contact an outside lawyer, who might take a few days or weeks to review the contracts, suggest changes, etc. The producers need to know who is going on to the next round *now*, so they can move forward with the TV show.

Don’t all the contestants sign the same contract? If so, you’re either going to sign, or you’re out. This isn’t a negotiation.

I would assume that prior to going on to the show, people would do some research, and find out what they can about the obligations required if they go on the show. (If not, don’t whine about it later.) People on this blog seem to have been able to find out some details about the contract situation, so I would expect a contestant to do at least that much, as well as talk to a lawyer ahead of time, if they have the financial resources to pay a lawyer.

Felicia and Ju’Not sang ten times better then Scott and Jorge that night.

Really true. I was very disappointed that week. The people who got the most votes were sentimental favorites; neither sang best or close to best the previous night. So weird.

I am pretty sure MJ is mistaken about this. I remember Ju’Not from auditions. I remember thinking he seemed like a cool, mellow family guy and a good singer. I really liked his vibe and was sorry to see him more or less disappear during the Hollywood rounds. I am pretty certain Ju’Not got more screen time than Kris Allen by the time we hit Top 36. I certainly remembered him, while with Kris I was like “who’s this guy?”

What’s wrong with Ju’Not simply being honest about his experience? It doesn’t invalidate the good experiences of other Idols, or your enjoyment of the show, or his talent. It is important that contestants feel free to speak freely about their involvement with the show so others who are considering auditioning go in with open eyes and a realistic understanding that Idol (as well as any other reality show) is first and foremost a business, and they are the underpaid, overworked employees who bust their asses in the hope of landing a big promotion each Wednesday night.

While this model obviously works for the show, and works for many of the contestants – especially those who have more to gain than they stand to lose – it’s basically a job interview. People who aren’t a good match with the company’s goals won’t make it very far.

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/07/junot-joyner-former-american-idol-contestant-says-show-is-rigged/

AI is all about ratings. They want people to tune in and what better way to do that than to up the drama.