The Hollywood Reporter outlines 5 ways American Idol might change next year, according to their insiders:
- Another overhaul of the judges table – Says the insider, “The show has always taken pride in being about the contestants, not the judges. And if the judges had a little rapport with each other, it wouldn’t be all about them. Instead, all anybody ever wants to talk about is how the judges don’t get along. It’s exactly what producers didn’t want.” The feuding divas, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, likely won’t be back. Idol has reached out to Jlo and are looking at several “music industry contenders.” Yes. DITCH THE DIVAS is my new rallying cry. Have at least one industry-type on the panel. Who cares if they’re famous–just make sure they are ENTERTAINING and that the panel has chemistry.
- Ditching theme nights – “These contestants are not interested in the old stuff,” says the insider. Idols would be able to choose their own songs. Hm. Even The Voice and X Factor doesn’t have “free choice”. The mentors on those coach-driven shows choose the songs for the contestants. I would suggest a mixture of free choice and loose themes that force the contestants to reach outside of the box. Otherwise, we’ll have a season full of safe performances.
- Will Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe be Fired? – Insiders are “speculating” that the production duo will be kicked out next season. But from what I can tell, interference from FOX contributed to a lot of bad decision making (that chemistry-free judges panel, for starters). I’m not convinced firing the team that brought the show to prominence is the way to go.
- No summer tour! – If this summer’s tour doesn’t sell, the yearly tour COULD be cancelled. Which would make me very sad.
- Sources say “format tweaks” are in store for the future. Well duh. Isn’t that every year? If production CASTS the show well, that’s more than half the battle. This year’s failures had largely to do with gaming the competition so a girl would win. That meant casting the semi-finals with the worst guys they could find, resulting in a mostly charisma free Top 10. It’s the talent, stupid!
To be honest, this report sounds like a roundup of vague speculation from Idol production people, and probably means nothing to the future of American Idol. If any of these changes come to pass, it will be a coincidence. But it’s still fun to speculate.
And we love to discuss changes that would make Idol better! Go for it.
