Fallen Idol

It's perhaps more surprising that Fox was still making American Idol than that they're cancelling the series.

It's going to limp to the end of its 15th season, and then vanish for good.

Dana Walden, co-chairman and CEO of the Fox Television Group, described it as a "pretty emotional decision" to end "American Idol."

"A pretty emotional decision" here means that, with audiences starting to drop below nine million, people were starting to feel the well-known emotion of 'look at that old warhorse cluttering up the schedules bringing down ratings lets stop paying the people on it the millions we're shelling out and make something cheaper that viewers might like more'.

The series hasn't really had a massive star-making role since, arguably, Jordin Sparks back in 2007.

Idolobit: Michael Johns

Michael Johns, an Australian who did fairly well on American Idol, had died.

Johns came 8th in the final of the 2008 season of American Idol. After the competition, he released a couple of albums - Hold Back My Heart sold 20,000 copies in the US; the follow-up Love & Sex wasn't quite as successful as that.

Michael Johns died August 2nd; the cause is believed to be a bloodclot on the ankle.

American Idol is so very racist, claim booted contestants

American Idol producers are currently being deluged by a class-action lawsuit from disqualified contestants, who are claiming they were kicked out because the programme is racist.

On The Daily Beast, Kevin Fallon puts up a strong defence on behalf of the programme.

How can the show be racist, he asks, when so many winners are African-American? And, sure, 10 of the 12 contestants who have been canned for not having revealed the truth about their arrest histories are non-white, but other contestants have also been dropped for not being open and honest about, for example, having record deals in the past. It's a rule thing, not a race thing.

Fallon ends by calling an expert witness, Nigel Lythgoe:

Back, in January, Nigel Lythgoe, former executive producer of the show, said he was “shocked” by the charges, saying, “We treat everyone the same no matter the race, religion, or sex. I think we’ve always had a fantastic share of talent from contestants both black and white. I don’t think I’ve ever seen racism at the show.”

As someone who will now sheepishly admit that he has, in fact, seen every episode of American Idol — and don’t you dare calculate how much time of my life that amounts to — I can unequivocally agree with Lythgoe. I haven’t seen any, either.

And all that is quite compelling, but... it doesn't really get to the heart of the allegation in the lawsuit. Entertainment Weekly reports:

Furthermore, Freeman wrote, the show illegally dug up arrest histories for those 10 men, using them to humiliate the singers — but never attempted to dig up similar dirt about white contestants. Allegedly, only black contestants were questioned about their criminal histories.

Freeman called these actions “cruel and inhumane,” accusing Idol of exploiting black contestants, perpetuating “destructive stereotypes,” and making them appear to be “violent criminals, liars, and sexual deviants” — though none of the 10 men he represents had been convicted of charges stemming from their arrests.

(It's worth pointing out the Idol producers claim they obtained all their information through legal methods.)

That claim - that some black contestants were effectively brought onto the show and then beaten down - is one that you can't wave away by saying 'but black contestants won'. You can see, at least, the possibility that Idol has constructed a way of having an inclusive storyline while still pandering to prejudice.

There's a couple of questions that need to be answered: does Idol only investigate its black contestants in this way? How is it obtaining the information? And why isn't this done before putting a camera into people's faces?

Attention: Brian May out of We Will Rock You musical has something to share

Brian May has decided that Tom Jones is lowering himself.

In a post which manages to be both short and rambling, May kicks The Voice about a bit because, er, apparently listening to somebody's performance "isn't what music is about":

It brings singing down to the level of a stupid obstacle course on 'It's A Knockout'. This is not – NOT – what music is about.

When we sing, or play, for real, we are NOT screaming at the top of our lungs trying to persuade someone to notice us.

Yes, you'd never get Brian May involved in a show which encouraged people to scream in a bid to get themselves noticed.

Except, of course, for his repeated guest slots on American Idol and Australia's Got Talent. But that would be totally different, wouldn't it?

Falling Idol

There's life left in it, of course, and doubtless Fox will continue to squeeze every drop from it, but American Idol is now firmly on the wane, being beaten in its slot by The Big Bang Theory.

There's a scent of panic coming from the show, scrabbling to bring back Nigel Lythgoe as executive producer and trying to drag interest out of 'look, these people are mad' and 'look, the judges are having an argument amongst themselves that isn't in any way staged, oh no.'

It's not working, though. 30% of the viewers that were still buying it this time last year have vanished; what was once an unstoppable behemoth now resembles more a smoking, stuttering bandwagon.

Darkness at 3AM: Beyonce minus 1

The 3AM Girls report that Beyonce has flopped:

OUCH. Just 72 hours after releasing her second single, 1+1 – and even performing it on the American Idol finale – it appears Beyonce has had an embarrassing change of heart.

Following a barrage of less than positive comments from viewers, the track has been mysteriously binned and another has been released as the new single.

Obviously, when your reporting consists of little more than copying stuff off Perez Hilton, you might have little gaps in your story. Nowhere do the 3amies mention that 1+1 wasn't released in the UK at all; nor that it wasn't even a 'proper' release in America.

The US release was classified as a "promotional download" - in other words, it wasn't meant to be a full-fledged release. It looks like Beyonce's people just lobbed it up for download to capture the people wanting to buy the song after it was on a top-rated US TV programme. Rather a shrewd move, surely?

It's still available on the US Amazon site, and doing fairly well for a track not getting any marketing push.

But, still, if Perez says it's been somehow "ditched", that's probably more important to the Mirror than facts.

Roger Daltrey: Changing his mind

It's a bit unfair to rib Roger Daltrey for failing to die before getting old, despite what he sang in that song.

We can all change our minds, right?

On the other hand, going from calling American Idol a tripe-stuffed joke to auditioning for a role on the panel in less than twelve months? That feels a wee bit less easy to explain away.

Webb on the internet

I'm not sure Jimmy Webb's analysis of modern songwriting is quite right - he says there's no more pure songwriters, but there are, surely? Writing for production line bands and game show winners, perhaps, but they're still there, polishing a line to turn a dollar.

But, still, in this video from Today, he's spot-on about American Idol and plays a bit of Wichita Lineman.

Man swaps job for a similar job

I don't think a set of calipers have yet been made which open wide enough to measure the self-regard oozing out of Simon Cowell's words of comfort for America as he quits American Factor to launch X Idol:

"We did talk about me staying on both shows but when we looked at the practicalities of that, it was impossible," Cowell told the press. "In my opinion, it's like having a good player and a good football team. The two have to be OK together. I believe it's not my show, but it's still very close to me. We made sure when we did this, that I would be protected. I'm confident it will continue to be the #1 show. Everyone is committed to keeping it that way

They did toy with the idea of having a cardboard cut-out version of Cowell on American Idol, barking out prescripted, pre-recorded insults but that just sounded like a punchline.

David Cook: leave me alone

You want to be famous. You go on a television show called American Idol, and do quite well - you actually are swept to victory on a wave of public affection.

Are you happy now you're famous beyond your wildest dreams, David Cook?

Is the adulation of the crowd delighting you?

No. No, it turns out not.

"I have to address some behavior that has become disturbing. We pride ourselves on being accessible to you as fans, but in contrast, we do enjoy what little privacy we can muster. To that end, the efforts by some fans to find our hotel rooms, call our hotel rooms, attach things to our bus, etc., is something I have to condemn."

Not "ask you to stop doing". Not "would rather you didn't". He's condemning it.

Obviously, Cook won't have to worry about people trying to find his hotel room for long - indeed, if he keeps up this sort of thing, he'll be easy to find when on tour as he'll be staying in the only Motel6 in town. Should there be anyone left wanting to seek him.

What did you think being a big pop star would be like, David? Did you think people would only be interested for sixty minutes a week? Did you really think that it was like working behind the counter at the butchers?

Of course, had you built your own career up, you might have had a chance to get used to having fans following you; if it all got a bit much you could have decided to stay as a big fish in your local circuit.

You got what you wished for. You got it short-circuited. Stop whining.

Idol moments

The American Idol behemoth might be showing signs of running out of steam, but it's not quite ready to be reformatted as a daytime show yet. Not while local papers like Houma Today still gets excited by local people taking part:

The popular singing competition, which is entering its eighth year, attempts to discover amateur talent and make them into superstars.

And it was this opportunity that led Golden Meadow native Jordy Rousse to make a nearly 2,000-mile trek to Salt Lake City.

To get this sort of coverage, Rousse must have done pretty well, right?

While he didn’t get a chance to sing in front of celebrity judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul or Kara Dioguardi, that doesn’t mean Rousse failed miserably.

Rather, Rousse made it to the final part of the preliminaries before a contestant is sent in the room holding the quartet of celebrity judges.

“I got to meet with the producers,” Rousse said. “I sang for them, but it ended with them telling me I was a bit too theatrical for the show.”

Too theatrical? For American Idol? Given that most people turn up with a pantomime story of heartbreak and deliver the songs like they're attempting to launch Whitney Houston covers into space, how theatrical must Rousse be, to be "too theatrical"? Bloody hell, he must have his own atrium and team of stagehands, with Abe Lincoln being shot someone in his belly.

Still, nice try. It's not like you've thrown away a great chunk of your life to pursue going on a game show, is it?

“I ended up taking basically a semester off of school to pursue it,” he said. “I might wait to after college and give it another shot. I’ll just have to see. It was memorable and I did have a good time, but I can’t say right now whether or not I’d tryout a second time.”

A whole semester? I suppose it's lucky it wasn't The Price Is Right. How can you spend months preparing to sing a song for Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson? Most of their winning acts don't last a semester, never mind train for one.

Still, it's not like Rousse's life is over, is it? He's got a wide range of opportunities and excitements and surprises ahead of him. Right, Houma Today?

American Idol straps on waterskis, looks for marine mammals

Is American Idol entering its decline phase? Although the return was the most-watched programme so far this year on US TV, it hasn't had a starting audience this low since 2004. Even the defence of the audience size isn't that spirited:

A spokesman for the show said it was not surprising for the popularity of a show, even one as big as American Idol, to fall after eight seasons.

He added that a bigger chunk of the audience had started recording the two-hour programme.

But isn't one of the attractions for broadcasters of this sort of programme that it has to be watched more-or-less live, that it's appointment television like what they used to have in the old days? Do advertisers want to know that more and more viewers will be spooling through the adverts?

Could it just be that a simple-minded programme is now creatively running dry?

Viewers watched hopefuls auditioning in Phoenix, Arizona. They included a contestant wearing only a swimsuit who earned the nickname Bikini Girl.

An astonishingly sharp and inspired nickname. Bikini Girl - because she's a woman, and she's in a bikini. When you have it explained to you, it's quite clever, isn't it?

American Idol contracts: Equally tight

It's not clear if the X Factor contract forbids contestants from killing themselves, but that seems to have been missing from the American Idol paperwork. Paula Abdul suggests that Paula Goodspeed's humiliation on the programme might have been constructed to create a TV moment:

In an interview with Barbara Walters on Sirius XM radio on Monday night, Abdul said that American Idol's producers knew that Goodspeed had stalked her (she maintained a restraining order against her intermittently for 18 years) and, in fact, allowed her to audition precisely for that reason. "It's fun for them to cause me stress," Abdul said. "This was something that would make good television." Abdul said that she protested Goodspeed's appearance on the show, but that the producers selected her "for entertainment value."

Goodspeed, of course, went on to kill herself; you might find yourself wondering at a TV show which cares so little about its fodder, but also so little for its supposed stars, that it would allow stalker and stalkee to come face-to-face. Walters certainly did:

When Walters asked why Abdul remains on a program that jeopardizes her safety, Abdul said, "I'm under contract."

Let's hope that doesn't give Cowell any ideas - hmm, a judge with a contract out on them...

American tragedies

Following the apparent suicide of Paula Goodspeed - one of those deemed not to be an American Idol and who has spent much of the past few months turning up unannounced at Paula Abdul's house - The Insider invited Carrie Underwood and Diana DeGarmo to comment. Underwood, wisely, knew she had nothing to say and made the equivalent of low dove coos, but DeGarmo seized the story with both hands:

"To hear that something like that has happened makes you very scared as a celebrity of some sort, because we all [like to get all dressed up for events like the CMAs] -- it's all glitz and glamour -- but it's things like that that people don't normally get to know; it's also a double side of celebrity stardom. I think that's just a terrible, terrible tragedy and I feel for the person that was out in front of her home, for her family, and especially for Paula, because she's a lovely person and I can only imagine what she's going through."

Yes, it's Paula who is the real victim here, not the person who was dragged through the ringer by the show of which Abdul is a part and wound up so damaged she ended up committing suicide. Let's just hope Paula is okay, shall we?

DeGarmo hasn't finished, though, because she also had the luck to have been on the cycle of American Idol which featured Jennifer Hudson. Another smashing chance to emote emptily:

"She's definitely in my thoughts and prayers like she always is, but even more so. Her mother was a wonderful, wonderful person, and I wouldn't even know where to begin if something like that happened to me."

She's in my prayers. I mean, obviously, I'm always praying for her, it's just now that I'm praying so, so much harder for her. Round the clock. And thinking? Oh, if I'm not praying for Jennifer, I'm thinking about her. Apart from the times my thoughts are with Paula Abdul.

Sometimes, there is a lot to be said for the gentle coo.

Simon Cowell takes a pride in his work

If someone took an already damaged person, and dragged them into a city centre and humiliated them, you'd expect police to get involved.

If it happens on national TV, everyone gives Simon Cowell money. How does that work, exactly?

Nikki McKibbin has been telling Us magazine about how far the duty of care on American Idol goes. It's not that far:

"I came out of Idol with a lack of self-confidence," McKibbin tells the new issue of Us Weekly. "I think I had my first solo in school when I was 5, and I got more as I got older: That's the biggest compliment in choir. I had never been told I wasn't good enough. Having to hear it for so many weeks from Simon Cowell killed me inside. I couldn't get the s--t he had said to me out of my head."

She continued: "It drove me deeper into my depression. I wouldn't say that this was Simon's fault. It just added to the addict that I already was."

"We were heavily chaperoned, but I would buy vodka and sneak it into the refrigerator on the bottom floor," McKibbin tells Us. "If I wasn't too exhausted, I'd have one or two drinks."

Presumably that's Cowell's caring strategy - "if we can tire the addicts out, they might not have enough energy to get the lids off the bottles or find a mirror..."

American idles: Is the steamroller running out of steam?

This week's edition of American Idol - the one where Paula Abdul provided a critique of a song that didn't exist - was notable for another reason; the show dropped off 1.2 million viewers week-on-week; its worst performance in a half-decade. There is a season for all things - could, at last, Cowell's behemoth be entering its autumn?

For those less fortunate, from Britney

Aah, the generosity of the rich. How moved Britney Spears was, seeing children in need on American Idol Give Back. She rang in an offer of about thirteen grand to the pledge line, with no thought other than doing some good. We're sure the "leaking" of the donation to InStyle magazine wasn't part of the original plan.

Thirteen thousand quid might seem awfully small for a woman of Britney's means, but then again, we thought she wasn't actually in charge of her own financial affairs at the moment. Let's hope her people don't have to make one of those phonecalls telling the poor kiddies that the pledge of cash came from a woman who has had her chequebook taken off her.

American Idol - an EPCOT for our time

As if Florida doesn't already have enough tatty theme parks sucking in people who don't really care where they go, providing they don't have to come across anything approaching a real world, comes the announcement that Disney is going to add an American Idol attraction.

It's believed there will be a ride which replicates the American Idol experience - first, you queue up for ages and ages; then you'll be strapped in and shouted at by a man in ridiculous trousers; there's a juddering white-knuckle journey to follow which ends up with you being deposited in the dumper feeling a bit deflated and slightly disappointed. While the man in the ridiculous trousers pockets a large sum of money.

More idol droppings

More shattered dreams as audience phone-in votes prove to be a bad guide to what will be sold for cold hard cash: Katharine McPhee has been dropped.

Mr Hicks, get in here

The new-year clear out at US labels has brought to an end the thrilling prizes won by two American Idols: Ruben Suddard and the much less successful Taylor Hicks have both been allowed to return to work in the security industry.

Hicks has plans to put out his new album on his own, although since he's probably the only person interested in it, he might as well consider that he's hit his sale targets.