Friday, January 30, 2009

Last Season for American Idol?

I've done a variety of things on Cold Flute, though mostly politics. Today's post is a bit different for me. My wife and I have been enjoying American Idol since the beginning of the second season (we heard about it the first season but it interfered with one of our few favorite shows).

Last season American Idol felt like it was going downhill. The auditions were annoying, the contestants weren't that outstanding and the judges were getting overly cynical and annoying. I used to like Randy Jackson but he's gotten more sarcastic. Simon's ego is no longer as charming as it once was. Paula Abdul forgot how many times a contestant sang one night. For my wife and I, the show was never about the judges. The new judge is okay but the judges are not why we watch the show.

When I heard the show was going to make some changes this year (other than a new judge), I thought good, they're going to give us more of Hollywood week instead of the same tired old auditions and the same tiring insults. It doesn't feel that way so far. How many times can one listen to Simon Cowell snidely asking, "Yes or no? Paula, yes or no?" Governor Blagojevich was being interviewed on another station; the man's an idiot but he was more entertaining! So we kept switching back and forth, particularly during commercials (advertisers should be paying attention).

Last season, about the only ones who interested my wife and I were Brooke White and Michael Johns (we thought a promising person during Hollywood week, though he didn't make the cut, was Josiah Leming). In the second season, there were at least six contestants who interested us. Of course there were earlier disappointments. For example, in season three, we couldn't believe Jennifer Hudson didn't make the final two or three (we figured Fantasia would win but we thought Hudson might be the runner-up).

Anyway, the American Idol people who run the show seem to forget a large part of their audience and focus on the bubblegum crowd. Boring. So You Think You Can Dance doesn't have the same ratings but it appeals to a broader audience. I would rather at this point watch that show a few more weeks. So far this season, American Idol is not hooking me. It will be interesting to see what happens to the ratings.

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