No American Idol season 10 thread yet?

[Ksyrup]

I don't really care about the talent, I just want to be entertained by the show. They desperately needed to make a couple of changes on the panel, and didn't.

[Ksyrup]

This season will be make or break, I think. The Voice starts in early/mid February, and it built up some steam from last year. Also, Seacrest's contract is up after this year, and one would think that with all he's got going on, being tied to an anchor would not be the best career move for someone who doesn't need AI anymore. Plus, all the judges seem to be year-to-year. Will be interesting to see how things go this year, that's for sure.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I just now realized this show starts up tonight. The lack of buzz is deafening.

Me saying I'm not going to watch is like saying I'm not going to buy the next version of EA's NCAA football game, but I'm really not feeling it. Last season turned me off of the show. I'm sure we'll watch, but I'm guessing I tune out pretty quickly. The crappy music is one thing, but combining it with a bad judging panel and interminable episodes... I don't see myself lasting long. I'm sure I'll be in it long enough to find a contestant or three I hate, though.

As much as I've enjoyed writing the recaps for the last 6-7 years, I'm not tuning in this season. It was hard to watch last season, even with the first candidate in ages I could truly support reaching the final three.

[Ksyrup]

That makes me even less likely to tune in. Your recaps were part of the fun. Honestly, dissecting/berating the judges and contestants is the primary entertainment I get from this show.

This will be the first season I'm on twitter, though. Maybe that will make up for it.

[CrimsonFox]

I haven't watched the first season of X factor yet. I'll go watch that instead.

[Ksyrup]

Not unexpectedly, "American Idol" dipped significantly with its Season 11 premiere.

The series pulled a 7.2 rating among adults 18-49, marking a 27 percent drop over last January's premiere. The veteran reality series still gave Fox a significant lead over all other networks, topping its closest competition (ABC) by 140 percent.

"Idol's" drop among total viewers wasn't as steep: the two-hour broadcast drew 21.6 million, down 18 percent from the Season 10 premiere of 26.25 million. Still, the season 11 kickoff marks the show's lowest-rated season opener since "Idol's" first season premiere, which garnered 9.85 million viewers. The show's highest-rated season premiere came in 2007, when the start of season 6 drew 37.4 million viewers.

[Matthean]

Still means it won't be on death's door for a couple more years.

[CrimsonFox]

Indeed the advent of Sole and Ksyrup doing reviews and ratings made the show fun again but it's just so bad that I can't take another season of it.

THere's always Top Chef, Project Runway Allstars, THe VOice, and other reality shows still going.

[CrimsonFox]

The Voice actually shows promise

[CrimsonFox]

Okay I am checking out the first season of The Voice on hulu and kinda like it. What I like about it is what USED to be a big feature of Idol...judge comeradery. And with that they not only like each other but they bicker and quarrel amongst each other.
Good stuff. We'll see how it goes when they actually get to the competition and voting phase and training phases.

Will definitely tune in the new season in a couple weeks.

[Ksyrup]

We're not watching this season. Or at least, haven't yet. It's being recorded and our daughter is watching and they haven't been deleted yet, but so far I have no interest in it. I think last year finally broke me with the judges and the format changes. There's virtually nothing left that I like about watching the show, and I'm damn sure not tuning in for the music and singing. The one thing that drew me in was knowing who the contestants were before the show even starts, but I wasn't motivated to find out any info beforehand, so that reason to watch has been eliminated, too.

There's also the issue of 2-hour episodes. I just can't watch them. Don't have the time. It's one of the reasons I find myself watching that auction show or storage wars - nice quick 30 minute shows I can watch without much time commitment. If I started watching AI, I know I'd get behind and not care enough to try to catch up, so why put the time in now?

[CrimsonFox]

I've found Hoarders to be more interesting than watching AI.
I LOVE that Auction HUnters show!

[Eaglesfan27]

Watched every season, but I don't have the time or inclination to watch this year so far.

[MJ4H]

Enjoying this season much more than last so far.

:2cents:

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Enjoying this season much more than last so far.

:2cents:

Why? I'm honestly curious.

[spleen1015]

I don't think it is any worse than last year. Some of the talent has been okay.

Ksyrup, I think there has only been 1 2 hours episode and it was the premiere. Everything else has been 1 I think.

[Ksyrup]

I just can't handle any of the judges. Randy is beyond expired and was useless even when he was "in his prime." J-Lo is a waste - I'd rather listen to Kara, and that's saying something. I just don't like or respect anything about her. And Tyler is a whopping turdball of disappointment. I didn't expect him to be the new Simon - since Nigel said they weren't looking to replace him - but I was hoping for some actual substance. And all we got was cheerleaders. Part of the fun of watching the judges critique the performances was having Randy babble, which was entertaining in its own way, Paula corkscrew herself into the ground trying to avoid saying anything mean - again, which had entertainment value - and then having Simon come in as (usually) the voice of reason. They've totally lost that balance. They're all pushing the product, and it's because the show's existence is being threatened, so pretending the talent is amazing is more important than the show itself.

And it even infected the auditions last year. After William Hung and You Are My Brother and Pants on the Ground, they realized they were allowing too many kooks to get too much facetime. So they went to the opposite extreme. Pretty much all they showed were people who made the top 24/36. They had the token kook, but aside from that, it was nothing but positive. Again, the "kinder, gentler" AI post-Simon. I'm glad they dumped the fame whores and wannabe comedians. But you know what they totally left out? The legit but on the fence singers. A group of singers who actually made the judges work, made them choose sides, and (GASP!) maybe be negative and turn someone down. THOSE were compelling auditions. I'm going to see enough of whoever makes the top 12 - show them, but show me some tough decisions and the results - elation, jubilation, devastation, suicide, whatever. I don't think I saw more than 2-3 auditions last year that didn't result in 3 absolute "no" votes, or 3 "you're definitely in" votes. And that sucked.

So anyway, that's been my rationale for skipping this season. I didn't really catch on to X Factor, either, because I don't like the idea of non-musicians mentoring contestants. This isn't Music Business Idol - Simon or that Pussycat Doll chick has no business mentoring vocalists. And frankly, with the expanded age limits and allowing groups, it came off as a music-only America's Got Talent/Star Search/Bachelor mash-up. The Voice I didn't get either, simply because the premise for the entire show (vocal ability matters more than looks) only mattered during the first audition. After that, it was a mix of X Factor and AI, but with far better judges than either of those shows.

[CrimsonFox]

I like this trend. Ksyrup's wonderful reviews of the show have now been replaced with insightful intelligent rants about the show. Keep it comin'!

[Ksyrup]

No, I'm done. I've been ranting about the show for the 9-10 years I watched, so no need to keep ranting if I'm not watching. If I start watching, I'm sure I'll comment.

[Scoobz0202]

I'm done for the sole reason that every year I'd get pissed I invested hours into a show only for the voting trends to be idiotic. I always enjoyed the unique voices and those never last.

I also actually was never a fan of the crazy terrible auditions. Just never got enjoyment out of watching people make fools of themselves. I'm excited for The Voice to return. I really enjoyed the first season.

[CrimsonFox]

I actually forgot about the show until you guys mentioned it. It just doesn't work without simon. And the obvious producer campaigning for people is lame as is the ridiculous allowance of singing the same song every round. The lean towards country "singing" is a huge turnoff for me as well.

[Solecismic]

Ksyrup articulated it well. The judging isn't judging any more. Simon had a way of keeping it all in check, and even he struggled when they went to four judges. I think that led to him burning out and leaving the show.

Randy was supposed to be the new voice of reason, but I think they forgot that Randy is simply the reflection of the audience. He feels their response and he articulates it. That's valuable, and that's why they had him in the first chair.

J-Lo was supposed to be the cheerleader, but her personality doesn't really allow for that. She's more a corporate lawyer who picks her favorites and relentlessly grinds down anyone who doesn't agree.

Stephen is a clown. They've never had a clown before. It doesn't work in this format.

So the show has to rest on the performances alone. Unfortunately, without Simon to guide the voters, it's more a popularity contest and that takes the fun out of watching.

You're absolutely right (and I know we talked about this last year) that what was missing from the tryout shows the last year or two was the fringe-candidates. What we lost was the gravitas of real discussions about talented individuals who weren't good enough.

Instead, they sent all the good stories through to Hollywood along with the top competitors. That gutted Hollywood week, as all it did was eliminate the non-talents who would cry on cue.

I'm still not tempted to watch.

[CrimsonFox]

And did you guys notice the increase of backstories? LIke they actually sent cameras to MANY kids' homes and stuff to film. That's crazy and they never used to do that. Telling me a sob story about them is NOT going to make me vote for them I just wanna see them fail or succeed. The sob stories just overshadow the actual people.

[Ksyrup]

They did that as a way to help people get to know the contestants who ultimately ended up on the show. The problem is, by doing that, they signaled early on who makes it and who doesn't. I never asked for in-depth interviews; all I really wanted was a fair shake for all the eventual top 12/24 people during the auditions. Studies showed that the people who made it but weren't featured during auditions rarely, if ever, advanced to the top 12, much less had a real shot at winning. I was just hoping for some balance there. Instead, they took the criticism to mean we needed to see videos of them living together in the mansion and to spend nearly every minnute of the auditions focusing on no one but the eventual live show contestants.

[Matthean]

I'm curious to see how far Jim Carrey's daughter goes. You have to figure they can use that for some hype. I did chuckle at Jane's response to JLo remembering when she last saw Jane and Jane's response was reminding JLO she was two at the time. No, I haven't watched the show. I just saw an article about it online.

[MJ4H]

The judges are more comfortable with each other this year and they haven't wasted nearly as much time making fun of people so far. I'm hoping that continues.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The Voice I didn't get either, simply because the premise for the entire show (vocal ability matters more than looks) only mattered during the first audition. After that, it was a mix of X Factor and AI, but with far better judges than either of those shows.

I'm seeing what you're saying about The Voice. The audition episodes were a ton of fun. But the battle episodes are kinda lame.

I'm getting that the judges are picking who they want to win ignoring the performance in front of them. And already the country factor is trumping actual quality.

[Ksyrup]

American Idol drew a 5.9 adults 18-49 rating last night, down 9% vs. a 6.5 rating last Wednesday (although typical upward adjustments in the final ratings are likely to trim that decline by a tenth). That was also down 34% from the third Wednesday telecast a year ago that averaged a 9.0 adults 18-49 rating and 25.16 million viewers.

[Mota]

I'm already bored with American Idol this season. I've watched every episode since Season 2 and this year I've missed a few already. Especially with all the other wannabees out there, it just feels played out. I can see why people are leaving in droves.

[SirFozzie]

After seeing the whole sad thing about the singer collapsing on stage... I hope like hell they had her sign about nine million "If you go on stage and fall and hurt yourself, it's your own damn stupid fault"..

Someone collapses multiple times, and is shaking from exhaustion, and instead of taking them to the hospital to be treated like a sane person would, you let them go on stage, collapse, and basically drag down at least two of her teammates out of the competition because they were too busy wondering, you know if their "teammate" was going to die next to them.

That's disgusting.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

After seeing the whole sad thing about the singer collapsing on stage... I hope like hell they had her sign about nine million "If you go on stage and fall and hurt yourself, it's your own damn stupid fault"..

Someone collapses multiple times, and is shaking from exhaustion, and instead of taking them to the hospital to be treated like a sane person would, you let them go on stage, collapse, and basically drag down at least two of her teammates out of the competition because they were too busy wondering, you know if their "teammate" was going to die next to them.

That's disgusting.

Well the crazy thing is she was a minor and her mother let her perform like that, which is crazy. I get your kid has a dream, but that is crazy.

My wife and I were discussing the group week and we both think they really need to revisit how they do it. I get the producers like the drama, but the whole thing is such a hot mess. Then this year you have multiple people passing out from trying to stay up all night. IT really isn't at all enjoyable to watch.

Another random thought, that Asian kid is funny as hell, I hope he goes far,

[SirFozzie]

to make things worse, I guess the Flu Bug ravaged the whole area.. so you had people pushing their bodies past the limit, in a pandemic area.. recipe for disaster.

[CrimsonFox]

Yeah, group challenges ruin every competition. So sick of seeing them on Top Chef and others as well. It becomes all about people that are too tightly wound and over bossy as well as the submissive or laid back people. And the actual work is just glossed over. And any difficult people usually skate by as the judges never see that stuff.

Hollywood week was always my favorite part of idol when I watched it. But yeah, it always became an allnighter about choreography and not much else.

[Ksyrup]

I have nothing to add, just kinda miss posting in an AI thread as a matter of routine. More than I miss the show, actually.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I have nothing to add, just kinda miss posting in an AI thread as a matter of routine. More than I miss the show, actually.

Agreed. We are about 6 episodes behind on the dvr. My wife and daughter aren't even pushing to watch, and I definitely couldn't care less. But I do miss the discussion and recaps.

[MJ4H]

Still enjoying the show.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Still enjoying the show.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you shouldn't. If you do, you do. I personally just feel a little burned out on the whole genre. I have only watched one episode of the Voice as well, and liked it a lot last year. I didn't get past the second week of regular shows of the X-factor as well. Just too many shows, too similar, and all doing the same thing that annoys me (ie. picking "good stories" over better talent).

[CrimsonFox]

I've watched the first 3 "The Voice" eps. Wow Blake is a crybaby.
I like the interaction of the judges and how it works. I hope they improve the actual singing part later on. But they added a lot of slots to make sure they have more audition rounds.

[CrimsonFox]

And Blake is FINALLY trying to get people that aren't all country twangers

[Thomkal]

I think Group Day needs to be stretched to two days to prepare or be done away with altogether. I mean most of the singers have never performed in a group and most will be solo artists when Idol is over if/when they go further with music as their career. Kids fainting/vomiting left and right isn't drama to me, its not something I want to see, and especially emphasized like it was the last two weeks.

I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes with health care people/psychologists availability during Hollywood week, but its pretty clear Idol needs to be more active about-getting them to eat and drink enough, do destressing exercises, get enough sleep, and just having someone there to talk them through their weakest moments.

And I see there's more group stuff in Vegas tonight, and at least one more person collapses. Yeah?

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I've watched the first 3 "The Voice" eps. Wow Blake is a crybaby.
I like the interaction of the judges and how it works. I hope they improve the actual singing part later on. But they added a lot of slots to make sure they have more audition rounds.

I like the Voice because they are just starting to tap into the talent that's available to them. Idol more and more is going to the teenagers because they grew up on Idol and have wanted to be on it their whole life-the older talent on Idol isn't nearly as good as it used to be. The performers on the Voice are usually much more experienced and polished. I can't say that there's anyone I've seen this season that I felt they never should have been chosen.

And I like the interactions between the judges as they fight over the talent. They probably need to bring in someone new and/or shift someone off after this season though.

[CrimsonFox]

Blake and Christina shoot themselves in the foot every time with their trash talk. Adam sits back and speaks glowingly about the contestants and the other two just badmouth Adam. And Adam and CeeLo win those people every time.

[CrimsonFox]

Incidently, CeeLo would make an awesome Bond villain (if he isn't already)

[Lathum]

I also think with Idol, especially group week, the parents should not be allowed to give input. It just adds to the unnecessary drama

[MJ4H]

Tonight has been a group night done right and the most enjoyable episode of Idol I've seen in a long time.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

The performers on the Voice are usually much more experienced and polished.

Not being remotely a fan of either show, I was still more than a little surprised to discover just how experienced some of the Voice contestants are.

Royal Bliss’ Neal Middleton Performs ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ on ‘The Voice’

That's a group with 9 albums to their credit, including some on a Capital Records deal, and at least two top 25 mainstream rock hits in the past four years.

[Ksyrup]

Unlike AI the Voice never tried to deceive people about the contestants' experience. I think they've been pretty upfront about it actually.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Unlike AI the Voice never tried to deceive people about the contestants' experience. I think they've been pretty upfront about it actually.

{shrug} Just surprised me to discover it as a non-viewer.

[Matthean]

I know Rachael Lampa got a group of artists together from Nashville and finished 8th. She's been putting out albums since she was 15.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

{shrug} Just surprised me to discover it as a non-viewer.

That was one of the primary things that got me interested in AI to begin with. After the initial run of true "undiscovered talent," the pool began to wear thin and they started identifying people with industry experience who had either failed or gotten sidetracked and began promoting them, complete with backstories that made little or no mention of their experience. The season where it reached its tipping point was the one with Carly Smithson and Michael Johns (and there may have been others) who were discovered to have had major label ties, with Smithson's solo album (under her maiden name) selling like 15 copies from a $2M+ investment.

I think it was the next year when another contestant was discovered to have ties to Randy Jackson's old label or something, as well as one of the producers on the show, and when that got out, she ended up being disqualified before the top 24 or Hollywood week (the details escape me now). That lead to AI changing the timing of when they held certain auditions and Hollywood week, to cut down on the number of leaks and "investigative reporting" going on by people all over the internet.

But with The Voice, I think they've been upfront about not really caring where you come from. They've had at least 1 or 2 former AI contestants on, as I recall.

For me, it was not so much that these shows are allowing experienced contestants, but that AI billed (and continues to bill) itself as the show where your typical "every person" can win, all the while hiding the fact that they've planted people with industry experience among the top 12 that America will be voting for and make sure to hide that fact as best they can. Like I said, it was more of an issue back around season 7 or so than it is now.