KEN LEAVOY - Scribbles.co
I was really enjoying this season of American Idol, for the first time in many years. The judges, Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. have great chemistry and their choices as to who moved forward were for the most part the right ones.
Then along came the "surprises", new mini cliffhangers the producers have thrown in. Like when the contestants first land in Hollywood and were separated into two buses. One bus was going to the hotel, the other back to the airport. so basically these kids enjoyed a round flight trip and practiced their hearts out for nothing. Given there were still a hoard of contestants during the pre-recorded bus episode, the nasty ride was forgiven.
A week ago, on another pre-recorded episode, the judges selected the Idol wannabees that would be moving on to next week's first live show of the season.Billed as a 3 day event "Rush Week" led viewers to believe 15 girls would sing the first night, 15 boys on the second night and the top 13 selected on Thurs.
But that's not what Idol producers chose to do. Instead of all 15 performers singing, the judges would select only 10, revealed one at a time throughout the 2 hour live show. The other 5 got to appear on stage with their fellow losers, for a quick round of applause, before being brushed aside.
The move to eliminate 10 contestants without letting them perform live produced a fury of comments on Idol's Twitter and facebook pages. Most agreeing, the process is not only unfair, it is cruel.
Others feel Idol producers are deliberately pushing through the singers they like best, while cutting some very talented performers along the way.
Whether
the judges or producers are pushing their favorites through or the Idol
hopefuls that move on to the Top 13 are actually decided upon by the
viewers, there is no ideal voting method. Look at the years when contestants like Sanjaya Malakar or William Hung stuck around far longer than they should have because some viewers thought it would be amusing.
During Simon Cowell's judging days, how many times did we hear him say, "America, please remember, you are voting for the best singer" after someone with potential was being sent home while a less talented contestant stayed.
Of all the American Idol winners, only a couple have gone on to superstar status, while MANY runner-ups outshine their season's big winner.
The real prize on American Idol is the exposure and opportunity offered to these young talents and no matter how many changes the show may make, THAT'S something that will never change.