It’s been a few years since I’ve watched an episode of American Idol, but because of the Olympics, I thought I’d turn to Fox, just to see if I was missing anything.
Nope.
That’s right, nada. In fact, I turned back to what I originally thought was more boring — the biathlon — because I found the skiing/shooting event scintillating in comparison. And honestly, it sucks because despite my love and appreciation for Ellen DeGeneres, I now know she still isn’t enough of a reason for me to watch this season.
Why I hate Idol shouldn’t be the issue — my question is, why do people like it? It starts off like absolute torture, with people doing their best to show the world just what fabulous singers they are. And sure, there are some talented people, but the problem is, many aren’t as wonderful as they think. In fact, they’re downright horrendous. And the ones that are awful kill me. I never understood when a weeping guy or cursing girl are shocked they didn’t make it. Um, don’t you have any family or friends who tried to spare your humiliation in front of millions? Or are they all tone-deaf as well? When did it become acceptable to shame and belittle the young, ambitious and fantastical, and shatter their dreams on national television? It would be maddening if it weren’t so ridiculous. We’ve become a society that thinks the highest form of entertainment is based on ridicule and cruelty. Wipeout, anyone? (But the difference between Idol and Wipeout is the contestants on the big balls show know they’re there to be laughed at; Idol auditioners, not so much.)
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The last time I watched a full episode was the Season 7 finale with the showdown of the Davids. But since Idol has seen a steady decline in viewership since its sixth instalment, it’s clear producers and Fox weren’t about to lose the stranglehold the show had on ratings. So they did what they thought would be best — revamp.
One of the first things was put out a call for a fourth judge. Singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi was the woman they chose and in my opinion, it’s been downhill ever since. Even though I wasn’t Paula Abdul’s biggest fan (in fact, I was one of her many detractors), I liked the dynamic between her, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, and the trio really didn’t need anyone invading their turf. The producers insisted on four, Kara joined the cast … but Idol’s numbers continued to drop.
In Season 7, ratings were down 10 per cent from the previous year, and initial numbers for Season 8 showed further erosion, falling approximately 15 per cent compared to similar episodes from Season 7. And even though the Wednesday show continues to dominate, the Tuesday edition has shown that Idol is losing ground to CBS’s NCIS, which has come close to beating the Fox reality show in overall viewers. |
Paula Abdul is missed by many
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So when Paula decided to leave, I thought they would keep it at three judges, but they wanted to keep the panel at four. When they announced that Ellen DeGeneres was joining, I thought that was enough for me to give this current season a chance because I love Ellen. I even watched her
Idol debut for a little bit, and she was really good. Despite her lack of (if any) years in the music industry, she has eyes and more importantly, ears. She is able to differentiate between a good and bad audition, and tell the contestants the truth, brutal or not. In fact, she’s actually shown she could teach an old dawg (heh) new tricks and give auditioners informed, passionate critiques.
But despite all of that Ellen love, it’s still not enough to get me to tune in. The gild is off the lily. The blush is off the rose. Idol has lost its lustre and I am officially over it. All good things must come to an end. All I can hope for is that bad things finish even sooner. One can only hope.
American Idol airs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV/Fox.
Love or hate Idol? denette@tvguide.ca
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Denette’s not ashamed to say she has loved TV for as long as she can remember, whether she was rolling her eyes at Polkaroo on Polka Dot Door, catching up on soaps recorded on her family’s trusty Betamax, crushing on Face from The A-Team or laughing along with The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Nowadays, Denette digs Glee, Mad Men, Chuck, So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother, awards shows, and Friends reruns. Things that annoy her to no end are Samantha Harris’ co-hosting Dancing With the Stars, the addition of Kara DioGuardi on American Idol, someone calling during Lost and her PVR crashing. If you’ve thought it, it’s probably crossed her mind, too. Denette will gladly praise a show, but she’ll be more than happy to slam something if it sucks. |
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