2011 – Lady Gaga finishes up her last date in Mexico City on her Monster Ball Tour on This Day in Rock. She plans to be a mentor for up and comings on American Idol.
2011 – Steven Tyler from Aerosmith admitted that his addiction to drugs was so drastic that he hid cocaine in a drum on stage to take a fix during shows.
“I blew 20 million. I snorted my Porsche, I snorted my plane, I snorted my house in that din of drugs and booze and being lost.”
2011 – On this day in Rock, ‘American Idol’ aims to stay relevant, nurture performers
New judges, new rules, no Simon: This is American Idol?TV’s No. 1 show returns for its 10th season Wednesday (Fox, 8 p.m. ET/PT) with its biggest makeover yet, amid questions about the juggernaut’s future after four years of declining ratings and what was widely seen as a lackluster season that has yielded fewer record sales than any previous edition.
Judge Simon Cowell— arguably Idol‘s top draw — is gone, as are judges Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi, replaced by two well-known entertainers: Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Idol has lowered its eligibility age for contestants by a year to 15, overhauled middle rounds that traditionally have been the lowest-rated shows of the season, shifted its schedule from Tuesday-Wednesday to Wednesday-Thursday, and added a mentor, recording executive Jimmy Iovine, who will polish singers’ performances with a team of big-name record producers.
Q&A: Rushfield sings out about ‘Untold Story’IDOL CHATTER: All the latest on the upcoming seasonPHOTOS: See the show’s stars
Those involved with the show acknowledge the stakes. “Obviously, we’ve done it for a long time, and fortunately the show has been successful, but I think this is a crucial year for us,” host Ryan Seacrest says. “The stakes are high because we’ve got new infusions to the show. If we get it right, it will be a high return.”
MJ Santilli of Idol-centric MJ’s Big Blog (mjsbigblog.com) says Idol is at a crossroads.
“With falling ratings and failing music sales and Simon Cowell leaving, something has to happen to rejuvenate the franchise,” she says. “I could see Idol going on for many years, but if they’re going to remain culturally relevant, they have to have a really big year this year.”
Idol producers say change is standard for a long-running show — not an overreaction to ratings declines or an act of desperation.
“I think this is the most creative year for Idol,” says executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who returned after two years away. “We’ve been put in a position now where the show needed a shake-up. (It’s) 10 years old.”
The biggest change — and the one that critics say could do the most damage to Idol— is the loss of Cowell, who is working on a U.S. version of his hit talent show in the United Kingdom, The X Factor. The acerbic Brit, known for a mix of music savvy, wit and a tinge of nastiness, made Idol a phenomenon when the American version of England’s Pop Idol launched in 2002.
“Without Simon, I’m not sure how successful Idol would have been, regardless of how good (Season 1 winner) Kelly Clarkson was,” says Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogger Rodney Ho. “How much will viewers miss Simon’s commentary? That’s the question.”
At the same time, Ho says, Cowell seemed less interested last season, which contributed to a less-than-ideal judging panel. The show’s producers acknowledge that there was a lack of chemistry on the panel.
Simon is now the competition
Adding to the loss of Cowell, some wonder whether his X Factor, a singing competition that premieres on Fox in the fall, could cut into Idol‘s buzz and popularity. Unlike Idol, which allows singers 15 to 28 years old, X Factor has no upper age limit, and the judges serve as mentors. Seacrest says the shows are different enough for both to succeed.
“Knowing (Idol) needs to reinvent itself, knowing that if they did just phone it in this season and produce just a lackluster champion, you have the strong possibility of X Factor coming in and stealing their thunder and their zeitgeist. I think there’s this tremendous pressure to show they’re still relevant,” says Richard Rushfield, author of the upcoming American Idol: The Untold Story.
Executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz says Idol isn’t making the mistake of trying to replace Cowell with a facsimile.
“You can’t, and it would be foolish to try to do that,” she says. “If you go, ‘We’re going to find another slightly nasty British (recording) executive,’ people would reject that because that person would never live up to what Simon is. That’s a recipe for disaster. In our very humble opinion, the only thing you can do is try to create a panel that’s entertaining, likable and credible.”
In taped audition sessions sent to the press, lone holdover judge Randy Jackson takes more of a leadership role, Lopez shows a mix of sweetness with some Bronx attitude, and Tyler has the kind of spontaneity and unpredictability that once made Paula Abdul a can’t-miss attraction on the panel.
“I’m very happy with the chemistry,” Frot-Coutaz says. “They’re getting on really well. They’re interesting. They look great.”
The judges will be “very measured in what they say on a negative basis” and focused more on the singers who advance, Lythgoe says. “They are taking the ones remaining in the program and guiding them, and suggesting what to do to improve.”
An audience grows up
Despite a 9% ratings drop last season and complaints that it was sluggish, Idol easily remained TV’s No. 1 show (24.1 million viewers), a status it has held for seven years. Even if it has a similar ratings decline this year, it would be TV’s top show.
Curiosity about the new judges could boost initial viewership when Idol opens with audition episodes next week in New York/New Jersey and New Orleans, but a hit show in its 10th season isn’t likely to add audience overall, says Horizon Media’s Brad Adgate, who expects Idol to remain TV’s top show.
“Ideally, what Fox would like to see is that whatever audience erosion takes place be minimal, that these judges will click and the move to Wednesday and Thursday will work,” he says.
Idol remained TV’s top show with advertiser-prized young adults (ages 18-49) and teens (12-17) as well, but the median age of viewers has risen from 32 to 45 over nine seasons.
“It’s kind of become a little passé for the last several years with younger people. People who grew up with American Idol and watched the first couple of seasons, they might have been in elementary or junior high or even high school. I don’t think they’re watching now. They’re watching Jersey Shore,” Adgate says.
Idol, once at the forefront of technology with text voting, should be more involved with Facebook, Twitter and other social media, Lythgoe says. “What can we do to bring (younger viewers) back? I think it’s get onboard the new technology.”
After any initial boost in audience due to interest in the judges, the focus will be on the contestants, producers say. The show will ultimately sink or swim on the talent and personalities of the singers.
“As Nigel has always said, the importance of the judges is far overstated. The show should not be about the judges, it should be about the contestants,” Rushfield says. In recent seasons, “the judges consumed so much oxygen in every show that you felt these kids just didn’t have a chance to introduce themselves and break through.”
The show faltered last season in its effort to create a star, Newsday pop music critic Glenn Gamboa says. Some of the changes “show they’re trying to make the show back into a guaranteed superstar creator the way it was in the Carrie Underwood years,” he says. “This year, with (Season 9 winner) Lee DeWyze not doing very well (in record sales), they kind of feel they need to bump that up, or else why are people watching the show?”
Lopez disagrees with such star-production criticism. “I feel the track record has been pretty good. There’s like a one-in-a-million chance for somebody to become a superstar, and in nine years, I think they have three, four really big names who have really big careers. That’s a pretty good ratio. Are we going to find one? I think so. I really do. If not a couple.”
To help achieve that, Idol is making a bigger effort to groom the talent during the run of the show, adding Interscope Geffen A&M Records chairman Iovine and record producers including Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Polow da Don, Timbaland and Ron Fair to assist with musical arrangements and other performing elements.
“My role, I think, is to help make sure that we find an original voice, somebody with originality and feeling and is singing with their own voice rather than singing like someone else,” Iovine says. “They will be picking their own songs, but I help with coaching. … They have to improve every week, and I believe in the past they weren’t really getting the proper help to improve every week.”
Idol fan Clarke Brown, 56, of Anchorage was pleased to hear of Iovine’s involvement. “It shows they’re more serious about creating a star than just creating a show.”
More singers get to Hollywood
The biggest structural change is the shrinking of the semifinal round, an annual ratings trough between the popular auditions and live finals. Instead, Idol is adding a week to the Hollywood round, the first step for singers who survive the initial auditions. About 325 singers, more than ever, were brought to Hollywood, providing a greater number of contestants with a chance to shine.
That group eventually was cut to 60, who went to Las Vegas to perform Beatles songs on the stage of Cirque du Soleil’s Love, a Beatles-tribute show. The 40 surviving that process entered another phase in episodes being taped this week, performing a song selected by Iovine and his producers and one of their own, including original compositions.
From that group, the judges were to choose 20 semifinalists. In the first live shows in early March, those singers will go before viewers, who will get the chance to vote five men and five women into the finals. Judges’ wild-card picks will follow.
Other changes include:
•Lowering the eligibility age to 15. “There were a couple of kids who were 15 and sing so good. I was like, ‘Where did you get that from?’ I thought you had to play clubs 10 years to be that good,” Tyler says. “The kids sing so much better than when I was young. … People are listening to music so much now, like a million hours by the time they’re in their 20s.”
•Limiting musical instruments in performances. Frot-Coutaz says last year’s performers, which included a fair number of indie singer/songwriter types, essentially hid behind their guitars, with less-than-engaging visuals. Along those same lines, the show is making more of an effort to find bigger personalities. “We’ve had some talented people in the past, but I feel we’ve got some talented people who have a little bit more personality and star potential,” Jackson says. “Now, rather than just being a good singer, you need to have something interesting about you, your voice, personality.”
•Bringing in a new music director, Ray Chew, and reworking the set.
And other changes are being considered, such as whether to show video from the house where the finalists stay, Lythgoe says. “Don’t think Big Brother. Think of it as another opportunity to see real situations and how people react that get you to know the person.”
Lopez, a longtime Idol fan, praises the adjustments but says loyal viewers will find that the basic DNA of the show remains unaltered. “It’s the same show in the sense that it’s about singing and these kids doing this competition,” she says. “It’s not changing it so drastically, just adding new elements here and there.”
2011 – New American Idol judges don’t want to be the bad guy!
PASADENA, Calif. – Now that Simon Cowell is gone, nobody is ready to claim the villain’s role on “American Idol.”
New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler told reporters Tuesday that they’re looking forward to using their experience to help guide new artists. The series is set to begin its 10th season on Jan. 19, with only Randy Jackson left from the original cast of judges.
The judges have been candid as they’ve filmed early rounds of the contest, Lopez said.
“We’re both very spontaneous with how we critique each and every person who walks in. … We’re very honest and in the moment,” said the singer-actress.
But they also call on their professional insights to help the contestants, she said.
“There’s nothing like having that kind of discussion with another artist to help you grow,” Lopez said.
Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said the new season of “American Idol” will be more about searching for an eventual winner of the show, “rather than stopping people getting there.”
Jackson, known on “Idol” for his fondness for the word “dawg,” said fans will see “a more assertive dog, a little bit more ‘hair of the dog.’”
Producers and host Ryan Seacrest promised a more fun ride. “There’s a genuine camaraderie with this group,” Seacrest said.
Tyler made a splash at the start of the Television Critics Association news conference.
When producers were asked if he would be put on a “five-second delay,” suggesting the Aerosmith frontman might be prone to salty remarks, Tyler jumped in.
“F— no!” he exclaimed.
Asked about the lack of a major recording star emerging from the last few seasons, the panel said the problem wasn’t in the singers but the records they’ve released. Lee DeWyze won last year’s contest, with Kris Allen the audience’s choice the season before, and neither has approached the success of past winners Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.
“If you make a great record, the public will buy” it, Jackson said.
Added Seacrest: “This is the greatest springboard out there, but you still have to find a record that works.”
Jimmy Iovine, head of the Interscope Geffen and A&M label that will record the winner, said he’s been involved with the show from the start and wants to ensure the new Idol represents an “original voice.”
Singing in the style of an established performer is “not particularly attractive to a record company,” said Iovine, who was described by Fox as the show’s “in-house mentor.”
Changes in “Idol” include extending the “Hollywood Week” auditions to cut the semifinalist field to a smaller number, 20, which gives the voting audience fewer singers to choose as finalists, and allowing contestants to perform their own material.
The revisions were necessary in light of the judging panel makeover, said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
“It’s important that the show evolve with the change of cast. Otherwise, you’re putting a new cast in somebody else’s show,” she said.
“American Idol” continued its reign last season as the most-watched TV show but has seen its ratings erode.
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AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
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Online:
http://www.fox.com
By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer Lynn Elber, Ap Television Writer – 5 mins ago
By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer Lynn Elber, Ap Television Writer – 5 mins ago
PASADENA, Calif. – Now that Simon Cowell is gone, nobody is ready to claim the villain’s role on “American Idol.”
New judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler told reporters Tuesday that they’re looking forward to using their experience to help guide new artists. The series is set to begin its 10th season on Jan. 19, with only Randy Jackson left from the original cast of judges.
The judges have been candid as they’ve filmed early rounds of the contest, Lopez said.
“We’re both very spontaneous with how we critique each and every person who walks in. … We’re very honest and in the moment,” said the singer-actress.
But they also call on their professional insights to help the contestants, she said.
“There’s nothing like having that kind of discussion with another artist to help you grow,” Lopez said.
Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said the new season of “American Idol” will be more about searching for an eventual winner of the show, “rather than stopping people getting there.”
Jackson, known on “Idol” for his fondness for the word “dawg,” said fans will see “a more assertive dog, a little bit more ‘hair of the dog.’”
Producers and host Ryan Seacrest promised a more fun ride. “There’s a genuine camaraderie with this group,” Seacrest said.
Tyler made a splash at the start of the Television Critics Association news conference.
When producers were asked if he would be put on a “five-second delay,” suggesting the Aerosmith frontman might be prone to salty remarks, Tyler jumped in.
“F— no!” he exclaimed.
Asked about the lack of a major recording star emerging from the last few seasons, the panel said the problem wasn’t in the singers but the records they’ve released. Lee DeWyze won last year’s contest, with Kris Allen the audience’s choice the season before, and neither has approached the success of past winners Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.
“If you make a great record, the public will buy” it, Jackson said.
Added Seacrest: “This is the greatest springboard out there, but you still have to find a record that works.”
Jimmy Iovine, head of the Interscope Geffen and A&M label that will record the winner, said he’s been involved with the show from the start and wants to ensure the new Idol represents an “original voice.”
Singing in the style of an established performer is “not particularly attractive to a record company,” said Iovine, who was described by Fox as the show’s “in-house mentor.”
Changes in “Idol” include extending the “Hollywood Week” auditions to cut the semifinalist field to a smaller number, 20, which gives the voting audience fewer singers to choose as finalists, and allowing contestants to perform their own material.
The revisions were necessary in light of the judging panel makeover, said executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz.
“It’s important that the show evolve with the change of cast. Otherwise, you’re putting a new cast in somebody else’s show,” she said.
“American Idol” continued its reign last season as the most-watched TV show but has seen its ratings erode.
___
AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.
News Corp.’s Fox will announce next week that recording artists Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are joining “American Idol” as judges, according to two people with knowledge of the plans.
Randy Jackson, an original judge on the most-watched U.S. television program, will return, said the people, who sought anonymity because the plans aren’t public. Fox will make the announcement Sept. 22 in Los Angeles, one of the people said.
The network is altering “Idol” after judge Simon Cowell left last season to start a new talent show, “The X-Factor,” on Fox in September 2011. Nigel Lythgoe returned to “Idol” as a producer and is putting a higher priority on music. Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Universal Music Group’s Interscope Records will be a creative consultant on the show, one person said.
Gaude Paez, a spokeswoman at Fox Broadcasting in Los Angeles, said the network declined to comment.
News Corp., controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch, fell 20 cents to $13.54 at 2:37 p.m. on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Before today, the Class A shares were little changed this year.
The Los Angeles Times reported last month that Tyler and Lopez would join “Idol,” and that Iovine would have a role at the show.
2010 – Howard Stern told his satellite radio listeners Monday morning (Feb. 9) that the rumor is true: “American Idol” producers are, in fact, considering him to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on the show. What’s more, he’s tempted to take the job and leave his Sirius XM show behind.
“I’ll do that for $100 million.” Stern said. “For $100 million a year, to judge a karaoke contest? Ok. Why not?”
Stern’s exclusive, $100-a-year million contract with Sirius XM expires in January 2011, and on Friday it was widely reported that “Idol” producers are willing to match the shock jock’s current salary.
“It might be possible. We’ll see,” added Stern. “Name a person who could bring more excitement to that show than me.”
While adding fuel to the speculation, Stern also gave listeners a taste of what his judging style might be like. “If I was the judge on ‘American Idol,’ looks would play into the judging, too,” Stern said. I would be honest with them. I would say, ‘Look at you. You’re out of shape, go work out.’ It would be sort of like ‘The Biggest Loser’ and ‘American Idol’ combined.”
“And believe me, I’ll find some Kelly Clarksons out there,” Stern continued. First of all, I would have straightened out that Adam Lambert, number one. That’s why his career tanked — the kid had more publicity than anyone and he f—ed up. And Number 2, I wouldn’t even put through that good looking kid who won, that Kris Allen. He never would have even been through.”
Stern also shared his opinion on past “American Idol” winners. “Carrie Underwood — I would’ve told her to lose weight. I remember she was chubby, and look at her — she looked great on the Super Bowl. And Fantasia Barrino…I like you, but you gotta clean up your act.”
Stern didn’t spare any words for the current roster of “American Idol” judges, either. “I’m gonna buy one of those taser guns; I’m gonna tase Ellen DeGeneres,” Stern joked. ” ‘Go ahead Ellen, why don’t you do that dumb dance you do on your show? Here’s my taser.’”
“Can you imagine me sitting there with like a little ping-pong paddle, and I smack Randy Jackson’s belly every time he opens his dopey mouth?” Stern continued.
The only person spared from Stern’s wrath? General Larry Platt, who stole this season’s audition rounds with “Pants on the Ground.” “I like that song,” said Stern. “He’d be in Hollywood right now, that guy.”
When a listener asked Stern if he’d consider keeping his radio show while judging “American Idol,” the host responded, “Hell, no…I’m just gonna do what Oprah pulled on Sirius XM. I’m gonna ask Sirius for $50 million not to show up and I’ll just record a phone conversation with [co-host] Robin [Quivers] once a week.”
2005 – Due to a display of incorrect phone numbers at the end of an “American Idol” performance episode, the entire public vote is scrapped with plans to redo voting the following night.
American Idol are forced to have a re-vote after the right person doesn’t win … we mean, when they display the incorrect phone numbers for each of the 11 contestants during the voting stage of the Fox TV talent show.
2004 – “American Idol” semi-finalist Donnie Williams is arrested in Danville, Calif. for DUI, forcing producers of the latest competition to pull him from the show.
2004 – Although already quite animated, “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell makes the transition to cartoon form on another Fox television series, “The Simpsons.” The outspoken talent evaluator parodies himself in the episode, titled “Smart & Smarter,” as a tough admissions committee member at a school where the Simpsons hope to enroll their baby daughter Maggie.
2003 – Jaered Andrews, a contestant on Fox’s American Idol, is charged with simple assault following a Nov. 2002 fight that ended in one man’s death. He is dropped from the show.
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