I have watched since the first season, although I didn't start following it until the last two shows that first season. I still saw the first American Idol chosen.
I was rooting for Crystal Bowersox, but Lee DeWyze won and to tell you the truth, I sometimes wonder how we really know (any year) what the totals are and who really decides. (Maybe the big networks let us believe we actually have a vote.) As we know, everything is for ratings.
Lee is lucky, as he will have a much better life than mixing paint in that department store where he worked. Crystal also needed the nationwide coverage and she will do just fine.
Some people are saying that Idol has now definitely "jumped the shark", referring to when a program starts the downward spiral and they pull out any and all ridiculous tactics to try to save it. This refers to Happy Days' episode when the Fonz jumped a shark while water skiing in an outlandish attempt to try to keep the program new and fresh.
The Dancing With the Stars host claims that Idol upset the usual three-judges standard by adding a fourth, which thew off the balance. Maybe. But I remember during Idol's previous seasons when Paula Abdul kept embarrassing herself on videos that went viral, slurring her words while doing spots on QVC and caught at other times obviously under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. She denied it, of course, saying that she is just loopy and silly....but it was obvious.
Simon was the easy one to dislike. He was nearly always correct! However, his lack of tact was brutal at times and he was resented/hated by a lot of the contestants that tried out.
Randy was also unknown by many a few years back, but he is also a musician and producer who is well-respected.
Although I love Ellen's show and find her a charming and funny person -- let's face it. She is not a song writer, a singer or anyone who has been connected with the music industry at all. (Although an update is that as of this week she will start her own label and feature new singer/songwriters.) She also has a FIVE year contract at Idol.
Idol is known for paying a ridiculous amount of money, so it's a good deal for all who are hired as judges.
Truthfully, I do think the three-person panel may have been the key before, with a popular musical guest now and then as a visiting judge. I think for the kids on stage to get a kind review from someone very famous in the music industry gave them a lot of hope and encouragement.
Although many people didn't know Kara before this past season, (like me, for instance) She has a beautiful voice, has been singing since she was a child and is a prolific song writer. She and Carrie Underwood co-wrote the song that Carrie sang onstage last night.
Speaking of Carrie Underwood, I think she's been the best Idol ever so far.
All in all, it would be a shame if the show now tanked; because it gave the opportunity to so many young people who were hoping and praying for a music career, but needed to be seen by the public.
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I believe that Idol will not long survive without Simon. It was not an improvement to increase the judge pannel to four, but Simon was entity that kept viewers coming back every week and every year. Of course he seemed brutal and insensitive, but Americans already become morbidly sensitive to truthtelling by the time he arrived on the scene. Viewers of the show, imho, found his verdicts to be a breath of fresh air, someone who said it like it is without so much sugarcoating; validating and informing what most viewer's own opinions about the various performers were. We're sick and tired of being lied to to spare our feelings or to spare what we think the feelings of other people might be. He seem tactless to us, but he has the "chops" to back up his statements.
Now, if I can take a step back from my oversized soapbox, I sided with Bowersox, too. She outperformed Lee every night, including both nights this week. When she was off the mark, Lee was even further from his. My wife told me that Crystal never seemed to get any better throughout the season. I responded by saying that she was the top of the class from day one! What's more, this is the second season in a row that I sided with the runner-up and that I firmly believe the runner-up was the far superior performer. This is yet another sign, to me, that Idol is on its way out. I hope I am wrong about my prediction, but I will certainly not lose sleep over it either way.
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