COULD YOU BE A TEENAGE IDOL?

Could you be a movie Star? 

When I turn on my TV will you smile and wave at me, 
telling Oprah who you are?

       So goes Michael Buble’s song “Hollywood,”  the theme song of American Idol.

The 10th season of American Idol (2011) is once again giving its millions of viewers every eye-popping, dazzling, jaw dropping performances that had made this phenomenon a huge success.  

      Simon Fuller created American Idol as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol which was inspired by the Australian TV show Popstars. The program aims to discover the best singer in the country where viewers can vote for their favorites through telephone calls or SMS. The show has produced Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, and Charice Pempengco.

          It is “still the number 1 Television Show,” according to the Nielsen charts, and “the most impactful show in the history of television,” “It has become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars,” according to Entertainment Weekly. The talent show has garnered almost every viewership demographics on the TV ratings. “The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.

                                          Image Credit:  Washington Post

Simon Phillip Cowell, who along with Simon Fuller, had introduced American Idol to the U.S., is also known as  Mr.Nasty and Judge Dread.  He dropped out of school at the age of 16.  Says that the first time he gave a criticism was at age four when he looked at his mother's white fuzzy pillbox hat and remarked  “Mum, you look like a poodle” His father was a company executive at EMI. He worked as a mail boy at EMI and eventually worked his way to become an A&R representative.

      In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated his U.S. earnings at $45 million for the year.

He ranked no. 6 in the 2008 Telegraph's list: “The 100 most powerful people in British culture”. In the same year, he earned an estimated $72 million in income from his various projects. $45 million from American Idol, $15 million from Britain's Got Talent and X Factor, and $12 million from his record label.  He was included in Time magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People in the World- Artists’ category.”   

          Last January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving American Idol to pursue introducing his British show The X Factor to the USA for 2011. Kara DioGuardi also left the show on September 3, 2010 after two seasons. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler will join the judging panel.

American Idol tends to be scrutinized more than any other TV show. The viewers are frustrated when their favorites are voted off, or when their favorite contestants are too harshly reproached. 

The show has a panel of judges who critique the contestants’ performances, but at the end, it is the viewers who vote for the winners. The original three judges were Grammy Award-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, Grammy Award-winning pop singer and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Paula Abdul and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell.

The judging panel currently  consists of Jackson, singer Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. The trio is a lot gentler than the previous set of judges.


  American Idol has already been labeled by competing network executives as the death star of prime time television. Since its inception in the summer of 2002, no other TV show has managed to top its number one ranking for 6 consecutive seasons.  This is truly a feat no competitor has surpassed in many years, according to television authorities.  

HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS

During the show, contenders perform famous songs in their own rendition for the judges to provide their opinion,  but it is the on-shore viewers’  weekly vote for their favorite performers  which influences the outcome, eventually narrowing down the competition to two finalists who compete for a major recording contract and the prestigious title of American idol. Those who audition are evaluated by the judges in varying categories such as talent, ability, look and style. Tens of thousands of eager contestants are cut down to a shortlist of future artists who perform on air weekly.

After viewing contestants perform songs each week, home audiences vote for their favorites. The results are announced weekly during the live broadcast -- until only two finalists remain. Following the series’ 2-part premiere, the home viewing audience determine which contestants advanced to the next round (and the possibility of stardom) - by casting their vote weekly via telephone or via text-messaging. During the live season finale, the final 2 solo performers will vie for a major recording contract, with the voting audience at home choosing the “American Idol.”

Critics have predicted the death star to be losing its magnitude and pull on the viewer’s interest because of the recent events, the resignation of the famous judges, the excessive reproach for the contestants, and many other factors. The other original judges like Paula Abdul (2002–2009), Kara DioGuardi (2009–2010), Ellen DeGeneres (2010) losing faith in keeping the TV program afloat. But even so the Fox TV network is still hopeful that the fresh arrival of entertainment giants like Steven Tyler, and the return of Jennifer Lopez are now helping to re-align this talent show back on course.

It is back on course. This 2011, we have the Top 12 Guys and the Top 12 girls to choose from. James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, and Scotty McCreery  are the favorites among the guys. Who is your favorite among the Top 12 Girls?  Do you think 15-year old Thia Megia (full name Thialorei Lising Megia) would win this Season’s crown? - Copyright 2011. Ma. Francia Bengco