American Idol executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have been fired by Fox, finally paving the way for the show to be redefined, perhaps by producers who will have contestants sing songs that were produced in the same century as their birth. Fox said in a statement, “The passion and dedication that Nigel Lythgoe… continue reading
American Idol 12
Randy Jackson quitting American Idol; Nigel Lythgoe, other judges may be fired, too
Randy Jackson, the last remaining original judge, is leaving American Idol after 12 seasons. His confirmation of his exit came after a report that said all four judges would be fired next season along with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Both stories come at the end of a massively disappointing season that’s spawned wild rumors and… continue reading
Harry Connick, Jr.: American Idol judge? Calm down
Once again, Harry Connick, Jr.’s appearance on American Idol has led to speculation and excitement that he might judge the Fox reality show. While he could clearly handle the job, he’s rejected it in the past, and doesn’t seem eager to take it now. An E! News story excitedly announces that “he’s been approached about… continue reading
American Idol’s “shocking” results, disguised amid gibberish, just like the episode
American Idol resolved what it’s doing with the extra week it has since the judges’ save wasn’t used: no one was eliminated this week, though Ryan Seacrest didn’t reveal that until the end of the episode. As a result, the results show seemed like even more of a waste of time than usual. There’s nothing… continue reading
Secret plan to dump Mariah Carey from American Idol called “ridiculous” by Fox
American Idol is experiencing its lowest-ratings since season one, despite a pre-season feud, and Fox and the show’s producers came up with an innovative plan, according to a report: Fire Mariah Carey and replace her with Jennifer Lopez, who judged last year and then quit, but that didn’t happen because Mariah threatened to sue. The… continue reading
Idol has its first-ever all-female top five after neutering its male finalists
No one with a penis remains on American Idol. Having eliminated all its white guys, thereby preventing a repeat of the WGWG winner, the show has now been purged of all its men, giving the show its first-ever all-female top five. Even though this makes history, it’s no surprise: American Idol and its judges have… continue reading
American Idol ratings have never been this low
The number of people watching Fox’s American Idol reached an all-time low this week, for both its performance and results shows. Thursday’s episode was watched by 11.03 million viewers and had a 2.7 rating among viewers 18 to 49. Wednesday’s episode had 12.33 million viewers and a 3.2 rating. Survivor, which aired opposite Wednesday’s performance… continue reading
Shocking: A white guy won’t win American Idol this year
American Idol has been won by a white guy for the past five years in a row, but the trend that began with David Cook during season seven has come to an end, because there are no white men left in the competition. And it’s very likely that a woman will win, considering the remaining… continue reading
Two American Idol tell-all books, two works of fiction
After 12 seasons, American Idol may not be the insanely popular television phenomenon it once was, but it still draws attention and interest in its behind-the-scenes machinations, enough to generate two new tell-all books. But there’s a catch: Both books are about the Fox reality show, but both hide their stories and revelations under a… continue reading
Nicki Minaj is the only reason to watch American Idol
American Idol is in its Hollywood round, and there is only one reason to watch: Nicki Minaj. While even Hollywood is the same-old, same-old, Nicki’s comments are the one bright spot. Nicki is an improved version of Simon Cowell with some Kara DioGuardi, Steven Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez added in. She’s insightful, direct, witty, and… continue reading
Glee Project’s Matheus auditions for Idol, which may have its first-ever openly gay contestant
American Idol‘s abbreviated auditions are ending, and the end-of-the-day sad story on Wednesday’s episode belonged to Matheus Fernandes, who competed on season one of Oxygen’s The Glee Project, though the show didn’t acknowledge it, and not everyone noticed. Perhaps more surprising is that the show featured what may be its first openly gay auditioner. Papa… continue reading
Idol edits out the best part of Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey fight
For some inexplicable reason, American Idol included Nicki Minaj leaving the set of the show during the Charlotte auditions last night, but edited out the actual fight that followed Summer Cunningham’s audition. While we saw the judges talking about whether or not Summer is only suited for singing country, we did not see Nicki telling… continue reading
Are American Idol’s judges powerless, taking orders from producers?
Are Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson just doing the bidding of American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe? A theory and analysis of audition footage suggests that American Idol‘s judges no longer make their own decisions, instead looking to producers to tell them whether or not to send a contestant to Hollywood… continue reading
Despite Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah, American Idol has barely changed: stunning
American Idol 12‘s debut last night proved one thing: it will remain fundamentally the same show regardless of its judges or producers, whether there are changes to the structure or not. Even a somewhat judge-centered episode focusing on Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey and their something-out-of-nothing spats, the show was like always: generally pointless bickering,… continue reading
Why Vote for the Worst was just like American Idol
The web site Vote for the Worst announced on Sunday that it will shut down after nine years, following the end of American Idol‘s 12th season. Founder Dave Della Terza wrote that “American Idol is really no longer relevant” and proclaimed, “We helped kill American Idol, but even more so, American Idol helped kill itself… continue reading