I've noticed bits and pieces of conversations in various threads about what we think should change for AI7. I thought it might be fun to have a thread just for discussing those ideas. Yea, Nay?
This season seems to be the most universally panned season for the 'meh' factor. So what will bring back the old 'magic'?
Should the voting rules change? Should we see more backstage fun and nonsense? Did AI 'Jump the Shark' this year? Replace one or all of the judges? Less delusional auditions? More delusional auditions? And entire season of delusional contestants? Heh.
I'd definately like to see more behind the scenes stuff. We really didn't get to know any of the contestants this year. Kiki has a daughter? Blake's dad is a softie? Jordin's only 17? Ok, well, we knew that one.
And definately less with the celebrity mentor's for me. Promoting them seemed to be more important than getting us invested in the contestants. How about one week guest mentor, one week a guest judge?
One exception though: Please, please, please, oh pretty please have Bette Midler as a guest mentor next year. Yea, yea, her perfomance was total crap last night, but such squee in this house when she came out! Queens of the world unite! Send a petition! Bette for Mentor in AI7!
Your thought?
The PTB Suggestion Box
Started by
Cryndalae
, May 24 2007 08:47 AM
493 replies to this topic
#1
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 8:47 AM
#2
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 9:41 AM
I would love to see a reduction in the number of craptastic auditions. For every Xcentrik and Big Bird, there is a legitimately talented or semi-talented person not getting a pass into the judges round. I know that the bad auditions are part of the appeal of the show, but it seemed like this year more than half the auditions were crap and a waste of everyone's time.
I would also like to see a return of the group sings. I don't know why they got scrapped for the most part, but they are far more interesting filler than texting what color shirt Simon is wearing. "Balamos" was awesome in its ridiculousness!
I would also like to see a return of the group sings. I don't know why they got scrapped for the most part, but they are far more interesting filler than texting what color shirt Simon is wearing. "Balamos" was awesome in its ridiculousness!
#3
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 10:27 AM
I totally agree that the guest mentors played much too big a role this year. However, I think that an even bigger problem was the miscellaneous "I have an album coming out, and although I have nothing to do with the show, TPTB have scheduled me to perform instead of spending time on the actual contestants" performances. I also would like to see more of the good auditions (and better contestants for that matter).
#4
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 10:53 AM
They can show all the bad auditions they want as long as they show as many of the eventual Top 24/44's auditions as possible (I realize some might not be possible to air because of song licensing issues, but those should be relatively few, because any smart contestant knows now which songs won't be cleared for broadcast.)
#5
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 11:26 AM
Fire Randy Jackson; hire Randy Johnson.
Seriously, anything -- even an ApplauseamaTron -- would be an improvement at this point.
Seriously, anything -- even an ApplauseamaTron -- would be an improvement at this point.
#6
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 11:37 AM
Idol is big enough and rich enough at this point to air any audition they want to from the top 44/40/24/whatever they do. The can't get the clearance to the song is utter BS and is entirely an issue of penny-pinching. Every song has its price in the industry, and if the artist won't give up the rights to their song, there are ways to get around it. If Beyonce doesn't want someone to sing one of her songs and she doesn't have writing credits: guess what? Tough cookies. Idol only needs to obtain the underlying composition rights and performance rights (neither controlled directly by the artist) to air someone else singing their own version of the song. If they really can't get the rights, the contestant probably won't move on to the later rounds anyway, since they aren't playing into the Idol machine.
So a little more money being invested into the show would be a good thing.
Also, pre-registration with guaranteed spots in line like the Canadian Idol auditions. It's works there, it works at plenty of other auditions, it can work with Idol. It's a matter of capping the auditions at a certain number and actually trying to book the venues more than 3 days before the first audition. That way, people don't become violently ill from the strain of having to get up at 1 in the morning to be number 2497 in a line that wasn't supposed to start until 6 in the morning just to register, only to have to come back the next night (if they want any guaranteed TV time) to line up for the morning shoots and then site inside for less than 12 hours to audition.
Also, follow your own rules. If you say no one can line up until 6, then turn people away until 6:00. It's only fair to the people who follow the rules not to reward people who can't read the instructions that are very clear. If they don't sign the contract before showing up, kick them out. If they don't have their wrist band at the audition, kick them out. If they bring more than one guest into the venue for the open call, tell them to leave. Follow your own damn rules and people will not be as upset about the audition process anymore.
Also, have access to food, water, and working restrooms at the auditions sites. Again, people get sick because of this, foul up their audition, and wind up losing out because they can barely see straight by the time they're 4 thousand people away from auditioning.
So a little more money being invested into the show would be a good thing.
Also, pre-registration with guaranteed spots in line like the Canadian Idol auditions. It's works there, it works at plenty of other auditions, it can work with Idol. It's a matter of capping the auditions at a certain number and actually trying to book the venues more than 3 days before the first audition. That way, people don't become violently ill from the strain of having to get up at 1 in the morning to be number 2497 in a line that wasn't supposed to start until 6 in the morning just to register, only to have to come back the next night (if they want any guaranteed TV time) to line up for the morning shoots and then site inside for less than 12 hours to audition.
Also, follow your own rules. If you say no one can line up until 6, then turn people away until 6:00. It's only fair to the people who follow the rules not to reward people who can't read the instructions that are very clear. If they don't sign the contract before showing up, kick them out. If they don't have their wrist band at the audition, kick them out. If they bring more than one guest into the venue for the open call, tell them to leave. Follow your own damn rules and people will not be as upset about the audition process anymore.
Also, have access to food, water, and working restrooms at the auditions sites. Again, people get sick because of this, foul up their audition, and wind up losing out because they can barely see straight by the time they're 4 thousand people away from auditioning.
#7
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:05 PM
Reduce the number of wackos we see at auditions. I know people tune in for the crazies... but this year, the wackos drove real contenders off the screen. Also, stop exploiting people who are obviously mentally challenged. There are enough people with delusions of talent that it's hardly necessary to make fun of the ones who can't help themselves.
No one should get through to the Top 24 without having had noticeable screen time in auditions and Hollywood. Yes, this hints at who will make it (so give time to people who go to Hollywood and get cut, already!), but it also allows contenders to start building their fan bases. The audience isn't looking for huge shockers at this stage; we're checking out whom we want to bond with.
Give a lot more time to the Hollywood week. We saw very few performances and had little reason to care.
Bring back cheesy footage on the Top 24's personal lives! Please! How were we to tell Stephanie from Sabrina (other than the hair) when all we saw was two skinny African-American women who sang the same sorts of songs and had names starting with S? Can anyone remember which was Amy and which was Alaina, other than that they must not have been Haley?
Don't be so blasted disingenuous about who advances from Hollywood. The time to worry about "too many divas" is not after putting in the Top 24 a total of five African-American women who seem to sing R&B-ish music. All were good enough singers to deserve it, but there were probably also many excellent singers in other genres who could have advanced equally well. The judges and producers had time to think it over and choose whatever mix they wanted. Same thing with the "weak boys" group. They had a huge pool to choose from. If the selection of men is weak, whose fault is that?
Take a stand on whether singers are supposed to "make a song their own" or not. Pick one. The audience has figured out that the same singer will get "it was too karaoke" one week and "dawg, that song should just be sung the way it was written" the next. (In this vein, decide whether the purpose of the theme nights is to determine whether singers can make anything "their own" or whether they can sing anything in the original style written. Using the double standard to trash non-favorites and elevate favorites has gotten old.)
If you don't want to hear singers take on Whitney, Celine, and Aretha, ban their songs from all performances from Top 24 to Top 3. Just do it. Stop using it as an intelligence test for your competitors -- they are mostly not bright enough to pass.
If singers with CDs dropping want to be guest mentors, it's time to have standards for what they're supposed to do. Jon Bon Jovi was great because he was there jamming with the Idols. Gwen Stefani phoned it in for a planet in the Alpha Centauri system.
No one should get through to the Top 24 without having had noticeable screen time in auditions and Hollywood. Yes, this hints at who will make it (so give time to people who go to Hollywood and get cut, already!), but it also allows contenders to start building their fan bases. The audience isn't looking for huge shockers at this stage; we're checking out whom we want to bond with.
Give a lot more time to the Hollywood week. We saw very few performances and had little reason to care.
Bring back cheesy footage on the Top 24's personal lives! Please! How were we to tell Stephanie from Sabrina (other than the hair) when all we saw was two skinny African-American women who sang the same sorts of songs and had names starting with S? Can anyone remember which was Amy and which was Alaina, other than that they must not have been Haley?
Don't be so blasted disingenuous about who advances from Hollywood. The time to worry about "too many divas" is not after putting in the Top 24 a total of five African-American women who seem to sing R&B-ish music. All were good enough singers to deserve it, but there were probably also many excellent singers in other genres who could have advanced equally well. The judges and producers had time to think it over and choose whatever mix they wanted. Same thing with the "weak boys" group. They had a huge pool to choose from. If the selection of men is weak, whose fault is that?
Take a stand on whether singers are supposed to "make a song their own" or not. Pick one. The audience has figured out that the same singer will get "it was too karaoke" one week and "dawg, that song should just be sung the way it was written" the next. (In this vein, decide whether the purpose of the theme nights is to determine whether singers can make anything "their own" or whether they can sing anything in the original style written. Using the double standard to trash non-favorites and elevate favorites has gotten old.)
If you don't want to hear singers take on Whitney, Celine, and Aretha, ban their songs from all performances from Top 24 to Top 3. Just do it. Stop using it as an intelligence test for your competitors -- they are mostly not bright enough to pass.
If singers with CDs dropping want to be guest mentors, it's time to have standards for what they're supposed to do. Jon Bon Jovi was great because he was there jamming with the Idols. Gwen Stefani phoned it in for a planet in the Alpha Centauri system.
#8
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:15 PM
Less WTF? themes. Rock, Country, whatever...but no Songs Pink gets inspired by and some such bullshit.
Final 3 instead of Final 2. Take a page from Survivor which let 2 awesome contestants and token cannon fodder into the Finals (Ozzie, Yul and Whatsherface).
Final 3 instead of Final 2. Take a page from Survivor which let 2 awesome contestants and token cannon fodder into the Finals (Ozzie, Yul and Whatsherface).
#9
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:19 PM
Calamari
Amen
And on the topic of auditions. The judges know by now the horrible and delusional are gonna be passed on by the producers to 'sing' for them. Stop getting angry and nasty to the 'singers', your producers are the ones who'd thought it would be funny. Trashing the delusional and calling them names like Bush Baby is really uncalled for.
Take a stand on whether singers are supposed to "make a song their own" or not. Pick one. The audience has figured out that the same singer will get "it was too karaoke" one week and "dawg, that song should just be sung the way it was written" the next. (In this vein, decide whether the purpose of the theme nights is to determine whether singers can make anything "their own" or whether they can sing anything in the original style written. Using the double standard to trash non-favorites and elevate favorites has gotten old.)
Amen
And on the topic of auditions. The judges know by now the horrible and delusional are gonna be passed on by the producers to 'sing' for them. Stop getting angry and nasty to the 'singers', your producers are the ones who'd thought it would be funny. Trashing the delusional and calling them names like Bush Baby is really uncalled for.
#10
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:27 PM
From top 6 on, no cutdown versions of songs. It's just freaky that you can go to top three without ever singing a whole song.
Added to the voting rules: Until final 2- Contestant with the most unique voters, if different from the top total votes contestant, is also always safe. (Because adults want to vote once, and then watch "House" in peace!) That would inocculate great contestants from the powerdialing and fickle tweens.
Either that, or all phone numbers get a 10 vote max.
More singing. Less fucking around doing filler shit.
Added to the voting rules: Until final 2- Contestant with the most unique voters, if different from the top total votes contestant, is also always safe. (Because adults want to vote once, and then watch "House" in peace!) That would inocculate great contestants from the powerdialing and fickle tweens.
Either that, or all phone numbers get a 10 vote max.
More singing. Less fucking around doing filler shit.
Edited by Bacon, May 24, 2007 @ 12:28 PM.
#11
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:43 PM
Impose a limit of one guest mentor every two weeks. Make sure the mentors have real singing careers that have lasted more than 15 years, and don't allow the singers to sing outside of that singer's singing or writing catalogue. In other words, no Gwen Stefanis or JLo's, who don't have credibility.
Stop the "boo" sign given to the audience whenever Simon speaks. Let him speak - he's the best actual judge, and I got tired of him being a one-dimensional character this year. Watching the first season in reruns, I remembered what Simon was like when he was an actual human, and I liked him a lot more then.
Get rid of Randy Jackson. He is biased, and offers no valuable critique any longer. He's dead weight at this point.
Either get rid of Paula, or give her more drugs. She has grown as a judge in the last few years, but is less enjoyable as entertainment between performances.
Shorten the audition weeks by half, so we aren't subjected to half of a season of bad auditions. They are growing old. Double or triple the length of the Hollywood round airings, so we get to see the contenders and see more of the drama of that week.
Personal stories about all of the top 12. Let us get to know them again. You could even make this into a special Pre-Top 12 episode.
Make any guests on results show perform live (not taped pretending to be live). You're not fooling anyone, and it looks lazy. Also make the Idols be backup singers to the guest artists - it worked wonderfully last night. It will also tie the guest performances into the actual show.
Remember that this show is about the contestants more than it is about having a who's who roster of guest artists. Put the focus back on the contestants!
Stop the "boo" sign given to the audience whenever Simon speaks. Let him speak - he's the best actual judge, and I got tired of him being a one-dimensional character this year. Watching the first season in reruns, I remembered what Simon was like when he was an actual human, and I liked him a lot more then.
Get rid of Randy Jackson. He is biased, and offers no valuable critique any longer. He's dead weight at this point.
Either get rid of Paula, or give her more drugs. She has grown as a judge in the last few years, but is less enjoyable as entertainment between performances.
Shorten the audition weeks by half, so we aren't subjected to half of a season of bad auditions. They are growing old. Double or triple the length of the Hollywood round airings, so we get to see the contenders and see more of the drama of that week.
Personal stories about all of the top 12. Let us get to know them again. You could even make this into a special Pre-Top 12 episode.
Make any guests on results show perform live (not taped pretending to be live). You're not fooling anyone, and it looks lazy. Also make the Idols be backup singers to the guest artists - it worked wonderfully last night. It will also tie the guest performances into the actual show.
Remember that this show is about the contestants more than it is about having a who's who roster of guest artists. Put the focus back on the contestants!
#12
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:45 PM
I want to see and hear all of the Top 24 before the elimination rounds start. If not during the auditions, then in the Hollywood segments. Period.
And I'd like to see some heavy white girls as finalists. I do not believe that only wacky Big Girls try out. There have to be some amazing singers out there who have never had a chance to advance.
I'm okay with the voting system as it is (even though my favorite got voted out). And I don't mind the 12 guys/12 gals setup. Just stack the 24 with actual talent, not cannon fodder.
Oh, and Simon, etc MUST pay attention while the kids sing.
And I'd like to see some heavy white girls as finalists. I do not believe that only wacky Big Girls try out. There have to be some amazing singers out there who have never had a chance to advance.
I'm okay with the voting system as it is (even though my favorite got voted out). And I don't mind the 12 guys/12 gals setup. Just stack the 24 with actual talent, not cannon fodder.
Oh, and Simon, etc MUST pay attention while the kids sing.
#13
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 12:47 PM
They can show all the bad auditions they want as long as they show as many of the eventual Top 24/44's auditions as possible (I realize some might not be possible to air because of song licensing issues, but those should be relatively few, because any smart contestant knows now which songs won't be cleared for broadcast.)
Particularly when the screeners tell them what to sing.
#14
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:03 PM
My thoughts, for what it's worth...
1. More Hollywood Week - I didn't mind Hollywood Week being confined to 2 episodes. But one of those episodes should have been 2 hours long so we could see more of what happened. I suspect there wasn't enough "drama" this year so the producers thought it would be boring teevee, but they have to remember they are also telling a story... the story of how these young hopefuls find their way from obscurity to the spotlight. By having such a truncated Hollywood week we were left confused and wondering what happened to some of our favorite auditioners, and it made the final choices for the top 24 seem less valid.
2. More Backstories - This has been said to death, but we really need to see who these kids are in order to get invested. I for one don't think this season's finalists were actually boring, we just never got a chance to know them so they just seemed more like bland singing heads than people. I suggested this on another blog, but perhaps a "Meet Your Top 24" epidsode would be nice too, so the unknowns in the top 24 can seem less like cannon fodder.
3. Bring Back 2000s night - or whatever you want to call it. It will force people to reveal what kind of recording artist they want to be. I know it fell flat Season 5, but I think that was because the contestants didn't really know how to use the theme. Future contestants certainly would. In any case, that would have been a great night to have a Gwen Stefani or J Lo mentor.
4. Replace Randy Jackson - or at least have him make more relevant comments. Seriously, he's supposed to be the voice of moderation and he was just useless this season.
5.Allow custom coronation songs - even if you have people vote on a song again, have them pick one song for each of the top 3. That way you don't have the song itself picking your winner for you. Did that just make sense?
6. Have the top 3 make music videos - I'd like to see them have to sing a judges pick, a record label/producer pick, and one more song that they maybe have to make a little video out of. Something that allows them to get across, again, what kind of recording artist they would be.
7. Consider the semifinals done "Dancing with the Stars" style - In the top 24, there are so many people competing for votes that niche contestants and those with alot of pre-semis exposure have an advantage. If people were eliminated by a combination of judges score and votes until we got to the top 12, it would give more of a chance for talented but unknown singers to build a fanbase.
Things that shouldn't change: unlimited votes per household, the cheese-tastic finale (just more of the contestants next time), bringing back previous idol contesants to perform, Simon & Ryan arguing (less homophobia though), crazy Paula, no guest judges.
1. More Hollywood Week - I didn't mind Hollywood Week being confined to 2 episodes. But one of those episodes should have been 2 hours long so we could see more of what happened. I suspect there wasn't enough "drama" this year so the producers thought it would be boring teevee, but they have to remember they are also telling a story... the story of how these young hopefuls find their way from obscurity to the spotlight. By having such a truncated Hollywood week we were left confused and wondering what happened to some of our favorite auditioners, and it made the final choices for the top 24 seem less valid.
2. More Backstories - This has been said to death, but we really need to see who these kids are in order to get invested. I for one don't think this season's finalists were actually boring, we just never got a chance to know them so they just seemed more like bland singing heads than people. I suggested this on another blog, but perhaps a "Meet Your Top 24" epidsode would be nice too, so the unknowns in the top 24 can seem less like cannon fodder.
3. Bring Back 2000s night - or whatever you want to call it. It will force people to reveal what kind of recording artist they want to be. I know it fell flat Season 5, but I think that was because the contestants didn't really know how to use the theme. Future contestants certainly would. In any case, that would have been a great night to have a Gwen Stefani or J Lo mentor.
4. Replace Randy Jackson - or at least have him make more relevant comments. Seriously, he's supposed to be the voice of moderation and he was just useless this season.
5.Allow custom coronation songs - even if you have people vote on a song again, have them pick one song for each of the top 3. That way you don't have the song itself picking your winner for you. Did that just make sense?
6. Have the top 3 make music videos - I'd like to see them have to sing a judges pick, a record label/producer pick, and one more song that they maybe have to make a little video out of. Something that allows them to get across, again, what kind of recording artist they would be.
7. Consider the semifinals done "Dancing with the Stars" style - In the top 24, there are so many people competing for votes that niche contestants and those with alot of pre-semis exposure have an advantage. If people were eliminated by a combination of judges score and votes until we got to the top 12, it would give more of a chance for talented but unknown singers to build a fanbase.
Things that shouldn't change: unlimited votes per household, the cheese-tastic finale (just more of the contestants next time), bringing back previous idol contesants to perform, Simon & Ryan arguing (less homophobia though), crazy Paula, no guest judges.
Edited by tinawina, May 25, 2007 @ 11:13 AM.
#15
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:04 PM
I totally hate that it has to be 12 males and 12 females. That seems pointless to me.
Totally agree that the guest judging has taken on a life of its own. Who the fuck is Gwen Stefani to comment on singing ability? That's about as crazy as having Paula Abdul judge a singing comp--oh, nevermind.
Also agree that we need more time with the final 24 in the early season. I am somewhat confident that they'll lose a lot of the nutty auditions, as it seemed that this year more than ever there was heavy negative chatter about the ethical nature of exploiting what appeared to be mentally disturbed people for the sake of ratings. Although, we're talking about Fox, so...who knows.
I HATE that there has to be a lame coronation song as part of the "Final 2" performances. You have the judges praising Blake all season for being original, fresh, taking risks only to have him fall flat at the end of the road because of that shitty song.
Honestly, I am torn on the voting issue, and I feel that it's almost pointless for TPTB to revamp the process, because they have the right to fuck with the vote in the end regardless.
Totally agree that the guest judging has taken on a life of its own. Who the fuck is Gwen Stefani to comment on singing ability? That's about as crazy as having Paula Abdul judge a singing comp--oh, nevermind.
Also agree that we need more time with the final 24 in the early season. I am somewhat confident that they'll lose a lot of the nutty auditions, as it seemed that this year more than ever there was heavy negative chatter about the ethical nature of exploiting what appeared to be mentally disturbed people for the sake of ratings. Although, we're talking about Fox, so...who knows.
I HATE that there has to be a lame coronation song as part of the "Final 2" performances. You have the judges praising Blake all season for being original, fresh, taking risks only to have him fall flat at the end of the road because of that shitty song.
Honestly, I am torn on the voting issue, and I feel that it's almost pointless for TPTB to revamp the process, because they have the right to fuck with the vote in the end regardless.
#16
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:10 PM
I HATE that there has to be a lame coronation song as part of the "Final 2" performances. You have the judges praising Blake all season for being original, fresh, taking risks only to have him fall flat at the end of the road because of that shitty song.
Dump the "coronation song" about the "AI journey" entirely. All coronation songs are variants on "I was no one; now I'm someone; yay, me!" It's been said; we get it; time to move on to our destinies, where angels lead us inside your heaven and make us proud in this moment, our now.
Instead, give the competitors their choice from a slate of songs that 19 already wants to record and release as normal songs about normal stuff. This gives everyone a chance to see if the competitors can work effectively somewhere in 19's stable.
(That, or they all have to arrange and sing "Cross of Puppies.")
Edited by calamari, May 24, 2007 @ 1:11 PM.
#17
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:16 PM
Oh, I also want to suggest one more thing... the strategic use of Standards night and Country night. Standards night seperates the real singers from the pretenders, so it's a good thing to put in when you are getting down to the wire and want to stack the deck in favor of those who can really SING getting through. Similairly, Country night can change the whole competiton. It's such a big market, and the show skews south as it is. Country night single handedly saved Phil, for god's sake. It's a good theme for engineering a surprise exit, since tanking on Country night can really piss off those viewers. Good re-enegizer for the competition. Ok, that's it for me.
#18
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:22 PM
Brought this over from the results thread:
Also, wouldn't it help to more fully publicize the theme during the advertising the week before? Might pull in the niche audience for that theme and get them hooked...
1. Can we seriously start a movement to have anyone at AI who works in sound immediately fired? I used to think it was an overall Fox thing, but it seems like we can't get through even one number on this show without something as severe as a closed mike or ear piece (anyone else thinking that may be what happened to Bette tonight? Saw her trying to adjust the pack at the beginning, and I've never heard her so off the music...) to the almost permanent mixing problems. With all the money they are making, you'd think they could at least afford competence.
2. Did it also seem like Bette may have been a last-minute replacement for someone else? It just seemed so random for her to be there, and I know she hates that song...
Also, wouldn't it help to more fully publicize the theme during the advertising the week before? Might pull in the niche audience for that theme and get them hooked...
Edited by barnum1, May 24, 2007 @ 1:23 PM.
#19
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:27 PM
Have a final 3 and pick the winner from there. Let the final three pick a song from ten submitted and, working with the songwriter or mentor, try to make it their own.
For the finale, have the top 4 sing solo or with their favorite artist if possible and make it an hour show.
Raise age limit.
Ban Gwen Stefani from ever "mentoring" again.
Hire better stylists that will work with you and not against you.
Very good. Also, Pauler MUST comment ONLY on the singing. She either liked it or didn't like it. If she didn't like it, she tells them why distinctly. A time limit should be set for her to respond.
Somehow limit the number of calls/text messages from the same phone line.
More behind the scenes stuff and backstories especially for the Final 12.
Reduce the number of theme weeks and have weeks where the contestants pick a song from a genre that they excel in for a change.
I don't mind the celebrity mentors but maybe not every week. And set standards for the mentors. I thought Jon Bon Jovi, Tony Bennett, and even J. Lo. was good but the critique has to be more useful and tougher. Avoid Barry Gibb-like over-the-top favoritism ala "Jordin will be one of the greatest singers of all time" crapola.
Less looney auditions. The first two times are funny but this season they had so many audition shows that it started to get boring. Be more discriminating about who is sent through. Avoid letting singers through just because they are "cute" or may provide "entertainment" (Sanjaya and sister). Avoid making fun of someone's looks.
For the finale, have the top 4 sing solo or with their favorite artist if possible and make it an hour show.
Raise age limit.
Ban Gwen Stefani from ever "mentoring" again.
Hire better stylists that will work with you and not against you.
Fire Randy Jackson; hire Randy Johnson.
Very good. Also, Pauler MUST comment ONLY on the singing. She either liked it or didn't like it. If she didn't like it, she tells them why distinctly. A time limit should be set for her to respond.
Somehow limit the number of calls/text messages from the same phone line.
More behind the scenes stuff and backstories especially for the Final 12.
Reduce the number of theme weeks and have weeks where the contestants pick a song from a genre that they excel in for a change.
I don't mind the celebrity mentors but maybe not every week. And set standards for the mentors. I thought Jon Bon Jovi, Tony Bennett, and even J. Lo. was good but the critique has to be more useful and tougher. Avoid Barry Gibb-like over-the-top favoritism ala "Jordin will be one of the greatest singers of all time" crapola.
Less looney auditions. The first two times are funny but this season they had so many audition shows that it started to get boring. Be more discriminating about who is sent through. Avoid letting singers through just because they are "cute" or may provide "entertainment" (Sanjaya and sister). Avoid making fun of someone's looks.
Edited by Cammyd, May 24, 2007 @ 1:32 PM.
#20
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 1:42 PM
Have the judges really comment on the singing not just pimp the contestant they want to win
More back story
Less "real" stars just trying to sell the CD's
More support of past Idol's even if they are not selling well.
NO Clive at the finale dissing anyone.
More snark here in the recaps. I usually think it is mean but kinda of missed it this season.
More back story
Less "real" stars just trying to sell the CD's
More support of past Idol's even if they are not selling well.
NO Clive at the finale dissing anyone.
More snark here in the recaps. I usually think it is mean but kinda of missed it this season.
Edited by microwave queen, May 24, 2007 @ 1:43 PM.
#21
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 2:03 PM
Wow, where to start? How about...
Randy - Yo, Dawg, you're dialogue - it's just not ai'ght for me, Dude. I've heard you speak articulately in interviews. The act is getting old. You're the musician of the bunch. How about giving some actual musical advice, instead of shilling for the man and name-dropping all the stars you know?
Paula - More tough love. I know you're role is the sweet one who sprinkles love all over the contestants, but you do them no favors when you hold back what we know you're thinking. There are nice *constructive* ways to say things.
Simon - You are what you are - pompous, self-important, contradictory, rude, etc., also on occasion, sweet and honest. Don't change. But could you at least pretend to take an interest when the performers are singing? I know you've seen them before in rehearsals, but it looks disrespectful to me and many other folks I know who watch the show.
Clive - Who let you out of your crypt?! You're annual report is incomplete without the Powerpoint presentation and spreadsheet handouts. Maybe it's me, but if you're going to diss some of your artists while pimping the others, how about NOT doing so during a freaking "celebration" of the finale? It's like dropping a turd in the punchbowl.
Nigel/Ken et al. - How about not showcasing the delusional (Kenneth and Jonathan) and plants (big bird lady) in the finale? That's what the audition rounds are for. That's why I don't watch the auditions - so I can avoid it. How about trying to be less obvious about the pimping next year? How about giving props where they are due - by name (Melinda) and not acting like winning the contest doesn't matter anymore? It might be true but it kind of takes away from the experience if "America" stops caring.
Also? How about pretending the show is about the contestants. Yeah, yeah I know. It's about making beacoup bucks in ad revenue and selling UNITS so that Clive will be happy and stop spoiling the party, but can't we have our fantasy that it's actually about what it claims to be about - helping someone reach their dreams - and not merely a vehicle for selling commercials, or promoting recording artists with no connection to the show or whatever? I like knowing who they are, where they came from in life. I feel "blank" about most of these contestants this season. It's hard to get excited when we only get to see a small glimmer of their personalities, if at all.
Themes -
Good: Country, standards, classic rock, '70's, 80's, you know, broad themes. More options give the contestants more to work with and show which ones can choose well. How about singer/songwriters?
Bad: Select cuts off of [insert name of Guest Mentor]'s new Sony/BMG album, songs from last week's top 10 chart, disco (or any genre that doesn't really focus on "singing"). Some of these have worked out okay (Bon Jovi), but I still think broad themes are more interesting.
NO MORE CANNED PERFORMANCES BY ARTISTS W/NO CONNECTION TO AI (except IGB). I'm sure Pink would not have agreed to sing on AI if it hadn't been for IGB, and I wonder how she feels about her performance being squeezed into Bee Gees week. I love me some Pink but... why? Cheesy group numbers are better for me.
Guest mentors - How about Henry Winkler dressed as Fonzy? He could teach the contestants all about life after jumping the shark. So what if he's not a singer?
Enough with the running over. I like HOUSE MD. I hate when American Idol encroaches.
Randy - Yo, Dawg, you're dialogue - it's just not ai'ght for me, Dude. I've heard you speak articulately in interviews. The act is getting old. You're the musician of the bunch. How about giving some actual musical advice, instead of shilling for the man and name-dropping all the stars you know?
Paula - More tough love. I know you're role is the sweet one who sprinkles love all over the contestants, but you do them no favors when you hold back what we know you're thinking. There are nice *constructive* ways to say things.
Simon - You are what you are - pompous, self-important, contradictory, rude, etc., also on occasion, sweet and honest. Don't change. But could you at least pretend to take an interest when the performers are singing? I know you've seen them before in rehearsals, but it looks disrespectful to me and many other folks I know who watch the show.
Clive - Who let you out of your crypt?! You're annual report is incomplete without the Powerpoint presentation and spreadsheet handouts. Maybe it's me, but if you're going to diss some of your artists while pimping the others, how about NOT doing so during a freaking "celebration" of the finale? It's like dropping a turd in the punchbowl.
Nigel/Ken et al. - How about not showcasing the delusional (Kenneth and Jonathan) and plants (big bird lady) in the finale? That's what the audition rounds are for. That's why I don't watch the auditions - so I can avoid it. How about trying to be less obvious about the pimping next year? How about giving props where they are due - by name (Melinda) and not acting like winning the contest doesn't matter anymore? It might be true but it kind of takes away from the experience if "America" stops caring.
Also? How about pretending the show is about the contestants. Yeah, yeah I know. It's about making beacoup bucks in ad revenue and selling UNITS so that Clive will be happy and stop spoiling the party, but can't we have our fantasy that it's actually about what it claims to be about - helping someone reach their dreams - and not merely a vehicle for selling commercials, or promoting recording artists with no connection to the show or whatever? I like knowing who they are, where they came from in life. I feel "blank" about most of these contestants this season. It's hard to get excited when we only get to see a small glimmer of their personalities, if at all.
Themes -
Good: Country, standards, classic rock, '70's, 80's, you know, broad themes. More options give the contestants more to work with and show which ones can choose well. How about singer/songwriters?
Bad: Select cuts off of [insert name of Guest Mentor]'s new Sony/BMG album, songs from last week's top 10 chart, disco (or any genre that doesn't really focus on "singing"). Some of these have worked out okay (Bon Jovi), but I still think broad themes are more interesting.
NO MORE CANNED PERFORMANCES BY ARTISTS W/NO CONNECTION TO AI (except IGB). I'm sure Pink would not have agreed to sing on AI if it hadn't been for IGB, and I wonder how she feels about her performance being squeezed into Bee Gees week. I love me some Pink but... why? Cheesy group numbers are better for me.
Guest mentors - How about Henry Winkler dressed as Fonzy? He could teach the contestants all about life after jumping the shark. So what if he's not a singer?
Enough with the running over. I like HOUSE MD. I hate when American Idol encroaches.
Edited by mshepnj, Jul 19, 2007 @ 2:41 PM.
#22
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 2:35 PM
I posted this in the Idol Entertainment section, but this is what I would like to see on AI 7.
I hope the show stops with so much cross promotional material. I'd rather hear about the contestants and their life stories on the results shows then to hear/see a poor performance from Maroon 5. But in order to do this I feel the show needs to find contestants with better stories. I would appreciate it if the show selected contestants who may need the money that comes along with being on the show a little bit more. Last season we had contestants who seemed like they really needed the money. This season the contestants didn't seem like they needed the money as much. Can the show please stop allowing children of athletes/producers on as well. I want to see someone who really needs AI to get out of the rut his/her life may be stuck in on the show. Not someone who already has several ins in the industry. I know people complain on here that they don't want to see a contestant on the show who has lived out of his/her car for a while but maybe that's what AI needs to ensure that performance nights will be better. A contestant like that will probably be more eager to do as well as possible so he/she is not in the same situation in life as he/she was prior to AI. Along these lines, I want the manipulations to be toned down if possible as well. Please make it seem like everyone has a fair chance to win even if that is not the case. And can the bad auditions please be cut down too. They have become quite tiring at least in my eyes.
There are several types of contestants I would like to see make it on to AI 7. Number one would have to be a black/Hispanic male who can perform both hip-hop/reggae but also really be able to sing. This would be my ideal AI 7 contestant. I just hope that if AI is looking for this type next season and I really hope they will be that he has a lower natural speaking voice than Akon. I feel a contestant along the lines of Sean Paul/Shaggy could do very well on the show if given the chance.
I would also finally like to see an overweight white woman make it on the show and into the top 12. I feel with the likely success of the movie Hairspray this could occur but I still have my doubts. So I'm really hoping that one will finally make it on.
I also wouldn't mind seeing a good male white country singer make it on the show.
I do not want to see a white blonde female country singer nor another black R&B female singer do all that well on the show. I'm sick of those types constantly doing so well on the show. But that's just me.
Also, I would like to see a female singer succeed who is not a belter and maybe prefers to perform more folksy songs like Carole King/Joni Mitchell songs.
Anyway, these are just some of my hopes for AI 7 and if some of them occur I think the show could be better than this season and feel a little bit fresher again.
I hope the show stops with so much cross promotional material. I'd rather hear about the contestants and their life stories on the results shows then to hear/see a poor performance from Maroon 5. But in order to do this I feel the show needs to find contestants with better stories. I would appreciate it if the show selected contestants who may need the money that comes along with being on the show a little bit more. Last season we had contestants who seemed like they really needed the money. This season the contestants didn't seem like they needed the money as much. Can the show please stop allowing children of athletes/producers on as well. I want to see someone who really needs AI to get out of the rut his/her life may be stuck in on the show. Not someone who already has several ins in the industry. I know people complain on here that they don't want to see a contestant on the show who has lived out of his/her car for a while but maybe that's what AI needs to ensure that performance nights will be better. A contestant like that will probably be more eager to do as well as possible so he/she is not in the same situation in life as he/she was prior to AI. Along these lines, I want the manipulations to be toned down if possible as well. Please make it seem like everyone has a fair chance to win even if that is not the case. And can the bad auditions please be cut down too. They have become quite tiring at least in my eyes.
There are several types of contestants I would like to see make it on to AI 7. Number one would have to be a black/Hispanic male who can perform both hip-hop/reggae but also really be able to sing. This would be my ideal AI 7 contestant. I just hope that if AI is looking for this type next season and I really hope they will be that he has a lower natural speaking voice than Akon. I feel a contestant along the lines of Sean Paul/Shaggy could do very well on the show if given the chance.
I would also finally like to see an overweight white woman make it on the show and into the top 12. I feel with the likely success of the movie Hairspray this could occur but I still have my doubts. So I'm really hoping that one will finally make it on.
I also wouldn't mind seeing a good male white country singer make it on the show.
I do not want to see a white blonde female country singer nor another black R&B female singer do all that well on the show. I'm sick of those types constantly doing so well on the show. But that's just me.
Also, I would like to see a female singer succeed who is not a belter and maybe prefers to perform more folksy songs like Carole King/Joni Mitchell songs.
Anyway, these are just some of my hopes for AI 7 and if some of them occur I think the show could be better than this season and feel a little bit fresher again.
#23
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 2:45 PM
I agree with a lot of the suggestions so far.
Show us fewer bad auditions. In fact, the audition shows went on entirely too long this year. Cut the number of audition shows way down by not showing us so many bad singers. Start by not showing any bad auditions where the person is obviously mentally or physically disabled, because that isn't funnny. Put the bad auditions online or put together a one-hour "bad audition" special (I think they've done this in years past) if you've really got hours and hours of bad audition footage just waiting to get out.
More Hollywood week. Use the time freed up by shorter auditions to show us more of this. This is also a good time to start getting us acquainted with the contestants.
More backstory on and unscripted moments with the contestants.
It's OK to have a guest mentor every week, but absolutely NO MORE RANDOM THEMES. Stick with stuff that you know everyone can work with. Use decades or genre, not "Songs that Gwen Stefani heard in her car on the way here."
Results shows are half an hour. Period. That's it. This automatically eliminates "Random Guest Act of the Week" almost entirely, as well as other useless filler.
Bring all 12 finalists on tour, give the top 4 home visits, and make the finale 3 singers.
Randy Jackson must go.
Things I wouldn't change: gender balance (it gives us more diversity) and unlimited voting for everyone (anything else is too hard to regulate and gets into so much carping about who's "cheating" the system).
Show us fewer bad auditions. In fact, the audition shows went on entirely too long this year. Cut the number of audition shows way down by not showing us so many bad singers. Start by not showing any bad auditions where the person is obviously mentally or physically disabled, because that isn't funnny. Put the bad auditions online or put together a one-hour "bad audition" special (I think they've done this in years past) if you've really got hours and hours of bad audition footage just waiting to get out.
More Hollywood week. Use the time freed up by shorter auditions to show us more of this. This is also a good time to start getting us acquainted with the contestants.
More backstory on and unscripted moments with the contestants.
It's OK to have a guest mentor every week, but absolutely NO MORE RANDOM THEMES. Stick with stuff that you know everyone can work with. Use decades or genre, not "Songs that Gwen Stefani heard in her car on the way here."
Results shows are half an hour. Period. That's it. This automatically eliminates "Random Guest Act of the Week" almost entirely, as well as other useless filler.
Bring all 12 finalists on tour, give the top 4 home visits, and make the finale 3 singers.
Randy Jackson must go.
Things I wouldn't change: gender balance (it gives us more diversity) and unlimited voting for everyone (anything else is too hard to regulate and gets into so much carping about who's "cheating" the system).
Edited by YourMom, May 24, 2007 @ 2:48 PM.
#24
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 2:49 PM
6. Have the top 3 make music videos - I'd like to see them have to sing a judges pick, a record label.producer pick, and one more song that they maybe have to make a little video out of. Something that allows them to get across, again, what kind of recording artist they would be.
I really like this idea. Maybe if they are worried about time constraints it could be truncated, but it would bring a new dimension to the competition.
Also, definitely more backstories or just show the top 24. I think that Leslie was in the ads for "Could this be the next American Idol?" before the show started, but we never got to see her during the real show.
#25
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 3:23 PM
1. The judges need to reassess their roles. They've just gotten worse year by year. They're not objective, they don't pay attention, and they've made the show all. about. them. Randy Jackson's schtick upsets me more than the others because of the three, he's an actual musician/producer. He has the background to give honest and insightful criticism, but he sticks to the same tired routine. That's not alright, dawg. If someone sang off-key or picked a bad song then call them on it, but stop with the posturing and scenery-chewing. Leave that to the experts, such as Bette Davis and Joan Crawford (RIP).
2. No more artist-specific theme nights. Last season's Queen night was a disaster. This year's Bee Gees night wasn't much better. There's a reason few people cover Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb--you need the creative room to pull it off in your own style. And AI ain't gonna to give the contestants the space to do that. So why bother? Just stick with general themes: Motown, Movie Soundtracks, Billboard #1 songs--something where the contestants have a fighting chance to do well.
3. Make the show about the contestants again. One of the reasons fans still love Kelly, Ruben, and Clay is that they were given plenty of airtime to showcase their personalities. We got to know them and as such, we cared about what would and will happen to them. The show is about finding the next musicial superstar, not letting established artists push their new single. Also, make the grand finale a true celebration for the Top 12, not a platform for Clive Davis to spew his venom. Gosh, that was ugly to watch.
4. Make sure the mentors want to be there. It's cool when the mentor is comfortable with their presence on the show. But when you get a world-class b*tch who's just preening for the TV time (here's to you, Gwen Stefani!), it drags down the whole process. Find people who are OK with being a part of the show.
5. Get a real songwriter to work on the coronation song. For the love of Daughtry's eyeliner, how hard is it to hire a couple of well-established songwriters to work on this? I don't think Babyface is that busy these days and he has connections to Clive Davis. TPTB have months to work on this. And have 6-8 songs at your disposal. You're more likely to have at least one song that can be fitted toward anyone in the Top 4 that way. Not that Blake had a snowball's chance in Hades of winning anyhow, but "This is My-Wait, How Did This Song Make Its Way On the Show?" did him no favors. They have to account that they're likely to have a variety of people still competing at the end: beatboxers, talent show graduates, alternative rockers, country starlets, R&B kings. Be ready for anyone and anything.
2. No more artist-specific theme nights. Last season's Queen night was a disaster. This year's Bee Gees night wasn't much better. There's a reason few people cover Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb--you need the creative room to pull it off in your own style. And AI ain't gonna to give the contestants the space to do that. So why bother? Just stick with general themes: Motown, Movie Soundtracks, Billboard #1 songs--something where the contestants have a fighting chance to do well.
3. Make the show about the contestants again. One of the reasons fans still love Kelly, Ruben, and Clay is that they were given plenty of airtime to showcase their personalities. We got to know them and as such, we cared about what would and will happen to them. The show is about finding the next musicial superstar, not letting established artists push their new single. Also, make the grand finale a true celebration for the Top 12, not a platform for Clive Davis to spew his venom. Gosh, that was ugly to watch.
4. Make sure the mentors want to be there. It's cool when the mentor is comfortable with their presence on the show. But when you get a world-class b*tch who's just preening for the TV time (here's to you, Gwen Stefani!), it drags down the whole process. Find people who are OK with being a part of the show.
5. Get a real songwriter to work on the coronation song. For the love of Daughtry's eyeliner, how hard is it to hire a couple of well-established songwriters to work on this? I don't think Babyface is that busy these days and he has connections to Clive Davis. TPTB have months to work on this. And have 6-8 songs at your disposal. You're more likely to have at least one song that can be fitted toward anyone in the Top 4 that way. Not that Blake had a snowball's chance in Hades of winning anyhow, but "This is My-Wait, How Did This Song Make Its Way On the Show?" did him no favors. They have to account that they're likely to have a variety of people still competing at the end: beatboxers, talent show graduates, alternative rockers, country starlets, R&B kings. Be ready for anyone and anything.
#26
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 3:36 PM
NO more Clive Davis. His speeches are about as entertaining as the part during the Grammy's when the head of NARAS comes out and rambles about illegal downloading or whatnot. I.e., they're boring as hell and make people want to turn the channel. And this year's particularly vile one is even worse. Cut it out and LaKisha might have gotten her duet.
I also agree that the random guest performances have to go - the mentors I can handle, but the time they're wasting on Akon or Robin Thicke could go to showcase the actual contestants.
ETA: Babyface seems to be gaining somewhat of a resurgence, surprisingly. He co-wrote the new Fall Out Boy single. But all the other coronation songs were done by professional writers and still sucked. It seems like a curse.
I also agree that the random guest performances have to go - the mentors I can handle, but the time they're wasting on Akon or Robin Thicke could go to showcase the actual contestants.
ETA: Babyface seems to be gaining somewhat of a resurgence, surprisingly. He co-wrote the new Fall Out Boy single. But all the other coronation songs were done by professional writers and still sucked. It seems like a curse.
Edited by Mmm... Free Goo, May 24, 2007 @ 3:38 PM.
#27
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 4:16 PM
Much more Hollywood week. Let us actually get a meaningful glimpse into the process of winnowing down the pool to 24.
And if you seriously can't find 12 guys worth putting through to the finals? Then I suggest that your producers wasted way too much of your audition time with pitiable wrecks who never had a chance. I'm not opposed to having some comic relief in the auditions, but it should be more of a 75% credible - 25% laughable ratio, not the other way around.
I'd also like to see the judging scheme changed up. Sanjaya should simply never have lasted as long as he did, and Stephanie should have been around far longer. I suggest the following compromise: During the "top 24" segment, let the viewers vote for whom they want to keep, tell us who the bottom 3 are, and let the judges choose which one from the bottom 3 gets booted. Once we get down to the top 12 or even the top 10, then go to straight voting.
And for the love of puppies and all that's holy, could the judges actually give some genuine constructive criticism? Don't just tell me it was "da bomb" or "absolutely terrible", tell me why! Seems like they did that more in seasons past, and I miss it. Maybe it would help to change up the judging lineup somewhat, rotate Randy and Paula with a couple of "fresh" expert judges, or have a guest judge who is a master of the week's theme?
Finally: half-hour result shows, please. Ditch the idiotic "man on the street" interviews, performances by random people not otherwise involved in the show, and the tedious questions from the 12-year-olds at home. There, now you've got plenty of time to tell me who is going home without creeping into my beloved House timeslot.
And if you seriously can't find 12 guys worth putting through to the finals? Then I suggest that your producers wasted way too much of your audition time with pitiable wrecks who never had a chance. I'm not opposed to having some comic relief in the auditions, but it should be more of a 75% credible - 25% laughable ratio, not the other way around.
I'd also like to see the judging scheme changed up. Sanjaya should simply never have lasted as long as he did, and Stephanie should have been around far longer. I suggest the following compromise: During the "top 24" segment, let the viewers vote for whom they want to keep, tell us who the bottom 3 are, and let the judges choose which one from the bottom 3 gets booted. Once we get down to the top 12 or even the top 10, then go to straight voting.
And for the love of puppies and all that's holy, could the judges actually give some genuine constructive criticism? Don't just tell me it was "da bomb" or "absolutely terrible", tell me why! Seems like they did that more in seasons past, and I miss it. Maybe it would help to change up the judging lineup somewhat, rotate Randy and Paula with a couple of "fresh" expert judges, or have a guest judge who is a master of the week's theme?
Finally: half-hour result shows, please. Ditch the idiotic "man on the street" interviews, performances by random people not otherwise involved in the show, and the tedious questions from the 12-year-olds at home. There, now you've got plenty of time to tell me who is going home without creeping into my beloved House timeslot.
#28
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 4:21 PM
Decent, coherent judging like the three on DWTS (and yes, Bruno is crazy but he makes sense), Simon is ok too.
Ditch the stupid power-voting, etc. Again, like DWTS, limit number of calls per phone. They won't get to brag about the "900 hundred gazillion votes last night!!" but it'll be a fairer process.
Go back to letting us in on the contestants and their lives. I like knowing why they pick a particular song. Not enough of that this year.
Ditch the stupid power-voting, etc. Again, like DWTS, limit number of calls per phone. They won't get to brag about the "900 hundred gazillion votes last night!!" but it'll be a fairer process.
Go back to letting us in on the contestants and their lives. I like knowing why they pick a particular song. Not enough of that this year.
#29
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 4:29 PM
Less crazy auditions. Especially with these stupid Golden Idol awards, I'm sure there were loads of crazies last night watching and thinking "that could be ME next year". There's a difference between watching someone who can't sing but think they can, and someone who can't sing and know they can't. Some people are clearly making a joke out of the process.
Raise the age limit to 18. I never want to hear "You're only 17" being used as a double-edged praise/excuse tactic.
Think before you put somebody into the final 24. If you truly think they can't sing... Suckaya.... then don't put them in to begin with. I'm sure there were talented people who were robbed of a spot in the finals because of him.
I'd rather see longer versions of the songs once it gets down to top 6 or so. Extend the performance show to an hour and a half. Make up for it by cutting out half an hour of filler on the results show. The results show was much better as a half hour. If Sprinkles felt it was rushed, it's only because he added boatloads of crap to it each week.
No more random performances on Wednesdays. Akon, Robin Thicke, Michael Booblay, Pink, Fergie... none of these people have anything at all to do with the show.
Impartial judging. This would require us to lose Randy Johnson Jackson. Which I am totally on board with.
Honest judging. Paula should be forced to give true comments. Simon seems like he is the only one that is actually honest.
More focus on the contestants as people, less focus on filler. The little snippets we saw of them hanging out together eating breakfast, or the snippets of the top 4, were great. I seem to remember getting a lot more house footage during Season 1.
No fan voting for crappy coronation songs. TPTB should prepare several songs. If the final 2 have very different styles of singing, TPTB should actually make an effort to match them the coronation songs with the appropriate contestants.
Raise the age limit to 18. I never want to hear "You're only 17" being used as a double-edged praise/excuse tactic.
Think before you put somebody into the final 24. If you truly think they can't sing... Suckaya.... then don't put them in to begin with. I'm sure there were talented people who were robbed of a spot in the finals because of him.
I'd rather see longer versions of the songs once it gets down to top 6 or so. Extend the performance show to an hour and a half. Make up for it by cutting out half an hour of filler on the results show. The results show was much better as a half hour. If Sprinkles felt it was rushed, it's only because he added boatloads of crap to it each week.
No more random performances on Wednesdays. Akon, Robin Thicke, Michael Booblay, Pink, Fergie... none of these people have anything at all to do with the show.
Impartial judging. This would require us to lose Randy Johnson Jackson. Which I am totally on board with.
Honest judging. Paula should be forced to give true comments. Simon seems like he is the only one that is actually honest.
More focus on the contestants as people, less focus on filler. The little snippets we saw of them hanging out together eating breakfast, or the snippets of the top 4, were great. I seem to remember getting a lot more house footage during Season 1.
No fan voting for crappy coronation songs. TPTB should prepare several songs. If the final 2 have very different styles of singing, TPTB should actually make an effort to match them the coronation songs with the appropriate contestants.
#30
Posted May 24, 2007 @ 4:31 PM
At F2 and F3 the contestants are singing three songs each, so let us see what they might really be like in a concert situation. Instead of alternating songs all night, put at least two of those together in a block. Each singer then has to sing one number, banter a little with the audience and do their own transition into the next song. How they handle that situation would let more of their real performing personality shine through.
I'd also like them to have totally free choice of material by that point. They would already have done nine or ten weeks of 'themes' and are a step away from a recording career of their own. Let them give the audience a feel for what direction they would like to go (barring interference from company exec corpses with their fingers or fangs on the pulse of the CD buying public) so fork over the bucks for the release rights to the material. 19E makes enough in ad rates for one show to cover those expenses for an entire season! Other shows can get the rights. Why not the juggernaut (or 'jugger-not') known as AI?
I would really love to see the S1 finale approach done all the time. Stick the judges in a box seat with only one comment at the end if need be. Let the audience decide without Simon directing the minds of those who follow like sheeple because "he's so honest" or "he knows the business so I should listen to what he says".
Why will this never happen? Because TPTB need to keep a pimpage plan in reserve until the very end. Allowing that much personal input from the performers and an un-directed voting block leaves too much up to chance.
I'd also like them to have totally free choice of material by that point. They would already have done nine or ten weeks of 'themes' and are a step away from a recording career of their own. Let them give the audience a feel for what direction they would like to go (barring interference from company exec corpses with their fingers or fangs on the pulse of the CD buying public) so fork over the bucks for the release rights to the material. 19E makes enough in ad rates for one show to cover those expenses for an entire season! Other shows can get the rights. Why not the juggernaut (or 'jugger-not') known as AI?
I would really love to see the S1 finale approach done all the time. Stick the judges in a box seat with only one comment at the end if need be. Let the audience decide without Simon directing the minds of those who follow like sheeple because "he's so honest" or "he knows the business so I should listen to what he says".
Why will this never happen? Because TPTB need to keep a pimpage plan in reserve until the very end. Allowing that much personal input from the performers and an un-directed voting block leaves too much up to chance.
Television Without Pity • © 2013 Bravo Media LLC • A Division of NBCUniversal • Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • AdChoices