Photos
Video
Is 'American Idol' ready to make changes?
If you just look at the numbers, FOX's American Idol remains TV's most watched show by a wide margin, but if you read the media reports, the show is sinking like the Titanic. So it's no wonder that FOX is contemplating making a few changes to the popular format.
Yes, there are a couple mighty logical explanations for the unquestionable ratings plunge Idol has seen in recent weeks.
For starters:
1)Just about every show on TV is down this spring, either because of post-strike viewer lag or... well... something more nefarious (I say the Langoliers, but you can pick your mysterious-force-of-choice). American Idol is down, but so are CSI and Grey's Anatomy.
2)For the second consecutive year, the Top Five is low on singers Barney Stinson might simply categorize as "awesome." I'm not going to insult the individual contestants -- I do enough of that in my weekly recaps -- but this season was promoted as the best ever, but this isn't our finest Top Five ever. Where's the pizzazz?
3)Things fall apart. The center cannot hold. Reality shows in their seventh incarnation experience viewer fatigue. That's not surprising.
There's nothing FOX can do about overall television viewership. There's little FOX can do about the Top 24 selected by the judges each season or the voting of the American People. But there's plenty that the network and producers can do to reverse fatigue, or at least to try to reinvent the American Idol wheel.
An online market research survey obtained by Broadcasting & Cable gives some indication of the way future decisions may be made.
Most of the questions are pretty straight-forward. Next to pictures of the three judges, Ryan Seacrest and the contestants (as a collective), people are asked to state how important each individual is to the overall enjoyment of the show. Opinions are solicited regarding specific details like the banter between Ryan and the judges, the gender balance of the season's talent and Simon Cowell's negative comments among other issues.
Things get really specific toward the end, though, with queries about the pre-Top 24 portion of the show and how it unfolds. Are there too many audition episodes? Not enough audition episodes? Too many time spent on the Hollywood Week? Not enough?
One question asks, "Suppose the first few weeks of American Idol started in Hollywood with flashbacks of the auditions, would that increase or decrease your enjoyment of American Idol?"
As Martin Landau's Entourage character might ask, is that something you might be interested in?
All of that is just a long and convoluted way for me to set up today's prompt question...
What would you like to see American Idol change for its eighth season? The judges? The theme nights? The host? The structure and format?
Sound off!!!
Zap2it Twitter Talk 
Randy and Paula need to go (Paula especially; I forward through all her critiques) and they need to find judges who can say constructive critiques, but they're under contract so... The pre-performance clips on SYTYCD show competitors struggle in rehearsal; why can't we see that on Idol rather than contestants and stars blathering on about the most inane drivel.
Paula has to GO. I like Ryan but believe all the "waiting time" for announcements is annyoing. The results portion can be updated...ok to talk to viewers but not in the current format (ryan picks calls...). I like to first weeks that lead to hollywood but why all the drama. Just pick and move on. Make it FASTER, instead of all the hype ect. I'd like to hear more from the families and don't think it's fair that those who have "connections" make it while others who are "nobodies" are overlooked.
First, I'd like to see the theme song changed. It's a lame theme that barely qualifies as a song. I'd like to see the animation changed, too. Next, I'm with Anne regarding the pregnant pauses. All of the "reality" shows seem to employ it these days, and it just annoys the crap out of me. I'm sure it's meant to heighten the suspense, but it has never worked for me. It just makes me feel like changing the channel.
One vote per phone number would be good. This way it will eliminate the "Vote For The Worst" people as well as the crazy teenies voting for the cutest guy a thousand times.
The theme nights need to be opened up a little bit. Maybe a couple of them can be on certain singer/songwriters but other nights should be genre's. And real genre's, none of this David Cook style stuff where you take a standard song and fit it into another genre. While this may be unfair to certain contestants who aren't versatile, it will really show the talent of those who are.
That's all I can think of right now.
I think that the Audition rounds go one way too long, and I kind of like the idea of having flashbacks during Hollywood Week to show how they got there. Maybe show one night of the bad and embarr***ing auditions? That would be enough for me. More Hollywood week, focus on the singing, not the drama.
I agree about having more background for each contestant before we get to voting, to even out the playing field a little.
I would like to see Paula either gone or somehow made more coherent. When she is understandable, she is a good addition to the show. Then, there are moments like tonight, when she totally goes off and you have no idea where she came from.
Randy is not very helpful. He always says the same things and trips over the names he drops.
Simon is essential.
The banter could be toned down A LOT. Please.
And I kind of liked the theme nights like they had in the first season, with different decades each week. It was cool. I loved Big Band Week. I still have "Stuff Like That There," with Kelly Clarkson on my iPod.
The results show could be drastically reduced. And the dramatic pauses just seem to get ridiculous.
I would like to see some changes, but nothing too drastic. I really do love the show.
I'm sure the producers love having the nights devoted to one singer or composer, but I think it would be better to have each theme be by music genre instead. Top 40 night, country music night, Broadway night...
The call-in segment has got to go. It's terrible and just a waste of time. I would prefer that there would be more Hollywood weeks as opposed to audition weeks. I would rather hear people that can really sing.
I really want only 2 major additions or changes made to AI and that is a catchy opening theme song (why keep an opening theme music that sounds weird?) and also that they make AI more of a reality show with lots of behind the scenes activities and interactions between the top 24 or top 12 and the regular team of the show, much like in America's Next Top Model.
Less of the the bad auditions. I want to hear the ones that can sing. Paula needs to go, I mute her whenever possible since she makes no sense anyway. The only judge needed is Simon. He usually speaks the truth, on occasion, I think he badgers the ones he does not like more than he needs to. Just because he does'nt like them does not mean they cannot sing. The result show should only take a half hour at the most. Someone is going home, just tell them and get it over with.
I agree with many others that the result show should only be one half hour and also that the trainwrecks (since some people like that) from open auditions should be limited to one show tops with Hollywood week getting more play than the open auditions. In general, Simon's critiques are the only ones worth hearing but another judge is needed who criticizes consructively like ALW did-he gave useful advice that most of the contestants could benefit from and did not just slobber over the favorites. Simon is too wrapped up in the business part-we need a young Pop idol-you do not work. But some balance is needed just not "You look great" or "That was just okay Dawg." If they continue to search for a young Pop Idol and not necessarily the best singer but using older songs for the contest (Copyright issues?), the ages should be from 18 to about 22 or 23 and no older. While another 16 year old might do better, Archeleta just seems too immature even for a Pop Idol singing those older songs.
The Judges need to pick the bottom three and then let the voters choose which should go, this way there aren't great contestants sent home early just because the teen girls think the cute kid who can only sing ballads is cute.