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American Idol Season 7
marigold:
An interesting article:
Nigel Lythgoe Dishes On Season 7
http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=1122
With rumors swirling that this year's contestants are going to yield the strongest Top 12 in "Idol" history, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe took time out of his insanely busy schedule to give his own two cents…and he didn't hold back in issuing his opinions either. Nigel said that there are a number of "strong individuals," but he still stands by his comment that last year's Top 12 was one of the strongest as a group. Whereas he felt that Melinda, Blake, Chris and many others from last year formed very a talented group, Nigel says we can expect to see a number of "stand-out individuals right from the beginning this year." This is in contrast to Jordin, who Nigel says actually grew quite a bit throughout the season.
As has also been discussed quite a bit during the off-season, Nigel does admit that the focus last year went too much toward the mentors and that, this season, the show will definitely spend a lot more time talking to the kids about their lives and what they want from the competition. They might even go to the parents for this kind of information. Another thing we can expect to see is less specialized genres, such as '60's/'70's music, instead of dedicating an entire night to one particular artist. Don't expect an entirely new concept, however. Nigel says that they will be sticking by the tried and true "Idol" format, while keeping the show as fresh as possible. This includes showing the good and the bad auditions. He went on to say that the bad auditions are usually what make people smile and laugh, calling it a virtual "Cirque du Lack of Talent." This also means that there won't necessarily be a complete equality of screen time when it comes down to it. As Nigel so frankly puts it, it's their job to show the entertaining ones, so if someone does something interesting or good, he or she will end up on camera.
Another thing that won't change is the talent. Don't expect Nigel to ever change the lineup of judges or enlisting Ryan Seacrest as the host. As he says, he would never "mess with the chemistry." He does say, however, that we can expect the usual bickering amongst them, jokingly calling the dynamics between them "pitiful, childish…same as every year."
While Nigel prefers to keep the themes a surprise, he did say that he always keeps his fingers crossed for a Beatles night. Sadly, he says that Paul McCartney will not be on the show this year despite the many rumors that he will be! Nigel is still holding out hope, though, that the Lennon/McCartney songbook will be opened up to the Idols.
As far as what Nigel likes to see in contestants, he says that there is no real set criterion. He doesn't care if the person came from a musical background or if they've had absolutely no musical training whatsoever. He says that this year we will see about three 16 to 17-year-olds that are "brilliant," but admits that when the show increased the age limit a few years back, he was quite impressed with many of the older contestants, like Bo Bice. As far as the season seven audition cities go, Nigel did say that he thought that San Diego was the clear winner for producing the most talent.
As for the best "Idol" alumni, Nigel wasn't able to pinpoint a clear favorite, citing the greatest things about each season's winner. He says that Kelly Clarkson has made herself into a legitimate star. He calls Ruben "probably one of the best cross-over artists," like Donny Hathaway or Luther Vandross. Fantasia is so unique that Nigel feels she stands out amongst the others. He calls Carrie Underwood a "beautiful and talented" girl that will have the most longevity because of her success in country music. Nigel says that Taylor brought fun to the show, although he does feel like America might have gotten it wrong that season. The person he thinks should have won is Chris Daughtry, saying he was the real "musical star." Nigel calls Jordin a "young, fresh pop singer" who will develop into a fine artist. He does admit that American Idol doesn't mean automatic success, even for the winners. Instead, he calls the show the perfect springboard, but says that the rest is up to them. He's also thrilled with the huge amount of Grammy nominations the Idols received this year, saying that it definitely validates the program.
According to Nigel, Idol Gives Back will be even better this year, as they have longer to plan the event. As opposed to having six weeks to put it together, as they did last year, they will now have plenty of time to enlist the talent they want to make it an incredible evening once again. They also plan on separating it out from the show and giving the event its own evening, with the most probable format being the performances on Tuesday, Idol Gives Back on a Wednesday, and the results show on a Thursday.
While many have wondered whether American Idol will pick up the slack that the writers' strike is leaving in the TV schedule, Nigel says that this will just not be so. As they also only like to air the show once per year, they wouldn't want to expand the nights in order to protect the successful brand that has been created.
Want to see if you can catch a glimpse of some of these talented season seven individuals? Check out our audition preview video #1, audition preview video #2, and our just-added audition preview video #3!
marigold:
article: Nigel Lythgoe conference call with the media:
http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/blog/2007/12/17/american-idol-7-to-have-less-celebrity-mentors-but-same-pitiful-judges/
With the premiere of American Idol 7 just a month away, American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe talked about the upcoming season on a conference call with media. One of the first questions that Lythgoe faced was what he thought about the talent level for American Idol 7 compared to previous seasons.
Lythgoe said “I would say that we’ve got some excellent individuals this year. And last year, I said I thought it would be our strongest top twelve as a top twelve, and I still stand by that. Even though a lot of people dished us last year with our final group, but as a group, they were the strongest ones. When I think of other years where we’ve had bad people in it, and you keep your fingers crossed they’re going to be voted out or you’re embarrassed by them. I wasn’t embarrassed by anybody last year, even young Sanjaya I thought came through all of the hits that he was taking very competently.”
In regards to the soft openings for Jordin Sparks’ and Blake Lewis’ new albums, Lythgoe said “I’ve never believed that the television audience is the same as the record buying audience, and if that were true then my god, they would be selling sixty million albums as opposed to two million albums.”
When Lythgoe was asked if there would be any special stunts on the show this year to revive the ratings, he said “No, I’m not into jumping sharks with this program. This program will be around as long as people want it around. If we lost fifty percent of our audience tomorrow, we would still be the biggest show on television.”
Even though the American Idol finalists might not be jumping sharks, there are actually several changes for season seven. Some of the changes include less celebrity mentors, more time spent talking to the kids about their lives and what they want from the competition, and contestants playing instruments during Hollywood week.
In regards to how the use of instruments turned out, Lythgoe said “For some it worked out brilliantly. Three that I’m positive are going to be in our top twelve, as much as you can be, were terrific. And a couple of others just really crashed and burned.” Lythgoe also added that they were undecided on if contestants would be allowed to play instruments in the top twelve. His concern was that it might not be fair to the contestants that couldn’t play an instrument.
However, viewers can count on several things about American Idol to stay the same as they have in the past. When asked if viewers would see more good singers than bad singers during the initial round of auditions this year, Lythgoe said “No, of course not. We’ve been showing those people for the last six years. I mean that’s what American Idol is in the first stages.”
In regards to if producers would show more early round footage of contestants that they knew were moving forward in the competition, Lythgoe explained “All I’m interested in at the end of the day is turning out a good show. If they are as boring as hell in front of the camera, then I’m not going to show them, so they should be grateful that they’re not being seen to be frank with you.”
One thing that viewers can count on is that the judges and the host that help keep the show alive whenever the talent might be dragging are not changing. In regards to the dynamic between the judges this year, Lythgoe described it as “pitiful.” Lythgoe explained “Childish, pitiful, the same as every year. It’s wonderful to see actually.” When responding to a later question about other possible judges, Lythgoe said “We have got the best judges for American Idol on American Idol. That chemistry and their chemistry with Ryan Seacrest is one of the main elements of the success of this show, and I wouldn’t dream of changing any one of them.”
marigold:
Article: American Idol producer talks about seventh-season format changes
Full article is in the link below.
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/american-idol-producer-talks-about-seventh-season-format-changes-6282.php
American Idol's seventh-season talent has been a hot topic of conversation among judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson after the "Hollywood Round" -- where 160 hopefuls were narrowed to 24 semifinalists, 12 boys and 12 girls -- came to a close late last month. Jackson has called the talent "unbelievable;" Cowell claims it has the potential to be the best season so far; and Abdul said the "Hollywood Round" was full of "stand-out superstars."
RealityFreakWill:
marigold:
SEASON 7 UPDATE :
American Idol: Your Tune-in Schedule... After This
http://community.tvguide.com/blog/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Todays-News/700000044
Don't plan those dinner parties, bar mitzvahs or C-sections just yet. First, take a look at (and print out, if you are truly hardcore) these first few key dates for the upcoming season of your American Idol.
Tuesday, Jan. 15, and Wednesday, Jan. 16: Two-part season premiere
Jan. 22, 23, 29 and 30, Feb. 5 and 6: Audition episodes
Feb. 13: Hollywood round, Part 2 (top 24 announced)
Feb. 21: First results show (two males, two females booted)
March 6: Results show (top 12 revealed)
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