Word: idol
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Idol voting plays out this tension. The show is both sadistic - see the hugely popular audition rounds, in which Cowell mocks the worst singers - and sentimental. Voters have proved to be surprisingly ruthless bosses, firing the likes of cherub John Stevens, good kids who end up outmatched. But the voters are also willing to put a thumb on the scales for contestants who've paid their dues or have affecting personal stories. Ideally, Idol indulges the idea that the nicest people are the most talented, promising karmic justice in a pop world of Ashlee Simpsons and Paris Hiltons. "There...
...process works: Idol is the most reliable hit-launching platform in show biz. It dominates TV; rival networks refer to it as a "tsunami." Idol Season 1 champ Kelly Clarkson has sold more than 8 million albums; Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, 5 million; and even Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken, more than 4 million. Its alumni have won Grammys (Clarkson), Country Music Awards (Underwood) and even an Academy Award (Jennifer Hudson). To paraphrase Hudson's Oscar-winning lyric, Idol is telling you it is not going. And anyone in the hitmaking business should be listening to what...
...Like to Hear a Story American Idol, its judges are fond of repeating, is a singing competition. Anyone who wants to win it needs to learn quickly that that is a huge lie. Yes, singing is the price of admission - ask Kevin (Chicken Little) Covais how far you can get on cuteness. But calling the show a singing contest implies that you can run any given performance through the Divatron 3000 and get an objective score, from 0 to 100 - nothing personal...
...fact is, performance is nothing but personal. You get on Idol by singing; you win Idol by telling a story. Some do it through the songs: last year's winner, Taylor Hicks, was a master of that forlorn genre, the cornball story-song (In the Ghetto, Levon). Some make a story arc of their performances, like Clarkson, who grew over Season 1 from wallflower to leather-lunged sensation. Others make themselves the narrative. Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino, for instance, had the story of teen baby-mamma who made good and subtly underscored it with performances like the soulful lullaby...
...Idol is a makeover show. The audience likes to see nerds turned cool, frumps turned glam and awkward kids finding their legs onstage. And it likes to see itself as the invisible hand guiding the changes. A narrative makes the audience feel invested, the same way movie fans do in Brad and Angelina. "The journey of seeing the same people coming back week on week-you have a relationship with them," says creator Simon Fuller. "You don't know what's going to happen. Sanjaya walks out with his crazy hairdo. It's a living soap opera." Season 6 contestant...