Daily Page | Zebrality | NCAA Pool | General Chat | Latest Comments

You are on an individual archive page

Click here to return to the main page


The Daily Links Page
Got a link to submit?
  • Omaha man uses steak knife to perform self-tracheotomy
       [ 1 comment ]
  • College Junior Enters NBA Draft. The Catch: He Has No Basketball Playing Experience
  • How about 8 things he hates about you?
  • Laid off? The one thing you absolutely need to do on the first day
  • Did Madison cops miss chance to catch Joel Marino killer?
  • Tibetan woman holds Olympic flame atop Everest
  • Denver man wants city prepared for space aliens
  • Union officials defend 911 dispatcher in Zimmermann case
  • Snoop Dogg Guests On 'One Life to Live' Tomorrow
       [ 1 comment ]
  • U.S. Diplomat Says 100,000 May Have Died in Myanmar Cyclone
  • Chorus Grows for Clinton to Get Out of Democratic Race
       [ 1 comment ]
  • Retailers Crack Down as Consumers Attempt to Save Money Online
  • Second Madison 911 error sent homicide detectives on wrong trail
  • UW's Ogg Hall left half-razed after state kills contract with demolition company
       [ 1 comment ]
  • George Lucas: 'Star Wars' won't go beyond Darth Vader
  • Democratic and Republican healthcare plans offer clear choices
       [ 3 comments ]
  • A Mother's Day Report Card: The Best - And Worst - Countries to Be a Mother
  • No free lunch _ or breakfast _ for Obama
  • What McCain expects from federal judges
       [ 1 comment ]
  • Classes My Top-Tier Law School Should Have Offered as Warnings About the Profession
  • Florida to become two states?
  • Connecticut boy takes off Favre jersey for good after four years
  • VP Madness: GOP style
  • Amazon Sues Over Internet Taxes
  • Photo ID may be required for boaters
  • Tree Worshipers Take Switzerland; Lawnmowers To Be Outlawed as Weapons of Mass Destruction
  • Mifflin Street Block Party: An undercurrent of anger
  • Madison, Wisconsin's Liberal Attitudes Toward Homelessness: What do you expect?
       [ 6 comments ]
  • Brewers pitcher Gallardo suffers ACL injury in collision
  • Paul Soglin's Derby Picks
  • Slain Madison girl dialed 911 - was hung up on by dispatcher
  • Mike Golic Holds His Own Against Professional Eaters
  • Global Cooling?
  • Is Obama Tanking, And Is That A Good Thing?
  • Police: Woman believed to be 'D.C. madam' kills herself
  • Hillary vs. the coffee maker
       [ 2 comments ]
  • Albert Hofmann, father of drug LSD, dies in Switzerland
  • Foreign Law and the First Amendment
  • Treadmill Desk: Lose 57 lbs in One Year...Really
  • Advice for the Lovelorn from Barack Obama
  • McCain Takes On Health Care
  • Science vs. Prayer (Science wins)
  • Candidates favor reducing carbon emissions to levels not seen since the American Revolution
  • Clinton: $2.3B in earmarks
  • Pubs fall victim to Ireland's growing affluence
  • An Interview With Thaddeus McCotter, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee About The GOP Fiscal Integrity Task Force
  • Cranes: Living Dinosaurs?
       [ 2 comments ]
  • Evidence points to serial killer targeting college-aged men in the Midwest
  • Shiny, Happy SSA Employees
  • Is the Stage Being Set For the All-Time Sister Souljah Moment?

     

  • (American) Idol Thoughts – Season Seven

       February 17, 2008

    Now that American Idol is down to the final 24, it’s about the time we write about it here. This season, however, may be a little different. First, last season’s guest recapper, Princess Midwest, recently joined a local alt-country band as a singer/bass player. So, she’ll be spending more time making music than evaluating it. I have a class on Wednesday nights too, so our coverage will be spotty at best. That said, some of us may get more involved if there are some really great (or really horrible) contestants this year.

    We’re not the only ones that are less excited about Idol. After the last dull season, the show needs to improve. Here are five humble suggestions from yours truly:

    1. Make sure we have great contestants. The producers and judges can bitch about the talent last season, but they’re the ones who put them into the top 24. With three musical superstars and an Oscar winner under their belts, we know they’re capable of spotting diamonds in the rough. They’ve got to do it again if the show is to remain somewhat relevant.

    2. Openness and honesty. First, be honest about the contestants’ backgrounds. Not everyone is a simple country girl or boy who only sings for their cows. If they, for example, had a major label recording contract before but failed, tell us. The audience only cares about who can sing and connect. We do, however hated being lied to. Along those lines, to avoid any accusation of shenanigans, Idol needs to start releasing the vote totals. Put them up on the website immediately after the results show. It’ll drive traffic and drive talk as superfans will have a full week to plot how to best support their favorites.

    3. Speaking of the web, Idol needs to actually use it more. For a show that has audience interaction as such a key element, Idol doesn’t do much with the interactive possibilities of the internet. Why not do a web poll to determine contestant song choices or wardrobe or a future week’s musical theme?

    4. Kill the finale song. “A Moment Like This” was a big hit, but the subsequent finale songs have been big duds. What’s worse is that the very format of the syrupy songs can determine the winner. Blake was probably going to lose last season anyway, but the finale’s big ballad single made a victory almost impossible. Why not take the time to produce a single for the winner that best suits them, instead of trying to fit them into a terrible song?

    5. Finally, after seven seasons, it’s time for a big twist. How about giving early boots a chance to compete for a spot back into the competition? Or what about counting Randy, Paula & Simon’s votes? The show is too predictable – so shake it up, I say!


    Posted by kris at February 17, 2008 06:03 PM

        The trackback entry for this page is : http://www.inthehat.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1615

     

    Trackback Entries

     


    Comments

    #  February 18th, 2008 11:12 AM      james
    speaking of fakes, this week's Best Week Ever exposes that david archuleta kid as a huge phony - he pretends to be a doe-eyed, starstruck, "oh golly gee i hope i'm good enough" noob when in reality he's been winning competitions since exiting the womb.

    more here  
     
    #  February 18th, 2008 5:41 PM      themandownthehall
    Here's a novel idea. You have 2 full hours. How about LETTING THEM FREAKING SING! 90 seconds per person? 18 minutes of singing a show? Come on!  
     

     

     


    To leave a comment you must be logged in.
    Log in here
    or Get an Account here.