I've never been a fan of American Idol. That being said, it makes for some rather fascinating television and occasionally births a star whose talent is worthy of the attention (see my review of Kelly Clarkson's show from 2009). That being said, I find the premise of the show a tad ludicrous, where they try and find someone with great pipes. My issue with it is that Bob Dylan, Axl Rose, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and dozens of other acts never would have made it to the first round.
Which brings up a question we all have to ask:
Do you want to be an artist or a celebrity?
If you truly want to be an artist, go out there, play the coffee houses and clubs and see if you can break through. If you win American Idol it's unlikely you will choose the path you want, but be a puppet for corporate big wigs.
I guess my annoyance with the season premiere were all these people crying saying "My family needs this!". Look, my family needs it too...but you stand a better chance of winning the lotto than making it all the way to the finals. It just seems to me that instead of singing and finding a way to express yourself has taken a backseat to making a lot of money. While the paydays for American Idol winners isn't bad, it's not long term and it's unlikely to change you unless you really are motivated. With each passing year the shows seems to highlight the surreal and cruel more so than the talent. In the end, no one will remember it a few years from now. Look at Lee DeWyze; he had over 40-million people vote for him and his debut album has barely shifted 100,000 copies. Are you really going to sit there and tell me it's still about the music?
As far the new judge panel. It has no leader. Say what you want about previous seasons or Simon Cowell, but his comments and direction were spot-on. He was the only one who was really qualified to be there and the only one who was honest and whose quotes weren't soundbyted on ridiculous morning shows. Steven Tyler made a mistake here and even J-Lo, while a talented individual, well, they just seem out of place and the chemistry of the original 3 judges can't be replaced.
While the show will continue to make a lot of money, don't expect it to be the commercial force it once was. It appears that once again, Simon Cowell knew when to walk away.
