Idol Chatter

Four reasons Kara DioGuardi deserved the Idol boot

All I can say is hallelujah.

It’s official. Kara DioGuardi is no longer a judge on American Idol.

Now she’s but a reminder of the last two lackluster seasons. Seasons in which she might not have been responsible for the show’s dip in ratings, but in which she contributed absolutely nothing to reverse the trend.

I can only hope my scathing critique of her judging on a survey Idol posted on its website at the end of season nine was matched by hundreds of other viewers and had something to do with her ouster.

Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead.

Okay. Okay. That might be going a little too far.

But let’s review reasons some of the reasons Kara deserved this fate.

* Time: The season eight semifinals. Scenario: Taylor Vaifanua, 16, had just turned in a near pitch-perfect performance of “I Ain’t Got You,” which was pretty impressive considering the number of teens who had cracked under pressure in the same situation.

Kara’s contribution: She complains that the performance didn’t tell her what it would be like to go shopping with Taylor. As if she was juding “The Price is Right” rather than American Idol. It started a string of often nonsensical critiques from Idol’s newest judge.

* Time: The season eight performance finals. Scenario: Adam Lambert and Kris Allen are preparing to sing in competition for the last time. The song: “No Boundaries.”

Kara’s contribution: She co-wrote the song, which both singers struggled with. Sorry, but if you write a song Adam Lambert has trouble singing, you’ve probably written a crappy songs. And the lyrics: “You’ll make it through the pain / Weather the hurricanes / To get to that one thing.” Oh, no.

* Time: The season eight finale. Scenario: Ryan Seacrest has just presented Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell a best attitude award. She launches into song.

Kara’s contribution: She joins Katrina on stage, starts singing along, then does an ill-advised bikini flash. Katrina has several pics on her MySpace page, capturing the moment. Some have rather funny captions. Like: “Me and Grandma Casper.”

* Time: The season nine auditions. Scenario: Casey James has just finished auditioning; the judging panel is split on whether he should go to Hollywood.

Kara’s contribution: She asks Casey to strip off his shirt. She asks Casey to let his hair down. She votes to give him a golden ticket, then declares that he’s “ear candy as well as eye candy” after one semifinal performance. I can only imagine the reaction if one of the male judges referred to a pretty young female contestant as “eye candy.”

That’s four reasons that jump to mind in a heatbeat.

The list could go on and on.

Bottom line: Great move, Idol.

Now get on with announcing the identity of the new judges.

And stick with three, please.

If you’re interested in reading the official release from FOX, here it is …

Kara DioGuardi is stepping down from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL. DioGuardi joined AMERICAN IDOL as a judge in the series’ eighth season.
 
“I felt like I won the lottery when I joined AMERICAN IDOL two years ago, but I feel like now is the best time to leave IDOL,” said DioGuardi. “I am very proud to have been associated with AMERICAN IDOL – it has truly been an amazing experience. I am grateful to FOX, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, as well as the cast, crew and contestants, for all they have given to me. I look forward to my next challenge, and want to thank everyone who has supported me. All the best to everyone on Season 10!”
 
“Kara was a great addition to our IDOL family,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “I’ve been fortunate to get to know her well, and have always been amazed by her eye for talent and her commitment to developing and mentoring artists. She will be missed, and we wish her continued success.”
 
“Kara is one of the world’s best songwriters,” stated IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She has been passionate and committed to IDOL over the last two seasons. I will miss having her on the show, but I look forward to working with her in music for many years to come.”

“As one of the most proclaimed songwriters in the U.S., Kara brought a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to AMERICAN IDOL,” said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer. “We are very grateful for the time she spent on the show, and we wish her nothing but the best in all her future endeavors.”
 
“Anyone who knows Kara knows that she brings an unbelievable amount of passion, creativity and humility to everything she does,” added IDOL executive producer Ken Warwick. “It has been a joy working with her on IDOL for the past two seasons, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next.”

But, hooray, it won’ be on American Idol.

An Idol stall tactic? Show announces new audition city

Feel like taking a trip to Los Angeles later this month?

If so, there’s still time to audition for season 10 of American Idol.

Idol completed visits to its initial six audition cities — including East Rutherford, N.J. — last month.

But on Thursday, the show announced a seventh audition, set for Sept. 22 in Los Angeles.

That’s despite what executive producer Ken Warwick called “an exceptional turnout — both in the number of people auditioning and the level of their talent” at the first six cities.
“Los Angeles has always delivered great talent, and so we feel it only fitting that we end our 10th season audition tour here in our home city,” he said.

You can learn more about how the Los Angeles audition will work here.

My guess is that this is something of a stall tactic.

The show would normally be doing callback auditions about now. Those require the presence of the judges.

Instead, there still hasn’t been an announcement of who will be judging season 10.

We know Simon Cowell is gone. We know Ellen DeGeneres is gone. I’m hoping media reports are correct and Kara DioGuardi is gone as well.

At the Emmys, Nigel Lythgoe, returning to Idol in an executive producer role for season 10, said he believes only Randy Jackson is under contract for season 10.

CBS is reporting today that Jennifer Lopez is close to finalizing a contract to judge the show. Rumors persist that Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler has already secured a spot at the judge’s table.

Meanwhile, the season nine Idol summer tour wrapped up earlier this week in Indianapolis.

The venue was 70 percent empty, but the season nine contestants still put on an entertaining show, according to this review on Indystar.com.

But given the lack of interest in the summer tour — several dates were canceled because of lackluster ticket sales — you have to wonder about the post-Idol careers of everyone but Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, who already have record deals with 19 Recordings Limited and RCA Records.

Look for debut albums from them before the end of the year.

A new executive producer for ‘Cute Guy Idol’

Well, at least one of the American Idol rumors has been confirmed.

Nigel Lythgoe, most recently of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame, is returning to Idol as an executive producer for season 10.

Sounds like good news to me, especially considering what he’s been saying about Idol judges lately.

Lythgoe served the same role on Idol through season seven, which coincidentally, was the last season the show was really entertaining.

Remember that year? David Cook against David Archuleta. A supporting cast that include Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, Jason Castro, the underrated Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. Tons of talent (just listen to the music they’ve released since then.) Lots of personality. Heck, between bum notes and twisted quotes, even Kristy Lee Cook was entertaining.

Not that season seven wasn’t without its misfires. After all, it included that strange episode where all the contestants sang once, then returned to the stage as a group for the judges’ comments — a format that threw Paula Adbul for such a loop that she turned in one of her loopiest critiques ever, criticizing a performance poor Jason hadn’t even given yet.

But all in all, I consider season seven one of Idol’s best. Certainly far superior to the bore-fest we’ve endured the last two seasons, save the gems provided by Crystal Bowersox, Allison Iraheta and, of course, Adam Lambert.

As for what Lythgoe is saying about the judges and potential changes to the show …

* He prefers a three-judge format to four judges. Hooray!

* He thinks the focus should be on the contestants, not the people sitting at the judges’ table. Hooray again!

* He doesn’t like the idea of young mentors. Wow. Could he be referring to forever off-key teen Miley Cyrus and her stint as a mentor this year. If so, triple hooray!

You can go to this interview he did with USA Today for more, including his comments on prospective new judges.

Lythgoe’s hiring marks the third major change the show has made for season 10. The others include the blunder of allowing 15-year-olds to compete and the wonderful decision to cut the results shows to one-half hour.

Hey, as Meatloaf would sing, two out of three ain’t bad.

Now, Nigel, about the voting. Isn’t there some way to even that out? To keep fans enamored by a Kris Allen or a Lee DeWyze from voting a trillion times?

Hopefully, you can find a way.

It not, regardless of how many other changes you make, you might as well rename the show Cute Guy Idol and tell the ladies not to bother competing.

Could the next American Idol be Jenna from Lancaster?

In spite of all the talk of American Idol’s demise and plunging popularity, aspiring singers still are turning out in the thousands for the auditions.

Depending on the source, between 15,000 and 17,000 turned out for Tuesday’s auditions in East Rutherford, N.J. That’s the closest the Idol auditions will come to central Pa. in 2010.

These are preliminary auditions. Anyone familiar with the process knows the singers aren’t performing for the real judges yet.

Good thing, since no one — including Ryan Seacrest — seems to know who is and isn’t going to be part of the real judging panel for season 10.

(As an aside, check out this review of a Steven Tyler radio interview by Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly.)

But this seems certain. When the callback auditions are held, a young lady named Jenna Schmalhofer from nearby Lancaster will be among the auditioners.

The Star-Ledger of Newark snapped a photo of Jenna hugging her mom after surviving the preliminary auditions Tuesday. Here’s the link to the story and photos.

So, what do we know about Jenna?

* She qualified for the 2010 Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant, where she was named Miss Congeniality.

* She graduated from Lancaster Catholic High School and attended Messiah College, where she sang with the concert choir, jazz singers and chamber choir.

* She has worked at the Dutch Wonderland Amusement Park for seven years and eventually became Princess of Dutch Wonderland, promoting childhood literacy through that role.

* You can head here to hear and watch her sing “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”

* You can head here to watch her perform with the Messiah College JazzSingers.

* On her Twitter profile, she says this: “I’m passionate, hopeful, wide-eyed and ready to change the world.”

Hey, with an attitude like that, I can only wish Jenna the best in her Idol pursuit.

I haven’t heard of anyone from York County who traveled to East Rutherford for the Idol auditions.

Have you?

If so, let me know by commenting below.

Idol rumors fly; the truth will have to wait

So, today was supposed to be the day.

Except it wasn’t.

Still no official word on who’s in and who’s out on the American Idol judging panel, despite the fact that Monday was the day FOX representatives presented their 2010-11 shows to the Television Critics Association.

Among the latest rumors …

* Kara DioGuardi has been fired. Oh, please, let it be true. And how did I miss the fact that she’d posed nude (tastefully) for Allure magazine back in April? Sort of makes those stripper pole comments Kara made to Bikini Girl ring a little hollow, huh?

* Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame will be joining the judges table. Wow, I didn’t realize this guy is now 62 years old.  Apparently, he has not heard the Danny Gokey shriek at the end of “Dream On” back in season eight. Otherwise, he’d be dashing for retirement, not a spot at the Idol judging table.

* Jennifer Lopez, 41, will replace someone (maybe Ellen, maybe Kara) at the judges’ table. She would bring Idol creds, having coached the season six contestants on Latin music week; she performed “Que Hicista” on that week’s results show. But that might mark the only time a Jennifer Lopez song was performed on the show.

Oh, and if you’re looking for Simon Cowell snarky, look elsewhere. After her season six performance, under questioning from Ryan Seacrest, J. Lo said she comes from the Paula school of judging. “I really do believe accentuating the positive and concentrating on the rightness brings more rightness … Not that we don’t need our Simon.”

Yeah, and Idol needs someone in that role.

* Nigel Lythgoe might be the guy who needs someone in that role. Rumors are that the “So You Think You Can Dance” judge/co-creator/executive producer will return to Idol as executive producer. It’s a role he held up until season seven. Which, coincidentally, was the show’s last really memorable season.

What did FOX network chief Peter Rice have to say about all the rumors swirling around the show on Monday.

According to The Associated Press, he said some of the media speculation about the future of “American Idol” is accurate and some is “wildly inaccurate.”

So let the rumors continue.

Meanwhile, you can enjoy Jennifer Lopez’s season six performance on the show below.

With Ellen gone, where, oh, where should Idol turn?

So, Ellen DeGeneres is gone. Simon Cowell has yet to be replaced. And Kara DioGuardi’s contract has yet to be renewed.

What’s it all add up to?

A wonderful opportunity for America’s most-watched TV show to totally retool its judging panel.

And perhaps make a change that would help reverse its declining ratings in the process.

What should American Idol do from here?

1. Do not renew Kara’s contract. She’s been more of a detriment than an addition to the show since the day she arrived, for reasons and gaffs too numerous to recount here.

2. Do not hire four judges for season 10. Three judges is plenty on a show like Idol. Four judges translates into way too much gab between performances.

3. Buy out Randy Jackson’s contract. I mean, would all that many people miss Randy if he weren’t on the panel? Have his critiques ever gotten more insightful than: “That didn’t really work for me, dawg”?

Here’s the beauty of a complete recasting of the judging panel, an advantage I pointed out among a list of tips for saving the show at the end of a lackluster season nine.

By hiring three new judges the show would triple its chances of finding someone who clicks with viewers the way Simon did instead of putting all its eggs into one Harry Connick Jr. basket.

Ellen wasn’t the answer, and I doubt viewers will miss her any more than they’d miss the absense of Kara.

Hey, funny lady. She delivered some memorable one-liners during her time on the show, like comparing Tim Urban to a fourth shot of tequila.

But the one-liners came off as a little too rehearsed, and she was clearing uncomfortable handing out criticism.

She admitted as much in her explanation for leaving the show.

Reports are that Ellen will be replaced by actor-singer Jennifer Lopez.

Of course, earlier this week, we heard that Jessica Simpson might be in the running for a judge’s post.

Yep, the Jessica Simpson of “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” fame. The Jessica Simpson whose post-divorce relationship with Tony Romo got more attention than most of her music. The Jessica Simpson whose career musical highlight came singing  “These Boots Are Made for Walking” in short shorts.

And how many other names have we heard since the announcement of Simon’s departure? Elton John. Howard Stern. Donald Trump. Justin Timberlake.

I’ll wait for the official announcement.

Which could come as early as Monday, when Fox presents its 2010-11 programs to the Television Critics Association.

An Idol performer to watch in N.J. auditions

I can pretty much guarantee you who will be one of the featured contestants when American Idol airs its season 10 audition episode from Rutherford, N.J.

Folks, meet Anthony Riley, 23, of Philadelphia.

What makes Anthony so special?

Well, he’s a street performer. And, three years ago, he was arrested for singing too loudly on Rittenhouse Square in Philly.

He not only beat the disorderly conduct charge, he was later awarded a $27,500 in the case.

At the time of his arrest, he was singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”

And he plans to sing the same song at the New Jersey auditions next week.
Now, do you think American Idol will be able to resist telling the story of the singer who took on city hall and won?

The Associated Press moved a short item about Anthony earlier today. Here’s a more extensive story, courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The East Rutherford auditions — the closest season 10 audition site — are set for Tuesday with registration beginning on Sunday.

After that, Idol has two more audition stops scheduled: Aug. 11 in Austin, Texas, and Aug. 18 in San Francisco, Calif.

Note: Are you from York County and planning to audition in New Jersey? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a message below or e-mail me at mfranklin@yorkdispatch.com.

Idol coming to N.J. as part of season 10 auditions

Hey, talented York County residents, want to audition for American Idol?

The show is holding an audition just three hours away, in East Rutherford, N.J.

OK, it’s not as convenient as two years ago, when Idol held auditions in Philly.

But it’s a heck of an improvement over last year, when the East Coast auditions were in Boston, Atlanta and Orlando.

The show announced its season 10 audition dates Monday morning, along with a reduction in the minimum age to try out for the show. (Go here for more info on that).

Last year, auditions were already under way by now.

But show officials had warned they would start later this year, largely because of a search for Simon Cowell’s replacement.

No word on whether that person will be in place for the first audition, set for July 17 in Nashville, Tenn.

Here are the other audition sites and dates:

* Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, July 21, Bradley Center;

* New Orleans, La., Monday, July 26, TBA;

* East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, Aug. 3, IZOD Center;

* Austin, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 11, Frank Erwin Center;

* San Francisco, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 19 AT&T Park

Idol lowers age limit, a step in the wrong direction

American Idol just announced its first big change for season 10.

And, in my mind, it’s a big step in the wrong direction.

Come this summer, the age limit to audition for Idol drops from 16 to 15. Idol announced the change this morning.
Please say it ain’t so.

Look, folks, the Idol secret is out. If you’re a legitimate musician struggling for that big break — well, you just might want to audition for American Idol.

You don’t have to look far to find examples. Exhibit A: Lee DeWyze, age 24. Exhibit B: Crystal Bowersox, also 24.

These days on American Idol, novices need not apply. There are plenty of nearly pros awaiting their shot at stardom.

So what does Idol do?

It sets off in search of more novices.

Huh?

Look, young performers have succeeded on the show in the past. Allison Iraheta (fourth in season eight) and David Archuleta (second in season seven) spring instantly to mind.

But for every brazen-beyond-her-years Allison there are lots of Stevie Wrights, whose nerves spoiled her moment in the spotlight back in the season eight semifinals.

And for every pitch-perfect David Archuleta there are lots of Haeley Vaughns, who looked the part in season nine, but whose voice was so not-ready-for-prime-time performing.

And let’s not forget, Allison and David were not exactly amateurs plucked from the middle of nowhere-ville USA. Both had competed in national talent competitions prior to Idol.

Then, of course, there was Jordin Sparks, Idol’s youngest winner at age 17 back in season six.  Like Allison and David, she arrived at auditions with a musical resume most teens are going to have trouble matching.
In fact, I’ve long thought Idol should make a change in the opposite direction, raising the minimum age for competing to 18 to force the very young to arrive at auditions a little more seasoned, a little less likely to squander their chance to make it big because they’re just not ready.

What do you think? Let me know by posting your comments below.