American Idol::Steven Tyler as American Idol Judge::Jennifer Lopez is American Idol Judge
64Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez as Idol judges
At one time American Idol was synonymous with Simon Cowell as much as kelly Clarkson or Carrie underwood. Now Steven Tyler as an American idol judge gives the brand more legitimacy. Let's not forget Jennifer Lopez as the other well known celebrity not afraid to lend her star power to the Idol brand. There was a great gamble taken when these stars became part of the judging panel along with mainstay Randy jackson. The result: a revival of the Fox ratings stalwart.
The Idol brand is bigger than one season's contestants
How many American idol contestants can you name? Sure, during the thick of the contest you will become familiar with the finalists, at least the ones that manage to delay their extinction by capturing the judges attention and favor. All in all, though, the contestants most remembererd are the ones who win and the one left standing beside him or her on that last night each season.
So why is American idol still such a phenomenon that 46 million people watcjed the 2012 premiere? Because it is a proven vehicle for people to come from nowhere to get the chance to be a musical star. Sure the talent must be there, but with the machine idol has developed into, the chance that a no talent singer would get to latter stages is slim. The people sent to "Hollywood" are considered good bets to be real musical stars.
I feel like the audition episodes at the beginning are as much for entertainment as anything. We get to see some ridiculous attempts at singing or even just ridiculous attempts at attention by those like "Bikini Girl" of a few years ago. You will also see the occasional soul that denies the judges assessment that their talent is wholly lacking. This seems to me to be more profound with proven stars such as Mr. Tyler and Ms. lopez at the desk.
Style over comes Cowell's crabbiness
The first criticism heard last season as Mr. Tyler and Ms. :Lopez started was that there was no scathing criticism. Yes, this is tru, but it was a plus. Who wants to tune it to hear someone gripe at another trying to follow their dream. No longer did we feel like a contestant was wasting a judge's time. Sure it was Somn's trademark, but thankfully only his.
Steven Tyler has a unique style to be sure, probably once considered eccentric or possibly even weird by some. Thankfully everyone is entitled to their opinion, so you are welcome to yours. However, he does give the show a fresh take that it needed after so many years in the same pattern.
Jennifer Lopez brought yet more freshness as well as an attractive face to the panel. She remains one of the more beautiful women in entertainment which i am sure was not lost on the Idol braintrust as they thought about how to maintian thier audience of 18-34 year olds, who look for beauty in the people they see in programs. Think this is wrong? Survey all the top shows and see how many old wrinkled people lead the show.
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Popularity contests will always be a draw of a crowd.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I love American Idol and have been watching it since the very beginning. It definitely brought us some great artists like Daughtry, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson. But there were other people on the show that made it to the top 12 who weren't such great artists. I think this competition is a great way for aspiring artists to get noticed. This is not necessarily about who sang the best but about who the fans favor more. Someone who is not as good an artist may move on in the competition simply because the audience favors him/her more than someone else. And someone who is awesome might go home because the fan base is smaller. Which in some way is unfair. It should be about who is the better artist.
I don't think that Simon Cowell created the American Idol brand because the show was created by Simon Fuller and not by him. But maybe in some way he may have helped to make it popular.
After I wrote this hub I learned that Cowell did not create Idol, but I still assert he made it what it is. I doubt it will have the same appeal after he is gone.
Your read and comment are appreciated!
Jennifer Hudson who did not win American Idol is a star. I love her and adore her! I am happy for youtube coz I can watch american idols. Thank you for a great hub. Lizzy
LB - Do not mean to discredit Ms. Hudson, Ms. Clarkson or Ms. underwood, but there are far more that have fizzled as they were forced on us.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Internetwriter62 Level 3 Commenter 2 years ago
Interesting perspective, I never watch American Idol, so I'm not really qualified to give an opinion on the show. I know it is very popular and yes it is true that some of these "stars" are rather fabricated and if you are successful, you do have to prove yourself. Legends are those that have been around for a long time and still manage to take your breath away. Very good hub.