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In the biggest tweak of the show in years, a new national songwriting contest will be introduced and run parallel alongside the usual singing competition. The winning song, as determined by viewers, will serve as the first single from the champion of "Idol."
It's fine-tuning like that -- a quintessential "Idol" touch -- that has enabled the franchise to maintain its steady upward trajectory during its five-year run. Last season was the show's biggest and best yet. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show averaged more than 30 million viewers -- ratings that trail only the likes of special one-off events like the Super Bowl and the
Academy Awards. What is more, Ad Age says the show generated more than $500 million in TV sponsorship revenue in 2006. It now sets the value of the "Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion. A record four contestants were signed to album deals with Simon Fuller's record company, 19 Entertainment: Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and finalists Chris Daughtry and Kelly Pickler.
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Now the franchise -- which through the years has given rise to the platinum-selling careers of
Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood,
Clay Aiken,
Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino -- is thinking even bigger as it heads into its latest season.
Says a relaxed and confident Fuller, "Idol" creator and mastermind, "We're just hitting our stride."
So what can viewers, not to mention advertisers, expect in the season ahead?
Details of the songwriting contest are still being sketched out, but it will be open to amateurs, with demos submitted through an "Idol" Web site. The show's producers and judges will whittle entries down to a dozen finalists, which will be performed in the show's stretch run and put up to a vote by the audience.
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The winner's song used to be chosen by Sony BMG executives and the show's producers early in the season. But picks of groaners like "Do You Make Me Proud" -- the song season five winner Hicks had to perform as his first single -- prompted Fuller to rethink the approach.
"I want the moment of an unknown songwriter's song being performed by the hottest newly discovered singer in the country," he says of his new vision.
The show is expected to start soliciting entries shortly after the end of the auditions. In an ideal world, previous "Idol" contestants will return to the show late in the season to give the songs a test run. But nothing has been decided. Details on the prize package are still to be determined as well. Ditto voting, which is expected to happen online.
Also, show executives tell Billboard, look for rock singers. Given the success of performers like Chris Daughtry last season, and Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis in season four, rock performers are turning out in greater numbers to try out.
Meanwhile, Hicks' win last year has attracted more of what executive producer Ken Warwick terms as "quirky" singers, and producers are also promising some great characters, too. Think Elliott Yamin, the good-natured soul singer whom judge
Paula Abdul described as one "funky white boy."
And it wouldn't be "American Idol" without some powerhouse voices.
"We have a kid who is going to give
Aretha Franklin a run for her money," Warwick says.
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Celebrity judges and guest performers will be part of the mix again this year, too.
In the national tryouts, guest judges are back for auditions for the first time since season four. Jewel is a guest judge in Indianapolis, songwriter Carole Bayer Sager sits in on the session in New York, and
Olivia Newton-John joins the judges in Los Angeles.
Judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson have publicly cited
Paul McCartney and
Mariah Carey at the top of their respective wish lists for this season. But no guests have been publicly confirmed.
And look for what Warwick describes as an "absolute mega-night" when the show trims the number of finalists to six contestants. "We're a bit concerned at the moment that it will overshadow the final," he says.
LIVING UP TO LAST YEAR
Even by its own Teflon standards, "Idol" was unstoppable last year.
Warwick says the key was the diversity of talent. "Everybody loved somebody on the show and wanted them to do well," he says.
Another key has been the show's use of technology. The usage of voting over the telephone and through text-messaging has given fans a sense of investment in "Idol" performers. A staggering 570 million votes were reportedly cast in last season's finale.
Increased star power also aided the show's already massive popularity.
Last year saw guest turns by
Stevie Wonder,
Barry Manilow, Shakira and Wyclef Jean,
Kenny Rogers,
Rod Stewart and
Andrea Bocelli.
And the finale featured appearances by
Mary J. Blige, Live, Meat Loaf,
Al Jarreau,
Toni Braxton, Underwood, Aiken,
Dionne Warwick,
Burt Bacharach and Prince.
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Fuller listens to his own success story and acknowledges that it's all "pretty spectacular stuff." But, he adds, he's more concerned with quality control than growth at this point. "We are determined to maintain the standard," he says. "It won't necessarily be growing each year. But I expect it to continue to have huge years. We are past the moment where we are wondering, 'Will it last another year?"'
After last season, the producers say they are becoming stricter about making guests play a meaningful role in the show.
Shakira infamously missed a preshow meeting with the contestants prior to her appearance, enraging the show's producers.
"We hated it," Warwick says. "It was great, fabulous entertainment. But it had nothing to do with the show."
Still, the fact that superstars like Shakira, Prince and Blige even appeared on the show is telling of the respect "Idol" now commands from the music business.
"With all due modesty, they bloody should respect us," Warwick says. "To a certain extent, we have revitalized much of the music business around the world with this show."
'IDOL' ORIGINS
In 1998, when Fuller came up with the idea for what ultimately would become "American Idol," he was managing some of the biggest pop acts in the United Kingdom and around the world through his company 19 Entertainment. Most notably,
Annie Lennox was among his clients. But he was hunting for a new way to recruit and develop star talent. A year earlier, he had split with the Spice Girls, a group he managed through their commercial peak. He was looking for a way to re-create the mania that surrounded that band.
"My whole motivation behind creating 'Idol' was, 'How can I break artists without having to rely on radio?"' he says.
TV proved to be the answer Fuller was looking for. The show would create the star, and in the ultimate goal, he would manage performers.
But "Idol" was a slow development process.
In the meantime, Fuller created a TV show for the BBC about a mixed-gender pop group he assembled and modeled after the Spice Girls called S Club 7. The show proved he was on the right track. It debuted in 1999 and served as a launching pad for the band's music career. The band enjoyed a string of hits in the United Kingdom during the next three years.
In 2001, Fuller's "Idol" vision became a reality in England. He teamed with Cowell, a talent scout for BMG in the United Kingdom, who would, of course, go on to lead the team of on-air judges. The show debuted in October of that year and emerged as an instant smash.
The following year, Fuller took the show and many of its key players, including Cowell and executive producers Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe, to America seeking even bigger fortune.
As part of the deal, Fox would air the show and BMG would serve as the distributor of "Idol" album releases.
In much the same way "Pop Idol" struck gold in England the year before, "American Idol" was an instant sensation with U.S. audiences in 2002.
But even after the first season finale concluded to huge ratings in September 2002 -- more than 21 million viewers tuned in to watch the crowning of season one winner Clarkson -- the show's future was not yet secure.
There was still the matter of transforming Clarkson into a recording star.
Executives at 19 and RCA, Clarkson's new label, figured the popularity of the show was good enough to yield a gold record. But for the "Idol" concept to really work, Clarkson had to become a platinum artist -- by no means a given.
Enter BMG chairman and legendary hitmaker Clive Davis.
Davis says that the key benefit of the show is that it provides "Idol" artists access to TV exposure and other marketing channels that other baby acts don't get. But those avenues are wasted without hits and the right image.
Davis, in tandem with Fuller and the RCA Records staff, worked to team their new "Idol" champion with top pop writers and producers to develop songs and a sound for Clarkson. Among the collaborators on the album were Rhett Lawrence,
Christina Aguilera and
Matt Morris, who co-wrote the hit "Miss Independent" with Clarkson. Lawrence, who was the producer of previous No. 1 hits like Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love," also was the producer on the track.
"Thankful," her 2003 debut, went on to sell 2.6 million copies in the United States, while the follow-up, 2004's "Breakaway," has sold 5.6 million copies.
Underwood's RCA Nashville debut "Some Hearts" has sold more than 4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Daughtry's self-titled debut for RCA has sold 1.2 million. Fantasia's 2004 debut scanned more than 1.7 million. Ruben Studdard's 2003 debut on J Records has sold 1.8 million units. Clay Aiken has had two albums scan more than a million units: His 2003 RCA debut "Measure of a Man" sold more than 2.8 million units, while his follow-up 2004 holiday album, "Merry Christmas With Love," sold 1.4 million units.
"Idol" and its artists have also become a big draw on the touring front, as well. The American Idols tour gross doubled from $8 million to $16 million from the first year to the second and grossed a best-yet $35 million last year. All told, five Idols tours have grossed nearly $90 million and moved more than 2 million tickets.
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Review: Virtual 'American Idol' hits right notes
Aspiring singers tired of watching others soak up the spotlight on the wildly popular "American Idol" television show can now have their 15 minutes of fame (and longer) with "Konami's Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol" for the Sony PlayStation 2.
With the aid of a supported USB microphone/headset (purchased separately or bundled with the game for $20 more), you can play as a contestant who must sing along with more than 40 pop and R&B hits from the past four decades, such as "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Do I Make You Proud?" "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Piano Man" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart."
You can create your own contestant by tweaking a male or female singer's looks, or go with one of the pre-made characters such as the scruffy blond Jake, who resembles the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, or the diva Vanessa.
As you work your way to become the next American Idol, you must sing along with the on-screen lyrics, while the game's voice-recognition technology will determine if you're singing in the proper key.
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Rhythm is also measured, so fast lyrics such as those found in "She Bangs" may be quite difficult to keep up with for some.
But it wouldn't be an "American Idol" game if you weren't evaluated on your performances.
The judges, including the outspoken Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, will make positive, negative or neutral comments about your pitch, consistency and song difficulty.
For example, if you butcher Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," Jackson will say, "Yo dog, I love that song. I wish I could say you did a good job, but, well, I can't."
Cowell adds: "Um, this is the point in the show where people at home turn down the volume."
If you sing well, expect to hear praise, such as "Great song choice -- you looked great" or "I kind of felt tingly all over -- really great."
Cowell may reluctantly concur with the other judges: "Yes, I think there's an element of truth there -- you did well in the middle of the song -- but I don't know if I'll remember you two hours from now."
A tip to impress the judges and crowd (who also clap or boo your performance): If the song is out of your vocal range, you can sing an octave higher or lower.
Speaking of judges, Paula Abdul is curiously missing. Similarly, you will hear host Ryan Seacrest but will not see him.
The game faithfully re-creates a virtual season, so you first audition in front of the judges. If Cowell and company like what they hear, you're flown to Hollywood to compete through the semifinals and then the finals.
For added authenticity, this video game features the same graphics and music as the TV show.
You can tackle the game solo or play against up to seven other contestants (who can each create and name his or her own character) and then take turns belting out the songs for the judges.
Other than the main competition mode, players also can choose to play a Quick Play game, One Mic Party, Two Mic Party and straight Karaoke mode (no score keeping).
Wannabe rock stars will love playing this family-friendly game -- but only if you're willing to risk Cowell's snooty put-downs.
American Idol's popularity seems limitless
LOS ANGELES — Last year, Prince. This year, Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey?
As "American Idol" starts singing again Tuesday, those connected with the Fox blockbuster acknowledge few limits when it comes to guest stars or ratings or product spinoffs. Or even rampant enthusiasm.
"This is the greatest music talent show ever," judge Randy Jackson asserted in a telephone news conference last week.
Fellow jurist Paula Abdul calls the show a "cultural phenomenon": "I get a kick out of the fact that there's not a day, not an hour, that goes by without someone talking about it, asking about it," she told the Associated Press.
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, who oversees "American Idol" as chief executive officer of producer FremantleMedia North America Inc., is more measured but no less upbeat about the upcoming season six, and beyond.
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"I don't see anything that tells me that it's about to fall off the air," she said. "We won't be there for quite some time."
It's a defensible position regarding the No. 1 TV series.
Against expectations for an established series, "American Idol" has gained in the ratings, up 14 percent from 2005 (26.8 million average viewers) to 2006 (30.6 million). The finale with winner Taylor Hicks drew more than 36 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
That topped the 2005 season-ender, in which Carrie Underwood claimed the title, and made it the third most-watched event of Õ06 after the Super Bowl and Academy Awards.
The most impressive number has a dollar sign in front of it - "American Idol" reportedly brings in $500 million a year in TV ad dollars. (Fox, a unit of News Corp., declined comment on the figure.)
Even impartial observers see blue skies directly ahead.
"There seems to be the same degree of fascination going into this season as there was last season," said analyst Bill Carroll of ad-buyer Katz Television. "It's sort of become the event of the year for viewers."
The series begins with a pair of two-hour episodes Tuesday and Wednesday and features auditions in Minneapolis and Seattle. Details of a previously announced song-writing contest for the eventual winner's first single are pending, Frot-Coutaz said.
"American Idol," produced by FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment, returns with a richer gloss than ever. Last year's finale included a surprise appearance by Prince, among the highest-profile guest stars and far removed from such golden oldie visitors as Rod Stewart.
"Prince blew the doors off. He is one of the quintessential ones of our time," Jackson said.
McCartney, an iconic figure who's an impressive "get" for any venture, is being courted and is rumored to be part of the new season. Carey may also end up on the guest list.
In Carey's case, record producer-cum-judge Jackson may be the key: He and the singer are friends and have a long professional association.
More evidence of the power of "American Idol" is the stunning "Dreamgirls" film debut of Jennifer Hudson, a 2004 also-ran (to winner Fantasia Barrino) who's up for a Golden Globe and considered a potential Oscar nominee.
That's alongside the best-selling CDs and singles churned out by past winners including Underwood and Kelly Clarkson, and the awards they've collected that include Grammy and Country Music Association trophies.
All this from a show that the American division of FremantleMedia (the production arm of media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG's RTL Group) went into "quietly and cautiously optimistic" despite the format's success in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, Frot-Coutaz said.
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"Music hadn't worked on American TV for a while, so I think we filled a gap," she said.
And connected with the future. In an interactive, consumer-driven age that prompted Time magazine to declare "You" its person of the year 2006, "American Idol" can claim it had the zeitgeist down cold when it debuted in 2002.
"America's choosing the idol," said analyst Shari Anne Brill of ad-buying firm Carat USA. Viewers "have a real way of participating, as opposed to being armchair athletes."
Frot-Coutaz cites a number of other factors in the show's popularity, including the chemistry of judges Jackson, Abdul and the acerbic Simon Cowell and the once-yearly run that keeps the program eagerly awaited.
Then there's the mission.
"You're really impacting somebody's life," said the executive. "The show's genuinely looking for superstar contestants who really want to be pop stars. It's not a fake-ish competition just for TV. The show delivers entertainment, but there is a very serious aim to it."
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The "Idol" franchise, which originated with Britain's "Pop Idol," represents more than a hit TV series seen worldwide and reproduced in more than 30 international versions. It's also part of a merchandising empire that may be poised for a leap.
According to Advertising Age magazine, FremantleMedia has deals set or is in negotiations for new products including a theme-park attraction and cell-phone downloads of show performances. Items already sold include clothing, books, toys and an "Idol"-themed Barbie doll, with a Monopoly game coming this season.
The magazine report is a "bit premature" in what it outlined, "but there's a lot of things in the works," said Frot-Coutaz. "Some happen, some don't; it just depends."
As the sixth season begins, she said, "we're feeling more confident about our ability to go out and really turn this into a bigger brand than just a TV show. It takes a few years before you can get to" that point.
Abdul - strongly identified with the show, along the other judges who whittle down the initial field of contestants, and host Ryan Seacrest - gives the reported plans a qualified endorsement.
"As long as the taste level and structure is classy, edgy and exemplifies what we do, I'm all for it. You can't deny the magnitude of this show. But just for them to make money and not care about integrity is ridiculous," she said.
As for the bulwark of it all, "American Idol" itself, the horizon is limitless if the program does its job right, according to Jackson.
"I think there's an abundance of talent in America. . . . I think the show can continue to be successful as long as we go out and find great talent," he said.
'American Idol' flexes music cred
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NEW YORK -- When "American Idol" made its debut five years ago, it was decried by some as another vapid reality show attempting to create another vapid pop star -- and at first glance, the critics seemed to be right.
There were geeky contestants warbling cheesy ballads, dramatic divas oversinging their way through a song, and the show's panel for judging talent included Paula Abdul.
Enough said.
"Season One, you couldn't take the show seriously," says Jessica Shaw, an Entertainment Weekly senior writer who wrote this month's cover story on the show. "Someone like (runner-up) Justin Guarini, you knew this was never going to be someone who was destined for music superstardom."
But as America's most popular show prepares to kick off its sixth season Tuesday, it's getting harder and harder for music snobs to deny its cultural import. "American Idol" has consistently churned out multiplatinum stars, Grammy-nominated artists and engaging celebrities (and, just maybe, an Oscar nominee in "Dreamgirls" star and "Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson).
"There were a lot of naysayers," says Randy Jackson, who along with Abdul and Simon Cowell are the judging trifecta of "Idol." "(But) it validates itself every season because somebody great comes out of it every season and does really well."
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"At a certain point, whether it's respectable or not it just becomes undeniable," says music journalist Alan Light, who has written for publications including The New York Times. "For a few years, there was a sense of novelty, but after a while, there's more of a sense of institution."
Last year certainly seemed to put the exclamation point on how venerable "Idol" has become -- not only as a television phenomenon, but a music industry beacon. Its fifth season was its most popular, as established stars such as Shakira and Rod Stewart vied for the attention of "Idol" fans with guest appearances and saw their album sales boom; even highly respected stars such as Mary J. Blige and Prince made an appearance on the show's finale.
And while that season's contestants were battling to become the next "Idol," the show's veterans were showing why the title was so coveted. Kelly Clarkson won two Grammy Awards for her breakthrough, multiplatinum second disc, "Breakaway," while Grammy-nominated Carrie Underwood became one of country music's biggest stars with her debut album, which has sold more than 4 million copies; she even beat out established veterans for awards (much to Faith Hill's apparent televised dismay).
Fantasia, another multiplatinum former winner, had her own TV biopic and released another critically acclaimed disc in the fall. Season five "Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry put together the band Daughtry and released a smash album, and Kellie Pickler had success with her country debut.
And Hudson, a season three contestant, is now nominated for a slew of awards -- including a Golden Globe for best supporting actress -- for her dazzling turn in the film "Dreamgirls."
"The show has proven it has a valid way to pick talent and a proven way to sell records," says Harvey Mason of the production team The Underdogs, which has worked with Clarkson, Guarini, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard and other "Idol" alumni.
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"There are still some people who feel it's not the exact road to a long career, but some people have already realized that this is a very important way to market artists and I think the artists who have come off the show have proven that they are long-standing artists."
The turning point for "Idol's" credibility may have been the success of Clarkson's sophomore album, released in 2004. While her first album, released soon after her win on "Idol," was a platinum success, it generated only two hit singles and her success seemed tied into her newfound fame. But her hard-rocking second disc, which contained smashes like "Since U Been Gone" and the ballad "Because of You," garnered her critical acclaim and made her a bona fide success apart from "Idol."
"At that point, the show was not just finding a one-hit wonder. It wasn't just finding someone who could win a TV reality show and have a huge No. 1 single," says Shaw. "It was finding someone who would have a career with longevity."
In "Idol's" early days -- and to some extent, even now -- the show was criticized for looking for a generic-kind of talent that would be palatable to mass audiences, sacrificing individuality or uniqueness.
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But as "Idols" like Clarkson, Underwood and Fantasia continue to carve out their own niche in the music world, those arguments may be fading.
"(Clarkson's success) was a time when one of the winners was able to establish a persona away from the show ... and stand on her own two feet, and got recognition from the Grammys and from critics, and there was a sense that this was somebody who had been cultivated to be a pop star outside of what she was within the 'Idol' boundaries," Light says.
When legendary mogul Clive Davis, who oversees the albums of the winners and many contestants, first reached out to Mason to produce records for the show's contestants, Mason was skeptical.
"Everyone thought it was just a TV show, another reality show, but I remember specifically meeting with Clive Davis ... and him telling us that this TV show was going to change the way the industry works," Mason recalls.
"This is just the evolution of how we find our talent, that's just a fact. Before you used to have to go into somebody's office and sing to a guy playing piano to get a record deal. Now you can go on a TV show," Mason adds. "It's the same exact thing."
And that talent continues to captivate American audiences -- even more so than established pop acts.
"What it really is is the kids getting exposure on TV and the public falling in love with them, during weeks and months ... so by the time they put the record out, the public knows who they are," says Jackson. "The public might know better who these kids are than they might know the artist from any record company."
Last year's Grammy Awards, which went head-to-head with an episode of "American Idol" and got crushed in the ratings, might be the best example of that.
"If that many more people want to watch an episode of 'American Idol' than the biggest awards show in the music business, I think it tells you what kind of power they have," Light says.
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American Idol extends talent search to songwriters
It's hard to imagine that the producers of "American Idol" would want to tinker with the show's formula following last season. After all, the hit reality program -- a talent search for music's Next Big Thing -- was 2006's top-rated TV series by a wide margin. But when the "A.I." juggernaut returns for its sixth season January 16, that's just what they'll be doing.
In the biggest tweak of the show in years, a new national songwriting contest will be introduced and run parallel alongside the usual singing competition. The winning song, as determined by viewers, will serve as the first single from the champion of "Idol."
It's fine-tuning like that -- a quintessential "Idol" touch -- that has enabled the franchise to maintain its steady upward trajectory during its five-year run. Last season was the show's biggest and best yet. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show averaged more than 30 million viewers -- ratings that trail only the likes of special one-off events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. What is more, Ad Age says the show generated more than $500 million in TV sponsorship revenue in 2006. It now sets the value of the "Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion. A record four contestants were signed to album deals with Simon Fuller's record company, 19 Entertainment: Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and finalists Chris Daughtry and Kelly Pickler.
Now the franchise -- which through the years has given rise to the platinum-selling careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino -- is thinking even bigger as it heads into its latest season.
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Says a relaxed and confident Fuller, "Idol" creator and mastermind, "We're just hitting our stride."
So what can viewers, not to mention advertisers, expect in the season ahead?
Details of the songwriting contest are still being sketched out, but it will be open to amateurs, with demos submitted through an "Idol" Web site. The show's producers and judges will whittle entries down to a dozen finalists, which will be performed in the show's stretch run and put up to a vote by the audience.
The winner's song used to be chosen by Sony BMG executives and the show's producers early in the season. But picks of groaners like "Do You Make Me Proud" -- the song season five winner Hicks had to perform as his first single -- prompted Fuller to rethink the approach.
"I want the moment of an unknown songwriter's song being performed by the hottest newly discovered singer in the country," he says of his new vision.
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The show is expected to start soliciting entries shortly after the end of the auditions. In an ideal world, previous "Idol" contestants will return to the show late in the season to give the songs a test run. But nothing has been decided. Details on the prize package are still to be determined as well. Ditto voting, which is expected to happen online.
Also, show executives tell Billboard, look for rock singers. Given the success of performers like Chris Daughtry last season, and Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis in season four, rock performers are turning out in greater numbers to try out.
Meanwhile, Hicks' win last year has attracted more of what executive producer Ken Warwick terms as "quirky" singers, and producers are also promising some great characters, too. Think Elliott Yamin, the good-natured soul singer whom judge Paula Abdul described as one "funky white boy."
And it wouldn't be "American Idol" without some powerhouse voices.
"We have a kid who is going to give Aretha Franklin a run for her money," Warwick says.
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Celebrity judges and guest performers will be part of the mix again this year, too.
In the national tryouts, guest judges are back for auditions for the first time since season four. Jewel is a guest judge in Indianapolis, songwriter Carole Bayer Sager sits in on the session in New York, and Olivia Newton-John joins the judges in Los Angeles.
Judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson have publicly cited Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey at the top of their respective wish lists for this season. But no guests have been publicly confirmed.
And look for what Warwick describes as an "absolute mega-night" when the show trims the number of finalists to six contestants. "We're a bit concerned at the moment that it will overshadow the final," he says.
LIVING UP TO LAST YEAR
Even by its own Teflon standards, "Idol" was unstoppable last year.
Warwick says the key was the diversity of talent. "Everybody loved somebody on the show and wanted them to do well," he says.
Another key has been the show's use of technology. The usage of voting over the telephone and through text-messaging has given fans a sense of investment in "Idol" performers. A staggering 570 million votes were reportedly cast in last season's finale.
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ncreased star power also aided the show's already massive popularity.
Last year saw guest turns by Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Shakira and Wyclef Jean, Kenny Rogers, Rod Stewart and Andrea Bocelli.
And the finale featured appearances by Mary J. Blige, Live, Meat Loaf, Al Jarreau, Toni Braxton, Underwood, Aiken, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach and Prince.
Fuller listens to his own success story and acknowledges that it's all "pretty spectacular stuff." But, he adds, he's more concerned with quality control than growth at this point. "We are determined to maintain the standard," he says. "It won't necessarily be growing each year. But I expect it to continue to have huge years. We are past the moment where we are wondering, 'Will it last another year?"'
After last season, the producers say they are becoming stricter about making guests play a meaningful role in the show.
Shakira infamously missed a preshow meeting with the contestants prior to her appearance, enraging the show's producers.
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"We hated it," Warwick says. "It was great, fabulous entertainment. But it had nothing to do with the show."
Still, the fact that superstars like Shakira, Prince and Blige even appeared on the show is telling of the respect "Idol" now commands from the music business.
"With all due modesty, they bloody should respect us," Warwick says. "To a certain extent, we have revitalized much of the music business around the world with this show."
'IDOL' ORIGINS
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In 1998, when Fuller came up with the idea for what ultimately would become "American Idol," he was managing some of the biggest pop acts in the United Kingdom and around the world through his company 19 Entertainment. Most notably, Annie Lennox was among his clients. But he was hunting for a new way to recruit and develop star talent. A year earlier, he had split with the Spice Girls, a group he managed through their commercial peak. He was looking for a way to re-create the mania that surrounded that band.
"My whole motivation behind creating 'Idol' was, 'How can I break artists without having to rely on radio?"' he says.
TV proved to be the answer Fuller was looking for. The show would create the star, and in the ultimate goal, he would manage performers.
But "Idol" was a slow development process.
In the meantime, Fuller created a TV show for the BBC about a mixed-gender pop group he assembled and modeled after the Spice Girls called S Club 7. The show proved he was on the right track. It debuted in 1999 and served as a launching pad for the band's music career. The band enjoyed a string of hits in the United Kingdom during the next three years.
In 2001, Fuller's "Idol" vision became a reality in England. He teamed with Cowell, a talent scout for BMG in the United Kingdom, who would, of course, go on to lead the team of on-air judges. The show debuted in October of that year and emerged as an instant smash.
The following year, Fuller took the show and many of its key players, including Cowell and executive producers Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe, to America seeking even bigger fortune.
As part of the deal, Fox would air the show and BMG would serve as the distributor of "Idol" album releases.
In much the same way "Pop Idol" struck gold in England the year before, "American Idol" was an instant sensation with U.S. audiences in 2002.
But even after the first season finale concluded to huge ratings in September 2002 -- more than 21 million viewers tuned in to watch the crowning of season one winner Clarkson -- the show's future was not yet secure.
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There was still the matter of transforming Clarkson into a recording star.
Executives at 19 and RCA, Clarkson's new label, figured the popularity of the show was good enough to yield a gold record. But for the "Idol" concept to really work, Clarkson had to become a platinum artist -- by no means a given.
Enter BMG chairman and legendary hitmaker Clive Davis.
Davis says that the key benefit of the show is that it provides "Idol" artists access to TV exposure and other marketing channels that other baby acts don't get. But those avenues are wasted without hits and the right image.
Davis, in tandem with Fuller and the RCA Records staff, worked to team their new "Idol" champion with top pop writers and producers to develop songs and a sound for Clarkson. Among the collaborators on the album were Rhett Lawrence, Christina Aguilera and Matt Morris, who co-wrote the hit "Miss Independent" with Clarkson. Lawrence, who was the producer of previous No. 1 hits like Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love," also was the producer on the track.
"Thankful," her 2003 debut, went on to sell 2.6 million copies in the United States, while the follow-up, 2004's "Breakaway," has sold 5.6 million copies.
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Underwood's RCA Nashville debut "Some Hearts" has sold more than 4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Daughtry's self-titled debut for RCA has sold 1.2 million. Fantasia's 2004 debut scanned more than 1.7 million. Ruben Studdard's 2003 debut on J Records has sold 1.8 million units. Clay Aiken has had two albums scan more than a million units: His 2003 RCA debut "Measure of a Man" sold more than 2.8 million units, while his follow-up 2004 holiday album, "Merry Christmas With Love," sold 1.4 million units.
"Idol" and its artists have also become a big draw on the touring front, as well. The American Idols tour gross doubled from $8 million to $16 million from the first year to the second and grossed a best-yet $35 million last year. All told, five Idols tours have grossed nearly $90 million and moved more than 2 million tickets.
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U.S. contest seeks to be "American Idol' of books
A major U.S. book publisher is hoping its new Web-based writing contest can tap into the popularity of interactive competitions like hit television show "American Idol."
As part of the "First Chapters" contest, aspiring first-time authors and members of www.gather.com can post manuscripts on that social-networking Web site, organizers from publisher Touchstone Fireside and gather.com said on Thursday.
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Touchstone Fireside is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Inc., a division of Viacom.
If online readers like the manuscript's first chapter, the author is voted through to the next round. Two more chapters are posted and the public narrows the field in the same fashion.
After three rounds of judging, a winning manuscript will be picked from among five finalists in May. The winner will be chosen by representatives from Simon & Schuster, Borders bookstores and gather.com, Touchstone Fireside Vice President Mark Gompertz said.
The winner will receive $5,000, a book contract with Touchstone Fireside and distribution by Borders.
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In an industry struggling to sell fiction books, this is the latest effort to find a top-selling author. It follows other competitions including The Sobol Award, a literary competition launched in September that folded this week.
"We keep laughing about it, but this is the 'American Idol' of book publishing," Gompertz said. "We hope that we will find a talented writer who might not in the traditional way get themselves noticed."
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Would-be authors without an agent have traditionally submitted manuscripts to a publishing house hoping to be picked out of a "slush pile," Gompertz said.
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"This is an experiment on a sort of needle-in-the-haystack approach," said Gompertz, noting the voting public could outdo publishers who have picked "a lot of great stuff and a lot of dreck."
Video games: 'American Idol' in the family
Ladies and gentlemen, your next American Idol hails from the Salas household.
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OK, maybe that's true only in the world of the new PlayStation 2 game "Karaoke Revolution Presents 'American Idol,' " but let's not quibble.
My wife, daughters and I are big fans of the TV singing contest "American Idol," which begins its sixth season Tuesday night on Fox with auditions taped last year in Minneapolis. It's one of the few prime-time shows that's appropriate and entertaining for all ages, which probably helps explain its huge success.
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Because the girls -- Annabelle, 14, and Maddie, 11 -- are too young to be on the show and Laura and I are too old, the latest incarnation of the bestselling "Karaoke Revolution" video game series lets us live our dreams of competing to be the next Kelly Clarkson or Taylor Hicks. (For the purposes of this review, we'll ignore the notion of actually having talent.) So we gathered together on a recent night to give it a go.
Set-up can take some time because you can create characters that look like you, even using the PS2's EyeToy camera accessory to add your face to the game-drawn body. If you don't want to bother, there's a quick-play option to jump right in.
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There are many ways for one to eight people to play the game, including head-to-head competition, duets and alternating-line sing-offs. We chose the four-round multiplayer version that mirrors the "American Idol" experience, taking gamers from auditions to Hollywood to semifinals to finals -- minus end-of-round eliminations, which are yet another option.
Each player begins by choosing a song, or having one randomly picked. Most of the songs were repopularized by the TV show, such as Heart's "Alone," which Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood nailed in one memorable performance. There are a few recent hits, such as the Pussycat Dolls' "Stickwitu" and Nickelback's "Photograph." But unlike the TV show, there isn't a preponderance of Stevie Wonder and Motown songs.
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As in all "Karaoke Revolution" games, players sing along with the song and are scored on their pitch, timing and rhythm -- all represented graphically on the screen. String together some well-sung phrases, and you'll earn combos to boost your score.
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In this version of the game, virtual versions of "American Idol" judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson visually react during your performance and then offer their comments -- just like on the show.
"The vocals were average, nothing extraordinary at all," Cowell said curtly after Maddie gave all in her first song, Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten."I'll buy that record right now today!" Jackson said after Annabelle smoked everyone with a diamond (perfect score) debut on Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down."Whatever else happens in this competition, you're a star," Cowell told my wife, Laura, after she offered a strong rendition of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
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After struggling with Naked Eyes' "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," I got Jackson's tried-and-true critique: "It was a little pitchy in spots."
Where's Paula?
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The video-game likenesses of Cowell and Jackson, including their actual voices, are spot-on, although the hefty Jackson seems to have shed a few pixelated pounds. They are a key attraction, even if their tongues and mouths do weird things while they talk and they repeat comments. Cowell drones on too long, too.
But what's this? No Paula Abdul? The flighty "Idol" judge is missing from the game, although her hit "Straight Up" is one of the song selections and she appears in some video clips from the TV show, which are among nearly 100 hidden extras that can be unlocked with good performances. In her place is someone named Laura (voice by Kenna Kelly), who has big man-hands and delivers wispy platitudes, just like Abdul.
After two rounds, Maddie pulled a Mario Vazquez (the Season 4 dropout) and decided to leave the show. (She was tired and it was past her bedtime on a school night.) I protested before realizing that I would move into third place. Good night, Maddie.
My ploy was for naught, however. I wasn't even close to winning. Although Laura -- my wife, not the fake judge -- made a Bo Bice-like effort to take the sure winner in the last two rounds, Annabelle easily claimed the virtual "American Idol" crown. Third place was merely an acknowledgement that I had participated in the faux show, nothing more.
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The game invited Annabelle to perform an unscored encore of her final-round song, "Photograph," a kind of vocal victory lap. Asked by me for a comment on her win, she replied emphatically, "I rock!"
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'American' Invincible? 'Idol' Watchers Weigh In On Show's Shelf Life
A year ago, as "American Idol" was about to embark on its fifth stint, many wondered whether it would be the season the show lost its luster.
We all know how that turned out.
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Even without the headline-dominating scandals of the
previous season (see " 'Idol' Probe Finds No Proof Of Paula Abdul/ Corey Clark Affair" and "Mario Vazquez Quits 'Idol' — 'It
Wasn't Right For Me' "), the show's ratings rose nearly 20 percent and even slaughtered the Grammys when both aired the same night. In fact, it was estimated that half the teens watching TV on Tuesday and Wednesday nights last spring (with an average of 100 channels per home) were watching Taylor Hicks' journey to "Idol"-dom. So is it finally time to stop wondering when Ryan Seacrest and company are going away?
"I think it could be like Kellogg's," said Ron Fair, the A&R guru behind Christina Aguilera and the Pussycat Dolls, comparing "Idol" to the century-old cereal brand. "They have created something that is just so intrinsic in everybody's consciousness now, and I don't even think 'How long will it last?' is a relevant question. I think this thing goes on forever. There may be peaks and valleys, depending on who is on the show, but it's like 'Monday Night Football.' "
Not surprisingly, Randy Jackson, one of the show's primary personalities, agrees. "I think there's an abundance of talent in America, and there will never not be a lot of talent out there," he said. "You see what's happening to Jennifer Hudson, who didn't even win that year. That tells you right there there's a lot of great talent out there. It's just about finding it."
And as the show is increasingly legitimized by things like Hudson's star-making turn in "Dreamgirls" (see "Jennifer Hudson's 'Dream' Is Reality: R&B Album, Starring With Beyonce, Jamie Foxx"); the success of fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry (see "Chris Daughtry Says 'Idol' Ejection Was 'Best Thing' For Him; Talks LP"); and Prince's appearance on last season's finale, Jackson insists the auditioning talent only gets better.
"For years, everyone has been skeptical," said Clive Davis, the legendary mogul who has overseen several former "Idol" finalists' albums for J Records and RCA. "But I am telling you, for us it has been an incredible opportunity to find new artists."
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So with an endless pool of future Kelly Clarksons to choose from, is it possible "Idol" really could become an establishment as American as "Monday Night Football," which just wrapped its 37th season (see "At The Rate It's Going, Will 'Idol' Ever Face Competition?")? "I have seen nothing to indicate that 'Idol' will be slowing down anytime soon," said David Bloomberg, editor of fan site FoxesOnIdol.com. "If the public were to lose confidence in the voting, that could hurt it. But it would take a lot for that to happen. Every year there is a 'shocking' elimination and some people say it's rigged and they're never watching again. And then each year those people are right there in front of their TVs once again. It would take some huge revelation to kill the show at this point."
DJSlim, who writes a popular "Idol" blog at Idol.Slimtainment.com, agreed that the often-questioned voting system, in which Americans are allowed to vote as many times as possible, could lead to the show's demise. "Seriously, imagine for a second if William Hung had won 'American Idol' due to power voters," DJSlim said, referencing people who interfere with the voting lines. "No one would take the show seriously, and that could be a problem down the road with unlimited voting and sites like VotefortheWorst.com, which pimp the worst contestants to prove that point."
JoJo Wright, who, like Seacrest, hosts a radio show on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, suggested another potential concern. "The only immediate scenario I see that could dethrone 'Idol' is losing Simon," he said, referring to acid-tongued but widely popular judge Simon Cowell. "All the characters have become household names, but Simon is the central figure that the show revolves around."
Andrew Wallenstein, television editor for The Hollywood Reporter, agrees. "I think people watch 'American Idol' as much for the judges as the contestants," he said. "Someone like Simon Cowell is such a character in his own right that [he could] read the phone book and people would tune in."
Cowell's contract with "Idol" lasts another four seasons, but with so many other projects in the works (from his classical boy band Il Divo to "America's Got Talent" to huge British hit "The X Factor"), there's no guarantee he'll renew again.
Lorraine Ali, a pop culture critic for Newsweek, is less focused on Simon and more on music trends in general. "I don't think it can keep going — it's going to have to evolve into something else," she said. "We go through phases where, culturally, we want to uncover stars who are like you and me. And then we go through phases where we want super-polished stars. I think it kicks back and forth. And what happens with 'American Idol,' [the contestants] come out like they're like you and me, and then three months later they get their teeth fixed and their hair's been streaked in all different ways. Maybe that will be the downfall of 'American Idol': too much primping. They start out normal and then become too celebrity too fast."
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Fair, however, has overseen a number of musical movements, and he's not concerned about cultural phases.
" 'American Idol' is genius because it takes singing songs and basically turns it into sports, where it's a competition," he explained. "We all know in real life music is not a sporting event, but on the show they are able to flip the elements around so that you get the same buzz you get off watching a game as you do watching music getting performed. I am jealous that it's not my show. And as much as I am not a fan of many of the winners, I think it is an absolute genius, ubiquitous institution."
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'American Idol' judge Simon Cowell says Bob Dylan 'bores me to tears'
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell has responded to reports that Bob Dylan wanted to join the series by claiming the U.S. singer "bores me to tears."
While Dylan's "Modern Times" album recently made him the oldest musician to top U.S. music charts, Cowell dismissed the rocker's wishes to be a judge on "Idol" by claiming it would not benefit the series in the end, The Guardian said.
"I've got to tell you, if I had 10 Dylans in the final of 'American Idol,' we would not be getting 30 million viewers a week," Cowell said. "I don't believe the Bob Dylans of this world would make 'American Idol' a better show."
Cowell claimed he would rather listen to the works of "Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson.
"A singing poet? It just bores me to tears," Cowell said of Dylan's musical works.
Despite Cowell's condemnation of Dylan, the rocker has a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award, an Oscar for best song and was nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature.
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