I’ve been wondering for a weeks now what the hell happened to American Idol. The show is pretty much a mess and I don’t think Paula was that important as to make such an impact in the show by leaving. So, there, Paula has nothing to do with it. Ellen? I don’t think so, even though she doesn’t bring THAT much, she is funny and I wouldn’t consider her responsible for the show being crap. Simon leaving after this season? Meh. I don’t think that would be good enough reason for this season to be trash. It will be reason for next season to be garbage but not this one.
So, what happened? Adam Lambert broke American Idol. He ruined it. From the moment he came as a runner-up last season, Idol was doomed. Why? Because Adam Lambert, love him or hate him, brought the show to new heights of entertainment. One week he would be a badass rocker singing a dirty song like Whole Lotta Love and then the following he would be a mellow, Elvis-like, smooth singer melting old hags’ hearts with Track of my Tears. Every week he would top Twitter trending topics because he just made people talk, he intrigued some who were blind to the fact that he is gay(seriously) and everyone had an opinion, he was everywhere. Still pretty much is.
Now, this season, everything seems bland, everything seems boring. Even performances that in other seasons may have been great, in this season seem like trying to hard and falling short. Idol producers know all this and even though they say that they brought Adam back to help him in sales, they know they needed him to give a spark to a show that is slowly dying. It worked. His performance tonight brought memories of what made last season great, theatrical, manic, out of boundaries, crazy, Adam Lambert. The guy just knows how to entertain and by what he did tonight he can give a run for their money to other actual mentors and performers that have come to Idol.
So, Season 9, stop trying. Let Crystal win, since she is the only one that at the moment has proved that she got what it takes, or give Adam the prize and have him record another album, with a less campy cover art.
(by the way, his album has some great songs and a remix ep was just released. good stuff) – iTunes links
Very interesting article, I have to say that I agree with you for the most part, but Kris Allen also played a part in breaking idol.
OK perhaps not Kris Allen personally, but all those that decided to award the confetti shower to him rather than the most exciting thing to happen to Idol in – well ever.
America prefers sweet little guys next door plucking on a guitar? Well congratulations, now you have a whole season of bland, guitar plucking guys/gals next door. Awesome *yawn*
Haha yes, I see your point and I join you in your *yawn*.
EXACTLY! AI can only go down hill from now unless someone smartens up really fast and gets serious! Yes Adam broke the mold, and any who mentor now…..these kids future is on you!
Hopefully Alicia Keys will be able to inspire them a bit.
Tracks of my Tears melted MY heart and I resent being called a “hag” Haha! Seriously though, I do believe Adam broke Idol and it is forever doomed. Crystal will win this year but I doubt she will have a successful career. She doesn’t have the wow factor and not much personality. If that’s what you like though, people that just sit on stage playing an instrument and singing, then great, enjoy. Personally I prefer a showman and entertainer like Adam who gives me a vocally, visually and emotionally stimulating show. Adam made his appearance on Idol this year and now I am free on Tuesday and Wednesday nights because I won’t be watching the rest of the season…unless of course I hear that Adam is returning.
Haha can you imagine If they started bringing him every week?
How about each week he comes on as one of the current contestants and performs???? And in the finale he competes against himself!!!
great article
poor kids this year, did not stand a chance even before season 9 started….. and now Adam has showed them how it is done – they are even more doomed, lol
Thank you!
I remember watching Idol last year at the finale thinking,”Adam is definately going to win.” Then as they announced that it was Kris Allen, I was frustrated with America. Kris Allen is just like another Daughtry or any new acostic guitar player( no offense to Daughtry because he’s actually good). I have not watched Season 9 because after Adam Lambert, there was no use. You will never find another Adam, but you will find so many more Kris Allens. Whoever wins wins, but Adam should’ve won. Good job American girls who decided they would vote for Kris and think he’d make a huge impact. Tell me, who has impacted the news more? I’ve only heard one thing about Kris and about a million things about Adam. Way to vote. On a last note, I believe he’s a rock legend. Pure perfection is he.
Yep Adam spoiled. Before S8, if we got a watercooler moment every couple weeks, and a lulzy trainwreck here or there, we were happy. But Adam hit Idol like a hurricane crossed with a crack dealer, blowing the doors off and giving us a fix every damn week like clockwork. Maybe it was one everyone agreed was brilliant and couldn’t stop talking about, like Tracks of My Tears or Mad World or Whole Lotta Love. Just as often it was one where people went to battle on either side, like Ring of Fire or Born to be Wild or Feeling Good. Sometimes he just made us laugh along with him, like Play That Funky Music. Sometimes he made us cry along with him, like If I Can’t Have You or Change Is Gonna Come.
And it didn’t stop there. Even though he was a frontrunner, Adam never played it safe. Every week he threw down, taking risks with his choices and leaving it all on the stage. So if anyone else wanted to compete, they needed to take some damn risks too. And we got some really cool watercooler performances from the other finalists as well, like Kris’s She Works Hard For The Money and Heartless, Danny’s Come Rain or Come Shine, Anoop’s Always On My Mind. In addition, because most of the contestants were jumping on the risk train, we also got to enjoy their hysterically lulzy fails, like Anoop’s Beat It, Megan’s Rockin Robin, Allison’s adorable one-chord guitar playing in that No Doubt song, and the EPIC Danny Gokey Scream On.
Unfortunately, so far this season seems scared to try anything remotely risky. I don’t think the schizophrenic judging is helping*** but that shouldn’t be enough to freeze everyone in their tracks like scared rabbits. But it seems to have. The biggest risks have been a didgeridoo that you couldn’t even hear with the studio mix, and the bagpipe that you unfortunately could. And as charming as the former and as amusing as the latter were, they both seemed like tacked on gimmicks. The uber talented front runner Crystal seems content to mostly stay in her lane. And it’s rubbed off on her fellow contestants.
Anyway, I have yet to watch a performance this season and go, oh WOW that really surprised me, I’ve gotta go download that. And I have yet to rush home, eagerly willing the hours to go by faster so I can see what one of them is gonna do this week. Adam did that for many people (altho LOL not enuff to vote him to the win) every week. And once we’ve tried delicious champagne, there’s no going back to flat beer.
Adam did his level best to try and practically loan them his own energy so they would step it up. And I think it actually did work with Crystal, Lee and Katie. Not sure what happened with Siobhan. The rest, pftttt. But that moment on results night when Adam stepped out into his crazy laser vortex, silhouetted at first to ratchet up the anticipation for that first glimpse of him, alternately caressing, then belting, then flat out tearing into the vocal of the song like fire, it was plain — not a single one of those 9 left have the potential to pull of that kind of riveting showmanship. And as he finished the performance and immediately shifted from Fierce!Adam to Adorbs!Adam it was deja vu, watching him giggle with Ryan “I brought lasers!” and sweetly thank the Idol machine for giving him a shot, it was clear — not a single one of those 9 left have such an agreeable, sunny charisma.
Damn I miss Season 8.
LMAO this is so incredibly long winded and I don’t even know if it makes any sense at all. But I guess I will go ahead and click submit anyway.
***A corollary to this is the missing link of crazy Paula, who provided an unabashed enthusiasm for the individual performers that often blunted Simon’s cruel words. Whether she was up on her feet dancing at the judge’s table, proclaiming that she could see you filling arena’s, comparing you to iconic music figures, or sweetly telling you well, you look pretty, she provided support from the scary judges table the without her is sort of like facing an executioner’s squad. That makes jokes. I mean, I love Ellen, and she’s warm, but it’s a lukewarm instead of the toasty fuzzy insane blanket of Paula. I do feel a little bad that this year they miss out on that.
Hahaha Awesome comment Mel!
LOL thanx! Didn’t mean to hijack your blog, apparently I have a lot of ~feelings.
Ha! That was it’s own blog post… but I totally agree.
I couldn’t agree more with the original article, or this comment….
I mean, OBVIOUSLY we miss Adam on Idol, and sometimes I start feeling REALLY sad remembering the good old days when he was on Idol TWICE A WEEK *sigh….*
But I’m glad that people realize that Paula is missing too. As a contestant, I would have LOVED her….she always had something nice to say, even if the performance was terrible. And personally, she made me laugh almost every comment….I miss her ALOT on Idol.
I kind of wish they had just stopped the show after last year…because its going to keep going down hill. End on a high note. A screaming, amazing, tongue-sticking-out high note
Mel – you expressed everything I have been feeling about his season. One additonal thing — after last year, they should have changed the voting by limiting the number of votes like all the other competition shows do.
This season SUCKS. And while I’ll never share you opinion of Adam Lambert I’ll agree that he was one heck of a showman. Everyone on this season is totally vanilla and boring. Blah.
Rand, did you write this? Or is this an article from the internet?
I wrote it.