Confessions of an American Idol addict (Does the show indicate a red/blue state divide ?)

When it comes to confessions of reality TV junkies, I have had enough programming addictions to warrant a lifetime of 12-step programs.

My name is Bridget. I'm a political columnist. I own all three seasons of The Simple Life on DVD. I rushed home to watch women catfight over Public Enemy's Flavor Flav on VH-1's Flavor of Love. I tuned into ABC's The Bachelor faithfully until it became apparent that the happily-ever-after matches lasted about six weeks. I took it extremely hard when I couldn't watch George Galloway dance in a leotard or pretend to lap milk like a cat on the U.K.'s Celebrity Big Brother."

Thing is, I've never bought a single album cut by an Idol contestant. I only started watching during Season Two, and I turn the station when a screechy Kelly Clarkson song comes on. I think it’s endlessly hilarious that this year’s “American Idols Live!“ tour is sponsored by Pop Tarts. Yet on Tuesday night, I was editing a piece on the latest Hamas brouhaha with one hand, and repetitively text messaging votes for Taylor Hicks with the other hand.

That’s right: I, an L.A. native, cast all of my 20 votes this week (and the last, and the ones before that) against hometown girl Katharine McPhee and for Hicks. Yes, she’s beautiful and talented, but so are thousands of other starry-eyed fame-seekers out here in L.A. It’s just not a spectacular sight to this cynical Angeleno, and it’s been a greater pleasure to watch a southern boy who’s been pounding away at the honky-tonks and busting out the harmonica just because he loves music. It’s a breath of fresh air to see an Idol so real, so unaffected—and if Hicks suddenly flings aside the harmonica, buys a compound in Malibu and runs off with Paris Hilton, I stand corrected.

My point of view has been enough to start fights among the ever-growing legion of Idol fans, though. Those afflicted with McPheever might echo Simon Cowell’s earlier comments about Hicks sounding like a drunk dad at a wedding, while “Soul Patrol” deputies could counter that Kat couldn’t really cut an album featuring a dozen renditions of “Over the Rainbow.” I’d add that Hicks has been a class act all the way, has a really enthusiastic whoop, and did great covers of “The First Cut is the Deepest” and Elton John’s “Levon.”

After a two-hour finale peppered with the surreal—like Clay Aiken actually looking sexy—to guest appearances ranging from a stoned-sounding (and acting) Toni Braxton partnering with Hicks and Meat Loaf singing a frightening duet with McPhee, Hicks was crowned the victor. Unfortunately, the Idol winner had to follow a too-cool-for-words Prince, who was too cool to perform with any of the Idol contestants (but not too cool to use the Idol audience numbers to boost record sales). But Hicks’ reaction was, as one would expect, befitting an Idol—he raised McPhee’s hand and gestured for the audience to give her a due ovation, and in the middle of his triumphant final song interjected “I’m living the American dream!“ And what’s more American than a stellar comeback—Cowell originally passed on Hicks in auditions.

And as online betting sites have been on fire with weeks of Idol predictions, I have a post-Idol prediction: Season 5 will have garnered significantly more interest among American voters than November mid-term elections will. Hey, about five times as many votes were cast during Season 4 of American Idol than were cast in the 2000 presidential election. Before anointing Hicks the new American Idol Wednesday night, host Ryan Seacrest announced that 63.4 million votes had been cast in the finale—“more than any president in the history of our country has received. “

You could say Idol is the perfect exercise in democracy—that is, if everyone had two hours to stuff the ballot box, if a Brit was handy to foist unflinching criticism on the candidates, and Paula Abdul wept in their honor. You could also argue that Idol has given Alabama an unexpected superiority in the union—Hicks hails from the state, as does Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard and Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice. So this begs the question: Does Alabama have a good GOP presidential candidate to offer? And can he or she carry a tune?

Reality TV Magazine pondered Tuesday night whether the McPhee-Hicks showdown was really a red state vs. blue state contest. “Taylor Hicks’ musical style is very similar to that of legendary southern singers like Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding. Southerners will turn out in force for Taylor Hicks not only because of where he’s from but because his musical style is popular in the region. Katharine McPhee’s musical style is very similar to that of popular Broadway performers, and her voice will appeal to those from states like New York and California, where Broadway is very ingrained in the culture. ... Taylor Hicks represents the Southern gentleman, while Katharine McPhee represents the California dream girl.” No word on if the Idol finalists were polled about their views on abortion, gun control, the Iraq war, deficit spending, or gay marriage.

Even the politicians may be hoping to siphon votes from Idol fans, a.k.a. the last loyal, dependable voters in America. Sandwiched with the standard Ford and Coke commercials Wednesday night, California state Treasurer Phil Angelides—probably the grumpiest, blandest, most un-hip hopeful to grace a gubernatorial primary—bought pricey air time during the Idol finale for an attack ad on state Controller Steve Westly. Perhaps with the proper stylist, some vocal coaching and Seacrest to announce his platform, voters could overlook just how rancid Angelides’ policies are.

And for those who still turn their noses up at the phenomenon, accept that Idol isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s only getting bigger. In its most successful season yet, viewership was up 14 percent to an average of 30.3 million tuning in each week. People love a winner, and equally love laughing at those who massacre songs.

But this season is over, and I’m happy that Hicks will be the one to show the world just what an American Idol can be—talented, gracious, humble, and someone who knows how to have fun. Now if there was only a cure for my impending Idol withdrawals... ah, the Ted Nugent vehicle “Supergroup” on VH-1 just might do! But will Angelides try to join the band?

— Bridget Johnson is a columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. She blogs at GOP Vixen.

Why Middle America loves Taylor

May 25, 2006. 08:19 AM

VINAY MENON
TELEVISION CRITIC

TORONTO STAR

A year ago, nobody would have used the word "Idol" to describe Taylor Hicks.

But last night, the barmy, silver-haired singer prone to ill-advised boogieing and Rain Man sloganeering — "Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol! Soul Patrol!" — emerged victorious on the TV phenomenon known as American Idol.

As predicted by pollsters and bookies and people with too much time on their hands, Taylor, who hails like three of the previous four winners from the U.S. South, vanquished California rival Katharine McPhee after earning a majority of the 63.4 million votes cast Tuesday night.

With his penchant for corny quips and gaudy blazers, the prematurely grey Taylor — he's 29 going on 46 — may look more like an intoxicated wedding singer than a newly minted pop star.

No matter. At precisely 9:58 p.m. last night, the future arc of his ribs-and-catfish life was forever changed when host Ryan Seacrest said: "Now, America and the world, it is the moment of truth ... the winner of American Idol Season 5 is ... Taylor Hicks!"

Taylor whooped. His hometown of Birmingham, Ala., erupted on a monitor. And Katharine, the 22-year-old chanteuse and daughter of a vocal coach, hugged him graciously, though disappointment glistened in her eyes.

Yes, after nearly two hours of truly bizarre duets, colour-co-ordinated ensembles, taped segments, musical infomercials, bad comedy, live remotes, unrestrained mocking of Idol rejects, all-around filler — and a surprise performance by Prince — Taylor had defeated Katharine under a cloud of confetti.

So the analysis will begin this morning. Why did he win?

The reason is simple: American Idol is not a singing competition, as we're constantly told, but a popularity contest.

And since it's on television, sight matters as much as sound. If this was a radio show, last night's finale would have undoubtedly featured Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett. But from the outset, Taylor was the most visually engaging contestant: odd, mesmerizing, peculiar, endearing.

He wasn't like anyone we had seen before.

The victory of Alabama's new favourite son will also come as no surprise to demographers given the origins of previous winners — Kelly Clarkson (Texas); Ruben Studdard (Alabama); Fantasia Barrino (North Carolina); and Carrie Underwood (Oklahoma).

While George W. Bush has occupied the White House, every Idol champ has hailed from a so-called Red State. And eight of the 10 finalists (winner and runner-up) have come from the South and Midwest.

How popular is the show in Dixie? Consider this: at times this season, nearly 50 per cent of every television set in Taylor's hometown of Birmingham was tuned to American Idol. Viewers in Red States also seem more likely to support their local contestants than those in Blue States, as was obvious last week when Taylor and Katharine were shown mingling in their communities.

The crowd that greeted Taylor was massive and boisterous and deafening. Katharine's supporters, by contrast, were decidedly more reserved. And last night? The only live remotes came from Alabama. So much for California Dreamin'.

If regional voting habits can be extrapolated from all this, nobody should be surprised by Taylor's win.

Though two previous girl-guy showdowns ended with female champs, with Katharine residing in Sherman Oaks, Calif., well, the poor thing never stood a chance.

This season was, by any measure, an extraordinary success. The juggernaut averaged 30 million viewers per week, up 14 per cent from 2005. (In Canada, Tuesday's penultimate episode drew more than 3.1 million viewers.)

Throughout the winter, American Idol obliterated everything in its path — from the Grammy Awards to the Olympics. And for the second consecutive season, it catapulted Fox into the No. 1 spot with viewers 18-49, the demographic coveted by advertisers. As such, Fox was charging $1.3 million (U.S.) for a 30-second spot on last night's finale.

According to Variety, movie studios were also mesmerized by Idol this year, spending more than $56 million on film ads — or more than was spent on Lost, 24 and Grey's Anatomy combined.

The buzz wasn't restricted to North America. American Idol is now licensed in 154 countries. Viewers across the planet — from India to Israel, Iceland to Malaysia — followed the contest that ended with Taylor's glitzy coronation.

The Idol contagion has spread across the globe like a warbling epidemic. A new season of Canadian Idol begins Monday, while other homegrown versions are now produced in 34 countries.

The Idol brand is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion. And, collectively, more than 1.7 billion votes have been cast for Idol shows, or roughly 1 vote for every four people on the planet.

How confident and cocky is the show? Last night, it bestowed fake awards — The Golden Idols — on itself, Oscar-style.

The two-hour finale started with the Top 12 Idols performing with fourth season winner Carrie Underwood. They took the stage garbed in white, looking like an invading army of photogenic extraterrestrials.

The show was broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where 3,000 screaming fans — including many slightly embarrassed celebrities — were joined by a global television audience estimated to be more than 200 million.

And, for those with McPheever, don't cry for Katharine. She seems to understand the show's extensive, star-making apparatus.

As she said recently: "It is still a competition, but we both have won. We both have record deals and will be getting the same amount of press."

Ah, spoken like a true Idol.

USA TODAY

'Idol' worship

Posted 5/24/2006 10:35 PM ET

WHY IS AMERICAN IDOL SO POPULAR ?

Television, it is often said, has never been the same since the arrival of cable, satellite and the Internet. Audiences are more fragmented and shows are more targeted, making it hard for the medium to serve as the electronic public square that it once did.
Apparently, no one has told that to the producers of American Idol. Nearly 32 million households were tuned to the show Tuesday night to watch this year's two finalists, Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee, perform three songs each. Similar numbers likely watched Wednesday night when Hicks was anointed the winner. What's more, Idol's audience is growing from year to year, which is unusual for so-called reality shows that often lose viewers once their novelty wears off.

Idol might be today's equivalent to The Ed Sullivan Show, which from 1948 to '71 was must-watch fare for families around the country. Like the Sullivan show, Idol attracts huge audiences and helps launch careers. And like the Sullivan show, it's something that people of differing races, genders and generations can share.

At the risk of sounding overly effusive toward television, which is consumed in far too abundant quantities, there is a valuable function in a show like this. It has no objectionable content, no snakes or leeches, no contrived spontaneity and no Donald Trump.

Perhaps the show's success is the result of its simple concept. Virtually anyone can try out. It has a host and three judges, who select winners in the early rounds. In the later rounds, the judges merely opine while the winners are selected by millions of people who vote, often more than once, with telephones and wireless gizmos.

Or perhaps Idol's success is in how it encapsulates so much of American culture. It delivers instant celebrity, the ultimate dream in a nation of dreamers. And it almost perfectly mimics, or perhaps spoofs, the U.S. political system — with its drawn-out campaigns, its imperfect elections, its annoying commentators.

American Idol's success proves that the nation can still be brought together by a TV show. At a time of contentious political and cultural division, it's a useful reminder that Americans still share common bonds

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