I hope so. They spent so much time talking last season it got real boring. Having four judges plus the baseball cap all saying the same thing was torture. Hopefully they will return to singing rather than 80% critique.
Very true. I had an article bookmarked somewhere that says how they've listened to the fans and are streamlining the show and cutting out the boring parts. I'll try to find it.
The head of FOX Sports has also taken over the production, so it should be faster paced. Unless they have to repeatedly check the singers for concussions like during a football game.
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/tca-american-idol-listened-viewers-changed-format-ep-224906107.html
We listened to the viewers and they told us theyre fed up with the middle rounds after Hollywood Week and before the live shows, so weve shortened all of that down, condensed the middle round into one week were calling it Rush Week, American Idol exec producer Trish Kinane told TV critics at Winter TV Press Tour 2014.Theyve also added something called The Chamber, where Idolettes go after host Ryan Seacrest tells them that in a couple minutes theyve got to give it their all, Kinane explained, where well see them pray, sing, check their armpits for sweat whatever. Its a very intimate moment, she told critics. We didnt want to do anything radical, Kinane said of the many changes in store for this years competition. The original format really works, she said. But we went back and examined every single element of the show, from the talent search right through to the finale, she said. The end result? Its still absolutely American Idol. But its a million tiny decisions and little refreshments that make a fresher whole.
Fox and the producers are tinkering because the show last season suffered a second consecutive 20% dive in overall audience, as viewers fled the caterwauling and antics of judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. The singing competition also lost the demo to NBCs The Voice for the first time. In response, judges Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey both discovered their schedules were too busy to return for another season [LOL], Jennifer Lopez returned after one season off, new judge Harry Connick Jr. was brought in, Keith Urban became last seasons sole survivor and Randy Jackson was moved over to the mentor slot.
Jackson will be featured heavily during Rush Week. Its a new part of the show not done before, a sort of Randy Jackson workshop, Kinane explained. Randy is going to be hosting a two day workshop in which the kids who got through will be taught things like how to choose a song, whats your style, how do you want to look how to look after their voice.
But ultimately, TV critics wanted to talk about last years train wreck and this years judge panel, for whats being billed as a kind of Kumbaya Year for the show. Urban got asked if sitting between Minaj and Carey was as uncomfortable as it seemed to be, watching at home. No, Ryan and I worked it out. Were good, added Seacrest, rounding out the well-rehearsed-heres-how-well-handle-The-Question moment.
One critic noted Fox Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly confessed earlier in the day that he wished The Voice would go away, and asked them to ruminate as to why that show is now more popular, etc. Connick jumped in and said that when he went on his honeymoon, there other honeymooning couples at the hotel, but, I promise I didnt look and wonder how they were so happy and how we were going to stack up against them. I married the woman of my dreams, and I didnt see another couple, he told critics, thoroughly stumping them. Its a blast. Its so much fun. Its the only thing Im thinking about, he continued, throwing in for good measure, Yeah man! Weve got to keep it real!
In an August phone call with investors after the company released its Q4 results, NewsCorp CFO John Nallen said, Its a fact that Idol did not deliver as we hoped, and discussed the effect the veteran reality series last season had on ad revenues. Weve made some steps and put new leadership directly in place, he said of the addition of David Hill to oversee the show, and X-Factor, after the departure of alternative programming president Mike Darnell. Its still a profitable show and still a Top 5 show and we think there is an opportunity to reamortize that. But theres no question that Idol affected our broadcast business.
American Idol debuts with a two-night, four-hour premiere Wednesday, January 15 and Thursday, January 16.