American Idol Executive Producers Nigel Lythgoe, left, and Ken Warwick
American Idol: The Phenomenon gave us one more reason this week to gather around the television as a family. While we were busy on Sunday playing golf, going to birthday parties and building fairy houses in the park, we did TiVo the Fox special, so we could watch it before this week's big showdown between Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo.
Surprisingly, our daughters were more interested in playing Monopoly than watching AI: The Phenomenon on Monday after school, until they caught a glimpse of who we thought was one of their all-time favorite artists, British star, Joss Stone. Stone, it turns out, was "discovered" on BBC's Star for a Night not British Idol. While it was not Stone we saw, the result led all three girls to become glued to the tube to watch the highlights from all three seasons of American Idol.
The Phenomenon
Pop Idol UK 2001 with Simon Cowell judging, changed the face of the music industry and Reality TV, forever. The format was sold worldwide from Canada, to Finland, to Australia, to France, to Germany...to Turkey.
In the United States, the show has become a phenomenon.
Buy Why?
Ken Warwick, American Idol Executive Producer, explained:
America is in control. That's the secret of The Phenomenon. It's the fact that the public has become hooked into the dreams and aspirations of these kids, and they have the power to make the difference. It's about making someone who is tossing hamburgers or cleaning windows one week, three months later into one of the biggest superstars in America.
Tara McPherson, Associate Professor of Critical Studies at USC described a phenomenon as "something that grabs the population by storm."
Nigel Lythgoe Co-Executive Producer of American Idol described to a T the exact reason the show is a hit in our household. He said:
Of the last ten, fifteen years families of disintegrated at home. There's a proliferation of televisions that are in different rooms of the house. Families can split up. They don't even have to watch television anymore. They can play video games or watch DVDs. I think American Idol brings a family together. Not only can they come together, they can disagree happily about things.
While television is a rarity, video games are non-existent and DVDs are a once a week special treat in this household, American Idol has become a highlight of this family's every week. It has also become a conversation piece for the kids at school.
Gloria Estefan shared that her recording schedule has been dictated by American Idol and her desire to watch the show with her daughter.
Simon Cowell believes the show is a phenomenon because it is "The modern day version of The Lions and The Christians." "It is a lot of thumbs up and an awful lot of thumbs down," he illustrated.
The media has picked up the phenomenon. TV shows like ET, and magazines like US Weekly, People and Entertainment Weekly offer constant coverage of the stars and the judges.
Shirley Halperin, Music Editor for US Weekly said, "[The audience] can relate, cheer, boo. It's the kind of competition that people invest in."
Over 2 million concert tickets and over 14 million CDs have been sold. And over $50 million [in merchandise] sales have been generated.
The contestants are regulars on the talk show circuit. Conan O'Brien even demonstrated his uncanny resemblance to John Stevens.
Fun American Idol Trivia:
The number of times the judges of had to enjoy a badly sung Whitney Houston song: 1,152
The number of local production assistants hired to keep Edgar Nova out of the auditions: 240
The number of pounds Randy Jackson has lost: 117.5
The number of states represented at the Season Three auditions: 49
(Only North Dakota was missing, probably still waiting for the Spring thaw!)
The number of black t-shirts Simon has worn: 40 and counting
The number of times Randy has said "Dawg": 25 in Season III alone
The number of bottles of product it takes to keep Ryan Seacrest's hair strategically tossed: 15
The number of kisses between Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell: 438 but only one captured on camera
115,000 people have tried out over the past three seasons.
Why We Watch The Show
Malcolm in The Middle's Frankie Muniz tunes in because he says "A lot of people like seeing the awful singers."
Simon believes one of the reasons the show is such a success is because it enables viewers to "peek through the keyhole" to see what people will do to become an entertainer.
The other reason is: Simon Cowell's criticism.
Anna Nicole-Smith, David Hasselhoff and Smokey Robinson gave it a try. Somehow, none of them hold a candle to Simon's British bluntness.
Randy Jackson said, "Everyone loves a train wreck."
Simon Cowell is a significant part of the show's success, humbly speaking, of course.
The number one question Cowell is asked: "Are the people genuine?"
His answer: "Fortunately or unfortunately, everyone is genuine, and they believe they can be the next American Idol."
Paula says people like watching bad talent because they relate to it.
It's also a great opportunity to laugh. Of course, Randy, Simon and Paula's giggles are infectious. As hard as they try to hold it, sometimes it is impossible.
One of The Best Critiques of Season Three
In response to one of the contestants claiming that God is on her side, Simon Cowell claimed "Well, I think God took the day off."
No doubt, this was one of our favorite Simon Cowell lines this season.
Those watching tune in, in part, because they are living vicariously through the judges and the contestants.
We all love to watch people celebrate when they get through. And share in their sadness when they don't make it to the next round.
"As a producer, you think you've seen it all," said Ken Warwick. "But there is always somebody who comes in and does something completely off the wall. It amazes us really. The extent that some people will go to in order to impress in an audition..."
They've come in as wizards, as Christmas trees, as Cling-ons. They've invaded the judges space. All three judges have been targets of seduction.
Cowell didn't know what to expect when he came to America. Take for instance, the guy "Mylk" who did Rambo meets Neil Diamond.
Confrontation is essential and guaranteed.
Nigel Lythgoe added:
One thing that is very important in the show is confrontation. Whether it's between the judges themselves, whether it's been the judges and the contestants, or even the contestants and the contestants. That is because it keeps the show honest.
For those of us who have six year-olds watching the show, it's nice to have TiVo to be able to skip through the contestants' back-talking out-takes.
Fortunately, there is Paula, on site to balance Cowell's crassness.
"America is about celebrating the contestants effort," Abdul said.
At the core of American Idol, the goal is to search the country for the greatest talent. "It all comes down to talent," said Randy Jackson.
Fortunately, after three seasons Cowell admitted that he can't imagine doing the show without Abdul and Jackson.
There are always high moments in the series said Executive Producer, Ken Warwick. "This season there were two magical moments. When La Toya London hit that high note singing All By Myself, and the second was when Fantasia sang Summertime."
Hearing and watching LaToya in action again just reinforced what a shame it is that she is not one of the finalists tomorrow night.
In the first season, when Tamyra sang A House Is Not A Home she brought the house down.
Having never tuned into the first season of American Idol the introduction and tribute to Kelly Clarkson gave us goose bumps. Now, we know what set the bar for the next two seasons to come.
Watching Clarkson sing Natural Woman and hearing her talk about inspiring the young girls in the crowd makes parents like us far more proud of and supportive of American idols like her.
The Break
One of the highlights of The Phenomenon took place during "the break."
Stop the presses. Thank God for TiVo.
Our nine year-old in the house beckoned everyone back to their seats. "Everyone needs to come to the television to watch the promo for Harry Potter," she said. For a kid who has read each book 7-10 times, there is no one in the world more excited about seeing the upcoming third movie premiere, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, two days, no less, before its formal release here in San Francisco. Thank you and congratulations Chris Columbus & Monica Devereux!
Season Two
Season Two introduced the large and lovable Number "205," Ruben Studdard. ("205" is not a reference to Ruben's weight. Rather, it is a reference to his Birmingham, Alabama area code.) Season Two also introduced the confident Clay Aiken, who believed from the beginning that he could have made it to the Top Ten in Season One.
Week after week, America started to accept, support and love Clay Aiken. His look was evolving as we fell more and more in love with his voice. "When he sang, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me we knew we were standing in front of a star," said Nigel Lythgoe.
Ruben had never watched the first season, and never expected to make it through. Throughout the show, his goal was to make it to the Top Thirty. As he continued to win, he worked very, very hard. He learned his songs. He changed his style for each genre of music. Ruben took over the "205." "I was so happy to see how far two kids from the south had come," said Studdard.
Last season, more than 40 million people tuned in to watch the cuddly Studdard crowned as Season Two's Superstar.
"I think American Idol gives some people, not in the recording industry, a chance to become the star they always wanted to be," said Studdard. "I really attribute American Idol to giving people a chance and to seeing the star in everybody. It tries to pull out the best in people, professionally and personally," Studdard added.
Season Three Finalists
Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo are both June babies who started singing at the age of five. They are both still teenagers. Both came from Group One. These Southern hometown girls are now national celebrities - thanks to America's votes.
So will it be contestant #49094, Diana DeGarmo? Or #34572, Fantasia Barrino?
Tom Arnold is behind Fantasia. Wayne Brady thinks it's going to be Fantasia. John Voigt is betting on Fantasia. Latin Hip Hop Rapper prodigy, Maximillian Justn Flores aka Lil' Max$O is putting his money on Diana. Soul Plane Star, Loni Love loves Diana.
Randy says, "Fantasia is fantastic. She's amazing. There is a star in that girl."
Tune in tomorrow night for the two-hour Fox Special of the season.
For those of you interested in seeing these young stars in person at one of the upcoming Idol concerts, tickets officially went on sale Saturday, May 22nd. Available seats may be purchased through The Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network powered by TicketsNow.com!
The cities that are hosting American Idol concerts include:
07/14/04, The Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
07/16/04, Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
07/20/04, Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota
07/21/04, Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
07/22/04, Bradley Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
07/24/04, Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
07/25/04, Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, Illinois
07/27/04, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
07/28/04, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
07/29/04, Csu Convocation Center, Cleveland, Ohio
07/31/04, Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
08/01/04, Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
08/03/04, Roberts Stadium, Evansville, Indiana
08/04/04, US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
08/05/04, United Center, Chicago, Illinois
08/07/04, Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
08/10/04, NOKIA live at Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, Texas
08/11/04, New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
08/13/04, Alltel Arena, North Little Rock, Arkansas
08/14/04, Gaylord Entertainment CTR, Nashville, Tennessee
08/15/04, Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
08/17/04, Office Depot Center, Sunrise, Florida
08/18/04, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
08/20/04, The Colonial Center, Columbia, South Carolina
08/21/04, LJVM Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
08/22/04, MCI Center, Washington, DC
08/24/04, Worcester Centrem Centre, Worcester, Massachusetts
08/27/04, Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
08/28/04, Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
08/29/04, Continental Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
08/31/04, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
09/02/04, Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York
09/04/04, Wachovia Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
09/05/04, Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
09/09/04, Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
09/10/04, Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania
09/11/04, Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire
09/12/04, Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island
09/19/04, Savvis Center, St. Louis, Missouri
09/23/04, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
09/24/04, Centennial Garden, Bakersfield, California
09/25/04, Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
09/26/04, HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
09/28/04, Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
For those who missed last night's special, or for those who have not yet invested in TiVo, I hope you've enjoyed this American Idol play-by-play "Phenomenon Special."
Inspire & Be Inspired.
~Jennifer King
Other American Idol Stories Published in RuggedElegantLiving.com:
05/20/04, Fans Wear Flower To School in Honor of Jasmine Trias
05/19/04, AI III Delivers Another Shocker
05/18/04, Three Finalists Sing One For Themselves, One For The Judges & One For Clive Davis
05/18/04, Celebrity Special: Randy, Paula, Simon, Jasmine, Fantasia & Diana Speak to Host Ryan Seacrest, :
05/11/04, Divas Sing Disco
05/04/04, Five Finalists Sing Big Band Beat with Nigel Wright & The Penguins
04/27/04, American Idol Sings Gloria Estefan's Latin Pop Music: La Toya London Turns Up The Heat
04/20/04, "American Idol Sings Barry Manilow Hits Customized for Each Finalist by the Legend, Himself"
04/20/04, "Contestants Perform The Music of Barry Manilow"
04/15/04, "Jon Peter Lewis Gets The Death Penalty After Singing 'Jailhouse Rock'"
04/14/04, "Finalists Sing Movie-Themed Songs with Quentin Tarantino As Guest Judge"
04/08/04, "American Idol Sings Elton John Classics; Camile Velasco Sings 'Goodbye..."
03/18/04, "Top Twelve Finalists Narrow to Eleven"
03/17/04, "American Idol Offers Two Hours of Soul Singing As The Competition Heats Up"
02/11/04, "Barrino, DeGarmo, Hudson, Lynche, Metzger, Thomas, Walcott, Webber (and Ryan Seacrest as Will Hung)"
02/05/04, "One American Family's Favorite Contestants from "American Idol III's" Top Thirty-Two"
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