American Idol Judges
"Be careful what you wish for", goes the classic cliche. And trust me, that while I'm celebrating the firing of Steven Tyler and JLo (and hoping Randy Jackson gets dumped too), I know that just bringing in 3 or 4 new judges won't help the show, if the new judges are as bad as the old ones (save for Simon Cowell).
The only thing that saved the 2012 Idol season from becoming a complete judging disaster was mentor Jimmy Iovine. Once he appeared during the live shows, JLo actually started critiquing the singers. But it was too late. And let's face it, most of these performances are mediocre. There are only a few that stick out every week. But the contestants don't need to push themselves to be better when the judges are heaping false praise on them.
You see the problem with AI judges is that once the show goes to its live format they wimp out. Being in from on the contestants families and being in front of a big crowd neuters them.
Steven Tyler was a disgrace in 2012. Half the time it looked like he was bored out of his mind, and his constant "that was just beautiful" phrase was nauseating. As for the clueless Randy Jackson, how many times do we have to hear him say that someone just gave one of the greatest performances in TV history?
Yet, I'm cautious. These new judges could be kiss-ass just like the old ones. The new judges will give the show a boost. That's what Tyler/JLo did in 2011. But it will only be a matter of shows before we know whether we have a new Simon or a new Tyler.
The only thing that saved the 2012 Idol season from becoming a complete judging disaster was mentor Jimmy Iovine. Once he appeared during the live shows, JLo actually started critiquing the singers. But it was too late. And let's face it, most of these performances are mediocre. There are only a few that stick out every week. But the contestants don't need to push themselves to be better when the judges are heaping false praise on them.
You see the problem with AI judges is that once the show goes to its live format they wimp out. Being in from on the contestants families and being in front of a big crowd neuters them.
Steven Tyler was a disgrace in 2012. Half the time it looked like he was bored out of his mind, and his constant "that was just beautiful" phrase was nauseating. As for the clueless Randy Jackson, how many times do we have to hear him say that someone just gave one of the greatest performances in TV history?
Yet, I'm cautious. These new judges could be kiss-ass just like the old ones. The new judges will give the show a boost. That's what Tyler/JLo did in 2011. But it will only be a matter of shows before we know whether we have a new Simon or a new Tyler.
posted by Tom Lane at 9:32 AM
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