American Idol, is an American television series. It is
part of the Idol series, originating from the UK show Pop Idol, a singing talent
contest to determine the best "undiscovered" young singer in the country. In
recent years it has become one of the most highly publicized music competitions
in the world, reaching the status of a phenomenon.
American Idol is screened on the Fox Network in the United States and on CTV in
Canada.[1] It was created by Simon Fuller (manager of the Spice Girls and S Club
7) and developed by Simon Jones of Thames Television. The directors are Bruce
Gowers (director of Queen's original "Bohemian Rhapsody" video), Nigel Lythgoe
(a judge on So You Think You Can Dance), Simon Fuller (creator) and Ken Warwick
(Gladiators and Grudge Match).
Early auditions
In the show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, hopeful contestants are screened by
preliminary panels to be selected for singing talent or humorous potential and
human interest. The audition process is often long, beginning with thousands of
candidates strategically interviewed and eliminated before being individually
auditioned by show producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe (often slide shows of
humorously terrible candidates are shown from this interview). They then
audition before the three main judges - Simon Cowell (one of the judges from Pop
Idol and The X Factor), Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson - in selected cities
across the United States. Sometimes a celebrity fourth judge may be added. These
are generally held at large convention centers where thousands of people wait in
line for auditions. Past audition cities have included; New York City, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago,
Greensboro, Washington, D.C., Houston, Honolulu, Denver, Detroit, St. Louis,
Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Cleveland, Birmingham,
San Antonio and Austin. (Contestants from the Season 5 Austin auditions were
flown to San Francisco, California to audition before the judges due to the
effect of Hurricane Katrina evacuees on New Orleans, Louisiana.)
In order to be eligible, the contestants are not permitted to have any current
recording or talent management agreements (but may have had one at some point in
the past). Based on turnout and availability, producers select a certain number
from the crowd to audition before the three judges (this usually takes 2-4
rounds). Contestants are required to sing a cappella. Those who impress the
majority of the judges move on to the second round auditions which take place in
Hollywood (typically only several dozen out of the thousands in each city move
on). The contestants selected despite lack of singing talent for appearance
before the panel provide a major attraction to the viewing audience as they
simultaneously proclaim their talent while turning out gut-wrenching
performances which are ridiculed by the judges.
Much like the original Pop Idol version, one of the most popular portions of
each season are initial episodes showcasing American Idol hopefuls auditioning
before the panel of judges. These early episodes focus mainly on the poorest
performances from contestants who often appear oblivious to their lack of star
talent. These "contestants" have been selected by the preliminary panels in a
negative sense; a typical combination is lack of singing ability combined with
vanity regarding their "talent." Others are selected for human interest
potential: the 2005 auditions featured a "cannibal" who had sampled human flesh
in an anthropology class and an aspiring female prize fighter. Other examples
include a man dressed in pajamas with no shoes (whose comments made Cowell
explode with laughter) and a transvestite who kisses Cowell on the cheek after
her audition wraps up. Poor singers often face intense and humbling criticism
from the judges, and especially from Cowell, who can be harsh and blunt in his
rejections. Typically the judges express disgust or dismay or suppressed
laughter. Some poor performances have attained notoriety on their own; these
have included Season 1's portrayal of Lady Marmalade, Season 2's performance of
Madonna's Like a Virgin by Keith Beukelaer and Season 3's rendition of Ricky
Martin's She Bangs by William Hung.
Contestants must be U.S. citizens eligible to work full-time and, for the first
three seasons, had to be 16 to 24 years of age on October 19 of the year of
audition. For the fourth season, the upper age limit was raised to 28 with an
earlier cutoff date, August 4, to attract more mature and diverse contestants.
In early 2003, a 50-year-old college professor named Drew Cummings filed a
complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, charging the show
with age discrimination because producers denied him an audition due to his age.
His case was not taken up by the EEOC. Auditioning contestants must bring with
them to the audition a valid proof of age (and citizenship) such as a birth
certificate, driver's license, and a passport, and minors under the age of 18
must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All auditioning contestants are
required to sign on to the Web at www.americanidol.com and print out a copy of
the release form to fill out and turn in at the audition in order to grant
permission to be seen and heard by the producers' cameras. Contestants who were
found out to have given false information are disqualified.
Those who are ineligible are: those who have current talent representation or a
recording contract; have made it to a top 30 on Season 1, top 32 on Seasons 2
and 3, or top 24 on Seasons 4 and 5; or are affiliated with Fox, Fremantle, 19,
its sponsors, its affiliates, its subsidiaries and parent companies; anyone
whose age is not in the required age range; and non-US citizens. Even if a
person is eligible, he or she may not have a chance to audition or be seen
because the show can see only a limited number of people in each city.The show
usually airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and has millions of viewers.
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