'American Idol' Mixes in Some "Wild Cards"
By
Kit Bowen
|
Monday, December 15, 2008
American Idol needs to shake things up a bit.
The Fox hit talent contest’s eighth season, which premieres on Jan. 13-14 from 8-10 p.m. EST, is doing just that. It will now include a return to "wild card" finalists picked by the show's judges as well as less airtime for memorably bad auditions, according to The Associated Press.
Executive producer Ken Warwick said in a news conference on Monday that they won’t completely abandon their affection for untalented contestants. "I would have a pretty boring show on my hands and it wouldn't be honest," he said.
Instead, they are simply cutting the nationwide tryouts from four weeks to three, narrowing down to 12 finalists, with nine chosen by audience voting and three wild-card singers selected by judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and a previously announced newcomer, singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardi.
We think the changes may have something to do with the show’s drop in ratings. Idol saw its poorest stats last year, a 7 percent dip from the previous year, but Warwick won’t admit that’s the reason. "There were no panic changes. ... This show wouldn't be on the TV for eight years if it wasn't doing it right," he said. Uh-huh.
The show's charity effort, Idol Gives Back is also being dropped. It likely will return on an every-other-year basis, Warwick said. He cited both the added production demands the charity special creates and the current economic climate, AP reports.
And as for stalker contestants, they will also try to keep the crazies to a minimum. Warwick was asked about Abdul’s claims the show exposed her to peril by allowing an alleged stalker, Paula Goodspeed, to audition in a previous season. Goodspeed was found dead of apparent suicide in a car near Abdul's Los Angeles home last month.
"I would definitely not put a dangerous person or person I thought was remotely dangerous in front of the judges," he said. Other than giving "everybody a psych test before they walk in," Warwick said, the show does the best it can to screen contestants.
We’ve all watched the Idol audition process -- psych evaluations might not be a bad idea.
MORE NEWS: Weisz Nabs Catwoman Role?
Photo(s) © 2008- FOX TV- All Rights Reserved
Bookmark this news story with:
News Archive