American Idol With the booming business that reality shows were doing during the early twenty-first century, it seemed like a novel idea to reinvent the hit UK show Pop Idol in the USA, as American Idol (subtitled The Search For A Superstar). The Fox TV show was set up nearly identically to its predecessor, whereby a panel of judges assesses a sizeable contingent of pop singer hopefuls (rumoured to have been upwards of 50, 000), trimming them down to a select few. The only holdover from the judging panel from Pop Idol to American Idol was Simon Cowel l, an A&R executive whose caustic put-downs of the aspiring pop stars helped caused even more of a stir in the USA than in the UK, and also generated helpful press interest in the show. Joining Cowell in the first series were former 80s pop queen Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, who worked in A&R with the artists such as NSYNC, Madonna, Elton John, and Destiny’s Child, first for MCA Records before moving to Columbia Records. The viewers, who place their votes via phone, determine the season-ending winner. Debuting in 2002, the show’s first winner was Kelly Clarkson, resulting in the show being an immediate hit and Clarkson setting new sales figure records in topping the chart with her debut, ‘A Moment Like This’. It was not until American Idol’s second season that the show became a massive blockbuster, when Ruben Studdard edged out Clay Aiken for the top spot. However, the close finish seemed to do just as much for Aiken as Studdard with his single, ‘This Is The Night’, pipping Studdard’s ‘Flying Without Wings’ for the number 1 position on the US chart. The show continued to be a ratings success through its third, fourth and fifth seasons. The triumphant winners on each of these occasions were Fantasia, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks.See also Pop Idol, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Simon Cowell, Fantasia (00s), Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Clay Aiken, Paula Abdul, Taylor Hicks, Kimberley Locke, NSYNC, Madonna, Elton John, Destiny’s Child. Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4 ed.) Edited by Colin Larkin tinyurl/n68p53q
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:18:31 +0000
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