As you have heard by now, one aspect of Idol's host of "improvements" being sought ahead of its 10th season is the lowering of the minimum age to audition to 15. As you can imagine, this is a big deal in the vacuum that is the show's (early) off-season, and there is no shortage of opinions on the move.
As for me, I think it has come three seasons too late. Whereas there have been many viable young teens over the course of Idol's history that have fallen by the wayside when up against older, more experienced performers, it was not until Season 7 when teens pretty much were overlooked by voters (with the exception of David Archuleta, of course). Since then, the motto has virtually been NTNA - no teens need apply - when it comes to audition hopefuls. If they could go back in time, producers probably would have ensured a Justin Bieber-type to win the title. But really, if Miley Cyrus could make it big at 15, why not an Idol contestant?
Judging from the general sentiment stirred up from the reveal, I'm not alone in my doubts.
MTV News's Jim Cantiello writes "Why The 'American Idol' Age Limit Change Is A Bad Idea":
The last time "Idol" tweaked its age range was season five, where they upped the limit to 28 years old. The result? Taylor Hicks, a dude who looked 58, ended up winning. So if "Idol" is going the opposite route, does that mean America might be crowning a 15-year-old who looks seven come next May? In a year, will America be tired of pop stars who look like zygotes?
Marc Hirsh of NPR.org had more to say, including:
But even if we ignore the "Me, too!" mentality behind it (which is hardly new in the pop-music industry, or any entertainment industry, for that matter), Idol's sudden need to capitalize on the demographic that still needs Mom or Dad to drive them around ignores the simple truth that “talent” is not the same thing as “artistry.” This is a distinction made all the more important by the fact that Idol talks about contestants almost exclusively in terms of the latter word while rarely mentioning the former.
And Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music opined:
Honestly, I personally would rather see the audition age limit raised, not lowered, on "Idol." Keep in mind that the biggest success story of all reality singing competitions in recent years has been 48-year-old Susan Boyle, and that Season 9's biggest "Idol" sensation was, arguably, 64-year-old General Larry Platt. Now, I'm not necessarily saying that senior citizens need to join the "Idol" ranks, and yes, I do understand that the show's producers probably want to seem more relevant to the top 40 marketplace in this tween-pop age. But I do believe this show improved when its age limit was raised from 25 to 28 in Season 4, thus allowing more seasoned singers with both performance experience and life experience--Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Michael Johns, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Casey James, Michael Lynche, et al--to make it through.
Still, not everyone was being a downer about the move. In fact, Jordin Sparks, once a teen champ herself, offered some words of wisdom to young hopefuls via Twitter:
I auditioned at 16 & won at 17. The pressure/criticism you're under...it's a lot to handle! But talent & maturity will speak for itself! :)
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone
If you're 15 & going to audition for the make sure you're ready! Good luck! I'm rooting for you! :D
about 5 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone
Good luck to anyone auditioning! The pressure is gonna be crazy for everyone, not just the youngins! Stay focused! :)
about 4 hours ago via TwitBird iPhone
In any case, we should have a good gauge of what kind of crowd shows up for Season 10 by the time auditions roll around on July 17 in Nashville.
Showing posts with label lyndsey parker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lyndsey parker. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
'Idol''s age min. drop - good or bad?
Friday, January 23, 2009
Analysis: Joanna Pacitti a "failed pop star"?
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Well, it looks like Yahoo! is no fan of 23-year-old Season 8 hopeful Joanna Pacitti. The headline "Failed pop star pollutes 'Idol'" today appeared on the famed web portal, followed by an incredible hack job on Joanna by "Reality Rocks" blogger Lyndsey Parker, in which she was compared to Season 7's sixth-place finalist, Carly Smithson. Read an excerpt of Parker's blog below:
Anyway, I honestly can NOT believe the AmIdol producers are up to their old sneaky tricks in season 8. You'd think after all that Carly hullaballoo, they would steer clear of such blatant favoritism and the inclusion of what are known in the Idol blogosphere as "plants." But...no. Along with an actual (Archuleta-associated!) Osmond and Jason Castro's little brother, this season features a particularly poisonous plant: Joanna Pacitti.Parker continued to "expose" Joanna's past by unearthing music videos, an album and other projects that she has worked on in the past.
Joanna, who auditioned on Wednesday night's Louisville episode, is basically Carly 2.0.
Now, I believe the situation we have here is extremely different from last season's fiasco. Did Parker not watch the Louisville auditions Wednesday night? Did the producers not blatantly make it known to us viewers that Joanna had a past with A&M Records et al? The situation with Carly was extremely different because the producers tried to keep her past failures in the music biz under wraps (which they have now learned can never happen because someone is going to dig it up).
So although I am very critical of Joanna being included for her past, as I myself have never liked the whole plant aspect that has developed on the show over the past few seasons, I am willing to let her prove herself before crying fowl. I give the producers credit for at least putting everything out in the open.
But "polluting 'Idol'"? C'mon Parker, that's harsh.
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