Replacing Simon Cowell
 |  |
With the exiting of Simon Cowell — and then Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi — American Idol will be a completely different show. Sure, Randy Jackson will still be there to spit out his typical advice, “It was pitchy, dawg,” but Cowell is the only opinion people cared to hear. Cowell helped create this massive show in the States as well as across the pond, and it’s pretty hard to envision the show without him.
He was the only judge that seemed to actually know what he was talking about. Was he a rude, pompous, asshole? Yep. Could he recognize musical talent? Absolutely.
There are new rumors every day about who is replacing the mouthy Brit. Everyone from Elton John to Justin Timberlake has been thrown out as possible replacements. But should American Idol replace Cowell with a known superstar, or do they have a better shot at taking a risk on someone who is in the record business — an opinionated but smart music producer — who may be unknown to the general public?
It’s not as if American Idol needs a celebrity endorsement. It started with two opinionated music vets no one had ever heard of, and an over-the-hill ex-Lakergirl who had not had a single hit in more than a decade. American Idol was never about having big name celebrities come on the show. American Idol was about creating big name celebrities out of nobodies. Not only did this formula work for now music stars like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, but it also created massive stars out of Jackson, Cowell and Ryan Seacrest. Shouldn’t American Idol try to use this formula again?
The biggest names close to a deal in the judge’s chair are Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and Chris Isaak. Other names brought into the mix are Jessica Simpson, Justin Timberlake, and Elton John.
Most media outlets thought Fox would make an announcement about the judges at their annual Television Critics Association summer meeting, which occurred on August 2. No announcement was made, and USA Today reported that Fox network chief Peter Rice said the media speculation about the replacements have been “wildly inaccurate.”
This may be good news for American Idol fans, as well as a few unknown insiders who have their fingers crossed that they may get the call up to the big leagues. The most sensible replacement would have been America’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan — who oftentimes emulates Cowell’s mean-spirited but accurate critiques on his own talent show. But another media staple retired this year that had an even better gig than Cowell did, and Morgan was tapped to replace Larry King on CNN.
No one watches American Idol because of who the judges are. They watch because of the musical talent performing live every week. If that talent suffers because the show has celebrities with little music producing credits to their name giving bad advice — or no advice at all — then people will stop watching. Just because J.Lo, Steven Tyler and Jessica Simpson have had incredible music careers does not mean they can recognize talent, and/or give advice to those struggling. Isaiah Thomas was a great basketball player, but has made a mess of every team he has ever coached or managed.
If American Idol gives the open seats to known celebrities, this will most likely be the last year American Idol is relevant. If Fox takes a chance and turns to an unknown talent with a great ear, Idol will be around for another 10 years.
Posted on 08/2/10
20 views
Back To Blog - Tags: American Idol, Editorial, Ellen Degeneres, Elton John, FOX, Justin Timberlake, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell
|
|
Leave a comment
Related posts:
0 Comments
Comments RSS