Last night's "American Idol" proved something that I've been noticing for quite some time. This season sucks.
The theme last night was, popular iTunes downloads, which meant contestants could choose any song as long as it was a popular download.
This provided for a variety of songs, some of which I wondered exactly how popular they are. Unfortunately, it also highlighted how underwhelming this year's singers are in comparison to past seasons.
While everyone is crazy for Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey, I find them average compared to performers from year's past. When you consider that people like Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Katherine McPhee and Jennifer Hudson were discovered in previous seasons it makes this year's roster look like a high school talent show.
The solution for "American Idol" is to follow the pattern of its British counterpart and switch formats to "The X Factor."
"The X Factor" separates contestants into four categories, boys, girls, over 30s and groups. Expanding the categories has allowed for a wider range of talent and expanded the demographic range of the show's ratings.
"X Factor" also uses its celebrity judges, including Simon Cowell, as mentors who help the potential stars with everything from song choice to wardrobe. The show also allows the singers to perform with backup dancers and stage effects which gives them an idea of how real performers work the stage.
The change in formats has made the show more popular than ever and breathed new life into it when it became stale.
"Idol" is in its eighth season and has begun to show signs of aging with lower ratings and an increase in backlash against the show. In order to survive, the show needs to make some radical changes to avoid becoming a pale imitation of its former self.
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