The end of 'American Idol' as we know it

Last night's "American Idol" finale provided very little suspense as Lee Dewyze was crowned the winner of season 10.

The hilarity of "Idol's" finale is that it essentially takes what is a five minute announcement, that could be done lottery style in between shows, and somehow stretches it into a two hour show.

The show opened with an extremely awkward version of "School's Out" with Alice Cooper showing up towards the end.

It's always funny when the Idols are forced to do choreography.

After a few so-so performances by Kris Allen and The Bee Gees, a real singer hit the stage when Carrie Underwood performed her latest hit "Undo It."


As Ryan said, it seems impossible that it was only five years ago that she won the competition that catapulted her to superstardom.

She was easily the best performer of the night.

As awesome as Carrie was, she did not receive the biggest ovation the night. That honor belonged to Bret Michaels, who just a month removed from a brain hemorrhage and a week after a stroke, showed up to sing the Poison classic "Every Rose Has a Thorn" with contestant Casey James.


Michaels seems to have a new lease on life and is enjoying a career regeneration.

Speaking of career regeneration, Janet Jackson made an appearance and performed her new single "Nothing" and her classic "Nasty."

Jackson also sported a new short haircut and seemed more like the classic Janet from the "Control" and "Rhythm Nation" days.

Perhaps the best moment of the night came when all the former winners (minus David Cook, who was at a charity event) got together on stage to sing a tribute to Simon Cowell. They were then joined on stage by a slew of former contestants.

Even Paula Abdul showed up to help salute the man who is responsible for most of "Idol's" success.

Finally it was time for the big reveal, not that anyone cared at this point. Ryan gathered Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox on stage and "dimmed the lights."

While Lee could barely pull himself together, Crystal seemed at peace in the moment, it was almost as if she knew what was coming.

When Lee was announced as the winner, I sensed a bit of relief from Crystal. Without the pressure of being the winner she can make the kind of music she wants to without the "Idol" machine's interference.

So now that season nine is in the books, it's time for them to start thinking about season ten and all the massive changes they need to make to stay relevant.

'American Idol' so far

Last night "American Idol" aired its audition episodes from Los Angeles and the lackluster talent sparks the question of whether "Idol" has finally peaked.

Traditionally LA and New York provide an abundance of talent because of their entertainment heavy communities. However, like many of the other cities this season LA was a disappointment.

Los Angeles only yielded 24 golden tickets out of 11,000 applicants. Previous cities Chicago and Orlando also provided a dismal number of trips to Hollywood. So, has "American Idol" finally run out of undiscovered talent or are the truly talented choosing to skip the reality show route.

Let's be honest, the majority of those who make it to Hollywood week will be cut within the first two days. That leaves about 50 singers who have something special and out of those 50 only 24 get to sing live on national television and only 12 will get to the coveted finals.

With odds that slim I understand why some singers might decide to go it on their own. There's no denying that "Idol" will give many of these competitors the biggest break they've ever had, but, it's still quite a longshot.

Tonight the show is in Dallas with Neil Patrick Harris and Joe Jonas as guest judges. Of course I can't wait to see NPH, but I'm still waiting to feel any sort excitement for this season.

For me the competition doesn't really start until Hollywood week, however, the audition shows have given me very few acts to root for. I suppose the only thing that's keeping me interested is the anticipation of Ellen DeGeneres's appearance during the Hollywood rounds.

'Idol's' loss is 'X-Factor's' gain

At a Television Critic's Association press conference today FOX announced that Simon Cowell would be leaving "American Idol" at the end of the ninth season to bring "The X-Factor" to the States.

For the uninitiated "The X-Factor" is a singing competition in the style "Idol" except that the contestants are split into four categories, boys, girls, over 25s and groups, and mentored by the judges.

The show is a huge hit in the UK and its biggest star discovery so far is Leona Lewis. The format also allows the competitors to perform with stage effects and backup dancers, giving the audience more of a production.

Like its predecessor "Pop Idol," "American Idol" is beginning to feel a bit predictable and staged, so transitioning to "The X-Factor" like they did in England seems the next natural step.

I'm a huge fan of "American Idol" and can't wait for its premiere tomorrow night, but I love "X-Factor" and the news that it will finally be in America is thrilling.

I also don't think "Idol" can survive without Simon. Oh sure people will still watch but there will be a giant hole in the show because Simon is irreplaceable.

"American Idol" has officially jumped the shark

This week on "American Idol" it was movie week, which meant viewers were treated to a crap load of Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie and a mind boggling rendition of "Born to be Wild" by Adam Lambert.

Why can no one else see what a giant emo d-bag Lambert is? I feel like Will Ferrell in "Zoolander," "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills."

After the craptastic performance show, the results show continued the trend with an unbelievably awful group version of "Maniac" from "Flashdance."

Oh, by the way Quentin Tarantino was smack in the middle of all this as this week's mentor.

So after a ridiculous Miley Cyrus performance, the bottom two was revealed to be Matt and Lil.

While both are talented singers, they have each struggled to find their niche in the competition. Matt turned out to be the chosen one, but of course he could sing for his life, which he did.

The judges decided to save him, which means that two will be eliminated next week during, wait for it, disco week.

That's right disco week, god only knows what Adam Lambert will do.

What all this means is that "Idol" has fallen victim to the weird curse that has been placed on my television, where everything I once loved dissolves into, you guessed it, crap.

What's wrong with "American Idol?"

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.

American Idol: Early predictions

So now that the 36 semi-finalists have been announced, it's time for some early predictions. With the show returning to its original format of having the top three vote-getters advance, every performance is life or death. This turn of events makes the show unpredictable again.

My early picks include:

Von Smith-reminds me of Broadway star Sam Harris, look up Harris on YouTube it's worth it
Ann Marie Boskovich-is very likable and has a understated voice, don't underestimate her
Michael Sarver-is a rocker with soul, a mix of Chris Daughtry and Josh Gracin
Ju'not Joyner-his soulful rendition of "Hey There Delilah" made me forget I hate the song

My top three from Tuesday night's first group of singers is: Michael Sarver, Ann Marie Boskovich and Danny Gokey.

Also singing in that group is crazy Tatiana and producer favorites Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace.

Let's hope that talent perseveres over craziness and montages of sad stories.

American Idol: Season 8 so far

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a huge "American Idol" fan. I love the idea of finding someone like Carrie Underwood or Fantasia, who, without the show would have never been discovered.

I consider myself a serious fan, so I don't get very excited about the parade of freaks that we are subjected to in the opening weeks. My favorite part is Hollywood week where the weak are separated from the strong and the future superstars are separated from the future lounge acts.

Now that we are smack in the middle of Hollywood week some real talent is starting to emerge. Once the 36 semi-finalists are announced, I'll be singling out my favorites and when the live shows start I'll be writing regularly about the performances.

Until then I'll just leave you with this thought, NO MORE BIKINI GIRL!