“American Idol” fever has swept the nation and I got swept right along with it. From the moment it hit the American airwaves seven seasons ago, it’s been the talk of the break room, the water cooler, and the hair salon.
So, just what is all the hype about?
We start by seeing the auditions. The three judges—Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson—travel to different cities across the nation and audition local talent. These hopefuls first pass by preliminary judges who either wave them through or send them on their way. They are then sent one at a time in to see the three main judges, and we see them either triumph or fail. Each judge decides whether it’s a yes or a no, and majority rules – two yeses gets them a golden ticket to move on to the next round, which takes place in Hollywood.
Hollywood Week is very stressful for the contestants. They are asked to sing for the judges again, and the pressure is overwhelming as they often don’t have time to sleep, they’re so busy preparing their audition song. After hearing them, the judges will either ask them to stick around and sing something else, or they’ll send them home. This year, they were given two chances—which has never happened before.
At the end of the week, the judges go through and decide which twelve guys and which twelve girls did the best, and they break it to the contestants who made it and who did not. Then it gets really tough as each week, these contestants perform again, this time for votes to see who will get sent home.
What is the appeal of the show? Listening to great music, definitely. Getting on board with these kids’ hopes and dreams, coming to know them through their interviews and video clips, finding that we have things in common with them and cheering them on, cringing when Simon is hard on them—all this comes into play. I think the main attraction, though, is that all of us wish we had a little “American Idol” in our own lives, that we were given the chance to prove ourselves and to shine.
As the weeks roll by and the numbers decrease, we come to the finale, where two truly talented people vocally duke it out for the chance at the title. No matter who wins, their future is assured—Clay Aiken came in second to Rueben Studdard, and yet Clay is more well-known today. Jennifer Hudson, former contestant, won awards for her work in “Dream Girls.” It’s wonderful to see these young talents take what they’ve been given and shine with it.
You bet I’m an Idol addict. I watch it with my kids and sometimes my husband, depending on who’s singing and what. And you know what, I’ll even admit that sometimes, I pretend I’m up on that stage. A little imagination is good for you, don’t you think?
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