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"American Idol" Reality Check

Posted Dec 12th 2008 9:35AM by TMZ Staff

Our "American Idol" spies tell us Season 8 is going to look more like "Big Brother" than a true singing competition.

We're told producers have decided to show how the contestants interact with each other off the stage. They will show a lot more "behind the scenes" than ever before. But here's the problem -- the show is a cash cow and they've already taken time out of the singing competition for more commercials. Now they're going to take even more time out for the whole "bitch-you-stole-my-blouse" thing.

And we're now told firmly the new, fourth judge is not there to replace Paula. Producers think four is the magic number. The downside -- when one or two judges tell contestants they suck, is it overkill to hear it from four?

And no "Idol Gives Back" this coming season. After all, they gotta pay Simon ...



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16. I think if these changes go through, then AI is officially "jumping the shark"! There'll be no turning back and the show will never be as good again.

Posted at 10:53AM on Dec 12th 2008 by Uh oh!

17. I hope a rocker wins again! A female one like Evanescence!

Posted at 11:18AM on Dec 12th 2008 by Saquisha

18. Oh, brilliant...take a successful recipe and change it up. They will lose a large segment of their audience. Older people who watch it for he music. and parents who watch it with their small children who don't want them to see how ambitious, self-centered teenagers act when they are under pressure. If you want to see teenagers being dumb just put on MTV anytime, day or night. THIS IS A SINGING COMPETITION. It also doesn't make sense on a marketing level. What if the best singer is an a-hole...and that singer wins. Who will buy the records? This is just stupid all around.

Posted at 11:21AM on Dec 12th 2008 by Hildy

19. why change something that's not broke?

Posted at 12:02PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Tom B

20. p51d007- I couldn't have said it better. This show is so overrated it's pathetic. But it's very popular and if you like the show, I don't think this is a good idea.

Posted at 12:10PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Foghorn Leghorn

21. American Idol was over for me when they kept Sanjaya in for week after week when it was obvious he sucked major. Kid was tone deaf and I never got that whole "OMG he's hot" Thing. I didn't even find him "cute".

And last year was so FREAKIN BORING. The really good singer (carly) wasn't even AMERICAN. (she was here on a work visa if I'm not mistaken), and of course the winner... while I've heard his sound before (Daughtry), he wasn't bad. Just not thrilling.

The rest of the singers (especially the piano playing blonde and country western singing blonde) were HORRIBLE.

Simon was too nice, Randy was too mean, Paula wasn't as crazy as she was in seasons past. All the auditions were "My dad was killed" "My daughter is handicapped" "My grandmother is dying". Even the "bad" auditions weren't fun to laugh at because the kid had a sob story.

It was DULL DULL DULL and at times, depressing. And it is obvious it hasn't been about singing since the Sanjaya season.

So I stopped watching AI. I watched like 2 episodes.

my family and friends who also watched idol agreed.

If they do this "big brother" plan of theirs... those 2 episodes will turn into NO episodes.

Posted at 12:11PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Mayu

22. Idol give back brought in way less money this year so they are going to do it every other year from now on. With the recession and all that might be smart. I don't know about the rest, I will have to see how it plays out.

Posted at 12:42PM on Dec 12th 2008 by My opinion only

23. All of us in the working guilds are enjoying watching FOX squirm in desperation trying to save their pathetic reality cash cow. This move is just another manipulation to try to wring a few more bucks out of a show that's cheap, cheap, cheap to produce. Here's the lesson, FOX, you get what you pay for.

Posted at 2:13PM on Dec 12th 2008 by dot

24. This stupid show has about had it anyway .... the ratings have tanked and hopefully,it will be off in a couple of years!

Posted at 1:51PM on Dec 12th 2008 by moveover00

25. This show is still around??!!?!?!?

Posted at 2:11PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Esra

26. Major Bowes .... Ted Mack's Amateur Hour ......The Gong Show ....... Star Search ..... American Idol.

Posted at 2:24PM on Dec 12th 2008 by moveover00

27. This show has always sucked I could never stand it because of Simone he ruined the show the first time I ever watched it and I never watched since!!!!!!!

Posted at 6:58PM on Dec 13th 2008 by J.D. Long

28. jeeze.. i hope SOMEbody at idol comes to their senses in a hurry since they seem determined to destroy show. messing with the judge formula was bad enough, but this behind-the-scenes crap has got to GO !! as simon so often says, this is a SINGING competition.. we want to hear them SING. leave the dirt about who doesn't like whom to sites like TMZ.

Posted at 3:25PM on Dec 12th 2008 by el polacko

29. Where is the option for "Don't Care?"

Posted at 3:49PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Steve-O

30. Good they need to act like "Big Brother".. it's more entertaining.. and we see the contestants naked.
Big Brother's "Evil James" contestant was hot.. and he was always hard. :)

Posted at 6:13PM on Dec 12th 2008 by Prince VonAHole

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