Dim The Lights-America Has Voted -Who Is Safe? (American Idol)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	American Idol
Date:	03/04/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New talent emerges and you are first to witness it

Disadvantages: A lot of adverts

American Idol is a singing competition in which American contestants audition for a place in the live shows - the culmination of the series, in which 12 hopefuls battle to mark their place in history, and to launch a career in the worldwide entertainment industry.

To begin with, the series makes visits to major American cities and here the format resembles X factor, as we are treated to not only the best, but also the worst car-crash auditions, that we all know make such great television. The best are selected and these endure rigorous auditions in Hollywood culminating in the selection of the final 12.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and in its 8th season, it is judged this year by acid-tongued Simon Cowell, former pop star Paula Abdul (who not so much as criticises contestants, but verbally caresses them with compliments and praise), record-producer Randy Jackson (plus his criminal over-user of American slang such as "wassup" and "dog") and songwriter Kara DioGuardi.

The series has gained extra meaning for me since my son emigrated to Arizona just over two years ago. The auditions in Phoenix gave me a window into the place where he lives, and a snapshot of the culture in which he is now a part of.

Unlike the UK series, X Factor, we are not swamped with sickly sob stories. Admittedly, the lives of the contestants are mentioned, but surprisingly, it is not exploited to gain votes, or become the cornerstone of the programme. The main focus is on the artistry and originality, which in my opinion makes this a better show entirely.

This year we are being treated to some very top class artists, and of course the quality of the final 12 is in many years much better than the UK, because they have such a massive population to choose from. In some cases, the person eliminated early on in the live performances could easily win one of the UK shows.

Each week in the live performances there is a theme. It could be country music, it could be top 40 downloads from iTunes, and some weeks there may even be a mentor on-hand to advise them who will help them improve and fine tune their performances. With guests more high-profile than the X Factor - ranging from Jon Bon Jovi to Smokey Robinson. Last series guests included Mariah Carey, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond and even Andrew Lloyd Webber. The show does not limit to one genre as guest performers and mentors may already indicate. While pop music will obviously dominate the song choices - rock, country, r'n'b and soul influences are ever present (depending on the artist - leading to a diverse and rich programme to satisfy most musical palates).

This year we have some great contestants. My favourite is without a doubt, Adam Lambert. The rocker with an incredible range to his voice has gone from strength to strength - showcasing that he is in his element singing songs by the Rolling Stones and Queen, but also being capable of tender moments such as his touching performance of Tracks of My Tears.

In past years, Idol has seen the birth of some world class stars. Those experiencing major success in the UK include Jordin Sparks, pop-rock star Kelly Clarkson, and both Grammy and Oscar Award winning Jennifer Hudson. Some of the lesser known contestants in the UK are equally as good - if not better. My favourites being Carrie Underwood and David Cook. Of course, everyone has their own individual tastes and different contestants will appeal to different viewers. With both previous show winners and runners up frequently performing on the results shows, it is great to listen to new music every week and to see where previous contestants are today.

The overwhelming attraction for me has to be to see someone rise from a normal life to be able to share their talent with so many others.

As the performances are shown here after they are live in the US due to time differences it is important not to go searching on the net for details, as you can easily ruin your enjoyment of the show by finding out who won and so on.

For me this makes for great entertainment and shown on Thursday and Friday nights here in the UK on ITV2 it makes for a very exciting and often inspiring evening. To witness the journey of a highly talented, and in many cases modest artist, to a forum where many can appreciate something for the first time is a privilege. For me this was never more so than the days when Carrie Underwood won the show, she had never been on a plane or hardly left her remote farm in Oklahoma, but has gone on to sell over 10 million albums to-date.

So here we are today with 9 left in the competition, till this evening when one will fall. Each week America votes and one is eliminated. The lights are dimmed and one sad hopeful will be going home. The bottom three are picked first, and then one is told they are safe. Later the two remaining get to know who was bottom, and he or she must sing one last time for the judges, since this year they have one save card to play. Due to the great success of some of the previous contestants, who were not in the final, the judges have a chance to give someone a reprieve for another week, but only once are they allowed to do this. So far they still have this up their sleeves so things are getting knife edged now, and the tension is mounting.

My favourite TV!

Summary: My favourite TV show by a mile.