The talent is outstanding - heads and shoulders above the rest! (American Idol)

Member Name: topherbenn

Product:	American Idol
Date:	03/04/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The talent, the show's production, the majority of judges.

Disadvantages: Paula Abdul - just say something bad for once!

'Pop Idol' grabbed my attention back in 2001. It wasn't a bad series, and the talent's produced weren't too bad either, but a year later and the US version came along; 'American Idol', putting the UK's Pop Idol to shame.

Firstly I feel the talent over in America is much better than over here in the UK - maybe that's just because there are more American's than Brits, and maybe the percentage of talented individuals is actually proportionally represented, though this is getting a bit technical for my liking and a little off the point so back to the review.

With better talent, you can expect a much better show and it certainly is just that. 'American Idol' is way ahead of anything the UK has managed to produce. Maybe it's because they work harder on the contestants? I'm not sure, but off the top of my head, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks (to name but a few) are doing incredibly well having come from a talent show... other than Leona Lewis and maybe Will Young I'm struggling for UK representatives of this TV genre.

The shows are always more extravagant over in the US and I feel that the show really keeps you gripped for the whole hour or even two that it's on air. The hopefuls get good air time and you can really start to pick out your favourites as the shows progress and the finalists get whittled down.

The judging panel are fantastic, though I think Paula Abdul maybe needs to get the boot. Whereas the other judges can actually give constructive criticism, or even maybe just criticise the contestants so they look to improve, Paula never gives a bad comment, and it seems like her judging part is being wasted.

Unfortunately I will criticise the show for spending too long on the auditions - but then again I could choose not to watch them and wait for the live shows. However, I like to see where the hopefuls have come from and make my predictions. I think however that over the years the show has reduced the amount of audition shows and it's becoming more watchable, but maybe they should take a few out and it will be just right.

Finally I'll just say that if you are after a good talent show contest then this one wins hands down each time. It's got the talent you expect to see in a talent show, and whereas ''X Factor may 'jazz' up the performances by doing big numbers, 'American Idol' keeps it true to the singers and their voices without all these fancy effects which I believe the contestants deserve.

Let's hope the series continues for many years to come and I get to buy albums of great talents I have seen grow from their first live performances.

Summary: The best talent show on TV!