'Idol' judges, producer deny show is meaner

PASADENA, California (Reuters) - Days after "American Idol" stormed back onto the airwaves, the judges and producers of the hit talent show joined a top Fox TV executive in shrugging off viewer complaints the series has grown too mean-spirited.

Appearing at the network's semi-annual gathering of television critics, Peter Liguori, entertainment president for the Fox Broadcast Co., denied the show focused too much on the worst contestants or that the celebrity judges had become too harsh.

Simon Cowell, the British record producer known for his brutal honesty, has been criticized this season for being especially cruel toward some of the less-talented and offbeat contestants appearing on the show's popular audition segments.

Singling out one performer for his appearance, Cowell said the contestant resembled "one of those creatures that live in the jungle with those massive eyes ... what are they called? Bush babies?"

Liguori defended Cowell and the other judges when asked about the incident, which drew an outcry from TV talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell this week.

"I've actually had people say to me it seems Simon is somewhat toned down this year," he said. "More people are coming to the show ... they know what to expect. They have to appreciate the spirit in which that commentary is given."

Taking questions later with fellow "Idol" judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, Cowell acknowledged there were times when he felt embarrassed by things he had said on the show but that he had no regrets.

"I feel more comfortable being on a show where we're prepared to show the warts as well as the good things, because truthfully, in auditions ... bad things do happen," he said.

Asked about comparing a contestant to a primate, Cowell said it was an "off-the-cuff remark. ... If he's offended, then I apologize. I might never call anyone a bush baby again."

Bad singers good for ratings

Executive Producer Ken Warwick made no apologies for dwelling on the delusional, the tone-deaf and oddballs among contestants, insisting he was giving viewers what they wanted.

"People like the bad singers," Warwick said. "It's more the bad singers that will bring in the ratings."

Indeed, Tuesday's two-hour premiere of the sixth season of "American Idol" drew 37.3 million viewers, the most ever for a debut episode of the show, and nearly 37 million more tuned in on Wednesday for another round of auditions.

Those kinds of numbers make "Idol" the most-watched show on US television, dominating the prime-time landscape for months at a time and giving Fox a powerful promotional platform for new and struggling series. Fox is a unit of News Corp.

Even "American Idol" rejectees have basked in the show's afterglow. Several, including the target of Cowell's "bush baby" remark, turned up on the talk-show circuit this week.

Abdul spent much of Saturday's session explaining an online video that emerged last week showing her slurring and gesticulating her way through a promotional TV appearance.

Abdul said her erratic appearance resulted from a combination of technical problems and fatigue. The interview, she said, was conducted over a remote linkup with multiple stations, was fraught with audio glitches and followed dozens of back-to-back interviews.

"It was very weird, because what you're hearing is not exactly what you think you're answering questions to," she said, adding she felt chagrined to see the video later. "I was watching it myself, and I'm like, 'Oh God."'

'Idol' storms US ratings, disappoints some fans

LOS ANGELES - "American Idol" took US television by storm with a record 37.3 million viewers tuning in for the sixth season premiere, ratings showed on Wednesday, but the show's tone-deaf wannabe singers struck a sour note for some fans.

The two-hour debut on Fox TV on Tuesday, featuring an "urban Amish" singer and a woman who growl-sung like the lion in "The Wizard of Oz," received the highest audience numbers in the show's history, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The 37.3 million total audience was a 5 percent increase over last year's opening show of the fifth season.

Despite the monster ratings for the top-rated show in America, some fans and critics were largely disappointed with the mix of good and hopeless auditions held in Minneapolis and the judges who send the best to the next round in Hollywood.

"I think that we need to see more of the good with the bad. Not only did we get bad, but it seemed to be longer segments of individuals .... I'm not going to waste my time tonight," said one fan on the Americanidol.com Web site message board.

On the Yahoo Web message boards, one fan said the bad singers were just too much to take. "Too much of a bad thing is not so entertaining. Let's see more of the ones that were almost good enough or that blow us away. The bad ones are just mostly ridiculous, by this point."

Critic Linda Stasi of the New York Post wrote, "Why not take us to the real dawg pound and watch the dogs get ready for euthanasia."

"American Idol," a spin-off of a British hit that was a surprise US success in 2002, dominated US television ratings in 2006.

The show and its viewer-driven format has produced a number of bona-fide stars including Kelly Clarkson, country singer Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, who this week won a Golden Globe for her performance in the musical movie "Dreamgirls."

This year's winner will be chosen by the viewing public in May. Reuters

American Idol - Minneapolis Auditions (Episode 1)

American Idol Season 6 Episode 1 Highlights:

Denise Jackson - sentimental favorite or not, this 16 year-old girl can sing! She was a "crack" baby and i don't know what kind of disability is that when you can sing a difficult song like "And I Am Telling You."


Perla Meneses - the latina who gets noticed after singing Shakira's Hips Don't Lie.


Jarrod Fowler - Can't believe he made it to Hollywood.


Here's Denise, Perla and Jarrod's auditions:


Michelle Steingas - Simon said she's "confident without irritatingly precautious" (whatever that means).


Matt Sato - this 16 year old dude is going to Hollywood! The scene when he told her mom the good news is a little tearjerker. My god, this season is getting more emotional.


Rachel Jenkins - Another soldier who made it to Hollywood since Josh Gracin.


Sarah Krueger - She's the best in Minneapolis (assuming that they aired all the passers). The judges find her refreshing, warm and pretty.


Uniquely Worst of the Day is Trista Giese who brought her lion impression from the Wizard of Oz to her audition.

Season 6 Intro

American Idol Fever Returns to TV

LOS ANGELES - TV talent show "American Idol" launches its sixth season on Tuesday with its customary assortment of tone-deaf wannabes and acerbic judges plus a handful of changes aimed at sustaining its monster ratings.

Aiming to find the nation's next instant pop star, the show -- a spin-off of a British hit that was a surprise US success in 2002 and became the top-rated US television show in 2006 -- kicks off a two-day, four hour premiere on Fox TV on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Despite producing bonafide stars like Kelly Clarkson, country singer Carrie Underwood and Golden Globe winner Jennifer Hudson in the movie "Dreamgirls," the question this year is not so much whom viewers will vote as the winner in May, but how long the family-friendly show can continue its winning ratings streak. It garnered an average 30 million viewers per episode last year.

"I think this is the greatest music talent show ever, right?," record producer Randy Jackson, one of the three-judge panel, told a conference call last week. "I think the show can continue to be successful as long as we go out and find great talent."

For fans, it will be business as usual on Tuesday with the start of seven shows of must-see auditions of awful and occasionally awe-inspiring performers from major US cities.

But in case interest begins to flag as the singers are whittled down in the viewer-voting format, producers are promising a public songwriting contest for the winning singer's first single. They are also teasing a big midseason surprise, but keeping details under wraps for now.

$2.5 billion franchise

For the first time, episodes will be available on the http://www.americanidol.com/ Web site after they air and individual performances will be available on Cingular cell phones.

Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey are among the stars reportedly being courted for an appearance in 2007 after the show upped its music credentials last year with guest spots from Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart and a live performance by the reclusive Prince in the finale.
Advertising Age this month estimated the "American Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion, including $500 million a year in domestic advertising sales on Fox TV, and millions more in CD sales, music downloads and live "Idol" tour fees.

The show has also spawned merchandise ranging from a PlayStation karaoke game to Nestle candy bars and new Dreyer's ice-cream flavors Drumstick Diva, Roc'n'Rolo and Hollywood cheesecake.

Win or lose -- and either result has made stars out of 2006 4th placed Chris Daughtry, 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken and 2004 7th placed Jennifer Hudson -- for the 12 eventual finalists, "Idol" is primarily about the music and about people power.

Idol Runner-up McPhee Rushes to Make Album

NEW YORK - When 2006 "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee rushed off the road and into the studio last fall to begin working on her debut album, she quickly realized the art of the compromise. Indeed, while some tracks for the self-titled set, due January 30 via RCA, were fully-formed demos from veteran songwriters, others were crafted with McPhee's input from the ground up by Timbaland sideman Nate "Danja" Hills, Babyface and Kara DioGuardi.

McPhee fell particularly in love with two tracks from producer Ryan Leslie, but then they wound up not making the cut. "I'm learning that's the way it goes in this business," she says. "You give and you take."

Due to McPhee's post-"Idol" touring commitments, RCA hasn't had much setup time for the project; the first single, "Over It," hits US radio outlets January 15.

"We basically had two or three months to go from start to zero and make a complete album," RCA Music Group senior VP of A&R Steve Ferrera says. "It's not like a normal artist signing, where you develop them, find the material and refine as you go. Because of the momentum of 'Idol,' we had to get this thing out."

In contrast to "Idol" stars like Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks who had already spent years pursuing a music career, McPhee's prior experience was limited to musical theater. Once in album-making mode, she also struggled with putting her own stamp on material that was already written.
"The demos, it's so hard once you hear whoever is singing to get that out of your head, especially for me, being new to recording," McPhee says. Being able to craft songs with outside collaborators generated "the memory of where we were when we were writing the song. There's a kind of history behind it."

That said, McPhee and Ferrera say they're thrilled with the finished product, which they both describe as a "rhythm pop album."

"One of the first things I asked her was, 'What's on your iPod?"' Ferrera recalls. "She said, 'I'm 22 years old. I want to make a record kids my own age will want to listen to, a la Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Fergie.' We set out to make a record that had those components to it, and also a few really big ballads like she sang on the show."

Ferrera is now drafting a live band for McPhee in advance of a busy slate of TV performances this month. Meanwhile, McPhee is taking a proactive approach to her fan base, even personally responding to friends who have signed up on her MySpace page. "Little things like that make the difference to fans and they love it," she says. Reuters

Taylor Hicks - the Maze

Taylor Hicks - The Maze