Archive for January 19th, 2012

Show’s debut saw biggest year-over-year ratings drop ever.
By Gil Kaufman

Ryan Seacrest and contestant Shaun Kraisman on Wednesday’s season premiere of “American Idol”

Photo: Michael Becker / FOX

How do you celebrate crushing the competition in the ratings but still facing one of the worst drop-offs in memory? That’s the conundrum “American Idol” brass faced on Thursday morning (January 19) when ratings for the season 11 debut of the #1 program in prime time showed a steep decline from last year’s bow even as “Idol” easily won the night.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wednesday night’s two-hour premiere represented the biggest year-over-year ratings drop for a season opener in the show’s decade-long history. Despite pulling in a formidable 21.6 million viewers, the season 11 bow was down 27 percent from last year in ratings and 18 percent in total viewership.

Even before the season began, pundits had predicted that “Idol” would likely continue its slow ratings slide while remaining the highest-rated program in prime time. Ratings for the season premiere peaked in 2007 (when it drew a
15.8 rating in the crucial adult demo) and have been on the decline since then. Though there was a marginal bump in 2010 when Ellen DeGeneres joined the judging panel, Wednesday night’s show pulled in a 7.2 rating in the adult (18-49) demo.

“Idol” has gotten the usual promotional push from Fox, but considering the full-court press employed to hype former judge Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” in the fall, the buzz surrounding the latest season of “Idol” appears tame by comparison. The show is also likely to get even more of a ratings challenge when rival “The Voice” debuts on NBC following next month’s Super Bowl.

Wednesday night’s show went easy on the typical cavalcade of wacky, tone-deaf singers, focusing on more promising contestants such as Phillip Phillips and David Leathers Jr. Once again, though, producers also placed the spotlight on the judging panel, lavishing attention on Steven Tyler’s fangirls’ rapt looks of attention and stolen kisses (not to mention his fiancée), as well as Jennifer Lopez’s multiple struts to the judging table.

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Season 11 contestant is a mash-up of every male winner in show’s history.
By Jim Cantiello

Phillip Phillips on American Idol’s season premiere

Photo: FOX

Last night’s 14-hour “American Idol” premiere presented the usual suspects of hopefuls. To paraphrase judge (and hideous eyewear collector) Randy Jackson at the end of the Savannah, Georgia, trip, “We came, we saw, we mocked immigrants’ accents, we patronized and lusted after hot girls, we competently read off of producers’ notes, we conquered.”

Then, just as the expected parade of planted craycrays and daughters of athletes wrapped up, “Idol” introduced its eventual season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips.

First let’s talk his name. It’s so ridiculous, it’s awesome. You’ll never forget it. Not to get all numerologist on you, but for season 11, a digit comprised of “one” repeated twice, a name like Phillip Phillips is destined to end up on top. At least he is in a pretentious overwritten novel.

But Phillip Phillips’ unavoidable victory truly comes into focus once you realize that he’s a tried-and-true mash-up of every male winner in the show’s 10-year history.

Musically, Phillip² is a Dave Matthews worshipper (hi, season nine’s Lee DeWyze!) with the Joe Cocker mannerisms of season five’s Taylor Hicks. His first audition song was a Stevie Wonder classic. (Sophomore class president Ruben Studdard made his first impression with a Stevie song, too.) And just when you thought fellow contestant Colton Dixon had the David Cook fans in his corner by singing the season seven winner’s “Permanent” (and sharing a passion for haircuts tragique), Phillips rocked a “Thriller” of an encore: a white-dude twist on a Michael Jackson fave à la Cook’s “Billie Jean.”

Then there’s the look. He showed up wearing the uniform of two different male victors: reigning champ Scotty McCreery’s jeans and sandals combo and the “um, bro, I think you still have three more buttons to utilize on your plaid shirt” shtick of season eight’s pocket-sized Idol Kris Allen.

It’s no wonder “Idol” producers are drooling over this dude. Notice how Phillip² was magically allowed to play the guitar for J.Lo, Steven and Randy, even though past seasons have forbidden instruments at this point in the audition process? Nigel Lythgoe knows that this dude with boyish good lucks from a small Southern town who works a boring-but-memorable day job is going to have the “Idol” superfans (myself included) making embarrassing homemade signs, leaving lengthy comments on blogs, tweeting hashtags that only a few dozen people understand and bitching about how overproduced his major-label debut will be. It’s the same formula movie producers use when adding a “2″ to the end of a hit movie title. We’re sheep, guys.

So go back to the woods with your giant boyfriend, Tent Girl. And to the 17-year-old lady-killer who was compared to a young MJ but reminded me more of the woman who played Gary Coleman on Broadway’s “Avenue Q,” better luck next year. My personal fave, funky nutjob Ashlee Altise? Your joy-hop dance is about to turn into a depressed stomp.

This is Phillip Phillips’ now. Cue the confetti.

So … when’s “The Voice” start again?

Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.