Well, it's official. Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol.
The announcement was made yesterday, and honestly I'm not sure how I feel about it. Though Paula was my least favorite judge (at least until Kara DioGuardi came on), and if anyone had to leave I'm glad it wasn't Simon, she at least offered some positivity to the show, and she was one of the cornerstones that has been there from the beginning. I'm afraid it's just one more nail in the coffin of what was once one of my favorite reality shows.
I didn't start watching Idol until season 5, but I was surprised by how quickly I was hooked. Not just hooked, but spending a couple of days with a knot in my chest as I waited to see if my favorite was going home. While that intense infatuation has since wained, I have been a loyal viewer over the last three seasons. But mounting disappointments and confusion over the shows direction has really put a dent in my viewing pleasure. Even before Paula's announcement, I was considering not tuning in for season nine.
Let me give you a brief history of my Idol love affair.
Seasons 1-4: Didn't tune in. Heard about it, know who the winners are but didn't watch it at all. Wasn't interested.
Season 5: Decided to give it a chance, and was almost instantly a loyal viewer. This is still my favorite season, and the most successful season for the show to date. A great top 12 (though at times you really wanted to smack Kelli Pickler upside her head), but the final showdown between Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee was a nail-biter for me, not just because Taylor was my favorite from the get-go, but because it was an interesting observation of music industry politics. Who would win; the pretty songstress who looked and sounded like almost every other pretty songstress out there right now, or the grey-haired blues man who was, gasp, a little unique? I think America made the right choice on May 24th, 06, and Taylor is still my favorite contestant ever.
Season 6: A good season, but not one I found particularly captivating. I can barely remember who the finalists were. Two big let-downs though. First was the horror that was Sanjaya Malakar, who for some unfathomable reason made it to 7th place. Then my favorite for that season, Melinda Doolittle, went home in third place. What the heck? So we were down to Blake Lewis, a beat boxing dude with a lot of character, and Jordin Sparks, a sweet girl who was once again like almost every other singing girl out there. Jordin won.
Season 7: The good; the introduction of musical instruments to the performances.
The bad; Kristy Lee Cook butchering Lennon/McCartney week by turning "Eight Days a Week" into a hoedown.
The good; Syesha Mercado making it to third place, despite the judges constant attempts to label her "Broadway"
The bad; Amanda Overmeyer trying to carve a place for female rockers everywhere, and deservedly placing 11th
The really good; David Cook, my favorite for that season, winning the title and becoming the first rocker to win American Idol
Each season had it's ups and downs, but by and large it was good times all around.
Then season 8 came along...and so did the changes.
Let me give you a brief history of my Idol love affair.
Seasons 1-4: Didn't tune in. Heard about it, know who the winners are but didn't watch it at all. Wasn't interested.
Season 5: Decided to give it a chance, and was almost instantly a loyal viewer. This is still my favorite season, and the most successful season for the show to date. A great top 12 (though at times you really wanted to smack Kelli Pickler upside her head), but the final showdown between Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee was a nail-biter for me, not just because Taylor was my favorite from the get-go, but because it was an interesting observation of music industry politics. Who would win; the pretty songstress who looked and sounded like almost every other pretty songstress out there right now, or the grey-haired blues man who was, gasp, a little unique? I think America made the right choice on May 24th, 06, and Taylor is still my favorite contestant ever.
Season 6: A good season, but not one I found particularly captivating. I can barely remember who the finalists were. Two big let-downs though. First was the horror that was Sanjaya Malakar, who for some unfathomable reason made it to 7th place. Then my favorite for that season, Melinda Doolittle, went home in third place. What the heck? So we were down to Blake Lewis, a beat boxing dude with a lot of character, and Jordin Sparks, a sweet girl who was once again like almost every other singing girl out there. Jordin won.
Season 7: The good; the introduction of musical instruments to the performances.
The bad; Kristy Lee Cook butchering Lennon/McCartney week by turning "Eight Days a Week" into a hoedown.
The good; Syesha Mercado making it to third place, despite the judges constant attempts to label her "Broadway"
The bad; Amanda Overmeyer trying to carve a place for female rockers everywhere, and deservedly placing 11th
The really good; David Cook, my favorite for that season, winning the title and becoming the first rocker to win American Idol
Each season had it's ups and downs, but by and large it was good times all around.
Then season 8 came along...and so did the changes.
First, they added Kara DioGuardi to the judges panel, even though they did not need a fourth judge and as far as I know nobody asked for one. Though Kara was likable enough she proceeded to offer nothing of value to the critiques of the contestants, and then she helped write the God-awful winner's single "No Boundaries" (all of the winner's singles have been bad, but I can usually tolerate them and often download them. Not this time.)
Second, they completely overhaul the semi-finals, increasing the number to 36 contestants instead of 24, and asking Americans to choose their favorites after only one performance each. And then the judges wild card picks during the final week completely second-guessed America's choices (and the judges gave me a heart attack when they almost let Tatiana Del Toro into the top 12, that shrill, shrieking, hysterical, drama-queen. What were they thinking?)
Third, the top 12 became the top 13. What?
Fourth, the "Judges Save" was introduced, the option for judges to, at least up to the top 5 and only once, veto America's vote and save an outgoing contestant. While this was much touted, it was not used until week 6, and was used on Matt Giraud, who you knew was not going to win, so why use it at all?
But the real travesty, the real reason this season struck such a sour chord with me, had to do with the final week, when the winner was crowned. Despite the unnecessary changes and the general sense of manipulation and cynicism you got from the show, there was one bright spot, one reason that kept me watching; Adam Lambert. The glam rocker was someone you'd never seen before on Idol, someone with looks, charm, originality with his music, and singing skills that could blow the roof off the place all rolled into one. Everyone was talking about him. He was the face I saw on all the magazines. He was the breath of fresh air Idol really needed. Then the finale aired, we all waited with anticipation and...he lost.
Kris Allen won. Kris Allen won? Don't get me wrong, I think he's a fine musician and he had some great moments this season. But you stand him next to Adam Lambert and he's as boring as dry toast. How did he win? There's a lot of theories, like some phone company teaching Allen fans to speed text or that America wasn't ready for a gay Idol winner. I don't know. All I know is that the one guy who had everyone watching didn't even win.
Am I being bitter? Am I acting like a scorned lover? Am I asking too much of a TV show? Perhaps. But I'm really wondering if I can go through with all of this again next year. I'll have to see how I feel in January. Maybe my hurt will have passed by then and I'll be missing the old Idol charm. Though without Paula, much of the magic will be lost anyway. Maybe I should give Canadian Idol a try instead.
Anyway, there's my rant. Boy, that was a long one. What do you guys think? Will you still be watching or has the love gone for you too? Do you think Paula will be missed?
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