American Idol and North Korea In The Same Blog

I swear I go into every week thinking about one great thing to write about and then my non-diagnosed ADD kicks in. So, I’ll touch on a few things that have been on my mind, foreign and domestic.

Speaking of foreign…

“Um, not unless you have JAWS” (digitaltrends.com)

Yes, North Korea’s new Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un has many aspirations of attacking someone other than South Korea, but why anyone would be concerned is beyond me. You can watch all those videos of N. Korea’s nelly-looking military, alas, don’t be frightened my babies. I think what’s more frightening is this propoganda video showing how Americans live. We apparently eat and drink a hell of a lot of snow. Do the N. Koreans really buy this nonsense? We all live in tents and abandoned buildings and it looks like we are rescued at the Disney monorail at the end. If anything, this video is a perfect plant for examining homelessness somewhere, I’m not sure all of that video was shot in the US. And although N. Korea has almost always been a dictatorship, the US will not intervene, at least not until we fear their weapons are stronger than a Nerf dart gun. Moving on…

That suit is so bad. (American Idol Facebook)

I predict 2013 will be the year the American Idol ship finally sinks. Why? Well let’s begin with the sinking ratings. Idol’s target demographic (18-49) continues to abandon the reality monster every single week. Does it still come in at no. 1 every Wednesday night? You bet, but the show isn’t pummeling the competition like it used to. And for the first time, vote totals are really, really low. Despite the new SuperVote, which is where you can submit 50 votes online however you like, something or someone is still not bringing in hordes of numbers and viewers. My brief thoughts on the new judges. I like Keith Urban, but he’s very much a “yes man”. Viewers are not liking Nicki Minaj, but she is the best damn thing to happen to the show in 12 years. Okay, I still miss Mr. Cowell, but Minaj has mutated Cowell’s biting critcism, Paula’s incoherency, and Randy’s, well Randy’s nothing into real and honest critiques. And last, and certainly least, Mariah Carey has contributed nothing and they are paying her way too much to sit there and play with her hair. Well, she did contribute a fistful of glitter after (ICYMI) Candice Glover’s bad-ass cover of “Lovesong”. Golf clap for Mimi. And then, there’s this Lazaro problem. Here’s what I think is happening. Uncle Nigel (Lythgoe) is somehow manipulating the voting to where Lazaro, despite his poor-ass singing ability, yet “inspirational story” hook is keeping him around. It’s really embarrassing, yet how much behind the scenes prodding and manipulating is going on, no one really knows. And even though he has earned (?) a spot on the Idols Tour, there is no way in hell I would let him go out there every night and not only embarrass himself, but embarrass the Idol brand. I hope Kree Harrison, although she really needs to step up her performance style, wins, if not, Candice Glover for sure deserves it. But if Lazaro goes to the finale or wins? Mass viewer exodus will ensue.

Finally, I saw the new Evil Dead…eh.

 

 

 

Doomsday Comes Early Or ‘Idol’ Keeps Randy Jackson AS A JUDGE?!?

Apocalypse Yesterday! (Flickr/tanyagelman)

You know, for a few weeks there, I thought the American Idol producers had finally come to their senses. They were going to shift Randy Jackson from the judges’ table to a mentoring role on the show next season in order to make room for an all-star judging panel, headed by his old buddy Mariah Carey. Unfortunately, some dreams just don’t come true.

Both TMZ and TVLine broke the news today that Jackson has indeed been thrown a lifeline and he will remain at the judges’ table for another season; 12 seasons, 10, soon-to-be 11 years, I smack my head. And you know why I bet Jackson is staying as a judge?

“I give my all, to this mediocre dawg.” (Flickr/Music Star22)

I also believe all that talk about a “fourth judge” a la Kara DioGuardi, then Ellen DeGeneres, has now been reserved for Jackson, who will join Carey, and two judges, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, who have both still been unable to sign the dotted line. No matter the outcome on just who will be joining the old married couple, American Idol is finished! Yes, like the Mayan calendar that ends on December 21st, I predict the upcoming season of ‘Idol’ will be its last. At some point, Fox has to acknowledge they have other better shows to focus on and to promote, not so fast GLEE! I’ll have to reserve my comments for another post, but I think GLEE has to step it up or they are in danger. I’ll just say this, I know the network is trying to keep its audience after The X-Factor USA by putting the dramedy on Thursdays, but I thinks it’s a cop out and we’ll never see if GLEE can compete with season 3 of The Voice. A friend pointed out to me last night, this is the second run of The Voice this year, which is smart. ‘Idol’ always launches in late January/early February, it ends in May, and it’s another eight months until the next season.

The wild card in all of this is The X-Factor USA which finally premieres its second season, with Britney and Demi Lovato in tow, this week. Simon Cowell  expressed upset after NBC revealed last week an extra installment of The Voice would go head-to-head with the premiere of The X-Factor USA this Wednesday. I’m not sure, but it may just be for this week or for the duration of the Blind Audition rounds. It’s going to be a dogfight for sure, on-screen and off.

And I know I’ve said this before, I hope ‘Idol’ keeps Jimmy Iovine, who would make a great fourth judge, oh well…