All-American Idol

Why Hold the Superlatives? 'American Idol' Is Ascendant

The Times: On the morning of Jan. 18, both [Simon] Fuller and [Peter] Liguori called for the overnight ratings of the "Idol" premiere as soon as they could. What they heard startled them almost into silence, a state surpassed only by the shock at networks competing with Fox.

"American Idol," already top-rated, was up an astonishing 15 percent among the 18-to-49-year-old viewers that Fox most sought to reach. It was up almost 10 percent among all viewers, at 35.5 million, the second-largest audience ever for an entertainment show on Fox.

And the figures for the second week were mind-boggling. Last Tuesday's show was up 25 percent both in total viewers and in the 18-to-49 group from the corresponding week a year earlier. ...

Nothing any other network puts on approaches the popularity of "American Idol." Tuesday's two-hour edition averaged a 37 share among 18-to-49-year-old viewers. That was more than double the share of the three other networks combined from 8 to 10 p.m.

Among teenage girls, the show had an extraordinary 49 share — meaning that of every girl in the country watching television for those two hours, with about 100 channels to choose from in most homes, half were watching Fox. Probably nothing on television since the heyday of "The Cosby Show" has regularly posted numbers like that.

It's odd for me to think about AI in terms of the Cosby Show, which is the seminal show of my youth (along with Family Ties)--but it's definitely been a long time since I've watched a show without fail every week, and I actually don't remember--aside from the Olympics and select other sporting events--being as excited in anticipation before, as happy in enjoyment during, and as pleased afterwards as I've been every Tuesday and Wednesday at 8.

It's a great show. If I wanted a foreigner to understand America and could only show them one show, this would be the one. It may have been invented in England, but it's reached its apothesis here (although I do think Fox should have another worldwide Idol-off, it's still odd to me that Kelly Clarkson lost to that hobbit from Norway). AI embodies all the elements of America at the start of the 21st century--it rewards hard work and talent, is open to all, shows our obsession with celebrity, has a voyeuristic tinge, moves quickly, and showcases the best (nice, respectful, humble and confident) and the worst (rude, crude, ignorant and oblivious) of Americans.

So far this season, through the general audition round in Chicago/Denver/Greensboro, North Carolina/San Francisco/Las Vegas/Austin, here are my favorite moments:


-Paris Bennett, 17, and the granddaughter of Ann Nesby (who Randy termed one of the best singers "in the known world). Man, her Billie Holiday-esque performance of "Take Five" sent chills down my spine, even after I had watched it three times. The singing, and her genuine crying on the floor reaction to going to Hollywood was one of the my favorite moments ever on the show actually, right up there with Nadia Turner sashaying out in a green dress and that golden hair to sing "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", Jon Peter Lewis' crazily enthusiastic Elvis "A Little Less Conversation" dance, George Huff's wide-eyed smiles of disbelief.... I think Paris will be there at the end; she's a great combination of talent and genuineness--and her speaking voice is super-cute.

-Kelly Pickler, 19, whose father is in jail and despite what seems like a difficult upbringing seemed so sweet and excited, and has a surprisingly good voice. In the words of Simon she's a nice girl--there's something about her that's just so likeable, it makes you want her to have some happy things happen to her. Hopefully she does well so she doesn't have to keep falling down in her rollerskating waitress job; if this slick fan site has anything to do with it, she'll get picked.

-Garet Johnson, 19, a cowboy from Wyoming who really is just a decent, good guy who can't believe he's going to Hollywood. He's not a great singer, but has an open, natural style--he says his only audience so far has been a turkey, so it'll be interesting to see how he does in front of an auditorium of his peers. He's got the same likeability factor that Clay did, but comes across as more down-to-earth and less sharp.

-Mecca Madison, 18, who's a belly dancer and has a different vibe to her than most of the other contestants. I think she has some depth; look forward to hearing more from her both on and off-stage. She came out of the Las Vegas round, which is where I guess that nutty but interesting before she got to be too much Mikalah Gordon came outof last year--hope she doesn't go the same way.

-Taylor Hicks, 28 (now 29); I like the guy with the gray hair, he's another one with a surprisingly good voice, in his case sounding like someone three times his age outof Alabama. And also a good vibe--but will the girls vote for him?

-Ryan Seacrest cheering with the families outside the audition room. He's cheesy and I hate all those promos Fox makes him do going into commercial breaks--but his good nature (except when talking about his arch-enemy Simon) is infectious.

Can Internet Search Queries Predict American Idol Winner chart from Hitwise, via Kan de blogosfeer de toekomst voorspellen?