So, here's a recap of a USA Today story that I just found. Some really interesting scoop in here.
Amid a flurry of rumors, here's Bill Keveney's story detailing changes for Season 8 to be announced today at a press conference. (Link updated to reflect corporate synergy.) To summarize, with commentary:
> A cutback on audition episodes (four to three weeks) and an increase in Hollywood-round coverage (two weeks). We pretty much knew this was in the offing from earlier producer comments.
> Semifinal round expanded to 36 from 24. Whew -- that is a big change. That would mean, I would guess, they'd have to increase the number of eliminations per night, from four per week to six, to keep the semis within the same three-week schedule. Also, a lot of people to get to know (however casually and briefly) in a short time.
> Reinstitution of the wild-card round, in which a designated number (three, which seems like a lot) of previously eliminated semifinalists are allowed to compete for a finalist slot -- the savior of Clay Aiken in Season 2. That could be tacked on to the final semis week (Thursday?) or provide an additional week of programming. It also means only nine out of the 36 semifinalists will be chosen by popular vote. Also -- rather big change -- the final 12 won't necessarily be split evenly between the sexes. (Good move, will avoid situations like the weak class of women last season.)
> Simon breaks ties in audition votes by the now-four judges. Hardly surprising.
> Playing instruments is still allowed. Good.
> Idol Gives Back moves to a biennial schedule, meaning there won't be one in 2009 but it will come back in 2010. Sounds like a reasonable way to avoid overkill and charity fatigue.
Not much, thankfully, about rumored increases in the show's depiction, during the finals, of more non-performance material, such as "interactions" between contestants -- that one brought back bad memories of early seasons, when a lot of time was wasted on sequences shot at the communal house the finalists were staying in. Shades of Big Brother and Rock Star. The more Idol gives in (hey, there's a name for a special) to worn-out reality-show gimmicks, the faster it will fade away. Sure, viewers want to know the contestants better, but there's too much potential for abuse and manipulation when a show starts messing around with staged interactions and "candid" (that is, carefully culled and selected) footage. Let's hope that's not going to happen.
(The only "innovation" related to this topic is the return of group performances in the Hollywood round, which will enable the producers to isolate what the story calls "bratty behavior." We can probably live with that.)
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So there you have it. What do you think?
xoxo
ColeyB
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