• Services
  • Subscriptions
  • Digital Newspaper
  • Place an Ad
  • Miami.com
  • ElNuevoHerald.com

Idol Watch

Howard Cohen on American Idol

Miami Herald Blog Directory

  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Business
  • Living
  • Opinion
  • Jobs
  • Cars
  • Real Estate
  • Shop
  • Classifieds
  •  

About Idol Watch

Howard Cohen

Howard Cohen has been writing about pop music for The Miami Herald since 1991, and has written the Idol Watch column since 2005. His weekly critique of American Idol and its contestants runs throughout the popular series.

Related sites

  • AmericanIdol.com

Herald Blogs

  • News, Entertainment and More

Syndicate this site
Add me to your TypePad People list
Powered by TypePad

Josh Turner on Scotty McCreery: "Long-term potential"

Josh

Photo: George Holz
Josh Turner weighed in on last year's American Idol winner Scotty McCreery during our phone chat and the deep baritone country star is impressed with the rising deep baritone country star. "Scotty has a lot of potential and he hasn't gone through all the training I've had," the South Carolina singer/songwriter said. "Scotty's coming from great upbringing and doing things the right way and he has his head screwed on right."

114183895Photo: Getty Images
As you might recall, Scotty, the 17-year-old standout from North Carolina on the 10th season and one of the more successful Idol winners, spent much of last year singing Turner's Your Man and Long Black Train. Of course, the comparisons were obvious. Both are country traditionalists, both have deep, resonant voices, both aim for the same market.

"He's not trying to rush this," Turner, 34, said. "He tried out for Idol and grew up in front of the whole world and has handled it extremely well. He's extremely busy juggling school and his music career and I think there will come a day when it really all comes together and his schedule will get easier and he will have time to breathe and develop himself as an artist. He has long-term potential.

 

"I've been there for him," Turner continued, "and I encourage him and have let him know if there's anything I can do help him to let me know."

Follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.

 

May 16, 2012 in Miscellaneous & Music | Permalink | Comments (3)

JLo a no go on Idol Season 12?

1029269-american-idol-steven-tyler-jennifer-lopez-617-409Photo: Frank Micelotta/FOX
American Idol
judge (in name only) Jennifer Lopez hinted on the Ellen show that she might not be returning for a third season as judge on the program, Billboard.Com reports.

Not that she, or the other two, have been asked to come back yet. My guess is that the savvy JLo is making her announcement now as a face-saving gesture -- leave before they ask you to leave. Fact is Idol's ratings have declined considerably this season and the show's producers have allowed the hit series to grow stale. New ideas are nonexistant. The finalists still sing the same Motown-era oldies, the themes devoted to passe acts (Billy Joel, Queen) repeat ad nauseum and the format hasn't grown. Idol still wastes months on boring audition shows rather than getting down to business the way better competition shows like Dancing With the Stars do.

Add a talent lineup among the weakest yet -- Scream, Screech and Snooze are your Top 3, folks -- and it's clear some major shakeups need to happen.

Replacing the three judges would be a start. Idol is still far out front ratingswise over its competitors, The Voice and X-Factor, and has managed to make some stars out of its contestants, something the others haven't come close to accomplishing (Melanie Amaro, really Simon?)

 But Idol's judging panel steadfastly refuses to judge. Everything is "beautiful" to Steven Tyler, everyone's a "dude" to monosyllabic Randy and JLo's saccharine speeches of praise are more than tiresome. The judges' standing ovations are also unprofessional. Judges should judge and not act like fans.

Additionally, the Idol panel is not as contemporary as The Voice or X Factor panels and they are pricey. JLo alone earns $12 million ($3 million less than Britney's reportedly scoring for her X gig). Tyler judging teenage pop wannabes is just plain creepy. Keeping Randy last year was a good idea to maintain some continuity on the panel but his time has come, too.

With renewals come raises and there's no justification to give raises or renew the judge's contracts for another season. Best decision Fox could make is to jolt Idol with freshness, replace the entire panel, scrap the themes it has overused, and get the masses excited and curious again.

Follow @HowardCohen on Twitter.

May 16, 2012 in The Show | Permalink | Comments (5)

Search This Blog

May 2012
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31

Recent Posts

  • American Idol sputters to the end of another season on fumes of past glory; crowns Phillip Phillips winner
  • Josh Turner on Scotty McCreery: "Long-term potential"
  • JLo a no go on Idol Season 12?
  • American Idol Fantastic 4 take on California
  • American Idol 6 take on Queen
  • American Idol 7's Then & Now week
  • Dick Clark, American Bandstand icon, dies at 82 of heart attack
  • Idol 7 perform current songs Wednesday
  • 80's Week on American Idol: No Talent Required
  • HeeJun Han booted off American Idol

Categories

  • Auditions
  • Miscellaneous & Music
  • Music
  • Nashville Star
  • Paula
  • Randy
  • Ryan
  • Simon
  • Television
  • The Contestants
  • The Show

Archives

  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright | About The Miami Herald | Advertise