Idol Primer: Six Changes to Expect for American Idol Season Eight
January 26, 2009

American Idol Season 8 made its premiere this January and promises to deliver signifigant change in the form of rules, finalist selection, musical guests and much more. So if you are thinking that you know the shows' format; think again. The changes are big and if you plan on watching this season you may need to bone up on the particulars. KaraokeTraveler's official AI8 season guide starts below.

1. The Fourth Judge

By now you have already seen Kara DioGuardi in action as the much anticipated fourth judge. She has an extensive resume in the music recording industry. A well-regarded and sought after hit songwriter, producer, and singer, DioGuardi is the Vice President of A & R (Artist & Repertoire) at Warner Brothers Records and the Co-owner of Arthouse Entertainment, a company that has ranked No. 7 on Billboard’s top 10 national music publishers. To date, Kara has 268 songs released on major labels, 168 of which have gone multi-platinum.

The idea of having a fourth judge on the show was always a consideration according to the shows’ executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz who pointed out that the international version of the show, including Britain’s Pop Idol, has been successful with four judges. The intent behind adding Kara was to create “a dynamic” that would be mutually beneficial for the contestants and the audience. Interestingly enough, Idol judge Simon Cowell stunned Brits this week when he abruptly dropped the fourth judge after just one week from “Britain’s Got Talent,” a show he created and currently sits as a judge.  Regardless, it looks as if Kara is fitting in well and has found her comfort zone judging by the first two weeks of the new season. Simon Fuller, the show’s creator calls her “a smart and sassy lady,” and indeed the 38 year old Duke University attendee has the resume to prove it.

Girl Power or Power Vacuum?

Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Programming on Fox, said finally there will be some “Girl Power “ on the show. But did it give power to “the girls,” Abdul and DioGuardi, or did it just seal the deal for the boys on the judging panel? The new rules make Simon the tiebreaker in the event that the judges are deadlocked 2-2. This, at least at first blush, means that both Randy and Simon will be powerbrokers. Simply put, If its boys against girls, the boys always win. That leaves Randy with considerable power as a potential swing vote. Will he be torn? Will the girls be sending flowers to the dog pound all season?

2.  An Expanded Hollywood Week

Hollywood week; where audition finalists compete to make it to the live semi-finals, is expanded to 2 weeks. Producers make the case that this will give singers more exposure to the audience and allows time for more personal drama to play out.  The venue for this round has also been upgraded. Contestants will compete at the famed Hollywood Kodak theater; home of the Oscars.

Hollywood week will also bring the return of group competition. This is where the drama will likely come from. Judge Simon Cowell suggested that group competition is more an exercise in seeing who can handle pressure than it is about singing ability. In an interview with USAToday,  he noted “if someone is in trouble, you’ll always see it within the group process.”

3.  More Semi-Finalists

There will 36 semi-finalists coming out of Hollywood week instead of 24, and this is where it gets a little confusing. The most noticeable difference in season 8 will be that not all semifinalists will be seen by the audience each week. Instead,  three separate groups of 12 singers will perform for three consecutive weeks. Viewers will be choosing nine finalists total, or three from each group of 12.

The three finalists each week will consist of the top male and top female vote-getters and the third finalist will be the (male or female) that is the next highest vote getter. This means that the third person chosen for the finals each week could be either the 2^nd or 3^rd place vote-getter depending on the placement of the top male and female vote-getters. Thus, it is possible for either the top male or the top female to not be in the top six vote-getters at all. This leaves less space for high vote-getters who miss out on a spot in the finals because of the need to choose a top male and female, one of which may not be a top vote getter in the group as a whole. Or put another way, if the top male or female does not place in the actual top three in audience voting, the person coming in third overall will lose a finalist spot to the top male or female who could be in fourth, for fifth place, or worst.

Since all semi-finalists won’t be seen every week, the judges believe that this will cut down on “Idol Fatigue”. Exec. Producer told USA Today that “by the time you get to the top 8, you were getting a bit fed up with them.”

4.  Wild Cards

Wildcard picks by the judges will return for Season 8 after the shows’ producers did away with them after season 3. Wildcard picks  allow judges to pick those contestants that may have undeservingly been cut because of the top male/female requirement. Indeed Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson can attest to the value of the judges’ wildcard. The judging panel will get to choose three of the 12 finalists, meaning the finalist field will not necessarily consist of six men and six women.

5.  A More “Hip” Show

In a quest to remain relevant with younger viewers AI8 wants to feature guest mentors and performers with more appeal to the younger viewing audience. Season 7 musical guest mentors included  Neil Diamond and Dolly Parton. Producers note that the show’s younger viewing audience has declined at a faster rate than the overall audience.  Fox executives revealed that the median age of American Idol viewers has risen by 11 years since the show’s premiere in 2002 from 32 to 43 years old. Simon Cowell even expressed his wish to have Britney Spears as a mentor for the Idol finalists. Also in keeping with their goal of a more “hip” show, there will be no corny music genre themes for semifinalists to struggle through. Show producers note that the final 36 will simply sing from a catalog comprised of top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 since it began in the 50’s.

6.  A Motown Surprise?

In recognition of Motown’s 50^th anniversary this year, the show plans to do something “special” for the occasion but producers are mum on exactly what it is. Fox executives also planted more seeds of intrigue in an interview with TV Week when Fox reality chief Mike Darnell admitted that a “controversial” season 8 surprise is in store, and although it would not affect the show’s “core,” it a closely held secret. One tidbit he did give away regarding new changes to the show is that finalists will be living in group quarters ‘Big Brother’ style instead of in individual apartments. An obvious attempt to inject traditional reality TV show theatrics into the mix. As for whether the controversial surprise is one in the same with the ‘Motown surprise’, or two separate feats, we will just have to tune in.

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