American Idol:history and Controversies

Abstract

For six consecutive years, America had voted to make American Idol one of the most popular shows in the history of American television. Each year millions of fans watched the show hoping to see their favorite new undiscovered singers win the contest. American Idol showed viewers about teamwork and how to follow their dream even if it were realistically unreachable. On the show, the contestants faced challenges whether it were dealing with issues about their voices, personal life, or the worry of dropping to the bottom two. They did not let these challenges discourage them; they kept working hard until they accomplished their goals. To the author, this was what real life was about.

American Idol: History and Controversies

Introduction:

For six consecutive years, America had voted to make American Idol one of the most popular shows in the history of American television. Each year millions of fans watched the show hoping to see their favorite new undiscovered singers win the contest. American Idol was not being watch by Americans only; it aired in 85 countries (Lieberman, 2005). In an interview by The New York Times (2007), Preston Beckman, the chief scheduler for FOX stated “it really is an event every year. Really, it doesn’t feel like a TV show sometimes. It’s like the Super Bowl. It’s like a big sporting event. Sometimes, it almost feels like it’s bigger than FOX. At some point in the year, it’s just time for ‘Idol.’ ” (Carter 2007). The questions asked by many which would be the researcher main focus, were the following:

• How did America Idol got this far?

• Why was it the most popular show?

• What power did viewers had on the show?

• How did contestants’ private life affect their chances?

• Was it more about look rather than vocal ability?

• What influences the show had on viewers?

• Did their votes count?

• How did it become the most expensive series on broadcast network for advertisers?

American Idol was a reality show which premiered in June 2002 (Online TV source, 2011). It was created by Simon Fuller, ex-manager of Spice Girls. The talent show was the American version of the successful British series “Pop Idol” and was brought to the United States by Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell, one of the judges of the show, who recently left the show after 9 seasons. American Idol intended to find the best undiscovered singer in the United States, where the American