American Idol
Created | Updated May 1, 2005
American Idol is a television show in which a large group of contestants are judged based on their ability to sing popular or classic tunes, initially eliminated by a set of judges and later the general public at large, with the eventual winner recieving a guaranteed contract with a major record label. The show's secret to success stems from the the fact that that the general populous (or at least those who care) are able to call or sms their votes in, which are tallied and then displayed the following week, with the loser(s) going home. Also helping the show succeed is a large contingent of corporations who pay a lot of money to have their name associated with the show. A big party occurs on the final airing of the show, on which the idol is named.
American Idol is the latest US import of British game shows, following after Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Weakest Link. In American Idol's case it's a US spin on the British show Pop Idol. Pop Idol has also been exported as Austrailian Idol, Canadian Idol, and a few others with the general show format being the same. It's also worth nothing that the US and UK versions of the show share a common judge, notorious for his scatheing opinions, Simon Cowell.
There are two general takes on the show in the United States - some are devoted fanatics of the show, TiVo-ing or watching the show with a religious fever and generally annoying the other half of the population that consider this show a large waste of time. Examples of this would include a reference in Scary Movie 3 and the fact that most local schools and towns now are attempting to be important by hosting variations on the show such as "Ely Idol".
American Idol is the latest US import of British game shows, following after Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Weakest Link. In American Idol's case it's a US spin on the British show Pop Idol. Pop Idol has also been exported as Austrailian Idol, Canadian Idol, and a few others with the general show format being the same. It's also worth nothing that the US and UK versions of the show share a common judge, notorious for his scatheing opinions, Simon Cowell.
There are two general takes on the show in the United States - some are devoted fanatics of the show, TiVo-ing or watching the show with a religious fever and generally annoying the other half of the population that consider this show a large waste of time. Examples of this would include a reference in Scary Movie 3 and the fact that most local schools and towns now are attempting to be important by hosting variations on the show such as "Ely Idol".
