Talk:American Idol

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

↓    Skip to table of contents    ↓

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the American Idol article.
Article policies
Archives: 1, 2
Good article American Idol was one of the good articles, but it has been removed from the list. There are suggestions below for improving the article to meet the good article criteria. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
This article is within the scope of the Idol series WikiProject, a collaborative effort to improve and organize Wikipedia's coverage of the Idol series. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the Project's quality scale.
(If you rated the article please give a short summary at comments to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses.)
Top This article has been rated as Top-importance on the Project's importance scale.
TV
Television Portal
This article is part of WikiProject Television, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to television programs and related subjects on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
B This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale.
Top This article has been rated as Top-Importance on the importance scale.
Assessment comments
To-do list for American Idol: edit · history · watch · refresh
  • It is stated that Idols belong to the UK Pop idols format. That is wrong. Idols has been developed by Fremantle Media, which belongs to the German TV-Station RTL Networks
  • Remove BLP concerns.
  • Rewrite season synopses for seasons 1, 2, 3, and some of 4 to include information about the season and not just what happened after.
  • Thorough copyedit.
  • Find sources and use inline citations.
  • Find season 4 TV screenshot of winner.
  • Trim the obscenely long synopses.
  • Delink unnecessary links.
  • Remove images from overview, move to season 5 article. The overview is strictly generalization, for people who don't know how AI works, not about any season. Having those images in the overview is POV.
  • Weed out unnecessary garbage so one can read entire article within the span of a day
Priority 9  
Archive
Archives
Archive 1 Archive 2
About archives • Edit this box

Contents

[edit] Mandisa Sales

How come this isn't on the list. She has a album out. Carmen Rasmusen also has an album out.

Initial week sales for Mandisa were only announced today and are now posted. Carmen released an EP a little while ago but has not released an album yet. Her first album is planned for release later this summer, August 28 I believe. MarcoNYC 19:11, 8 August 2007 (UTC)
If no numbers can be found, they aren't on that list as it would be all speculation. CrazyC83 21:39, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of band songs

I heard a while ago that you can't sing from certain bands at the audition..if this is true where is a list of bands that are banned?--Poodleman 05:19, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] ABBA for season six?

From the article:

"Simon Cowell reported on the season premiere that week seven's challenge for the contestants will be ABBA songs. Nothing has been said as to whether the original bandmates will help coach or judge that week's competition"

I don't think he was necessarily being serious, I think he was just saying that theoretically, there will be an ABBA week, since the kid was a rocker and probably wouldn't want to sing ABBA. Does anyone else agree, or do you think he was serious? Joltman 12:30, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Justin Timberlake - Season 1 runner up?!

If you go all the way to the bottom of the page, below "Footnotes" it lists Justin Timberlake as the runner-up in season 1 instead of Justin Guarini haha I dont know how to change it or I would. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.234.232.211 (talk) 19:53, 25 January 2007 (UTC).

This problem seems to have been fixed. Thanks anyway. Puffcoat (talk) 21:29, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] William Hung Sales?

I've seen his album sales on other pages as 195,000, not 295,000. I honestly don't know which figure is correct, but 295,000 seems hard to believe. (222.254.189.158 12:46, 1 February 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Las Vegas Odds Makers controversy?

In the Controversy section the last sentence currently says that some in the media have speculated that Vegas Odds Makers have exerted influence to keep the prediction sites going, but in reality it has never been legal to bet on Americon Idol or anything of the sort in Las Vegas, so this statement seems foolish. And there is no source sited for the assertion anyway.

[edit] facts

The facts on this page about the number of people who watched each season are not all accurate. I have seen different facts on other pages and web sites. Also there are some other things that seem wrong. This page needs to be checked over.\

Unless you can cite the so-called others pages and website, I don't see your claim having any merit, that and you conveniantly decided not to add your signature, I vote to revert back without the warning label.Pumapayam 19:04, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] BLP concerns and tone

There are significant portions of this article that do not meet the tone of an encyclopedia and use weasel words to establish claims that are not referenced by any sourcing. I added a template to the most offensive section (Season 5) where the text includes phrasing like: some think this...and that is widely regarded. If those statements are true then sources need to be provided and the weasel words need to be replaced with something more accurate.

Secondly, I noticed a few claims about contestants and their histories within the text that are unsourced. Someone's brother was arrested? Another person was removed from the competition for XYZ? That's fine since it's all most likely true, but it needs to be sourced or it runs afoul of WP:BLP and should be removed. If I have time later today, I'll redact most of it, but this article needs closer attention to the policies. ju66l3r 17:45, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Season 6 in the UK

The article says it's broadcast on ITV2, but it's also on ITV1 because that's the channel I watch it on (I don't have ITV2)! I'm not sure if I should edit it to say it's broadcast on ITV1 and 2 because I don't know if the ITV1 and 2 broadcasts are the same.

The article also says; 'When the live shows begin next week, the version presented by Cat Deeley is expected to resemble American Idol Extra.' Well, the live shows have begun now - do the UK shows resemble American Idol Extra (I don't know what that is!) as expected?

Thanks. CC 91 16:52, 25 February 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Victoria Beckham a Judge?

Hi, someone from the UK here. I don't know if there was any coverage that side of the pond, but there were rumours that Simon Fuller wished to replace Paula Abdul as a judge with Victoria Beckham, with Simon Cowell being against it. Now this WAS in a newspaper and might not be true, but if it is, it might be worth posting. Douglasnicol 22:33, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

Pssssssh! Like that will happen! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ulysses S Grant (talk • contribs) 22:54, 29 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A new section: Awards won by American Idol Alumni

With Jennifer Hudson winning an Academy Award, others winning Grammy Awards, and others on Broadway, it would be intersting to have a section with the major awards won (and nominated) to American Idol Alumni.

[edit] Season synopsis and post AI career bios are way too long

The synopsis for each season are too obscenely long. Thats what the individual season articles are for. While we are at it, why do these synopsis follow the career of the winners post AI? The notable contestants already have their own articles - most especially the winners and runner-ups. Why is the "Controversies" section so large when AI controversies already have it's own page? This article also completely misses covering the history and development of the show which is pretty fascinating in itself. So much redundancies, so little coverage of the real relevant information on the show. --Eqdoktor 22:40, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] American Idol Sponsorship

Is it worth mentioning that American Idol in the UK is sponsored by Chicago Town Pizza's Humdrum Idol campaign? More details at humdrumidol.com

. Michael 21:25, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Do we really need an entire section on who sponsors the show each season? MarcoNYC 16:54, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] International networks broadcasting American Idol

In the "International networks broadcasting American Idol" section, would it be better to put for the Latin American counties just one bullet saying 'In Latin America, the show screens on Sony Entertainment Television' instead of a bullet for each country AND a bullet saying 'In Latin America...'?

--Andrés 03:47, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Taylor Hicks top selling alumni

I erased the first two albums from Taylor. Just because Carrie has 3 independent albums, and it didn't count in that list.

--Kellie Pickler Fanatic :D 21:52, 14 March 2007 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by KelliePicklerFanatic (talk • contribs) 00:52, 15 March 2007 (UTC).

You can add Carrie's too. I see no reason not to include all albums. --24.154.173.243 23:35, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Restore List of American Idol contestants?

I am now having qualms about List of American Idol contestants, which I proposed to be deleted at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of American Idol contestants. Shortly after that article was deleted, a section in Template:American Idol, called "other notable alumni", popped up. I don't know if the two events are related, but I feel they are. The problem with the section in the template is we are proposing arbitrary criteria for a successful contestant. I could argue anybody who sells records or who has a significant fan base is notable. Here we are imposing our own criteria for notability as opposed to Wikipedia's guideline for notability. A navigational template should have a sense of stability, and the constant addition and deletion of notable contestants gives a headache for those who maintain the template.

I would like to restore List of American Idol contestants, but only after a discussion here. Arguably, anybody who is selected to be shown on TV is notable. The producers like and choose to show a contestant based on how great or how poorly he or she performs. Since the show is popular and is discussed widely, the notoriety gained from even a 3-minute appearance (with name shown) is notable. There is a finite number of contestants who are shown on TV, so maintenance is not a problem. Additional notes on the contestamts (placement, record sales, notoriety, etc.) may also be added with the list, so that it is not a directory. (My own experiences with Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Crew of Sesame Street is also an influence in my decision.) A category doesn't always replace a list. Restoration of the article is not a replacement for the template section, but if the list is available, personal judgments on who is notable can be directed there. So I think if List of American Idol contestants is restored, the other notable alumni section will be unnecessary and not as controversial. Tinlinkin 02:27, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Agreed with the restoration, and full lists of anyone who showed up should be included, however, they should be linked to other media sites to prove their mention. As for those who even get a brief stint, many of them have official websites and news articles, and some even have fan clubs and albums out. The arbitrary criteria should be eliminated. CrazyC83 04:34, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
Agree as per above Timclare (talk) (sign here) 10:58, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
They should also be sorted in three groups: "Finalists", "Semi-finalists", "Other notables". CrazyC83 14:22, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
The way I would bring back and edit the list is as follows: it will be as a sortable table (see Help:Sorting) with the following columns: "Name", "Season", "Final standing" (finalist, semifinalist, etc.), "Final rank", "Total album sales", and "Notes". The default sorting will be alphabetical by last name. All people who have a valid blue link that does not link to an American Idol season page will automatically be included in the list. As for people who are linked to an AI season page or have a red link, per the AfD discussion, I will respect the sentiment from that discussion and say they should not be included—unless there is an extraordinary circumstance that makes them notable. American Idol#Top-selling American Idol alumni and other relevant sections may be logical choices to merge into the list. Tinlinkin 03:39, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
Also, I do not endorse the current version of List of American Idol contestants. The version that should appear when I edit the article is the one as it was from the AfD discussion, so that the original article's history is preserved. On March 26, 2007, there should be enough discussion to the point where I will ask the closing admin of the AfD debate to restore the article. That is the date when I hope to implement my changes. Tinlinkin 03:50, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I have to turn around and say I will withdraw my nomination to recreate the article at this time. For one, the article is protected, and I don't think I have a strong argument to recreate it, despite the above. Reviewing the lists of names in each season article, a master list looks like a redundant source of info, which is something I always try to avoid. I Also, I am planning to take a wikibreak soon, and there are other areas of Wikipedia I want to attend to. I apologize for feeling manic about this whole thing, and particularly to CrazyC83, who feels strongly for the list. Category:American Idol participants is sufficent for the purpose of the list. Tinlinkin 05:31, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, the article should definitely be recreated. --164.107.223.217 04:46, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
the full list should be recreated - many "notable" people are missing from the lists [[user: ]]

[edit] song

does anybody know the name of the song they used when the top 12 girls of S 6 were presented ?

Not Ur Girl, by Katharine Mcphee

[edit] Corey Clark Sales

He has sold 2,500, not 12,500. Someone made a typo. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.229.41.57 (talk) 17:10, 31 March 2007 (UTC).

i hate your guts..sanjaya

I dont believe hating his/her guts has anything to do with this wikipedia article?

[edit] Audition improvements

Many of the contestants who initially audition for American Idol have no background singing or performance training and it really shows when they try to sing on tv, and consequently turn off a lot of television viewers. Various online and offline training courses are available top help auditioners to perform better and perhaps allow American Idol to be even more of an appealing singing competition. Sites including http://www.IWannaBeAnIdol.com and http://www.IWannaBeAmericanIdol.com allow enthusiastic internet viewers to become performers by submitting television pilots in different subject matters and singing auditions for broadcast. They are reviewed by music directors and viewers and the best aired as new program series on television channels broadcast by Fantasy-TV, [www.fantasy-tv.com], free internet tv


[edit] Fools

Deleted unnessecary posts

[edit] Invesco Field?

In the auditions section it says that auditions for American Idol season five took place in Denver at Invesco Field at Mile High. I am pretty positive that they were in the Convention Center and not Invesco. I cannot find something to back this up, so I didn't change it, but I could have sworn I saw the giant hallways from the Convention Center behind the contestants. Change it to Convention center if im right. I might be imagining things though.

[edit] Ryan Starr and Kat McPhee Gold?

Those are new entries, but I am not sure either one is accurate.

Katharine McPhee's album is in stores, and it may be reasonable that they shipped an extra 150k copies (with the original pressing apparently being 350,000 copies), but as the threshold for gold is 500k for digital downloads, per the RIAA_certification page, it doesn't seem as Ryan's single My_Religion_(song) would qualify yet at 360k sold.

But, also, according to idolforums ( http://idolforums.com/index.php?showtopic=493650 ), the only listing for Katharine McPhee being Gold is "the official American Idol magazine", and cannot be corroborated by her artists page at Billboard or any other source. This is also a matter of controversy in the editing of Katharine_McPhee_2007_album

Rick 75.4.244.44 06:27, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

There is no reference that Katharine McPhee's album has been certified gold on the RIAA website, on the Billboard Magazine website or even on the News / Blog section of her own official website. If anyone has a cite from a reliable source that would contradict the RIAA's own website, please provide it. The constanting changing of the Sales chart now that Elliott has higher sales is very frustrating. MarcoNYC 22:16, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] JPL Record Sales

JPL has an album, but he is not listed in the Idols sales chart. Does anyone have the information to put him on the list? 71.255.86.80 21:56, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Jon Peter Lewis' album was called Stories From Hollywood released in November 2006 on the Cockaroo Entertainment label. I haven't heard of sales numbers. MarcoNYC 16:42, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Just read that total sales for Mr. Lewis' album as of June 2007 is a whopping 900 as reported in USA Today (http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/06/weak-week-for-i.html). I guess we have all the info we need to add it to the main article now, just under Ayla Brown. (MarcoNYC 17:36, 29 June 2007 (UTC))
Of course, there are other albums out there with no information available (i.e. Lisa Leuschner's) that may be around there as well... CrazyC83 00:42, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Rehearsal Tapings

Any proof that they show tape rehearsals as part of the song recaps?--68.97.75.170 04:59, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Virtual Elvis

What was the name of the company that helped produce that performance?

[edit] Top Selling Albums by Idol Alumni

I think the entire section on top selling alumni is in need of focus and larger discussion considering that record sales are the most direct indication of the effectiveness of the show in finding new musical talent. Many questions have been raised about the inclusiveness and accuracy of this section. Albums released before someone was on the show seem less relevant but does provide a good comparison. And should albums be included when sales are unknown for completeness? What about idols that appears with others, or that only released EPs? Should they all qualify? Because that would impact the inclusion of Constantine, Chris Sligh, Mandisa, Carmen Rasmussen, Corey Clark. MarcoNYC 17:04, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

And what about compilation albums from the show? Should they be listed also? MarcoNYC 17:11, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Generally, it should only be individual or headliner albums (i.e. when a former contestant is a lead singer) and should only be for albums released after appearing on the show (as they were probably far less known when it was released). However, there should be no restrictions on non-major releases (affecting people like Patrick Hall and Lisa Leuschner), EPs and singles. As for show compilations, they should be in a separate list and ranked accordingly. CrazyC83 14:14, 30 April 2007 (UTC)
A separate section for show compilations makes sense. But, if we should only be concerned with releases post-Idol appearance, then we should delete the Taylor Hicks albums currently posted. But still, what should be done about recording pre-Idol but releases post-Idol. For example, Chris Sligh recorded an album with his band Half Past Forever before appearing on Idol but it was released after he was cut from Idol. The same circumstances were present for Constantine Maroulis' band, Pray for the Soul of Betty. Both were lead singers like Chris Daughtry. Finally, what should be done about non-show compilations such as the soundtrack to Dreamgirls which heavily involves Jennifer Hudson. Not sure how to articulate a rule that distinguishes that from other compilations such as the "Now" series which includes singles by Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry. MarcoNYC 21:53, 30 April 2007 (UTC)
Pre-Idol recordings should not count in any of the statistics. They are not listed in Idol season pages and they do not directly reflect their appearance on the show (although it is possible they could have seen a sales "bump" during or immediately after their appearance). CrazyC83 00:46, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

The section on top selling alumni states that the sales totals are US only. Kelly Clarksons sales total of 8,800,000 and 9x platinum is her worldwide total and she is the only one with ww sales credit, although others have also sold overseas. It should read 5.7 million and 5x platinum on the RIAA website http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp


according to a recent article by Ken Barnes of USA Today.

"Taylor sold 1,700 (2,000 the previous week) for a total of 673,000. Ruben sold 1,000 (down from 1,200) for a total of 223,000. Clay sold 600 (same as the last couple of weeks) and is at 509,000. Kelly sold 5,900 (up from 4,900 and enough to rank around No. 129 on the chart if it weren't ineligible by Billboard rules). Her total is 5.7 million." http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/05/gives_back_gene.html#more

AllDone 15:29, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Please include the 2007 tallies for the American Idol Alumni section. Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway Album has sold an additional 146,000 units in the year 2007 thus far. This is not reflected in the current total under the American Idol Alumni section. Source: http://www.americanidolworship.com/ Roboticgamer 06:09, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Robotgamer, americanidolworship.com is a fan run blog. It does not meet the criteria of a verifiable and credible source and it is not NPOV. Your edits will be reverted until a credible source is cited.

AllDone 17:06, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

  • MarcoNYC said,"But, if we should only be concerned with releases post-Idol appearance, then we should delete the Taylor Hicks albums currently posted." This is a good point. If Taylor Hicks' pre-idol CDs are to remain posted then other Idols' pre-idol releases should also be included. Clay Aiken recorded and released 2 CDs, Look What Love Has Done and Redefined, for sale pre season2 and they were sold during his tenure as an American Idol contestant.

Clay also recorded an EP, All Is Well, and RCA released it on November 28th 2006. This should also be posted since it is a post-Idol release. AllDone 03:32, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Aren't albums that sell 500,000 Gold and 1 Million Platinum? Why are some albums that fall below these numbers listed as Gold and Platinum. Fantasia's second album is listed as selling more than McPhee's, and yet how is McPhee's Gold and Fantasia's isn't? Neither sold 500,000 copies, so how could McPhee's be Gold? --164.107.223.217 04:48, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
The RIAA certifications are based on unit shipments, not on total end-consumer sales. If an album is selling at (or is expected to sell at) a brisk pace, more albums are typically shipped, in anticipation of the albums being sold. As for Kat vs. Fantasia, Kat's album hasn't been around as long, so I'm not surprised that it's certified gold with only 321,000 sales. That said, an album can't receive a certain certification until the record label applies for it, so for all we know, Fantasia might already be there. Caeculus 04:52, 22 May 2007 (UTC)
Somebody needs to restore Taylor's first two albums! :( --164.107.223.217 04:01, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

I've corrected the US only totals for Bo Bice's album which according to "the official Nielsen SoundScan" reports is at 688,000 (as reported on the USA Today site at http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/06/answering-a-few.html). I believe the previous total of over 800,000 is for worldwide sales which is inconsistent with all the other sales numbers on the chart. MarcoNYC 17:28, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

Someone (or several somebodies) keep posting Bo's "Right Thing" album with over 800K even though there is no citation that that number refers to US (only) sales. I give up. Instead of looking to Wiki and citing to sources with indicia of reliability such as that referenced by USA Today, I'm just going to look to USA Today in the first instance. So many Wiki editors have agendas that do not include accuracy. (MarcoNYC 05:31, 7 July 2007 (UTC))


!!!!!!!!Why do people keep reverting other people's updates to the album sales back to figures that are months old? I've tried to update it twice, and five other people have tried in the past month and like 3 or 4 different people keep undoing everything.

[edit] Delete the last Howard Stern entry in Controversy section?

The Howard Stern accusation that travel arrangement and crew sent to hometown were made only for LaKisha is almost certain to be wrong, since all the final three need to go home for filming of their homecoming which will be broadcast on the top 3 weeks. All this needed to be prepared well in advance. Check the news and see the pictures of the top 3 contestants at their respective hometowns. This site should not spread unfounded rumours and nonsense.

[edit] Idol Gives Back is nominated for deletion

Just to inform everyone that this article is up for deletion. Happy editing! Dalejenkins 18:06, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Updates

Does anyone update this article on a regular basis?

Kelli Pickler has sold more that 526, 000 records now its up to like 700, 000

Kelly sold 7,800 to bring her total to 5.7 million

Carrie Underwood's with a 29% increase to 57,000 units sold, for a total of 5.43 million.

Chris Daughtry with a 33% sales increase to 67,000 last week, bringing his total to 2.48 million.

Taylor with a 75% increase to 2,800 for a total of 677,000.

Kellie Pickler with a 22% sales increase to 7,800, to bring her total to 526,000.

Clay had a 60% increase with a total of 511,000

Fantasia had a 21% sales increase to 7,100. Her total's up to 482,000.

Katharine with a 11% increase to 5,500 for a total of 322,000.

Ruben sold 1,000, same as last week, and is at 225,000 total.

Elliott had a 30% increase to 11,000 this week. His total is 192,000.

Bucky down 1% to 17,000 and his total is 119,000.

Paris Bennett joins the Idol chart crew entering the chart at 133 with 6,300 copies.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/05/idols_on_a_sale.html AllDone 22:32, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

This Billboard/Reuters article dated 1/16/07 gave some rounded sales figures for some of the AI alums.

"Idol" veterans face life in the real world

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=musicnews&storyid=2007-01-16t050339z_01_n12329492_rtridst_0_music-idol-dc.xml

Clay: - A Thousand Different Ways: 489,000 - Merry Christmas With Love: 1.4 million - Measure Of A Man: 2.8 million

Justin Guarini: 143,000

Fantasia: - Fantasia: 482,000 - Free Yourself: 1.7 million

Ruben Studdard: - Soulful: 1.8 million - I Need An Angel: 467,000 - The Return: 187,000

AllDone 04:12, 20 May 2007 (UTC)


  • Billboard 200


     10 06 26 Daughtry, Daughtry 51,019 66,782 -24 2,527,001

     11 08 79 Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts 46,801 56,723 -17 5,481,303
 
     20 67 09 Elliott Yamin, Elliott Yamin 25,380 10,764 136 217,040
   
     56 44 05 Bucky Covington, Bucky Covington 12,119 17,392 -30 131,069

     91 93 23 Fantasia, Fantasia 7,894 8,579 -8 482,000
 
     100 108 29 Kellie Pickler, Small Town Girl 7,057 7,784 -9 533,123
    
     186 149 16 Katharine McPhee, Katharine McPhee 4,240 5,498 -23 325,824

AllDone 21:46, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Melinda?

Idol is completely wrong. America has chosen Blake, who can't sing half as well as Melinda. I have decided; that I won't watch the show anymore because Melinda was evidently the best one there. I strongly oppose America's decision. Please don't talk abbout it! Meldshal42 11:34, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I completly agree with you...so I'm all in for Jordin Ladybug91090 15:08, 23 May 2007 (UTC)Ladybug91090

[edit] Purpose of the show is incorrect

"The program seeks to discover the best young singer in the country..." - When have they said the person had to be young? And they've also stated that singing is only a part of being an Idol. Blake is not getting through by being a singer, which is the weakest part of his repertoire. I would delete "young" and change singer to singer/performer or something like that. NjtoTX 12:00, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

There is an age cut-off of 30 years old. Is that considered young? --luckymustard 12:40, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
Actually it's 28. Have to be 28 on August 1st in the year that you audition.
Oops, my bad - should have read further into the article. I'm new to the show. That stinks. NjtoTX 23:34, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

--WoohookittyWoohoo! 14:19, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

I feel the show is showing Americans as they really are - racists. Melinda is the best singer but was voted out because she is pure black. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.209.145.71 (talk • contribs).

OK first of this is not a place for comments but since you said something i might as well say something back. Im sop sick of the conspiracy theories that make no sense. The whole damn country isn't white and every one's not racist. Melinda was a great singer but she was boring, end of story. Don't forget that Jordin is half black. If America was racist wouldn't the pure white guy would of won.Rosario lopez 00:32, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

some idiot put this in:

"However, during the televised episodes of these shows, people normally only see either people who are flaming gay or just suck, because it makes better TV than someone who actually has a speck of talent. Paula Abdul is a drunken whore, and Simon Cowell needs an enema or two to loosen up."

but it's protected, so I can't take it out.

Exposing American racism? Woah, woah woah. One word. Fantasia. All she ever did was jump around the stage and scream. she cant sing. Why was she elected? 2 things. She had alot of charisma, and she was black.

---
This chat page is to discuss the ARTICLE, not your crazy conspiracy theories. Please leave that for your personal blogs. Joe dawg 9 (talk) 03:50, 10 December 2007 (UTC)

I totally agree, but just want to add, the racism thing could go the other way. America isn't all white. American Idol is a contest for pure talent. If someone gets voted off because of their race, thats too bad, if they're really a good singer they don't need to win american idol to be"good." They could get a record deal somewhere else. (70.94.55.228 (talk) 23:31, 22 April 2008 (UTC))

[edit] Ratings

I'm curious as to where the sources for the US television ratings chart are,because it doesn't link a source and the Nielsen Ratings website did not show that much information about ratings for perticular shows. Rodrigue 23:39, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bottom 3 charts

I added in the bottom 3 charts from each season under each of their respective synopsises. I did this because the main articles for the other countries' Idol shows put the charts on the main page as well as the individual season pages. Its important that the articles for each country's show is consistent with the rest.

[edit] Prize

I seem to recall something about way back when it started, that upon winning you were guaranteed something like 2 albums and a movie, and after that it depended on how well you sold. Can anyone verify what, in fact, is in the contract they offer you for winning? All I could find in the article was that you give up all rights to sign with anyone else. Kuronue 08:20, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Im pretty sure you get a Ford, a bunch of money (not sure how much), and a record deal.

[edit] Ayla Brown sales

Her sales numbers are incorrect. She has sold 3,380 sales in places that can track them, as well as an addition 6,800 albums at private events and concerts, bringing the total number of album sales to 10,180.

It's a good album and the sales numbers don't really reflect how good it is. But we should post the official SoundScan numbers consistantly for all artists on this chart which, at least for now, is the most verifiable baseline we have. Most likely all the artists have sold more through non-reporting channels or worldwide sales but that is difficult to measure. So Ayla's numbers are at 2,700 as reported in USA Today. (http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/06/weak-week-for-i.html). (MarcoNYC 22:30, 29 June 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Clay Aiken's Debut CD is Certified Triple Platinum

To prevent the appearance of a revert war. These are the sources of the triple platinum status of Measure Of A Man.


Access Hollywood August, 3, 2006 is certified triple-platinum, [1]

Cape Gazette Thu, May 20, 2004 Triple platinum-selling recording artist Clay Aiken [2]

CBS News July 14, 2004 his debut album, Measure Of A Man, which has already gone triple platinum [3]

RCA Records Press Release August 3 2006 has been certified triple platinum [4]

Clay's myspace also mentions it. 2003s MEASURE OF MAN triple platinum and counting [5]

AllDone 09:18, 22 June 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Top Selling Albums by Idol Alumni

This section is a mess. There are totals for World Wide Sales added but the source is a mystery and the numbers are rounded up or down willy nilly. As useful as it may be to have those totals, there needs to be some responsiblity in editing and if it isn't properly sourced then they need to be removed.

There is a push to credit Taylor with 2 pre-idol CDs. I understand that it was not agreed upon that pre-idol releases are to be listed. Clay Aiken also has 2 pre-idol CDs. Someone also deleted Clay Aiken's EP "All Is Well" that was released in Nov 2006. That CD obviously qualifies because it is a post Idol release.

Who looks after the integrity of the article page and who is responsible to clean it up?

AllDone 12:14, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I noticed the following for Clay:

A Thousand Different Ways (September 19, 2006) 515,000 Gold Peak: #2 500,000 WW

How can the Worldwide sales be LESS than the U.S. sales? Best, --Le Grand Roi des CitrouillesTally-ho! 02:05, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Academy Awards??

I know Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award but I dont think it shuold be under here. Yes she was an American Idol contestant but the whole American Idol show is about vocal talent not acting. The Academy Award's are for acting and therefore should be removed because it was nothing to do with Jennifer's vocal talent.

The section is about major awards, not just major singing awards. As well as that, Jennifer's role required a lot of singing which she also did for the album 74.229.215.99 (talk) 00:50, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Reality TV star noteability guidelines

Hello, I've just created a seperate page proposing guidlines for noteability of Reality TV contestants and if they should have their own articles. I did this due to the mass number of articles being created and deleted on these subjects in recent months, and confusion among editors if they are in fact noteable or not. You can read this here. All edits and comments on the talk page are welcome. Thanks, Dalejenkins | 18:30, 23 August 2007 (UTC).

[edit] RIAA Certification for Clarkson's Albums

There is no citation that Kelly Clarkson's album, My December, has been certified gold by the RIAA despite the fact that actual sales (as measured by Nielsen SoundScan) exceed 500,000. The July press release from the RIAA did not list it, the searchable database on the RIAA website does not list it, and it is not listed in the list of certifications for the months of July or August as noted on USA Today's Listen Up column. It is also not noted as Gold in the Billboard chart listings. I have only seen one particular editor who consistently updates the Top Selling Idol Alumni chart to add a Gold certification for My December without comment or citation. Does anyone have a reliable source we can cite that contradicts the RIAA, Billboard or USA Today websites? And if not, should we care that it is inaccurately noted as Gold certified when there is every belief that that will change soon. (MarcoNYC 08:13, 27 August 2007 (UTC)).

The only source for Clarkson's Thankful album being certified triple-platinum is here on Wikipedia. The RIAA and Billboard websites all list Thankful as double platinum AND selling under 3 million when considering US sales alone. Does anyone have a source, other than Wikipedia, to cite to support the statement that Thankful has been certified triple-platinum and has sold over 3 million copies in the US alone? (MarcoNYC 14:54, 27 August 2007 (UTC)).


[edit] Jasmine Trias US Album Sales

According to USA Today citing Nielsen Soundscan numbers, the Jasmine Trias album has sold 14K in the US (see, USA Today for July 2007; http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2007/07/kelly-crashes-b.html) (see also, USA Today for November 2006; http://blogs.usatoday.com/idolchatter/2006/11/idol_sales_stan.html). Months earlier, MTV indicated 12K for Jasmine Trias. (see, http://www.mtv.com/bands/a/american_idol/ai5_feature_060307/index.jhtml). If the USA Today, MTV or Soundscan number are incorrect and the totals should be changed, please include a citation that lists a source for US Sales. Citing sources is a good thing (see, Wikipedia:Citing_sources, Wikipedia:Verifiability) especially in light of conflicting information. (MarcoNYC 02:41, 28 August 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Consensus for Thankful and My December's RIAA certification

I keep noticing the same one or two people changing Thankful and My December's RIAA certification without citing a source. I am trying to find a consensus for the CDs' RIAA Certification. According to RIAA's website Thankful is certified 2xPlatinum and My December is not certified. I cannot find anything through Google that says otherwise beside Wikipedia and fan message boards without any article/web page cited. Aspects 16:47, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

I brought up the identical issue a few topics above. Good luck. BTW: Someone recently changed the RIAA Certification for Kelly's single "A Moment Like This" to platinum when the RIAA website only lists it at gold. (MarcoNYC 18:21, 13 September 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Top-selling American Idol alumni

Why it's top 12? I know that Elliott and Katharine have a big base of fans, but they are not top 10, so they aren't the top sellers. I'm a big fan of Bucky Covington and he is at #13. So, i think that if #11, 12 are in the TOP SELLERS, why Bucky couldn't be there? (KPFanatic) 23:19, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Actually the first table is not a specific top number. "This first list only includes contestants with at least one certified album, and the totals do not include pre-Idol recordings." I think that is a pretty clear cut determination of the better selling contestants than the rest of the group. Currently it should be the top eleven ending with Elliott Yamin. I will be switching it back to the way it was because Katharine McPhee's record has not yet reached Gold status. Aspects (talk) 03:14, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Major award–winning American Idol alumni

I think that unless a person submitted themselves/received a nomination but in the end did not win, they should have a N/A instead of a zero. 74.229.215.99 (talk) 00:57, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Please tell me what is up with everyone singing5 notes for every true note written?

Why doesn't anyone, or can't anyone just sing the melody of any song, note for note? Is it bcause no ones knows how to read music, but can only feel it? So we choose to create an Idol based on how well a young person can feel? Is it impossble to sing each note, perfectly? Or a song, note by note, perfectly, as written? Why are there so many filler notes inside the melody? What is up wit that? Please explain it to me, for I am really in the dark about this. Thank you, StarBird —Preceding unsigned comment added by Heaven***Scent (talk • contribs) 03:13, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

The purpose of the competition is not only to show your skill as a singer/performer, but to be able to have your own style. Something the judges have really stressed this year (Season 7) is that they want the contestants to be U N I Q U E ! Hope this helps. 75.181.43.225 (talk) 22:14, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
Just to add one point - as AI is a singing competition, contestants often feel the need to show off their vocal talents when they choose songs that are not particularly difficult. Adding melisma (runs) is an easy way to do that, and in past years it has been highly successful. The above correspondent is right, however: in S7, the focus of the show has changed subtly but significantly to focus more on interpretation and musicianship than pure vocal skills. Hence, Syesha Mercado is strugging to stay afloat while Brooke White is a front-runner. 71.125.152.43 (talk) 20:07, 16 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Very long article

This article is very long and hard to scroll through and find what you're looking for. I think parts of it should be split out into different articles, such as Top-selling American Idol alumni, American Idol Hot 100 singles, and the season synopses that could be shortened, as there are seperate articles for each season anyway. Any thoughts? Puffcoat (talk) 01:35, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

This article is very long. Yeah, I think so. But all of the information is helping everyone. And all of those data given has references. Thanks. CMejia 09:56 19 January 2008 {UTC} —Preceding comment was added at 01:56, 19 January 2008 (UTC) I've used the Philippine Time, im a Filipino
Yes, but it is hard to find what you're looking for, despite the fact that there is a table of contents; I think it could be made more effective by splitting some parts out into different articles. Another thing is people with slow internet connections, it may take a while to load, even though most of the article is text. Yeah, all of the data (most of it anyway) given has references, but I don't think it should taken off Wikipedia, it should just be moved into a new article, to shorten the main American Idol article. None of the data on the pages now will be inaccesible if we do in fact split out some parts. Just my opinion. Puffcoat (talk) 16:44, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
That makes sense to me. -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 16:46, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
Thanks... Any more thoughts? I would like more opinions before I take on such a big task. Puffcoat (talk) 22:33, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
Ok! I think, it's up to you. Just don't remove the referenced data. CMejia 12:26 20 January 2008 {UTC} —Preceding comment was added at 04:26, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
OK, I have just moved all of the content from American Idol#Top-selling American Idol alumni to a new article: Top-selling American Idol alumni. The main American Idol is still very long, and I will be working on shortening it some more, and the new article I just made needs some cleaning up, which I will also be doing. Puffcoat (talk) 19:41, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
As before, I have moved all content from American Idol#American Idol Hot 100 singles to a brand new article: American Idol Hot 100 singles. Just to let you guys know. Puffcoat (talk) 20:53, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

(outdent) Sorry to add this a bit late, but I while ago I was considering shortening this article and came up with an example but for some reason I decided to let it die. Here is the page User:Aspects/American Idol. Feel free to change it or ask questions. One of the main things I did is what Puffcoat actually did by getting rid of the discographies from the main page into their own article. I kept a lot of the rules but deleted the list of cities since they were already in the season pages and did not need to be in the main page. I severely reduced the synopsis of each season since they have their own page (this is probably the extreme version that most people would not like.) I got rid of all the bottom three charts since the information was already on the season pages. And when I first did this in October obviously some information has changed but let me know what you think. Aspects (talk) 16:01, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Very good, I think that could work. Shortening your International networks broadcasting American Idol section at User:Aspects/American Idol would probably be a good idea. I think the season synopses could be a bit longer than they are on your page, because that part does seem a little shallow, but still a lot of stuff could be taken out of the real article. Good version though, I think I'll revise it some more if you don't mind. Puffcoat (talk) 23:36, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Idol viewership

1.9 million viewers for Idol's series debut? This sounds too unbelievable to be true. Can this possibly be verified? 70.101.182.149 (talk) 15:41, 23 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Order of contestants until they are eliminated

Season 7 contestants are arranged in alphabetical order (first name). Do not change the order. When someone is voted off, then they get moved to the appropriate place. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.239.117.174 (talk) 02:01, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] External Links cleanup

As noted in the eval report, the External Links section of this article needs a major cleanup. (Full disclosure in advance: I'm one of the team of people who put together the AI Performance Database in the links, so I have a rooting interest in that one. I'll make a case for it below, but because it's there, I won't clean up the links myself without discussion.) Suggested changes:

  • American Idol Official Website (owned by Fox Interactive Media) - KEEP, OBVIOUS
  • American Idol SMS Voting Statistics - MOVE TO REFERENCES, this discusses one particular instance of text voting, and the statistics are very much outdated.
  • TVWeek.com Producer Shop Talk With Exec Producer Nigel Lythoe - REMOVE, outdated and not encyclopedic
  • American Idol TV Listings on TVGuide.com - KEEP. A bit marginal because it includes a fan forum, but the episode listings are a legit reference I guess.
  • Contestant Interviews on Fox News Radio - REMOVE, the feed is currently broken, and even when it was up, it was fanstuff, nothing encyclopedic
  • American Idol gallery at cnn.com - REMOVE, non-encyclopedic gossip and fashion photos
  • American Idol (Photos, Airing, Rankings, Videos) at Yahoo TV - REMOVE. This was once useful for media clips and the like, but now it's just another cheerleading fansite. Better fan gateway pages are available if WP wants to go that route; e.g. SirLinksalot's AI page.
  • Complete American Idol song/performance/contestant database at WhatNotToSing.com - KEEP. The database was set up to supplement the limited information in WP. It contains a searchable, drill-down database of every AI performance, cross-referenced by season, episode, contestant, song, and artist; it's free, open, and noncommercial; it's not a fansite or forum or wiki; it includes informatoin, statistics and analysis far broader and deeper than what WP can maintain; and it's updated continually. The DB includes links back to WP where appropriate (e.g., for detailed contestant profiles.)
  • American Idol on iTunes (Song Downloads, Videos, Podcasts) at iTunes.com - KEEP. Marginal, because it's a commercial site and really doesn't meet WP guidelines. However, it would seem to me that a number of people would visit WP specifically to find where they can purchase performance clips, so we might keep it as a courtesy. Eipiphi (talk) 20:08, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
Keep the xlinks to the official site and the database. Make the iTunes link a footnote from the main body of the article. Delete everything else. - Dpiranha (talk) 18:23, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Any more opinions on this before I make the suggested changes to the Links section? Eipiphi (talk) 17:36, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Episode Count

Just thought I'd put it out there that our running total of episodes is 7 off of the official count by FOX. According to the FOX website description for the April 2 results show, it is the 250th episode while it would be 257 based on our count. I'm not sure if this is because the total is wrong or the article counts something that Fox did not, but I am not qualified to give an accurate count. If anyone is able to pinpoint these discrepancies or get a verifiable count please let me know. It seems that other sites like TV.com and IMDB are also at odds with Fox and each other. Drew1jg (talk) 02:06, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Removed Summary Opinion

I removed the bit in the beginning that stated that the show is probably the most important show in history or whatever equally pretentious opinion they had in there. Yes, it had a reference, but it is an opinion, and does not belong in the summary of an encyclopedia article. Please discuss before reposting it. Chexmix53 (talk) 19:28, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Kristen Holt

I added that Kristen Holt was supposed to be the new co-host for Season 2. I didn't add this in the article, but I know that Dunkleman quit because he didn't like Seacrest, and then they hired a new host (Holt). She acted, and was presented as the new co-host but Seacrest wasn't happy with this, and to keep him, the decided to just present Holt as a special correspondent. She wasn't even told, she was watching the show when it premiered that season and saw that most of her footage had been cut. There were shots with her and Ryan standing next to each other as co-hosts, and she was cut out of the shots, and all you were able to see was her arm. I sourced reality tv world, but I know there is a better source out there for this. Chexmix53 (talk) 19:45, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Paula abdul

If she is still creating music and performing wouldn't the word "former" be incorrect? -blueeyedmaiden —Preceding unsigned comment added by Blueeyedmaiden (talk • contribs) 18:37, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

I agree. I am going to change it. Chexmix53 (talk) 02:24, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Billy Joel?

When was Billy Joel a mentor? I don't remember him from any season. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.206.252.72 (talk) 02:32, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

Billy Joel was a mentor for his theme week for the top seven in American Idol (season 2). Aspects (talk) 02:43, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Why?

Why is David Cook under Jason Castro in the top three order? it's not fair at all D: —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.251.109.213 (talk) 03:35, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

  • Alphabetical order -- "Cook" comes after "Castro". -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 03:43, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] April 30th Results

Not once was it stated that Syesha was in the Bottom 2, thus, it shouldn't be stated in the article. The usual stool routine wasn't performed, and Ryan never said that Syesha was in the bottom 2, only that one of the two girls would go home. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.47.36.234 (talk) 18:14, 4 May 2008 (UTC)

This also applies to the May 7th results. There was not a mention of a Bottom 2 either week. If you still feel strongly that there was a Bottom 2 please leave a message here so we can discuss it without having a constant edit war. Aspects (talk) 19:25, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Controversies

What about adding the sex tape controversies to the "controversy" section, such as the sex tape of olivia mojica, where samples were released to the public, but a full video was somehow rescinded before distribution... Also isn't there another sex tape of an idol contestant? summguy1 11:27, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lock This Page!

People keep adding results before they're announced, and they're writing irrelevant messages at the top of the page. —Preceding comment added by DJ Arnold (talk) 19:56, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I looked this page up last night to get information on past contestants WHILE I WAS WATCHING THE SHOW, and the winner was already posted! Would you mind considering West Coast people and update this site the day after the show? Thank you! Hollielol (talk) 19:27, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, the first poster in this thread was taking issue with the winner being added before there was a winner. That has been happening for several days. It is playful vandalism, but still vandalism. As for Hollielol's request, that would be virtually impossible to enforce. Once information becomes fact and it can be sourced, it's fine to add here. West Coasters must know that going virtually anywhere on the internet after the AI winner was announced would have spoiled it... Gwynand | Talk•Contribs 19:33, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Winner of Idol 2008

That my friends is David Cook —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.74.206.124 (talk) 02:04, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

hi iiiiiiiii lllllllllllllllllll mbjgjghv —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.92.231.191 (talk) 02:22, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Album sales

Numerous sales figures for albums of Idol contestants and winners state that the figure is "to date," without identifying what that date is. "To date" without any explanation wrongly suggests "as of the time you are reading this." So these need to be rooted down to a specific context. I noticed a lot of these throughout the article. Postdlf (talk) 14:40, 23 May 2008 (UTC)