By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed January 7, 2015
"American Idol" is returning tonight for 14th season. A few years back, it was the biggest TV show out there, bigger than "NCIS" or the NFL. Today? "American Idol" is just another TV show on a night where there is more buzz about the new drama Fox is debuting after it: "Empire," starring Terrance Howard and Taraji P. Henson.
That's what you get for sticking around for this long. Music competitions shows are passe. Five years ago, the "Idol" debut could draw 28 million people. At its peak seasons 2 to 5, the first episode would draw 30 to 40 million. Tonight, 12 million would be a generous prediction. (UPDATE: I wasn't that far off: actual ratings were about 11.2 million, down 25% from the 15.2 million debut in 2014.] Fox executives, I suspect, will be thrilled if the show simply held steady from last year after three consecutive years of major dropoffs in audience.
But there is always hope to resurrect past glory. And while Randy Jackson's platitudes in the old days felt tired the moment he said them, Harry Connick Jr. is a different beast entirely.
The celebrated jazz artist returns as a judge on the show for a second year and he said he feels the changes they've made this year will ensure a better quality top 24, one that will be more entertaining than last year's. He feels the show is still capable of creating a "superstar," a word that has returned in the sloganeering of the show. (The original season slogan "Search for a Superstar" came true thanks to Kelly Clarkson.)
Last year, HCJ felt the judges picked several good vocalists who were unable to adjust well on the big stage. (Without saying it, MK Nobilette and Sam Woolf come to mind.) This year, they were much more attuned to getting folks with potential pop appeal (more Jena Irene) and less niche (as in Caleb Johnson and his very specific 70s/80s rocker vibe).
I got to speak to HCJ for 15 minutes yesterday one on one, the first time "Idol" PR gave me time with a judge like this right before a season debut. I presume I was lucky enough to get this time because I am one of the few writers still covering the show. (In the past, we'd usually have to take in a mass phone press conference with other media and squeeze in a question or two.)
Anyway, here's my Q&A, edited for clarity. Before we officially started, I did tell him that the regular readers of this blog (which was a stand-alone "Idol" blog from 2005 to 2011) were huge fans of his and had campaigned for him becoming a judge years before it happened. He sounded genuinely flattered. (As for "Idol" viewers who want to live comment about the show, use this site until 9 p.m. That's when my pre-written recap will come right up.)
Q: Why did you decide to come back a second year?
HCJ: It's really a lot of fun. It's the only sort of thing I've ever done in the vast array of things I've done where I get to sit and listen to music and tell people what I think about it. There's no other gig like that. It's a really cool think to do, I think.
Q; What's funny is while Keith and J Lo are dancing around and cheering, you usually have this stone-cold serious look on your face. That's because you take this super seriously, right?
HCJ: I definitely have a serious expression on my face. My philosophy is they hired me to be a judge. I'm not there to be a fan. I'm not an audience member. It's a competition. It's a serious competition that can really make somebody's career. If you see the Olympics and you see the ice skating judges, they're serious. I'm not judging Jenny and Keith. I have my way of doing things. If that was my kid, I'd want the judge to be focused in like a laser beam. Not to say I'm not moved. Some performances have been incredible. I just think it's important to remain impartial. Do what I'm paid to do - which is to judge.
Q: How has year two been different for you from year one?
HCJ: I think what I learned last year is that being a mentor and being a judge are really different. As much as I'd like to think whatever two cents I throw in would profoundly change or help these young performers, it doesn't work like that. Take a 16-year-old singer. I get to talk to them for 30 seconds a week. That's not enough. When I see them backstage, I walk the other way. I don't want anything to sway my judgment. I'm there to judge that one performance. I don't go to rehearsals. [Remember Paula Abdul critiquing a song that hadn't even been sung yet? That's because she had jotted notes down from the rehearsal!] I just show up and respond. I would think that they would start growing by leaps and bounds because of what we're telling them. It doesn't work that way. This year, we are looking for people with more of a complete package, more suited for the "Idol" experience. It's a very fast intense ride. Not everyone is cut out. Some are too shy, too quiet. They might have great careers but 'American Idol' is a freight train. You have to be of a certain type of personality to handle it.
Q: Caleb Johnson [who won season 13] certainly was comfortable on stage and knew how he was.
HCJ: Sometimes people are very definitive. Alex Preston. Caleb... He was very comfortable, a throwback Southern rocker. That's his gig.
Q: But was he too niche to have a big pop career?
HCJ: I think so. Because ultimately, what 'American Idol' is looking for is a superstar. People who can sell a pile of records and win Grammys, be a force in the entertainment business. That is what we are specifically looking for. As much as I liked Alex Preston and Sam Woolf and Caleb, it would take extraordinary drive and luck to be able to take those kinds of niche sounds, as great as they are, and make them into cross-platform successes. Nothing against them. It's really really really hard to do. The people competing this year are more sort of broad spectrum performers.
Q: You did have Jena Irene last year.
HCJ: In terms of being a pop star, Jena was the one that came closest.
Q: How did you guys tweak the audition process to help you get that broader performer?
HCJ: Last year, we didn't get a chance to talk to them until they were eliminated from the show... I didn't know them. This is almost like a job interview. You're being asked to represent the biggest franchise in music television ever. Wouldn't it be a great idea to go to a smaller venue, an interim between the audition room and the big 'Idol' stage and let them play in a club? ["Idol" had the top 48 in December play at a Hard Rock Cafe before a live audience.]
Q: Was that your idea?
HCJ: Going in, I definitely had my opinion about what I thought I could do to make the show. Everyone contributed ideas. Some stuck. Some didn't. Another thing I thought would be important was this opportunity to talk to them. There was one young woman who came in to the hotel room [where the trio of judges held these five-minute interviews.] She said she didn't know how to communicate except when she was on stage. She said she was very social awkward. I didn't know that. Watching her on stage, she had a distant, aloof quality about her. I'm thinking, 'Boy, that's not going to connect.' That was a judgment based on what I saw. Turn out, it was quite the contrary. She was trying to find a way in as opposed to keeping herself out. It changed the way I looked at her as a performer. That was a good thing.
Q: So how did the Hard Rock Cafe performances change your perceptions of a lot of the singers?
HCJ: I came in thinking some people were going to absolutely kill it. It was almost the opposite. There were people I thought would rise to the occasion. They didn't do well. Other people I had kind of forgotten about came up and just killed it. It was really really telling. It was good for them to give them a slightly larger ramp before the big Idol stage, which is very daunting. Very few seasoned performers stand 30 feet in front of the band. It's rare. I don't do that! I'm up there with the band. It's a tough deal. It's tough for them. I'm glad we had a chance to prepare them.
Q: Will you miss the results show?
HCJ: I don't know. That's sort of out of my realm. The executives are the ones making those decisions. They are trying to make the show better year after year. I have no idea what they will do. I'm there to judge.
Q: What do you think of Scott Borchetta, the new mentor?
HCJ: I didn't know a lot about him until I found out he was coming. When you look at what he has done, what he wants to do, he can really help develop marketable talent. Taylor Swift [who Borchetta helped mold] is marketable. That's what he does. He knows how to find raw talent and sculpt it and make it viable and presentable and accessible. He's going to really give a fresh perspective. I don't know him well. I spent some time with him. He seems like a great guy. His job really begins after the finale. That's when he's really going to kick in. He's going to take that winner and turn him or her into a star.
Q: So are you really psyched about the top 24?
HCJ: Extremely! It sounds like I'm pulling your chain but it will be tough for people to decide how to trim them down. There is a lot of diversity. How do you compare a country singer with an R&B singer? Both are amazing! It's going to come down to who moves people the most. The range is crazy. One person has never performed in front of anybody before. One person is 15. Another just turned 29. We had to turn away some ridiculous talent. What we're left with, we have the gamut. Everything from great personality to great singers to great performers to people playing instruments. It's going to be good.
Q: How was Adam Lambert as a guest judge? [He subbed in one day for Keith Urban.]
HCJ: He was terrific. It was so cool. I've been a fan since he first came on the show. Nobody on the judge's panel has ever had his perspective. He was able to give some really specific advice that was really valuable. And he's a really nice guy. Funny and charming. We had a nice time. He is a great talent.
Q: When you perform, has "Idol" exposure expanded your fan base?
HCJ: I haven't been on the road a whole lot since I started 'Idol.' I can see it's a really big world out there. You get in your lane in your world. There are people who love Kanye West who don't know who Paul McCartney is. There are a lot of people who go on "Idol" or watch the show who are not familiar with me. I made them familiar with me. It's cool for personal reasons. But it's a fun opportunity, too.
TV preview
"American Idol," 8 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, January 7; 8 to 10 p.m., Thursday, January 8
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