Nigel Lythgoe mulls voting changes again
Television personality Nigel Lythgoe arrives at the "9th Annual BAFTA/LA TV Tea Party" in Los Angeles on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
Nigel Lythgoe told Zap2it.com that he’s considered more limited voting on “Idol.” Right now, the only limits are on online voting to 50 per email adddress.
For next season, Lythgoe’s mulling over the voting process. “I am going to be interested in listening to one device, one vote, each week,” he says. “Voting will be discussed. It is unique to ‘Idol,’ the way we have it now.”
If it did change, “we would never be able to boast again 72 million votes in a night.”
But does anyone really care about those huge numbers of votes? Limiting votes will reduce the influence of obsessives and will help out certain types of singers who may not get that level of fervent following. It’s how “Dancing With the Stars” and most other live shows handle home voting and it hasn’t hurt them. In fact, can you imagine if “Idol” judges scored the singing on a 1 to 10 scale like DWTS?
- Funny David Cook Tweet I just saw: thedavidcook David Cook
I had a weird dream last night that me and some friends were in the Del Amitri music video “Roll To Me”. No more Corn Pops before bed.
- Some Adam Lambert quotes VH1 sent out in advance of his “Behind the Music” special this Sunday. They gave us so many quotes, it’s like they gave us the entire special!
“I think I’m a result of all the things I love about music. I love rock and roll. I love that bombastic approach to vocals and sexuality. And I love the production style of electronic music. I love all that. I like artists that take risks and that don’t want to blend in. That’s the kind of person that I am and that’s the kind of artist that I am.” — Adam Lambert, on his career
“I think when I was in about sixth grade, that’s when I first realized that I was probably not the same as the other boys. And, you know, it was a weird discovery and of course, I was kind of in denial for a while and it was all in my own head. And to me it was a deep secret. I was just not ready to talk about it with anybody. And I didn’t know how my parent’s would react and I didn’t know what that would be like and I think at that age it was something that I was ashamed of, because it was so different. And [it] wasn’t the norm and not encouraged and no one talks about that in school and that’s one of the things that’s so hard about being a young person and realizing that you’re gay, or bi, or whatever. We’re not told that that’s okay.” — Adam Lambert, on realizing he was different
“I was awkward and struggling to find out who I was and where I fit. I didn’t know anybody else that was gay. So I was playing along, and that’s one of the things that is really tough, is that you kind of create this persona in order to be accepted, and that persona is ‘I’m just like everybody else, so, I’m gonna ask the girl to the dance… And I’m going to wear the clothes all the other boys are wearing, and this way no one will make fun of me, and this way, I’ll be accepted.’” — Adam Lambert, his insecurities in high school
“I thought this is a golden opportunity for me to say something to him. And I said, ‘You know, you can tell me anything. Do you want to have a girlfriend?’ And he said, no, not really. And I said, ‘Do you want to have a boyfriend?’ And he goes, ‘Well, I don’t know, maybe.’ And so at that moment, that was the first time he ever really said that.” — Leila Lambert, Adam’s mom, on Adam’s coming out
“I really sat and I evaluated what I wanted. I loved musical theater. That’s what I want to start doing. Since I was a kid that had been my big dream… I want[ed] to be a Broadway star. If you want something, you have to have the courage to go grab it.” — Adam Lambert, on dropping out of college to pursue his dream of musical theater
“I don’t like to play it safe. I like to do things 100 percent.” — Adam Lambert, on breaking the mold while on “American Idol”
“I thought what do I have to lose? Might as well do it. That’s my new epiphany. That’s my new goal in life right now is to just take as many risks as I can and just see where it lands. If I didn’t take the risk, I was worried that later down the road I would regret it, and regret sucks.” – Adam Lambert, on deciding to audition for “American Idol”
“He was the guy liner guy with the makeup on, and I was the guy next door that plays his guitar and sings the love songs to his girl. The show knew exactly what they were doing obviously. They wanted to pit us against each other.” — Kris Allen, “American Idol” season eight winner, on going up against Adam in the finale
“I wouldn’t want to go through my career hiding anything, or trying to cover something up. It’s just not my style. Sexuality is so sensationalized. Like everybody feels like they have to label it and call it out and I’m proud of it. I’m proud of my sexuality. I have no hang ups. I have no shame but for me, it’s not about wearing a t-shirt saying ‘gay,’ it’s ‘Adam.’ — Adam Lambert, on his 2009 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine
“He felt like an arena artist—a multi-platinum artist from the first time you saw him. He’s extremely charismatic and he feels like he was built to do this. The biggest challenge [was] how are we going to bottle this and turn this into an album? — Barry Weiss, on Adam signing with RCA immediately following “American Idol”
“It felt like I was coming under attack, for reasons that were probably a little deeper then actually what I did. In fact the next day on television the talk show that did end up having me on as a guest last minute showed the kiss between Christina, Madonna, and Britney and then immediately followed it with a clip of my kiss with my bass player and they blurred it out. In that moment I thought well what message is this sending to kids? Is this sending that being two girls and kissing is okay, but two guys kissing is not okay? It was really frustrating.” — Adam Lambert, on the media firestorm that ensued after his provocative performance at the 2009 American Music Awards
“This is a crowning achievement for me. I definitely feel very accomplished. I feel like I’ve worked hard and I feel like the hard work has paid off. What more can you ask for? You know that’s why I auditioned for ‘Idol,’ was to have an album out there that people wanted to buy.” – Adam Lambert, on the success of his debut album “For Your Entertainment” and where he is in his career today
- Idol is not yet saying but the Wrap said Jennifer Lopez signed for $20 million for another year, up from a reported $12 million. I know. Announce it already!
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57 comments Add your comment
Rickster
August 3rd, 2011
3:38 pm
Oh good… more “wisdom” from “The guy who came in second to Kris Allen (you know, Kris, the guy who actually won?)” that I can ignore!
Would definitely be weird seeing David Cook’s face in that baby carriage!
Rickster
August 3rd, 2011
3:39 pm
And Nigel, pretty much the only folks who care about the number of votes work for Idol. The majority only care about the results.
Woodpappy
August 3rd, 2011
3:46 pm
Hope they change the voting methodology, yes I do !
Harriett
August 3rd, 2011
4:11 pm
I vote YES!
Time to get out of here. Looking forward to SYTYCD tonight. It is getting close to the end of the season.
Nigel Lythgoe mulls voting changes again | American Idolizer
August 3rd, 2011
4:25 pm
[...] RSSMix.com Mix ID 1660970 [...]
Deirdre
August 3rd, 2011
4:27 pm
The sooner they change the voting the sooner we’ll know whether we’re right or wrong about the most recent Idol winners.
Rickster
August 3rd, 2011
4:33 pm
I’m looking forward to AGT, myself. Unfortunately, I think the guy from Leesburg, GA doesn’t stand a chance in making it to the top 12.
Heading out a bit early, folks. Have a great evening.
JTesla
August 3rd, 2011
5:50 pm
Wall of text from Behind the Music ignored.
I’ll believe the changes when I see them.
Mercedes S.
August 3rd, 2011
7:54 pm
“Does anyone really care about those huge numbers of votes?” NO
As for “me and some friends”… Rodney!!!
Nutmeg
August 3rd, 2011
8:09 pm
@Rickster, did you see the Kris Allen quote in the list?
Please, *please* let Idol make this change. Give someone with a Y-chromosome a chance!
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
8:21 am
Morning!
Kris’ quote seems to suggest that the show created the final two. I don’t recall the judges doing a lot of Kris pimping, especially early on. And Simon didn’t like Adam much in the beginning either.
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
8:27 am
Deirdre,and whomever else watches it, be aware that the season finale of “Falling Skies” is 2 hours, starting at 9:00 Sunday. And, yeah, it has been renewed.
G
August 4th, 2011
8:34 am
Good for Nigel! Changing the voting system for AI is the best off-season news I’ve heard. Too many obsessed voters, too many kids, and just to much of the wrong things voting for the wrong talent.
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
8:38 am
Thanks Sam…I’m a fan of the show.
Harriett
August 4th, 2011
8:40 am
Deirdre, as I recall, Kris came on very late. I remember commenting that people would start paying attention to him at some point. He was very much a dark horse for a time. So that memory does not mesh with the idea that the final two of Kris and Adam was predetermined.
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
8:57 am
Agree Harriett. as a matter of fact, I think many of us, Rodney included, picked Kris to be gone before the top 8. He just kept coming up with very nicely done work and managed to stay under the radar long enough for people to start taking notice of him.
I do, however, agree that the Adam/Kris match-up must have been a dream pairing for the Idol folks, unlike this year’s too much alike final two.
♥ kelly&carriefan ♥
August 4th, 2011
9:01 am
Good morning, y’all!
Well, I’ll be…is Nigel serious? I’d love some sort of vote cap, and possibly a fair chance for the girls. But I’m not counting on that. I’m not entirely sure that limiting the vote will “close the gap” when it comes to the standards we hold girls vs boys.
As far as Kris’ quote. I didn’t take it to mean that the ending was predetermined. I read it as “for the finale” they were pitted against each other. Which I totally can see. Early on, he completely flew under the radar. I think most were focused on Adam and Danny. But Kris surprised a lot with Man in the Mirror. I do get what he is saying, as time went on, Kris was the cute, non-threatening newlywed boy next door, and Adam was the opposite.
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
9:12 am
It’s funny but I never found Adam “threatening”….that could have something to do with the fact that I’m female but I have a background in theater so he never seemed all that “different” to me.
I think Adam(who is doing well) would be a lot farther along in his career if he hadn’t made a few missteps at the beginning. I’m not talking about the infamous kiss but more about his reaction to the uproar about it. He came across as a little arrogant, blase` and also a tad snide. It was only after he had time to think about it that he offered any kind of “maybe I overstepped the boundaries a little” response. Whether you agree with him or not, I think it slowed down his momentum a lot.
Highlander
August 4th, 2011
9:19 am
Good morning, all! Have to repeat this post since it didn’t seem to make it through the first time.
1. No, Nigel, real fans of the show don’t really care about how many (inflated) votes came in. Just in the results.
2. I’m not really surprised that female contestants are having a harder time winning considering the purportedly vast amount of female ‘tweens voting. In general, I believe women are far more critical (catty??) of other women. (Wow! Had to be very careful not to cut myself on the lid while opening THAT can!)
3. Adam, no one cared so much about the kiss as about everything that came with it! …And it all came along right after you had been professing your desire to make your career about the music, not about your sexuality. (News flash: Most people don’t care about an artist’s sexuality, or politics, unless said artist continually pushes it in their face.)
4. I like Jennifer Lopez, although I think her “judging” got pretty weak as the season went on. I think she’s gorgeous. …But is she worth $20 million?? Sounds to me like AI has someone from the federal government running their contract negotiations!
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
9:22 am
An off-topic question: Oprah Winfrey is receiving an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards next year. She has made 2 theatrical release documentaries, has acted in 3 theatrical release movies and has done voices for 3 theatrical release animated films. Is that a “body of work” worthy of an honorary Oscar or is the Academy looking to boost its ratings?
RK
August 4th, 2011
9:25 am
Don’t worry Nigel. This abomination of television will be off the air soon and you won’t have to worry about trying to convince people that this arbitrary “voting” makes 1 bit of difference.
Harriett
August 4th, 2011
9:27 am
Out of curiosity I went to the archives and as late as April 27 most of us were saying it was Adam’s to lose, barring a disaster. Consensus was Adam and Danny, and then the rest. KCF, you are correct, as usual and did not need the archives like I did!
Harriett
August 4th, 2011
9:29 am
I agree about Oprah, D. What in the world? A body of work? Someone thinks she has been out of the spotlight too long.
Woodpappy
August 4th, 2011
9:34 am
Highlander you are travelling on thin ice my friend.
Woodpappy
August 4th, 2011
9:37 am
Opening that “can” so to speak. LOL
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
10:03 am
I also agree re Oprah. She’s done some great stuff, but is so remotely related to the movie industry, it seems ludicrous. The Gene Hersholt award is a real biggie, and surely there’s some deserving person with a bit more of a movie industry connection to give it to.
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
10:28 am
The Hersholt award is a humanitarian award and, while Oprah qualifies with her good deeds, I don’t think she qualifies with her body of work. I would much rather see it go to someone like Matt Damon or even George Clooney. As young as Matt Damon is, he has a significant body of work and his campaign to get fresh drinking water to millions of people is probably one of the better humanitarian ideas around. Even George Clooney, stud that he is, is known for his humanitarian efforts around the world.
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
10:30 am
Wp…we. the ladies of the blog, are ignoring Highlander’s “can”.
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
10:37 am
Highlander: I am a woman, and I have often voted for the gals. Kelly is and will always be the quintessential and perfect Idol. Crystal so should have won. I was for Pia and Lauren from the getgo. Loved the Irish gal (mind blank on name), though that season must say my woman heart was all about the glorious and talented Michael Johns!
What I don’t like is attitude and backsass (sorry Neg – you know it’s true!) as witnessed this season and a couple times before (Jennifer Hudson also comes to mind).
♥ kelly&carriefan ♥
August 4th, 2011
10:59 am
D, I didn’t mean to imply that Adam was “threatening.” I think I might’ve chosen the wrong description there. He is no different that plenty of guys I know. What I meant to say, was that Kris was the traditional, safe choice. Adam was viewed by as “different” to people outside our circles. And I do have to agree with, regarding his post-kiss attitude. But then again, I come from a slightly different school. I’m glad he chose to be honest about himself. That said, the beginning was too “in your face” for the masses and turned off people, especially after he claimed the focus was on the music and thus, didn’t address the gay question until post-Idol. I’m sure it was a lesson for him and I do appreciate his involvement with The Trevor Project and It Gets Better.
Highlander, no worries. I have a can opener you can borrow.
I have voted more for girls than guys on the show. I went back and here’s who can recall voting/cheering for: Kelly, Tamyra, Kim Caldwell, Kimberley Locke, Diana, Carrie, Pickler, Hayley Scarnato, Carly, Allison, Crystal, Didi, Pia, and Lauren. As you can see, as time has gone on, there seems to have been less strong female contenders, imo. While I tend to skewed towards female singers, there have been seasons where once we had the Top 12/13, it was clear a guy would carry it no matter what the judges let us to believe. e.g., Season 2 with Clay/Ruben, Season 5 with Taylor, Season 7 with the Davids, Season 8 with Kris and Adam. It’s become somewhat the norm, so I wasn’t too surprised Scotty won.
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
11:04 am
Somebody high up at the MDA must be a BIG Idol fan.
Less than 48 hours after Jerry Lewis calls the contestants “McDonald’s wipe-outs” – he gets canned as national chairman and booted from the telethon!
Harriett
August 4th, 2011
11:17 am
They must have seen my comment yesterday, asking when was the last time he was relevant and Alex T’s response that it was during LBJ’s administration.
Mercedes S.
August 4th, 2011
11:25 am
Humanitarian Award – how about Angelia Jolie?
♥ kelly&carriefan ♥
August 4th, 2011
11:27 am
First my can opener to Highlander, and now my pot and wooden spoon to Mercedes…at this rate, I’ll run out of kitchen gadgets by dinner!
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
11:38 am
Mercedes, I agree that Jolie is way more qualified for the award than Oprah. She would be on my list as well.
k&cf, I agree with everything you said, as usual. I think Adam has the potential to be a wonderful role model for young gay men and admire his efforts. He is immensely talented and forthright. good for him. The infamous kiss was probably, imo, the wrong way to launch his singing career.
JTesla
August 4th, 2011
11:44 am
How about this: changing the voting kills Idol. If we believe the common perception that only tweens and old ladies watch, then nullifying their vote leads to contestants they don’t like winning. They stop watching and poof Idol is done.
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
11:47 am
Not a fan of AJ at all. First the vial of BBT’s blood around her neck, all the tats, the breakup of a marriage (her second involvement in this activity I believe) – just can’t like her at all!
Matt or George were good possibilities! Usually the Hersholt goes to older people with a long record of humanitarism. How about my beloved Doris Day (who, shockingly, has never won an Oscar) for all the work she’s done on behalf of animals, both rescuing and the first to start the “spay & neuter” campaign. Her namesake group has a lobbying office in DC on behalf of animals. What a wonderful and lovely lady.
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
11:49 am
s/b humanitarianism!
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
12:00 pm
JT, I admit that I have thought of that possibility. At the same time, the current voting interferes with the rest of my evening. If I want to watch something else or have other plans after Idol, I feel like my measly one vote won’t count for anything. Knowing that everyone else gets, at the most, 3 or 4 votes will, maybe, encourage other people to vote, thus enhancing the Idol experience for them.
Truly, it could go either way.
I think Doris Day ought to be considered as well.
Highlander
August 4th, 2011
12:10 pm
JT, I’m not sure the logic stands up. Does Idol’s demographic show a larger percentage of ‘tween viewers to others or are the ‘tweens simply out-voting other age groups?
I don’t have the actual figures to support the idea one way or another. Maybe RH does?
Deirdre
August 4th, 2011
12:18 pm
And I have to agree with Sam on Jolie. Despite her undeniable humanitarian work, her being perceived as a homewrecker would make the Academy think twice.
However, I tend to blame Pitt more…he’s the one who actually “wrecked the home” Maybe we should start a “Just Say No” campaign for Hollywood adulterers.
Sam-A
August 4th, 2011
12:23 pm
I think it the voting that’s skewed to the kids, not the audience. We 50’s 60’s sorts don’t sit for hours voting ourselves into carpal tunnel. Tom Hanks said it so well on Ellen, re the one he was voting for: “I got thru twice and told the wife, ‘well, that’ll put her over the top’.” I know that feeling! 4or 5 votes in, and I feel like i’ve really made a difference. The kids will vote til they drop – most of us won’t.
DWTS is good in that each method, ie phone/computer, etc. has as many votes as there are contestants, and it shrinks as the contestant pool does. + the judges get 50%, which, with Idol and the idiocy of last year’s judging, may or may not work well on Idol to get the best contestants to the top.
G
August 4th, 2011
12:50 pm
Rodney, where’s the AGT wrapup? I’m actually pleased with a few acts that got through.
Harriett
August 4th, 2011
1:02 pm
G, Rodney usually puts that on his TV and Radio Talk blog, but it is not even there today. Which acts did you like? I love Team Illuminate.
JTesla
August 4th, 2011
1:10 pm
I’ve been fighting the tween/cougar rule the show concept for so long that I’ve finally given up.
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
1:13 pm
JT? Your new favorite magazine: http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/08/04/kim-kardashian-models-for-worlds-first-3-d-magazine/?test=faces
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
1:15 pm
@Nutmeg…. no, I didn’t read the Kris Allen quote, ’cause Rodney said they were quotes from The guy who came in second to Kris Allen (you know, Kris, the guy who actually won?)”
♥ kelly&carriefan ♥
August 4th, 2011
1:32 pm
D, I’m glad that you got the gist of my post. Looking back on it, I was getting very “stream of consciousness” for a bit. Speaking of, hi, Mo!
JT, that’s an interesting argument. The thing for me is that the ratings have shown that majority of the Idol audience is skewing older. The tweens make up a much smaller part of the audience, yet are perceived to have a great impact on the results. Limiting the voting my discourage some from engaging, but it might bring back others who’ve been disillusioned with the results.
Sam-A, interesting that you bring up the DWTS voting model. Maybe Idol’s finally realized they won’t be the “hot tween show” anymore and are willing to accept that their audience has aged. Nothing made that as clear to me as the realization that Scotty was about 8 years old when Kelly won.
G
August 4th, 2011
2:11 pm
Hey Harriett….Yeah, I checked the radio/tv spot first and didn’t see it. Illuminate was my fav of the night too. I liked both dance groups that got through. I like Zuma a bit more than the other group. I’m so used to ABDC, that I’m a bit biased on the quality of dance routines.
RxDawg
August 4th, 2011
3:22 pm
Hey peeps, just droping by.
I too think they should change the voting. In fact, I believe if they don’t it will be the eventual downfall of the show.
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
3:45 pm
I think the judges have missed it with their picks the last two weeks. Professor Splash over the magician? The female comic/impressionist over the juggling guy?
Ummmm no to both.
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
4:22 pm
Two words: Carrie Video!
http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=12699&sitesection=ajc&VID=23492012
♥ kelly&carriefan ♥
August 4th, 2011
4:41 pm
Three words: Thank you, Rickster!
Also, shiny!
Neg Haleysox
August 4th, 2011
5:16 pm
Haley’s sexy, hot, bangin’ goodness will appear at 9am CT tomorrow morning on Windy City Live in Chicago.
Rickster
August 4th, 2011
5:23 pm
You’re welcome K&CF!
Have a great evening, everybody!
Mercedes S.
August 4th, 2011
6:27 pm
Busy day… as for “A just say no campaign for Hollywood adulterers” – HA! There would be very few contenders left.
Rodney Ho
August 4th, 2011
8:28 pm
Sorry. Forgot to update the “Idol” blog today on a very quiet day. Here it is, rather belatedly!