Phillip Phillips’ surgery postponed; ‘Idol’ runner-up contract less generous than in the past
Reflecting the waning fortunes of both the record industry and “American Idol,” the contract for the runner up on the show isn’t quite as generous as it’s been in the past.
In fact, runner-up Jessica Sanchez isn’t even guaranteed a record deal, according to Associated Press.
The agreement appears to be the first time in Idol’s history that producers are not offering the show’s runner-up an album deal that in previous years came with a guaranteed advance of at least $175,000, an Associated Press review of the Fox show’s contracts reveal.
“It makes sense. You can’t continue to offer the same sorts of rewards and incentives when the program was averaging 25 to 30 million (viewers), and (now) the finale is barely breaking 20 million,” said Northwestern University assistant professor Max Dawson, who teaches a course on reality television. Wednesday’s finale was the lowest-rated final show for Idol in its history.
“These contracts don’t pay off,” he said, contrasting the long list of Idol alumni who have been dropped by record labels with those who have thriving careers. “It seems like the successes that people like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have had are the flukes.”
Sanchez will probably get a contract, though, given how much Jimmy Iovine and the judges liked her. But even then, she could get as little as $30,000 in advances. Lauren Alaina received a guaranteed $175,000 advance for her album.
Winner Phillip Phillips of Leesburg will get the same $300,000 guarantee for an album.
And Phillips will be paid $200,000 for his Disney attraction work and Sanchez will rake in $50,000 for her appearances, according to AP. Both are also set to get a cut of merchandise profits.
Phillips, in the meantime, was supposed to have kidney surgery today for a chronic condition that creates painful kidney stones and nearly knocked him out of the competition, according to TMZ. But the surgery was postponed because he was running a high fever triggered by a bad sinus infection, so surgery has been pushed back to next week, TMZ said.
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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204 comments Add your comment
Deirdre
May 29th, 2012
2:30 pm
Nielson gets a lot of info from cable and satellite companies about what is dvr’d. So they can do both live and dvr’d stuff. Not sure what they do about shows watched on the internet although I think they probably have access to that as well.
MyPatootie
May 29th, 2012
2:37 pm
Deirdre, that’s exactly why I buy decaffeinated tea. Have been off caffeine since I had an ulcer years ago. Dr. said “get off caffeine and stay off of it”. Only caffeine I get now is when I regress and buy a big ol’ $1 tea at McDonald’s, which is not too often. Just wondering too, how much alcoholic drinks contribute to kidney stones, since it is really dehydrating especially in hot weather. Will have to check on that one, even though I stay away from alcohol also, but have a friend who doesn’t.
DanJ
May 29th, 2012
2:40 pm
Sorry G, My point is simply that if X-Factor is going to offer 5 million to the winner then why would anyone go for the 200 grand Idol guarantees. Honestly 19Entertainment or whatever the production company name seems cheap considering the money Idol has made off these young men and women. I understand the whole it gives them a platform but these show use them and spit them out like sunflower seeds. I do wonder how much these contestants make with the tour? I understand the shows need to make money but how much money has these kids made for AI and they’re locked into contract that may or may not come to fruition. Can they sign with any record label while they’re hot?
JTesla
May 29th, 2012
3:06 pm
If the contestants were really concerned about the money they would stay at home, do something productive, and save… save… save. They don’t pack into a stadium with 10,000 other people because a show has the best payout for the one person who wins.
Harriett
May 29th, 2012
3:15 pm
MyP, I am a city gal. State capital.
Deirdre
May 29th, 2012
3:21 pm
Agree with JT…most contestants aren’t thinking about the money. They want fame(or at least, the want recognition of their talent) The money is a perk.
G
May 29th, 2012
3:21 pm
@DanJ. Makes sense to me. Funny you should mention sunflower seeds, as I’m spitting as I type. Oooops…..there goes Deandre. LOL!
All of that media bragging about how much Ryan Seacrest makes and the lucrative deal they struck with JLO, then turn around and offer scraps to the kids. The kids are putting in the most work and getting the lesser reward. Idol makes enough dough to make the final three millionares.
A lot of AI fans pride themselves with the show being about the kids, moreso the judges. On the contrary, if you believe AI puts its money where its mouth is……..then the money is going to the host and the judges. Even Nigel is getting well paid. After the bread has been broken past the crumbs, the kids get what’s left.
bknsty14
May 29th, 2012
3:35 pm
So this may be a little off subject, but has to be said. I just started watching AGT this year (I like Stern), and one thing stands out to me. And it is SO annoying. The constant comments by Nick Cannon and the camera shots of his looking at the camera with weird looks and facial expressions really take away from the show and makes me like the show less. I seem to be enjoying what’s happening on screen, and then BAM!!! Nick Cannon mugging for the camera. enough already. Just show the “talent” and the judges. Who actually have productive and entertaining things to say on this show (I’m talking to you AI judges).
Just an observation.
peacebaby
May 29th, 2012
3:58 pm
bknsty, I have the opposite reaction to Nick Cannon on AGT. I think he’s funny and I love his antics. Different strokes for different folks.
bknsty14
May 29th, 2012
4:00 pm
Agree to disagree
DanJ
May 29th, 2012
4:12 pm
I think the contestants see Idol, XFactor, The Voice as a means to make money with their gift. Lets see I can work in a factor or plant shrubs or make money singing with a gift God gave me. The problem is they don’t know where to go to promote themselves other that these shows or youtube. Even if they do it’s next to impossible to get a break or be discovered. It’s one thing to be a great wedding singer but another to be a successful recording star. Fame, Money…everyone wants it. Why do so many people play the lottery? For the money. To live not just a good life but a great life. So money and the dream of being famous is why I think they try out.
Rickster
May 29th, 2012
4:23 pm
I’ll second your comments bknsty14, and go further that I hate them panning away for the little audience comments (where someone is show going “wow!” or making weird faces.)
Plus, they waste so much time with crowd shots, (inside & outside) plus judges introductions, reactions, etc. – they could show us many more acts if they’d stop.
JTesla
May 29th, 2012
4:30 pm
I caught a few acts on AGT as the wife was watching it, I thought I was alone in not liking the hamming for the camera. Nick seems like a great guy, but I don’t need him to tell me that someone is bad. There are already audience boo’s, judges X’s, and my own ability to judge what I’m seeing, that should be enough data for my mind to understand that someone is or is not talented.
Rodney Ho
May 29th, 2012
4:43 pm
MJ is reporting that NBC is rolling out another singing competition show. NOOOOOOOO!!!!
http://www.mjsbigblog.com/nbc-announces-new-singing-competitiongame-show-the-winner-is.htm
JTesla
May 29th, 2012
5:01 pm
I’ll pass on any new singing show. Let’s face it, once they do that show with single celebrity guys sitting in spinning chairs looking for dates there really is no place to go but down.
Rickster
May 29th, 2012
5:08 pm
“assistant professor Max Dawson, who teaches a course on reality television.”
Daddy: “What do you want to do when you grow up? You could be a fireman, a police man, fly airplanes. Why, you could even be the president of the United States.”
Max: “I want to teach a course on reality television at a college.”
Daddy: “You’re out of the will.”
bknsty14
May 29th, 2012
5:09 pm
JT and Rickster – Glad I’m not the only one. I thought it was just me. I agree that he seems like a good guy, and talking with people backstage before/after a performance is fine, but the hamming and commenting needs to go. And I forgot to mention the audience comments. Hate those too.
Rodney Ho
May 29th, 2012
5:11 pm
America’s Got Talent thinks subtlety is for suckers. It assume we’re all braindead and need to be mashed in the head with music and edit cuts and Nick Cannon’s muggings to ensure we know what emotion to feel at any given moment.
Rickster
May 29th, 2012
5:14 pm
Have a good evening, everyone.
MyPatootie
May 29th, 2012
5:15 pm
RoHo, let me guess. The new singing show will be about groups of little people singing barbershop style? That’s the only thing left I think.
Vast Wastrel
May 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Apparently The Gong Show was ahead of its time.
bknsty14
May 29th, 2012
5:25 pm
well said RoHo
Not pleased
May 29th, 2012
6:35 pm
Phillip cannot sing , he’s the worst winner on history! I was ashamed he was from Georgia .He needed nasal mist, because what little he could gey out was coming from his nose! He should have been gone before everybody.Joshua and Jessica
should have been in the final.
lindas
May 29th, 2012
6:41 pm
Those deals could be offered if they weren’t paying Ryan Seacrest millions of dollars just to stand on the stand and say who’s in the bottom two.
JTesla
May 29th, 2012
6:42 pm
You’re “ashamed he was from Georgia”! Why? What a silly thing to be ashamed about.
John S.
May 29th, 2012
6:44 pm
Jessica is awful! She has major pitch problems, and should not have been saved. The poor deal for the runner-up may have less to do with the runner-up position, and more to do with it being Jessica.
Sonya Drawdy
May 29th, 2012
6:57 pm
She LOST!! She doesn’t deserve a contract. WE LOVE YOU IN LEESBURG PHILLIP!!!
Deirdre
May 29th, 2012
8:07 pm
In truth, Ryan Seacrest is worth every penny they pay him. We’ve seen mediocre M.C.’s in Nick Lachey and Carson Daly. We’ve seen manic host in Nick Cannon. They add nothing to their shows. We’ve also seen how a truly awful host can nearly destroy a show with X-Factor’s Steve Whatever. Ryan does 2 live shows a week, keeps it on time, manages to quiet the judges when they go on too long…without insulting them, keeps newbie kids from falling apart in front of the cameras, guides them, helps them, consoles them and celebrates with them, all while listening to a director in his ear and maintaining a smile on his face. He is personal, responsible and extremely professional.
JB
May 29th, 2012
8:08 pm
Woodpaddy – you are crazy dude!!! Joshua already has one. Don’t hate – congratulate!!!
JB
May 29th, 2012
8:11 pm
Joshua already has one (a reconrd deal)
Kelly
May 29th, 2012
8:11 pm
I love, love Phillip Phillip’s new single, Home. I think it will be a big hit with him. Glad to see how well it has being doing on Itunes along with a lot of other songs he performed on Idol.
Chris
May 29th, 2012
8:26 pm
John S, are you kidding me? Jessica had pitch problems? Just because you don’t like her genre does not mean she’s an awful singer. She’s one of the best singers American Idol has ever produced.
JS
May 29th, 2012
8:31 pm
She has already gotten signed by ex Chief exec Tommy Mottola who produced Mariah. She was signed the night before the finale so it doesn’t matter what they are saying in these reports Tommy’s wife tweeted the night before the finale that he was going to produce her first CD. She is all set! She probably has to finish the tour and then start recording.
RK
May 29th, 2012
9:32 pm
RoHo, this new singing show will be as successful as “The One”.
JD
May 29th, 2012
10:34 pm
Saw Jessica on Live with Kelly. Thought she missed a few notes, but was ok. Most of the discussion was about how young she is and what she thought about the judges rushing the stage with the save. It will take her a few years to develop into her abilities I think.
P2
May 29th, 2012
10:37 pm
Jessica will be the answer to the trivia question “who was the highest finishing Idol contestant who was saved by the judges?”
Hahaha! Right on with that.
P2
May 29th, 2012
10:39 pm
In truth, Ryan Seacrest is worth every penny they pay him. We’ve seen mediocre M.C.’s in Nick Lachey and Carson Daly. We’ve seen manic host in Nick Cannon. They add nothing to their shows. We’ve also seen how a truly awful host can nearly destroy a show with X-Factor’s Steve Whatever. Ryan does 2 live shows a week, keeps it on time, manages to quiet the judges when they go on too long…without insulting them, keeps newbie kids from falling apart in front of the cameras, guides them, helps them, consoles them and celebrates with them, all while listening to a director in his ear and maintaining a smile on his face. He is personal, responsible and extremely professional.
Couldn’t agree more.
JD
May 29th, 2012
10:39 pm
Some have trouble thinking before they speak.
JD
May 29th, 2012
11:01 pm
When you serve, then talk.
Seth T
May 30th, 2012
12:46 am
I see this thread has also jumped the shark. PP & Jessica will both do well in the near future, probably much better than the winner of The Voice.
For the others in this years crop, it depends on a Label willing to really invest in them, and an original, new, top 40 song that can “identify” them in the music world. Otherwise they will slip into the category of “where are they now” in a couple years, with reports of going to college, singing at weddings and the County Fair.
We can only hope that Steven Tyler leaves the National Anthem to Pia, Jordin, Jessica and Hollie – and never butchers that again.
I heard Phillip gave the new Ford Fusion to his parents and will keep driving his old ‘01 pickup for a while. The rust don’t hurt nothin’.
So remember-
trouble, it might drag you down
you get lost, you can always be found
just know that you’re not alone
I’m gonna make this place your home
Deirdre
May 30th, 2012
7:13 am
Thank you, Nigel!!!!!!
In an interview, which I hope Rodney publishes because Nigel said some interesting things, the one thing I’ve believed since the show began was confirmed by Nigel:
“The television producers, of which I include myself, don’t give a damn who wins this show. The only thing we’re interested in is turning out a fabulous show for people to watch. We get no money from the record companies or anything else. Thank goodness. Because, you know, there might be every reason to be swayed if that were true. We don’t care who wins. Even our favorites. Other than that, we just want the best people to be there at the end.”
Highlander
May 30th, 2012
7:31 am
Morning, all!
I think “assistant professor Max Dawson, who teaches a course on reality television,” is probably (as an instructor of mine used to say) educated far beyond his intellect.
He probably meant to say that Kelly and Carrie were the ‘exception’ to the rule.
…And what the hell would one supposedly learn in a course on reality TV??? Don’t you learn all you need to know just by watching some of it? Must be extremely hard to fail that class!
Orlando
May 30th, 2012
7:52 am
I think you all give Ryan too much credit… Mind you, he is good, but he also has an ear bud guiding him, and a stage manager directing his every move. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to get it right.. Those others are just too dumb to get it right.
Deirdre
May 30th, 2012
8:06 am
Orlando, I’m pretty sure that most rocket scientists couldn’t do what Ryan does. That’s not a slam on rocket scientists, it just means that some people, Ryan for example, are good at their jobs and some aren’t, X-Factor’s robohost for example.
That ear bud is constantly telling Ryan stuff WHILE he talks to the audience, handles the judges, takes care of the contestants and keeps the show running smoothly. We saw the effect that the ear bud had on Robohost…..he practically got lost crossing from one side of the stage to another.
Some people can do the job and some can’t. Ryan is particularly good at it.
Mercedes S.
May 30th, 2012
8:43 am
Morning! It’s Wednesday… and it feels like something is missing…
Woodpappy
May 30th, 2012
8:52 am
Amen Deirdre to your 8:06am about Ryan. He reminded me of a fantastic on stage juggler, never missing a beat.
Woodpappy
May 30th, 2012
8:54 am
Mercedes, I agree….is it Friday yet?
david
May 30th, 2012
9:06 am
Ryan got paid.
Rodney Ho
May 30th, 2012
9:08 am
@Orlando. I agree with Dierdre. Being a good host in a crazy environment like “Idol” is tougher than it looks. We all truly learned to appreciate how effortless Ryan makes it look when we saw poor Steve Jones struggle with the duties on “X Factor.”
Rodney Ho
May 30th, 2012
9:10 am
@Highlander. Believe me, I’m sure I could teach a course on reality TV. I’ve watched and written more of it than most any other human being!