American Idol to lose long standing judge

If the aspiring singers think of any platform that can catapult their careers, it is American Idol. Along with the program it is their judge Simon Cowell too who has become an identity for the show. But this man who has been an integral part of the show is now leaving the stage. It has been heard that Cowell’s contract with American Idol ends with the completion of the new season, which is slated to begin on March 9.

Cowell is optimistic about the future of American Idol and says, “I'm confident American Idol will continue to be the No. 1 show.” But there is a buzz that after exiting from the show Cowell will create and launch the U.S. version of X-Factor in UK. The new show is supposed to go on air by the fall of 2011.In the U.S. format of X-Factor is also a show that encourages the new singing talents and the winner gets a recording contract. Cowell has a stake in the show and he is all set to divert his energy for the new show which will be aired on Fox Network.

Nobody still knows who will take Cowell’s position in American Idol and the man himself too remains tight lipped. The only thing he says is, “I don't know who's going to take the (Idol) job.” But we know that who ever does it, will be extremely benefitted from it. The show has not only brought fame to a few ordinary singers but also enhanced the image of the judges. It will be a major breakthrough for the judge who comes as a replacement.

Not only Cowell, even the Fox Broad casting Chairman Peter Rice has refused to say anything about who will be the next judge. There is no need to believe that Cowell is calling his venture in Idol quits due to poor ratings or inadequate exposure. It is one of the most watched shows and his exit will happen while the show is on a high. His stand seems strictly professional and directed at the success of his own show.

American Idol Castoff Speaks

American Idol castoff Haeley Vaughn spoke about her experiences at the show after she was voted out. Though her talent was much praised, Vaughn met a premature end to her dream run last week. You maybe tempted to think that she has taken her exit rather badly. That is not the case. She carried herself with a lot of poise and what she spoke did make a lot of sense. Maturity is definitely the keyword here. Excerpts of the interview:

On Kara DioGuardi's suggestion that she spend a year making her vocals strong- I kind of agreed with her. I think that more experience and more time working on my vocals would be good. I think experience is always better, especially since I'm only 16 and this is the first big thing that I've done ever. I think it's always good to get more experience and work on the things that I need to work on.

Thoughts on her career- Miley Cyrus is one of my icons. Oh my gosh, I love her.. Country music is definitely my genre, pop/country. And playing my guitar is awesome. Yeah, if I were given the chance to do that, I would definitely jump on it. On the judges' panel- Simon was definitely really harsh this season. But, I mean, he has reason to be. . Sometimes he should soften the blow a little bit, but that's Simon Cowell. He's been like that for nine years.

Four Go Home from American Idol

American Idol bid farewell to four hopefuls this time around. The ones evicted are Haeley Vaughn, Michelle Delamor, John Park and Jermaine Sellers. Before the unfortunate ones were voted out, all of them performed the Black Eyed Peas number "I Gotta Feeling". The performance was uneven in some respects, but it was nice to watch all of them match voices. John Park was the one to be out. He was not much shattered about it, talking about how he cherished his experience with guest judge Shania Twain. Sellers was called to the center along with Andrew Garcia. That was a scare point! We didn't want to lose Garcia and we didn't.

Sellers said something really interesting: "Where I sing from -- you can't be taught how to riff and run and sing high notes. I'm a church singer. That's where I come from." The first female contestant to be voted out was Delamor. Her "With Arms Wide Open" but Kara DioGuardi was the least impressed. But Delamor had this to say in her defense: "I think I was so wrapped up in trying to do everything right while being judged that I kind of lost sight of just performing." The final one to leave was Vaughn. His parting shot: "I think I could definitely use some more experience." Danny Gokey, Season 8 second runners-up, was the guest performer of the day.

Crystal Bowersox Rocks American Idol!

You were thinking that Crystal Bowersox will be the most lackluster performance of the night because she had to be rushed to the hospital. You were thinking she will play the sympathy card and get her votes and patronage of the judges. On both counts you would be wrong. Crystal sang with such confidence and élan that you could never guess that she was hospitalized a day ago! Ryan Seacrest told her on his radio show that she could go home if she was feeling ill. Crystal replied, "I'm a tough cookie. ... Let's do this."

She did! And how! She went first up and performed Creedance Clearwater Revival's "Long as I Can See the Light". After her performance, Simon admitted that he "misunderestimated" her talent and called her voice "incredible"! Simon added that she was the first one that came across like a star to the judges' panel. Randy Jackson said, "You are the truth. You do what you do!" Ellen called her "pure, raw, natural talent". Kara DioGuardi felt that Crystal had the rock star factor that American Idol is looking for. Watch this space for more updates on this rising meteor!