…’American Idol’ returns for 5th season
It’s that time of year.
Everyone is on a diet, the nicotine patch is flying off the shelves and American Idol, the show millions of people watch, but no one admits to, is back.
Tomorrow night, the fifth season of Fox’s hit singing competition returns with outrageous new auditions featuring the good, the bad and the truly horrendous.
While there will likely be no big surprises this time around, judge Randy Jackson does promise more fights between the normally way-too-nice singers.
“I think the kids this time probably want this worse than ever — there’s quite a bit of interesting fighting and dialogue going on amongst the contestants.
“I think they’re finally getting to the fact early that, ‘Yes, we’re friends. We’re all in this together, but, hey, I want to win.’ It’s actually pretty funny how early it comes this time.”
The other difference this year is there is no clear winner, says Jackson. Last season, judge Simon Cowell correctly predicted, before the Top 10 was even announced, that Carrie Underwood would win.
“We say it every single season, but this year it’s really 100,000 percent true — the talent is far better than any other season.
“I think this time it’s going to come down to who grows the most during the competition in front of the American public because everybody is that good. I think it’s going to come down to the wire at the end.”
Jackson believes the success of last season’s two finalists, country singer Underwood and rocker Bo Bice, broadened the pool of auditioners from its normal pop contestants.
He also feels CBS’ series Rock Star: INXS helped make televised singing competitions somewhat cool, resulting in more rockers trying out this year.
“I think Rock Star was good … just to show that there’s everything in America. And the kid who won (Canada’s J.D. Fortune) actually can really sing.”
Being able to pick out talent is something Jackson knows a thing or two about. Outside his gig on American Idol, the music producer is constantly approached by young singers who think they have what it takes.
“It’s so funny, no matter where I go, what I do, people are just singing to me. It’s crazy. I think they think I want to just hear singing all the time.
“Even if I say, ‘No, no, no. You don’t have to sing,’ they start singing anyway. I think in their minds it’s, ‘At least he heard me.’ It’s so weird.”
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