By Meg Hodson
Disclosure: American Idol Productions treated me to Hollywood Week and covered my travel expenses.
We're just a few weeks away from the season 13 premiere of American Idol. I look forward to American Idol every year. I love the music, I love the singing. But I wouldn't say I'm a reality t.v. show junkie. I'm selective about the shows I watch. And quite honestly, in my opinion, there aren't that many top notch reality shows out there.
That's where American Idol has it made. They're the creme de la creme, the dog's tuxedo, the BEST. They set the bar high from the start. A classy show seeking great talent. The format of the city auditions, leading to Hollywood week and eventually the top 12 works well. It's suspenseful.
As is the case with a lot of successful reality shows, they are often copied. I'm actually a bit dizzied by the number of singing and/or performance reality shows out there: X Factor, America's Got Talent, The Sing Off, The Voice. I can't really keep track of them all! I can't say I've watched any of them for any significant length of time. And that might be because they all were lacking something: judges' chemistry, fluidity, cohesiveness, suspense, authenticity, that "real life" factor that American Idol possesses.
That authenticity and trueness was validated on my recent trip to the show. I got a few glimpses of nervous contestants, rehearsing their songs as they waited for their turn on stage during Hollywood week. I saw the contestants on stage, singing clear and passionately. The production of the show, from the crew to the attention to detail during the portion of the taping I saw, honestly made me starstruck. This was the big time, the Dolby Theater. It was even a bit raw and unchoreographed, yet planned perfectly. It was Idol.
Season 13 premieres January 15th!
