Idol Chatter & Voice Views

As American Idol faces the prospect of replacing Simon Cowell and declining ratings, I’ve decided to offer 10 tips for saving the show. We’re up to …

Tip 9: Do not go backwards

If season nine of American Idol has been less than scintillating, there’s this to reflect on.

The leadup to the finals was better than a year ago.

I mean, the early episodes of season eight smacked of desperation. Of producers who didn’t know if they wanted to put on a singing competition or a full-fledged reality show.

Think back …

* We had Bikini Girl, the hottest topic of discussion during the audition shows.

* We had a drama queen named Tatiana Del Toro.

* We had a wannabe comedian named Nick Mitchell, who somehow got into the semifinals without singing a serious note.

* We had a bloated field of 36 semifinalists, many of whom disappeared after a single minute-and-a-half performance.

* We got to the finals with Idol having wasted so much airtime on contestant drama that we didn’t know who could and who couldn’t sing. (Except that a kid named Adam Lambert seemed really good. Oh, and that Idol kept telling us Danny Gokey was really good).

It was a mess.

And a formula and a format Idol thankfully dumped for season nine.

Please, Idol, in your search for better ratings, do not go back.