Idol Chatter & Voice Views

 

ABC’s revamped, revived, resuscitated — whatever you want to call it — version of American Idol returns Sunday night.

What should fans of the show expect?

Probably not a true read on judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Keep in mind what we’re seeing in the early weeks of American Idol will be all pre-taped and heavily edited. Producers will be presenting the judges in the best possible light.

Remember, Steven Tyler was quite entertaining in the audition episodes when he became an Idol judge. Then the live shows started and he liked ever single performance he saw, before liking every single performance was in vogue.

And it wasn’t until the live shows that we truly realized Mariah Carey would be the worst judge Idol ever had, possibly the worst judge a singing competition has ever had.

But here are some things Idol fans can expect.

A youthful cast: Get ready to meet lots of aspiring teenagers. I started researching contestants who are expected to do well on the show a couple of weeks ago. Half of the profiles I wound up publishing were on singers under 20. I couldn’t find enough info to publish a profile on several singers because they’re so young.

That trend shouldn’t be surprising considering ABC’s affiliation with Disney. But it’s a gamble too.

Think back to Season 15 of American Idol. Judges passed over more seasoned singers to give us a Top 10 featuring four minors, all talented, but all of whom wilted under the pressure of the live shows.

Past Voice contestants: I supposed it’s not surprising that many of the contestants I researched tried The Voice at one point or another. Some who announced — Ricky Manning and Elia Esparza — made the show. Some auditioned, had their blind auditions air, but failed to turn a chair.

I’d give the latter group — including Brandon Diaz, Caleb Lee Hutchinson and Maddie Poppe — a better chance of advancing deep on Idol than the former. After all, ABC doesn’t want its first season of Idol to come off as a Voice rehash.

A predictable outcome? It isn’t a myth, folks. A white guy who played guitar won eight of the last nine seasons of American Idol on FOX. Crystal Bowersox, Jessica Sanchez and La’Porsha Renae could sing rings around everyone else, and they just weren’t going to triumph over a cute guy wearing a guitar strap.

The only exception was Season 12. Candice Glover won, and I’d bet the farm that Idol stacked the deck to ensure a female winner. How else do you explain Lazaro Arbos as the last male standing?

Funny. On Instagram and Facebook, most of the male singers I profiled posed with their guitars. Pretty smart guys, huh?

Will anyone care? American Idol was only off the air for a year. I doubt many of the 13 million fans who watched that grand and nostalgic Season 15 finale expected the show to return nearly this soon.

Look, Idol didn’t vanish from FOX because ratings were soaring. A show with big red spinning chairs and a hokey boxing ring became America’s favorite singing show. And instead of scrambling to buy or download new music, the public mostly yawned when new winners released their debuts.

The rating war: This is most intriguing of all. For seven Mondays, Idol has decided to go head to head with The Voice.

Let’s just say this Monday night’s rating will be interesting to watch. The Voice will be wrapping up its blind auditions. Idol will be airing its second night of auditions. I’m guessing both shows will take a ratings blow.

Check back tonight. I’ll have a recap or two on the new American Idol.