For months, I’ve been grading performances on American Idol Season 12.
With the season finale later this week, it’s time to grade the judges.
Yep, that Season 12 panel that included three new faces and turned out to be every bit as dysfunctional as the rumor mill suggested it might be last summer.
American Idol judges Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey applaud a performance on Top 5 night. How many would applaud their performance in Season 12? (FOX Photo)
We already know Randy Jackson won’t be back next season. The rumor mill now suggests Idol might clean house.
Here’s a look at who’s salvageable and who isn’t. It’s the first in a series of blogs looking back at Season 12.
Keith Urban
He’s not the most charismatic judge, but he takes the job seriously. That alone puts him miles ahead of his predecessor, Steven Tyler, who slept through an entire season. In fact, Keith comes across as the most earnest member of the panel. He also showed a knack for being able to deliver a negative critique with a touch of kindness, and I found myself agreeing with those critiques more as the season progressed. He’d also score high marks under the category of “plays well with others.” Whether he stays should come down to what Idol wants from its judges. If the show wants the focus on the contestants, he stays. If the show wants judges who entertain (think Blake Shelton, Adam Levine), it had best look elsewhere.
Grade: B-
Nicki Minaj
During a mid-season conference call, Nicki was asked to pinpoint her best and worst moments on the show. Her response: “I don’t have a worst Idol moment. I’ve been spectacular.” My response: Can someone please get me a ticket to Nicki’s dreamland? The truth: Nicki’s the most entertaining judge. The judge most willing to deliver harsh critiques when needed, yet mix in enough compliments to keep the critique from being too harsh. The fashion advice doesn’t even bother me. BUT … she’s also the first judge ever to show up late for a live show. And the Twitter tirades — entirely unprofessional, especially when aimed at a contestant (Devin Velez). Salvageable only with the right mix at the judges’ table.
Grade: C+
American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, back when the season was first starting. (FOX Photo)
Randy Jackson
We already know he won’t be around for Season 13, news that would have gotten a standing ovation from the entire Idol nation had it not broken on the same night we learned the names of the Season 12 finalists. The “in-it-to-win-it” cliches wore thin years ago. Worse: Randy’s willingness to go along with the Idol agenda — even be its biggest cheerleader — when the show’s trying to promote someone like Amber Holcomb over the obviously more talented Candice Glover. Then there were the idiotic inconsistencies in his critiques. One week, he told the contestants that he expected knockout performances at that stage of the competition. The very next, he said the voice, not the performance, was what mattered. Yep, his departure is long overdue.
Grade: D
Mariah Carey
Have you ever flushed $15 million down a toilet? That’s how much Idol paid Mariah Carey for a season’s worth of self-indulgent babble. Favorite moments: When it took her more than 300 words to tell Lazaro Arbos he missed a key change. And when she wanted to give standing ovations on two occasions but couldn’t, first because her dress was too tight, then because the train of her dress was caught on her chair. Clearly, no one gave Ms. Carey a screen test to see if she was capable of doing what she would be paid $15 million to do. Flushing $15 million? Must be a really sick feeling.
Grade: F
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