Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The American Idol Season 18 cast of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Ryan Seacrest. (ABC Photo)

The fun has ended and the folly begins next week on American Idol and The Voice.

And I’m not talking about the virtual performances the shows will rely on to complete their Season 18s.

While I would have preferred both shows hit the pause button on their seasons and continue as normal whenever possible — even if that’s months from now — they’re preceding in the only possible manner if they wanted to avoid a long interruption.

And who knows? Maybe they surveyed the cast members and maybe those singers favored moving ahead now as opposed to waiting.

I certainly hope the opinions of the singers was first and foremost in the decision-making process. They’re the true talent, the most important part of each show, the ones relying on the exposure for a career boost.

Nope, the folly rests with the speed with which both shows will proceed. American Idol plans to name a champ on May 17. The Voice will follow a couple nights later.

That means fans will be asked to select a winner from the Top 20 on American Idol over the span of just four weeks. The original schedule called for eight performance shows to accomplish the same mission.

Half of the Top 20 will be eliminated Sunday night. And I’m sure American Idol will ask fans to start voting when the show starts at 8 p.m., before a single performance has aired.

If so, that too will be folly. Because Idol completely dropped the ball during the four hours of clips it aired the past two weeks, recycling the same cut-up, voiced-over performances it aired earlier rather than airing complete, uninterrupted performances featuring the Top 20.

Which of the Top 20 did the best in the final Hollywood round? In the Top 40 showcase round?

Who knows?

Yet we’re supposed to decide who most deserves to be in the Top 10 starting Sunday night. Hmm.

Ah, but at least American Idol was backed into this situation. They planned to host a real competition show, with a Top 20 becoming a Top 14, then a Top 10, then a Top 8, then a Top 6, then a Top 4, followed by a Top 3 finale.

The Voice? Its producers planned to shortchange fans all along, planning just three live shows for Season 18.

So after producers waste a week with a clip show this coming Monday, the Top 17 will compete for a spot in the finals on May 4. Two weeks later, the show will host its performance finale.

Back in its highest rated seasons, The Voice hosted at least seven live performance shows to accomplish the same thing. In Season 17, The Voice aired six performance shows between the playoffs and the season finale.

This spring? Fans get just three performance shows to determine who deserves to win among a very talented and diverse cast.

Now, you can pretend to host a legitimate singing show in the timetable laid out by American Idol and The Voice.

And I’m sure everyone involved — especially the hosts, coaches and judges of the two shows — will pretend they are hosting a legitimate competition.

They aren’t. I’ve blogged about American Idol for more than a decide and about The Voice since its inception. You can call what’s happening this spring a popularity contest if you want.

But you can’t call either show a fair and legitimate singing or vocal competition.

There’s not enough time for underdogs to impress. There’s not enough time for anyone to show marked improvement over the course of a true set of final shows. There’s not enough time for anyone to get used to this new method of performing, adjust, then dazzle us.

There’s simply not enough time for viewers to determine who truly deserves to be the Season 18 American Idol or the Season 18 winner of The Voice.

My advice: Have fun watching. Vote if you want.

Take the results — all the results — with the proverbial grain of salt. They will mean very little.

Most of all, support the singers on the shows, both now and — most importantly — after American Idol and The Voice drop the curtains on Season 18.

They all deserved a better showcase for their immense talent.

Nick Jonas and John Legend coaching on The Voice Season 18. (NBC Photo)