Idol Chatter & Voice Views

“When it comes down to it, the reality is that
50 percent of the audience is little teenage girls.
And once they get a crush, we’re done. ”
— Naima Adedapo —
About female contestants on American Idol

The performance that got Pia booted from Idol …

If the UsMagazine.com reports are true, Pia Toscano will be fine post-Idol.

The magazine is reporting the Pia already has a record deal with Interscope Records, chaired by Jimmy Iovine.

That folks, does not often happen for the ninth-place finisher on American Idol.

Just more proof of the talent Idol voters kicked off the show last week. And that Pia’s supporters are correct in insisting she left way too soon.

But if Pia’s going to be fine, what about Idol?

Sorry, but a singing competition doesn’t send its best singer home in ninth place without taking a credibility hit.

And America’s most-watched show has a problem when so many fans come to the conclusion that the outcome is consistently unfair to females.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Five girls gone this season, not a single guy.

Four of the first five contestants eliminated last year were females; only one girl made the top five.

Three of the first five contestants eliminated in season eight were females. Remember, only five girls made the finals that year. Only one made the top five.

When it comes to gender equality, that’s a pretty shabby track record.

Some fans are calling on Idol to let the judges have a say in the outcome.

I’m not fond of that idea, especially with this panel of do-nothing judges. Look, judges can influence the outcome with their critiques of each performance.

If they pass on that responsibility — and they’ve whiffed big time so far this season — they don’t deserve a say in the outcome.

Other fans are calling for a limit on the number of times a single viewer can vote.

And that makes much more sense.

In fact, it’s simply something Idol needs to do before Season 11, if there is a Season 11, for a number of reasons.

* The impact of those teen girls with crushes, the ones who supposedly vote thousands of times, would be minimized.

* That accomplished, more viewers might participate. A viewer might be more inclined to dedicate the time to vote 50 times if they think those 50 votes could actually make a difference.

* That accomplished, this two-hour voting window would be less daunting. Seriously, Idol, how many adults with responsibilities can sit and do nothing but vote for an Idol contestant from 10 p.m. to midnight every Wednesday night?

* That accomplished, you might even find more guys voting. Sorry, but we guys probably tend to get less emotionally attached to the contestants than female viewers.

During a conference call interview Friday, Pia was given the opportunity to address the imbalance on Idol. She took the high road, saying she “definitely” thinks a female could win Idol this year.  She had nothing but praise for the show.

As you can see from the quote above, Naima Adedapo showed no such reservations. Even Thia Megia said, yes, the female contestants on Idol worry about the imbalance, knowing more girls vote than guys and knowing that the girls tend to vote for male contestants.

Limiting the number of times a single fan can vote might not restore the balance to Idol.

But it would be better than having the show do nothing and pretend the problem doesn’t exist.

Editor’s Note: Videos of all the performances from the Season 10 finals so far are now embedded on each contestant’s page. Go here for the links.

Editor’s Note 2: Apparently, pretending the gender problem doesn’t exist is exactly what Idol inends to do. In an interview with Yahoo’s Reality Rocks, a delusional “Dizzyfeet” Nigel Lythgoe seems dizzy in the head, pointing to the success of Fantasia, Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson as proof that girls can do well on Idol. Nor does it sound like he’s ready to embrace voting limits. Heaven forbid Ryan Seacrest not be able to boast about Idol attracting 50 million votes in a week. Better to send your best singer packing, huh, Nigel? Here’s a link to the full interview.