Fan Fare

Lady Gaga has monsters, Cheryl Cole has soldiers

Has Cheryl Cole gone Gaga?

The British singer, who is not the global phenomenon that is Lady Gaga, has written a message to her fans following her embarrassing fallout with the makers of the U.S. version of “X Factor”, who apparently did not want her on the judging panel having initially said that they did.

Cole’s website was silent throughout the fiasco which dominated British tabloid headlines for days, but she has finally broken her silence with a missive posted on Sunday reassuring the world that she is fine despite the setbacks and has been spending time with her friends, family and “doggys”. Well, in fact she doesn’t mention any setbacks, but merely describes the last few weeks as “the weirdest”.

What struck me about the post was her reference to her fans as “my little soldiers” who “mean the world” to her. It recalls Lady Gaga’s description of her most avid followers as “little monsters”, a term of endearment which hints at a relationship beyond the normal star-fan connection. Some people view this axis as unhealthy, and liken it to a personality cult, whereas many of the millions of fans in question embrace Gaga and say she is an inspiration to them. Will Cole be able to replicate this kind of bond with her devotees?

“X Factor” hits wrong note

Britain’s “The X Factor” has struck a bum chord, even before the main knock-out phase of the hugely popular TV show begins. Judge Cheryl Cole has incensed thousands of viewers with her selection of three finalists from a shortlist of eight contestants. Hopeful Gamu Nhengu, 18, was rejected by Cole, despite impressing with her audition and being among the early favourites to win the show.

One reason for the strength of the reaction — nearly 90,000 people have already leant their support to a Facebook page supporting Zimbabwe-born Nhengu — is that Cher Lloyd went through to the finals, despite being able to sing barely a note due to a sore throat. Katie Waissel also succeeded, despite failing to impress many who watched the show at the weekend. Only Cole’s choice of the accomplished Rebecca Ferguson was universally popular.

One fan summed up the mood with a blog post on the ITV show’s official website: “Oh well, no more X-factor for me then! My husband agrees. To put through Katie and Cher, and send Gamu home was confirmation that the show is rigged. What a complete farce. Did Cheryl take instructions from Simon Cowell on who she should pick so that none of the girls would win? Gamu was far and away the best of all the girls. I will never watch the x-factor again.”

Of course, the controversy and headlines it generates are likely to boost ratings when the competition proper gets underway, so suspicions of a set-up are rife. Bookmakers are already offering odds on Gamu being allowed back on to the show as a “surprise” wild card, and she is among the favourites to win. If that does come to pass, doubts about the show’s integrity are bound to grow.

Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez — right fit for “American Idol”?

“American Idol” has finally announced its new judging panel, ending months of speculation about the future shape of the show.

But are  Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez  the right choice? And will star power be enough to keep old “Idol” fans (and hopefully millions more new ones) tuning in when the show returns in January?

Tyler, the volatile lead singer of America’s best-selling rock band, will certainly bring a rock edge to a contest that has specialised in producing middle-of the-road champions for an audience that ranges from 8 to 80 year-olds.

And J.Lo, as America’s leading Latina entertainer, may entice a whole new Hispanic audience to the show. (And as for her  reported “diva” demands that made the rounds a few weeks ago –  “so much rubbish”,  executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told journalists this week.)

It’s certainly a huge change of style for “American Idol” as it enters its 10th season. But will J.Lo, Tyler and returning judge Randy Jackson produce the kind of chemistry as a three-some that made the Randy-Paula-Simon combo so entertaining a few years ago?

“We have spent a lot of time together now.  We all have known each other for a while.  So I think we are gonna have a lot of cool camaraderie,”  Jackson told a news conference as the new judges were officially confirmed.

Neither Tyler or J.Lo were on anyone’s radar back in May when Simon Cowell left, and celebrities like Bret Michaels, Shania Twain, Elton John and shock jock Howard Stern were either lobbying hard for the job, or widely reported to be in talks about joining the panel.

UK’s X Factor gets off to rocky start

The X Factor, one of Britain’s most-watched television programmes, has got off to a rocky start this year with its integrity called into question after it came to light that some contestants’ performances had been enhanced using computer software. A spokesman for the show, a pillar of ITV1′s annual scheduling, admitted that post-production work was sometimes necessary due to the number of microphones used during filming. But he also told British media that judges make their decisions during the audition stages based on what they hear live, and that later shows are all genuinely live.

The revelations have prompted negative media comment and online complaints from some fans, although few people expect them to have too much of an impact on viewing figures. The first episode of this year’s series was watched by 11.1 million people, up from last year’s figure of 9.9 million.

Making matters worse, the show’s producers issued a statement on Wednesday explaining why Shirlena Johnson, who sang an oddball version of Duffy’s “Mercy”, was kicked off the talent show aired on ITV1.

“It has been decided by both Shirlena’s GP (doctor) and The X Factor’s own medical experts that it is in Shirlena’s best interests for her not to continue in the competition. The welfare of our contestants is of paramount importance to us — Shirlena was informed of the decision in person by the show executives in the presence of a psychologist.”

It appears the show, which is masterminded by music mogul Simon Cowell, wants to avoid the kind of negative publicity that surrounded the mental condition of Susan Boyle, a contestant in another Cowell project “Britain’s Got Talent” who was admitted to a clinic for emotional exhaustion after surprisingly losing the final last year. Mind you, Cowell presumably made a princely sum from the Scottish singer, whose debut album stormed charts around the world and was one of the top-selling records globally.

Is Steven Tyler right fit for “American Idol”?

Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler looks to be on his way to join “American Idol” in what would be the first bona fide rock star judge on the show’s panel.

But is Tyler, 62, the right fit for a show aimed squarely at middle America? And if Tyler is in place, as widely reported, can the “Idol” judging panel carry a second major artist if rumors about country star Shania Twain, or Jennifer Lopez, or even Jessica Simpson turn out to be correct?

Tyler may be a rock god, but does he have anything useful, or witty, or coherent, to say to the aspiring “American Idols”?

And rock stars usually bring plenty of baggage after decades on the road — in Tyler’s case a history of prescription drug addiction,  drama, and an uncanny ability to fall off the stage.

How long would Tyler sign up to be on “Idol”? And would his new job mean another long hiatus (or even  the end) of touring and new albums for Aerosmith?

One thing is clear. Paula Abdul he is not. Nor Ellen. And if there’s one person who can withstand all the expected negative comparisons to Simon Cowell, it’s probably Tyler.

Tyler may be ready for “American Idol” but is America ready for Steven Tyler on prime-time TV twice a week for five months?

Shania Twain for “American Idol”? Judge auditions drag on

Another day.  Another potential “American Idol” judge surfaces.

Who knew Simon Cowell (or even Ellen DeGeneres) would be so hard to replace?

With Jennifer Lopez apparently out of the running for being “too demanding”, country singer Shania Twain’s name resurfaced on Thursday as  “Idol”  producers and the Fox television network searched for a new line-up in time for filmed auditions in mid-September for the show’s 10th season.

Twain proved an audience favorite after appearing earlier this year on the show, both as a guest judge and a celebrity mentor.  The idea of Lopez, on the other hand, had not gone down so well with fans online, making you wonder whether her name had been deliberately floated by “Idol” insiders to gauge popular reaction before any deals were signed.

Canadian country singer Twain, however, may have ruled herself out because of a planned TV show of her own on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) starting in 2011.  OWN said on Thursday it was still moving ahead with the show but did not yet have an air date.

What does seem to be emerging after the long months of  musical chairs is that “Idol”  looks headed to return to a three-judge format, probably  anchored by Randy Jackson and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. And reading between the headlines, one can see that the magic ingredient — chemistry — is playing a key role in the drawn out selection procedure.

It’s hard to see how Twain, or Tyler, who still has a performing, recording and touring career with Aerosmith,  will be able to fit in a five months, twice a week, commitment to “American Idol” over the long-term. And the same can be said of J.Lo who has a music career, a movie career, and twins to keep her busy.

Goodbye Ellen, Hello….who? to “American Idol”

Like it or not  “American Idol” will be getting a whole new talent line-up next season — and that’s just the judges.

But with Fox keeping their mouths firmly shut on who will replace Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres, it seems to be anyone’s guess as to what the new panel will look like, or even how many judges there will be.

Fox’s senior executives have refused to confirm or deny any of the rumors of recent weeks that have suggested that Jennifer Lopez, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, Jessica Simpson or even Justin Timberlake might be joining the show.

And they also refused to speculate on whether Kara DioGuardi or even Randy Jackson will return.

Even more tantalizing, Fox entertainment chairman Peter Rice said that some of the recent reports were accurate while other were “wildly inaccurate” — and he wasn’t saying which was which.

Meanwhile Brett Michaels is still publicly lobbying for the job, and Sean “Diddy” Combs repeated that he would be happy to do it — as long as he got the same salary as Simon.

So with a couple of the biggest jobs in popular TV still apparently wide open, who would you like to see dealing out the criticism when “American Idol” returns in January?

“American Idol” asks fans for a fix

As “American Idol”  plods its way to the 2010 finale  after a lackluster season and slipping ratings,  the TV show’s dwindling band of  fans are getting an unusual opportunity to weigh in on what’s wrong with the show, and how to fix it.

Official website www.americanidol.com has posted a detailed survey which asks fans why they are watching less often — and less enthusiastically — this year, and invites them to rate all the judges individually, as well as the entertainment value of “Idol” mentors and the show’s  celebrity guest judges.

And perhaps most surprisingly, there is even a chance for fans to say how much (if at all) they miss Paula Abdul.

The survey is being conducted by an independent agency. But it suggests that “Idol” producers, or Fox, or both are thinking seriously about what hasn’t worked this year  –  and how they can tweak it next year.

The biggest question on the minds of many fans — the replacement of Simon Cowell — is not addressed in the online survey and Fox has already said there will be no announcement on that before the two-part season finale on May 24 and 25.

“Idol” has seen an 8 percent drop in viewers this season, and audiences have slipped below 20 million recently at a time when anticipation and fan fervor has generally risen going into the finale.

You don’t have to look far in the blogosphere to hear the biggest gripes from fans.

Crystal disappoints, Siobhan storms back on night of “American idol” surprises

In the words of Simon Cowell,  Tuesday night was a shocker on “American Idol”.

For the first time this season, front runner Crystal Bowersox failed to impress.  Simon went so far as to describe her happy-clappy version of Shania Twain’s “No-One Needs to Know”  as ”limp”.

Siobhan Magnus stormed back into  the competition with “Any Man of Mine” after weeks of misfires that seemed to have dimmed her early promise.

Casey James shrugged off the laid back image and gave his most heartfelt  performance yet — and got to plant a thank-you kiss on the lips of mentor Shania Twain.

Teenager Aaron Kelly sounded believable for the  first time in weeks while singing a grown-up song. He said he was dedicating it to his mom.

And, as Ellen said (in arguably one of her most insightful comments as an “Idol”  judge),  ”Tomorrow (elimination night)  is going to be real tough…Everyone is doing well.”

After weeks when a Crystal-Lee final seemed like a no-brainer,  the  contest  suddenly felt too close to call.   Is  Crystal in danger of going home on Wednesday? And who will make it into the Top 5?

Joining (or leaving?) the ranks of singing divas on “American Idol”

There were just two certainties on “American Idol” after inspirational theme night with mentor Alicia Keys.

1) Singing anything by Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston is going to be a no-no when Randy Jackson is on the judging panel (and singing a song that both divas have already “made their own”  is just asking for trouble);

2) Crystal Bowersox must surely already be this year’s “Idol” winner;

Bowersox — dubbed Momma Sox by fans — abandoned her guitar to stand alone and sing a cappella for the first verse of “People Get Ready.”  And then she capped off a stellar vocal performance by breaking down in tears , uncharacteristically, on the final line.

Randy gave her a standing ovation, Simon said it was in a “different class,” and Crystal said she had got all emotional when she saw her father in the “Idol” audience in Los Angeles for the first time.

The “Idol” producers must be giving daily thanks that the young mom did not quit the show a few weeks ago when she was missing her family most.

But another early front-runner, Siobhan Magnus, should perhaps have known better than to have attempted the Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston double “When You Believe” — even given her impressive range.