American Idol - Season 7
March 18, 2008
American Idol returned for its seventh season when it aired on January 15, 2008[23] for a two day, four hour premiere. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed small changes will be made in the show upon its return in 2008. It was reported that more attention will be paid to who the contestants are, where they come from, and why fans should care to vote for them. Nothing as dramatic as the songwriting competition or an age-limit change was planned for the season. Still, the executive producer owns up to the fact that season 6 took the focus away from the contestants, their backgrounds and their talent, and it needs to get back on track.
In Season 6, relatively little was known about the contestants, which was evident by the fact that Sanjaya’s hair was the biggest “personal” story of each week. While there are a couple of big changes planned, “fans shouldn’t fret” states Lythgoe. Despite cries that every season in the initial audition process the judges were cruel and mean, there will be little to no adjustments made to that part of the show. The contestants might be allowed to play their own instruments in the top 12, but Lythgoe hasn’t yet decided on that and wants to be careful to keep the competition fair for those who don’t have that skill. It is, after all, a singing competition. (Contestants on Canadian Idol and Australian Idol, similar competitions in Canada and Australia, are allowed to play instruments.)
As the return of American Idol drew close a former contestant spoke out about the show’s credibility. Season 5 sensation Chris Daughtry was quoted saying “I feel like it’s definitely lacking some credibility at this point. I’m sure that it will be used against me, but that’s the truth.”
“Idol Gives Back” raised more than $75 million last year for underprivileged children, and will return this year on April 9, 2008.
On March 11, 2008 American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage, along with a new on-air look. The two-night season finale will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on May 20 and 21.
Auditions for the seventh season of American Idol began July 30, 2007. The Auditions were held in the following cities:[24]
San Diego, California: Qualcomm Stadium - July 30
Dallas, Texas: Texas Stadium - August 6
Omaha, Nebraska: Qwest Center - August 10
Atlanta, Georgia: Georgia Dome - August 14
Charleston, South Carolina: North Charleston Coliseum - August 18
Miami, Florida: American Airlines Arena - August 22
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wachovia Center - August 27
The top 12 were decided on March 6, 2008 and the two-night finale is on May 20 and May 21, 2008.
There was some controversy early in season 7 because several of the semi-finalists have previously had record deals, including Robbie Carrico, Kristy Lee Cook, and Carly Smithson. However, Idol rules state that contestants may have had a record deal in the past, but are still eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins.
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