Howard Stern: Killing American Idol - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Ireneparalegal · 03-31-2007, 01:05 PM

Howard Stern Is Trying to Kill Your 'Idol'
EDWARD WYATT
LOS ANGELES (March 31) - For the last few years, three-quarters of the network television executives in Hollywood have tried to figure out how to derail "American Idol," the Fox juggernaut that dominates the prime-time ratings.

Sanjaya is hardly the only 'Idol' contestant to fall flat when singing.

Now Howard Stern, of all people, says he has found the way.

For the last two weeks, Mr. Stern has been promoting a Web site created by a 24-year-old "American Idol" fan that encourages people to support the worst performer on the popular talent show. Their candidate has been Sanjaya Malakar, the off-key, lyric-fumbling, elaborately coiffed teenager who is perhaps the most talked-about "Idol" contestant ever.

"We're corrupting the entire thing," Mr. Stern said on his Sirius Satellite Radio show Thursday, the day after Mr. Malakar secured a place in the top nine finalists. "All of us are routing 'American Idol.' It's so great. The No. 1 show in television and it's getting ruined."

By promoting Mr. Malakar, Mr. Stern says, he hopes to turn the talent competition into a farce and destroy its popularity.

The stakes of the battle are not insignificant, either for Fox or for the contestants. In its sixth season, "American Idol" has drawn an average of 32 million viewers each week, nearly 50 percent more than the next highest-rated show and better than the show has measured in any previous season.

Some past winners of the competition have gone on to produce chart-topping singles and albums, including Kelly Clarkson , who won the first season, and Carrie Underwood, who won the fourth. Jennifer Hudson, who was eliminated in a late round during the show's third season, went on to win an Oscar for her performance in "Dreamgirls."

Mr. Malakar, who at 17 looks like a 1970s pop star of the David Cassidy/Bobby Sherman/Andy Gibb variety, had been among the lowest two or three vote-getters in the first weeks of the season. But after Dave Della Terza, the founder of a Web site called votefortheworst.com, first appeared on Mr. Stern's radio show on March 20, Mr. Malakar has not been among the lowest vote-getters. ("Idol" does not release total vote tallies, but each week reveals which performers are in the bottom slots.)
A number of those voting for Mr. Malakar may be genuine fans, many of them in the pre- and early-teenage brackets, to judge from posts on a number of Internet bulletin boards dedicated to the show.

But the fans also include older women and Indian-Americans, and Mr. Malakar's progress is being tracked voraciously by Indian newspapers in both the United States and India. And they probably include executives at Fox, the television network that is riding "American Idol" to the top of the ratings.

Mr. Malakar, who is from Federal Way, Wash., also has some prominent detractors, not least some of the show's judges. (Although the judges eliminate contestants in early rounds, results at the current stage of the show are determined solely by viewer votes.)

Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued British judge who is one of the show's biggest draws, threatened to quit the show if Mr. Malakar wins. "I won't be back if he does," Mr. Cowell recently told the television show "Extra."

Randy Jackson, another of the three "Idol" judges, responded to Mr. Malakar's recent performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" this way: "That song was almost unlistenable for me, man."

A Fox spokeswoman declined to comment on Mr. Cowell's comment, but the network said in a statement that efforts like Mr. Stern's do not affect the results. "With 30 million votes every week, and hundreds of millions of votes over the season, the power of true fans of 'American Idol' dwarfs any attempt of people trying to gain notoriety," the statement said. "Despite the press coverage, these campaigns don't affect who moves forward in the competition."

Mr. Stern, through a spokesman, declined to be interviewed for this article. Unlike Mr. Stern, Mr. Della Terza, a community college teacher near Chicago, said he did not want to destroy "Idol."

"We're not out to take the show down," Mr. Della Terza said in a telephone interview. "We like the show. We want to keep around the guy we think is funny and corny." His aim, he said, was simply to spice up the show by toying with the results, keeping what he calls the "cheesiest" contestants on for as long as possible.

In a recent interview on Mr. Stern's radio show, Mr. Della Terza said he understood that his efforts might be affecting contestants who are better singers. "Everyone tries to say we're crushing dreams with what we're doing, but we're trying to help Sanjaya's dreams," he said. "He wants to be the American Idol too."

Ms. Hudson, coincidentally, was the first contestant to be recommended for support on votefortheworst.com, something that is not lost on Mr. Della Terza.

"We picked her the first week because of her crazy outfits and over-the-top singing," he recalled. But she improved, and the site switched its recommendation to another contestant. Last year the site also picked Taylor Hicks, the eventual winner, as the worst performer when five competitors were left.

"If we had not recommended him, maybe he wouldn't have won," Mr. Della Terza said. It is unclear how many voters have been influenced either by Mr. Stern or the Web site.

Sirius has six million subscribers but does not release listener figures for its individual shows. According to Mr. Della Terza, votefortheworst.com had been receiving a million or so hits per "Idol" show this season; that number jumped to more than three million after his first appearance on Mr. Stern's show.

Now, Mr. Della Terza said, the site will stay with Mr. Malakar for the duration, even though he thinks there is no chance he will win. (The bookmakers at bodog.com have placed 25-to-1 odds on Mr. Malakar's winning the competition; the favorite, Melinda Doolittle, is listed at 4-to-5.)

"Even if by some miracle we get him to the final two," Mr. Della Terza said, "I think the rest of America will be so outraged by the possibility of him winning that they will vote against him."

mriggles · 03-31-2007, 02:45 PM

Irene I listen to stern everyday &he is a big fan of the show, but more powerful than his love for idol is his love to be in control & right now he is obviously having an influence on things. What I find interesting is this, a few weeks back sanjia was in the bottom 2 but was saved in the end, that week on the stern show very little talk was about idol & i am wondering if next week when Howard is on vacation if all of his listeners will remember to " please vote for Sanjia" .. should be interesting

Ireneparalegal · 03-31-2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mriggles

Irene I listen to stern everyday &he is a big fan of the show, but more powerful than his love for idol is his love to be in control & right now he is obviously having an influence on things. What I find interesting is this, a few weeks back sanjia was in the bottom 2 but was saved in the end, that week on the stern show very little talk was about idol & i am wondering if next week when Howard is on vacation if all of his listeners will remember to " please vote for Sanjia" .. should be interesting

Nice to see you on a board other than sports!

I listen to Howard also. It should be interesting to see what happens and if the fans will continue to deluge the phone lines while Howard is away.

TJL · 03-31-2007, 03:11 PM

Burn it down Howard...

Burn it all down!!!

mriggles · 03-31-2007, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Nice to see you on a board other than sports!

I listen to Howard also. It should be interesting to see what happens and if the fans will continue to deluge the phone lines while Howard is away.

Irene how funny was that eric the midget cut " please vote for sanjia"... That cracked me up!!!!

mriggles · 03-31-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Nice to see you on a board other than sports!

I listen to Howard also. It should be interesting to see what happens and if the fans will continue to deluge the phone lines while Howard is away.

I lurk mostly in sports but I am finding more & more fun on this side as well Irene

Ireneparalegal · 03-31-2007, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mriggles

Irene how funny was that eric the midget cut " please vote for sanjia"... That cracked me up!!!!

TJL...

I agree, burn it down!

mriggles, glad to have you on this side of the fence. Enjoy!
Eric not wanting to vote and how Howard got on him to "do it"...

TV DVD Fan · 03-31-2007, 06:43 PM

Sanjaya is one of the worst singers I've ever seen who called themself a "pro." While one side of my wants him off "Idol," there's another part of me that likes his personality and spirit. He's pretty cocky, but likeable in the kind of way that a lost puppy is likeable: "You all like me, right?"

TJL · 03-31-2007, 08:07 PM

What goes around comes around.

Afterall, the judges put this guy into the contest to begin with. Now they have to suffer the consequences if the audience votes him to the top.

We'll see next season if they'll let some other novelty singer get past the preliminary auditions.

03-31-2007, 01:05 PM	#1
Ireneparalegal LEGAL SPICE ;) Forum Legend Join Date: Jul 25, 2005 Location: OXNARD, CA - WHERE THE DALLAS COWBOYS TRAIN & PRACTICE Posts: 38,691	Howard Stern: Killing American Idol Howard Stern Is Trying to Kill Your 'Idol' EDWARD WYATT LOS ANGELES (March 31) - For the last few years, three-quarters of the network television executives in Hollywood have tried to figure out how to derail "American Idol," the Fox juggernaut that dominates the prime-time ratings. Sanjaya is hardly the only 'Idol' contestant to fall flat when singing. Now Howard Stern, of all people, says he has found the way. For the last two weeks, Mr. Stern has been promoting a Web site created by a 24-year-old "American Idol" fan that encourages people to support the worst performer on the popular talent show. Their candidate has been Sanjaya Malakar, the off-key, lyric-fumbling, elaborately coiffed teenager who is perhaps the most talked-about "Idol" contestant ever. "We're corrupting the entire thing," Mr. Stern said on his Sirius Satellite Radio show Thursday, the day after Mr. Malakar secured a place in the top nine finalists. "All of us are routing 'American Idol.' It's so great. The No. 1 show in television and it's getting ruined." By promoting Mr. Malakar, Mr. Stern says, he hopes to turn the talent competition into a farce and destroy its popularity. The stakes of the battle are not insignificant, either for Fox or for the contestants. In its sixth season, "American Idol" has drawn an average of 32 million viewers each week, nearly 50 percent more than the next highest-rated show and better than the show has measured in any previous season. Some past winners of the competition have gone on to produce chart-topping singles and albums, including Kelly Clarkson , who won the first season, and Carrie Underwood, who won the fourth. Jennifer Hudson, who was eliminated in a late round during the show's third season, went on to win an Oscar for her performance in "Dreamgirls." Mr. Malakar, who at 17 looks like a 1970s pop star of the David Cassidy/Bobby Sherman/Andy Gibb variety, had been among the lowest two or three vote-getters in the first weeks of the season. But after Dave Della Terza, the founder of a Web site called votefortheworst.com, first appeared on Mr. Stern's radio show on March 20, Mr. Malakar has not been among the lowest vote-getters. ("Idol" does not release total vote tallies, but each week reveals which performers are in the bottom slots.) A number of those voting for Mr. Malakar may be genuine fans, many of them in the pre- and early-teenage brackets, to judge from posts on a number of Internet bulletin boards dedicated to the show. But the fans also include older women and Indian-Americans, and Mr. Malakar's progress is being tracked voraciously by Indian newspapers in both the United States and India. And they probably include executives at Fox, the television network that is riding "American Idol" to the top of the ratings. Mr. Malakar, who is from Federal Way, Wash., also has some prominent detractors, not least some of the show's judges. (Although the judges eliminate contestants in early rounds, results at the current stage of the show are determined solely by viewer votes.) Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued British judge who is one of the show's biggest draws, threatened to quit the show if Mr. Malakar wins. "I won't be back if he does," Mr. Cowell recently told the television show "Extra." Randy Jackson, another of the three "Idol" judges, responded to Mr. Malakar's recent performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" this way: "That song was almost unlistenable for me, man." A Fox spokeswoman declined to comment on Mr. Cowell's comment, but the network said in a statement that efforts like Mr. Stern's do not affect the results. "With 30 million votes every week, and hundreds of millions of votes over the season, the power of true fans of 'American Idol' dwarfs any attempt of people trying to gain notoriety," the statement said. "Despite the press coverage, these campaigns don't affect who moves forward in the competition." Mr. Stern, through a spokesman, declined to be interviewed for this article. Unlike Mr. Stern, Mr. Della Terza, a community college teacher near Chicago, said he did not want to destroy "Idol." "We're not out to take the show down," Mr. Della Terza said in a telephone interview. "We like the show. We want to keep around the guy we think is funny and corny." His aim, he said, was simply to spice up the show by toying with the results, keeping what he calls the "cheesiest" contestants on for as long as possible. In a recent interview on Mr. Stern's radio show, Mr. Della Terza said he understood that his efforts might be affecting contestants who are better singers. "Everyone tries to say we're crushing dreams with what we're doing, but we're trying to help Sanjaya's dreams," he said. "He wants to be the American Idol too." Ms. Hudson, coincidentally, was the first contestant to be recommended for support on votefortheworst.com, something that is not lost on Mr. Della Terza. "We picked her the first week because of her crazy outfits and over-the-top singing," he recalled. But she improved, and the site switched its recommendation to another contestant. Last year the site also picked Taylor Hicks, the eventual winner, as the worst performer when five competitors were left. "If we had not recommended him, maybe he wouldn't have won," Mr. Della Terza said. It is unclear how many voters have been influenced either by Mr. Stern or the Web site. Sirius has six million subscribers but does not release listener figures for its individual shows. According to Mr. Della Terza, votefortheworst.com had been receiving a million or so hits per "Idol" show this season; that number jumped to more than three million after his first appearance on Mr. Stern's show. Now, Mr. Della Terza said, the site will stay with Mr. Malakar for the duration, even though he thinks there is no chance he will win. (The bookmakers at bodog.com have placed 25-to-1 odds on Mr. Malakar's winning the competition; the favorite, Melinda Doolittle, is listed at 4-to-5.) "Even if by some miracle we get him to the final two," Mr. Della Terza said, "I think the rest of America will be so outraged by the possibility of him winning that they will vote against him."
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03-31-2007, 03:11 PM	#4
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Burn it down Howard... Burn it all down!!!
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03-31-2007, 06:43 PM	#8
TV DVD Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2005 Posts: 2,602	Sanjaya is one of the worst singers I've ever seen who called themself a "pro." While one side of my wants him off "Idol," there's another part of me that likes his personality and spirit. He's pretty cocky, but likeable in the kind of way that a lost puppy is likeable: "You all like me, right?"
	__________________ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Sarah Connor: Maybe if you spend your life hiding who you are, you might finally end up fooling yourself. - From the episode "Gnothi Seauton."

03-31-2007, 02:45 PM	#2
mriggles Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 25, 2005 Location: JERSEY Posts: 3,627	Irene I listen to stern everyday &he is a big fan of the show, but more powerful than his love for idol is his love to be in control & right now he is obviously having an influence on things. What I find interesting is this, a few weeks back sanjia was in the bottom 2 but was saved in the end, that week on the stern show very little talk was about idol & i am wondering if next week when Howard is on vacation if all of his listeners will remember to " please vote for Sanjia" .. should be interesting

03-31-2007, 08:07 PM	#9
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	What goes around comes around. Afterall, the judges put this guy into the contest to begin with. Now they have to suffer the consequences if the audience votes him to the top. We'll see next season if they'll let some other novelty singer get past the preliminary auditions.