"Idol" Tour Not Caught on Film
It may be the biggest show on television, but even American Idol gets photo shy at times.
When the American Idols Live tour kicked off in Manchester, New Hampshire, last week, media outlets covering the concert were reportedly informed that any photos they wanted to run of the event would first have to be cleared by 19 Entertainment Limited, the record label managed by show producer Simon Fuller.
Refusing to bow to the restrictive policy, the New Hampshire Union Leader elected not to send a photographer to the concert or kick-off press conference. The paper instead ran an editor's note, explaining it would not be publishing any images of the concert because the "show's organizers made an unacceptable demand: the right to review and approve our news photos before publication."
Fans who attended a "meet and greet" with several of the Idol finalists were reportedly allowed to snap pictures, but were not allowed to stop and pose with the performers, nor to hand them cell phones. (Germs, doncha know.)
A Boston Globe reporter had a similar experience at the Worcester, Massachusetts, show, opining in his concert write-up that "the tour and its stars appear to be under a level of control normally reserved for presidential campaigns and Rolling Stones tours."
Again, tour officials demanded control over any images photographers wanted to use of the concert, and at least two outlets, including the Globe, reportedly refused and left, the paper reported.
Despite repeated requests for comment, 19 Entertainment has remained mum on why it would chose to enforce such strict guidelines over press coverage of the tour.
However, by the time the tour hit Albany, New York, on Tuesday, the photo policies had apparently been relaxed.
A reporter for the Albany Times Union who covered the tour confirmed that the only restriction imposed by tour officials related to which songs the photographer could shoot--standard procedure when it comes to concert coverage.
Pennsylvania's Patriot-News also did not report any restrictive policies and included a close-up shot of Idol winner Taylor Hicks in its online photo gallery of the tour.
Robert Thompson, the director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, didn't mince words when it came to offering an explanation on why 19 Entertainment might have attempted to control media coverage of the tour.
"Because they can," Thompson said in a telephone interview with E! Online.
"Every big publicity machine would like to be able to control the publicity that goes out," he added. "[American Idol] is such a controlled endeavor from soup to nuts."
As for why 19 Entertainment may have relaxed its initial photo policy, Thompson said Idol is likely cautious of making its stars seem inaccessible to the press and by extension, the general public.
"There's already a sense that they are packaged within an inch of their lives," he said. "You don't want your acts to appear as if they've been created by a formula."
The American Idols Live tour continues its travels across the nation through September. So far, reviews of the tour have been mixed, though fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry has received near universal praise.
One of the trek's biggest attractions, second-place finisher Katharine McPhee, has yet to join the tour after being sidelined by a nasty case of bronchitis and laryngitis.
Meanwhile, a whole new crop of Idol hopefuls are honing their vocal skills in preparation for auditions for the sixth season, which begin Aug. 8 in Los Angeles.
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