Songwriters Shift into "Idol"
Just when you thought American Idol couldn't get any bigger, the minds behind the ratings juggernaut went and added a new layer.
While a new crop of pop star hopefuls duke it out onstage next season, a parallel competition will be held for songwriters. Both pros and amateurs are welcome to submit work, and the winning song will be belted out by each of the top two finalists.
Depending on what producers have to work with, some of the top songwriting entries may end up being sung by other finalists, as well.
In the past, American Idol has called upon industry insiders to write songs such as Kelly Clarkson's number-one single "A Moment Like This," Fantasia Barrino's Billboard Award-winning "I Believe" and now Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud," which debuted at number one July 1 on the Billboard 100.
But now Idol creator Simon Fuller has decided to improve upon what he told the Los Angeles Times was the "thankless task" of penning a tune way ahead of time that might not be right for the finalist who ends up singing it.
That doesn't appear to have been a problem so far, however, at least in terms of commercial success.
Auditions for the sixth go-round of triumph, heartbreak and Cowellian barbs kick off Tuesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
No other details about the new leg of American Idol were available, but at the very least it's not likely to detract viewers from the Emmy-nominated series. More than 36 million people tuned in for the season five finale in May and the 2006 American Idols Live tour has become the most successful edition of the show's annual summer concert series--despite the three-week absence of runner-up Katharine McPhee while she battled bronchitis and laryngitis.
The 23-year-old L.A. native finally rejoined Hicks, Kellie Pickler and the rest of her fellow finalists onstage July 28 in Washington, D.C., following a photo opportunity with President Bush at the White House.
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