American Article

The world of television is full of ratings, drama and entertainment but in order to get those ratings it is required that the entertainment be at a suitable level.  Many people have heard for years that American Idol is the top rated show on television and in simple terms this just means that more people are tuning in to watch than any other show on television.  This means that the impact of the show doing poorly is honestly quite small in the overall scheme of things, but still requires some attention.

For years the hit show has commanded the top spot for ratings and combined with the pricy $700,000 ads for a mere 30 seconds has been one of the most profitable and popular shows on television.  Now at the conclusion of season 7 there is a significant drop in the ratings and many people are sitting around and asking exactly why the ratings are plunging and what can be done to change them.  In order to really understand how the ratings are being effected it should first be pointed out the American Idol has really enjoyed the top spot for years with very little competition.

For the 2008 season which was the most recent season 7 the lowest ratings that have been reported was a paltry 21.25 million.  This is still enormous but in terms to the opening show of the season on January 15 at 33.24 million viewers it is a substantial drop.  Watching as the ratings fall people are starting to wonder exactly where everyone is going, why is there no emotional attachment that is encouraging viewers to watch.  The answer is not simple, but there are several reasons why the viewership is down.

For the majority of shows the ratings are significantly lower, but American Idol in all of its infinite glory has captured the title as the most popular show on television.  The problems lately have occurred due to several problems.  With the writers’ strike that has caused numerous problems for other television shows many people started looking to new locations for entertainment.  This combined with many people feeling as if the newest season of American Idol was a fix due to the large number of seasoned professionals competing caused many people to abandon the show early on.

The show overall has still enjoyed a rather significant run as the top champion and the changes that are occurring in the ratings may seem substantial but in reality all it spells is that more people are looking to new shows for entertainment.  Those who love the show have absolutely nothing to worry about since the ratings are still enormous; the only worry is that Fox may have to adjust the prices that they charge for advertising.  In terms of still giving viewers plenty of entertainment the show still to this day delivers and for the one lucky finalist to emerge as the American Idol of the year there is the guarantee of receiving a vehicle from Ford, plus a recording contract and a change to have a huge music career.

Getting past all of the negative influences that are trying to say that the show is going under leaves people with plenty of reasons to tune in next year.  But with the ratings falling to a level that has not been seen since season 2, it is no doubt that the producers of the show will sit around trying to organize some new ways to shake up the industry in the attempt to bring all of the viewers back.  How successful the measures will be is still yet to be seen, however it is sure to be some pleasing changes that will leave thousands more auditioning to be part of the biggest show on television.  Searching for the next American Idol each year is often a thrilling time of year, and watching as someone goes from the small audition to the large star at the finale is always a true experience.

With so many extremely talented singers on the show, it was a wonder for many people exactly how Sanjaya managed to stay for so long.  The sheer fact was that the boy could really sing, this combined with their talent and skills enabled most people to eagerly support the young boy.  It was not until after a short period of time in the finals that it becomes rather obvious that Sanjaya simply was not interested in winning anymore.  Something deep inside changed and learning exactly how he was going to get out of the show is what started making things interesting.

In the beginning, people watched Sanjaya simply for the benefit of watching him sing and perform.  As everyone knows, people were all interested in his actual singing ability for the longest time.  After a brief period, it became less about his singing ability and much more on the outrageous hairstyles, and even strange outfits that he would choose to wear.  Somewhere along the line, the importance of his performances started shifting and the amazingly talented young boy turned into the joke of the show.  The overall Sanjaya incident was incredible for American Idol though.

If you consider all of the people that watched to vote for him because they remembered how great he was before, added together with all of the people who tuned in to watch him see what crazy antics he would pull for each episode it equaled up to an enormous ratings boost for Idol.  Sites like VoteForTheWorst.com also had a true field day with Sanjaya as well.  With continuous cries to keep Sanjaya around he managed to last for a very long time before finally receiving the boot.

If you were truly honest, you would have to admit that the young boy could sing.  However, watching performances that were less about his singing and more on his song selection, hairstyle and even clothes was much more entertaining for the audience.  Plus, his little quips back and forth with Simon and the other judges certainly helped to increase viewers as well while people were watching to see exactly what he would say to Simon next.

With an adorably lovable quality to him, his draw from teenage girls was instantly noticeable.  He seemed to be the easily approachable guy that they could all dream about.  This combined with his bad boy charm added to his appeal even more.  With all of his talent and his unique flair for extremely creative haircuts, it was obvious that Sanjaya was enjoying flirting with getting kicked off the show.  Regardless of what happened to change his mind about winning, it was a very fun ride watching him survive as long as he did.

The biggest downside to Sanjaya going so far into the competition was the truly talented contestants who did still want to win that took a hit for him.  While the adorable pony hawk style was extremely cute, I am sure those contestants thrown off for him to stay certainly would not find it so adorable.  As he proceeds on with his life, he has started to slip back into obscurity, and likely will stay there.  With very few options coming his way for a recording contract, it seems unlikely that you can go to a store and pick up a copy of his latest album.

As time goes on and the show continues, it is only a matter of time before a new season of American Idol finds a contestant like Sanjaya.  Full of life and talent, but for some reason decides to throw it all away and move in a much more unconventional direction.  With so many people trying to become the next American Idol, it is only a matter of time before someone else tries his tricks, we can only hope that they will manage to be just as entertaining and keep us excited and longing for more.  If time is any indication the show will have plenty of bad singers, so the rare singer who can actually make it but chooses to get kicked off is rare enough to once again draw the attention of the world.

With so many shows on television lately, it is often a wonder who is actually watching the shows.  Advertisers are obviously extremely concerned with who is watching a show because it impacts their advertising budget, but many times, it is important to realize who is actually watching the show for different reasons as well.  What you may not realize is that the actual viewers of the show can impact you in several ways.

The first way we have already touched on a bit, and that is because of advertises.  If you are watching a television show that is watched by mostly children you can expect to see a lot of toy commercials and even video game commercials.  This is because these types of items are what children live for.  How many kids do you know of that decide to beg their parents for a tomato plant?  What about a fabulous new home improvement project?  Most kids are more concerned with the latest in toys and that shows based on the commercials that are pushed during kid friendly shows.  While parents may not appreciate this advertising ploy it has proven extremely effective for most companies and will likely be used for a very long time.

In the case of American Idol, the type of people who are watching the show also tends to heavily reflect on who the winner will be.  Thanks to the success of shows like Nashville Star there are very few country music sensations coming from the American Idol camp.  However, you do on occasion have a country treasure to find, after all Carrie Underwood and a few other Idol rejects are doing extremely well in country music.  The personality of the viewers tends to show in the actual contestants.  Those who perform well in styles of music that the audience can connect with tend to stay on the show much longer.

Regardless of how it might not seem like the particulars of who is watching American Idol effects you in reality it is extremely important.  What could happen often is a dramatic shift in viewers, which can ultimately cause your favorite singer to be cast off to the side and replaced by someone who fits into the personality of the majority a bit better.  Of course, you can always hope to be on the majority side when it comes to selecting the perfect American Idol, but with changes and shifts in demographics, it is also possible that you could find yourself up against a whole cast of potential Idols that you are not interested in.

What might seem extremely confusing in terms of who is actually watching the show is actually quite simple.  Most people can agree, American Idol does really well with most viewers who are 40 and younger.  While the show does manage to pick up some viewers in the older categories, it is not anywhere near the numbers that they are used to seeing from the younger crowds.  This leaves many problems when it comes time to really decide which demographic is the top winner.  Most professionals tend to agree that American Idol has a very large following of viewers but the truth of who is watching the show is sometimes startling.

As one of the top shows on television, you may discover that your shrink, your doctor, your lawyer, your mechanic and your tennis coach all watch the show.  The overall diversity of viewers is one of the biggest attractions that pulls in advertisers.  Not only can companies advertise their products during the show, it is absolutely incredible the way the viewers are pulled from all ages, all careers and even all parts of the country.  Working to keep viewership up is certainly not easy, but American Idol has found the ultimate secret to success, and working with this success they continue to grow and develop new ideas for keeping viewers interested and also new contestants coming to the show year after year.

If you have ever stopped and watched the show, you have no doubt noticed that there are several people who manage to be extremely successful without actually winning the show.  With this in mind, how is it possible for people to ultimately be successful if they do not win?  Yet at the same time, there are several people who are capable of winning the show but yet never manage to find ultimate success.  The horrible reality is most people are not capable of finding true success on the show.

With so many people trying out for American Idol each year it is extremely important to locate the best talent in the country.  At times, this can be really easy to do, however on other occasions it can be much more complicated as people struggle to determine which contestants are really best.  With a large number of contestants, there are plenty of opportunities to learn exactly what it is that you are looking for in a musician.  Nevertheless, while we as viewers are afforded the ability to truly select what we want for the American Idol, it is much harder for the contestants to determine what they need to do to be truly successful.

For many idols, the dream of being truly successful is extremely hard to actually fulfill.  For other contestants it is something that is extremely easy to accomplish.  For example, contestants such as Chris Daughtry are capable of pulling the audience into their performances, which can make it extremely easy to go on to a truly successful recording contract.  As you have no doubt noticed, there are several former American Idol contestants who have been faced with extremely bad commercial success after winning the show.

One of the best examples of this is the small size of the careers of winners like Fantasia, Taylor Hicks and even Ruben Studdard.  While artists like Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and even Kelly Clarkson have gone onto astronomical success.  The newest winner, David Cook is just getting started after winning and it is unclear just how successful he will really be.  With a truly great appeal it is possible that he can go onto become the next Carrie Underwood, but he could turn out to be the next Taylor Hicks instead.

Regardless of which end of the spectrum each contestant falls, there is nothing at all that guarantees success. Of course, the show itself always takes pride on ensuring that at least the winner is offered a recording contract, however much beyond this is left to the actual contestant and the type of music that they select to pick out.  Many people might think that each of the winners will go onto huge success, but as prior indications have shown, this is sometimes far from the actual truth.

For the contestants who are lucky enough to find total success it is a great accomplishment.  However, it is very important that the other contestants not be ruled out as well.  There are often times when the contestants who do not actually win the show go on to be much better commercial success than the actual winners.  Just take a look at Season 5; while Taylor Hicks was the actual winner, Chris Daughtry has been much more successful.  This could even lead you to question whom ultimate won the show, while Taylor walked away with the number one position, Chris has walked away with awards, more money and much more commercial success.

Watching each contestant develop into someone that you are actually interested in watching grow professionally can be a lot of fun.  There are several times when it is lots of fun to watch the underdeveloped contestants grow into actual artists.  With plenty of opportunities to prove themselves, American Idol does allow plenty of great artists a perfect springboard for their musical career, how they choose to use their springboard varies, but after being sent home as a 4th place contestant I’m sure Chris Daughtry would agree that winning the actual contest is not all that matters.

With a lot of people trying out for American Idol each year it is rather obvious that only a few select people will manage to walk away with the actual title of American Idol.  This is not to say that looking to win is bad, after all it could be a lot of fun, but is the real winner of American Idol the actual winner?  It could always be argued after looking at the different contestants that those who are actually the “losers” of the show are in fact much more successful.  With this in mind we will look at the last few seasons and see who has truly been more successful the winner or the runner up.

Season one brought Kelly Clarkson as the winner and Justin Guarini as the runner up.  While Justin certainly played to the hearts of the teenage girls, in commercial terms Kelly Clarkson has been much more successful.  With this in mind, it is rather clear that she has emerged as the actual winner; not only of the title, but also the success for season one.

Season two brought to the world Clay Aiken as a runner up and Ruben Studdard as the Velvet Teddy Bear that won the show.  Out of the season two finalists, it is Clay Aiken that is better known in the media.  After several album releases, as well as a few stints on Broadway he has created a name for himself, rather than disappearing into oblivion.  Ruben Studdard on the other hand has been slowly disappearing from the public spotlight for a very long time.

Season three found both Fantasia Barrino and also Diana DeGarmo.  From the two contestants Fantasia is the one with more publicity, however most of the publicity surrounding her has to do with missed performances from her Broadway show The Color Purple.  Diana DeGarmo has disappeared from the spotlight completely.

Season four provided both Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood.  This was a season in which the best American Idol so far actually appeared.  While Bo Bice was praised as a top rocker, Carrie Underwood has emerged as a truly magnificent star in the country music field.  Winning over the hearts of millions of fans, she has become truly a darling of country music and found astronomical success.
Season five provided both Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee.   It is extremely important to understand that Taylor Hicks is so far the oldest contestant to actually win the show.  Katharine McPhee has so far disappeared back into the cracks, aside for a bit of brief publicity that surrounded her recent wedding.  Taylor Hicks himself has once again disappeared himself into cracks and is not in the public eye, nor catching much commercial success following his win.

Season six brought out the unique Blake Lewis as well as the young Jordin Sparks.  So far, Jordin’s career has been rising with the incredible success of a duet with Chris Brown.  Several other singles have appeared from her debut album.  While she has found some good success so far, it is still unclear how successful she will be ultimately, but she has found greater success than Blake Lewis.  While Blake was only a runner up for the season, he has provided a significantly different sound to the show.  While most contestants are quite boring, Blake Lewis has brought a unique sound that is completely unique for the entire show.

If you have ever watched the first episodes of a season you have no doubt sat around wondering exactly what someone was thinking when they picked out a song to sing.  If you have ever found yourself in this position and you are considering auditioning for the show then this gives you a good indication of what you should not do when it comes to picking out the right song for your audition.  While everyone is certainly free to select their own personal favorite song to audition with there are a few things that seem to apply pretty evenly all across the seasons when it comes to picking out the right song.

Your first cardinal sin is picking a song that is from someone considered a powerhouse.  This would include but is certainly not limited to singers like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and even Celine Dion.  If you hit the high notes and it does not sound perfect you will sound much more like a cat screaming.  It is extremely important to avoid songs from these artists as well because in all truthfulness, most people heavily compare contestants to the original and it is extremely hard to inject your own personality into the song without hurting yourself.  Each year there are dozens of contestants who pick songs from one of these artists and each year they are always sent home without going very far.

If you are gifted with incredible vocal range then be happy, but certainly do not take the initial audition as the perfect opportunity to show your range off.  If you are having an off day for some reason, it can bring your American Idol experience to a screeching halt before it ever begins.  If you are absolutely determined to sing a song from someone like Mariah, Whitney or Celine save it for Hollywood week when small mistakes will not cost you as greatly.  This will still allow you to show off your vocal skills, while still staying with a much safer song choice when it matters the most.

Another artist to avoid is Janis Joplin.  Regardless of what people think, she is not a singer that can be easily copied.  Most contestants who attempt a Janis Joplin song try too hard to copy her exact style, and it often ends badly.  If you are interested in showing off a song from someone like Janis Joplin, you need to work hard to turn it into something that sounds smooth and natural with your voice.  If you are just trying to completely copy the entire flow of the song you will likely fail.  Choose a different artist, or try to smooth out the song before you actually audition.

A final key piece of advice is always stick to selecting songs from an artist of the same gender.  There is nothing that makes the judges laugh more than hearing someone that is a guy singing a Madonna song.  However, the judges are not laughing in a positive way, they are much more likely to laugh over your singing attempt and consider you to be nothing more than a joke.  The simple fact of the matter is the original song is still in the minds of the judges and if you differ too far, it can hurt your audition no matter how brilliantly you sing it.  If you want to truly select a song from someone of a different gender make it your own and be certain that it is a unique version in order to have a good result from your audition.

While everyone loves to think that the show is only impacted by those viewers with the most honorable intentions each year it becomes more obvious that grassroots efforts from websites such as VotefortheWorst.com are making a substantial impact on the show.  Consider just a few short years ago when Sanjaya managed to hang around for so long.  Despite his best efforts to be kicked off he managed to stay around for weeks after he seemingly gave up trying to win.  In order to keep people around who are best for entertainment value and much less for their singing entertainment groups like VotefortheWorst.com have sprung up.

While there are quite likely more than a single group acting, VotefortheWorst.com has certainly drawn the greatest amount of attention.  While contestants try their hearts out each week to acquire the votes needed to stay on based on a great performances, the websites like Vote for the Worst are out to ensure that the worst performer stays around.  Each week the site selects a new contestant that they support.  This support is intended to both upset the producers of the show, but also sacrifice someone on the show who is extremely talented and otherwise would be able to stay around.

The show typically has to deal with outside sources such as this for a long time, with Vote for the Worst selecting a new contestant to support each week starting when the viewers are able to begin voting.  Typically, they will select a single contestant to support as long as they are around.  However, once that contestant goes home it is time to move onto someone else to support.  Sanjaya was one of the biggest contestants that drew the most attention and therefore also brought VotefortheWorst.com into the spotlight.

Operated as only a grassroots effort they simply request people to vote for the contestant that they select.  Typically, they also offer up a few reason why it will be fun to keep them around, but they also acknowledge that someone else with more talent will have to leave in order to keep their selected singer around.  If you find yourself in this position of being the chosen contestant of theirs then you could find your stay on the show extended by several weeks if not longer.  It is rather unfortunate that sites such as Vote for the Worst exist, but they do manage to provide a bit of entertainment.

We have to admit that as viewers you do not always want the most talented singers, these are not always the most entertaining contestants to watch and since we ourselves are not actually financing the recording contracts we want to watch someone that is interesting.  In order to maintain the entertainment value Vote for the Worst could be argued to be doing a service to the viewers.  By ensuring that the value of the show is about so much more than just selecting the best singer it requires the contestants to reach outside their comfort zones and look for new ways to connect with the audience in order to secure their place on the show for the subsequent week.  Contestants who fail to connect with the audience or win the support of VotefortheWorst.com quickly find themselves heading home to return to their normal lives quickly forgotten by the glittering lights and fame that American Idol brings.

With a large number of artists, emerging all around the world it is very important to stand out in the crowd.  It is even more important to stand out in the crowd when you are auditioning for a show like American Idol.  There has been one contestant lately who has done just that, after all do you really like to watch someone who seems exactly like every other musical artist that you have ever seen?  Most people like the idea of unique style, which is exactly where Blake Lewis excelled.  As a beat boxer he mixed together beat boxing and classical songs perfectly into a truly unique style that was all his own.

If you have ever stopped and watched the American Idol contestants, try to perform various covers of songs they all tend to sound a bit like the original.  This is something that is completely different about Blake, not only did he sound completely different than the original, in some ways he was better especially for younger listeners.  With the unique mixture of beat boxing and songs that he selected he was able to capture the attention of the audience, without going on stage with a totally wild hairstyle.

The overall draw of Blake Lewis aside from the great beat boxing style that he injected was a truly all American look.  As a young guy, he has a sweetness to his appearance that made him loveable to everyone regardless of age.  Adults, children and everyone in between loved Blake; he was considered a refreshing change on the show.  With the harsh blow of losing to Jordin Sparks, he was still fortune enough to release an album that was his own personal style, but you have to admit, he was able to really bring a personal style to each of his performances.

For example, when was the last time that you have heard an Bon Jovi song mixed with beat boxing?  The remixed version that Blake put together was not only completely unique from the original, but also still managed to show respect for the incredible success that Bon Jovi had with the song initially.  There was nothing at all that was terrible about the song, it was different, completely his own, and still gave proper respect and credit to the original.  This sole performance was a truly remarkable occurrence and allowed a large number of viewers to see Blake in a completely different light.

If you never liked the idea of beat boxing, you suddenly found yourself bouncing along to it.  It was taken from this strange “sound” and instead brought into the mainstream where it was thrust into the spotlight.  With a large number of people happily dancing around to his performances he managed to leave the audience with a truly memorable performance, which is something that every American Idol contestant strives for each day.  Of course, it is never easy to forge a path completely on your own, but Blake proved that not only did he have the courage to do it; he also had the skills necessary.  This combined together into a truly special performance every time he took the stage.

Giving top honors to Jordin Sparks was never easy, but he did it with style and with class.  He has gone on to be still to this day one of the most unique contestants ever to appear on the show, and while he did not win, nor find huge amounts of commercial success he is still a truly remarkable contestant.

With so many people looking to create a truly fabulous career for themselves in Hollywood there is a fresh batch of people each year auditioning.  This creates plenty of opportunity to really find the best talent, but what exactly does the magical gold ticket really give someone?  The majority of people who audition for the show will never see a ticket, but for those who do it is a perfect opportunity to try to prove themselves to the judges.  This can enable almost everyone the opportunity to show what they can really do.

Getting a gold ticket on television generally just means that you simply go in, sing well and do not make a fool out of yourself.  Obviously, for television purposes the entire audition process is typically pumped up a bit to make it much more dramatic.  Do you really think the judges sit around and listen to the entire crowd that shows up to audition?  The reality is that everyone who shows up to try out is broken down into groups and required to sing for someone else first.  A few of the contestants that are not as talented are always allowed through, after all this makes the perfect clip to add to the Worst Auditions show.  Just imagine who would be in trouble if someone has actually allowed William Hung to see the judges based simply on his singing skills alone.

The absolute best way to get involved in the entire process is to look towards the audition as a series of steps.  Most people understand and realize that it is very important to do their best.  However, for those occasions when the best simply is not good enough it can be entirely crushing.  For those who do manage to secure a gold ticket, the feeling of pure excitement is quite hard to contain.  Picking out a ticket and getting the chance to go to  Hollywood and prove actual singing ability means a lot of people are looking for new and exciting ways to get started auditioning.

For those who do get a gold ticket, the journey is far from over.  As you can imagine from watching the episodes on the show, Hollywood week is full of stress, excitement and anticipation.  Those who have what it takes to prove their singing ability usually find that Hollywood week is extremely exciting and thrilling.  Not having the ability to enjoy Hollywood week is typically those who received a ticket that are not as skilled and mature as the others.

Finding the perfect comfort zone and using all of the experience that you have gained as the perfect place to start leaves most singers looking eagerly towards proving themselves.  Taking advantage of the experience that American Idol can give you and putting all of that to work as effectively as possible is typically a huge help.  While most will only see Hollywood week once, there are still others who are capable of finding themselves attending Hollywood week more than a single time and loving every moment of it.

Enjoying the experience, taking the advice that is handed out and being willing to accept all of the experience as positive helps to typically set apart those who will truly be successful from those who are just buying their time until they are allowed to go home.  In the scheme of things, Hollywood week typically works to help set those that are amateurs apart from those who really have the potential to make it as the next American Idol.  The experiences that are gained can be a valuable asset for those looking to really be successful musicians.  Pulling upon the entire experience will allow most of the contestants to grow in a way that would not normally be possible during the same amount of time if it were not for the stage presence as well as other experiences that the contestants are exposed to.

With several seasons of American Idol already over and completed and the ratings starting to go downhill there are numerous questions about why exactly people tune into the show.  The truth of the matter is that everyone often has different reasons for tuning in.  Whether you are interested in watching the show because you have a love of music or a different reason there is likely something that you will find enjoyable.

If most people are downright honest with themselves, they will usually admit that one of the major reasons is to see exactly what Simon will say.  This is rather sad truthfully, but we are a cruel world.  We tend to enjoy watching someone else be ripped to shreds while we sit on the comfort of our couch and happily admit we are happy that it is not us being criticized like that.  However, in reality while some may hate on Simon Cowell badly, he really does know what he is talking about.  Plus, he hates those who show up and merely play around with the competition.

Looking past Simon and trying to focus on the less evil reasons to watch the show is seeing how each of the contestants tends to evolve.  Each week and they stand around in terror on the stage hoping they are safe they breathe a sigh of relief and go back to work improving.  This allows them to grow substantially from their very first audition up until the day that someone actually wins the competition.  If you have ever watched the show from the very beginning up until the end you have no doubt noticed that there is a significant difference. It just shows and proves to people hat it really is possible to improve and get better.

For those who are strictly watching the show for entertainment purposes you have to admit that they do get some awesome guest stars to work with the contestants.  Jennifer Lopez, Dolly Parton, and so many more have all graced the stage to work with the contestants to improve but also to perform.  This is a fabulous way to check out some of the newest material that the stars have to offer, but also see what they have to say about your favorite contestant.  Nevertheless, you can also see how each contestant handles the songs of the week as well.

For those moments when you are just feeling relaxed and peaceful it can be fun to sit around and watch the jokes that occur.  After all the cheesy Ford commercials, the banter between the judges and even the occasional attitude from a contestant is all perfectly coordinated to ensure the perfect entertainment event.  Looking at the show as something that is 100% serious is usually disappointing but you are sure to find someone that you want to root for.

Another reason to watch; let us face it, everyone on that stage started as an underdog at some point.  Well except for half of the season seven contestants who were already seasoned professionals.  It is a lot of fun to see these underdogs who would normally never stand a chance in Hollywood actually having a chance at a music career.  The mere idea of getting a fabulous career like that is incredible and can be described as a dream come true.  Watching the contestant that starts out all meek and quite turn into the ultimate American Idol right before your eyes is something that is truly special.  Most idols drastically change their appearance during the show, their style changes and they start to be much more confident.  In the end, you are spending all of your time rooting for them and running to the phone to vote as soon as the polls open.

While this might seem like a strange set of reasons to watch American Idol you have to admit that somewhere deep inside your heart, you fit into these reasons and methods as well.  Which reason is yours for watching is always a secret, but you are likely to have a few of your own.  The reasons rarely matter, but what does matter is watching someone be crowned the American Idol and knowing that you were a part of it.

For so many contestants it is a very upsetting time after the show ends.  Many contestants start to believe that they are going to fall into complete oblivion, but at the same time there are a large number of contestants who have failed who are able to go onto create a truly wonderful career.  In order to actually discover who has been successful following American Idol it is extremely important that you take some time to really look over all of the contestants and see who has been successful following the show, and who has not.

The majority of the contestants who make it into the top few places of the show tend to be offered some sort of recording contract.  It is important to realize that not all contestants who are offered a contract are actually successful though.  Simply being offered a contract is not a guarantee of success, and this is where many people tend to slip.  The idea seems to be that once a recording contract is offered, the hard work ends.  In fact, this is the moment when it just gets started.  For the majority of musicians it is critical to understand that not only is the contestant up against the other recent American Idol contestants, they are also then up against the seasoned professionals who make their living using their vocal talents.

The true test for the contestants is when they are up against all of the other professionals in the music industry and determine exactly how they are going to ensure that they stay relevant.  What most American Idol contestants do not realize is that hard work and dedication is simply not enough.  It is very important to create music that people actually want to hear.  It is also important to actually make music that you are interested in though, this means it is very important to balance these creative desires.

There are several failed American Idols who have done very well for themselves following the show.  The first that tends to come to mind is Chris Daughtry, this is the biggest success simply because of the fact that he went on with his band to create major success.  Additional huge successes come from people such as Jennifer Hudson who has gone on to a career in film, while picking up an Academy Award for her performance in Dreamgirls.

Trying to predict the success of an American Idol contestant is never easy, however taking the time to actually connect with the audience is a key ingredient of success.  At the same time, though it is absolutely critical to take some time and really start looking at all of the musical inspirations that each musician has.  If you are looking to create a true connection with your audience, it is very important to tune into the whims and desires of the crowd.  For many this is extremely hard to do, and for others it is even more difficult to do.

As you watch each season of American Idol, you have no doubt seen several different artists that you are interested in watching create a special career.  Working on a separate CD is not something that all contestants are suitable for.  However, it is possible for many of the contestants to create a truly unique album if they are given the opportunity.  The important consideration is the fact that most people simply do not have the time, or the resources that would allow them to actually create a spectacular album.

Pulling for the contestant that you are interested in is very important, because as everyone knows it is critical to ensure that your favorite contestant receives the recording contract.  Typically speaking, it is known that those contestants who are extremely popular are much more likely to actually receive a contract over those contestants that are just merely tolerated by the viewers.  It is extremely important to ensure that your favorite contestant goes as far as you would like, which means showing your full support.  While most people are fully aware that it is difficult to obtain a recording contract having huge amounts of support is always a great assistance for the contestant that you have chosen.

The two American Idol contestants who have gone onto the greatest commercial success so far are Chris Daughtry and also Carrie Underwood.  With Carrie emerging in season four and Chris appearing in season five they came at separate times and have left a huge impression on the music industry.  The entertainment that these two artists have provided on the music industry goes far beyond American Idol and has broken out into the mainstream.  Watching the success of Chris and Carrie goes to show that American Idol really is capable of finding great stars, however it does still require a great amount of hard work.

While the spotlight is typically on the winners such as Carrie Underwood and the other six American Idol winners there are other who are cast off from the show quickly that find themselves in the middle of a very successful career.  Chris Daughtry is certainly not the first contestant to find himself losing the competition but still given a recording contract, but he is certainly one of the most successful.  His fourth place finish in the show found many of his fans believing that he would never go anywhere.  However, after he was cast off from the show, he found himself with a recording contract from 19 Entertainment.

Carrie Underwood has taken the start that she received from American Idol and turned it into an enormous success.  While many people might not be able to list off all of the American Idol contestants they are usually quite aware of exactly who Carrie Underwood is.  While she received her start on the show and demonstrated a capacity for several different musical styles, she has proven time and time again that she is much better at country music and that is her comfort zone as well.

Upon finishing the show her first album took her to astronomical success and has been followed up by several additional albums that have all performed well on the charts and in sales.  The draw of Carrie Underwood has been the fact that she is extremely likeable to a wide variety of fans, while her primary draw is the country music world, which provides her with some very strong support.

Pulling herself to the incredible success that she has found Carrie has sold more than 12 million records so far.  After being predicted as the winner of the competition, judge Simon Cowell also went so far as to predict that she would outsell any other contestants as well.  To this day, Simon has been correct in his assessment of her talents and she has in fact outsold all other contestants.

As you can just imagine, there is great amounts of success awaiting contestants if they are determined to prove themselves.  Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry have both proven that using American Idol as a start to a musical career really is possible if you have the determination to make it work.  There is nothing that the idol contestants cannot do if they really put themselves to it.  Those that dream big are usually rewarded if they pursue their dreams.  The contestants who are not determined to make it big will generally slip back into the darkness while the few stars of the show continue to rise above everything and make an incredible name for themselves.