Staff Writer
Many TV shows, on nearly every channel, involve
singing. Some of them consist of judges eliminating the competition, while
others have famous musicians come and mentor unknown prodigies. With new shows
starting off well, and older ones still going strong, how do you decide which
ones to watch?
On FOX two major shows compete for the
most ratings. We all know of American
Idol. After going strong for 11 seasons, it will be starting its 12th
in January 2013. The show continues its format of holding auditions in cities
across the country and narrowing it down to just one soloist in 20 weeks. It
began in 2002 with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. In 2009
Paula Abdul left, then in 2010 Simon Cowell followed. Since then, the judging
panel has seen many different faces including Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres,
Steven Tyler, and Jennifer Lopez. The judges this year will be Randy Jackson,
Keith Ubran, Nicki Minaj, and Mariah Carey. For eight years, Idol has been the
most watched show in America, and throughout the 11 seasons it has delivered very
popular and talented musicians such as Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and
Scotty McCreery.
The latest show on FOX that has everyone
buzzing is The X Factor. Created by
Simon Cowell, The X Factor is a musical sensation. Originating in the United Kingdom
it’s responsible for the amazing Leona Lewis and the boy band phenomenon One
Direction. Many countries have their own version of the show, and America
recently joined the group. New judges and mentors Demi Lovato and Brittany
Spears will be alongside Cowell and L.A. Reed. The X Factor is different
because the contestants have the opportunity to be mentored by one of the
judges. The contestants vary in age, style, and solo or group acts. The prize
is a $5 million record contract with Sony Music entertainment.
Starting off with blind auditions, The Voice, on NBC, seems to be a new and
fresh view of singing. The show features Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, Blake
Shelton, and Cee Lo Green with their backs toward the stage waiting for the
voice that will make their team stronger. Once they turn their chair around the
contestant is able to pick the judge they want to be mentored by. After twelve
people on each team are picked, the judges decide who will sing against whom to
narrow down the teams. The winner gets $100,000 and a record deal with
Universal Republic Records. As for the judges… they get bragging rights.
Duets, on ABC, featuring Kelly Clarkson,
Jennifer Nettles, John Legend, and Robin Thicke is a hit. Each of the mentors searches
across the country for two singers to perform with them in front of a studio
audience. The mentors help them choose what songs would be best for their
voices and what the stage set up should be. Week to week the contestants are
judged by the audience, and if they are in the bottom two, the contestants face
off, and the loser is eliminated. After six weeks, they perform live and the
judges base their vote on the outcome of the entire episode. The winner gets a
recording contract with Hollywood Records.
In The
Next, on the CW, four mentors (Gloria Estefan, Joe Jonas, Nelly, and John
Rich) search for local up-and-coming musicians for a chance to be part of a
huge performance. They only have 72 hours to prepare with their mentor. After
the three days, the contestants go head to head at a popular local venue. The
audience is full of family, friends, and hundreds of fans from their hometown.
The one winner will then proceed to the semi-finals to represent their city.
The newest show for E! News is Opening Act. Producer Nigel Lythgoe and
his team of experts, Martina McBride, Jason Derulo, Lyle Dohl, Pete Wentz, Nick
Cooper (vocal coach), Antonina Armato (record producer), and host Olivia Lee
search the internet to find amateurs to be the opening acts for concerts by
some of the biggest names in music today. Lee sets out to meet the selected
artist’s hometown and brings them to Los Angeles to perform in front of
Lythgoe, Cooper, and Armato to see where they can improve. Only having five
days to prepare, the hopefuls go through a rough boot camp in order to be ready
on time. Can they take the pressure?
