Is Broadway the American Idol Graveyard?

[DAME]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 12:28pm

Posted on tmz.
tmz

[keen on kean]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 12:33pm

Would these people have reached Broadway without AI? Would they even know what it was or where to find it? I don't watch AI but it seems to "create" names.

[DAME]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 12:36pm

No. We create names.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 12:37pm

What I love is that so often the judges use "You are TOO Broadway to be in this competition, as a criticism." I just think it's ironic that this is where they end up sometimes, lol.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 1:12pm

It's not a criticism in that context. I don't get what's wrong with saying you're "too Broadway" for a POP competition. If an opera singing 22-year-old went in there and they told her she was too classical, would you see the difference then? American Idol is not a Broadway competition, it's a competition for pop singers. It's categorical, not a put-down.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 1:20pm

Yes it is categorical, but Simon often says it as a criticism. I'm not saying he's not right, it is what could be seen as constructive criticism. But basically he uses it to let contestants know they don't fit the pop star formula.

[TheHumanTorch]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 2:02pm

he also uses it to mean anything too "over the top" and with too much vibrato...

[siny]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 2:20pm

What do you expect from a guy who can't even spell "discarded" ? That's West Coast "kulture" for you.

[DAME]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 3:31pm

I don't think he has said it once this season. But I never thought it was meant as a put down.

[misschung]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 4:06pm

"It's not a criticism in that context. I don't get what's wrong with saying you're "too Broadway" for a POP competition. If an opera singing 22-year-old went in there and they told her she was too classical, would you see the difference then? American Idol is not a Broadway competition, it's a competition for pop singers. It's categorical, not a put-down."

that's why I am suprised at how many ppl do go to Broadway from idol.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 4:23pm

I'm not sure why people are surprised that so many AI kids end up doing theatre. Some of them have been involved in musical theatre, either in high school or college, prior to their AI experience, e.g., Constantine Maroulis, Frenchie Davis, Diana DeGarmo, Katharine McPhee, Josh Strickland, Tamyra Gray, Lisa Tucker, Vanessa Olivarez. That, and the fact that most of the roles they've been cast in are roles which call for pop-sounding voices. They're not being cast as Christine in Phantom or Jean Valjean in Les Mis. Add to that the fact that AI is one of, if not THE most watched show on tv which will translate into ticket sales for Broadway shows and tours, in most cases, and it really isn't surprising at all.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 4:26pm

Some of the people also have strong musical theater backgrounds beofre they ever did Idol. I would not say people get "dumped" on Bway. Which is not a bad thing at all. I also agree that Simon when Simon says that he never means it as a bad thing just not right for their competition.

[ABoyLikeThat]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 5:12pm

I think it's also funny how many American Idol contestants have made it to Broadway and how people are now so much more willing to accept them. Things have certainly changed.

For instance, check this out.
Remember when Diana DeGarmo was cast as Maria in WSS in San Jose in 2005?

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 5:32pm

Cough-cough-Jennifer Hudson-cough-cough!!!!!!!!

[misschung]

Posted: 5/8/07 at 5:42pm

I guess I'm suprised that they end up on Broadway because, as you guys have mentioned, Simon does sometimes say that certain performers' voices are "too Broadway" - and he may not mean it in a negative way, but he does mean that its not the right 'sound' for the competition. I always thought Idol was geared more towards pop sounding singers who might not take to Broadway, whether or not they have done it in the past.

But I mean, the phrase getting "dumped" on Broadway is a little bit of a misnomer. I mean, how many people would love to be dumped in that scenario? lol

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/9/07 at 8:47pm

Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC is actually doing a piece on this tonight. I has not come on yet but is about to.

Updated On: 5/9/07 at 08:47 PM