http://www.forbes.com/celebrities/forbes/2008/0630/090.html

We got this in the mail earlier in the week but I had been meaning to post the link - in the hard-copy version there is a small picture of DC singing TOML after winning the show but not in the online version.

There were a few interesting things in the article - it talks about the agreement b/w Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell as far as proceeds and how Cowell is trying to convince FOX to open up the competition to people as young as 14. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the latter.

Anyways, thought you guys might be interested in this.

ah...that's because simon likes to say "precocious"

Neither am I.

Anyway, thanks for the link - strangely, when I read that article, I almost felt like I was reading Simon' autobiography "I Don't Mean To Be Rude But..." lol.

I personally think that they need 2 shows, a teen idol and American Idol. Change AI so that you have to be 18 or older and a high school graduate, teen idol can run during the summer and be the quest for the next Miley.

I like this idea. If this had been the format this past season, Archie would no doubt have been crowned American Teen Idol. I wonder how the absence of Archie from season 7 AI would have changed the dynamics of the competition.

I agree too with the concept of 2 shows. I think Simon risks alienating a good chunk of the AI audience if his goal is to be searching for the new Miley (aka, young pop star). I have nothing against potential young pop stars, but the age gap b/w 16 and 29 on the show currently seems large enough as it is! I don't see the harm in having a 14-year old wait 2 years before trying out for AI.

They tried some sort of AI Juniors show once, but it didn't go over well. But I think those kids were really young, like 10 or 12. Either way, I don't like the idea of reducing the AI age to 14 at all -- and I agree that they should raise it to 18 and/or finished with high school.

I agree that a person should be 18 to compete on the show. To me, 16 is already too young. Let the person finish high school first.

Jeannine

Not only that, but he misses the reason why Miley is such a big deal. She's a character on a TV show with a merchandising machine behind her. That stuff takes time to establish: you can't just pop it out in the three months you have before the public forgets about the Idol contestant. It is totally transitory and I think a lot of people in the music industry aren't thinking straight. Miley's success is so wound up in her persona that the odds are against her being able to mature into a real performer. She will probably be dried up by the time she's 18 and the aftermath won't be pretty.

The thing is if I recall correctly the first year the age limit WAS 14 and they raised it because the gruel and grind of the show was too much for the ultra young ones to handle.

Make it 18 - besides who the hell wants to peek in life at 16?

Or even better, make it 20.

I am glad to see so many are in agreement that they shouldn't lower age to 14.

I also agree that contestants should be 18 or finished high school...not sure if someone younger than that is ready for all that comes with competing and winning in American Idol .

Also, being under 18, requires more supervision as a contestant and I don't believe they are allowed to room with other contestants--which I think is part of the whole experience.

This was my one concern for Archie--even though I believed he was very talented-- he needed to mature a bit and gain some life experience to provide credibility to his music.

Having two separate shows would solve the problem--but then they would still might have a group of very young contestants.