American Idol

American Idol Buzz Meter
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Idol Talk: Hometown Pride
By Vera H-C Chan
Tue, February 19, 2008, 11:40 am PST

"American Idol" is back on the straight-singing express, and viewers may be in the mood to forgive last season's celebrity detour. Since the show's season premiere, searches on the talent contest have been equal to, if not higher than, what they were this time last year.
Each Top 24 hopeful has developed an online following. That's markedly different from season 6, when people were still enamored with the rejects. True, ousted Josiah Leming and Reynaldo Lapuz are still the most popular Season 7 contestants thus far: They each attract more buzz than former "Star Search" winner David Archuleta (who currently leads the Top 24 crop). But still.
The slideshow here ranks the contestants according to Buzz, but there may be another way to rank the newest darlings: hometown pride. The southern states tend to be traditional "Idol" Buzz territory, and this year's no exception, with Oklahoma leading the show's searches. Southern favoritism could portend well for Alaina Whitaker (Oklahoma), Alexandrea Lushington (Georgia), Colton David Berry (Virginia), as well as a handful of Texans (both Jasons) and the Hoosier contingent.
Ah, but beware the mendacity of such hope. Ultimately talent and likeability may trump parochialism in the final stretch, as Arizona native Jordin Sparks showed by breaking the southern stranglehold. Will voters help repeat history? We'll find out in the coming weeks. In the meantime, weigh in with your own "Idol" analysis.
Idol Talk: American Reject
By Vera H-C Chan
Thu, February 14, 2008, 03:29 pm PST

Shockers, leaks, and ringers—and "American Idol" hasn't even started the electoral process yet. This season's abbreviated Hollywood round cut down on both the drama and the onscreen bonding moments.
Next week, Fox viewers become voters, but some may already be disappointed with their choices. Amid the rush to find the "american idol 2008 top 24" (+942%), some like Carly Smithson and Michael Johns (who have had record deals) weren't surprises. The lachrymose Josiah Leming was another story: The early-on Search favorite impressed with his song choices, spurring searches "grace kelly lyrics" (+136%) and Brit artist Mika (aka Mica Penniman). Alas, the homeless hopeful got dumped. The shocking dismissal ricocheted him into the top 2,500 searches that day, ironically giving him the highest Buzz profile of the chosen 24.
As for the remaining talent pool, Ryan Seacrest harped all week about how strong the competitors were this time. "Idol" remains behind in ratings compared to last season, but buzz may be more forgiving: Unlike this same time last year, many individual singers are already sparking online interest. Stay tuned to see which contestants take the lead in Search.
Name That Tune
By Andrea Sandke
Wed, February 13, 2008, 09:08 pm PST
American Idol hopeful (and Australian national) Michael Johns dazzled judges with his Hollywood week performance of the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" (+335%), but he confused a few searchers as well. We spotted a flurry of requests Tuesday night for "bohemian rap city."
Are You Smarter Than an American Idol Judge?
By Andrea Sandke
Fri, February 01, 2008, 11:46 am PST

Still dubious about the value of pop culture juggernaut American Idol? Take comfort in the fact that Simon Cowell is helping to expand the vocabularies of Idol fans and contestants alike.
On Wednesday's episode, former American Juniors finalist Julie Dubela looked stumped when Simon described her performance of "Me and Bobby McGee" as "precocious" and "over-rehearsed." Precocious?! Cue the search spikes (+1300%). While Dubela tried extensively--and in vain--to convince the judges otherwise, more than a few searchers dipped into their online dictionaries to "define precocious" and seek "precocious definition." Perhaps these were the same viewers who needed to "define minx" when Simon called Kellie Pickler a "naughty little minx." Hey, at least he's getting them to the dictionary...
"Idol" Talk: A Reality Leader
By Vera H-C Chan
Wed, January 30, 2008, 03:30 pm PST

Whatever you may think about the auditions phase of "American Idol," the extended segment pretty much encompasses the entire reality TV universe. The Omaha tryouts had lady wrestlers (gladiator potential, anyone?), a forgetful Iowan who could've used "Don't Forget the Lyrics" host Wayne Brady by his side, and a Hollywood-bound ingenue who squealed she'd be the next "America's Top Model."
As January nears its wintry end and striking writers continue to leave viewers at the mercy of reality TV producers, "Idol" has fended off all newcomers and old-timers to claim the top Buzz spot among its ilk. Let us exult as we review the top 10 TV reality competition shows this month.
"American Idol" (Fox). The show's 40% Buzz margin makes the Fox program the clear leader. Of those who may have forgiven the singing contest for forgetting its true roots, the good people of Atlanta, Dallas, and Kansas (Missouri) led the queries. The show also attracts the widest age range, which may mean a generation of hopeful and/or delusional warblers for many seasons to come.

"The Biggest Loser: Couples" (NBC). If there's a chance to buy a franchise stake, do so: Online fans seek out the cookbook, workout, and recipes. Not many television programs dare to take on a New Year Day's crowd, but its successful January 1st season debut clearly fit into viewers' resolutions... at least to sit and watch other people sweat.

"American Gladiators" (NBC). The brawny supersized entrant takes the lead among the newcomers... hardly fair considering it rode in on so much nostalgia. Still, its debut success means a renewal, and the second season will lead in to the summer Olympics… a surreal tableau to be contemplated later. One of the few reality competitions popular among males—indeed, resoundingly so, with guys making 75% of searches.

"The Amazing Race" (CBS). The long-lived reality show still floats on dreamy goodwill from fans and critics that its hoary peer "Survivor" can only dream of having. For as long as the Emmy award for the category has existed, the CBS program has taken home awards for "Outstanding Reality-Competition Program." Searches have already popped for season 14 applications. Just don't forget to update your passport.

"Celebrity Apprentice" (NBC). This triumphant Trump return appealed most to New Yorkers, Phoenix, and Boston, although the sight of celebrities doing menial corporate work heartened every state (except Vermont, curiously). Working stiffs aged 35-54 lead the interest in boardroom antics with a charitable twist. Then again, it could be the draw of yet another Baldwin brother on primetime. Mebbe not.

"Rock of Love 2" (VH1). How many dating faceoffs gives the "winner" the chance to kiss off the prize, i.e., canoodling time with Poison lead singer Bret Michaels? Last season's victor Jes still pulls in buzz for showing reality TV cojones (and why somebody hasn't already put her in a faceoff with the indecisive "Bachelor" confounds us). The Search favorite this round is Megan Hauserman—the former Playboy model and "Beauty and the Geek" familiar, er, face.

"Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" (VH1). With celebrity news and blogs tracking every rehab in Hollywood, the concept was sickly overdue. Accordingly, searches ratcheted up an astounding 4,264% for the voyeuristic cable show, making it the fastest moving show this month. And yes, "Rehab" features yet another Baldwin, although shocked Search sympathy lay with Jeff Conaway and Ricco Rodriguez.

"Project Runway"(Bravo). Fueled by urbanites from New York, San Francisco, and Boston, the lookups for the behind-the-scenes fashion frenzy began long before the actual debut. It runs second only to "American Idol" in its teen allure, with 1 out of 10 searches coming from ages 13-17. Juicy news for fans: In a new show, the production team will be working with fashion kingpin Tyra Banks, in a "The Devil Wears Prada" with an "Apprentice" twist. All we can say is: Trump, watch out for a Tyra takeover.

"Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" (ABC). A shameless spinoff from successes like "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," the ABC incarnation takes an "Ultimate Fighter" approach to fancy footwork. Choreographers Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli school their own team of young'uns. Usually the women are the focus of Search inquiry, but in this round, Bruno's got the Buzz edge.

"Make Me a Supermodel" (Bravo). Squeaking into the top 10, the copycat has a long way to go before approaching the buzz of precessors such as "America's Next Top Model" and "Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency." In fact, the Tyra Banks vehicle pulls in 14 times as many searches as "Make Me," and it's not even on the air. Still, the Bravo venture offers a nice twist by mixing boys and girls together in the contest. Here's to equal-opportunity ogling on reality television.
What's the Buzz
Yahoo! tracks searches on past and present Idol contestants. Leaders are the contestants with the most searches for a given week while Movers are those with day-over-day increases.
For more detailed information, visit the Yahoo! Buzz FAQ.
Past Idol Contestants Leaders
Rank
Idol
Move
Score
1
Katharine McPhee
+115
151
2
Kelly Clarkson
+2
36
3
Carrie Underwood
+1
30
4
Chris Daughtry
-1
14
5
Fantasia
-
14
6
Elliott Yamin
-
8
7
Kellie Pickler
-
7
8
Jennifer Hudson
-
3
9
Taylor Hicks
-
2
10
Bucky Covington
-
1