The End Of An Era

           When I first saw the news that Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season I reacted as if some celebrity just died. Was that an overreaction? Well, yes it was. But Simon was always what separated American Idol from all the other talent shows on television. I think his presence on his show is even more important than the talent level of the contestants. When Simon was fully invested in the show, there was added drama for the audience to see whether the Real Judge echoed our own opinions on the couch. I’ll always remember the many times my mom exclaimed “That’s exactly what I said!” when Simon agreed with her. Can you remember the last time you were proud that Randy too thought a singer was pitchy? Or were you ever beaming with delight when Paula and you agreed that a singer’s dress looked fabulous? Simon served as a barometer for our own abilities to judge these singers. Sure we can argue about how everyone has their own musical opinion, but you have to admit that your opinion felt just a little more validated if Simon agreed with you.


             I’m sure Christina and I will do our list of favorite American Idol seasons soon, but if I had to choose the worst I’m pretty sure I would pick the last one. Although it had a better talent pool than the year Jordin Sparks won (season six), last season featured a Simon who was completely uninterested. After every episode I would complain about Simon’s performance as if he was my favorite baseball player hiding some sort of injury. When he wasn’t spending his screen time giving poor critiques, he was using it to play footsies with Paula. We expected this type of nonsense from the other judges but not Simon. He appeared distracted. The writing was on the wall. If there’s any good news from today’s announcement it’s that Simon should have a return to form. I think we’re in for a great season of American Idol because Simon will bring his A game. I think any singing competition show on a major network can find enough half-decent talent to keep an audience somewhat entertained. For it to become a phenomenon like American Idol, it needs an X-factor. Simon was that X-factor, and when he leaves so will the greatness of the show.