Topic: American Idol

American Idol's PR Stumble

Even if you stopped tuning in to 'American Idol' after the unimpressive album sales of its recent winners began to give the show's title a slightly paradoxical quality, you most likely came across Paula Abdul's name in yesterday's ...READ»

Are Self-Publishing Companies "Cheating" by Removing the Hurdles to Get Your Books Published Faster?

Are self-publishing writers really “cheating,” or are they simply taking advantage of widespread changes taking place throughout the entertainment and business worlds. Check out... READ»

American Idol to Capture New Howard Stern Audience

From the on-air personality that brought Fart Man and has a tumultuous history with the FCC, Howard Stern is moving to prime time? American Idol is moving into its 8th season and adding a lightening rod personality like...READ»

Controlling the Conversation

Ever think about why American Idol is so popular? I have, and I suspect that it's because the program's very premise is that the viewers control the story line. More or less, that is. In reality, like a lot of other brands, American ...READ»

Controlling the Conversation

Ever think about why American Idol is so popular? I have, and I suspect that it's because the program's very premise is that the viewers control the story line. More or less, that is. In reality, like a lot of other brands, American ...READ»

Rock the Vote on American Idol

So here's a disclaimer: I'm not an American Idol fan. I actually believe American Idol brings out the worst in America and the worst Americans. But all this fuss about Sanjaya Malakar and whether he should or should not win the ...READ»

"Idol" Empire Shares Fortune

If you weren't one of the 30 million people that typically tune into "American Idol" every week, then maybe you will be pleasantly surprised to hear that the show's executives are giving back some of their good fortune. Finally. For ...READ»

American Idol Season 9

In its eighth season, the television juggernaut that is American Idol brought in an incredible $850 mil-lion in advertising revenue and attracted a Nielsen-topping 27 million viewers per episode. The bad news: Ad revenue was ...READ»

The Anti-Inventiveness of "American Inventors"

So, tonight is the premier of "American Inventor," brought to you by the zeitgeist-tappers responsible for "American Idol." Here, the reality TV aesthetic meets Ralph Waldo Emerson, who famously encouraged our national creative ...READ»

Deliberately Uninformed, Relentlessly So [a Rant]

Many people in the United States purchase one or fewer books every year. Many of those people have seen every single episode of "American Idol." There is clearly a correlation here.READ»

Innovation: Insurance Is No Laughing Matter

Is it me or has every big insurance company decided that the way to get new customers is to act like they can make a joke, or take one? I mean, how does a wacky insurance lady, green lizard, or a magically appearing "hot" agent sell ...READ»

Simon Says

OK, so I admit it. I'm an American Idol junkie (though not as much as I was two weeks ago, before my two favorites, Nadia and Anwar, got the boot). But when I rehash the show with the two or three other people in my age group who ...READ»

Judging Talent by Watching American Idol

Are you truly talented or are you putting on a show? READ»

American Idol Comes to Internet Ad Campaigns

Check out this site from Eurostar, the Channel Tunnel train. Now that consumers are collectively choosing the next pop star and the kind of wedding dress a bride should wear in her wedding (the Today Show's wedding stunts), why ...READ»

What Do Glenn Beck and American Idol Have In Common?

With consumer outrage at financial institutions egregious misconduct, there has been a renewed attitude about good vs. evil. This polarization has reflected in pop culture with such films as Monsters VS Aliens and web sensations like Red VS. Blue. However, the top TV shows of 2009 illustrate that it's more complicated than just black and white, good vs. evil -- everyone has their own winner. Increasingly, we want get behind "our guy or girl" and cheer them on. The Cheers and Jeers trend is about being passionate and getting behind people...READ»

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

Its funny how everything old is one day new again. Akin to the Johnny Carson days of old, television talk show hosts are communicating sponsors product information directly to their audience. As audiences continue to be battered and ...READ»

Where to advertise

I just spoke to a group of motorcycle dealers, and the number one question on their minds was "Where should I be investing my advertising dollars?" The first question you have to answer is: "Who do I want to talk ...READ»

American Idol and Dooce Give Power to the People

You’ve probably heard the news that American Idol garners more votes than the presidential election. While there are some factors to consider in this situation – age, number of times to vote, etc. – there’s something to be said about the power of choice given to audiences. Just a few decades ago, audience participation may have been considered yelling out to the TV, with no opportunity to give feedback or have any…READ»

The Office: Ratings Report

The incomparable Programming Insider, Marc Berman, at Mediaweek, has the overnight ratings: The Office won the 9:30 p.m. half-hour with a 9.7/14 in the overnights and a 5.0/13 among adults 18-49 (and a second-place 11.27 million ...READ»

LiveMansion: An Unfortunate Attempt at a Movie

Last night I went to an event hosted by Ckrush, an entertainment company, at Pressure Bar near Union Square. The company is developing a horror movie, LiveMansion: The Movie, using the American Idol model of doing business. While in ...READ»

Top Jobs 2010: How to Search Smarter

The fast-food industry is hiring, but don't go all American Beauty on us yet. The next decade is all about HOW you search, not where you search.READ»

• Top Jobs 2010
• Seven Radical Steps for Career Changers
• The (Home) Office

What to do with the parents

In many discussions with the experts on Generation Y, stories have come up about the mom who called her son's boss because her son got a bad performance review. Seriously? Alas, it is true. Gen-Y may be made up of young adults who ...READ»

Datebook

Critical calendar listings for February 2005.READ»

Anything's Possible Through Crowdsourced Corporate Donations

Well, sort of. As crowdsourced corporate giving becomes ubiquitous, Nancy Lublin offers tips to win those contests -- and the increasingly big bucks.READ»

Twitter Creator Jack Dorsey on Plane Crashes, the Ghost of Britney Spears, and the Difficulty of Defining Influence

If you're addicted to crafting the perfect 140 character tweet haiku, you can thank--or curse--Twitter creator Jack Dorsey. The former taxi, courier and emergency services dispatcher--and current Twitter chairman and CEO of credit card payment company Square--believes there's a universe in every tweet and that less can lead to so much more.READ»