American Idol

November 8, 2010
Rushfield begins with an overview of producer Simon Fuller, whose 2001 U.K. launch of Pop Idol came to the States as American Idol on the Fox network. The show combined several key factors: viewer voting, the "audition from hell" process, and a panel of judges that included the abrasive "dasher of dreams," Simon Cowell, who received much press coverage as "Mr. Nasty." For the American version, Fox insisted on the affable Randy Jackson as a "counterweight" to the caustic Cowell. Amid unknowns, Paula Abdul began as "the show's real star," generating a "love/hate chemistry" with Cowell. Within months, 26 million viewers were tuning in. Going season by season, Rushfield covers top finalists and winners, backstage intrigues, record deals, media coverage, fan fiction, and Web sites, lawsuits, and contractual conflicts, as well as Abdul's antics and departure. Rushfield explores the lives of the finalists after the Idol tours, making for a poignant closing chapter. A former Los Angeles Times columnist, Rushfield spent three years covering the show, and his many interviews with the show's cast and crew provide a genuine "insider" flavor. Diehard fans will appreciate both the deep background material and the behind-the-scenes gossip.

November 15, 2010

A comprehensive, unfettered history of one of the most popular shows in TV history.

Vanity Fair contributing editor Rushfield (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost: A Memoir of Hampshire College at the Twilight of the '80s, 2009, etc.) demonstrates an uncanny ability to mix the distinctive history of American Idol with the show's intricate machinations and juicy backstage bits. It was enterprising British media mogul and Spice Girls longtime manager Simon Fuller who first envisioned an audition-based singing competition, while Fuller's fellow music producer, Nigel Lythgoe, brought the musical-group creation show Popstars over from New Zealand. Rushfield writes that Fuller, upon seeing his contemporary's program, began marketing another "very young contemporary pop show" called Pop Idol. Enter Simon Cowell, a hardworking, outspoken, longtime record-label executive who Fuller strongly encouraged to become the antagonistic judge on his new endeavor—even though Cowell had limited on-camera experience. With the show's immense success in Britain following its 2001 debut, Fuller and Cowell pitched the format to American TV networks. Fox chief Rupert Murdoch sealed the deal, and the stateside spinoff debuted in 2002, a splash of fresh material amid sluggish post-9/11 on-air programming. With Lythgoe producing, alongside judges Cowell, record exec Randy Jackson and singer/dancer Paula Abdul, the project soared despite an initial lukewarm media reception. Rushfield expertly condenses seasons one through nine with nary a detail overlooked, from newfound singing sensation Kelly Clarkson and troublemaking Nikki McKibbin to the spectacles of Clay Aiken, Sanjaya, Fantasia Barrino and Adam Lambert. The author also explores Cowell's trademark "verbal assaults," the infighting among the judges, varied controversies over Abdul's deterioration and certain episodes being "retaped." Rushfield overstuffs the final pages with play-by-play highlights, cast and crew opinions and personal perspectives from the great and not-so-great singers who braved the Idol stage.

A generous bird's-eye viewpoint of the competition from past to present—supreme fodder for Idol buffs.

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

January 1, 2011
The subtitle is not entirely accurate. A lot of this story has been told before, and devout fans of the popular television series might occasionally find themselves in familiar territory; for instance, the scandal surrounding the elimination of future Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and the conspiracy theory that sprang up after Ryan Seacrest accidentally misstated the vote margin between a winner and a runner-up. But Rushfield, an entertainment reporter whos covered the show since its inception, does spend time on some of the darker and less-publicized elements of the show, such as the way spontaneous remarks are sometimes scripted, how candid exchanges are reshot to alter dialogue, and the way the judges, by their on-air comments, can influence how viewers will vote. Ultimately, Rushfield presents American Idol pretty fairly, as a show that can be about genuine talent but can also be about audience manipulation and manufactured scandal. Should draw readers from among both fans and critics of the show.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)