Australian Idol

The country boy should be through rather than Harry......seriously - he was great - just needed some help, styling, not too much really. But there seems to be a bit of an agenda with the judges. Most are ok - but the choices are really predictable. And the songs are either karaoke or 'who's dat?' Boring. Maybe I need a new sound system on my TV! Harry's touchdown was great and very musical, but the others could use some training! Meghan loves everyone in her teensy, tiny little girly voice. I don't normally like Kyle but he does say it as it is. Bit disappointing so far - hope it approves - love Idol and the format.

When Channel 10 hosted the show, each episode had some form of quality. There were several episodes per week, and we had quality time with the contestants and watching their learning curve, as well as the backing musicians.

Channel 7 has reduced it to one episode per week, and a laborious drag of a results show. We only see minimal interaction with the (very good) voice coach.

The backing musicians are awesome, it is unfortunate that we see nothing of them. It is they, who make the contestants shine.

Channel 10 would put the contestants through their paces, introducing styles outside their comfort zone. I always looked forward to the Big Band episode; many of the contestants had no real experience in that genre, yet most of them, when they performed in that style had the best musical experience of their life. Channel 7, the closest contestants had was a Judges Choice episode, where the judges choose 4 songs, for the contestant to select one.

There are only two meaningful judges. Harry Connick Jr, and Amy Shark. Meghan Trainor on occasion has helpful remarks, but her screaming throws her credibility out of the window. It was refreshing to have Marcia Hines return briefly. Kyle Sandilands is an enigma, most of the time he is a fool and brings the show down, yet on occasion, he can have the greatest insight. Harry Connick Jr is a real musician, he is really the most knowledgable. It's a shame though we haven't got an Australian as good.

Channel 7s revisioning is a train wreck. It may have the biggest live audience ever, it does not make it better. It's like they just want to get through to the end as quickly as possible, as cheaply as possible, much like their revisioning of Channel 10s Big Brother. (They wrecked that too). We are not seeing a journey, we can't see the contestants highs and lows along their journey, and most of all they are not pushed far outside their comfort zone. It is an insult to the contestants to rush them through and whittle them down as quickly as they have done in this new inferior format. Channel 7, you are an embarrassment.

Whats the big deal about Paulini and Guy, GO COSIMA! It's too easy if Paulini and Guy win, I think if Shannon and Cosima are the final two, the last episode will be interesting, not soo predictable!!

I was looking forward to the reboot in Australia of Australian Idol 2023 and then Kyle Sandilands opened his mouth and any connection with Australia went out the door. Why channel 7 would choose this person to be representative of Australia and know about talent is anyone's guess. It's as if the executives sat around the office and threw names in a hat to try and find the most obnoxious man in Australia purely to create drama where none exists. Why any aspiring singer would place their career in the hands of Sandilands is beyond me which is a shame as there is genuine talent on this show but no self respecting music executive is going to sign them after being associated with this show.. The less we see and hear of Sandilands the better Australia will be, just can't work out why people in TV and Radio haven't cottoned on.

Australian Idol is currently in it's second series and growing from strength to strength. With the appeal of a variety of song genres and a showcase of raw Australian talent, it is easy to see why this show is fast becoming a "must-see."

This year we've had genres such as Pop, R & B, Big Band (my personal favourite) and Australian- Made and of course the 60s, 70s and 80s. All of these genres have allowed us to realize the potential of these amazing performers (GO ANTHONY).

Not that this year hasn't had it's controversies. Few expected the departures of Daniel and Ricki-Lee in consecutive weeks earlier on in the season. Dicko also has had his fair share, announcing his planned departure as judge at the end of the series. All of the controversy, however, does not lessen the appeal of "Australian Idol", rather increasing it.

Overall, this year has been excellent, even better than last year.