Originally Posted By X-san ***I'm certain it will be successful*** I wouldn't be so sure...but I guess since this is a very popular "flavor of the month" right now it would make sense that it will be popular for a while. ***and it is exactly what the company should be doing*** Ugh. No, I wish they'd just build some cool new attractions the whole family can enjoy (like..rides, I mean).
Originally Posted By X-san ***X - you should see how hard it is to actually get into an American Idol audition - there is a lot more involved than what you see on TV.*** Oh, I have no doubt of that. I'm just thinking that, since Disney is actually advertising this as an "option" for this attraction, a lot of people might be disappointed when it ends up being as hardcore as it obviously is.
Originally Posted By Marty2111 My own indifference aside, I don't see the television formula translating over to theme park. On TV, in the early rounds viewers are shown a series of carefully screened contestants who are either train wrecks or potential winners. And viewers get to watch or record this at their leisure, one or two hours per week over a whole season. As the season goes on, they have become totally invested in the contest, largely because the producers make it into a storyline, revealing the contestants' personalities. And then there's the whole stinging criticism thing that I can't see being imported into a Disney atmosphere. In a theme park, I don't see how guests will become invested without commiting those hours, even if the show is heavily produced/screened/choreographed. We're talking about people wandering into a single show to see whoever might be performing at that time, right? Am I missing something here?
Originally Posted By danyoung >I wish they'd just build some cool new attractions the whole family can enjoy...< How can you say that the whole family won't enjoy this? Everyone in the family auditions, and junior gets onstage, while the rest of the family get to enjoy the performance and take a billion pictures from the audience. I can't see anything but a win for this attraction, despite the negativity from the online community.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 How can you say that the whole family won't enjoy this? Everyone in the family auditions, and junior gets onstage, while the rest of the family get to enjoy the performance and take a billion pictures from the audience. I can't see anything but a win for this attraction, despite the negativity from the online community.<< We are talking about maybe 10 to 15 performers max a day? SO in let's say each performer has 10 relatives with them, about 150 people impacted, while the rest of the audience doesn't give a crap. Yeah, I can see people spending there day watching complete strangers sing. Strangers who aren't even that good of singers to begin with.
Originally Posted By X-san ***How can you say that the whole family won't enjoy this? Everyone in the family auditions, and junior gets onstage, while the rest of the family get to enjoy the performance and take a billion pictures from the audience.*** I suppose I'd just rather ride a ride. Sorry. My bad. Anyway, sounds like not all that many "juniors" will make it onto the stage anyway...bummer. Plus, since even the *potential* auditionees are screened beforehand, it seems as though having the whole family "audition" is pretty unlikely (not any families *I've* ever seen anyway lol).
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Any word if they will have AA judges? I may go if they have an AA Paula have a meltdown and freak out while the AA Simon slams the singers with putdowns and slurs.
Originally Posted By X-san ***And then there's the whole stinging criticism thing that I can't see being imported into a Disney atmosphere.*** Good point. And part of the reason I disagree with Lee that the greatest possible goal for Disney could be to glob onto whatever fads are popular and give them a "disney spin"...some stuff just doesn't make that much sense for Disney and reality TV is surely a whole different level of entertainment (a level way, way down I mean). ***In a theme park, I don't see how guests will become invested without commiting those hours, even if the show is heavily produced/screened/choreographed. We're talking about people wandering into a single show to see whoever might be performing at that time, right?*** Well, I can only assume they'll make some kind of "big show" out of it for every group of guests who walk in. It won't be like walking into an empty theater and seeing whoever happens to be onstage auditioning, that's for sure!
Originally Posted By danyoung >We are talking about maybe 10 to 15 performers max a day?< I think your math is off. The tv show can run a dozen singers through in an hour, once they cut out all the bull of backstage interviews and chatting with the judges. If they do 5 shows a day, that's 60 performers. >I suppose I'd just rather ride a ride.< I'm absolutely with you there, X-san. But I don't have any problem with Disney taking a theater that's been freakin' rotting away for the last couple of years and putting a show in that won't cost much to produce but will give people another event to attend during their day at the Studios. I simply don't get the negativity here.
Originally Posted By Tiggirl Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck. I've hated this idea since the moment I first heard about it. But then I hate watching American Idol as well. Its just semi talented people, singing some songs I'm not interested in, to win a prize and put out a CD that I would never in a million years ever listen to and then never be heard from again. I just can't even imagine wasting my day at Disney World watching people try out to AUDITION for the show. Let alone wasting over 1/2 my day trying to audition. No thank you. Maybe there really is an audiance for this new "attraction" but no one I know falls into that audiance. ~Beth
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 I think your math is off. The tv show can run a dozen singers through in an hour, once they cut out all the bull of backstage interviews and chatting with the judges. If they do 5 shows a day, that's 60 performers<< I am guessing they will limit the show to 30 minutes, so I am guessing at most 3 or 4 singers per show times 4 shows = 16, plus the final show with the 4 individual winners. That is 16 people per day to get to sing, out of how many guests? Yeah, I can see alot of people having a problem with this especially if they made a trip specifically to sing.
Originally Posted By danyoung >...But then I hate watching American Idol as well. Its just semi talented people, singing some songs I'm not interested in...< Y'know, Tiggirl, I think yours is a legitimate point. Some folks just don't like the show, and thus won't like the park show. I was never a big fan of the Millionaire tv show, so the park versions didn't do too much for me. But I'm a big fan of AI (and most of the singers on this year's show were extremely talented!), and would enjoy seeing this show in the Studios, at least once. >I am guessing they will limit the show to 30 minutes, so I am guessing at most 3 or 4 singers per show times 4 shows...< We'll just have to disagree on this, amigo. I think the shows will be longer, and they will crank a bunch more people through than just 4 in 1/2 an hour. We'll see how it actually turns out.
Originally Posted By X-san I wonder what they'll do on extremely dead days in the park, when they might not even be able to round up enough willing participants to fill a show (you know the kind of day I'm talking about, where EVERY ride is a walk-on because of bad weather or whatever).
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 I wonder what they'll do on extremely dead days in the park, when they might not even be able to round up enough willing participants to fill a show (you know the kind of day I'm talking about, where EVERY ride is a walk-on because of bad weather or whatever).<< I am sure you will get the American Idol groupies who will audition every day, hoping at that one shot.
Originally Posted By danyoung They never had any trouble filling all the roles when it was Superstar Television. I imagine for Idol they'll just reduce their standards on the high days, and let in more so-so singers.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 I imagine for Idol they'll just reduce their standards on the high days, and let in more so-so singers.<< They are going to have to reduce their standards period. To get a dozen good contestants, American Idol has to audience tens of thousands of singers. In other words, we are going to be getting some pretty lousy singers for this show when they only have a small select audience. Unlike Lee, I don't think someone is going to make vacation plans just so they can audition for American Idol.
Originally Posted By Labuda Maybe not, William, but I'd put money on the fact that I'll be dragged in to see this net April when Eric and I are vacationing with some friends of ours who are under 28! lol
Originally Posted By danyoung William, it's basically going to be karaoke with higher production values. Odds are that on a daily basis you're not going to see the next Carrie Underwood or David Cook. But if Mommy & Daddy get to see their adorable teen get up on stage, or if old farts like me get a shot at singing to a captive audience, more's the fun.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I believe I've stated before that I think this a terrible idea ... another example of WalMarting of going for the LCD and leeching on like a pit bull on a kid's leg. But maybe I didn't in since I haven't spent much time here in '08. So, I guess I just said it. All of the criticism above I agree with, so I won't repeat. I have not watched more than 15 minutes of AI combined in all its years on FOX. Just not my thing at all. But what galls me the most is this idea that I'd somehow want to pay admission to a Disney theme park to watch the great ugly, fat, untalented blobs of tourists get up on stage and attempt to entertain (or more accurately, win a chance to audition for the real thing if they're in a very small demo that is.) I'm very good at observing. I see my fellow park goers. In Anaheim you might have some legit talent. In O-Town? Seriously. This is just lazy on so many fronts. First, instead of building attractions amongst its own properties (what I wouldn't give for a Lost or Desperate Housewives attraction or show) it's taking one from the competition. Then, it's all dependent on the guests. No AA's to build and operate. No entertainers to hire and pay. No show buildings and ride systems to engineer. Nope, just like parading the Heifer Family from Anytown USA down Main Street and calling it entertainment. Or having guests join in a parade wrapped in tutus. Maybe it'll entertain the masses and be huge. I don't think most people have the best taste these days, so anything's possible. But bad is bad and this is worse. (just don't tell Gary Buchanan)
Originally Posted By danyoung >But what galls me the most is this idea that I'd somehow want to pay admission to a Disney theme park to watch the great ugly, fat, untalented blobs of tourists get up on stage and attempt to entertain...< Yeah, we did the same thing for Superstar Television, and that bombed . . . oh wait, no it didnt. It lasted until the licensing ran out on the video clips. And every time I went, it played to packed houses. And did I once see the next Olivier or Hoffman? Nope - just sweaty tourists having fun onstage while their relatives and friends cheered them on. Don't get me wrong - I want to see the next E ticket AA loaded super boffo attraction just as much as the next guy. But getting an existing theater that's been sitting empty for years reworked into a new show for minimal cash outlay? I'm all for it! And I really find it interesting that those who are hollering loudest on this thread that this is a terrible idea also say that they've never watched the show. How can you possibly judge an event that you're not familiar with? Oh, yeah, I know how - "I don't need to watch the show to know that this is a terrible idea that will bomb bigtime". There's some fine logic for you . . .
