http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532053/2...?headlines=true

The Problem with American Idol is the demographic has changed so drastically that people who watch the show now like the soul patrol of Taylor or the good looks of Kat. Kids are being forced to watch this with their parents now and 40yr olds are all about the watercooler talking about the Taylor song they heard last night. If AI wanted a tighter demographic they should lower the age limit and have stricter control through the elimination process and only put out there the contestants that would fit that demographic. Why not Nashville star does it, as well as most other reality TV shows. The finale has come down to 35-45 year old men who like Michael McDonald and like to see a semi chunky girl each week just to see if her sweater puppies will be heaving. Now they are good singers in their own right. Taylor would be my pick after Chris because I like his personality but I would not buy his CD. Kay, she just rubs me the wrong way. Where do I start? She has had vocal lessons since 2, she grew up in Sherman Oaks (not exactly the ghetto or suburbs), her dad has a lot of producer ties and he knows how to work the audience when the camera is on him. All in all, I think the show needs revamped or retooled. If Paula wasn't in the elimination process then some of this crazy talent wouldn't have gotten as far as it did. You remember the crazy guy with no shoes during the hollywood elimiations? I think that it is a good gesture that they have Chris singing with Live on wednesday since so many people wanted him in the finale. In the end AI is just a catapult to notiriety and what happens after that is talent and hard work. Something I think all the top 4 have but Chris has the most loyal and rabid following. Kat, Taylor, and Elliot I think would have a hard time on top40 radio. I see those three in adult contemp which is where this year's demographic pushed the show. If it was still in the context of the first season, then Chris would be the winner. Could you imagine if they had Nickelback as coaches for a rock night? I dont think that the Mike McDonald fans with their manboobies would have tuned in to vote for taylor or the single male divorcees and man haters for Kat. After all, Chris listened to what these older coaches had to say, then he made it young and enticing for my demographic (18-25 male). During the results show I also dvr it and skip through the singing fossil trying to plug an album for their retirement party.

The things I don't get is why people bash Kat for being "chunky" i mean geez if you call THAT chunky I'd hate to see what I'd be labeled and Taylor as being "old". I'm happy that neither of them conform to what society says you have to look like and are just themselves.

retract chunky for well suited for child production (she's got the hips)
no disrespect wife named misty

I have to agree with what this article is saying (although I do not think Kat is chunky by any means!) Idol has been appealing to an older audience that listens to Stevie Wonder and Michael McDonald. Don't get me wrong, yes, they are good artists, but my point is that in the real world of music/mtv Chris fits the best. Thats why he stood out so much. The top 4 all had talent and could sing but Chris is the only one I can even imagine seeing on mtv. Just my opinion.

I totally agree with this quote. I just wanted to say that it is "American Idol" not pop idol. If America wants the demographic to go to contemporary type music then that is where it goes.

Chris should have a won, this is very true! He was the best on there.

Well if it was contemporary type music then I don't think Chris should have won. If it was contemporary type then Kat and Taylor are exactly where they should be and Chris should have gone home sooner. It was the young "pop" as you refer to it or the knowledgable older crowd that kept Chris in it that long. Yeah, those two didnt conform and yes that is where America took the show, but the show went that way because AI wanted it to. They brought in the older crowd with all the older coaches. To widen their market share in the ratings slot to get more advertising money and more sponsers. Dont forget that this is a business and if talent comes in Chris and it is not in their business model especially for this season then that type of tragedy will occur because the people who should be watching are not. AI has turned into the drunk girl at the party everyone needs to point at and talk about. Hey Everyone! Look at me, look what I can do! Man I am sooooo drunk. Give me attention! Anyway you look at it, Chris was not right to win the competition and he will be better off because of it. AI will make the winner do a contemporary album due to the largly older adult voting pool. I know their are exceptions to this pool, but damn look who is still there and the songs and infuences they have. Dont kid yourselves. It is a launch pad for notiriety and that is what Chris got out of it. He will get a record deal pitch from AI though and they will market that towards HIS demographic. Whether he takes it or not, that is a matter of time will tell.

I hope I'm not going to upset some people. But honestly I think you are making too many assumptions and generalizations. You don't know who the voting demographic is. It's never recorded when the calls are made. I will let you know that my 7 year old daughter has been voting for Elliot and Taylor since day one. I was the one in my house who was voting for Chris. And I fall beyond your focus age of 25! So you just never know.
I love Chris. I had him pegged to win this thing. I was just as shocked as you did. But I'm not ready to call AI a sham and say it is fixed. I might as well stop watching all together if I'm going to believe that. And I'm not ready to stop watching.
Maybe, just maybe, Chris didn't get through because not ENOUGH people think like you and me. Maybe his fans became complacent and didn't pick up a phone. Who knows. But he's not going to win AI this year. Either Taylor or Katharine will. Let that be their destiny. And we need to stop blaming people. The best we can do now is move on like he has and continue to support him by purchasing his albums!

Ok Tiger, I know you think you've got this whole thing figured out, but I just wanted to correct you on something........I am 41 years old and I have NEVER stood around the water cooler discussing what Taylor sang. I am not into contemporary music and I would not buy a kat or Taylor CD. Most of my friends and co-workers are 40+ and we have all been CHRIS FANATICS since Day 1. I grew up on Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Metallica, etc. and now I am into Nickelback, Alter Bridge, Fuel and that kind of music. I have been listening to the Absent Element CD for 2 months straight. My friends and co-workers, some even in their 50's and 60's, voted their butts off for Chris and now could care less who wins. So, your theory about age is a little off base. I know of plenty of 40+ people who are waiting patiently for Chris's first cd and we'll all be fighting each other in line to be the first one to buy it.

Dude, just because you fit a description doesn't mean you commited the crime. I am a Taylor fan too, and there is nothing wrong with that, yeah I like Chris more but don't focus on my stereotypical outburst but the meat of the post. In generalities I was right on target. You can surmise the percentage of older voters is higher with Taylor than with Chris and vise versa. If I had said ALL voters for Taylor were old then you can call me out but their are thankfully exceptions. Thank you for being a person who has some iota of rock in them at that age though. If the rest of America had the upbringing you did and the like minded co-workers of yours then this wouldn't be an issue. Rock on. I don't think there is any question of how many fans Chris has, why the outcome came to be could be a lot of reasons. I don't own a cingular phone, so I dont get unlimited votes like they do, and I live in a small town so when I call in to vote the smaller phone exchange fills up quick and I get a busy signal. Although the larger exchange for the area appears to work fine which negates my vote. This happened to a lot of voters and to be true AI never really got all the votes that wanted to be counted. That is just the way the country's phone system is. Please dont reply anymore about my 7 year old this and my grandmother that voted this way because individual votes were not my point.