American Idol: Same As It Ever Was

On last week's sixth season debut of American Idol, Simon Cowell dished out barbed insults, Paula Abdul appeared dazed and confused, and Randy Jackson said "dawg" a lot. In other words, business as usual.
Yet viewers, media critics and Rosie O'Donnell alike have since charged the judges with upping the meanness factor this season and making unnecessarily cruel remarks to the hapless hopefuls who come before them.
O'Donnell railed against the threesome on The View last week, after screening a clip in which Cowell compared a contestant to a "bush baby."

"Isn't that what America thinks is entertainment?" O'Donnell asked. "To make fun of someone's physical appearance and then when they leave the room laugh hysterically
at them—three millionaires, one probably intoxicated."
However, in an appearance at the Television Critics Association conference Saturday, Cowell, Jackson and Abdul denied that they have altered the formula that they have been using for the past five seasons.
"It's no different than it ever was," Jackson said. "It's what we do."
Cowell concurred, pointing out that anyone who auditions for the talent competition should be prepared for potential humiliation.
"If you don't want to hear that, don't show up," he said.
As for Abdul, for whom O'Donnell's dig about intoxication was clearly intended, she denied that her sometimes bizarre behavior on the show and in interviews was a result of drug or alcohol use.
"I've never been drunk. I'm not under the influence of anything," Abdul told the New York Times. "The first five years [on Idol] no one said anything about how I behaved or how I talked."
Of course, Abdul conveniently seemed to be forgetting that she previously defended herself against rumors of drug and alcohol use during season four, when she revealed that she suffered from a rare neurological disorder that causes chronic pain and apparently some unpredictable antics.
"It was time to set the record straight. I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything, no chemical dependency, nothing for recreational purposes," Abdul said in a 2005 interview with Entertainment Tonight, responding to rampant speculation about her behavior on the American Idol message boards.

With American Idol airing only once each year, it's possible that the months in between seasons give viewers (and Abdul) sufficient time to forget just how intense the show's criticism can be.
But according to Fox Entertainment President Peter Liguori, Idol's success is driven by its adherence to a proven formula.
"Let's face it, the show has been on the air six years, the judges have been critical for six years," he said Saturday.
And viewers keep tuning in for more. Last Tuesday's episode of American Idol drew a record audience of 37.3 million, while Wednesday's episode attracted 36.9 million.

The show returns Tuesday and Wednesday with segments from the auditions in Memphis and New York.