American Idol, one of the highest rated and most impactful shows in the History of American Television is a reality show which hunts for a new solo singing talent. The show debuted in 2002 on Fox Network. Despite covering 9 seasons, this show hasn’t lost its charm or its viewers and continues to dominate all other television programs and be number one for the last six consecutive seasons.
The age limit for the participants in American Idol till the last season was 16-28, but has now be lowered by the producers to 15 for all the future seasons. “A lot of young, talented people are now seeking careers and representation before they turn 16, lowering the age limit allows us to tap into this talent pool” said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, executive producer of the show.
Auditions for the 10th season of the show are scheduled to begin on July 17th and will be held in six cities in the US. However the shortlisted participants will get to perform in front of the judges of the show not before September.
Lowering the entry level age is not being accepted well by critics and a lot of viewers. Most feel the show is trying desperate measures to re-vamp itself, since its ratings have begun to come down a bit and also because it has lost its main judge Simon Cowell.
Child star Paul Petersen, founder of the child advocacy group “A Minor Consideration, says “adults have a hard enough time handling rejection and criticism, but children are not prepared for it.”According to him ‘unrealistic expectations’ that come with fame can later lead to self-destructive behaviour and hence parents must wait at least till the time their children graduate from high school before exposing them to such environments.
Considering that out of the show’s 9 seasons, only one season saw a teenage winner , lowering the age limit down further does seem unreasonable, But then the likes of Justin Biber became famous at the age of 15 , so why deprive other talented teenagers like him of the opportunity to fame.
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