Rule #18 – American doesn’t want “groomed” stars…

So, you see Idol wanna-bees…here’s the thing.  If you’ve been doing musical theater all your life, we don’t want you.  If you’ve cut albums on second rate labels in the past, we don’t want you.  If you’ve had personal voice coaches since you could walk, we don’t want you.  If you’ve been groomed by your [...]

Rule #16 Don’t mmmm….uhh….forget the lyrics

Seriously…this is your chance to become a star. You have one chance to get it right. Don’t forget the words to the song! Chances are that you are singing a classic of some kind anyway. It is not too much to ask that you know the lyrics on stage. Put the song on your iPod…glue [...]

Rule #14 – Know the difference between “unique” and “memorable”

A lot of contestants make the mistake of trying too hard to be “unique”. What they don’t understand is the huge difference between “unique” and “memorable”.
For example, Sanjaya was unique. The problem was that the only thing that made him unique was a wacky hair-do. At the end of the day, no [...]

Rule #12 – Your favorite song isn’t our favorite song

Just because a song is your favorite song of all time, doesn’t make it a good song choice for you. If it doesn’t showcase your vocal talent it’s not a good song choice. See Rule #9 for more clarification.

Rule #11 – We’ll just see what America thinks

If you get a bad critique from the judges (especially Simon) when you think you did great, do not under any circumstances look out at the studio audience and say “we’ll just see what America thinks.”
Despite the rousing round of applause you will get from the studio audience for defying Simon, most of America at [...]

Rule #10 – Uncomfortable song breaks

Don’t pick a song that has long instrumental breaks, say more than 5 seconds. You’ll end up trying to fill the space with a bunch of oohs, ahhs, and oh-yeahs. Or worse yet, you’ll try doing some silly dance move that you have no right doing and end up looking like a moron.

Rule # 9 – Song choice, song choice, song choice!

If you are considering singing “Somewhere over the rainbow”, “Unchained Melody”, or “Amazing Grace” force yourself to pick a different song. We’ve heard them before. We’ve heard them belted out by winners and divas. We’ve heard them sung better than you can sing them. We don’t want to hear them again.
Song [...]

Rule #8 – When it comes to A.I. history does not repeat

Never sing something that was performed by a past winner. You can’t top Kelly Clarkson’s winning performance of “A moment like this” with the fireworks in the background and the raw emotion. So don’t try. Stick to something that won’t get you compared to a previous champion.

Rule #5 – Enough with gestures that mimic the lyrics

Please don’t feel you need to put your hand over your heart just because the lyrics in the song contain the word “love”. It’s been overdone and you don’t look original doing it.
We know what the lyrics are without you pointing out your anatomical references.

Rule #2 – It’s just a stage

Whatever you do, don’t follow the camera as it pans past you. If the director wants you to look at the camera he’ll plant it square in front of you.
While we’re talking about the camera…puh-leese don’t give the camera a single eye *wink* as you finish your song.