Book Review: Richard Rushfield's 'American Idol: The Untold Story'
Even devoted fans are sure to learn new things from this 'Idol' tome
Brian Dunkleman and Ryan Seacrest in a picture from the first season of American Idol
Credit: FOX
I know a lot about "American Idol."
When you consider the eight seasons of regular recaps (two or three per week), the steady stream of reliably banal conference calls with eliminated contestants, the glitzy and substance-free "Idol" premiere parties and even the periodic attendance at live tapings, my spring immersion in "American Idol" is all-encompassing. I can toss out a punchline involving Scotty Savol or Lashundra "Trenyce" Cobbins or Noel & Jesus Roman with a speed that would make your head spin.
That's a preamble to this point that I'm all-too-happy to admit: For all that I've gleaned about "American Idol," Richard Rushfield has forgotten (or been sworn to secrecy) about more "Idol" minutiae than I'll ever know.
In preparation for Wednesday's (Jan. 19) 10th season premiere of "American Idol," I burrowed into Rushfield's new book, "American Idol: The Untold Story," which proves to be a strong encapsulation of the first chapter in the life of FOX's runaway hit, a period that might as well be known as The Simon Years.
I don't often get the chance to do book reviews, so click through for some thoughts on "American Idol: The Untold Story."
"American Idol: The Untold Story" actually begins before "American Idol" was even a glint in FOX's eye, setting the table by introducing us to a young Simon Fuller and charting the genesis of 19 Entertainment and the British beginnings of "Pop Stars" and "Pop Idol." Rushfield takes care to introduce us to key figures like Nigel Lythgoe and, of course, Simon Cowell on their home turf and the 267-page tome is 40 pages in before we travel Across the Pond to meet enterprising FOX executives like Mike Darnell and Preston Beckman.
This is where Rushfield's research and history are at their best. His description of the negotiations and compromises that brought "American Idol" to the air in the summer of 2002 is thorough and packed with either new information, or familiar information expanded in depth. How did "Idol" end up on FOX? How were the judges chosen? How did those first auditions play out? What format changes were suggested from the British version? What were the early interactions between Simon and Paula like? True "Idol" fans know the answers to some of these questions, but not with this much attention to detail. Rushfield's insight continues through the first season, where he's gifted with solid interview access from principles like Justin Guarini, RJ Helton and Nikki McKibbin.
Most of this early section was new to me, even if I was disappointed not to see "From Justin to Kelly" covered in any way.
Nobody would quibble that birth and first year of "Idol" were the show's most important, but some Johnny-come-lately fans will wonder how eight season of "Idol" came to be squished into the second half of the book, with more than a few popular or interesting performers failing to get even a passing mention, much less the sort of loving treatment accorded to a McKibbin.
After the Season One coverage, Rushfield's approach becomes a little fragmented, which proves to be both a positive and negative in fulfilling the mandate of the "Untold Story" piece of the book's title.
It all comes down to access and, I suppose, desire (or ability) to dig deeply into the dirtier aspects of the "American Idol" underbelly.
Rushfield has substantive, detailed and exclusive chapters on the dismissal of Brian Dunkleman, the rise of the Vote For The Worst website (while simultaneously questioning its power) and the key of one fundamentalist Christian ministry in recent "Idol" seasons. He also has impressive detail on the contract negotiations that led to Paula Abdul's departure and appealing catty insight into Kara DioGuardi's difficulties fitting in as a judge. The power struggles between Cowell, Fuller and Lythgoe are well documented, giving each man credit for what he brought to the "Idol" table over the years.
But when it comes to other scandals, Rushfield either has no additional information or has chosen to keep what he knows under wraps. If you're looking for new insight into the Corey Clark/Paula scandal, for example, there are none to be found. Looking for perspective on Frenchie Davis' dismissal and the subsequent decisions to keep other scandal-plagued contestants? Very little. If you're curious about the circumstances surrounding Mario Vasquez's abrupt "Idol" departure, I'm pretty sure that his name isn't even mentioned in the book. And if you're a conspiracy lover seeking validation for any of your "Idol" Vote Rigging Theories, Rushfield laughs off every one, with increasing brevity. It's impressive, in fact, how many primary source quotes Rushfield has for the cleaner and prettier aspects of "American Idol" history and how totally those sources vanish when the bigger scandals arise.
The formal and positive history of "Idol" comes equipped with the big-name quotes and formal citations, but the tawdrier details are accompanied by a more tabloid-y level of reporting. McKibbin, for example, accuses Cowell of an icky bit of sexual harassment, but not only does Simon (interviewed many years later) not remember the incident, but similar accusations aren't brought up by any other contestant, making it impossible to know if this was a serial behavior, a strange and isolated incident or a total fabrication. An alleged love triangle between Kelly Clarkson, Tamyra Gray and Justin Guarini may well have occurred, but Rushfield's only supporting evidence is a totally generic lyric in a song written by Gray and Clarkson. Several prominent contestants -- including Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks -- weren't on Rushfield's Rolodex, barely get any page-time and yet are thrown under the bus by anonymous backstage forces who tell Rushfield what "the crew" thought of them, always in unflattering terms.
On a purely nitpicky level, the book feels rushed and suffers from scattershot editing. There are semi-frequent typos (little things like "bawled/balled" errors) and factual errors that speak to a desire to get the the book on shelves by January, rather than to crafting a clean text. Like when Lythgoe says of Kelly Clarkson, "And then she did some stuff like that there, a big band number," I know that Rushfield knows Lythgoe is referring to Clarkson's performance of "Stuff Like That There," even if his editor didn't.
There are also countless redundancies within Rushfield's effusive prose that could have been finessed with a more eagle eye. For example, hyperbole is one of the most effective tools of Rushfield's trade, but a thesaurus might come in handy when you're referring to David Cook as "sultry" twice in two pages.
Most readers aren't going to quibble over repeated florid adjectives or whether or not Fantasia Barrino was in the original Broadway cast of "The Color Purple," nor will most readers be irritated by Rushfield's trope mocking journalists for misreporting any and every "Idol"-based story.
Most readers will be looking for a fast-paced, entertaining read that reminds them of the things they've loved about "American Idol" and adds new information and insight to the saga. On that front, "The Untold Story" mostly succeeds.
[Editor's Note: Richard Rushfield is a current member of HitFix's board of directors.]
"American Idol" returns on Wednesday (Jan. 19) night.
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At the dawn of the 21st Century, Daniel Fienberg came out to Los Angeles for grad school. He hasn't left. "The Fien Print" is a blog about television -- reviews, interviews, analysis -- but it's also about movies and the business of Hollywood. It probably won't be a blog about the Red Sox, though it might seem like that at times.
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Comments
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupAdam B.
January 18, 2011 at 4:00PM EST Reply to CommentYes, but how much of the book is spent crushing on Carly Smithson?
dan Adam - Some, but not an obscene amount. There isn't, for example, a full chapter titled "Carly Smithson: America's Sweetheart," or anything... He's actually surprisingly restrained where Smithson is concerned...
January 18, 2011 at 4:03PM EST-Daniel
Adam B. Then what's the point: actual, sober journalism?
January 18, 2011 at 6:03PM ESTBill Carter's take on how Idol got to Fox (and found its judges) in DESPERATE NETWORKS seemed sufficient to me.
Kevin
January 18, 2011 at 5:44PM EST Reply to CommentWhither Haley Scarnato?
Brouhaha
January 18, 2011 at 8:15PM EST Reply to CommentSorry, would have overlooked these editing misses but for your comment about the book's lack of editing. A brief scan of your story turns up the following problems:
"all-too-happy" Is there a reason why you've hyphenated this?
"which simultaneously questioning its..." I believe you meant "while simultaneously..."
"If you're looking for new insight into the Corey Clark/Paula scandal, for example, there are none to be found." Either the "s" is missing on insight or your "are" should be "is."
"Vote Rigging theories..." Again, like the hyphenating, why the caps on vote rigging? If you want to name a theory the "Vote Rigging Theory" then caps might make sense. (And incidentally, I think I could argue that vote rigging should be hyphenated: vote-rigging.)
"Rushfield has for the cleaner and pretty aspects of "American Idol" history" Your words should agree in form here, and thus "pretty" should be "prettier" or "cleaner" should be "clean."
That's what I found on a quick scan; so perhaps I'm being "nit-picky" as well, but thought you'd like to be a "crafter of clean text" if you are pointing out someone else's errors.
Best wishes.
dan Brouhaha - I'll happily fix any and all typos. This, you see, is what happens when a writer self-publishes a review and has to edit himself. I catch some things and miss others, but I *don't* have an editor other than you apparently, would that I did.
January 19, 2011 at 12:34AM ESTI trust you can see how exposing the sloppiness in that circumstance might not be quite the same as noting sloppiness in a book published by the good people of Hyperion Books, who I assume have multiple waves of editors?
Your faulty analogy aside, I DO aspire to not looking like a sloppy amateur... I'll fix.
-Daniel
Brouhaha Hello Daniel,
January 19, 2011 at 1:29PM ESTI understand that the level of care is different for a published book and I sympathize that you have no bank of editors correcting your work. Sloppiness is rampant everywhere in writing these days, on and off the Web, though, which makes me sad. So when you brought up the Rushfield book's errors, I felt you opened yourself to suggestions about your own work. I apologize for any personal implication; I don't know your work generally. Perhaps that indicates my own laziness; if I were a pro, I would have looked back over earlier posts of yours to give you the leeway you likely deserved. It's certainly true that all of us need editors! I'm glad to hear you have a higher standard despite being annoyed with me for seeing the field as level.
My first comments also feel a bit mean-spirited along the lines of a parent who only sees the mistakes in their kid's essay and pays no attention to what's good! I have not read the book yet, but your comments sound incisive. They make me feel like after reading the book, I'd like to sit down and talk with you about it and that we'd have an interesting and spirited conversation, which is, of course, what really counts. (Note: considering my initial criticism, it's strange that I believe that people who are, e.g., poor spellers, are more creative; they don't fetter their imagination by stopping themselves for minor details.)
Thanks for your reply.
Best,
Brou
Brouhaha P.s. By the way, I was brought to your article by a link at davidcookofficial.com which has an off-topic book club thread that will have the Rushfield book as its next choice. You've made me wonder if it's a good idea. Probably will be a lot to talk about, though. Oh, and I have to disagree that calling David Cook sultry twice is florid or unimaginative, 'cause what's true is true! Oolalah ; ) (There goes my credibility!)
January 19, 2011 at 1:40PM ESTSkylar
January 19, 2011 at 1:33AM EST Reply to CommentIf you are getting negative comments it is from the crazy but small contingent of Kris Allen fans. They hate anyone who sheds light on the fact that Adam Lambert should have won Season 8 of American Idol. In case you do not know there was a book written about the Arkansas cheating called American Idol Vote Scam by a lawyer by the name of Kerry Kolsch. Her book is very well documented and has pictures of what went on. Rushfield said this about Kolsch's very informative book "A woman has written an entire book patching together various little tidbits that suggest he was cheated."
Elaine McKillop Riiiiiiight. Because there's no way that Kerry Kolsh and her friends (like Maitri Joy Admin aka Joy Glampira) would leave negative comments on a review of Rushfield's book. No way.
January 19, 2011 at 6:50PM ESTCalling Kerry's book "informative" is a joke. It's poorly written and based on deluded conspiracy theories. Her book, and pretty much every article on Ass Content, are nothing more than thinly disguised defamation from a woman who is in desperate need of medication for her paranoid delusions.
Seriously Kerry, (or Joy, or "Amy Ramirez") move on already. It's been nearly 2 years - no one cares anymore but you.
kerry kolsch
January 19, 2011 at 1:39AM EST Reply to CommentHey Dan if you want the real truth about Idol voting I will be happy to send you my book American Idol Vote Scam, that Rushfield likes to attack, with out ever naming, in interviews where he tries to discredit me with his undocumented inside information. You can find me on twitter @kmkolsch.
Silence of the Chikkens Kerry is also a bit nuts. And obsessed with invisible conspiracies and defaming innocent people.
January 19, 2011 at 6:34PM ESTHey, Kids, It's Krazzy Kerry's Konspiracy Korner! Kerry is a deluded and obsessed nutjob. And when I say obsessed, I mean creepy, light a candle at the shrine of Adam Lambert she has in her attic creepy. Never,in all the years I've been acessing the internet, have I EVER come across such an opinionated, paranoid, deluded and obsessed person as I have Kerry Kolsch. Her "articles" on Associated Content are nothing but non-stop fawning and butt kissing of Lambert. She writes articles about his butt, his "bulge", how he's an "alpha male" (OMG, REALLY, KERRY? I prefer my "alpha male" not to wear a prettier dress or more make up than me), all the while claiming that she's a "lesbian". Hmmm, REALLY, KERRY? She is CRAZY, and she has done NOTHING in the past 2 years but trash Kris Allen and spam her poorly written "book". Kerry, seek a doctor and get meds, STAT. You don't believe me? Google "Kerry Kolsch Associated Content", that will take you to her "page" and you can see her obsession for yourself.
January 19, 2011 at 7:32PM ESTThe Professor A lesbian? SAY IT ISN'T SO!!! Kerry, how could you lie to me the entire time we've been married?
January 19, 2011 at 7:44PM ESTMr. D. Frog Kerry is a very intelligent woman. Did you know that she can look between a poison dart frog's legs and tell you what sex it is? She's an expert! I was living my happy poison dart frog life as a nice girl frog, hopping in the jungle and avoiding natives with spears, until Kerry took one look "down there" and determined that I was indeed a male! I'm now doing poison dart frog stuff and finding other male frogs to be in my posse! I'm goin' alpha, baby!! Thanks, Kerry!!
January 19, 2011 at 7:58PM ESTDarcey McGee Basic Salt Dough Recipe
January 19, 2011 at 8:04PM ESTIngredients:
1 cup of fine salt
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of water (may add more)
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the salt and the flour
Make a well in the salt/flour mixture and add the water
Knead until smooth and shape into a ball
When not in use, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container
HINT: To get a softer dough you can add more flour. Adding more salt will lend a more granulous affect. Use wallpaper glue and the dough with be more cohesive. To add color to your dough, use different types of flour or add food coloring or paint.
Knead to get an even color.
You may also paint your ornaments and sculptures after they dry.
January 19, 2011 at 1:49AM EST Reply to CommentBTW this is my response to Rushfield http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6230070/adam_lambert_should_have_won_mr_rushfield.html?cat=2
Fran
January 20, 2011 at 10:43PM EST Reply to CommentTo call Kerry Kolsch's book 'well documented' - is a joke. There is nothing about her book that could even remotely be called research. Two years on and she is still trying to sell her deluded conspiracy theories in a bid to make money off people who want to believe her nonsense.
January 22, 2011 at 12:42AM EST
January 22, 2011 at 1:56AM ESTPN
January 24, 2011 at 3:41AM EST Reply to CommentI resd the book. It was very good! Took me several hours to read about what really went down behind the scenes. I'm sure some things were left out because they weren't as important or were short lived. I remember Tamika when she was mouthing out at Simon Cowell on the first audition shows in 2002 because her singing was so bad. That Tamika audition led me to watching, but the show exposed me to countless singers who went on to release albums on their own. I remember the Ruben-Clay showdown of 2003 and Fantasia winning in 2004. Carrie in 2005 and Taylor in 2006. Richard revealed Jennifer Hudson's diva antics, but she's gotten away from that and is a better singer on her own. The 2006 season I liked with the offspring that has done well. Jordin Sparks got better as the 2007 season went on. But I never liked the last 3 seasons,even forgettable season 9. Too many of them riding on the John Mayer/Jason Mraz/Chris Daughtry approach. And I doubt if anyone will remember Lee DeWyze. High moments were about when Paula Abdul left the show and even when Simon Cowell left. Would have liked him to talk about Kelly Clarkson's huge multiplatinum success with her Breakaway album, which outdid her debut. But he explains how Idol has changed the music industry, getting people from obscurity to being made into stars. I thought it was Showtime at the Apollo with its Amateur Night segment, never thought it was Star Search. Star Search had its own thing in the '80s. I watched its growth from a summer hit to getting 28 to 30 million a week! Those gargantuan 30 million nights are gone, but I think Idol has proved its point. I think it'll do well with Simon with the loyal viewers it still has.