It’s the early 2000s, and being famous sounds
like a good idea. Fame and fortune are timeless objectives,
but the pop stars of the late 90s and early aughts had reached unprecedented levels of
notoriety and denim. Innovations in technology, such as portable
devices, the internet and denim, were making celebrities more accessible to their fans
than ever, while at the same time, elevating their social status to a
point that many contemporary commentators felt that the only apt comparison was idolatry. To many, these were Gods, untouchable beings
of talent and fame, but some believed that they had a chance at reaching this status themselves. They just needed to be discovered. Unfortunately, the only surefire way to become
absurdly famous at the turn of the millennium was to have starred in the 1989 revival of
The Mickey Mouse Club. If you weren’t a Mouseketeer, you could
try forming a boy band or a girl group and pray that you are the best, the most attractive,
or ideally both. Short of these strategies, the path to stardom
was less clear, but that was about to change. Throughout the 20th century, music competitions
had often elevated hopeful nobodies to stardom. For instance, Frank Sinatra got his start on Major Bowes Amateur Hour,
a radio talent competition. With the emergence of television, competitions
such as Eurovision and Star Search would be popular among audiences and successful in
finding stars. However, there were very few active singing
competitions on the air by the late 90s, but a new wave was on it's way. In 2000, ABC began airing a music reality
competition named Making the Band, and another format, Popstars, would begin airing in the
UK and the US in early 2001. Both of these shows sought to find new talent
and form the next big music group. Both programs heavily integrated the elements
from the new reality television genre, and the winners of the program would be immediately
signed to the record label of the show’s producers. In early 2001, the winners of Popstars UK
formed the group Hear’Say, which according to The Observer’s relevancy test was a massive
success as they had attracted one stalker, and according to my relevancy test, all five
members have wikipedia pages but only three have photos attached. B minus. Popstars US formed Eden’s Crush in early
2001, which launched the career of future Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger,
but unfortunately, only two of its members have wikipedia pages and only Nicole has a
photo. F. Making the Band on ABC had formed O-Town. Of the five original members and one replacement,
two wikpedia pages, one photo. Also F. Wikipedia is not always correct when
it comes to facts, but the Wikpedia Music Group Relevancy Test does not lie. In 2001, British music and television mogul
Simon Fuller noticed the interest in these new programs. Fuller was best known as the manager of the
Spice Girls until he was fired by the group in 1997. Seeking other venture, Fuller attempted to
create a music competition and star launching format of his own,
which would be named Pop Idol. The show would begin airing
in the UK on ITV in late 2001. Pop Idol combined multiple successful elements
of other music competitions, with three key differences that set it apart. First, unlike Popstars and Making the Band,
the goal of Pop Idol was to find a singular star, not form a group. Second, the show would have live episodes
featuring the competitors performing. Third, and most importantly, Pop Idol would
allow the audience to vote and decide its winner. Fuller hoped that the show’s format would
be popular enough to launch the career of the UK’s next big recording star, but the
show’s popularity would receive a major boost from the harsh critiques of one of its
judges, music executive Simon Cowell. "I believe you"
"Mark yourself out of 10 on that one." "About 7 with a bit of a sore throat." "2." Cowell became known for his honest and often
cruel feedback to performers, and Pop Idol would make a celebrity out of Simon before
the show’s actual winner had even been chosen. Pop Idol was an immediate hit, and was watched
by 10 million viewers a week, over 15% of the country’s population tuned into the
competition. The two finalists instantly became charting
musicians. The winner, Will Young, immediately broke
the record for the fastest selling single in British history, outperforming The Beatles
in this category. The show’s success in the UK led Fuller
and Cowell to pitch a version to networks in the US, eventually convincing Fox to air
a season of the competition. The show, renamed
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar, began airing on June 11, 2002. American Idol would feature a panel of three
judges. Simon Cowell would serve on the American Idol
panel, bringing the same surly energy that had made him famous on Pop Idol. "I can honestly say, you are the worst singer
in America." "Really?" Cowell would be joined by Randy Jackson, a
bass player and music producer and Paul Abdul, a popstar who had found success in the late
80s and early 90s. Two hosts, Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman,
would guide contestants and audiences through the competition. The first step in finding the new American
Idol was an elaborate open-call audition held in multiple cities throughout the country. Thousands of prospective contestants were
judged by casting directors, and a select few of these singers made it in front of the
three celebrity judges and potentially onto national television. The contestants that made it to the filmed
audition were either good enough to move forward or bad enough to make compelling TV, with
a handful of singers that were just ok to make the process feel realistic. Throughout these first two episodes, Cowell
showcased his signature snark, shocking the contestants and his fellow judges with how
far he was willing to go to shut down the hopeful singers. "Well Jennifer, here's a new word, that was
extraordinary." "Thank you." "Extraordinarily bad." "Are you taking singing lessons?" "There was this lady up in Montana..." "Do you have a lawyer?" "No. I don't have a lawyer." "Get a lawyer and sue her." "I thought you were fantastic." "I didn't." The harshness of these critiques was an immediate
point of discussion around the country, as was the poor singing ability and lack of self awareness of some of those auditioning. These humorous auditions were presented alongside
contestants with true talent, many of which were immediately relatable
to audiences, showcasing their singing abilities, confidence, and denim. "I think I like this. Is that a skirt?"
"I made this." The show had an obvious bias toward singers
who matched the ridiculous beauty standards of the early 2000s, a bias that
the program stated explicitly and justified as a necessary attribute for any potential Idol. "The problem I have is that you don't look
like an American Idol." "And she just sang an Aretha Franklin song." "I do not believe that if Aretha Franklin
entered this competition, she would win it now. "I don't make the rules." Evelyn McDonnell, writing for the Miami Herald,
said, “American Idol takes our cultural obsession with celebrities, strips it bare,
abuses and humiliates it, then re-dresses it in it own mode and sends
it smiling back at us.” This was written two weeks after the show
premiered. Evelyn, pace yourself, this show might be
around for a while. Whether it was a genuine interest in vocal
talent or some biological yearning for the age of public executions, audiences were hooked
on American Idol from the very beginning. The program was the breakout hit of the summer
of 2002, and as the competition progressed, ratings continued to climb. Of the 10,000 auditions, 121 singers were
asked to come to Los Angeles for Hollywood Week, a grueling audition process in which
the three judges narrowed the field down to just 30 contestants. After this, the true appeal of the program
began, as from this point on, it would be up to the audience watching at home to decide which contestants moved on
and which were eliminated. The 30 contestants were split into three groups
of ten, with an episode dedicated to each group. 3 contestants would emerge from each pool,
with an additional wildcard show allowing for one additional contestant to round out
the top ten. From there, two contestants were eliminated
to create a top 8, and after that, only one contestant was eliminated each week. Finally, on September 4, 2002, the Season
One finale of American Idol aired, and Kelly Clarkson was announced
as the show’s first winner. As with Pop Idol, the promise of the show
was fulfilled, and Clarkson was immediately elevated to mainstream stardom. She signed a record deal under Simon Fuller,
and soon she was a legitimate, charting musician. It was completely fabricated, planned from
the beginning, yet it was more authentic than most industry success stories. The show was filled with these dichotomies,
the cruel mixed with the wholesome, the staged mixed with the democratic. The value or the morality of the program was
up for debate, but it was certainly gripping television audiences. Just one season in, the show was already
an overwhelming success, both in terms of ratings and star creation, but the phenomenon
that would be American Idol was just beginning. While thousands of Americans were dreaming of receiving a golden ticket
to the real Hollywood, a fake Hollywood in the swamps of Florida
was struggling with its identity. Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park had been put
into development in the mid 1980s, shortly after Michael Eisner had become CEO of Walt
Disney Productions. Eisner had come to the company from Paramount
Pictures, and he brought with him energy, creativity, and knowledge from a pitch he
had been given by MCA in July of 1981 detailing their plans for a Universal Studios production facility, tram tour, and
theme park in Central Florida. They had plans for a recreation of a golden
age Hollywood Boulevard, a stunt show, a sound effects demonstration. They wanted him and Paramount on board. He had been shown the plans. He knew the plans. Allegedly. Less than a year after Eisner took the helm
at Disney, plans were announced for a new Walt Disney World attraction, named the Disney-MGM
Studio Tour. Disney planned to build production
facilities and soundstages for both live-action and animation production. This new experience would
also feature a recreation of a golden age Hollywood Boulevard, a stunt show, a sound effects demonstration and more. Disney entered into a licensing agreement
with MGM to use their name as well as properties from their film library. Similar licensing deals with Paramount and
Sony were signed to create a more authentic and modern Hollywood attraction. In late 1986, MCA would finally greenlight
the construction of Universal Studios Florida. Due to Disney-MGM’s similarities to Universal’s
original plans, MCA evolved their concept to feature more large scale attractions resembling
those found at Disney parks. Meanwhile, The Disney-MGM Studios Tour was
developing into the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park, which would now feature a tram tour
to closer resemble Universal Studios in Hollywood. A key feature of both parks would be the film
production facilities being built on-site, but Disney-MGM was relying on theirs to be
the star attraction, with the signature studio tour to last 2 hours. Disney would beat Universal to the punch,
with the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park opening on May 1, 1989. Along with the studio tour, the park would
feature a dark ride depicting scenes from famous films as well as a stunt show themed
to the Indiana Jones franchise. The park also offered several themed dining experiences, and more modest
shows and demonstrations were scattered throughout the park. Just off of the the Mickey Mouse shaped hub
was Superstar Television, a show in which audience participants were inserted into their
favorite television programs through the use of physical sets and clever compositing. Over the course of the 25 minute show, guests
would be inserted into vintage shows such as I Love Lucy and The Howdy Doody Show and
contemporary programs such as Cheers and the Golden Girls. The Disney-MGM Studios Theme
Park was an overwhelming success in terms of attendance, but it lacked the breadth of attractions that guests had
come to expect from a Disney park. Disney had already had plans to address this. The popular Disneyland attraction Star Tours
was already under construction at the park, and a new Muppets area
and attraction was on the way. However, the Disney-MGM had bigger problems than
just guest satisfaction. The park was reverse engineered, rather
than a tour being added to an operating movie studio, an operating movie studio was created
so that it could be toured. Producers on the West Coast were cautiously
optimistic about Orlando becoming the Hollywood of the East, but many were skeptical on Disney’s dedication to operating
Disney-MGM as an actual studio. Less than a year into the park's life,
issues had already been found in the design that made production difficult. The New York Street set was placed too close
to the park’s signature Catastrophe Canyon tram stop, which simulated
practical film effects such as pyrotechnic explosions and a flood. Sound from this area bled into New York Street
and other portions of the backlot, which rendered these filming locations “virtually useless,”
which in turn hurt the tram tour, because now there was less productions to tour, which
was ironic because the reason there were no productions is because of the tram tour. Throughout the 1990s, in almost every instance
in which Disney had the choice between improving the vitality of Disney-MGM as an operating
movie studio and improving the quality of Disney-MGM as a theme park, they almost always
chose theme park. In 1994, a new expansion
named Sunset Boulevard added more shops and the
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror thrill ride. In 1998, Superstar Television was closed to
make way for Doug Live!, which opened on March 15, 1999. Doug Live!, was based on the television series
Doug, and the show translated perfectly to stage, with no issues at all. It closed two years later with no planned
replacement, leaving this theater space at a prime location in the park empty. In September of 2001, Disney-MGM Studios unveiled
the Sorcerer’s Hat, a huge hat themed after the iconic cap from the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
segment in the 1940 film Fantasia. The Sorcerer's Hat was constructed to celebrate
the 100 years of Magic Celebration at Walt Disney World, celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of Walt Disney. Surprisingly, the hat would not be deconstructed
after the celebration, and would instead become an icon of the park and a signifier of a very
specific period in the Disney-MGM history, one that some could be described as a middle
period, a slump, or even a dark age. At the same time that Disney-MGM Studios was
entering this dark age, American Idol was entering its golden age. After the success of the show’s first season,
a second season of American Idol was quickly put into production, moving the program up
from its summer slot to begin airing in Januaryof 2003. "You sounded like a dog dying." "The Next American Idol." Season One had not only created multiple stars, but it had motivated
thousands of prospective ones. The open-call for auditions saw 70,000 people
try out for the show, and the production had to begin renting out stadiums
to handle the crowds. The show started splitting the process over
multiple nights, with three episodes dedicated just to auditions in Season Two. The number of singers moving on to Hollywood
week was increased from 121 to 234, and this stage now featured multiple elimination rounds, resulting in 32 singers
moving onto the semi finals. Other changes this season included Brian Dunkleman
quitting the show, leaving Ryan Seacrest as the sole host. Another exit from the show was the foldable audition table with its
Party City-esque tablecloth. This was replaced with a more sturdy and sleek
looking table that took a lot of the edge and rawness out of the production. This season also allowed viewers to send their
votes in via text message, which one would think was due to young people preferring this
method over calling in, but rather, it was cell carriers that were using shows such as
American Idol to interest young people in SMS. The rise in texting among young Americans in this period would actually
be attributed in part to American Idol pushing it. Another technology evolving alongside the
show was digital media players, a landscape that was dominated by Apple’s iPod and iTunes. This added an unprecedented level of freedom
to the music listening experience, and the instantaneous delivery of singles and albums
to audiences would be huge for Idol, which itself was already expediting the path to
musical stardom. The show’s supplementary media was already
strong, with the season one cast having embarked on a tour, recording a compilation album,
and filming a television special. A spin-off show, American Juniors, sought to create stars out of a
younger pool of contestants, and ended up discovering such talent as Kristinia
DeBarge, Katelyn Tarver, and Lucy Hale, but the show made the mistake of trying to form
a child supergroup rather than a single star. The group, also named American
Juniors, had five members, and only Lucy Hale has a wikipedia page. F. American Idol’s second season concluded
with Ruben Studdard narrowly beating out Clay Aiken, and both would find success
after the season’s conclusion. The show’s third season began airing in
January of 2004. The season featured more hopeful contestants,
more audition sites, and more episodes than the previous season. Five episodes were now dedicated to auditions
and two episodes were dedicated to Hollywood Week. The nightmare that was the audition process
was becoming a key part of the show’s content and reputation. Long lines, packed stadiums, and the call
number taped on the contestant’s shirt were all iconic imagery of the full-day affair. For many, this exhausting process was part
of the excitement, but it also served as a constant visualization of the improbability
of not just winning the competition, but even making it to the celebrity judges room. The show was also leaning more into the “funny”
auditions which would result in the most famous “funny” audition in the show’s history,
courtesy of a man named William Hung, whose performance of Ricky Martin’s "She Bangs"
would become a viral moment. "She Bangs! She Bangs!" "Thank you."
"I'm wasted by the way she...." "Thank you!" This audition was enough to elevate Hung to
celebrity status with the American Idol fandom. Many critics speculated if Hung’s fame as
an anti-idol was due to the show’s reliance on humiliation for entertainment, or if the
audience’s racial bias is where the humor of Hung’s performance was being derived. Others took a more optimistic approach, believing
Hung’s confidence, positive energy, and resilience was the reason so many fans took
to him. Regardless, Hung had become
a star without going to Hollywood, and the existence of such a success story would motivate
the public and the producers to try out more humorous auditions than they already were. *perfect goat bleating impression* Along with the showcase of poor singing ability,
the show’s third season again found star power in both its winner,
Fantasia Barrino, and also in its seventh place finisher, Jennifer Hudson. The same year that American Idol Season 3
aired, Simon Cowell debuted a new singing competition format in the UK named The X Factor. This program was similar to Idol, with a few
rule changes that placed more control in the hands of the judges, and Cowell would get
full creator credit on the new show. The X Factor’s similarities to Idol enraged
Simon Fuller, to the point that Fuller sued Cowell over the new program. The two settled out of court, with the reported
conditions being that Cowell must stay on as judge of American Idol for five additional
seasons and must delay the launch of an American version of X Factor until after this period. Season 4 of American Idol would begin airing
in January of 2005, and while this season would have one less episode
overall, there were now six audition episodes and
four Hollywood Week episodes. The show’s star-making power was as strong
as ever, with season four winner Carrie Underwood becoming a platinum recording artist within
months of winning the competition. American Idol’s 2006 season produced winner
Taylor Hicks. Hick would not reach the level of stardom
that the show’s previous winners had, but Season 5 would find a bigger star in fourth
place finisher Chris Daughtry. Season 6 began airing in January of 2007,
now with eight episodes dedicated to auditions. This season started with strong viewership
on par with the show’s past success, but ratings gradually began to decline as the
competition progressed. Many speculated that this
was due to a uninteresting pool of contestants, an over-emphasis on celebrity guests, or the show’s focus on the bad singers
rather the talented ones. This season also featured an unexpected run
by 17-year-old Sanjaya Malakar. Sanjaya showcased his singing ability in his
audition, but his performances after Hollywood week were less than stellar. These lackluster, shakey performances became
the most memorable storyline of the season, and despite the frustration of the judges,
Sanjaya developed a cult following and continued to escape elimination. Ironic voting campaigns for Sanjaya began,
with radio personality Howard Stern pushing his audience to vote for the singer as a joke. "Vote Sanjaya! No!
I'm an American! I will vote for Sanjaya! At the same time, Sanjaya developed an authentic
base of young fans who supported him for his looks and hair styles, which he would dramatically
change week to week. Some speculated that Sanjaya was the reason
that Idol was dropping in the ratings, but this was proven false, as after his elimination
from the top seven, the ratings dropped even lower, suggesting Sanjaya’s presence was
actually helping the show. However, the existence of a Sanjaya spelled
danger for the competition, as it indicated that American Idol fatigue might be setting
in, motivating viewers to memeify the voting process just to make the show feel fresh. Despite the show’s dip in ratings, this
season would still find A-list talent in its winner, Jordin Sparks. Whether American Idol was a fading star or
had simply experienced an off season had yet to be determined, but the program was still
one of the most popular shows on television and a bright spot in Fox’s lineup. In fact, American Idol’s position in pop
culture was so strong that a struggling theme park was seeking to borrow some of its star power. Throughout the early 2000s, the Walt Disney
World resort struggled to maintain the theming of some of its signature parks. Both Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios were in
a similar position. Both had opened with a unique concept, Epcot’s
being a technology showcase with worlds fair elements and Disney-MGM Studios’ being an
operating movie studio that guests could tour. Both faced unique challenges with their conceit. Epcot could not keep up with the exponential
growth of technological innovation, and the park struggled to maintain
the corporate sponsorships that helped fund many of the attractions. Disney-MGM Studios required the park to constantly court and work with film
and television productions, hoping that they set up shop in the park and
didn’t mind the nearby explosions that were rigged to go off every twenty minutes. In 2001, Disney-MGM filled one
of its soundstages with a new show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire - Play It!, an interactive recreation
of a taping of the popular game show, complete with
a Rebis Philbin type host. "You just got yourself a million points! Yeah" In 2002, the State of Georgia created a tax
incentive program in an attempt to attract entertainment productions to the state, an
initiative that would eventually succeed. In the following years, Atlanta would become the production hub that
Orlando had once hoped to be. In 2004, with live-action productions already
non-existent, Disney shut down its Florida animation studios, officially ending Disney-MGM’s
time as a working film and television studio. While the lack of corporate sponsors for Epcot
and the lack of productions for Disney-MGM were huge issues, there was a bigger problem
with both themes from a guest perspective. Both Epcot and Disney-MGM were conceived at
a time in which Walt Disney World was seeking diversity in their attractions. A vacation to Walt Disney World in the late
1980s and early 1990s would feature the thrills and fun of an amusement
park, as well as edutainment experiences in subjects such as technology, culture, and entertainment production. However, over time, guest demand indicated
that the theme park experience, with its unique presentation of storytelling and thrills, was itself
more engaging than a wide variety of experiences. For general audiences, two
themed thrill rides was better than one thrill ride and one
edutainment demonstration. This left Disney-MGM and Epcot in a predicament. With so much infrastructure and attractions
dedicated to their respective concepts, both needed to pivot to meet the demands of guests without completely abandoning
their original themes. The solution for both would be similar. Epcot would remain a park focused on technology
and information, but new attractions would be built that presented these topics in the
most thrilling and adrenaline-focused manner imaginable. 1999’s Test Track and 2003’s
Mission Space were original attractions that focused on key industrial themes,
transportation and space respectively, but both did so with a focus on speed and force. Disney-MGM would transition from a park showcasing
the behind-the-scenes of actual entertainment productions to being a park with attractions
themed to the entertainment-industry. 1999’s Rock ‘n Roller Coaster and 2005’s
Lights Motors Action! Extreme Stunt Show were still within Disney-MGM’s
Hollywood theme, but both were focused more on intensity, and when combined with Star
Tours and Tower of Terror, Disney-MGM gained a reputation as a park for older kids who
were seeking thrills. In August of 2007, it was announced that Disney
would finally excise MGM from the park’s name. MGM and Disney had been in conflict over the
name usage since before the park opened, but despite Disney still legally having the rights
to use the MGM name, it no longer represented the direction of the park. Many speculated that the
new name would incorporate the ABC television network or Pixar Studios, both of which had been acquired by Disney. However, the new name for the park would simply
be Disney’s Hollywood Studios, leading many to point out that there were no longer operating
studios in the park. Despite new attractions and the name change,
the park was still in desperate need of a hit. An attraction so appealing that every Walt
Disney World visitor would be forced to find time to visit the park. Disney’s Hollywood Studios needed a star,
and it had something big in mind. An experience that would keep the park above
water based on a property that America could not get enough of, Toy Story. In 2007, it was announced that a new interactive
Toy Story ride, named Toy Story Mania, would be coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This shooting dark ride would utilize 3D imagery
and interactive screen technology, allowing guests to participate in a series of carnival
games hosted by Toy Story characters. At the same time that Imagineers were working
on this, they were also working on an attraction themed to American Idol. In February 2008, Disney announced that they
had entered a licensing agreement with Fremantle Media and 19 Entertainment, the producers
of American Idol, in order to create an attraction based on the show. This new attraction would
utilize the theater space left empty by Doug Live! in the
former ABC Television Theater. The description of the attraction seemed to
combine elements of the original Superstar Television and Who Wants to Be A Millionaire
Play It!, allowing guests to participate in the park’s own version of the American Idol
television show. Early plans indicated that the attraction
would feature 24 audience participants, ages 14 and up, competing in a dramatic singing
competition live on stage. Disney Parks chairman Jay Rasulo indicated
that rather than three judges with entertainment industry experience, three audience members
would be pulled on stage to judge the performers, with a Disney Cast Member serving as host
to facilitate the new show, likely to appear as a Ryan Seacrest type. While many of the details were still being
decided at the time of announcement, Disney did reveal the attraction’s grand prize
for the winning singer, a front-of-the-line pass to an actual American Idol audition,
a lucrative item that could save American Idol hopefuls from trudging through the dreadfully
long audition process. Disney, Fremantle, and 19 Entertainment clarified
that these contestants would have no advantage in the producers' decision making, only that
they would not have to wait like everyone else. There were still many questions about how
exactly this competition would work and operate within a theme park. It was predicted that the American Idol attraction
would have six to eight shows per day but just one grand prize would be awarded. It was estimated that around 400 guests would
be able to audition. Initial concept art indicated
that a major overhaul of the ABC Television Theater would occur, with a grand entrance alongside Echo Lake. However, this planned renovation
was scaled back significantly, with the theater's exterior
to be changed very little, with the most notable addition
being a large video screen. Disney celebrated the announcement of the
attraction by staging an excited crowd at Hollywood Studios in the vein of those seen
on American Idol, complete with audience signs that said “disney Rocks,” “Hi Mom,”
and “Pick me Dawg.” Throughout early 2008, the stage of the Superstar
Television Theater was transformed into one that closely resembled the set of the show,
with American Idol set designer Andy Walmsley consulted on the design. The set featured a 35 foot by 7 foot video
wall, 1000 seats, a 3000 square foot stage, and 113 video screens. While the attraction was being designed and
constructed, American Idol Season 7 was underway, and the ratings for the show continued to fall. The brightest spot of the season was the thrilling
finale in which David Cook barely beat out David Archuleta after the competition received the highest finale vote total
in American Idol history. After Cook’s win, he shouted the iconic phrase
“I’m going to Disney World,” “I’m going to Disney World! Whoo!” and a commercial was created
utilizing this moment, in the same format as the famous series of Disney Super Bowl advertisements. The commercial featured a rendition of "When
You Wish Upon a Star" sung by Cook. "When You Wish..." This display of synergy between the Fox show
and Disney, owners of rival network ABC, might have been surprising to many viewers, but
this is because they weren’t paying attention, not to the theme park news, but to the true
underlying loyalty of both corporations, as since their inception the Disney Parks have had
a close partnership with soft drink manufacturer Coca-Cola, and anyone that has watched American
Idol for more than two frames knows that the program also has a close partnership with
Coca-Cola. "You're a sweetheart. You're a sweet soul," *Simon slurping that sweet Coca-Cola*
"and it comes across when you sing." After nearly a year of development on the
stage and format, the new attraction, officially named the American Idol Experience, was ready
to open to guests. A few soft opening previews occurred in January of 2009 to work out the
kinks of the new attraction’s format, but the official opening would not
be until the following month. Finally, on February 12, 2009, Disney rolled
out the blue carpet for the first official round of hopeful pop stars to take the stage
at the American idol Experience. A gala was held to celebrate the attraction’s
opening, and it was a truly star studded affair. Journalists from around the country were invited
to the gala, and if you squinted your eyes or video taped it in 144p, the event appeared
to be a true Hollywood premiere. Corralled theme park guests, journalists,
and even Disney characters lined the blue carpet, and a special motorcade was held with
an impressive cast of special guests. Special guests including Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul, and multiple recent
American Idol finalists. For the first time ever, all seven American
Idol winners, David Cook, Jordin Sparks, Taylor hicks, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia Barrino,
Ruben Studdard, and Kelly Clarkson all appeared together. An actual run of the American Idol Experience
was occurring simultaneously to this event, with guests competing in the singing competition,
but the hopeful Idols took a backseat to the real ones. The big show of the day in which the American
Idol Experience winners were to be announced, focused very little on the attraction and
its contestants, instead dedicating time to multiple musical performances, including
ones by David Cook and Carrie Underwood. Ryan Seacrest came out to host the show, and
he even got to interact with the attraction’s Ryan Seacrest type host. Every American Idol celebrity guest were asked
the same two questions. First, was the American Idol Experience like
the real thing? "Apparently it looks exactly
like last years stage." "Looks just like American Idol in Hollywood." "It is very, very realistic." "It's fantastic. It's very exciting" Second, what advice do you have for those
participating in the American Idol Experience? "Just have fun." "You gotta have fun." "Enjoy life." "Be responsible and, uh, and go to school." During the press event, all
seven winners were presented a trophy by Ryan and series creator Simon Fuller. This microphone-shaped trophy was created
by the same designer that create the Oscars statuettes, and was to be awarded on the actual
show in future seasons. The seven American Idol winners were awarded
their retroactive trophy one by one, then forced to hold them for several minutes while
the winner of that day’s American Idol experience was announced. Gold confetti rained down, and fireworks exploded
in the theater. It was truly an American Idol Experience,
but it was not the American Idol Experience. The attraction received great reviews from
the media that had attended the gala and been dazzled by the literal parade of stars, but this was not an accurate
depiction of the attraction. What was this going to be when Carrie Underwood
wasn’t here? And when Ryan Seacrest wasn’t hosting? What actually was the American Idol Experience? Two days after the gala, on February 14th,
2009, the American Idol Experience officially opened to guests. For those wanting to participate in the show, the experience began the
moment they entered the park. "I thought I would take you in and show you what
it's going to be like to have dreams come true Here at the American Idol Experience. The hopeful idols would be directed to the
back of the Superstar Television Theater where they would find the American Idol Experience
Audition entrance. This backstage area was just as themed as
the stage itself, and those brave enough to try out were taken through a unique themed
experience. Guests were handed an audition card with a
Q and A and a list of 113 songs to choose from for their audition, including from "Bohemian
Rhapsody" by Queen, "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas, "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, and "Play My
Music" by the Jonas Brothers. The first stage of the process was an acapella
audition between the guest and a casting director in a private room. This intricately themed room was a 1:1 recreation
of the normal boring rooms that tens of thousands of people get their dreams crushed in across
the country during the actual American Idol audition process. It even had a desk. There were four private casting rooms. After touring the attraction, Canadian Idol
winner Eva Avila said that this room was “very authentic” and that “the office part with
the producers was actually dead-on exactly like when I auditioned.” Most guests would be rejected at this point and given some advice for
their future performances. The few that did make it forward moved on
to the red room, in which contestants were given an iPod with the most intense security
lock possible so that they could rehearse their performance and familiarize themselves
with the lyrics. This room was also referred to as "The Coke Room" which was a reference to
the soft drink sponsorship, or a way to really prepare
these contestants for Hollywood. Auditioners would then be called into a second
office room. This room was even more impressive, featuring
a flat screen tv with the lyrics to the song and a camera to capture the performance. If the guest passed this audition, they were
sent forward to perform on stage. "You get to go into the show!" At this point, they would be assigned to one of the seven preliminary
shows occurring throughout the day, and they were allowed to go explore
the rest of Disney’s Hollywood Studios until their call time, which would be an hour before
their showtime. Once they returned, guests waited in a green
room and were pulled into both hair and makeup and a practice room in which a vocal coach
would work with them before their performance. Finally, before the crowd was allowed into
the theater, the singers were able to rehearse their song on stage. To those visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios
that only wanted to watch the American Idol Experience, they entered the Superstar Television
under the large marquee. The unique covered pre-show corral was originally
designed for Superstar Television and it featured a ramped design that matched the slope of
the theater itself. At the bottom of this was an area in which
a Cast Member could host a pre-show for guests. In Superstar Television, this is where guests
would be pulled to participate in the show. In the American Idol Experience, guests would
watch a short video in which Ryan Seacrest described the process that the performers
had gone through to this point. A preshow host would then enter to hype up
the crowd, accompanied by a cameraman. The preshow host would then film a brief segment,
instructing the crowd to say something specific in order to surprise one of the contestants
later in the show. After this, the crowd would enter the theater
and the American Idol Experience show would finally begin. The preliminary show lasted around 25 minutes. The pre-show host would come out and get the
crowd excited and ready to be a supportive audience for the group of performers. "And start rockin' like this."
"Everyday I'm Shufflin'" After this, a short intro
video featuring Ryan Seacrest would play on the large screen. This would lead into a faux credits sequence, with the names of that
show’s contestant’s displayed on the screen. After this, the Ryan Seacrest type would come
out on stage and take over hosting duties, introducing the three contestants as they
marched out from backstage and hit their mark. The host would then introduce the grand prize,
the Golden Dream Ticket, *American Idol music* The coveted front-of-the line pass
that evoked the iconography of the Golden Ticket that sent Idol
contestants to Hollywood. It was described as the best FastPass ever. FastPass. (echoing) *American Idol music* The age range for the competition was, according
to at least one Ryan Seacrest type, between “14 and death,” despite the
American Idol television show having an age range between 16 and 28. The host would explain that the winner of
the Golden Dream Ticket could gift it to a friend or family member, but they were not
allowed to sell it. The three contestants were asked to leave
the stage, and the three judges were then introduced. The original plan to have audience members
fill in as the judges was abandoned in favor of three actors portraying the American Idol
judge types, trying to match the energy of Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell. In order to make the three actors seem qualified
to judge the contestants, their resumes were listed out by the host. This part is almost like a magic trick, because
anyone that would be hired in a performance-based role such as this at the park would already
have a resume with other entertainment-industry projects on it, so the host reading them makes
them sound like highly sought after talent judges and not just working performers past
their 20s. While the panel was switched out with
different actors filling each role, the typical portrayal was that the Randy type would be
the most constructive to the contestant. The Paula type would be the most positive, and the Simon type, somewhat
surprisingly, would be mean. Of course, fake Simon could
not be as cruel as real Simon, "Juvenile, tuneless, mediocre and horrible." "Simon was in a bad mood." as this was Disney World and the contestants are paying park guests, but he would be as
rude as possible without going too far over the line. The audience was encouraged to boo fake-Simon
as if he were a villain in a melodrama. The three contestants would come out one at
a time to perform. Before their performance, they would be given
a staged introduction in one of three ways. The first was pre-taped advice from an American
Idol contestant. "Just have fun with it." These segments were filmed and the contestant
was placed in such a way to make it appear that the Idol was speaking directly to them. The second introduction was a video biography
that the contestant would shoot while they waited for their performance. These would hone in on an interesting, relatable,
or sympathetic aspect of the singer’s character in a similar way that the tv show treated
its vignettes. "What brought be to American Idol was,
first we were here on vacation." "At one point in my life, I found myself homeless,
living in and out of my car." The final introduction was a crowd of fans
chanting the contestants name. This was the surprise that the audience had
filmed in the preshow corral. The crowd shot was a way to
increase audience participation in the show, and it was a nice surprise for the singer, even though this moment was completely
fabricated and directed by the preshow host. "Joey, you're my American Idol" These were fake fans, literally. Each performance would last about 90 seconds
and was immediately followed by critiques from each judge. *American Idol Music* Reportedly, the producers of the attraction
would try to place the strongest singer in the final spot in hopes that the recency bias
would move them forward in the competition. After all of the contestants had performed,
the Ryan Seacrest type would introduce another pretaped Idol cameo featuring Jordin Sparks,
who would lead the audience in a rendition of “I’ve Got the Music in Me.” For clarification, “I’ve Got the Music
in Me” is a 1974 song by the Kiki Dee Band, it is not "You Are the Music in Me" by the cast of High School Musical 2,
which was being performed just a few feet away in
front of the Sorcerer’s Hat. Coincidentally, this video featured Jordin
Sparks and other singers performing outside the Sorcerer’s Hat, along with footage of
the Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show. After this, voting would begin, and highlights
of the three performances were displayed, reminding audience members of each contestant’s
designated number. The voting mechanism was embedded in the seat’s
armrest, and within seconds, the audience was polled and the results were tallied. The Ryan Seacrest type would round up the
contestants and dramatize the reveal. The lights on stage turned red, and just like
the television show, the contestants were read a recap of their performance and the
judges reactions. The Ryan type would often make a joke about
cutting to commercial, "Should we cut to like a Ford video or something?
Or we just..." Before finally revealing the winner. Another pretaped Idol would
congratulate the contestant, and the Ryan type would wrap up the show,
reminding guests that the competition was just beginning, because the winner of this
preliminary round did not win the Golden Dream Ticket, but rather the opportunity to move
on to the American Idol Experience finale show that would be occurring later that evening. There were as many as seven preliminary shows
per day for a total of 21 singers competing for a spot in the finale. Each preliminary show’s winner would move
forward, resulting in as many as seven singers competing in the final show. If a singer moved onto the finale, they were allowed to
explore the theme park, that they had paid to enter before their second call time of
the day, again being asked to arrive at the attraction an hour before showtime. The final show began with
the Ryan type introducing the seven contestants and then the judges. This show would last around 40 minutes, 15
minutes longer than the preliminary rounds, to account for the additional contestants. Each singer would take the stage one-by-one,
preceded by advice from an Idol star or the contestant’s video biography if they had
created one during the preliminary round. The last performer to be introduced would
receive the chanting pre-show crowd, which was the only segment to be reshot for the
finale show, again in order to add to the sense of audience participation. The finale show was unique in that it was
the only show to be displayed on the screen outside of the attraction near Echo Lake,
allowing the Ryan type to claim that the show was being broadcast live, which was technically
true, although it was likely no one was watching. After all of the singers had performed, an
American Idol celebrity would appear on the screen and speak to the full group of contestants. The audience would vote for the finale’s
winner, and the Ryan type would draw out the results, eliminating one or two of the final
contestants at a time until the top two singers remained on stage. After stalling as long as possible, the Ryan
type would finally reveal the winner, gold confetti rained down as the
singer was presented the Golden Dream Ticket. The show closed with more pre-taped appearances by multiple Idol winners
sending their Congratulations to the newly crowned
champion, before the Ryan type waved goodbye, and the American Idol Experience concluded for the day. "You never know you could be the next American Idol."
*American Idol Music* From an audience perspective, the attraction
was initially met with mixed to positive reviews. Fans of the experience loved how similar the competition was to the
American Idol television show. Others felt that the experience was merely
karaoke with elaborate set dressing, and if the competitors of any given show were not
exceptionally talented singers, this review was more common. However, from the perspective of the performers,
the attraction was incredible, a bespoke, intricately themed adventure through the world
of music, entertainment, and all things American Idol, culminating with them getting to perform
in front of a live audience of tourists, far more than most karaoke bars or school talent
shows would allow. Even those that were not chosen to perform
often walked away with glowing reviews, as the Disney Cast Members tasked with turning
down hundreds of people per day were exceptionally kind and impressively trained in the art of
rejection. "So good job. I can't pass you through today."
"It's okay though. It's fine." Others on the other hand, still felt a bit
odd about the process after getting turned away. One forum poster at the time explained their
experience, how they auditioned for the show during soft opening as a bit of fun, not expecting
to get on, but after getting rejected did “feel a little bad the rest
of the day” and that it felt weird being at the park for the rest of the day after
being “rejected by Disney.” "It's all part of the experience."
*crowd laughter* The cruelty of the Simon-type judge also depended
on the performer and their improv, and while most of the time, this character's biggest
insult was suggesting that a performer should take singing lessons, some comments could
be much more pointed. It sounded like a Norse God gargling a hammer. The mean-spirited nature of the character
was authentic to the television show, but not in line with the expectations a Disney
theme park. Compare this to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor,
a comedy show that opened at the Magic Kingdom in 2007. This virtual puppetry show relies on audience
participation and is set in a fictional comedy club, but the furthest the monster comedians
will ever go is some softball joke about how a random person in the audience is going to
buy everyone churros after the show. Completely toothless, cowardly even, to look
out on a crowd of sweaty, entitled Walt Disney World tourists and pull punches like that,
but these are paying guests and also children. So the furthest you should go is saying that
someone is “feeling the urge to get up and dance.” I guess in-universe the funniest Mike Wazoski gets is just getting racked
as if he has reproductive organs on the bottom crest of his sphere body,
but the point is, insulting paying customers and children is a big risk, and if you’re themed environment is a
comedy club or a mean-spirited reality show, you should probably just go
through the motions. Fake Simon, at times, did not fall in line
with this idea… In these instances, the attraction’s reception
was the most split, with some people being legitimately offended and others finding it
genuinely funny. However, reception was not the main issue
with the American Idol Experience. Daily operation was. The elaborate nature of the competition required
a huge time commitment from contestants. When auditioning, guests were told that, if
they were to make it to the finale, 6 hours of their park day would be dedicated to the
attraction. This was around half of the park’s operating
hours. On top of this, contestants could not join
lines at other attractions if the wait would make them miss their callback time. Disney did sometimes offer
FastPasses to contestants so they could enjoy the park, but for the most part, the American Idol Experience was
an all-day affair for those performing. For many, this was not an issue, and they
knew this going in. Dream ticket winner Claire Ann Martin said,
“We planned our whole week around the Disney Idol experience. We heard about it online, and we decided that
we definitely wanted to try it out.” Claire also said that “getting the ticket
was the high point in my life.” She was only fourteen at the time, so that’s fine. The biggest issue that the operations team
faced was recruitment. To coincide with the attraction’s debut
and to attract potential contestant’s, Disney created a web page with information on the
process and how to audition. There was also a minigame called "Judge This",
that allowed you to play as a judge. *Idol Music* "Lalalalalalalala La la lalalaa" "Hoi derr laadaa daadda der, Aayagh, aahg"
*Chewbacca type noises* Nice, I got a dawg from the Randy Type! "Old McDonald had a farm. E I E III OOO" "Take me out to the ball game.
Take me out with the crowd." "Row, row, row your boat." *Audience cheers*
Wow, this is an old website. Just look at that graphic in the corner. On this site, guests could sign up to audition
ahead of their visit to Hollywood Studios. The attraction would mainly rely on walk-ins,
and would cut off auditions when all of the shows were filled or at 2
PM, whichever came first. The American Idol Experience
relied on a constantly refreshing pool of contestants, making daily operation less predictable than a typical theater show, but there were
other issues on the horizon. The American Idol Experience’s debut in
2009 coincided with several turning points in the history of Disney, the American Idol
television show, and the world as a whole. The most obvious was the Great Recession,
which was in full swing while the attraction was being developed and was still ongoing
when it opened. At the same time that Disney was developing
the American Idol experience, the parks were feeling the effects of the economic downturn,
with many families not having the resources to spend money on vacations. Considering the scale of the recession, the
Disney Parks fared better than many expected, thanks in part to Disney
offering generous promotions, such as free admission on a guest’s birthday. Still, the company layed off 1400 people at
Walt Disney World due to the downturn. These layoffs began four days after the American
Idol Experience opened. Apart from the recession, another global trend
was occurring, this one cultural. The accessibility of the internet was growing
at an exponential rate, and the ability to share media was becoming easier and easier,
and almost overnight, real, mainstream stars were being discovered on
platforms such as YouTube. For instance, Justin Bieber became the world’s
premiere teen pop idol, despite having never served his time in the gauntlet of shame known
as American Idol. The internet took the American Idol competition,
once the fastest track to stardom, and made it look like a slow process in comparison. The American Idol Season 7 finale set the
record for the highest number of votes cast, but the show itself was dipping in the ratings. The show’s fifth season which aired in 2006
received an average of 30 million viewers per episode. By the show’s eigth season in 2009, this
was down to around 21 million viewers per episodes, and the ratings would continue to slip. And more change was on its way. When Season 8 began airing in 2009, songwriter
and producer Kara DioGuardi was added to the panel of judges. While DioGuardi no doubt had the industry
experience to serve on the panel, many speculated what this change meant for the future of Idol
and the show’s original three judges. Rumors circulated that Paula Abdul was set
to leave the show, but this was denied by both Abdul and DioGuardi. Season 8 attempted to scale back on the show’s trademark cruelty, putting
more focus on sympathetic contestant biographies, which were derogatorily
referred to as “sob stories” by critics. "Um, I live with my 93-year-old grandmother." "Do you know that I sing?" "Do I what?" This season was won by Kris Allen, who beat
Adam Lambert, to win the competition. Allen taped his own Walt Disney World commercial, and traveled to the resort
for a special appearance at the American Idol Experience. Allen also filmed new segments for the attraction,
which were integrated throughout the show. "And I know they'd appreciate any encouragement" "Just get out there and have fun." Despite denying her intention to leave the
program, in August of 2009, Paula Abdul announced on Twitter that she would not be returning
for American Idol Season 9, with pay disputes being cited as the reason. Simon, Randy, and DioGuardi would be returning,
and the producers raced to fill the empty seat before the next season. They needed to find someone who was marketable,
likable, easy-going, and kind. "I... am... the next... American Idol... judge."
"Ellen Degeneres!" This was also the season in which General
Larry Platt auditioned with his original song Pants on the Ground, which to this day, is still charting #1 in the
minds of American fathers. "Pants on the ground! Pants on the ground! Looking like a fool with
your pants on the ground!" The top five this season featured singer Aaron
Kelly, the youngest to ever make it this far in the competition at just 16 years old when
he auditioned, and 17 years old when he was eliminated. Kelly is also notable in that he was a Golden
Dream Ticket Winner, getting to skip to the front of the line at his American Idol audition
as he had won the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. After his top five finish, Kelly would be
mintegrated into the show at the park as proof of the value of the Golden Dream Ticket. Season 9 of American Idol was won by Lee Dewyze,
and just like Kris Allen and David Cook, Dewyze did a Walt Disney World commercial, made an
appearance at the resort and the American Idol experience, and filmed segments for the
attraction to be integrated into the show. "The best advice I can give
you is have fun with it." After Season 9, the judging panel experienced
even more shake-ups, with DioGuardi, Degeneres, and most notably, Simon Cowell leaving the
program. DioGuaridi and Degeneres explained the show
wasn’t a fit for them, but Cowell’s reasoning was more predictable. The period stipulated by the settlement with
Fuller had ended, and Cowell was able to both leave American Idol and launch X Factor in
the US. Cowell would not only premiere the show, but
he would partner with Fremantle and Fox to do so, once again enraging Simon Fuller. Fuller again sued, seeking executive producer
credit and a fee, and the case was eventually settled out of court. X Factor in the UK had proven to be a starmaker,
having discovered and formed the boy band One Direction. The US version would find success in the group
Fifth Harmony. The same year that X Factor debuted, another
singing competition came to the US. The Voice was a format that originated in
Holland, and would debut in the US on NBC. The show’s format and marketing was a direct
response to Idol, which had been accused of being too focused on a contestant's appearance
and not focusing enough on the voice. Get it? The show’s positive attitude and inspiring,
kind-hearted format has resulted in 24 seasons of friendly competition and genuinely beautiful
moments, while at the same time producing zero mainstream recording artists as winners. The actual reason for The Voice’s success
as a television show and failure as a star launcher, with a few runner-ups as exceptions,
is more complicated than simply pretty people sell more records, but also, that might be
part of it. With Cowell moving on to X Factor, DioGuardi
focusing on music, and Ellen DeGeneres going back to Ellen, Idol was forced to go in a
new direction. While Randy Jackson would remain, two new
judges would be added, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven
Tyler, known for his appearance in Hollywood Studios signature E-ticket Rock N’ Roller
Coaster and recently for alleged crimes. This season was won by Scotty McCreery. The first winner since the attraction opened to not receive an "I'm going
to Disney World" commercial. but he did visit the resort and
film segments for the attraction. "Do you have any advice?
You just went through this." "Have fun." Ocassionally, other contestants would
also film short segments for the experience, which were often played outside of the attraction on the big screen. "Head right around the corner
to the audition experience. "You never know, this could be
the start of something... big." Season 11 began airing in 2012, with Ryan
and the Season 10 panel of judges returning for another year. This season featured tenth place finisher Erika Van Pelt, another American
Idol Dream Ticket Winner. Van Pelt told the Hollywood Reporter “The
American Idol Experience changed everything for me. I had auditioned for the show several times
before, but winning the Dream Ticket was the game-changer. American Idol Experience gave me a taste of
the real thing, down to the smallest detail — live audience voting, charismatic hosts
and a good Simon judge-a-like or two! The Dream Ticket gave me the opportunity to
go to the front of the line at the auditions in Pittsburgh for season 11, which ultimately
led to me securing a spot in the Top 10. I am so grateful for the opportunity.” This season was won by
Phillip Phillips, as expected, Phillips took a trip to the resort, appeared on stage at the attraction
and filmed new segments for the show. "Let me ask you something. These three right here, they are competing to get
to that finale show tonight, to win that Dream Ticket. What advice do you..." "To have fun." Idol’s ratings continued to drop, with Season
11 averaging around 19 million viewers per episode, far from the 30 million viewers it
had received just five years earlier. After Season 11, another shakeup on the judging
panel occurred. Randy Jackson would again return, but Lopez
and Tyler would exit. Keith Urban would join the panel, along with Mariah Carey and Nicki
Minaj, who would fortunately, have an alleged off screen feud that would
result in small moments of tension on screen leading fans of both to speculate on the matter,
giving a bit of energy to the dying program. "We can have accessories? I didn't know that
was allowed, but that's the last thing I'm going to say."
"Don't. Don't." "Again, back to the Billboard
Hot 100 #1 song which you just performed, which is difficult
to get, not everybody has that." This season was won by Candice Glover, who
went to Disney World and filmed an appearance for the attraction. "Have fun." Another shakeup on the judging panel occurred
between Seasons 12 and 13, with not only Nicki and Mariah leaving, but with Randy Jackson
finally exiting as well. Only Keith Urban remained from the previous
season, and was joined by Harry Connick Jr and returning judge Jennifer Lopez. This season featured multiple Dream Ticket
winners competing in the show, Majesty Rose, Ben Briley, and Emily Priz, who would finish
9th, 11th, and 12th respectively. This season ended in May of 2014, with Caleb
Johnson winning the competition. Unlike previous winners, Johnson's trip to Disney World
was not met with fanfare. but he did reportedly go, and film
new segments for the attraction. However, these segments would not be seen
for very long, as Disney’s Hollywood Studios was undergoing just as much change as the
American Idol television show. In the years following the Disney Hollywood
Studios name change and the addition of the American Idol Experience, the Walt Disney
Company was experiencing a period of massive growth and acquisitions. In late 2009, Disney acquired
Marvel Entertainment, and in 2012, the company acquired Lucasfilm, including the rights to the Star Wars franchise. These acquisitions meant the development of
cinematic universes and theme park lands, the latter being necessary to compete with
Universal’s successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Of all four Walt Disney World parks, it was
immediately obvious to those both within and outside of the company that if any park was
to receive a full scale Star Wars area, it would be Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This was not only because of the presence
of Star Tours but also because of the park’s desperate need for a new major
attraction. Toy Story Midway Mania had given the park a boost
in popularity, but in the five years since its debut, no other major attractions were
added to support it. To offset this, the park relied on special
events, such as Frozen Summer Fun which premiered in June of 2014. This event brought temporary
shows and entertainment offerings to the park, capitalizing on the massive success of 2013’s Frozen and the
insatiable demand for Frozen experiences from young guests. During this event, a new show named “For
the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” took place in the rarely utilized
Premier Theater, and allowed families to sing-along to the film’s songs, led by Anna,
Elsa, and other Frozen characters. These types of temporary experiences were
common for Hollywood Studios in this era, and many guests assumed that it was only a
matter of time before a major Star Wars attraction was announced for the park. However, before any expansions were revealed,
multiple attraction closings were announced, and on June 17, 2014, the American Idol Experience
was added to this lineup of closures. The attraction’s popularity had declined
over the years, as had guest participation. On many days, the experience did not recruit
enough talented performers to fill all seven shows, resulting in some showtimes being canceled and a condensed finale show
with less participants. Occasionaly, only two preliminary rounds were
held, resulting in a finale show with only two contestants, and on some rare occasions,
only one show was held, with no other preliminary rounds and no finale. This was especially troubling because of how
many Cast Members the show required to operate. The show needed a preshow host, a Ryan type, three judges, multiple camera
operators, and three booth techs for each show. On top of this, the audition facility had
a street team to recruit guests, casting directors to judge them, and hair and makeup technicians. It was an impressive operation, but a complicated
one to operate on a daily basis. The American Idol Experience’s decline in
popularity was not completely its fault, rather, it was directly correlated with the declining
viewership of the American Idol television show. Not only was the attraction not as enticing
from a guest perspective, but its grand prize of skipping the audition line was not as valuable
as it was at the peak of the program’s popularity. A joint statement between Disney, FremantleMedia,
and 19 Entertainment read “We are incredibly proud of the more than 2,000 Dream Tickets
that have given guests a chance to live their very own Cinderella story and audition for
American Idol.” The attraction was set to close in January
of 2015, which would result in the American Idol Experience running for just under six
years. However, two months after the announcement
of its closure, on August 15, 2014, Disney revealed that the show would be closing even
earlier, just two weeks from this announcement. On August 30, 2014, the final show of the
American Idol Experience was held. Folks, are you ready? For the last finale show ever?
*crowd cheers* Guests crowded the theater to send off the
attraction, some even making signs expressing their disappointment at its closure. The final show ended with the dumping of every
box of confetti that the production had left, and this went on for several minutes. The closing of the American Idol Experience
marked the beginning of end to the dark age of Hollywood Studios. The following month, the Studio Backlot Tour,
which had not toured an operating movie studio in over a decade, finally closed to make
way for two new immersive lands, Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The following month, in October of 2014, it
was announced that the Sorcerer’s Hat would be removed as well. Hollywood Studios began a
years long transformation, leaving it in a worse state than before, as the massive construction projects caused the
closure of more attractions and the creation of more temporary ones. The Superstar Television theater sat empty
for several months with no announced replacement. The space was briefly used for the Comedy
Warehouse Holiday Special, featuring the comedy troupe that used to perform at the Comedy Warehouse at Downtown
Disney’s Pleasure Island. The American Idol stage was still intact,
and tarps were placed to cover up the theming for these shows. In March of 2015, Disney announced that For
the First Time in Forever A Frozen Sing Along Celebration would return for the second annual
Frozen Summer Fun. Rather than being held in the Premiere Theater,
which was set for demolition, the show would utilize the Superstar Television theater. The American Idol theming had been mostly
removed, and the theater received a new name, the Hyperion Theater. This would allow the theater to act as flex
space and host multiple shows throughout the year. On June 16, 2015, performances of For the
First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing Along Celebration began in the theater. Despite this being announced as a limited
run, the show would stay a part of the park’s attractions after Frozen Summer Fun ended,
becoming a permanent replacement for the American Idol Experience. The Hyperion Theater would not be used for
another show until 2023, during the Jollywood Nights ticketed event, during which it would host What's This? Tim Burton's The
Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along. This temporary show would only be performed
during Jollywood Nights, and the Frozen Sing-Along operated as normal throughout
the day. On the backside of the theater, the former
American Idol audition entrance was converted into a new character spot for the park, named
"Mickey and Minnie starring in Red Carpet Dreams" Season 14 of American Idol premiered in January
of 2015, and for the first time in years, the entire judging panel from the previous
season returned. Despite the American Idol Experience attraction
being closed, hundreds of Golden Dream Tickets were still eligible to be redeemed. Dream Ticket winner Adam Ezegelian auditioned
and made it to the top 16 before being eliminated. This season was won by Nick Fradiani, and
no offense to Nick Fradiani, but you likely don’t recognize that name, which is proof
of American Idol’s slipping grip on the cultural consciousness. This is why it was not a shock that Fox announced, that American Idol would
be ending after Season 15. This season premiered in early 2016, and was
won by either Kris Hays, Steven Hines, or Trent Harmon, and if you can tell me which
one of those people are real without looking it up, you will win this certificate. This season was branded as American Idol The
Farewell Season, which was an authentic goodbye, but not to the show, only the network. Just a year and a half after going off the air, ABC
and FremantleMedia entered into an agreement to revive the show, which would return for a
sixteenth season in March of 2018. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, and a new
panel of judges, featuring Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie, would join the show. This group has, somehow, remained consistent
for six seasons with a seventh on the way. "There's no place like American Idol." American Idol is representative of America
itself, obviously it’s right there in the name, and our obsession with the Idolization
of celebrities, dang, also right there in the name. It’s difficult to say anything about American
Idol that the show itself doesn’t admit overtly and unabashedly. Often, the show was cruel, which it claimed
was a side effect of honesty. The show was obsessed with body image and
sex appeal, which it claimed was a key aspect of stardom. The show sought to discover and promote talent
just to profit off of them, which it admitted very clearly was the whole point. It’s difficult to dismiss any of these beliefs as
shallow or cynical when the show was consistently successful in churning out legitimate mainstream stars. American Idol didn’t invent the reality
TV show genre, democratic talent competitions, or the aesthetic requirements of early aughts
stardom, but it became a landmark example of all three. It was a reflection of the culture of that
era, and in being so, it became a staple of it. The American Idol Experience attempted to capture and distill that
energy into a family-friendly theme park attraction, to mixed results. The attraction did its best to balance the
show’s tone, talent, and energy, all while being entertaining, to theme park guests, but its success was directly
tied to the relevance of the television show that it was based on. Whether it was the shakeup in its cast, the
emergence of faster star generators, or America falling out of love with television and in
love with the internet, by the time the American Idol Experience debuted, American Idol was
past its prime. The American Idol television show survived
and evolved into a feel-good television program that, like its contemporaries, is less concerned
about turning its competitors into A-listers. However, The American Idol Experience was
simply too complicated and expensive to run, and its real estate too valuable, to survive
the transition that Disney’s Hollywood Studios was undergoing. The attraction is most fondly remembered by
those that had the chance to participate in the full thing. The elaborate backstage audition process,
invisible to the audience, was truly an experience like no other at a theme park, and for those
that were talented and dedicated enough to spend an entire day’s admission on participating,
it was all worth it, when they saw that… desk.
