‘American Idol’ Is Fox’s Summer Salvation

It began as little more than low-cost original programming to help the struggling Fox network stay competitive during the low-expectation summer months. It goes out tonight and Wednesday night as a glitzy extravaganza that rivals some Hollywood awards ceremonies for star power and glamour.

“Entertainment Tonight” and “Access Hollywood” are among the media outlets negotiating to secure the crucial first position for interviews on the red carpet outside the theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Celebrity arrivals will be broadcast live. Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, the home of the Oscars, is undergoing one last spit-and-polish for the live broadcast.

The commotion is not over a gala awards show or the premiere of a new movie blockbuster, but over the finale of a television show--Fox’s “American Idol,” the talent-search-meets-”Survivor” series in which several young contestants compete to become America’s new “superstar.”

“American Idol” may be about the making of a star, but the show itself has blossomed into a cultural phenomenon, which is likely to continue even after the winner is crowned at Wednesday night’s finale at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

The unscripted series, with its gimmicks of a talent show, a harsh British judge and a viewer call-in poll, attained “water cooler” status soon after its June premiere and has in the last few weeks earned record ratings and provided a much-needed shot in the arm for Fox, which is coming off a disappointing season in terms of ratings.

More than 5,000 tickets to the final two nights sold out in minutes, and E! Entertainment Television will broadcast a live pre-show as if it were a major awards show. Celebrities have been clamoring to get on the guest list. Ray Romano of CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond” wrote in more than a month ago for tickets for him and his family. Megan Mullally of NBC’s “Will & Grace” wants in, as do Ellen DeGeneres, “The West Wing’s” Allison Janney and Dule Hill, as well as Tori Spelling and Selma Blair.

They all want to see two novice performers--nobodies only a few months ago--face off in a final showdown. Outside the Kodak, thousands of fans are expected to gather behind barricades.

The two-night finale will be broadcast live from the Kodak to the East Coast and tape-delayed on the West Coast. Tonight’s installment of “American Idol,” at 9 on Fox, will feature a sing-off between the two finalists, Kelly Clarkson, 20, from Burleson, Texas, and Justin Guarini, 23, from Doylestown, Pa. Viewers will then call in to vote for their favorites.

Wednesday’s two-hour production, which can be seen at 8 p.m., is likely to be the highest-rated program of the summer and will be followed by an avalanche of “American Idol” material. The winner will be rewarded with a recording contract with RCA Records and will have a single out Sept. 17, followed closely by two “American Idol”-linked albums. An arena tour will follow.

And like all show-biz sensations, it’s already spawned plans for a sequel. There’s no date set for “American Idol 2”; Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman had hoped to have a planning meeting last week for the second round, but the key players were too preoccupied with the finale for the first.

All of the endeavors are being taken seriously by a slumping music industry, whose executives have taken note of the show’s massive viewership.

“I think the albums will debut extremely high on the pop charts; they will have very big first-week sales,” said Bob Bell, a buyer for Wherehouse, one of the nation’s larger music retailers. “There is a huge potential because of the sheer number of people watching this show--it’s millions and millions. If even a fraction of the viewers buy it, it would have the potential to debut No. 1.”

Bell cited the success of O-Town, a vocal group crafted on the series “Making the Band,” as a modest example of the type of success the “American Idol” might achieve with music buyers: “They had a No. 1 single and did well out of the box, and that show did not catch on the way this show has.”

“American Idol” is more than just the flavor of the waning summer months. TV insiders say “American Idol” is a breakout hit that has provided an invaluable launch pad for Fox’s upcoming fall lineup, providing numerous promotional opportunities from new and returning series such as “Firefly,” “The Bernie Mac Show” and “Fastlane.”

And timing is everything. Fox is coming off a season that produced two critical hits, “24” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” but no smash viewer favorites. The network also lost two of its key series, “Ally McBeal” and “The X-Files.”

“This show really established Fox in the industry as having a lot of forward momentum,” said Bob Flood, senior vice president and director of national TV for Optimedia International, an agency that purchases television advertising time for many major national brands. “It provided a shot of much-needed adrenaline.”

Last Wednesday’s “American Idol” installment, in which 23-year-old single mother Nikki McKibbin was eliminated, attracted almost 17 million viewers, the second-highest-rated program of the summer. Only a July repeat of a “CSI” episode scored higher. (“Idol” may be big, but not on the level of another summer reality series: “Survivor” drew more than 28 million viewers for its run-up installments in August 2000, and the finale attracted nearly 52 million viewers.)

Even Fox Entertainment’s Berman was caught off guard by the frenzy over “American Idol,” which she regarded initially as a fresh show that could take the place of summer repeats.

At the beginning of the summer, Berman and Fox Television Entertainment Group President Sandy Grushow discussed long-term plans and how one of the goals was to find “an ad-friendly show along the lines of ‘Survivor’ and ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ that would attract young adults.

“We had modest expectations,” said Berman of “American Idol.” “We just hoped it would bring young women to the network and keep our lights on through summer. Needless to say, it has far exceeded our wildest expectations.”

Wednesday’s “American Idol” was the top-rated show among the 18-49 demographic advertisers crave.

The series was prominently sponsored by Coke and Ford, and weekly segments showed the contestants using the products in specially designed spots. Not surprisingly, executives for both Coke and Ford said they were more than happy with their association with the show.

“It really did exceed our expectations in terms of the ‘water cooler’ aspect and all the media coverage as well as viewership,” said Julie Eisen, senior manager of entertainment marketing for Coke. “We had mainly wanted to support fresh talent. But we had no clue the show would work as well as it did.”

Curt Jaksen, group communication director for J. Walter Thompson, the Ford Division advertising agency, added: “Yes, we’re happy with our partnership. We’re ready to take a deep breath and look at ‘American Idol 2.’ ”

One television expert speculated that the frequently harsh treatment of contestants and the conflict-fueled chemistry between the three “American Idol” judges--the sharp-tongued British record executive Simon Cowell versus the more complimentary Paula Abdul and the amiable music industry veteran Randy Jackson--helped “American Idol” rise above the popularity of other music-related series such as “Making the Band” and “Pop Stars.”

“The best of all the post-’Survivor’ shows all add something new to the mix,” said Tim Brooks, co-author of “The Complete Directory to Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows.”

“What this show added was brutal reality. With ‘The Weakest Link,’ the put-downs were jokes. What makes ‘American Idol’ really work was the painful depiction of what competition to reach the top is like. That painful reality really strips away the artifice of television. It had true appeal.”

He added, “Here, people really tuned in to see the judges. Simon was nicely matched against Paula, who came across like Snow White. Randy was the third of the troika. Simon could be real brutal in his criticisms, but then he could be enormously supportive to them if he felt they had something. That gave him credibility.”

Nigel Lythgoe, one of the series’ co-executive producers, said he knew “American Idol” would grow in popularity through the summer “because you’re letting the public be involved. We’re asking the public, ‘Tell us who you want to be your next singing sensation.’ ”

Lythgoe is one of the executives with 19 Entertainment, which produces “American Idol” along with FremantleMedia. The companies produced the show’s predecessor, “Pop Idol,” in Britain earlier this year, which also became a cultural sensation. Auditions for “Pop Idol 2” are planned for May.

“In the U.K., it became a moral obligation to vote,” Lythgoe said.

Added Ken Warwick, another co-executive producer, “More than 91 million people called in on the final night. The phone company went haywire.”

Will Young, the winner of “Pop Idol,” will perform on both shows this week. Also scheduled for Wednesday are musical numbers featuring the 10 finalists, as well as a look back at the show’s previous episodes.

The “American Idol” onslaught will continue after the finale, with a tour, records, a DVD and a Fox special later this month with the reunion of “American Idol” finalists in a Las Vegas concert. Fox will get a piece of the merchandising profits.

The arena tour kicks off in Southern California with an Oct. 8 date at the Cox Arena in San Diego and returns to the region with a Nov. 15 show at the Arrowhead Pond. Tickets for those shows go on sale Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

One “American Idol” fanatic who will attend both nights of the finale is Janet Valdez, 18, of Downey, a student who spent all night at the Kodak in order to score tickets. Valdez, who is studying music business and history, has attended all the “American Idol” live shows.

“It’s very important to all of America that we get to pick the next big star,” said Valdez, wearing an “American Idol” baseball hat given to her by a crew member. Her support has continued even though her favorite, RJ Helton, was voted off three weeks ago.

As for the winner of the “American Idol” crown, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that the winner will have a No. 1 record. But will there be a situation where heavy hangs the head of the “American Idol”? “As much as they may want it, the title of ‘American Idol’ is a little cheesy, and it’s going to be something that follows them the rest of their lives,” Lythgoe said. “So coming in second isn’t so bad. But so many of these kids are going to be stars.”

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Times staff writer Geoff Boucher contributed to this story.