Summer of 'Idol' worshipping comes to a close with finale
Diane Holloway
Austin American-Statesman (Texas) September 2, 2002

It started slow, then started to grow. Now "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" is heading into the record books as the summer's biggest new hit.

And the buzz is pretty big, too. In offices, grocery stores, high schools and middle schools, the talk of the land has been the heartbreak of Tamyra, the pierced tongue and Day-Glo hair of Nikki, the sexy grin of Justin and the fabulous pipes of Kelly.

He's not exactly Osama bin Laden, but Simon Cowell, the British judge whose caustic comments have produced tears and jeers, has become the man we love to hate.

From the bug-eating castaways of "Survivor" to the warbling hopefuls of "American Idol," television viewers are embracing real people as their favorite stars. If "Fear Factor" is the dark side of reality TV, "American Idol" is the bright side.

Tuesday night at 8, the "American Idol" finalists -- Kelly Clarkson, our Texas gal from Burleson, and Justin Guarini, the mop-topped dude from suburban Philadelphia -- will perform three songs apiece and America will vote. The winner of a recording contract will be revealed Wednesday night in a two-hour telecast starting at 7.

How big is "American Idol"?

Last week the Fox series, which has aired Tuesdays and Wednesdays since June 11, was the top-rated show nationally among the coveted 18-49 demographic. The series has lifted Fox, the so-called fourth network, to rare victories over ABC, CBS and NBC, with more than 15 million people tuning into last week's episodes.

Locally, "American Idol" on KTBC Fox 7 is attracting more than 25 percent of the TV households. Considering the number of channel choices available, that's a huge number of eyeballs.

And this week's two-part conclusion could draw an even larger crowd.

"American Idol" started with a nationwide talent search that produced 10,000 contestants. It's a hotter version of "Star Search," with knuckle-biting suspense and genuine surprises:

Tamyra Gray, the lovely songbird from Philadelphia, was voted off the show a couple of weeks ago, while the punky-looking, less talented Nikki McKibbin stayed.

Judges Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson have almost come to blows on several occasions.

And at one point, about 100 fans, using broadband Internet connections, went into a frenzy of speed-dialing and cast as many as 10,000 votes in one night from a single phone. Fox and the producers insist the speed-dialed votes are "statistically insignificant," (recent episodes have drawn about 15 million phone-in votes), but conspiracy theorists are convinced that Tamyra was a victim of Nikki-loving callers.

Another controversy arose when it was revealed that contestants signed a contract stipulating that producers could decide the outcome. But a Fox spokesman says compromising the vote would destroy the contest and that won't happen.

It's been a wild summer ride and a pop-culture phenomenon. Las Vegas oddsmakers (yes, they're making bets on "American Idol") say Clarkson is the overwhelming favorite, with a better than 2-to-1 chance of winning. Stay tuned.