For long-time fans of America's most popular TV
show, American Idol, Richard Rushfield book, AMERICAN
IDOL: THE UNTOLD STORY, offers a unique insider's look at
what has been called the country's "biggest dream factory."
Beginning in season six, Rushfield began covering
the American Idol television show for the Los Angeles
Times. He has developed a reputation for being the utmost
expert in the history of the show, and he reveals his
extensive knowledge here in this 287-page book. Rushfield
details the rivalries, the ins-and-outs of voting, why
Paula Abdul really left, and Simon Cowell as he truly is
(in Rushfield's opinion). There are also interviews with
the contestants and winners, the families, and people
associated with the show, plus plenty of photos.
This is a light, fun read about the behind-the-scenes world
of American Idol. This book gives a brief history of how
the show came to be and how things have changed throughout
the seasons. The focus is centered on the judges
(especially Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul) more than the
contestants, so those expecting or wanting insider info or
details about individual performers, especially the more
recent winners, will be a little disappointed.
The currency is fame, and it's bigger than money, more
desired than power.
Each season
American Idol delivers on a promise whose epic scope
is unparalleled in the annals of competition: to take an
unknown dreamer from the middle of America and turn him or
her into a genuine star. It has become not only the biggest
show on television, but the biggest force in all of
entertainment; its alumni dominate the recording charts and
Broadway, win Academy Awards, and sweep up Grammys. In fact,
American Idol has reshaped the very idea of
celebrity.
But it didn't start out that way. When the
little singing contest debuted as a summer replacement on
the U.S. airwaves, it was packed between reruns and low-cost
filler. The promise that it would find America's next pop
star produced a hearty round of guffaws from the country's
media critics. Now, some ten years and millions of records
later, no one is laughing.
American Idol: The
Untold Story chronicles the triumphs and travails, the
harrowing backstage drama and the nail-biting onstage
battles that built this revolutionary show. In this
revealing book, veteran journalist Richard Rushfield goes
deeper inside the circus than any reporter ever has.
Candid
interviews with Idol alumni, including Simon Fuller and
Simon Cowell, shed new light on the show that changed the
entertainment industry. And because Rushfield had full
access to the people who created the show, starred in it,
and kept it atop the pop culture pyramid, this book is the
first to take Americans behind the curtain and tell what has
really been happening on the world's most watched and
speculated-about stage.