As undoubtedly brilliant as it is, American Idol has US TV in a stranglehold. More people watched American Idol than The Grammys last week; in fact, more people watched American Idol than anything.

So now American TV is fighting back. And what foolproof, laser-guided, unstoppably successful television format is NBC banking on to take on the might of Simon Cowell and his ridiculous hair? Eurovision. Yes, you read that right. Eurovision.

Yeah, we’re stumped, too.

To NBC and all of America, the Eurovision Song Contest (CDs) is a goldmine
of a blueprint to television ratings victory; a way to show upstart TV
talent shows like American Idol how to really do things, and a way to
unite America in these dark, dark days.

Which is weird because to Europeans, the Eurovision Song Contest is
a slightly too-long evening of laughing at badly-dressed Latvians
singing songs with names like Boingy Boingy Love Love and then getting
angry when France gives us nil points.

Nevertheless, NBC plans to emulate the Eurovision Song Contest for
an American audience. Ben Silverman, chairman of American Eurovision
producers Reveille, said:

"Eurovision is the grandaddy of all talent shows and the Super Bowl of singing."

But
Ben’s snappy, yet slightly inaccurate, soundbite doesn’t get to the
real question: What the hell is an American Eurovision actually going
to be like?

Well, it’s likely to be a series as opposed to a one-off event.
Details are still being thrashed out for American Eurovision, but it
seems as if there’ll be some kind of online contest to find performers
from each US state, who will perform against each other for a share of
the public vote.

There’s no word of a transmission date for the American Eurovision
Song Contest, nor any kind of confirmation that the American version of
Terry Wogan will get to do an endlessly sarcastic commentary through the
series.

Read more:

US to emulate Eurovision contest – BBC 

[story by Stuart Heritage]