American Idol Season 11 premieres tonight and, in today's USA TODAY, television reporter Bill Keveney looks at five reasons the show might go on forever. (By, say, the middle of April, many people will feel like it's been going on forever.)
Bill's arguments basically boil down to these:
However, those five reasons also contain the seeds of the show's eventual demise, according to Bill.
Which do you think it will be? Is American Idol entering its second golden era, following its revitalization last year? Or will its predictability, combined with the fresh features of shows like The Voice and The X Factor eventually bring the show to its knees?
Also, take a look at these promos for this season.
If regular Idol Chatter readers think the first face looks familiar, that's because it's Kentucky's Brandy Neelly, who spoke with us following her Season 10 Nashville audition in 2010. Brandy, who'll turn 17 on Saturday, made the Hollywood round last season but didn't last long.
Also, I'm hearing that another person we talked to after the 2010 Nashville auditions, North Carolina's Chelsea Sorrell, made it at least as far as the Top 40 this year. We'll see.
Remember, I'll be blogging live right here tonight and throughout the season. I look forward to hearing what you think as Idol enters its 11th year!
Nashville-based Brian Mansfield began writing about music for USA TODAY in 1997 and took over Idol Chatter just before the start of Season 8. He co-authored Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music, and while he has never auditioned for American Idol, he did sing Boot Scootin' Boogie at Disney World's American Idol Experience the day the attraction opened (he lost). More about Brian | E-mail Brian