American Idol gets nasty

There's more ridicule by judges and more attacks on them by contestants.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Considering it's the biggest kid on the block, "American Idol" is becoming quite the bully.
Fox's talent contest regularly has made an art of mocking the untalented who expose their dreams of stardom on TV, but the show's fifth year has the stench of a mean season.
Vulnerable contestants are coming in for more ridicule; bounced contestants are unleashing more extended and expletive-laden attacks on the judges and, we are warned, the future will demonstrate how vicious singers can be when they really want to win.
"We now have contestants who will not let anything get in their way of victory," host Ryan Seacrest told The Associated Press before the show returned. "Some contestants have thrown each other under the bus this season."
Much is at stake. Producers Fremantle Media North America and 19 Entertainment, who again have delivered the No. 1-rated show to Fox (last week's premiere drew a record 35.5 million viewers), are under pressure to keep the format a lucrative draw.
A lot at stake
Would-be idols know this game can be about more than fleeting fame: It may be 15 seconds or it may be big album sales and a shot at a lasting career, as with "Since U Been Gone" hitmaker Kelly Clarkson.
"Shows have to reinvent themselves to stay fresh and invigorated for all these years," said analyst Shari Anne Brill of New York-based Carat USA.
In the past, "American Idol" (airing Tuesday and Wednesday) upped the age for contestants to 28 and divided the finalists evenly between men and women. This year, it's trying a little anti-tenderness.
Weight and sexuality are favorite targets, as in previous seasons and just like around the typical school yard. But there is new venom in everybody's blood, and emotional fragility be damned.
In last week's Chicago audition, a heavyset woman with an exceptional voice got a thumbs-up from the judges -- and then chief provocateur Simon Cowell suggested the show might consider a bigger stage.
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