Idol Remains Tv Powerhouse, but It's Leaking Its Youthful Fuel

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"Last year I was really into it, and the year before that," said the high school freshman from Brookline, Mass. "This year in the beginning I was, but then track started up, and I have a lot of homework. It's two hours long, and I don't have the time."

"We're not in denial that the ratings are down," said Preston Beckman, Fox's chief scheduling executive. "There are things that we can control, and there are things that we can't control. I defy anyone to show you a hit show that has been on for seven seasons that is at the level this one is on relative to where it started."

"The talent this year I don't think is as great as it has been," said Steve Rifkin, rap impresario and founder of Loud Records. "You're not going to hit a home run every year. I still think it's the most powerful show on TV."

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Idol Remains Tv Powerhouse, but It's Leaking Its Youthful Fuel

By David Bauder

NEW YORK -- The fevered response to the latest loopy Paula Abdul episode, where she judged a phantom performance, just goes to show how American Idol continues to dominate television in its seventh season.

Yet while Idol...

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