Idol vs. The Voice

I have a new favorite singing show - The Voice.  Maybe it's too soon to say, but already, it brings something fresh, while Idol continues to grow stale and boring.

Fact: American Idol is a joke now.  Look at the past 3 idols...pretty much invisible in the present day - David Cook, Kris Allen, and Lee DeWyze.  I bet that most people have no idea who they are...the most recent Idol who is still at least partially successful now is Jordin Sparks (who, by the way, I predicted to win from the time she auditioned, no joke!)  Also, the judges' comments have been really inconsistent the past few seasons, even when Simon was still here (though I must say, it's definitely worse now that he's gone...) 

The judges basically say that everyone is awesome, and they give standing ovations when they're not even warranted.  In the past, there was maybe one standing o the whole season, if that.  The sad part is that J-Lo and Steven Tyler are easier/less competent than Paula Abdul - and at least she was entertaining.  These two newbies make Randy Jackson look tough (and indeed, they give him Simon's old seat), but he's pretty much the same...throwing in the same old random phrases like "It was hot!" "She is in it to win it!" "It was a little pitchy" etc.
And because the judges pretty much say everyone is amazing, people listen to these judges, and so no contestants stand out.  Also, apparently the voting is dominated by tween girls, so actually amazing contestants like Pia get voted off:

Pia singing Celine Dion's All By Myself

I said I was done with Idol like 2 years ago, and for some reason, I keep watching.  But seriously, with The Voice out now, and The X Factor coming out in the Fall (another Simon Cowell singing competition), there's a good chance I'm finally done with Idol for good.

The Voice is a completely different format, and a breath of fresh air.  There are 4 judges: Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine (Maroon 5), Cee Lo Green ("Forget You"), and Blake Shelton (country music star).  The premise of this show is that these judges each build their own superteam of singers.  They act as mentors to the contestants they choose, and if one of their contestants wins in the end, the judge is credited as finding "the voice".

First round of filtering is a blind audition: The judges are turned around while each contestant sings his/her heart out. If at any point during the song, any of the judges like what they hear, they press a button that turns their chair around and flashes a light saying "I Want You".  If more than one judge presses it, the contestant gets to choose whose team to go on.

Second round: There are 8 people on each judge's team.  2 people from each team are paired up, and those people battle against each other in a duet....judge picks the winner, and loser goes home!

Third round: There will be 4 people on each judge's team, and then the show goes live and America votes.

This is definitely a lot more intense than Idol (and I feel like the talent is a lot better), so I look forward to watching each week.  They're still on the 2nd round of filtering right now, so hopefully the show stays interesting and awesome.