Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are not around to critique participants’ singing numbers, and don't expect Ryan Seacrest to pop up in the dining hall.
But for kids ages 12-15 who aspire to be entertainers, it may be the ultimate "American Idol" experience. Certainly it's the latest brilliant bit of merchandising for the Fox franchise.
It's Idol Camp. It's in Northfield, Mass., and costs $2,900 for a 10-day getaway.
That’s a mighty high price tag, and not without irony. One of the great draws of “American Idol” has always been its egalitarianism, the notion that anyone can win, regardless of background, as long as they have talent, charisma and enough quick-fingered dialers rooting for them.
What separates Idol Camp from all other summer performing arts camps is that its instructors are former “Idol” contestants, such as Jon Peter Lewis, a third-season finalist.
In addition to hiking and swimming, kids receive instruction in song and dance and video production, and at the end of the session they collaborate on a final performance.
Idol Camp is the creation of FremantleMedia, the “American Idol” producer that has made the show one of the top product-placement programs on television.
In a stretch of logic, camp higher-ups contend the venture is helping fill the void left by deep cuts to arts funding at schools.
But they also make clear that Idol Camp won’t help “Idol” wannabes get on the show. A blurb on the camp’s web site warns that participation in Idol Camp won’t result in preferential treatment at “Idol” auditions.
Some 700 kids attended the camp’s first session, and one of two 10-day sessions that ran during the month. No more applications are being accepted for this summer, but next year the camp hopes to offer sessions over several months and open a branch on the West Coast.
Scholarships are available to a limited number of the camp’s participants.
Meanwhile, in other younger viewer ratings for the week ending Aug. 5:
Among teens 12-17: Fox was first with a 1.5 rating and 6 share, followed by CW at 1.0/4, Univision and NBC at 0.8/3, ABC and CBS at 0.7/3, Telemundo at 0.2/1, Telefutura at 0.1/0 and Azteca at 0.0/0.
Among kids 2-11: Fox led with a 1.1/4, followed by Univision at 1.0/4, ABC at 0.7/3, CBS and NBC at 0.6/3, CW at 0.6/2, Telemundo at 0.3/1, Telefutura at 0.1/1, and Azteca at 0.1/0.
The top five shows among kids 2-5: 1. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Thursday 11 a.m.); 2. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Monday 10:30 a.m.); 3. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Friday 11 a.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 10:30 a.m.); 5. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Friday 11:30 a.m.)
The top five shows among kids 6-11: 1. “Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp” (Nickelodeon, Friday 8 p.m.); 2. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Friday 9 p.m.); 3. “High School Musical” (Disney, Wednesday 8 p.m.); 4. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Saturday 11:30 a.m.); 5. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Saturday 8:35 p.m.)
The top five shows among kids 9-14: 1. “Drake & Josh: Really Big Shrimp” (Nickelodeon, Friday 8 p.m.); 2. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Saturday 8:35 p.m.); 3. “Hannah Montana” (Disney, Thursday 4:30 p.m.); 4. “High School Musical” (Disney, Wednesday 8 p.m.); 5. “SpongeBob SquarePants” (Nickelodeon, Friday 9 p.m.)
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 2-5
Week Ended August 5
|
|
|
Program
|
Net
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
|
1
|
SPONGEBOB-08/02/2007
|
NICK
|
6.7
|
1062
|
|
2
|
SPONGEBOB-07/30/2007
|
NICK
|
6.4
|
1008
|
|
3
|
SPONGEBOB-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
1001
|
|
4
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
997
|
|
5
|
SPONGEBOB-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
6.3
|
992
|
|
6
|
SPONGEBOB-08/02/2007
|
NICK
|
6.2
|
982
|
|
7
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
6
|
954
|
|
8
|
SPONGEBOB-07/31/2007
|
NICK
|
5.9
|
934
|
|
9
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
5.8
|
918
|
|
10
|
SPONGEBOB-08/02/2007
|
NICK
|
5.8
|
916
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
|
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TOP 10 PROGRAMS – BROADCAST & CABLE
Kids 6-11
Week Ended August 5
|
|
|
Program
|
Net
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
|
1
|
DRAKEJOSH REALLYBIGSHRIMP-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
10.1
|
2450
|
|
2
|
SPONGEBOB-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
7.8
|
1887
|
|
3
|
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL-08/01/2007
|
DSNY
|
7.6
|
1844
|
|
4
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
7.3
|
1760
|
|
5
|
HANNAH MONTANA-08/04/2007
|
DSNY
|
7.2
|
1737
|
|
6
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
7.1
|
1721
|
|
7
|
DRAKE & JOSH-08/05/2007
|
NICK
|
7
|
1704
|
|
8
|
HANNAH MONTANA-08/02/2007
|
DSNY
|
7
|
1700
|
|
9
|
SPONGEBOB-08/04/2007
|
NICK
|
6.7
|
1636
|
|
10
|
SPONGEBOB-08/02/2007
|
NICK
|
6.7
|
1620
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
|
|
TOP 10 PROGRAMS – CABLE
Kids 9-14
Week Ended August 5
|
|
Rank
|
Program
|
Net
|
Rtg%
|
(000)
|
|
1
|
DRAKEJOSH REALLYBIGSHRIMP-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
9.6
|
2349
|
|
2
|
HANNAH MONTANA-08/04/2007
|
DSNY
|
7.8
|
1904
|
|
3
|
HANNAH MONTANA-08/02/2007
|
DSNY
|
6.8
|
1670
|
|
4
|
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL-08/01/2007
|
DSNY
|
6.7
|
1645
|
|
5
|
SPONGEBOB-08/03/2007
|
NICK
|
6.6
|
1609
|
|
6
|
DRAKE & JOSH-08/05/2007
|
NICK
|
6
|
1482
|
|
7
|
SUITE LIFE OF ZACK & CODY-08/05/2007
|
DSNY
|
5.9
|
1445
|
|
8
|
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL-08/02/2007
|
DSNY
|
5.9
|
1438
|
|
9
|
PRINCESS DIARIES, THE-07/30/2007
|
DSNY
|
5.8
|
1415
|
|
10
|
DRAKE & JOSH-08/01/2007
|
NICK
|
5.8
|
1414
|
|
Source: Disney-ABC Television Group, based on data from Nielsen Media Research
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