“American Idol” was beaten in the ratings last night by real music, and it was an irony for Lionel Richie.
“Motown 60” on CBS won the time slot from 8 to 10pm with 6.8 million vs. 6.4 million. More young people watched “Idol” but more people enjoyed Motown.
Lionel Richie, who dropped out of the Motown taping at the last minute, is a judge on “Idol.” Jennifer Lopez, who used to be an “Idol” judge, appeared on the Motown show in her dreadful Grammy medley of Motown songs. It was the same performance as from the Grammy show. It was just dropped in.
The Motown special emphasized the Motown superstars– Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Diana Ross. There was no mention of Michael Jackson, who I guess will now be wiped from the label’s history a la Kate Smith from the Yankees and the Philadelphia Flyers. Ridiculous.
The best part of the Motown special, aside from the performances, were the interviews. The Smokey Robinson/Mary Wilson segment was excellent. So was the one with the songwriters. Mary Wilson really got her vindication over Diana Ross. Nice work, Ken Ehrlich.
