‘Idol’ ditches individual Twitter and Facebook pages

Here's an early elimination America didn't even get a chance to vote on: The official individual Twitter and Facebook pages of the "American Idol" contestants are a thing of the past. They've been consolidated into one central page shared by all of the contestants on each social networking site. Same goes for MySpace.

Twitter followers of the remaining contestants were treated to the following message Wednesday night, alerting them to the switcheroo: "Thanks so much for following me! All my updates from now on will be on our Official Ai9 Twitter Page, please follow me there @AI9Contestants." Their Facebook fans received a similar message, directing them to the Official American Idol 9 Contestant Page: AI9 Contestants.

The media response to the change has been one of vague suspicion. The going theory is that "Idol" producers were likely concerned that the discrepancies between the number of contestants' followers may have eroded the suspense about who America prefers — and may even have affected the way the audience voted.

Personally, I'm cool with the switch. It's handy to have all the posts in one place, easier to scan through the flurry of posts expressing excitement and thanking fans for their support in order to spot the rare moment of revelation. Wouldn't want to miss Crystal Bowersox's post assuring fans, "Don't worry, my 'beetus [diabetes] is under control…" or the chance to learn that Lilly Scott has issues other than "Idol" on her mind at the moment.

Scott, it turns out, is an alumna of the Colorado school where that terrible shooting occurred last week. "My heart goes out to the students and staff at my former middle school Deer Creek in Littleton," she tweeted. "My hometown has experienced significant tragedy but peace will overcome! My song tonight goes out to all of you…"

– Amy Reiter

Photo: Lilly Scott performs Wednesday night. Credit: Frank Micelotta/ Fox.

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