Fox’s ‘American Idol’ Begins Final Season This Week

New York Times: Dim the lights, cue the house band: It’s finally time for “American Idol” to sing itself off. That once-monumental music competition show begins its 15th and farewell season on Wednesday with a premiere full of callbacks. Like so many of its ejectees, it’s leaving the stage with one last swan song before the credits, at once lauded and bum-rushed. The end of “Idol” marks the folding-up of TV’s last cultural big tent.