Most of us who read this blog remember those middle school days of watching contestants like Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kelly Clarkson take the American Idol stage and ignite a passion for singing competition shows in America. But with the 144 contentants that made up the top-12 over the span of Idol's Twelve Season existence, we wonder how competing networks reinvent a typical progression from auditions to declaring the winner, and gain market share in a music-loving America. Sure the $17 million salary demand from Jennifer Lopez after the 2012 season of Idol sure seemed like a lot for someone who sits in a chair, sips her Coca-Cola and watches Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler rant about the fantastic performances [......]