If I may: American Idol is no sacred cow. It may moo like one, but it is not. It drinks from the trough in the barnyard of pop-culture entertainment and waits for the farmers to come milk it for all it's worth.
I don't for one minute believe the show is a "singing contest." It never was. Any show that relies wholly on unrestricted calls from the viewing public is not going to be an honest evaluation of voice, pitch, phrasing, resonance, or any of the other musical terms me and the most of the United States know nothing about.
What we all know is personality. Shock value. Fun. Diversion. Rumor. Intriuge. Good hair. Boobies.
Even before campaigns such as Vote For the Worst, which gained popularity when Howard Stern got behind the old farm tractor of subversion, it was a popularity contest. By definition. Votes got tallied and the most popular won. Not the best singer. Not the most gifted showperson. Just the guy or girl with the most supporters in his or her stable.
This season, I called in my votes to American Idol for the first time ever. I did it because I was finally excited about the outcome. I wanted to participate in the mass market sociology experiment designed to test the meaning of "reality" entertainment. How far would it go? How close to the "best" would the "worst" take it? At what point do those concepts flip? Is there a place where they merge? And, most importantly: what the hell is reality, anyway?
No matter how you look at it, the controversy is good for ratings.
And that's entertainment.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
i've never watched the show. mostly for no reason, but now, i have to say, it's out of principle.
yes, i am rather proud of that in a totally bitch sort of way, thanks for asking.
For the most part, I think the real person wins every once in a while. I personally usually pick a good looking guy and get on his bandwagon. I was a true Ace Young follower, not Taylor Hicks and I'm certain that Taylor sings better than Ace but Ace LOOKS REALLY GOOD.
Oh, well entertainment at its best.
He does have courage, I'll give him that. What happened to his voice though? He could sing before? Is it all an act or what?
Yes but the fact that Gina Glockson went on Idol and stated that she carries around a troll and a pickle didn't keep her around much longer. I'd agree completely with you if Sanjaya wasn't the most annoying person in the world. I just can't stomach him. Like, he physically makes me not watch Idol because his presence makes me want to do bad things to our television set.
i'm with lauren. sanjaya makes me want to slap him silly. oh wait, he's already silly. slap him sillier, then.
I hope he wins.
And ends the madness of A.I.
Cuz I'm sick of these reality shows. Bring back the cheezy sitcoms.
I like my brain numbed the old-fashioned way.
Post a Comment