Watching New Celebs

Shameless Britney reference aside, I really need to stop missing blog days.

Today I want to talk about American Idol. Now, as I’ve said before, I don’t watch the show. Partly because I can’t stand Simon, partly because I’m really not into televised schadenfreude, partly because I just don’t like the format or the host (Ryan Seacrest is a bigger tool than Carson Daly, IMNSHO) or the songs they pick or the montages or just the overall FOX-ness of it. But I’m fascinated with how people become celebrities, as I’ve discussed here before, and with Carrie Underwood (a former Idol contestant, though I’m so out of the loop I’ll have to look up whether she “won” or not…yup, she won) winning an award not too long ago, it’s been on my mind again. I think it would make an excellent master’s thesis or PhD dissertation, this discussion of “reality” TV as launching pad for fame, especially in the recording industry. Now all the brouhaha is over Sanjaya, who I only know about because the Seattle Weekly ran a piece about Idol contestants who’ve been from the Seattle area & this article referenced his eyebrows about a trillion times so now I know which one they’re talking about when I see the commercials (which, admittedly, isn’t often). Apparently he’s (arguably) not very good, but he keeps getting voted through anyway, and people are angry because “better” stars are getting cut. But if Jennifer Hudson and Clay Aiken are any indication, you don’t have to “win” to get a recording deal, so what’s the big deal? I know, I know, this is America and we have to be the BEST at EVERYTHING and if we’re second we’re NOTHING, but seriously, step back for a minute and look at the situation. Every week, these kids are on national (international? do y’all get AI in Canada?) television, not just for the few minutes they’re onscreen during the show’s airing, but for commercials and interviews and a whole host of other things. If some producer somewhere likes what s/he hears, then a deal is going to be made. I went to high school with some gals who, on a bad day, could out-sing Kelly Clarkson, nevermind what they sounded like when they were in top form. But they’re not superstars (though some of them would like to be, I’m sure), because they never got the necessary exposure (vocally or otherwise). So what is it about this show that launches stardom? What is it about the show that draws so many millions to it? Is it really just the schadenfreude? Is it the talent? What about on nights like some I’ve seen (unwillingly) when it seems everyone is having a bad night, like the proper notes just got tired of being present and all went out for drinks at the nearest bar for happy hour? What does it say about us as a viewing public when the “reject” episodes are twice as long as the “winners” segments? What do you think?

American Idol, Sanjaya, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Simon Cowell, reality television, FOX, AI