American Idol

American Idol is giving them something to talk about

2007-04-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

American Idol kicks off every year with a different start, and a different debate. Classmates, co-workers and chat-room regulars around the country will wage war over that performance of "I Will Always Love You" was over sung or amazing, that dress was hideous or gorgeous, or those dance moves were embarrassing or actually pretty good. The Simon haters will lash out at the Simon lovers, grandmas will rush to the defense of the sweet schoolboy with a heart of gold, and teenage girls will thoroughly discuss Ryan Seacrest's hair now vs. season two.

Then of course, there's the actual matter of who will win, who should win and who should've won but was voted off three weeks ago because the phone lines were down. Week in and week out, AI is a factory for debate feed, so it makes sense that the show itself has triggered one of the most disruptive ongoing debates in the music industry: Is American Idol hurting or helping the state of popular music today? Ask artists or executives, producers or journalists, and the answers will vary widely. Some love it, some hate it, and some are still debating in their own minds whether this pop-culture phenomenon is the beginning or the end of music as we know it. The loudest argument in support of Idol is that it's giving music some much-needed attention. Supporters also contend that the concept behind AI with America choosing a singer to win a record contract, brings a welcome balance to an industry where a handful of execs-mostly older men, pick the artists we hear on the radio and see on TV anyway. We are just giving them...

San-Bye-Ya

2007-04-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Sanjaya Malakar, the singer who horrified and captivated millions in his improbable "American Idol" run, was finally voted off the show Wednesday night. When the result was announced, Malakar wiped away tears and got a big hug from LaKisha Jones, the next lowest vote-getter. "I'm fine," he told Ryan Seacrest. "It was an amazing experience." -CBC.ca

Sanjaya is voted off!! Oh no! At least people will be able to see him on the American Idol tour. Or you can probably soon buy a t-shirt with that logo ↑ on it.

Voting(for the worst) for American Idol

2007-04-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Like previous years, the viewer voting makes little sense, unless people are actually voting for the worst contestant at the suggestion of Votefortheworst.com. This website rallies behind the one contestant the American Idol producers and the general public would most like to see eliminated, asking people to vote for him or her as many times as possible.

http://www.votefortheworst.com/

If their pick of the week does get thrown out, VFTW simply moves on to the next least desirable winner. Their current poster boy is-you guessed it-Sanjaya Malakar. Is VFTW responsible for getting this young, inexperienced vocalist into the Top 12? Who knows.

Just a reality fluke, or is there a deeper reason? Are American Idol viewers picking the worst on purpose? When fans have trouble deciding who is the best, they can always check in with VFTW and nominate the bad apple of the bunch. After all, one of them has to win. Who says it has to be the best?

Sanjaya Craziness

2007-04-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

You either love him or hate him - that’s American Idol’s controversial contestant, Sanjaya Malakar. People who hate Malakar believe that his voice is not exactly up to par with the other contestants’ voices. However, those who love Sanjaya argue that his powerful charm and aurora are the factors that will make him a star. The Sanjaya phenomenon has definitely put a spin on things. The Sanjaya craze has turned into an all out battle between team Sanjaya vs. team No Sanjaya.

An American Idol viewer, who identifies herself only as J., has set up a Myspace page and a You Tube video to promote a hunger strike that she is going on called “Starvation for Sanjaya.” According to the Myspace page, “So until the day that Sanjaya is no longer American Idol, I will be going on a hunger strike. This means I will refuse to eat anything until American Idol voters wise up, and stop voting Sanjaya through each week.”

http://www.myspace.com/starvationforsanjaya

The Myspace page has accumulated over eight hundred friends, and someone named Matt has also joined J. in the hunger strike. Given Sanjaya’s much improved performance recently on American Idol, J. might have many hungry days in front of her. On the last results show, Sanjaya wasn't even in the bottom two.

In the You Tube video, a girl in a darkened room with a bright lamp in the background spoke directly into the camera. After expressing her dismay over Sanjaya Malakar continuing in the competition, she said “Therefore, I am going to continue my hunger strike until Sanjaya is either voted off, the producers rescind his spot in the top twelve, or he graciously steps down from his position.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDviPoXJl28&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Emyspace%2Ecom%2Fstarvationforsanjaya

American Idol Phenomenon

2007-04-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

It’s that time again. But not to watch young talented singers competing to win a contract with a record label- that’s why you watch the last 4 or 5 episodes. By the finals, the pool of would-be pop stars has been whittled down to those with at least some semblance of talent.

I understand that there are those who enter the competition knowing they are terrible singers, but are willing to pretend to be auditioning in earnest for a chance to be the next William Hung.

But if you watch these shows, it’s clear that some of these people honestly believed that they could sing before Simon Cowell, in a tone that denies hyperbole, declares that they have one of the worst voices he’s ever heard in his life.

How does this happen? Surely if one is trying out for what ultimately could become a career in singing, they at least took the time to figure out if they could sing, right?

These kids are all 16 or older- shouldn’t they have learned these lessons in junior high school talent shows? Haven’t they wondered why they are never given the solos in the school chorus? Is Randy Jackson’s giggling the first indication they’ve ever had that their voice may be a little more Ashlee than Jessica? Some dream-shattered contestants shed light on this phenomenon in their post-humiliation musings. I understand the need to support your children and try to build their self-confidence, but is it necessary to flat-out deceive? I know parents tend to think that their children are the most beautiful, smart and talented individuals alive, but must it blind you from reality?

One girl cried over the snickers of the judges, “What do you mean I can’t sing? All of my friends say I have a great voice!” They’re not your friends, I thought to myself. A good friend wouldn‘t lie to you like that. A great friend tells you that you have lots of talents, but singing isn’t one of them, that your clothes would look better if you just broke down and bought the next larger size, and that the face your making right now is not funny, it is just plain scary. It’s tough love, but in the long run it will be much appreciated, especially if it saves you some undue embarrassment.

So what comes next for the AI steamroller? Overexposure is a danger, but fans seem willing to take in as much as they can. Perhaps an even further audience awaits a venture called American Idol: Classic Edition. This is a new proposal to the generation of singers who missed their chance with the currently formatted AI. That is, for singers between the ages of 30 and 50, AI Classic is your road from obscurity to recognition. Let’s face it; these kids trying out for American Idol do not hold the last word on talent in America. There is a more seasoned element embedded in the fabric of this nation that has more going for it than pimple cream and cute body parts.

Anyway, this is why I decided that I don’t blame the contestants showing up to the American Idol tryouts with their ill-fated dreams in hand. It’s not their fault. Especially with something like singing, unless you’ve heard yourself on tape, it’s difficult to tell how you sound to other people.

After all, Ashlee Simpson hung a platinum album on her wall without having exhibited any discernable musical talent. Who could forget her priceless screw up on SNL? The blame is for the families and friends who don’t have the compassion to steer them away from occupational choices in which they have no chance of success. Under the guise of sparing feelings, they do their loved ones a disservice.

The harsh truth comes out sooner or later. It always does. And when it does, the formerly deluded will come looking for those that lied to them along the way. We all have the choice of being the great friend who breaks the news in a personal and controlled setting, or the bad friend who watches the misled crash and burn in a much more public and painful arena. All of this begs the question: how long will the Idol phenomenon continue? Can the American Idol brand remain fresh, continue to reinvent itself for years to come, or will it fade away like so many of yesterday’s top musical talent? It’s hard to say. While any popular culture icon is in danger of quickly becoming yesterday’s news, given the show’s track record, AI is still keeping up, for now at least. In the next few years viewers may be fed up with the American Idol craze and it will fall much like it's contestants. But if you’re the latter, you can only hope that the truth-unveiling won’t be on national television in front of 30 million people. Of course, it does make for great entertainment for the rest of us. Next bad friend exhibition airs on FOX at 8PM EST Tuesday, April 24th.