Time for a new year and a new episode of “American Idol.” I’ve never actually seen the show, but since Fox is the only place one can watch “The Simpsons,” I’ve seen plenty of previews for it. A wife of mine (who shall remain nameless) has actually seen an episode or two.
Does anyone else think the way they treat contestants on “AI” is wrong? I used to do some acting, and the Brothers Schultz and I used to do a little singing way back when, and I remember the kind of nervousness you get when you perform on stage. The way I understand it, in the first few episodes, they drag in kids who can’t sing and humiliate them in front of the cameras, then broadcast it to millions of people.
Ha ha ha. I’ve read that the producers identify the ridiculously bad performers and then tell them they’re going to audition for the main judges instead of the lower-level screeners. So these people think, “Hey, I’ve really got a shot,” but instead they get verbally abused. Maybe some of them think it’s a lark afterwards, but from the looks on their faces, they seem genuinely shocked.
If I were one of the sucky performers, I’d probably want to shoot myself — or that nasty judge, Simon. Where does he get off passing judgment on people’s talents? He’s the guy who inflicted the Spice Girls on the world. He should be on trial at the Hague, right after Milosevic is finished.
Anyway, the whole thing makes me sick. I don’t really care about the whole “Star Search” aspect, but it seems like they could have that without the humiliation. Or is cruelty considered good clean fun these days, and I hadn’t noticed?
UPDATE: I was wrong — Simon Cowell did not create the Spice Girls, contrary to my memory. He is responsible for the Teletubbies and the Mighty Morph’n Power Rangers. Simon Fuller is the guy who created the Spice Girls. I should watch VH-1 more often to keep these things straight, but I don’t have cable, so I can’t.
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He should be on trial at the Hague, right after Milosevic is finished.
Won’t Simon have died of old age by then?
Eh. Cruelty is no fun, but idiots who agree to reality TV deserve ever serving of humility they can get, even that at the hands of Simon Cowell’s acid tongue.
…and the Brothers Schultz and I used to do a little singing way back when…
Oh, Eric – you make it sound like we’re a gaggle of wash-outed yodelers… People: Eric sang a mean baritone solo in “Good King Wenceslas” back in the day.
American Idol is all about finding something that will sell, period. Much like Simon’s beloved Spice Girls, the show is about recognizing talent on a vocal and performance level, and then selling it to the masses.
Fortunately, few “singers” with an inability to write a decent song or get a band together ever really make it. My point here is that I don’t expect much out of a reality show like American Idol when the point of the entire thing is to market a superficial “singer.” I expect it to be abusive and just plain bad, because that’s what they’re looking for.
well, I actually find it refreshingly honest. Yes, Simon sometimes goes overboard, but as someone who actually watches the show, I have a different opinion. Some of the awful contestants appear to have NEVER been told that they stink. Nowadays, kids no longer compete for prizes – it might hurt someone’s “self-esteem”. We as a society go out of our way to ensure that no one’s “self-esteem” is harmed — That’s a shame.
I watched the preliminary contests last season and noted a few things. Simon and Randy will argue with and embarass contestants that argue with their decision not to take them to Hollywood. The more the contestant yells at the judges for being “tone-deaf” and “idiots” for not seeing that contestant’s EXTREME talent, the more the judges rail into the contestant.
One contestant appeared to have emotional problems and was not too stable — the judges were very kind to that person.
Other contestants are dismissed without argument.
I truly do find it interesting when it is clear that a contestant has never been told that they can’t sing meets brutal honesty in the judges.
That said — YES, sometimes I find the humiliation inappropriate and uncomfortable. It is a shame that these contestants sign waivers to be humiliated in front of the whole country. Sad really.
I’m not a big addict of reality TV. Haven’t seen but like two episodes of the original season of Survivor. I catch an occasional few minutes of a reality show here or there. And yeah, I do get hooked on late night episodes of Blind Date now and then. (Is this a “sin that so easily besets us” that Scripture warns about?)
But anyway, I am addicted to Average Joe 2. Talk about cruelty. I feel much less sorry for arrogant untalented doofuses who are told to stuff it when they confuse their sorry caterwauling for singing over these “average”-looking guys who are put up against “hot” pretty boys in competition for a beauty queen.
But yet I still stay glued to the TV. Oy, guilty pleasure. But NBC has done worse. It’s a little show you might be familiar with called Dateline NBC.
During the day: Ken Shepherd, Man of Substance. At night: Ken Shepherd, Slack-Jawed Reality TV Fan.
My mind is having trouble grasping this.
Simon gave us the Spices for real? Now I have another reason to hate him, thanks!
Actually, it was Simon Fuller. Mea culpa. I have edited the entry to reflect my grievous fault.
It gets worse Eric. I also watch The Surreal Life on WB.
Drawn into the abyss by the fact that Ron Jeremy and Tammy Faye [Bakker] Messner are both on it this season. Toss in Erik Estrada and Vanilla Ice. C’mon. Can’t keep away from that!
he’s also the guy who made millions off the spice girls…where does he get off?
#1 he can and you can’t do anything about it
#2 he’s a producer idiot