Posted on 01/19/2007 11:01:04 AM PST by meg88
Idol" Sparks New Controversy on Access Hollywood
By Laura Saltman
The show is only back two days and already "American Idol" is sparking controversy. Today the buzz all around my office is about how mean-spirited the show is during the audition rounds. While I was out having dinner, an email came over my blackberry from our music producer, Nancy Harrison, who was on the east coast watching the show, "I must say tonight's episode was quite disturbing. Two of the Seattle contestants--Kenneth and Jonathan--were clearly limited... and the judges still poked fun of them. I found this to be in really poor taste and can't believe this show would sink this low for ratings." My first thought, having not seen the show yet was, "old news." The show has done this throughout its first five seasons on the air. The fact of the matter is that snickering at people who clearly can't sing or telling people they are "too fat" or "not the right look" to be the next American Idol is nothing new here. That's what the audition shows are all about each and every year. They poke fun of bad singers and everyone laughs.
Then I got home and watched the show and realized what the outrage was over. I want to share this email I got from our show's Senior Producer, Claudia Eaton, who was watching with her son, David. As a parent, I'm sure her sentiment is something being felt all over households today: "Last night's programming was uncomfortably entertaining ... painful to laugh at ... I had to explain to my son on more than one occasion how inappropriate these adults were. And, as a budding thespian, had to convince him that it would in fact be ok for him to try out for the school play. What does bother me as a newcomer to the Idol craze is how cavalierly the public seems to accept the way Simon talks to people to their faces about things as basic as how they look or talk ... PLEASE let them hurry up and get to the finals ... where hopefully truly talented people will truly entertain people with talent ... and we do NOT laugh at people for being "ugly," "odd," "tall," or just plain different."
While I don't think the format of the audition shows has changed, what I think has happened is that the judges are acting more and more like catty school children with each passing season. Simon is the bully on the playground and Randy and Paula are his underlings. Someone says something mean and the others either laugh or play along. It's like watching the movie, "Mean Girls." Every once in awhile Paula and Randy will scold Simon but in a laughing manner, never to the point where someone is saying 'you know what, this is inappropriate.' Do I think it's their fault? Partially. Only partially because Idol is a reality show and therefore the producers must create situations. That means they must put bad singers in front of the judges to make the auditions interesting. After seeing thousands of people who are either playing it up for the cameras to get on TV or just plain delusional about their talent it has to get frustrating for the judges.
Having said that... you, America, are the ones who have allowed this type of behavior to go on. 37 million of you were watching on Tuesday night while the insults were flying... up 2 million from last year. If people were truly offended, well then they should have tuned out last night. Not the case though. Another 37 million watched the Seattle auditions. In fact, the audition shows always get a higher audience then the performance shows. This morning I talked to Katharine McPhee, who did not watch the audition shows this week but heard about the controversy on "The View." On the subject, she told me, "There crosses a point I think where you start actually being mean about people's appearances and I think that kind of really is just wrong. I've never liked that part of the show. So, that's why I don't really tune in for the early part of it."
Last night's outrage I'd say was mainly over the way 21-year-old contestant, Jonathan Jayne, and 23-year-old Kenneth Briggs were portrayed. Obviously, a little different than others, Simon's calling Kenneth a "bush baby" just went to far. We talked to Jonathan this morning who truly was just happy for the chance to be on TV. His only complaint wasn't about how he was portrayed on TV but that Randy was chuckling during his audition, " I just think that he was trying to make television at that time. He didn't really mean it." He did however get very upset about the way Kenneth was treated, "They treated him horribly. I just didn't like what they said about him. That really made me kind of ticked off that they were treating him like that."
Aren't being a little overly dramatic asking for G_d's help. I think the situation is Dafur is a little more in need of G_d's help than American Idol et al.
That can't be a coincidence. But how do we explain the number of FReepers who seem to tune in?
I'm a right winger and watch the show
(well Tivo condensed version 120 minutes --> 45)
Generally I think it funny as h*ll with a few good talents thrown in.
How many of the "lame" contestants are scripted?
I'm not sure.
The thing is, the bad contestants _do_ have people listen to them. The only folks who get in to see the judges have been hand picked through a screening process from the thousands who show up. The screeners pick some people who are really bad along with the really good just to make these early shows.
When is it on? My daughter and I love country music. I know she'd love the show.
Oh, I know your right; if the friends and family of the non-talented would tell them to "get real", when they are too blind to admit it themselves, the early portion of the show could not be sold as the circus it is.
In spite of the fact that that will not happen, I could not be that greedy if I were Simon and Fox; of course that means I would disappoint either the Fox investors or my own bank account or both, because someone else would not have my scruples.
The fact that I understand these facts does not mean that I have to appreciate them or support decisions that indulge them. We can have a different world if enough of us want one.
I don't think it's greedy. That's their job. Fox's job is to put on hit shows and make money for the investors, and when it comes to AI Simon's job is to be the mean guy. And this section of AI is popular, it's the section without synthetic pop. Given that these people all voluteered for this I really don't have any sympathy, maybe during the first season when nobody knew what the show was all about, but after that everybody in that line has to know that if they're bad they'll be insulted.
guess the ever-so-sensitive individuals never heard of William Huang. Hope I got his name right. He was one of the really, really, really bad contestants a few years ago who managed to develop a cult following. His 15 minutes of fame have now passed, but he did have his moment in the sun which, short of AI, would never have happened.
It isn't now nor has ever been strictly a singing contest. It's about creating a pop star which is more about how someone looks than about how they sing. If everyone who watches the show were to close their eyes and just listen and if the judges were to do the same thing, I imagine there would be a very different set of finalists--and of people who make it past the audition for that matter.
This is symptomatic of the industry and not just of the show. Take a look at all of the major rock, pop, r&b, and country stars around today. Try to find ugly ones. For that matter, there are more than a few who look good but sound worse than my dog, Reggie, while he's standing at the back door needing out with a bad case of the trots.
Frankly, IMHO, the people who audition who just plain can't sing, are tone deaf, or whatever, pretty much deserve exactly what they get. It's about time someone stopped lying to them and telling them that they sound good. This is a symptom of all the years of telling them that there are no winners or losers, that 2+2=7 is a great answer to a math problem (because they're trying hard and that's what counts), and all the other feel-good-about-yourself even when you've failed crap that goes on. Sure that stuff is good for self-esteem but it isn't so good for helping people recognize their limitations.
That being said, making fun of someone who is mentally challenged is just plain wrong. Doing it on national television is undoubtedly evil.
Dang, I'd kill for legs like that!
Does this idiot have even the slightest inkling of how hypocritical this sounds coming from someone employed by "Access Hollywood"?
I don't even LIKE legs like that. They look like chicken legs. Ungh.
My mum kept saying that Kenneth - the one Simon called a bush baby - looked like Peter Lorrey. I guess that's a downright compliment compared to what Simon called him!
If the contestants are supposed to know going in that the early 'auditions' are basically a set-up for the untalented to be rejected and likely insulted by the 'judges' why shouldn't viewers know the same thing? This show has been on for years and is very popular. While the first year or two may have caught some wannabe 'idols' (and viewers) off-guard, by now anyone watching, much less, competing, has to be aware of the format, especially in the first few shows.
I think all the hand-wringing over the 21st-century American decadence the show supposedly demonstrates and the complaints that a few possibly mentally defective contestants were unfairly insulted by the often-cynical judges, especially Simon Crowell, the designated 'mean guy' on the panel, is just a case of some people looking for something to be offended over. It's a TV show! It's not required that anyone watch 'American Idol' and most of the time, it's probably harmless to anyone's sensibilities. I would guess that if the judges, or Simon Crowell, specifically, is deemed by the viewing audience to have gone too far in criticizing untalented and possibly mentally-afflicted contestants, he will apologize in some manner and the producers will be a bit more selective in what rejections are shown on the final edit and, for that matter, what untalented contestants are permitted to perform for the TV camera in front of the celebrity judges.
'Reality' is a misnomer in this case. 'American Idol' is a produced TV show, not a documentary. The show is taped and edited for later broadcast. The producers know exactly what they are showing you. There are no 'accidents' when a TV show is taped. Anything that happens on-camera that the producers believe might be detrimental to the show, for any reason, is edited out. Contestants are chosen to 'audition', not by the 'celebrity' judges but by unseen producers. A few painfully untalented folks seem to always get chosen to audition for the cameras. The intent of the show producers is, clearly, to allow these hapless people to make fools of themselves on TV and likely be told how awful their performance really was by the judges. Their reactions are filmed for possible later use, too. This is all a part of the 'entertainment' package. I would think that most 'Idol' viewers know all this by now.
I suggest that, instead of watching and complaining, those who enjoy 'American Idol' simply wait until the later shows when the wannabe 'idols' are gone and folks with some real talent are competing. Problem solved. You're welcome.
Really? I am the other person on the planet who has never even seen it.
I discovered the great music of Carrie Underwood all on my own.
Paula seems to be moving towards the freak stage....she had an episode on a local Seattle station that she was definitely wasted on. I saw that video on youtube and there is no way you can tell me she was NOT wasted.
Vaunted liberal compassion shows itself to be empty platitudes and horse apples.
Actually, I agree with all you said down to your last word. I watched later in the season last year and found it entertaining.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.