Idol Sparks New Controversy (Former Contestant from Last Season Says She Won't Watch Show)

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."

It is nothing more, nothing less than a monument to the out of control self-esteem movement gone completely mad in this country. There is no doubt that there are some clearly mentally ill folks who are in this contest and the producers may not recognize that -- but the vast majority of the folks who are just awful singers have never ever been told that in their lives.

I could not agree more.

The post-rejection, on-camera crying, cursing and pouting by many of the worst audition rejects demonstrates their inability to deal with reality. Just because you may like pop music doesn't mean you can actually sing pop music. That your family and friends may praise your 'singing' means absolutely nothing.

In the real world of show biz, even mega-talented folks like the Beatles had to work in small clubs for years to qualify for a relatively limited recording contract....and they had been rejected by other record companies before that, despite their local popularity. On the stage, you often get about 30 seconds to audition and either hear: Next!, meaning you have been summarily rejected, or you are asked to step to the side and/or come back for a second - and often a third - audition. No one cares much about your self-esteem.

Big-bucks show business is just that - a business. No one of any consequence in that business - from club owners to big-time record producers are going to waste their time humoring a no-talent 'performer'. They don't have to. New York, Nashville and especially Hollywood are figuratively chock-full of multi-talented singers who write their own songs, can play an instrument and are very ambitious. Not much room left for wannabe, no-talent folks, no matter how much 'sincerity' they have.

Simon Cowell is a successful (and very wealthy) record company principle and producer. He is very savvy about pop music; about what sells - and what doesn't. In the early rounds of AI, where the 'judges' (Randy, Paula, Simon) accept or reject contestants (later, as I understand it, the 'home audience' selects that week's winners - via telephone 'voting') he is not only sarcastically rejecting wanna-be 'performers' that would, normally, never get past a security guard or receptionist at his record company but also doing them a bit of a favor by telling the really hopeless people how bad they truly are: "singing is not going to be your future" and advising the 'almost-made-it' contestants on what they need to do; "be more animated", "tone it down", "work on your delivery", etc. This is generally honest criticism, albeit delivered in a cynical manner. After all, it's entertainment, not a documentary.

I suspect, despite all the posturing by so many about how Cowell was not PC enough with a few painfully untalented contestants that were rejected, a lot of folks thought it was about time someone told these delusional self-esteem surfeited people that they had no singing talent. We can quibble over whether Cowell was too 'mean' and mocked a few of the more pathetic folks a bit too much, especially behind their back, after they had left the 'stage'. However, on balance, he was simply doing his 'job' (being the acerbic Brit) and doing a few misguided folks a favor by giving them a dose of reality and saying what many people were likely yelling at their TV set as they were (voluntarily) listening to these untalented people 'singing' off-key and/or screeching in some weird imitation of their favorite pop star: You Stink!".

This is the show's sixth year.

For long time viewers, I find the 'outrage' overdone. Simon hasn't changed that greatly since the beginning. Paula perhaps, but not him.

For new viewers, hey, if it's not their thing tune out.

Speaking for only myself I prefer from hell Week forward better then the initial audition process, but under no circumstances do I want this show P/C'd to death by people that don't seem to care at all about all the garbage leveled at Simon. When they start defending Simon, maybe I'll listen. Until then I'm content to think many people hypocrites. Willing to laugh at a beautiful blond being target of verbal attack or Simon be lambasted unfairly (it does happen) but when someone that isn't "perfect" is treated NORMALLY suddenly grow a damn conscience. In either case it isn't right, but funny how only in one instance anyone defends what is right.

Bottom line people use this show, and this show uses people. They get their fifteen minutes, and if any are good a chance at something better. The people behind the show get money. Heck, even Hung got money for marketing his bad singing into profit. And if along the way some folks that acually believe they can sing, yet can't, finally have someone tell the truth that's a GOOD thing. It would be better if the people that cared about them told them the truth, but if they won't, at least someone does.

Rather then P/C'ing the show into cancellation, the lesson that should be taken is to tell the people you care about the truth so they don't have to have a stranger lay it on the line. Especially these strangers. Because after listening to thousands of Bad singers they are NOT going to be in a particular mood to cushion the fall. And neither would I or just about anyone else. We'd be popping Ibuprofen by the bottle if subjected to the attitudes and delusion of so many of these people our after hour, day after day.

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