Posted on 01/19/2007 11:01:04 AM PST by meg88
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.
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