'American Idol's' Christian connection (Mega-churches across heartland serve as training ground)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 05/24/2010 | Scott Collins

[SeekAndFind]

She isn't employed by the show and viewers never see her sparring with Simon Cowell. But Leesa Bellesi exerts her own kind of pull on "American Idol," Fox's top-rated singing contest that has a unique if often-unstated link to Christian churches.

Bellesi, who runs a Christian nonprofit in Lake Forest with her ex-pastor husband, visits tapings frequently, has befriended numerous finalists and helps wrangle funds and scout temporary housing for families who trek cross-country to see relatives perform on "Idol." Bellesi said that churches form a base for the young singers as they try to win votes and establish fan bases. Half of the Top 10 last season were worship leaders in their churches, she said.

"Most of the kids that have been really successful on 'American Idol' have that huge support of their church that's pushed them — they've had a lot of voting and things like that," said Bellesi, who has no official connection to the show (a spokesperson for the producers said he had never heard of her) but was spoken of as an unofficial patron by former finalists Danny Gokey, Jason Castro and others.

Ties to churches — especially of the evangelical or Pentecostal variety — are indeed a common denominator for many contestants on America's No. 1 show, including this season's Aaron Kelly, Lacey Brown and Jermaine Sellers. Castro, who placed fourth on Season 7 and just released his first album, played one of his first pre-"Idol" gigs at Lake Pointe, a suburban Dallas mega-church he attends that's known for its sophisticated musical performances.

"That was the only time I sang when there were cameras involved," Castro said in a recent interview. "Any of the larger churches you go into are really full-on performance venues."

[Al Hitan]

Google “Touchdown Jesus”

The story of the Word of Life mural at ND.

[Deb]

“60 Minutes” has rarely been out of the top 10 in over 40 years. All shows have formats and formulas, but some shows become traditions. Ya never know. However, not insulting your core audience is key.

[Lee N. Field]

http://www.solidrockchurch.org/

No place on the ministry team for a "taste coordinator"?

[re_nortex]

I am part of an acapella Church of Christ congregation, and when I was a teen, we were sent off to "singing school" to learn how to read music, to sing and to lead singing. Sure, there are exceptions, but most of the people I go to church with sing pretty well, because we've been trained, and we do it for a half-hour (at least) twice a week. I love it!

Amen from a fellow dunkin' Campbellite! :-)