American Idolatry

Courtesy FOX

by blogSpotter
When Marilyn Monroe was at the peak of her stardom, the Russians declared her to be the 'opiate of the masses'. No higher honor can go to any type of entertainment. Anything which stops traffic in the streets and induces cultural hypnosis has to be worthy of at least a blog. The phenom of which I speak now is American Idol, Fox's answer to the 80's hit, Star Search. Idol is basically a talent contest, but one that offers recording contracts to the winners and a worldwide audience to all the contestants. It has the attention of royalty -- English Princes William and Harry enjoy the show. The final tally last night exceeded 64 million votes, more than has ever been cast in any presidential election.

My own take is that of a grouch, on his 'high horse'. I don't like reality shows; Idol isn't a reality show, but it's unscripted and in my mind, schmaltzy. The best moments for me come in the early episodes when truly bad singers lend humor to the situation. The personality feuds of the judges, Paula, Randy and the acerbic Simon are certainly fuel to the fire. The spritely Ryan Seacrest is an engaging emcee, and one cannot deny the odd sexual tension that exists between him and Simon. Their gay jokes and constant denials only help cement that impression. The 'tension' between Simon and Paula is just made-for-TV as far as I can tell; maybe I'm wrong.

I've never been overly fond of national talent contests, but I can think of at least two notables who came to prominence that way: Rosie O'Donnell and Britney Spears. Of the Idol winners in seasons past, the only one that comes quickly to mind is Clay Aiken, and only because he's the fodder of so many Conan O'Brien jokes. Kelly Clarkson is a 'fave rave' for some of my friends, but I'm not overwhelmed by her content, style or delivery.

Now, to enter 'Simon' mode. I thought Kathy McPhee was lovely to look at, but she dropped so many notes -- it was creating a clutter on the floor. Taylor Hicks has some 'Kenny Rogers' element to him that I can't quite pinpoint; he at least carried all his tunes, and so by default you have to give the 29 year old Birmingham native his dues. He has pretty good stage presence, and should pull in some of the Kenny Rogers market once he gets rolling. In sum, to quote what Princes William and Harry probably would say, "It was a jolly good show." But not a show that will make me change any of my Tivo settings; it's not my particular opiate.