January 17th, 2008 by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
Dear American Idol Contestants:
I just saw parts of the show tonight, as I’ve watched the beginning of the season of American Idol in past years. And once again I’m struck by how wonderful it is that it’s a show that gives young people a chance to shine and to focus on music that is family-friendly.
But I’m also struck by how so many young people’s dreams have been shattered over the years by insulting and humiliating remarks by (wealthy and successful) judges who roll their eyes, make comments about someone’s looks, their weight, and deliver zingers that at times have left some of you crying and sobbing in the hallways.
Please read this sentence:
Most REAL auditions are NOT like this. Again: Most REAL auditions are not like this.
I don’t care how “bad” someone says you are — or even if you ARE.
Don’t let people who are being paid huge sums of money to draw in and keep viewers watching by heightening drama, conflict and emotion steal YOUR dream.
If you think you can sing and the judges laughed at you or insulted you, what did YOU see when you saw the tape of your performance? Can you stand back and see if there are things about it where they were correct and also where they were wrong?
Can you fine-tune it?
Can you take even part of that talent that gave you the courage to get up there in the first place — that self-assuredness that someone will not just watch you but might consider you worthy of signing a recording contract — and use it in some other aspect of the arts or even some other job (if YOU choose)? Or, perhaps you realize when you see the tape that you need to work on it a LOT. Fine.
I can’t watch the show like most people do. And perhaps it’s because I’ve “been there” — and also know how the REAL world of auditions works. REAL auditions are far less traumatic…and if you’re not going anywhere you get the message and either evolve or quit on our own.
Alberto Gonzales, Monica Goodling and others of the Bush Brigade who worked so hard to subvert American freedoms are gone, but their mission is moving forward. After chipping away at our legal rights, next on the agenda is control of our minds through mass media.
A House Committee will turn the spotlight today on FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, who has been busy trying to concentrate ownership more than ever before into the hands of Rupert Murdoch and a few other corporate chieftains.
Like all loyal Bushies, Martin has not let legal niceties get in his way.
Citing “complaints from the public and professionals within the communications industry,” Rep. Bart Stupak, who heads the Energy and Commerce subcommittee that is investigating the FCC head, says, “It is one thing to be an aggressive leader, but many of the allegations indicate possible abuse of power and an attempt to intentionally keep fellow commissioners in the dark.”
Martin and other FCC members will testify about his efforts to bulldoze through the easing of rules limiting cross-ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same city as well as “cooking the books” to push through regulations to crack down on cable TV which, outside of Fix News, has not been as servile as the Administration would like.
I’ll admit it. I’ve watched pretty much all of American Idol this season. And it has been clear for a long time that the best of them all, by a lot, was Melinda Doolittle. Sure, she had her neuroses. Sure, she seemed a bit old, or old-fashioned. Sure, she didn’t always seem to reach the high standard she had set for herself with some exceptional early performances. But compare her to the rest of the mediocre top ten. Or compare her to Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks, the other two of the final three. Jordin is young and raw, and has a great voice, if one that she has not always been able to control and that lacks precision. Blake is genuinely likeable, and did quite well with the beatboxing routine, but he has little to no range, seems cold and detached, and has been inconsistent. And Melinda? She was the consummate professional, an artist, the one who got it, the one who wasn’t just acting, the one who truly seemed to belong on that stage. And now, yes, now she’s done, voted out by the American people, leaving us with two amateurs, whatever their respective talents, to compete for the title.
It’s all a big joke, was my response upon hearing Ryan Seacrest announce last night that it was the end of the line for Melinda. And I stand by that. It’s one thing for someone like Sanjaya to make it far. He was a joke, and viewers were laughing at him even if they were voting for him. And of course it’s hardly to be expected that there would be much talent even in the top ten. It must be remembered, after all, that American Idol is a singing, beauty, and showmanship competition for amateurs. Most of it, even in the final weeks, is nothing but glorified karaoke, a shameless popularity contest. But this is what set Melinda apart. And, probably, why she didn’t win. She was above it all. One week the judges even lamented that they had nothing bad to say about her. In the end, that’s not the sort of idol Americans — or at least those who vote, vote, and vote again — want. She was too much of a sure thing.
Still, Melinda has proven herself. What does it matter that she didn’t win it all? She was too good for American Idol anyway.
