Pages

Advertising

Do "Idol" Results Tell Us Something About America?

Thursday, May 21, 2009


I'm sure Kris Allen is a great guy and all that, but in terms of actually singing, which is what American Idol's supposed to be about (or is it just a mindless popularity contest among pubescents and pre-pubescents?), watch this clip and tell me that Adam Lambert isn't about 1 billiongazillioninfinity better singer than Allen?

So...what the hell? How did Kris Allen win this thing? Are American Idol viweres that lacking in ability to judge talent? What, if anything, does this tell us about America in 2009? Is this about lingering homophobia, even as opposition to gay marriage fades across the country? Is that about "red states" (for Allen) and "blue states" (for Lambert)? Is this about religious people (for Allen) and not-so-religious people (for Lambert)? Is this about Lambert being too "different" (read: androgynous, probably gay, glam) than the cookie-cutter-boy-next-door Allen for "middle America" to handle? Or, is this simply an issue of more Americans liking soulless McMusic pop over music with originality, bite, edge, you name it?

I don't know, but on the bright side, this is so true:
Winning "Idol" doesn't ensure success, of course, nor does getting beat preclude it. The entertainment industry who's-who is populated both with successful non-winners such as Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson, as well as former winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

So Lambert escapes the whole "American Idol" Beauty Pageant Syndrome -- shilling for Ford, etc., and having to record the worst-ever "American Idol" Treacle Tune, "No Boundaries," as his first single...
So, mszel tov to Adam Lambert; despite not being voted "American Idol," this guy is going to be a major star, and without having to deal with Idol idiocy any longer than absolutely necessary. Perhaps that's the best thing this tells us about America, that in the end, talent usually prevails (see Obama, Barack). Let's hope.