Why Do People Watch American Idol

[Parche]

Why, Why, Why????

Is that what America is coming to??

This is entertainment???

The show is the most annoying on TV


Getting voted top, does not a 'superstar' make.

[Shell Beau]

1. Talent shows have been around forever.

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have done quite well. Jennifer Hudson (who didn't win) just won a Golden GLobe. A lot of talent shows up on American Idol!

[Parche]

2. Talent

But this is NOT a talent show!!!!!

It amazes me though at the mindset of these people that watch this stuff...

[Shell Beau]

4. What do you call singing beautifully if not talent?

[Parche]

19. singing

They dont sing beautifully, its annoying like a fingernail on a chalkboard, or trying to
watch GW Bush spit out sentences

[Shell Beau]

21. The ones who make it to the actual show usually sing quite beautifully!

[Left Is Write]

24. No, they don't show much "talent" during the auditions.

But those who make it through to the real competition do have talent, and the "talent show" portion commences then.

[LSK]

7. and the guy with gray hair sings Ford commercials

:rofl:

:P

[Left Is Write]

25. I didn't watch even a minute of last season -

and only three or four complete shows ever (until last night), but that Taylor Hicks just bugs the heck out of me.

[KamaAina]

3. It jumped the shark when they stopped having Hawai'i contestants

I kid you not, the fates of Jasmine Trias, Camile Velasco and Jordan Segundo were front-page news out here. We don't really have enough murder 'n' stuff to fill up the papers every day, you see.

The way it worked was this: Like other prime-time shows, Idol airs here on a delayed basis -- so the phone lines were wide open by the time it aired here, and the legions of local fans took the opportunity to flood the phone lines with favorite-son/daughter votes. And Florida thinks it's the only warm-weather state that knows how to stuff a ballot box! Bah!

[QMPMom]

5. They enjoy torture? I can't watch it. It's just too, too horrible for words.

[mvd]

6. It's just some fun in the dark times of Bush

Amid the crowd, a few have come out that I have liked a lot. I'd give Taylor's first CD a B+, BTW.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. They used to call it "The Gong Show."

Why do they watch it? It used to be because people only got two or three channels. I don't know what the excuse is nowadays.

[grace0418]

9. I'm sure there is stuff you enjoy that other people find useless and annoying.

To each his/her own. I can take AI or leave it, but if other folks enjoy it who am I to declare that they are wrong?

[enigmatic]

10. Major Bowes Amateur Hour

HUGE hit on radio in the 30's; Ted Mack took it over and it continued to be one of the biggest shows on Radio.

This has been around forever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Bowes_Amateur_Hour

[Sequoia]

11. Urban Amish

"I jist thought it was a talent show. I haint never seen it before.", he replied scractching his non-Amish scraggly beard and adjusting his 1970's metal tie clip that read: Re-elect Nixon. (actually I don't know what his clip was, I just thought I was funny!)

[johnnie]

12. To piss off elitists?

:shrug:

[enigmatic]

15. And here's the next contestant, Crocus Behemoth!

THAT would be must-see TV!

[johnnie]

18. Hey, how ya doin enigmatic?

BTW, Lenny "Boom Boom" Goldburg died a few weeks ago.

[enigmatic]

22. No way!

Oh man, I'm sorry to hear that; is BLF Bssh still around?

I'm in the midst of the Noro-virus; ugh.

We've still got you in the rotation; thanks for letting us play your stuff!

[johnnie]

38. I haven't heard Bash in a while

Thanks for playing the music. If we ever get off of our asses, we are due to start our third cd soon.

[hatredisnotavalue]

13. Two words: Ashley Simpson

I think it's great that people who don't have any inside connections to the music industry can get a chance at making it big.
The biggest success story for me was the gal who just won a Golden Globe for Dream Girls. Although she didn't win American Idol, someone saw her and gave her a chance on that part and she wound up wooing everyone.

[Dukkha]

14. being able to carry a tune does not equate talent

it's a skill anyone can learn. The "talent" on the show are no more than session singers made famous by the massive advertising campaign put forth by Fox. They're selling an image nothing more. Soon AI winners will find their CDs in the bargain tub at a 7-11. it's an insult to real musicians struggling to get any kind of exposure when all the industry media has ignored them.

and I'll just add 4 more words to that: "From Justin To Kelly"

[Shell Beau]

17. But Kelly has come far since then. I like her music and she

has won some Grammys. A lot of singers can't say that. And she is talented. You are either born with a great voice or not. She has talent and skill.

[mvd]

26. I, too, am a Kelly fan

Her Breakaway CD is high quality music. On Thankful, she was still constrained by an American Idol "Mariah Carey Zone," but she broke through.

I hope Katharine McPhee's CD is good, because she was a fave of mine from last season.

[Shell Beau]

28. Mine too! She has a beautiful voice.

She said it would be blues-y! I hope so!

[mvd]

30. I hope Kat's CD isn't just trendy hip-hop

She and also hip hop singers deserve better. A couple songs I heard hinted at that, but I'm withholding judgment. :hi:

[Parche]

36. kelly??

She is one of the most, if not the most annoying from that show

[mvd]

37. Well, I don't see it that way

She's one of the best.

[LostinVA]

44. Agreed n/t

[LostinVA]

42. She IS a very talented singer, even if you don't care for her type of pop

And, she's a good song writer, too. She is/was also a classically trained singer.

I am curious to know why you think she's annoying, because she's always seemed very nice in interviews, and is supposed to be a very smart, nice young woman.

[Left Is Write]

55. I guess that some people must have something to hate...

or they are just not happy.

[LostinVA]

61. Yup, kinda odd to me, too

[Shell Beau]

56. You may see it that way, but tons of people obviously don't.

on edit, why in the hell do you care?

[Left Is Write]

27. It's not a skill "anyone" can learn. No amount of training will give me singing talent.

It might raise my singing ability from "bad" to "not that bad", but I will still be untalented in the singing department.

[LostinVA]

31. Kelly Clarkson is a very good singer

And, even though Jennifer Hudson annoys me, she's a very good singer who has a decent chance of an Oscar, I'm betting.Quit a few other talented people have been on the show, too.

[mvd]

39. Yes, I have really liked

Kelly Clarkson, Nadia Turner, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks (partly because he's reviving a sound,) Mandisa (until she spoke out,) Bo Bice, Bucky Covington (not popular choice - I know,) Gedeon McKinney..

[LostinVA]

40. I LOVE Bo Bice

I was able to see him this summer.... my growly beardy bear Bo....

[cmkramer]

96. I love Bo too!

He and Clay are my favorites from the show.

One thing I wonder is how many of the contestants who didn't make it to the top 10 or top 12 are still actively purusing a show business career? Because there are many singers, dancers, etc. who work steadily but who never become "stars".

[lildreamer316]

66. Daughtry is from my town..

and I do like his CD.
BO was awesome; hate the stuff they are making him sing. Can't wait until he is out from under the contract.
Did you see him front Lynard Skynard? One may not like them; but I respect someone that can pull it off.

[mvd]

84. I believe Bo performed with LS at the finale that year

I like his style more than LS's. While Bo's first CD was a disappointment, he deserves another chance. Maybe he could convince Rick Rubin to produce. Rubin did a great job giving the Dixie Chicks a little Southern rock flavor.

[johnnie]

32. The thing is, it's nothing new

They have been selling the image for years. Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Streisand and many more were basically singers (although they are more like "stylists). They might have been able to play a few chords or something, but they were sold on their image and their singing styles.

People may not like "pop" music and the people who sing it, but it is a legitimate art form.

[Left Is Write]

33. Prime example: Ricky Nelson

[johnnie]

58. Yeah, I was going to mention him

There have been so many that fit that same category. I just went with the "greats" because they were mainly singers but became legends. Some people are stuck on this thing about needing to be a "real musician" to be able to entertain.

I have done the musician thing for years, but I also recognize the fact that there is room for everybody.

[cmkramer]

93. Ironicallly

people like Bob Dylan thought he was a guy with real singing talent and a excellent band.

[Left Is Write]

94. He did have singing talent. But he was clearly marketed as an image.

[Goblinmonger]

43. Of course it's image

that's why it's called American IDOL and not American MUSICIAN. It's music aimed at the masses. With or without AI, the industry is going to ignore a lot of talented musicians and put for the Spears, Simpsons, and Jewels of the world. It's not like that is a new phenomenon.

[jakefrep]

87. If the "real musicians" think they can do better,

then they should go on AI. It would be better than being all pissed off and snobby about it.

[mentalsolstice]

16. If it annoys you so much...

...try living in Birmingham AL like I do. It's all AI, all the time...I guess because half the winners/runner-ups hail from here. Me, I've caught it about 3-4 times.

[huskerlaw]

20. Because where else

can you hear people butcher Prince songs SO badly that they actually make Prince sound good?



:hide:

[lildreamer316]

67. Oooo!

SMACK!
<good one!>

[u4ic]

23. I never have

nor will I.

It doesn't appeal to me at all. Any 'reality tv' :eyes: doesn't.

[xchrom]

29. picture this -- a vast trailer park from sea to shining sea.

and you'll have your answer.

[terrya]

34. Why do people who have no business being there...

go on, anyway? Don't those people have friends or family to tell them, "I love you, but please, please, please don't humiliate yourself". I've seen the show in the early stages and it's kind of painful to watch.

[MonkeyFunk]

35. The bigger question

is why do people care what other people watch?

Please submit all your entertainment choices over the last 18 months so I can judge them.

[LostinVA]

46. Agreed n/t

See my post downthread about this.

[Cascadian]

41. It's yet another component in the dumbing down of America n/t

[LostinVA]

45. How? The elitism on DU about AI, Survivor, etc. really annoys me.

If you don't like it, don't watch it. And, AI isn't about the "dumbing down of America," it's a talent show, which has been around for a very, very long time. Sneering at someone's choice of escapism TV, books, movies, etc. really does smack of more than a little bit of elitism and/or classim.

[terrya]

48. Yeah....

Like you said...AI is a talent show. Period. It's one in a long line of television talent shows...all the way back to Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour" (Christ, I'm showing my age now. :-))

[Parche]

49. elitism?

It is, singing other peoples songs??

Its a bad Kareoke show, thats it.

[LostinVA]

51. Yes, elitism

There are very, very talented people on AI, first of all. But, my main point is that it is ELITIST to sneer at other people's entertainment. Period.

[Cascadian]

60. Frankly I don't care if you watch it or not.

It's your choice but the bottom line is that there is just a gluttony of reality TV and these silly contest TV shows on TV these days and it is something I am not into plus considering the fact that some TV news programs seem to think it's more of a big deal than what is really going in Iraq, okay? Nuff said.


John

[LostinVA]

62. No, apparently you DO care who watches it

[Cascadian]

65. Baloney!~

Should I keep quiet about my opinions? What good would that do?

Sorry if I "offended" you so much!


John

[Dukkha]

63. so being intelligent is being an elitist?

give me a fucking break. :eyes: I feel embarrassed for all the AI apologists. and yes it does make me superior to be a multi-talented educated musician/artist/producer/performer and I will always look down on the peons who thinks this is art or thinks it's "talented" *snicker*. deal with it.

[LostinVA]

72. AS I said, yes, elitist

Roll your damn eyes all you want.

[Ravenseye]

50. you just don't get it

They're better than you because they sit around after 8pm in the TV-less house discussing the relevance of the work of Sartre to the modern feminist movement, while drinking wine from a local independent grower that they purchased at the farmer's market they walked too and carried home in their recylcled canvas bags.

That you drove home in a vehicle that gets less than 50 miles to the gallon, to crack open a beer and drop on the couch exhausted to just watch American Idol and try and not think for just an hour makes you just an awfull awfull person.

Shame on you for defending your boorish behavior.

oh and in case it's necessary... :sarcasm:

[LostinVA]

57. Well, you're wrong

My car gets MORE than 50 mpg.

Hehehehehhe

[lildreamer316]

68. I think I like you.

A lot.

[jakefrep]

47. Because it features and rewards actual talent...

...instead of lying, cheating, conniving and stealing, or a stomach for poisonous insects, perhaps? The people on AI are talented, yet heretofore undiscovered singers singing pop standards. I honestly don't understand why some folks (music snobs) need to bag on that. It's better than a lot of what's on TV lately.

[LostinVA]

52. What you said (although I do like Survivor)

[VenusRising]

53. Honestly, my husband and I watch to see how bad

people sing. He is a musician and I sing now and then. We are amazed at the people who show up for auditions who actually believe they sound good. It's horrible, sad, and funny all at the same time. Is it the most mature thing to do? No, but I can't always be mature. It's a guilty pleasure.

How is this not funny?
Sad? Yes. Hysterical? Totally!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Jievrt_Y8

[bigwillq]

54. I love A.I.

I like any show that helps to make young kids' dreams come true.

It is very difficult to break into the music business and AI gives some of these kids the big break they've been looking for their whole life.

For that reason, I think the show rocks! :bounce:


I think a lot of the other facets of the show are annoying, i.e. the hosts, showing some of the really bad auditions and of course all of the hype it gets.


But the nuts and bolts of the show, I admire. Which is---dreams can come true!


I think AI has produced some great talent and maybe those singers would've never gotten noticed if AI didn't give them a chance.

Kelly Clarkson has won Grammys.
Jennifer Hudson has won a Golden Globe and will likely win the Oscar.

They were no bodies before AI and now the whole world has gotten a chance to see their talent.

[edbermac]

59. If I want to listen to elevator music...

:headbang:

[MichiganVote]

64. Ok, I admit it. I watch it for the nutjobs and the one's who pitch a temper tantrum

So what? Like I can't watch that? That's what makes me immoral?

If we as humans can't laugh at ourselves we really are lost.

[bridgit]

69. we don't, it's obnoxious...

[Xipe Totec]

70. Morbid Fascination

I'm mesmerized by the abuse people are willing to endure, for a few moments of fame.

I... can't.... look... away..... :scared:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

71. Entertainment?

I don't really care for the show (though I love the crappy singers in the first few episodes), so I don't normally watch it.

But if somebody else does, I don't really care -- it's their preference.

[applegrove]

73. I'm not so keen on the parts where people embarrass themselves. I like

the last shows though.

[begin_within]

74. The audience is built of "fan bases" who favor a particular contestant and vote heavily for them.

[w8liftinglady]

75. when I was a kid,there was "Ted Mack's amateur hour"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Mack_(television_host)
It's mindless fun..I'm watching it now

[begin_within]

76. Season 2 of "American Idol" was the best by far, and the show has coasted ever since then.

The second season, which had Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberly Locke, Trenyce, etc. was the best season they have had in terms of atmosphere and verve. It was still a fresh show, it had a freewheeling, spontaneous "live" atmosphere to it, funny things happened and there was an overall happy vibe to it. And this was even during the beginning of the Iraq war, when millions of American idiots were glued to watching video phone footage from Baghdad. Four years later, the show still rolls on, but it's a lot more serious now, and they have never recaptured the joy and fun of that 2nd season. My opinion anyway.

[RevolutionaryActs]

77. My reason:

I can't sing. At all. I sing about as well as the worst contestant on American Idol, but I would NEVER go on national television to show off how crappy I sing. So when people do, I'm going to watch, and I'm going to laugh my ass off. :rofl:


Then after they go to Hollywood, they're always one person who I kind of enjoy watching, for some odd reason, so then I get sucked in and end up watching the whole season. It's wrong, but I can't help myself. :P

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

78. so they can talk aboiut it 24/7 around the office

meanwhile 3,000+ soldiers and 600,000+ civillians are dead in Iraq.

But that doesn't matter because Simon really burned Paula this week!

[Goblinmonger]

89. Do you take that attitude to anything

that isn't the war? Don't talk about that movie you saw, damn it, there's a war on. Don't sing that song you like, people are being killed in Iraq. Only watch the news on that television, buster, cause foreign policy is the only thing you should think about.

I bet you are a hit at parties.

[regularguy]

101. How dare you comment on a comment about a comment

about AI when there's a war on?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
:sarcasm:

[Goblinmonger]

104. Sorry. Won't do it again.

Sorry about your Eagles, too. I'm a Viking fan, but McNabb was my fantasy QB, so I feel the pain to some extent.

[bigwillq]

92. But that can be said about anything pop culture related

And the poster that replied first to you summed it up best.

There's really not much we can do about it....that AI gets so much attention even though 3,000+ are killed in Iraq......

so we should just stop doing anything, or reading anything, or watching anything, or listening to anything...sometimes these silly shows are a brief escape for some of us...and that hour of entertainment we get ever so briefly takes away our pain.

[Left Is Write]

95. I will never understand the "Don't watch AI because soldiers are dying in Iraq" argument.

By that logic, we shouldn't watch any entertainment television or do anything that gives us enjoyment, escape, or relief.

I've got no problem with people who say, "I don't like AI, so I don't watch it," but I just don't get the "there's a war going on" tack.

[pink-o]

79. To me, it's just a glorified Kerioke session

...with a bunch of people who've practiced singing into their hairbrushes in front of the bathroom mirror when they were teenagers. The thing that bugs me the most is that the music itself is hackneyed and recycled and we're all sick of Mariah and Whitney and all that trilling and vibrato that passes for talent.

That said, Kelly doesn't bug me. She's a cute girl and I don't begrudge her career. But the best contestants ever were Fantasia and Frenchie--especially the latter. Notice they got rid of her with some trumped-up porn charges before she blew all the other mediocre people off the stage!

[bigwillq]

82. I saw Frenchie in 'Rent'

and she was amazing!

[MsKandice01]

80. Two words: Jennifer Hudson

I don't get much enjoyment from the audition portion of the show anymore (because most of what is aired these days is exploitation of people who are obviously mentally unstable) but once the top 12 are picked, I absolutely love it. Good singing makes me feel good. To each his own I guess.

[bigwillq]

83. That's when I start to watch it.

When it's Top 12 time...sometimes (if I am off work) watch a bit sooner...but I think some of these kids have been fantastic!

Kelly
Fantasia
Jennifer
Chris
Katherine
Ruben
Frenchie, who I saw in RENT

Amazing!

[Midlodemocrat]

81. I think I'll go on American Idol.

Hell, three bottles of cheap wine later, I can still perform better than most of those people tonight.

What a train wreck.

[Initech]

85. I hate American Idol. Never watched it, ever.

And Simon Cowell really is a pompous ass, just read his comments about Bob Dylan:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2007-01-12T142527Z_01_N11166575_RTRUKOC_0_US-DYLAN-1.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

[bigwillq]

86. How can you hate something you never watched?

:shrug:

You can hate Simon and hate the hype but can you really hate the show without even watching it?

:shrug:

[Initech]

88. Yeah, well my co-workers talk about it constantly...

It's very :puke: inducing.

[bigwillq]

91. And I am SURE

you never talk about anything that maybe some people find equally as annoying?!?!?

:shrug:

[Initech]

98. I usually talk about..

Elite power that rules the planet and uses the media to keep people stupid.

[jobycom]

90. Because they want to. Why's that a problem? nt

[Lethe]

97. i never have seen it

just not that interested....

[Zavulon]

99. It's glorified karaoke and I couldn't agree more. It sucks. A lot.

I'd rather watch Bush speak than watch AI. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. At least when Bush butchers speeches you don't have to put up with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, the other douchebag and Ryan Seacrest.

[Merrick]

100. They like dull, derivative music that says absolutely nothing

[regularguy]

102. I had a bit of downtime between finishing Das Capital and starting

my daily self flagilation....

[HuffleClaw]

103. or 'america's funniest videos' or 'survivor'...

because its fun to watch people make fools of themselves?