Tuesday, January 16, 2007
American Idol
American Idol is off and running with the same old. The judges play cranky mom and dad characters, the contestants the court jesters. The few contestants that have talent are more skilled impersonators than performers. This never seems to dawn on the judges, who see the performers as tools to be molded by producers into product — the music industry in miniature.
And the contestants are yearning for the chance — to be famous, seemingly a desperate attempt at relief from their misery — with little evidence of commitment to their performance as individual expression. You're not going to find a Bob Dylan here. The mental health of many of the contestants is an open question. Jewel asked if one contestant was “just kidding”.
Jewel is a real boost to the show. She has the self-possession of an accomplished performer; she is the only judge that isn't playing to the audience but considers the performance technically. Of note is the unquestioning acceptance of the judge's authority by the audience despite the frequent self-discrediting behavior; it is media conformism — deference to a media-anointed authority. American Idol could be put into a time capsule to inform future generations of the mockery and sarcasm that marks our age.
The remarkable thing is that the show has paid off — it actually has made pop stars. If there is any genius to the show besides its self-marketing, that is it — they've somehow permeated the pop culture membrane and infiltrated their picks into the media pantheon.