I’m idolizing my televison every week
Hi, my name is Kathy N., and I’m an Idol-aholic.
This is something I don’t admit to very many people, but it’s
true. It’s so embarrassing, but here it is: I am completely and
utterly hooked on
”
American Idol.
”
I’m idolizing my televison every week
Hi, my name is Kathy N., and I’m an Idol-aholic.
This is something I don’t admit to very many people, but it’s true. It’s so embarrassing, but here it is: I am completely and utterly hooked on “American Idol.”
I realize there are many people who watch “American Idol,” but they seem to be able to quit whenever they want.
Unlike me.
It started off so innocently. I didn’t take it very seriously in the first season until I caught the last couple of episodes. As I watched Kelly Clarkson being crowned as the first American Idol, I got a little choked up. Only in America could a little ol’ Texas waitress become a singing star on a television show. It was amazing.
That was how it began. Now, in the eighth season, which started recently, I never miss even a moment of the show. If I’m not home, I Tivo it.
There is so much that is just wrong about the show, and yet I can’t look away.
For instance, the fact that the judges unmercifully harangue some contestants in the audition episodes. The first few weeks of each season are all about the auditions, held in a number of locations across the nation.
There are some very bizarre contestants who obviously don’t have a chance, and obviously were picked for their entertainment value, being either deluded or pathetic. Then there are a whole raft of mediocre performers. And then there is a handful of real talent.
The judges are the center around which “Idol” revolves. There’s Simon, the jerk; Paula, the kook; and Randy, the one who waffles. They’ve added a fourth, Kara, who seems to be sensible and yet, inexplicably, is bonding with Paula.
Actually, the best part of the show is watching the judges fight amongst themselves.
The middle of the season is hard to quibble with. Contestants perform and are winnowed out, week-by-week, first by the judges and later by phone votes from the public at large. Eventually only two contestants remain, and then there’s one. And that person gets a bunch of money, instant fame, and a record contract.
The merits of this can be debated endlessly. Are these people worthy of our worship? Should we pay any attention at all to ready-made celebrities? Is this a healthy example for our kids? Have you heard Kelly Clarkson’s latest song?
You can talk about it all you want, but in the end, we download their songs.
This is the formula, and it’s worked for seven seasons so far.
I only watch one TV reality show, and this is it. The thing that kills me is I don’t even really know why I watch it.
Usually, if I watch a show, I can say, “Oh, the acting’s really good,” or “I like the writing” or even “I love what they’re wearing.” I can’t say hardly any of that about “American Idol.”
I’m rather hard-pressed to say why I like the show at all. Very strange.
In fact, I’ve never even voted for a contestant – I’ve tried but never could get through.
I do find other “Idol” fans from time to time, mostly middle-aged women like me. We dissect the shows in great detail and expound on our most-favorite and least-favorite contestants. Yet I’ve never asked them the all-important question: Why should we care?
Maybe we do because it is a variation on the classic American success story, in which people come out of nowhere, display some talent, and rise to the top. Rather trite, isn’t it?
But to a regular watcher like me, it doesn’t matter.
All I know is that I need it. And that’s a bad sign.
I’m addicted.
