This Year’s American Idol Post
I used to watch pretty regularly during seasons 2 and 3. Then I stopped. Because, for the most part, I stopped caring. Now, I only enjoy watching the sideshow audition shows that kick the season off in January. Once they hit Hollywood, I’m out of there.
But I did watch the finale.
That show last night was Exhibit A as to why I don’t watch anymore. It was the results show. Everyone wants to see who wins. It’s literally a 5 minte show that they streeeeeetch into a 2 hour infomercial extravaganza. Everything is an ad - Coke product placement, AT&T product placement, Mike Myers douching it up for his new movie, Jonas Brothers and a somewhat sad-looking and sounding George Michael promoting summer tours. There’s the 12 Idol finalists basically doing the bits they’ll do during the summer tour. There’s Bryan Adams who’s hawking a new CD that no one really cares about. There’s Carrie Underwood who, as a WaPo columnist put it,
dressed as a Wimbledon streetwalker with a hammock slung between her arms, singing her newest tune about hopping into the sack with a random guy and waking up married to him so she doesn’t even know her new “Last Name.”
A half-hour show would have been plenty. A one-hour show, I could have understood. But two solid hours of promotion? I don’t sit through infomercials for scam artist Kevin Trudeau, so it pained me to sit through this marketing-fest.
And that’s why, come next year, I’ll sit through the audition shows and then drop out when they reach Hollywood. Because it’s a show that is already somewhat of an insult to one’s intelligence. They don’t have to pile on.
Mike Miller Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
I’d have to say that it was really awful. That Donna Summer number with the top 6 girls was really bad. Amanda didn’t even bother trying to dance or sing the right key. Donna Summer looked like she didn’t want to be there at all. I give credit to her, Graham Nash, ZZ Top for putting up with these amateurs.
Pretty much, the top 12 suck as a unit. I found that trying to sit through the entire two hours was torturous, so I kept channel surfing.
Terry Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 am
I am amazed that you chose to watch this American drivel rather than Manchester United’s win on penalty kicks over Chelsea which was shown on ESPN2…God help the American testicle.
Jon Splett Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm
I’m proud to say not only have I never watched American Idol, I didn’t even know it had started back up again until I saw people talking about the finale yesterday.
Terry is right. The Champions League final was the correct viewing selection although the fact it got decided on penalties is ridiculous and thats my number one complaint with soccer in general. It’s sort of like deciding the 7th game of the world series with a home run derby.
Terry Says:May 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Splett: I was like you in my thoughts on the penalty kick resolution (and may still be), but I was shocked into realizing the drama it presents in and of itself…who would have thought Terry slips and boots the winner past the goal…..I am now forced to look at it differently