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Botafogo · 05-21-2003, 09:58 PM,

I, having NO interest whatsoever in the American Idol phenom, could not for the life of me figure out why I just had my first customer in TWO HOURS (and no traffic outside as well). I thought maybe Bin Laden had attacked again but it was just a TV show...

Time to go home, Roberto

~~Bucko~~ · 05-21-2003, 10:20 PM,

You're not alone. I've never watched the show, never watched a single Survior show, nor any of the "reality" TV shows. What a black hole of intelligence...... IMHO of course.

Georgie · 05-22-2003, 03:47 AM,

Hey, now, you wouldn't critique a wine you've never tasted, would you? Don't knock Idol if you've never watched it. The young people are quite talented and it is entertaining to hear fresh new voices. It's kind of fun to be an armchair judge and there is a fair amount of drama as the competitors are eliminated. I don't claim it to be a cerebral experience but I found it quite enjoyable. I've tuned in (once) to other reality shows and couldn't abide any of them, but Idol I liked. It's nice to be entertained by something that has no smut or violence as is found in most of the dramas on TV. Idol is a show that whole families can enjoy together which is a rare find these days.

Drew · 05-22-2003, 05:57 AM,

Keep drinkin' the port, Georgie, you'll be ok...sip slowly now, that's it....... [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

Drew

Thomas · 05-22-2003, 06:10 AM,

Roberto, a few years ago my wife and I decided to throw the TV out. Last week one of my wife's co-workers asked her if she had seen a certain TV show. She said no and then added, I don't watch TV. The guy, in shock, asked her, "what do you do at home at the end of the day?" She replied with the truth: "I read a book, and once in a while I even talk to my husband."

hotwine · 05-22-2003, 06:52 AM,

I've never seen any of those shows, either. TV is used for news updates, Home & Garden TV, and occasional sports (as in Go, Spurs!). Whoever said that television is a vast wasteland was right on the money.

winoweenie · 05-22-2003, 07:52 AM,

As Georgie says you're critiquing something and catagorizing it without any knowledge of it. My wife and I both watch the show as it has developed some of the best young talented singers of the last two years. Last years winner was Kelly Grayson whose 1st album went PLATINUM in its' 1st 7 weeks. Last nights winner and runner-up are both EXTREMELY talented singers who'll darned sure be around for years to come. By the way out of 24,000,000 votes called in by listeners there was a total of 1300 votes difference in the two finalists. Mikey says " TRY IT, YOU MITE LIKE IT "WW [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]
They corrected the difference to 130,000 still less than 1%

[This message has been edited by winoweenie (edited 05-22-2003).]

ShortWiner · 05-22-2003, 08:52 AM,

When I watched for a few minutes the first time around, I was dispirited by the obnoxious and insulting jibes thrown at the young hopefuls by the judges. I guess this must have been one of the early rounds, as there were people auditioning who couldn't sing on key and such. Still, to me it felt degrading to watch. I do understand that towards the end they're probably not so harsh.

wondersofwine · 05-22-2003, 09:10 AM,

I noticed fewer people at the grocery store while the show was on. I have seen quite a few episodes and felt Kelly Clarkson and the last three finalists this time around were all very talented singers. Clay Aiken, who came in second this time, is from Raleigh, NC and is working with autistic children at the Y while studying (I think at U of North Carolina, Chapel Hill but it may be NC State) for a degree in special education. He will probably take time now to work on a musical career and he is scheduled to record an album and tour with other "American Idol" finalists, but I hope some day he completes that degree. We need people like him working with children with disabilities.
Also, they later corrected the difference in votes to 130,000 out of 24 million. About half of 1% difference if my math is correct.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 05-22-2003).]

Botafogo · 05-22-2003, 11:26 AM,

I have seen clips here and there and some of them can really sing but what bores me to tears is the SONGS they sing, mostly the sort of bombastic crap Celiine Dion does of else really sugary R&B wannabees with inane lyrics.

One of my good friends produced that Kelly Clarkson record and I have admonished him to go record some interesting music to balance his karma....

If they would have artists from a representative sampling of (even commercially) viable genres I could dig it. But there are NO Jazz singers, no Reggae, Country or even really Rock acts, just "diva" types destined for eventual Vegas showcases. Seeing the next Cassandra Wilson or Maxi Priest or Johnny Cash or even Limp Bisquit would add some interest for me.

I have actually watched the TNN Country knockoff a few times and even IT seemed to have a broader range of styles and it was all supposed to be country (whatever that means these days)...

Roberto

Kcwhippet · 05-22-2003, 11:37 AM,

Roberto,

It seems if you toss a fiddle and maybe a steel guitar into a rock band, you get most of modern country. I say most, because there's still some of the good stuff left.

Georgie · 05-22-2003, 11:53 AM,

Oh, Drew, don't worry. Plenty of Port was consumed while watching Idol. Maybe that had something to do with my enjoyment of it!

winoweenie · 05-22-2003, 06:07 PM,

Lots of diversity in the talent on the show. A Marine from Pendleton who WILL make it big as a C/W singer. A young girl with only one name who is every bit as talented as Whitney. The two finalist, Clay who can sing " Come To Jesus " and get convets, or the big kid winner who can sing R&B, Ballads, And soft Jazz and get you out of your seat. Yeppo, the early rounds are tough, but I found the Simon critiques to be rite on and could maybe put a pontential nuclear scientist back on track rather than thinking he had talent. I found the tough love approach refreshing as there were some absolutely atrocious kids auditioning that in their hearts believed they had talent. All in all a very neat show that has nothing in common with the reality genre. Its' all about talent. WW

Georgie · 05-22-2003, 07:58 PM,

Well said, WW! You can actually make sense when you want to!

Thomas · 05-22-2003, 08:08 PM,

I haven't seen the show--don't intend to see it, but I do have a question: if its aim is to locate talent, why are such no-talents like ww describes even making it past the scouts and onto the screen? My suspicion is that they are there for the effect.

In my view: TV is generally an exercise in the lowest common denominator. Like weapons of mass destruction, this weapon of mass destraction ought to be banned.

But I defend your right to defend it...

~~Bucko~~ · 05-22-2003, 10:23 PM,

Must be summer in AZ again -- the sun REALLY bakes the brain....ahem.

winoweenie · 05-23-2003, 07:25 AM,

Foodie they DIDN'T make it past the 1st audition. There were over 30,000 auditions nationwide and they started out with I think the top 50, then cut it to 30 etc. The reason for showing some of the talent-less was for comic relief and to fill in air time. In the top 50 were some very talented kids who by virtue of their 15 minutes have an avenue to fulfill their show-biz dreams. Almost all of the top 10 will end up in show business and likely contribute to the music world. WW

~~Bucko~~ · 05-23-2003, 09:24 AM,

The thing is rigged! They cut me, and you know how good I can yodel after a bottle of Petite Sirah.........

stevebody · 05-24-2003, 08:19 AM,

I didnt' watch season 1 of "Idol", either, assuming it would be just one more banal exercise in canned mediocrity. But Judye decided to watch season 2 and I sorta fell into it. It was wonderful. Aside from the fact that the final four contestants actually could sing beautifully - and not just in the way that passes for beautiful in pop music - the show padded itself out with what I'm sure the producers thought were filler segments about the personal lives of the kids. That, for me, turned out to be the most significant and satisfying part of the show.

Idol, if done right, is about personal growth. The evolution of these kids, from day one of regional try-outs to the finals, was astonishing. Their growing confidence was beautiful to watch and their performances showed a spirit that was truly inspiring. Add to that the fact that the kids, who were forced to live in the same house, responded by bonding and caring for each other in a way that totally gives lie to the usual perception of today's young adults being all about Me.

Finally, the real benefit of Idol, IMHO, is that it shows in the most graphic and impactful way - to every kid in America - that your dreams are not stupid, you can and should reach beyond yourself, and honest effort imbued with generosity and spirit, CAN pay off, when everything else in our society is telling them it won't. The competition was won by a huge, fat, black kid from Alabama, nobody's physical ideal of an "American Idol", but someone whose titanic spirit and undeniable talent overcame his address and his appearance. I think "Idol" is what TV can be about when it works properly. Yeah, it's fluffy but it's also fun, fast, and even occasionally profound, in a small way. Good advice, whomever it was who gave it: don't judge it until you've tried it.

winoweenie · 05-24-2003, 09:35 AM,

Perfect there SB. Besides the big fat black kid whose profound talent won the competition the skinny white nerdy contestant who was barely beaten morphed before a world-wide audience into a tremendously good-looking, confident, heart-throb whose looks caught up with his God-Given talent, and Boto, believe me both of these kids are ENORMOUS talents. WW

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