MrsBlogInternational

Even if I’m living in Germany, I follow American Idol as a social phenomenon ( I don’t even want to mention German Super Star finished last week – the winner  would probably not make the top 36 in US.)
Anyway, I have mixed – and sometimes even ambivalent feelings about the whole idea of that kind of shows. As indeed, it really sounds interesting once someone is singing Tears For Fears sounds like Simon & Garfunkel or singing Michael Jackson reminds the vocals of Axl Rose.

And – as I frankly admit – I loved  the fact that the voice aof Leona Lewis’ has been discovered in the 2006 edition of UK X-Factor. (She is also my all-time favourite not only for her great artistic expression but also for the humble and generous personality). 

But I am well aware that that is a kind of pure and completely brainless entertainment that nobody really needs – except form the producers = moneymakers and the sponsors. Even for the new ’stars’ is that kind of fame very controversial to me, as they will always be connected with the shows they came from).

I have found a very interesting  interview with Simon Cowell - a man who is one of the people standing behind the majority of the most popular talent shows. The interview with Katie Couric is made for Today Show and in the video we got to know among others what are his true feelings for Paula Abdul, how look  the judges’ rooms behind the scenes of American Idol, why Randy Jackson eats only from the floor, etc, etc.

Fast Tube by Casper

And what more interesting, Simon Cowell says, that what he sees at the auditions is the ‘fame epidemic which makes people crazy – they would like to be famous so much that they don’t see how awful they are.’  And he – Dr. Cowell is there to cure them – even if it does not work.

But it seems to me that Dr. Cowell forgets about the fact that he is himself the one to blame for this epidemia that seems to constantly grow, from one year to another! As apparently, the shows and the results from selling the records of the artists involved are feeding his account in great style.

And I  believe that it is very much about the money, making money and always more money. ‘Money for nothing and the chicks for free’ (Dire Straits)
So what really hits me this year is the lack of Idol Gives Back - the event that in my eyes would contibute to the deeper meaning of American Idol. Especially in times of economic crisis it would be even more important to do it!!

So yes – the shows give the ordinary, sometimes talented people possibility to have their ‘5 minutes of fame’ and to have a part in the greatly prosperous entertainment industry. Very seldom it happens that through the shows some real talents are discovered.

But where does the idea go? where is the limit? how many of the Idols with X-factor are we all able to digest – globally? What happens to the ‘real’, generic artists who fight on their own?

The very same Simon Cowell said once that Bob Dylan would never win the show. This one sentence explains it all.

P.S. I don’t need to see the finale on Tuesday/Wednesday to know that the winner of the American Idol season 8, 2009 will be Adam Lambert. So what?