Upon starting this blog, I tried to figure out a topic to discuss, one that would be engaging and capture the hearts and minds of those reading. An appropriate place to start, in conjunction with these criteria would be a piece on what is arguably the most popular television show on earth. Last week a total of eighty million people watched the Fox juggernaught that is American Idol. Every season one hundred thousand people audition, every finale upwards of 60 million votes are cast for the winner...but with so many incarnations of this format, what makes American Idol stand out?
There are intellectuals and snobs all over the world that dismiss the 'reality-TV' genre as a fad, shallow as it is fleeting. The principle criticism is that she show doesn't create long-terms stars, merely 'flash in the pan' cash cows to provide record company bigwigs with the big bucks fast and efficiently. This is the first factor, among many, that sets American Idol apart. If I was to throw forwards the names 'Steve Brookstien', 'Michelle McManus' or 'Shayne Ward' you I imagine you'd read with a vacant stare. I doubt you'd react with the same unfamiliarity at the names 'Kelly Clarkson', 'Carrie Underwood' or as of recently 'Jennifer Hudson'. The former batch of names are from the UK counterparts 'Pop Idol' & 'The X Factor'. The latter are contestants (not even necessarily winners) who appeared on Idol.
These Idol contestants came on the show, and week by week validated it. As not only a show that is well produced, accessible but also one that finds and nurtures incredible talent. Not only that, but they continue to validate the show through their soaring careers. Appear in the Top 12, and you've walked through the door into a place that, given enough talent and the right career decisions can offer you multi-million selling albums, international notoriety, Industry respect Grammy Awards and Oscars. Year by year it gets harder for the naysayer to knock it, because the success of the audience figures now translates to success in record sales...not only that, every year somebody incredible is discovered.
Third season winner Fantasia for instance (left), who despite not having as much success as other winners, has garnered an unprecedented amount of attention and respect - and day by day is proving herself not only to be amongst the best contestants to ever appear on the show, but one of the best live performers in the world today. The moment she sang The Gershwin's "Summertime" was the moment the show transcended into a whole new stratosphere. The performance (below) remains, unquestionably one of the most captivating live performances recorded on film. Despite this, Fantasia is certainly not unanimously praised. Many of the adamant Idol fans abhor the 'rough 'n' raw' style in which she performs, yet in another of the shows incredible aspects, somebody COMPLETELY different will come on and either win it, or take their exposure and turn it into a credible and successful music career. Thus far the five seasons have all been won by artists representing vastly contrasting genres. The first season winner represented Pop, the second Gospel, the third R&B, the fourth country and the latest 'Soul'. From this sequence of events, there was always somebody different yet equally talented to latch on to, if not in the winner, most certainly in the final five. The place, in which Idol most shines, is when compared to its international counterparts. Being an Englishman, for me this means the tawdry and second-rate Simon Cowell conceived 'X Factor'. Each winter, every Saturday night the British public are subjected to a pantomime affair, with self-indulgent (and or obsessed) judges, circus acts with little talent or ability, performed in a tacky little studio with appalling sound and amateur karaoke backing tracks (See below for an example).
Compare this then to Idol in America which benefits from a huge concert-hall like set, where the contestants are backed by a live band, judges interested in finding the best talent possible and a voting public that sends (almost always) the greatest contestants to the top. On The X Factor, we have to contend with a voting public comprised of teenage girls voting for the most appealing male eye-candy (most recent series excused) to the winning spot, almost every single series. Simon Cowell has more money invested, thus more to gain from 'The X Factor', so Britain has to settle for this farce for a further three series...over in America Simon is just a bit-player, one that would however be wise to stick to not only a far superior format but a far superior show. Audiences of both, guest 'mentor' Rod Stewart and even Simon Cowell himself have pointed out the HUGE gulf in talent between this shows, yet Simon continues to ram 'X' down our throats, sacrificing art and credibility for money. It would be fair to say that anybody, in any season of American Idol would have wiped the floor with any contestant or in fact winner The X Factor. It would seem latest Brit winner 'Leona Lewis' is the exception to this rule...this writer however isn't yet convinced.
Kelly Clarkson Singing "Natural Woman"
One can generally expect a certain level of charisma, charm and diversity from the contestants on Idol never seen over on this side of the pond; nobody proves this more than Miss Kelly Clarkson. The first and most perfect "Idol" in every sense of the word, and the one that has been by far the most successful in terms of sales and critical acclaim. During Clarkson's Grammy win last year, many chastised her for failing to acknowledge the show that 'made' her...yet it is Idol that should be thanking Kelly, because every record she sells, every award she wins, not only affirms her status, but Idol's own. Week by week Clarkson's performances were stellar (all risky, all different - unlike a one Leona Lewis), and since she's proved possessive of one of the most dynamic, diverse and impressive voices on the planet. You may consider me crude and far exaggerating the girl's ability, but in ten years time, I'll be the one with foresight to have called it.
Worth an estimated 2.5 billion, "American Idol' makes money and stars at a equal rate, never sacrificing the good of one for the good of the other. Call it tacky, call it crass, but time and time again the contestants on it will make all of that irrelevant. For those who do watch, you'll know what I mean. For those who don't or are too highbrow to consider themselves in a position to do so, try it...wonderful things my await you.
