Guest Column / Deus Ex Malcontent
The great H.L. Mencken said it best:
“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”
The veracity of this statement becomes bulletproof when you realize that this summer, Michael Bay will once again spread his figurative ass-cheeks and unleash a putrid load of cinematic diarrhea on the theater-going public; that Hinder and Nickleback are able to play venues larger than the Wings & Things off Route 4 in Tampa; that George W. Bush has been allowed to occupy the White House for the past six years; and of course, that “American Idol” remains an unstoppable pop-culture juggernaut.
I’m certainly willing to admit my own complicity in the success of “Idol”; I’ve watched it on more than one occasion and taken a passing interest in who wins and who doesn’t — mostly out of the desire to know which democratically elected singing sensation I can expect to have forced down my throat for the next eight months. Kelly Clarkson was cute and went on to record one or two decent songs, for which she received entirely too much acclaim; Ruben Studdard wound up being the only guy whose ass runner-up and perpetually closeted homosexual Clay Aiken will ever be capable of kicking; Fantasia went pretty much nowhere and has since reinvented herself as the subject of a Lifetime Insipid Movie of the Week; Carrie Underwood now sings love songs about Jesus while her penultimate, Bo Bice, makes the kind of music that I’m still wishing had died in the same plane crash that took out Ronnie Van Zant; Taylor Hicks has wound up being just one of last season’s 38 Idol contestants to be awarded a recording contract — such is the star-making power of the show.
This year though, something’s different.
“American Idol” is under siege.
As you’re no doubt well aware, at the center of the maelstrom is 17-year-old borderline-retard Sanjaya Malakar.
I debated whether or not to comment on the ridiculous “controversy” involving Sanjaya’s admittedly inexplicable presence at this stage of the competition — his cockroach-like indestructibility and unyielding belief that he does, in fact, have even a specimen-cupful of talent. Although everyone’s entitled to a little mindless entertainment, the idea that such nonsense, even for a moment, occupies the same news cycle as an unnecessary war, the complete collapse of the most corrupt and dangerous administration in American history and the rapid disintegration of our planet’s atmosphere — well, it just seems a little shameful. Makes you swell with pride at the knowledge that young American men and women are fighting and dying overseas to preserve “our way of life.”
It took this week’s elimination to finally tip me off the fence.
When I first learned of Howard Stern’s Durdenesque plot to bring down the most inescapable cultural phenomenon on earth, I admit to feeling a rush of anarchist adrenaline that involuntarily curled my mouth into a smile. “American Idol” had, after all, foisted more musical mediocrity onto the general public than the entire career of KISS; the idea of an organized campaign to subvert the show’s credibility by using its own system against it brought out my inner insurgent. I understood at the time that, as a proper misanthrope, I’d have to find a way to put aside my considerable loathing for Sanjaya himself — rationalizing the benefits he’d indirectly reap — were I to fully get behind the scheme. I looked at it this way: His victory would be nothing more than collateral damage in the war against the larger enemy. (For the record, I had no idea that the kid was so hopelessly naive that he’d actually believe he was earning his weekly gift from the anonymous legion of merry pranksters). I’ll tell you though — it was tough to not want to see a dumbass like that fail miserably.
A couple of weeks ago, when it became clear that there was malfeasance afoot, the argument against voting for the worst contestant began popping up on message boards, in newspapers and magazines, and on television. It came in the form of a simple and heartfelt plea that declared that keeping Sanjaya on “Idol” just for the hell of it was not a victimless crime; obviously, if the worst singer stays, that means that somebody better has to go. Once again, I thought — collateral damage — an unfortunate but necessary concession for the greater good. I even wondered if someone shouldn’t type up letters to the families of the fallen, in appreciation of their sacrifice — with the thanks of a grateful nation.
In an effort to spin Stern’s personal Project Mayhem and marginalize the growing number of juvenile TV-terrorists behind it, Fox executives last week claimed, with a collective straight face, that Sanjaya’s ascendancy should in no way be credited to — or blamed on — Stern fans, website visitors or any other single group.
Oh yeah, unless you count the entire Asian and Indian population of the United States and, quite possibly, the earth.
In the kind of broad-stroke ethnic generalization not seen since the opening of the prison camp at Guantanamo, a lot of armchair sociologists are pushing the theory that every U.S. resident of Asian or Indian descent believes that his or her life will improve dramatically should someone named Sanjaya Malakar become the next American Idol. Whether or not the hypothetical Sanjaya Malakar can actually sing — which, as it turns out, this particular one can’t — makes no difference at all, as these mindless drones would be basing their allegiance on name, skin tone, and, of course, the obligation to show solidarity with the motherland. It’s entirely possible that many young people of Indian descent are in fact rallying around Sanjaya — simply because they were born without ears due to the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster; aside from that, though, it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to overlook his inability to hold a note — particularly not the same people responsible for all those kickass Bollywood musical numbers.
A diabolical offshoot of the main theory — its militant splinter group, if you will — posits that the rise of Sanjaya isn’t merely the underhanded work of nationalistic terrorist cells living here in the United States; it is in fact nothing less than the overthrow of an American institution by a foreign state — one that our own government inadvertently empowered. To come face to face — or at least voice to voice — with the enemy behind this nefarious conspiracy, all you’d have to do is pick up the phone and call any toll-free customer-service number that happened to be handy. The rumor is as far-fetched as it is clever as hell: Call center operators in India are making millions of free calls to the United States — stuffing the virtual ballot box with votes for Sanjaya. And how did these operators get their jobs in the first place? Because American corporations outsourced their customer service positions to India, where the labor’s cheaper. And who greased the wheels and cleared the hurdles, making it easy for the corporations to do this? Why, the prostrate apostles of free-market capitalism in our own government of course. And who put the leashes around the necks of these “distinguished gentlemen” and made them such servile little bitches? The corporations, their lobbyists, and their money, of course.
If it were ever proven true, my first reaction might be to marvel at a guerrilla campaign far more ingenious than anything Stern could’ve dreamed up. My second would probably be outrage at the audacity of another country’s citizens seeing to it that someone of their own descent triumphs in a singing competition called “American Idol,” at the expense of everyone else involved (yes, I’m capable of jingoistic gut reactions) particularly when that person has no business being anywhere near a microphone. My third thought — the one in which a measure of logical resignation comes into play — would definitely be that there’s no greater irony, and we got what we deserved.
The reality though?
Chances are, there are just a bunch of Indian-American kids, and American kids, and really fucking stupid Indian-American-American kids who think Sanjaya’s cooler than Hello Kitty — either that or Michael Jackson’s dropping 3 million votes at a time simply for the “pleasure” of seeing that childlike face every week.
When you factor that support into the exponentially increasing number of joke votes he’s getting each week, Sanjaya’s unwitting rise to pop culture infamy becomes all but assured.
As it turns out, though, the early detractors were right — the seditious fun to be had spray-painting a big “FUCK YOU” on the altar of America’s Temple of the Trivial does come at a price, as was evidenced this week.
As someone who grew up listening to Gang of Four, the Replacements, Killing Joke, and the Pistols — and someone who still stands in reverent awe of Tom Waits — I always valued the passion behind a voice rather than the quality of the voice itself. I have no doubt that very few of the singers who have ever moved me in one way or another throughout my life would be welcome on a show like “American Idol”; most would be mercilessly ridiculed, then shown the goddamn door. Likewise, I’ve never been a fan of the way Simon, the drunk to his immediate right, and the guy from Journey tend to Breakfast Club the contestants — sizing each one up in an instant and branding him or her with one of a handful of generic and recyclable designations. (“The Soulful One,” “The Little One with the Big Voice,” “The Modern One,” “Justin Timberlake,” etc.)
This season, Gina Glocksen was “The Rocker.”
Although not as powerful a singer as last year’s designated “Rocker” Chris Daughtry, she also wasn’t anywhere near the worthless, preening dick that last year’s designated “Rocker” Chris Daughtry was. Overall, Gina had a good voice, chose a nice range of material, owned it pretty damn well onstage and, above all, seemed genuinely humble.
As much as I was still fully behind The Sanjaya Agenda and wanted nothing more than to see Stern put on a Guy Fawkes mask and detonate a pound of Semtex under Ryan Seacrest, I was secretly pulling for Gina to at least nab a place in the top four or five — an achievement that would all but guarantee her a record deal somewhere.
Last week, she was eliminated.
A couple of years ago, in one of the many “scandals” that bounced benignly off “American Idol’s” Adamantium hull, someone behind the scenes claimed that the show was rigged — the winners and losers predetermined. I had always assumed the claim to be bullshit, considering the complete social upheaval that would result from something like “Idolgate” — not to mention the fact that, aside from playing the numbers in Vegas, there’s little to be gained by such collusion.
But as the axe came down on Gina Glocksen, as the stunned crowd began to shout in protest, and as she began to cry uncontrollably, and, in a tragically ironic coup de grace, as she was given the stage one last time and was forced to perform the same song she had sung the previous night, which happened to be Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” I found myself shaking my head — amazed at how the entire scene was just so perfect.
It was the perfect object lesson.
It was as if God himself — either as an “Idol” enthusiast or simply in keeping with his longstanding practice of crushing the insignificant for the hell of it — had come down from on high and engineered the ultimate ruthless comeuppance aimed at all those who dared to fuck with the natural order of things. In one moment, it was made crystal clear that if we chose to spare the undeserving, the innocent would suffer; the fact that this week’s innocent turned out to be the contestant most likely to appeal to Howard Stern’s target audience — the cute girl with the purple streak in her hair and the barbell through her tongue; the “Rocker” — seemed to make the point only that much more viciously.
It worked — at least on one person.
Once again, in an act of seemingly divine inspiration, the shot of Gina’s tear-streaked face as she toughed her way through the lines, “Smile, though your heart is aching,” and, “Though there are clouds in the sky, I’ll get by,” slowly dissolved to show the face of — him.
And I found myself suddenly filled with rage, and the overwhelming need to rip every fucking ridiculous hair out of Sanjaya Malakar’s stupid little head and shove them down his fucking throat — the one that had failed to produce one decent goddamned note all season. I realized that I’d been wrong; that subverting “American Idol” by catapulting a dingbat into its upper echelon wasn’t worth shattering the dreams of a profoundly more deserving young girl; that the collateral-damage was, in fact, an unacceptable loss.
So maybe I owe Gina Glocksen an apology.
And maybe it’s time the American public took down Sanjaya the way it should have from the beginning.
If that’s not possible — if it turns out that his popularity is legitimate and not the product of the country’s biggest practical joke — then perhaps the only thing left is to once again invoke the words of H.L. Mencken:
“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”
Chez Pazienza is a television news producer and the voice of Deus Ex Malcontent.
If We're Thanking God for You Being Here, Does He Also Take the Blame? | | Pajiba Love 04/09/07 |
Comments
Huh. I never thought I'd read about AI on Pajiba (and yeah, I do watch the show, but not as much lately), but, here it is.
Who first saw Sanjaya and deemed him worthy enough to continue to the Hollywood rounds? The judges. Who saw Sanjaya and allowed him to continue on to the top 24 contestants? The judges. Yeah, dumbass Americans are voting for him every week, but we would have never heard of this "borderline retard" had it not been for the judges thinking he could, uh, sing? Breathe? Blink?
Also, I'm surprised to find that people don't jump on the "it's rigged!" bandwagon more often. Maybe it's me, but I pretty much knew it after Clay Aiken lost, since every damn person I knew and their dogs were voting for his ass. (Or, as one of my conspiracy theorists friends said, "They let Ruben win because they didn't want two white people winning two years in a row"). I mean, for God's sake, the priests at my parish were telling us to go buy his single. (Uh, make of that what you will).
And as for the "collateral damage" bit, I don't know, I don't really see it that way. Yeah, Gina may have been more deserving and all, but someone's gonna give her a record deal. (Elliott Yamin, who was my favorite from last year, got a deal with an independent label, and is getting to do the kind of music he wants, as opposed to singing stupid Idol-ish songs about rainbows and shit like that). Granted, it probably won't be a major label debut or anything, but I can't feel sorry for someone who gets that much exposure overnight on this TV show. Of course, that exposure doesn't always necessarily translate into critical or monetary success, but it's a helluva lot easier to do this show and become popular overnight than to work your way up as a starving musician without the help of the exposure.
Posted by: em at April 9, 2007 3:58 PM
I completely agree! At first I thought bring down the beast of AI but then you see good singers leaving and that ass still up there thinking that he is the best thing since sliced bread with his stupid hair and it's just wrong. TAKE HIM OUT!
Posted by: lyricalcatt at April 9, 2007 4:05 PM
I think that the website "Vote for the Worst" was the first to push the idea of overthrow through voting sabotage, not Howard Stern.
Posted by: missmle at April 9, 2007 4:23 PM
umm.. Indian call center workers don't make the choice of which phone numbers to dial - they're chosen by their corporate overlords (or randomly, but I like the idea of the mustache twirling overlord).
Posted by: Ash at April 9, 2007 4:28 PM
Who really cares either way? The either show is about as significant as a USA Today poll.
Come to think of it though, maybe Howard Stern got GW re-elected in a horrible prank gone wrong.
Posted by: Steve at April 9, 2007 4:34 PM
Every year they choose some people they know won't make it, just to cause drama. It ends up hurting that person feelings. For you to say Sanjaya does not deserve to win because it will hurt someone else is B.S. Tv itself is about making people look foolish. I mean the show directly after AI is "are you smarter than a fifth grader." If Sanjaya is so terrible he shouldn't of even made it past hollywood. AI is getting what they deserve.
Posted by: justin at April 9, 2007 4:39 PM
Nope. I'm still with Sanjaya. AI has gotta go. Talent goes where talent goes regardless of the endorsement of the great Simon Cowell. Gina can still find a singing career. Granted, it'll be a little tougher being voted out in the ninth position, but I don't think it's impossible.
If past seasons have taught us anything, it's that first place does not guarantee that you're going to sell the most albums. It should be self-evident that the people who watch, enjoy, and vote for this claptrap are not the same people who actually buy albums and appreciate music. Why else would Daughtry sell so many more albums than Hicks? I say it's because true music lovers - the ones who don't rely on bad arrangements of good songs and horrible arrangements of bad songs during primetime television - know the difference.
If you really want to make amends with Gina, here's my proposal. Get her a guest shot on Howard Stern, whose listeners are the potential fans you claim and this overwhelmingly influential voting bloc, and let her sell herself there. I bet he'd let her be a guest.
If you still think AI deserves quarter, check out this link.
http://www.votefortheworst.com/auditions
If even half of this is true, there are many more heartbroken and deserving Ginas out there who didn't even get the chance to finish in ninth.
And - for the record - I don't think flipping on Sanjaya will make any difference. Eventually he will be voted out, and I doubt he'll even make it to the top three. There are too many genuine fans of the show, and each week their votes combine when another "deserving" contestant is eliminated.
Posted by: Rob at April 9, 2007 4:42 PM
But even if Sanjaya won, it wouldn't do shit to effect AI's popularity. The "scandal" is bringing in more viewers. It's guarantying that people who wouldn't ordinarily watch, will tune in because it's not just about a couple of girls with giant voices blowing everyone else out of the water, or a couple of guys with trendy clothes and hair this year. It's about anarchy. You know....through voting. And it's just making AI more interesting. It's never actually been a legit singing show, and even the judges admit to that. It's a circus, and it always has been, and the Sanjaya thing just makes it a bigger, brighter, louder, more disorienting opium infused spectacle of the weird than ever before.
Posted by: hb at April 9, 2007 4:44 PM
Yeah, but... I mean, if Gina is that good, adorable and worthwhile, I wish her a lot better than American Idol. The company owns your soul, chooses your costumes, and pimps you out to the least respectable venues ever. Vote Sanjaya!
Posted by: that bees chick at April 9, 2007 4:47 PM
Wow, I didn't realize that the words "American Idol" would bring such genetic rejects to the surface and actually them to comment. Go back to your day-time TV, you blithering idiots.
Posted by: Eric at April 9, 2007 4:49 PM
Wow, I never thought so many things could be said about this. Is it really that important? Go do productive stuff people!
Posted by: Gaby at April 9, 2007 4:50 PM
hb >> I voted last week without watching a minute of the program. So does this bring attention? Yes. But ratings? Not necessarily.
Additionally, if that quote from Simon is true ("If Sanjaya wins, then I quit"), then that certainly would affect the show's popularity. Simon fans make up a large portion of the audience.
Posted by: Rob at April 9, 2007 4:51 PM
Eric>> Fuck off.
Gaby>> I'm on my lunch break.
Posted by: Rob at April 9, 2007 4:52 PM
Gina wasnt good and had no talent, She was showing legs to get vote from american guys lol & I felt better when she got kicked from Show.
Posted by: JackSteel at April 9, 2007 4:53 PM
How come nobody is talking about how much haley sucks? Doesn't she remind anyone else of Kathie Lee Gifford? I have to say I am certainly no fan of sanjaya, but he seems harmless to me compared to her insipid vibrato.
Posted by: addicted at April 9, 2007 4:54 PM
Rob, you're right. I had forgotten about the Simon threat. That would definitely cause the show to tank - and it would be glorious.
Posted by: hb at April 9, 2007 5:00 PM
There a very Nero fiddling while Rome burned thing going on here.
In a country that's got an out of control government and an astronomical deficit, maybe it soothes people to think they can bring down a wildly powerful behemoth like AI.
Of course, it's just a distraction, and all the focus is in the wrong place. But boy, the postmodernists got it right about the entertainment industrial complex being the new opiate of the masses, and an extremely effective and lovely prison.
Isn't it insanely funny how completely and utterly powerless the American people have become? And yet, they get totally het up about this meaningles show and ... hmm ... behave like perfectly trained consumers focusing on the shiny scarf while the people with the actual power destroy the Constitution and the entire structure of the Middle East.
Check out the screaming anti-Eastern racism that pops up in pretty much any critique of the Sanjaya phenomemon. Also, hoo-boy, it's a homophobia free-for-all.
It will be fascinating to see how this thing plays out, but I wouldn't want to be Sanjaya for all the world. I feel very protective of the guy. He's a sweet soul trapped in an impossible situation.
And as for singing - check out his version of Swing Low on Youtube. The dude COULD sing at one time, and he could hit all the notes with good volume. This uproar is clearly affecting him, and maybe the hair and clothing stuff is his magic talisman against the ugliness that people are projecting at him. It's like a nightmare romp of the id out there.
I know in my new wave youth, my purple hair and artfully destroyed clothing was a way to get attention and also tell people to get the fuck out of my face.
I hope someone in the AI machine is protecting that young boy. It's not funny what's happening to AI or to him ... but let's use our big brains to step back and ask what all this sturm und drang might be a compensation for.
Posted by: Karla at April 9, 2007 5:02 PM
If Gina is as good or has as much potential as you say she'll get signed by a record label thereby escaping the Machievellian humiliating Idol winner contract. She should count herself lucky for losing, they might have made her make the movie "From Gina to Sanjaya". Aaaack!
AI has only produced one half-way decent talent the first season...the rest are a study in sucky mediocrity.
Posted by: Clevelandchick at April 9, 2007 5:16 PM
First off, awesome guest spot Chez! Now, on to the meat.
Frankly, I could give a shit. About Sanjaya, about AI, all of it. I've watched a total of 1 full season of the damn thing (Season 3), and I still don't get the appeal.
However, I'll say this. From everything I can tell, it's not a campaign to get AI cancelled, far from it. The fact of the matter is that AI, and its vocally disinclined alumni, have started to have more and more of an effect on popular music and culture. Why? Kids.
The teenage demographic is the most powerful informal lobbyist group in the nation. As AARP is to lobbyism, so the 13-17 demo is to pop culture. And with that power comes a vast responsibility that these children, regardless of their exposure to information, are ill-prepared to deal with. I'm sorry, but I have a big problem with the fact that these little shits are deciding what I watch on television, at the movies, or listen to on the radio. My only safety zone was the NYT Bestseller List, but since the advent The Big "O" and her collection of feel-good regurgitationist tripe, that's no good either.
So, maybe I look at this 'pro-Sanjaya' movement as less of an attack and more of a statement from those of us who'd like to take back the responsibility for the formation of social norms.
I know it's fruitless, but hope springs eternal I suppose.
Posted by: Smokin at April 9, 2007 5:17 PM
Gina was mediocre at best. Her competition made her appear more talented than she was. Yes, it was sort of sad to see her so upset when she was voted off, but it didn't have that much to do with Sanjaya-- he wasn't even in the bottom three! There are plenty of losers to choose from-- Haley, the bald dude-- but Gina deserved it just as much. She was so "rocker lite." As if having and purple hair makes you alternative. I say, keep voting for Sanjaya. It's so great to see the judges squirm.
Posted by: oaklandcat at April 9, 2007 5:37 PM
Actually, it's my experience that a lot of Indian American kids care about Sanjaya, but in the opposite way. Most of my Indian friends HATE Sanjaya. One called him "bad for the race."
Posted by: Haley at April 9, 2007 6:05 PM
Wouldn't it be fantastic if he actually won and they were forced to give him a recording contract?
Posted by: oaklandcat at April 9, 2007 6:09 PM
Yes, Oakland.
Yes it would.
Posted by: Smokin at April 9, 2007 6:14 PM
It's American Idol.
People, considering how much some of you rant and rave about it, why is it such a huge part of your lives?
I hated the very idea of it from the first time a commercial for it aired, and I hate it now, and I have watched maybe a sum total of 15 minutes of it in all the time it has been on (walking through the room, and so on).
Reading rants like this that are by turns "Bring it down!!" and "No, she deserves to win!!" just strike me as hilariously conflicted.
Look, I really usually go out of my way not to be condescending-- but it's -American Idol- people. If you hate it, then just hate it-- it doesn't deserve respect and since the concept was ridiculous in the first place, I am not going to cry over the poor saps who put themselves out there to be screwed over by it, and neither should you.
Posted by: Ari at April 9, 2007 6:20 PM
You need to re-watch Gina's candid remarks in the Hollywood week episodes, as well as her coments on nearly every episode since. She was regularly 'putting her foot in it' with vapid and self-obsessed BS. She called her boyfriend a little wannabe rocker who was trying to be more like her. GAG!
How you could like the 'Mats and still consider Gina talented is mind-boggling. AI is just a reality TV show of a community talent competition. Serious musicians shouldn't look to it for their big break.
Posted by: another voice at April 9, 2007 6:33 PM
i don't understand this whole stupid vote for sanjaya crap. does anyone really think that AI will be afraid to give him a recording contract? william hung was given a recording contract! it's not like this is revolutionary. it's ridiculous.
truth be told, i DO hate sanjaya and i DO hate what's happening, but america is only half the problem. that previous poster was dead on, the judges are the one who put him through. were they all high that day? do they not remember this? because it seems now whenever someone good gets voted off they look at sanjaya like he's a slick as shit contestant who managed to weasel his way onto the show. THEY PUT HIM THERE.
and really, you can't blame him because a more deserving person was voted off. it should have been haley who left. she sucks just as bad. in some ways she's worse than sanjaya. she only garners votes through putting on t&a performances and dressing like a 2 cent hooker each week.
the only thing that annoys me about sanjaya (besides the obvious awful singing) is that each week he gets smugger. does he honestly belive he's made it as far as he has by himself?
Posted by: cris at April 9, 2007 6:38 PM
Contestants like Gina seem a bit disingenuous to me. I listen to the type of music and sympathize with the school of thought that attracts people with strangely colored hair and metal stuck through strange places in their bodies, even have some metal stuck through my own body, so I know a little something about the group she presents herself as being from. If she were really who she appears to be, she would rather succumb to death by N'Stync rather than appear on Americal Idol. AI represents so many of the things that is wrong with music that no real punk would dare watch it, much less appear on it. She might be a nice person, but she's a poser plain and simple and deserved to be voted off. I for one hope Sanjaya wins, Simon quits, and the whole damn show goes down the shitter.
Posted by: stardust_savant at April 9, 2007 6:41 PM
Schadenfreude = snickering as Simon crushes the ego of a terrible. self-deluded singer
Meta-Schadenfreude = snickering as a terrible, self-deluded singer crushes Simon and the whole damn show
GO SANJAYA!
Posted by: Better than this at April 9, 2007 6:45 PM
You know, I've read a lot about this, I watched the first ten or so episodes of this season, and read VFTW on a regular basis. But when it all comes down to it, it's just a TV show. JUST a pop, gimicky TV show.
There are only two groups truly losing out on Sanjaya staying around. First, and this is just a possibility, Fox or AI producers lose money. So, we can pretty much all say we don't care about either. Second, some people who are more talented get sent home.
Sending talents home, which is possibly the strongest argument NOT to vote for the worst, is still really weak argument for two reasons. First, the very gifted singers will still get a contract from someone else more reputable and have more creative license there. Second, if there are true performers out there who just not perfect singers (like most lead rock singers in music history) then what the hell is that person doing on American Idol?
Posted by: Lizzy at April 9, 2007 7:21 PM
My only safety zone was the NYT Bestseller List, but since the advent The Big "O" and her collection of feel-good regurgitationist tripe, that's no good either.
Have you ever actually looked at the books on Oprah's list? Listen, hate Oprah all you want, but her latest pick? "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, a winsome little pie-in-the-sky tale about a boy and his father wandering through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, trying not to be raped, murdered and devoured by cannibals or starve to death as the world slowly suffocates under an endless winter.
Elie Wisel's "Night," or perhaps "Vinegar Hill" with the man brutally abused by his father who is disgusted and terrified of his children. Or maybe "The Bluest Eye". Man, that's an uplifting book if I ever read one.
Posted by: twig at April 9, 2007 8:50 PM
Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!
Posted by: markus at April 9, 2007 9:10 PM
I don't really understand why anyone would care so much about a show such as American Idol. Can we go back to actually watching well written sitcoms and series? These contests and reality shows are starting to lose their luster.
Posted by: Devo at April 9, 2007 10:16 PM
At first I thought it was amusing but now it's annoying for many many reasons. One of the main reasons is Sanjaya's cockiness. I thought he was in on the joke. I gave him kudos for not crumbling under pressure but then the attitude started to show its ugly face as if he really believes in his mind that he's that good.
I won't go on a hunger strike and I won't vote to try and oust him but I think it'll be a damn shame if he gets in the top 5. American Idol is a fun show. I forget all about the winners after the season ends but I really enjoy it. Who exactly is the show and the artists hurting by being so enjoyable? For that matter what goes through the minds of the people who enjoy bringing down a good thing?
I guess it says alot about our culture though. We put too much reverence in the things that should matter least and we enjoy bringing down things we help to build up. Strange.
Posted by: Candy at April 9, 2007 10:23 PM
19E ( the company that owns AI and the record company) chooses the cast for the tv potential not vocal potential. If it was to discover a great new vocal talent the competition could take place on the radio.
19E may publicly say they are upset over the Sanjaya buzz but privately they have to be glad over the controversy. Since Antonella is gone the only "buzz" that AI is getting is over Sanjaya. Simon's remarks about quitting were calculated to get more people to vote. Simon knows people hate him and he said that hoping to spur a voting increase. I'm sure the corporate partners who paid megabucks to be associated with AI this year are not happy about the decrease in viewing and especially in voting. Remember 19E is not as interested in the quality of the product as they are interested in making quick big bucks.
( Ex. the movie "From Justin to Kelly'. That was certainly a production with great artistic integrity! NOT! The only reason we have not seen another movie venture is because that one was a financial flop not because it was also an artistic flop)
19E would much rather have Sanjaya win than Melinda Doolittle. He would be the next teen star. He would be a flash in the pan and would soon disappear from sight but they would make quick bucks off off his publicity buzz. I'm not saying they want him to be the winner but they are not wringing their hands over him continuing on the show right now. He brings attention to the show. Melinda would be harder to market for them than Sanjaya. I think that Jordin is the one that would fit their needs right now. She will be malleable to their marketing strategies. However, win or lose, somebody will sign Sanjaya.
There are lots of pop stars with voices not any better or actually worse than his. That's why so many of them lip sync in performances. ( Ashley Simpson anyone?) Their singing voices are protooled on recordings.
Posted by: dede at April 9, 2007 11:11 PM
Anyone who thinks Indian-Americans would be voting for Sanjaya out of a genuine desire to have him "represent the motherland" have no idea what they're talking about. Who'd want to be represented by *that*?
Posted by: H_P at April 9, 2007 11:46 PM
First, I agree with 'another voice' who posted liking the Mats and thinking Gina had any talent...dude go listen to some Tim right away.
Second, Gina is from Naperville, Illinois. The only humble people, in this most adored town to live in, are those who have to rough it by driving their Acura to High School.
Third I am tired of Bush bashing...think about it do you really want the people that could not beat him? Gore--piss off about FLA if he wins his home state he wins the election---HIS HOME STATE..ugh. Kerry should have picked a better wife, she is a closet Repub and scared an a lot of people away.
Now go and vote for the Village People wantabe and force Idol to die and while your at itNow just go see Grindhouse and let your troubles melt away.
Posted by: rich at April 9, 2007 11:46 PM
No. Sanjaya MUST win. If he succeeds in his undertaking, the very fabric of the News Corporation will loosen. We must use every method within our power to rend American Idol asunder. Sanjaya is the sword. Let us wield him.
I hope "Let us wield him" didn't come off as a little gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that, that's just not how it was intended.
Posted by: The Boston Rag at April 10, 2007 12:50 AM
Chez Wow....so much for research. votefortheworst.com started this a couple of years ago, Howard Stern asked his listeners to start voting for Sanjaya because of them. I don't watch the show, but Sanjaya has nothing to do with whether he stays or not (unless he quits). I think calling a 17-year-old who is singing in front of a national audience every week a "borderline-retard" is pretty low. From the small bits I've seen he looks like he is having fun and if I was him I wouldn't give a shit why people were voting me, I'd ride it out as long as it lasted. Since you brought up Democracy, how can you get angry if you didn't vote? If you want him gone so bad, pick up the phone. Or are you just going to sit back and watch, then complain about who gets the most votes (now that sounds like Democracy, here's a tip, if you don't vote you have no right to complain). I find the whole situation very amusing, my mom watches it and calls me every Wed night astonished Sanjaya has not gone home. Vote for the worst is bringing American Idol down by using it against itself.
Posted by: Lauren at April 10, 2007 2:16 AM
To Whomever was calling Gina a poser--
I don't know who this Gina chick is, don't care. But I've always found the people who defined themselves through their clothes, hair, piercings, and tattoos to be ridiculous-- whether they're primping cheerleaders or baggy skaters. Oh, the people -you- know, -they're- for real because they pierce themselves and act like people who pierce themselves should act, yourself included. this Gina is just a poser.
Get over yourself.
Reminds me a lot of highschool. Most people outgrow that kind of shallow costumed preening by 25.
Posted by: Ari at April 10, 2007 3:05 AM
Lauren:
As much as I don't like the idea of commenting on my own piece -- you probably noticed that I mentioned Fox refuting the notion that any one group could be responsible for Sanjaya's continued run on AI. I cited Stern Fans and website visitors among those groups. I'm well aware that VoteForTheWorst originally started the ball rolling, but few would argue that it was Stern who brought the site and its campaign widespread national noteriety. I neglected to mention the name of the site for the sake of brevity (read: not having to go into exactly what the site is and what it does) -- and because its founder still owes me my two dollars.
Sorry for the confusion.
Chez
Posted by: Chez at April 10, 2007 5:47 AM
Do you actually believe that people in India are voting for him? Have you talked to anyone in India? No one knows his name over there and they're certainly not voting for him. And even if they knew who he was they wouldn't want Sanjaya to represent them.
And Votefortheworst is overhyped just as AI. It barely has an impact on anyone, the reason Sanjaya is still in it because America sees him as cute, different and is willing to forgive him for his lack of talent. Votefortheworse existed long before Sanjaya and no one really cared about it or paid any attention to it. The only reason it's getting attention now is because the American audience is voting for a bad contest for all the wrong reasons(Looks, personality, etc) and VFTW is getting blamed for it. AI's downfall is going to be the American audience not VFTW.
Posted by: SA at April 10, 2007 6:56 AM
Ari, I feel like I understand where you're coming from--I'm sick of the "shove yourself into a fashion pigeonhole" type of dressing, too.
But let's go easy there with the generalizations about body modification. There are a lot of people out there, myself included, who pierce and tattoo because it acutally means a lot to them. To say that they do it just to be trendy is *so* 1997.
And anyways, everyone defines an appearance for themselves, you included. Choosing not to care how you look is still a choice, and an immediately telling one at that. I'd still pick creativity--even in hair dye--over bitter normality any day.
Posted by: Vi at April 10, 2007 7:31 AM
Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!
Posted by: markus at April 10, 2007 8:03 AM
Sanjaya sucks but he's continuing to get votes. Why? Britney sounds like a damn chipmunk, Madonna can't and never could sing to save her life, M&M is downright GRATING to hear, and don't get me started on J-Lo... that's why Sanjaya will get a record deal: the collective bad taste of the American (and worldwide) public.
Posted by: Courtney at April 10, 2007 8:36 AM
Pontificating, much?
Posted by: Kyle at April 10, 2007 10:33 AM
You know, there are some good arguments back and forth on both sides here, but I think we are forgetting one important thing. Votes, whether they are for a "good" contestant or a "bad" one, are votes. When you turn your attention to something, whether you love it or you hate it, you are empowering that very thing.
All of this so-called bring down the institution voting scheme is only ensuring that next season (don't kid yourself, it will happen) there will be even more horrible contestants to choose from. The producers of the show will give the people what they want, and right now, America is saying that is wants more of the shitty singers. This will not bring AI down. It will only divert its intention.
If you hate AI, and want it to go away, start a campaign to not vote at all. And don't watch it. Period.
Posted by: nexus 6 at April 10, 2007 10:58 AM
Ditto to what Vi wrote. I'm the first one to defend non-conformity and for someone to modify their body in order to fit into a certain group is conforming just as much as the pre-teen girl who wears hot pants and tiny shirts just to fit in with her friends. So, no, one does not have to modify (or choose not to modify) their body in order to fit into a certain group.
However, whether you like it or not people who choose to look different than most people often choose to think different than most people. It isn't high school, it is a social reality. Many people I know get body modifications for personal reasons and put a great deal of thought into each one. Of course, some people I know do it on the spur of the moment and it is a passing phase.
As for having to act a certain way because you have body modifications, that is totally false. No one tells me how to act because of the way I look and if someone does then I have no time for them. I am quite over myself and don't feel the need to please anyone by changing my appearance to gain social status. The same goes for a good number of the people I know - they don't allow anyone to cram them into a pigeonhole based on their appearance. It's not social preening for most people, it's a personal choice about how they appear not only to the outside world but to themselves. Some people choose to express themselves on paper, on canvas, or through sculpture and some people use their body as their canvas. So if you don't understand that, then I am truly sorry. You're missing out on some fun people.
Now, if Gina chooses to do something that appeals to the masses and will potentially catapult her to pop-star status despite her slightly freaky looks, then more power to her. I still think she's a poser and she shouldn't expect to be taken any more seriously as a musician than Avril Lavigne or Ashlee Simpson in her Pop-Punk Phase.
Posted by: stardust savant at April 10, 2007 11:10 AM
As far as the 'costume conformity' thing goes, in high school at least, people tended to dress certain ways just to give others a feel for their personality/interests.
A popped collar and tight jeans typically meant "I'm an airhead skank who gets drunk every weekend then brags about it on Monday", all black clothes and spiked jewelry usually meant, "OmG I'm soooo deep and above this conformist bullshit, wow my childhood sucked, pay attention to me!", and so on...
I dunno, I always thought it was funny how people would get upset over others judging them by their appearances, yet they were practically screaming to be perceived a certain way.
.......
My point is Sanjaya sucks.
Posted by: Dingles at April 10, 2007 12:00 PM
Sanjaya has the most powerful force in human history voting for him - an army of hormonal, popculture obsessed 14 year-old-girls. Anyone who has been to middle school knows that screaming, weeping, 14 year old girls are like an army of shreaking harpies weilding battleaxes - there is no stopping their TigerBeat-fueled fury. Sanjaya will win, and life will go on, and all of those girls will scream in ecstasy (until they go thru their "rebellious" phase, where they dye their hair black and red, piece their tongues, and listen to Gina Glocksen to piss off their evangelical parents).
And them the kids who listen to Nine Inch Nails will kick their asses, and all will be as it should be.
Posted by: Tammy at April 10, 2007 12:32 PM
I am so easily swayed. After reading everyone's posts I agree with everyone. I haven't watched AI for the last 2 season, mainly because it has bored me and there were way more productive things for me to do, but I have been wrapped up in the hype of this season. I am so ashamed! But if we got rid of this show maybe it would cause smarter TV to prevail. It angers me to think that a good show like Arrested Development gets canceled so that we can watch this drivel. I will admit though my office talks about this show all day Wednesday and Thursday and call me a gossip whore but I watch just so I know what they are talking about...
And Haley, come on, have some dignity. Yes, you have great gams, but this is a show for all ages and she looks like a street walker. Seriously.
Posted by: lyricalcatt at April 10, 2007 1:13 PM
Wow, Chez...didn't know how soft you were. I'm disappointed in you. Even writing a piece as lengthy as this on the subject of AI is close to unforgiveable. I come to this website for the "scathing reviews for bitchy people", not to read some sappy review that sounds like it was written by a tween on a soapbox. WHO CARES ABOUT THIS STUFF? AI has caused some of my favorite nighttime shows to be postponed or switched to different nights, so that right there caused me to boycott the occular diahrea causing crud that is AI. I'm going to sound like my mom right now, when she used to yell at me when I was little: "I hope you put as much energy into writing a good review as you did this drivel." The "Vote for Sanjaya" kick is actually helping AI get more viewers...the ones who couldn't care less about this assbag show until something fun came along to spit in its face.
I say good day.
Posted by: Helcat at April 10, 2007 1:20 PM
"wanted nothing more than to see Stern put on a Guy Fawkes mask and detonate a pound of Semtex under Ryan Seacrest"
Best line ever!
Posted by: Liz at April 10, 2007 2:40 PM
There's nothing more awesome than people who take the time to comment on message boards telling people to move on to more productive pursuits. Except maybe people like me who take the time to post a comment on that very phenomenon.
All who are asking why Chez or anyone else cares about this stuff,"like, it's just a TV show, gosh!" Its for the same reason any of us read this site at all. Wouldnt you think that anything affecting the media juggernaut that is AI affects media, entertainment, pop culture as a whole?
We all proved by our awesome musical comment diversion picks that none of us are really into the mainstream when it comes to our chosen forms of entertainment, so of course none of us really cares who wins this show because we're desperate to buy the winning CD when it comes out. What matters is that the mighty AI empire has a crack or two in its foundation after eleventy-fucking-seven seasons of preempting good scripted shows on FOX, or slaughtering shows pitted against it on other networks. I seriously doubt that Sanjaya winning will topple the empire and bring back the return of smart TV...only the fickle nature of the American public will accomplish that... but as an appreciator of all things pop culture, I'll tune in to watch the drama unfold. And so will all of you.
Posted by: MG at April 10, 2007 3:27 PM
"And anyways, everyone defines an appearance for themselves, you included." Vi
People define their style, but not everyone lets a style define them.
Vi-- my point is that it's ridiculous to pretend that the way one dresses defines who they are, whether it's an effort to give a shoutout to all the other 'goths' or 'punks' or 'cheerleaders' or what. It's also quite foolish for others to dictate what a certain 'look' means, and if someone else looks that way but doesn't conform to one's values, to call them a poser? further evidence of just how profoundly important something so meaningless is to one. I'm not targeting the people who choose to get piercings or tattoos, I'm targeting a certain way of thinking.
Stardust Savant-- "However, whether you like it or not people who choose to look different than most people often choose to think different than most people."
I don't believe you, because of personal experience. Most of the people I have known who chose to 'look different' were all doing it for the same reasons-- to try and be different, because their thought processes, their ideas, their likes and dislikes, were all parroted off of each other. The most profoundly interesting people I have ever known wore the most bland clothes possible. Maybe a funny t-shirt. That's my experience with life, approaching 30.
Stardust Savant-- "So if you don't understand that, then I am truly sorry. You're missing out on some fun people."
Again, I want you to understand that I am not judging people or the way they look-- I am judging a certain attitude. People are not the clothes they wear or their modifications-- which only brings me back to the point of how silly I find it when people go to such great lengths to project an image of themselves via their style.
But you did say, in so many words, "She's a poser. She tries to look like us but she doesn't behave like we do." How do you get around having stated that sentiment?
Posted by: Ari at April 10, 2007 3:30 PM
I once knew a girl who called herself "different". All the time. To prove how "different" she was, she bought all her clothes at Hot Topic, got 10 piercings and "goth" tattoos, and spends most of her time taking pictures of herself to put on her myspace and saying retarded things like "I dare you to judge me, go ahead, what you think of me means nothing."
Cue posting 20 more photoshopped-to-death pictures of herself...that she actually took the time to copyright (because apparently people were running over each other trying to pretend they were her(?)). yeah, right.
"Different" = narcissistic delusions of importance
Posted by: BlueCheese at April 10, 2007 3:48 PM
If your goal is to be different, then you've already failed.
-me
Posted by: nexus 6 at April 10, 2007 4:01 PM
I think y'all are wrong about a Sanjaya win only empowering the show.
As I said before, I can vote without watching the program. I do not watch one second of their telecast. My attention is solely negative attention. Their advertisers do not reach me.
Say what you will about this being some nefarious plot that Fox will greedily take to garner more attention, but I sincerely believe a Sanjaya victory will undermine the show's credibility and could ultimately be the beginning of its demise. The majority of viewers do not enjoy Sanjaya's performance and are upset at the idea of his winning. Perhaps Simon's threat to leave is just a threat, but don't try to claim that he'd be happy about crowning Sanjaya. Simon does care about talent, and he does not want to make a mockery of his creation.
And for all you actual fans of the show bitching about those of us who are only bringing negativity and wondering why we can't just let you enjoy your show in peace, I say this. American Idol has put itself in this unique position by being one of the few programs to allow viewers to affect its outcome, for the "better" or for the "worse." Essentially we are given the opportunity to give the program "negative ratings." Therefore, I give no sympathy. They could have found the 24 most talented potential idols for the final contestants, but they didn't. They could even change their rules and invoke a judge "veto" if they wanted to do so. Hell, Fox probably won't hesitate to rig the voting if it suits them.
But the bottom line for me is this: American Idol is a blight on our culture, and if I'm given the opportunity to strike back against its success by voicing my opinion via voting for Sanjaya, then I have no qualms about doing so - particularly if it means a television program that I enjoy more could take its place.
Posted by: Rob at April 10, 2007 4:04 PM
A few things. First, would everyone stop saying the kid can't sing. Sanjaya can sing. Every note is in tune, he stays with the beat and he never gets "pitchy" as the judges like to say. However, if you want to say that his voice has no power, no personality and is boring, then I agree with you. If you want to say that he picks unchallenging songs, doesn't put any meaning behind what he's singing and performs with all the energy of a drunken sloth, then you would be correct. If you believe that he doesn't belong on a show that is supposed to be the best musical talents in the country, then you are absolutely right. Just quit saying that he can't sing. Because being able to sing is basically just staying in tune and with the beat - which he does.
Second, Gina is as much of a 'rocker' as my Grandma. Gina seems nice and sweet and has a little bit of talent, but Karen O, she ain't. Just like Chris Daughtry before her, a 'rocker' doesn't go on a show like this. Everyone kept saying how much of a 'rocker' Chris was, but the man sang a bad mid-90's Bryan Adams ballad on the show. Sure he sang it well, but it was a BAD MID-90's BRYAN ADAMS BALLAD FOR GOD'S SAKE. I'm sure Kurt Cobain is rolling over in his grave right now as Chris's new album knocks Nickelback down to 2nd place on the Billboard 'rock' charts. If Gina got voted off before anyone, it was because she was a so so talent with a sweet disposition that was a cliche of what a 'rocker' is supposed to be.
Last, this show is about creating a pop star, not necessarily one that is the best singer. Occasionally, a few people with real singing talent and a distinctive voice wins (i.e. Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia and Carrie Underwood), but it's really about creating someone that can survive on the pop charts with all the other bad singers with an interesting image and good studio producer behind them.
Sure, Sanjaya is a kid with no real singing talent or performing ability, but he's a lot more real than Blake's beatbox smoothy, Chris's poor Justin Timberlake imitation, Gina's 'rocker' chick or Melinda's fake humility (although admittedly, she can really sing). Sanjaya's a kid that lucked onto a national reality tv show and is making the best of it. If it were you, you'd do the same. I hope the bastard wins. That would really be the American dream and what more do you want from an American Idol?
Posted by: Tallsonofagun at April 10, 2007 4:58 PM
Ah okay, Ari. I see where you're coming from now. Further discussion results in clarification. I too have known some extraordinary people who dressed in the most bland clothes that can be bought. A good number of the people that I used to perform with (when I was an amateur circus performer) did not look like the freaks that they really were. ;-) And yeah, that attitude of "don't judge me for how I look even though that's exactly why I look the way I do" sucks. South Park pegged it dead on with the "Raisins" episode.
The reason I say she is a poser is that she disparages her boyfriend for wanting to be a rocker like she is. I'm not exactly sure how she defines "rocker". I assume it is solely based on her appearance since she's doing something massively mainstream (AI) that a real rock musician would never do. A real musician wants creative freedom, which AI is for all practical purposes completely against. So, since she's not taking the creative freedom that a "rocker" would, then I assume she is taking that title based on her rock'n'roll appearance. And that is what makes her a poser. Not because she doesn't subscribe to the punk philosophy based on her appearance. To take it away from her specific appearance...a person could look like the most conservative Mennonite but be a devoted Cradle of Filth fan, smoke weed, and sleep with everything on two legs all day long and on Sundays, and I wouldn't call them a poser. I would only think that once they began to call themselves an "ultra-conservative" based solely on their appearance. Their actions and their words just wouldn't match up. It's a shame that you've only known the type of jerks that try to look different for the exact same reasons that everyone else tries to look different and shop in the same "alternative" stores owned by the Gap Corporation in order to look the same as everyone else who looks different. I can't stand people like that either. I swear, there really are some interesting people out there who also have interesting appearances. I'm doing my best to be clear. I hope I have succeeded. It's fine if no one else agrees with me, I just hate to be unclear.
Posted by: stardust savant at April 10, 2007 6:03 PM
I love Karla.
Posted by: juliagulia at April 10, 2007 6:25 PM
What a load of Hollywood crapola. Sanjaya rules!
Posted by: James S at April 10, 2007 6:37 PM
Oh, so Deus Ex Malcontent is a goddless, tax-raising liberal who apparently watches American Idol a little too much? Great.
Posted by: Nikki at April 10, 2007 7:17 PM
I don't understand the "vote for the worst" and "take down American Idol" concepts. Yes, the show sucks. Yes, they have never and will never turn out a decent singer. What passes for "talent" on that show is the silly, warbling vocal gymnastics featured in the tackier Christina Aguilera songs. But so what? Why fuck with the show? People go apeshit for a singer, they win, and then NO ONE buys the albums, not even the people who voted for the singers; obviously everyone knows its not music. So why bum out all the people who are genuinely into whatever it is that draws these sad sacks in several times a week? The show has never mattered to me, never will, none of those singers will ever grace my CD player, so what's the big deal? If you want to start some shit, protest a war. Call for the impeachment of a president. It is not anarchy to get some dick - whose name no one will remember less than a decade from now- to win a dumbass TV show.
Also, a lot of vitriol in these comments. People, indeed, are wieners.
Posted by: Rob at April 10, 2007 10:15 PM
surely there is a better person to lead this revolution then Howard Stern. Anybody, pick fucking anybody.
Posted by: londongunner at April 11, 2007 1:39 AM
Nikki -
I don't know why, but your comment there made me laugh out loud.
N6
Posted by: nexus 6 at April 11, 2007 9:41 AM
Yo, other Rob: It is possible to give a shit about what is on primetime television AND give a shit about other weightier things as well. I'm not trying to spearhead some important political movement here. I just want something good to watch. Perhaps it is sad to say, but the American consciousness is just as much defined by its pop culture as it is by its political and global awareness (or lack thereof), and maybe - just maybe - bullshit like American Idol is part of the problem. Besides, we can't impeach Presidents 24 hours per day. Everyone needs a little bit of trivial diversion.
Posted by: Rob at April 11, 2007 2:26 PM
The call centre rumour is the most ridiculous thing I have heard. It actually got reported in the news here in India. The calls that these call centre workers are on are recorded and screened. They get salary cuts if the call doesn't prescribe to the company approved standards. And barely anyone here cares about American Idol. We have our very own Indian Idol to bitch and moan about.
Posted by: AJ at April 11, 2007 2:42 PM
Chez Pazienza is wrong. SANJAYA DOESN'T VOTE FOR HIMSELF, and you have no right to offend him like that!
Posted by: ma at April 11, 2007 4:49 PM
"Original" Rob:
Word up. I'm just saying there are plenty of other, cooler things to be interested in, or be pissed off about, petty or not, that don't involve making shitty shows shittier.
Posted by: Rob at April 11, 2007 5:50 PM
I've never watched American Idol but I have followed the "vote for the worst" uprising with some amount of amusement. I love the subversive nature of the campaign, but it's only bringing bigger and better publicity to the machine it wishes to dismantle. I'll bet AI's ratings are through the roof due to all this hullabaloo.
Posted by: Janice at April 11, 2007 10:52 PM
viva la sangina!
Posted by: your mom at April 12, 2007 11:46 AM
"viva la sangina!"
Que? Long live the sandy vagina?
Guys, we got ourselves a new word!
Posted by: Ranylt at April 12, 2007 11:53 AM
"Sanjaya has the most powerful force in human history voting for him - an army of hormonal, popculture obsessed 14 year-old-girls."
I think this best sums it up. And is there really anything wrong with that, given that that is not only perhaps the main demographic of the target audience, but that of the winning Idol's music as well?
The show is intended to generate ratings for itself, and pop stars. So at the end of the day, I don't consider it a horrible travesty no matter who wins. It's called pop music for a reason, so at the end of the day why shouldn't this show be a popularity contest?
Anyone who is getting booted off at this point has clearly landed him/herself a ton of exposure, and if they have the skills and determination they will be able to leverage that exposure. In the long run lasting 2 more weeks isn't going to make or break Haley's career IMO.
Posted by: Steve at April 12, 2007 1:16 PM
fuck you! your article was so stupid!
who the fuck cares if sangina wins or loses? or if he's kept on the show @ the expense of others?
you're fucking rallying behind gina glocksen "the rocker"?!? you're upset that she was voted off rather than sangina?
um, maybe your ears were plugged up with all the balls of wax you failed to have someone suck out of your ears with a straw but. . . she sucked. i mean, really sucked.
i'll bet you listen to evanescence. (and she sang one of their songs and sucked hard, too.)
you're gay. (stupid gay; not "homo" gay.) and your article sucks, too. why the fuck would anyone NOT want to keep sangina on? this is a 17-year old high school student that gets up and sings LIVE in front of millions of people and he's got nothing to lose.
i mean, why the hell not vote for him, make him a star (for @ least 15 minutes), and fuck Idol up once and for all?
everyone SHOULD vote for him if only to prove that American Idol is one big fucking hoax!
(those fucking executive producers would NEVER let anyone fuck up their TV cash cow which is American Idol. YOU KNOW that they're gonna rig someone to win that will make them and the American people happy.)
word.
Posted by: Tyce at April 13, 2007 5:32 PM
"you're gay. (stupid gay; not "homo" gay.)"
Wow, that's a relief. For a minute I thought that post was going to be offensive.
Posted by: Gumbercules at April 13, 2007 10:03 PM
I couldn't even read that first paragraph aloud to my husband because I was laughing so hard. I love you guys.
Posted by: trillion at April 15, 2007 1:11 PM
ok, fess up. How many of you are on a meth binge right now? Seriously, this kind of attention to minutiae could only come from a tweaker.
Posted by: sarah at April 16, 2007 2:28 PM
That was a fantastic article, Chez. I was riveted, and I haven't even seen any of the current mob sing yet. :)
Posted by: Loob at April 17, 2007 1:55 AM
You, my friend, are an idiot.
The theory that "mindless drones" of Indians are voting for him is completely proposterous-- and I'll tell you why. There is this little insidious thing about Indian culture: no Indian wants to see another Indian succeed. No Indian wants to see Sanjaya's Dad swell up with pride because his son is 'successful'. The very image of that would make the collective population of Indian people throw up.
Also, if ANY Indian people are voting for Sanjaya, it's because assholes like you won't stop picking at his Indian heritage. So fucking what if he's half Indian? He was born here. You are exoticizing a newly emerging segment of the population: the American born children of Indian immigrants. That would only egg on young Indian people to vote for him, to piss off racist bastards like yourself.
Don't think you're a racist bastard? Check out the title: "One little Indian"
Don't get me wrong, Sanjaya is a moron. But you fucktards are making people vote for Sanjaya because of your hateful rants.
Posted by: Natalia at April 19, 2007 9:42 PM
Its just a game show and a fad, people: like the pet rock or Ozone Layer depletion, so who gives a shit?
Posted by: Matt 2.0 at April 25, 2007 12:31 AM
How amazingly bigoted and small minded. I can't believe how freaking disrespectful and racist this is."one little indian"- are you serious??? And calling Sanjaya "borderline retarded"? Sure he sings like crap but that doesn't mean he's mentally challenged. and calling this season the "overthrow of an American institution by a foreign state"- what the hell? where are you getting this? people in India don't give a fuck about Sanjaya. The show doesn't even play there regularly. This whole piece of craptastic writing is nothing but racial stereotypes, unsupported assumptions, and idiocy written by a complete moronic asshole. Grow some balls Chez wherever you are and learn to get your facts straight.
Posted by: teltinuviel8 at April 29, 2007 3:23 AM
I've always hated American Idol, even more now because it's been taking away House a lot lately, but I caught a few minutes of Sanjaya once, my first glimpse at AI. I flipped to FOX a bit too early one night, and there he was. And I must say, I really, really did like him. I mean, he's got such great hair! . . . He really does. Who cares if he can sing or not, he looked like he really meant it. Of course I ahve no idea what he was saying (It was in Spanish) but it sounded sweet.
Posted by: Camille at May 6, 2007 6:33 PM
I think what you've said is pretty offensive. To boil it all down to race lines is small-minded and petty. And to apply the opposite logic, are you saying that if brown people vote for brown folk, then white people are logically voting for white folk? Pathetic, sad, and racist-fuelled commentary is what this article is. So the kid's a tween-star. Accept it. You don't question Corbin Bleu or Zac Efron's star power, do you? And THEY can't sing either. There's no way the Asian population is actually sitting at their phones voting this boy in. What, you think they don't have anything better to do with their time? Look, they're so not bothered about this stuff that they haven't even cared to post a single entry here to criticize your vilification of them. I'm Canadian by the way. And I wouldn't have voted for Gina Glocksen if you paid me to. She SUCKED. Melinda all the way.
Posted by: chapatikid at May 7, 2007 2:57 PM
OH. And let's not forget -- he's HALF Indian. His mom's Italian. Which means that it's just possible that "mindless drones" of Italian-Americans may also have voted for him. Word. I bet you voted for George Bush. Both times. Squeeze your tits dry, boy. It's time to stop milking your "those damn foreigners stealin' our jobs, now our American Idols" mantra.
Posted by: chapatikid at May 7, 2007 3:04 PM
MTV is finally changing up The Real World after 19 seasons of the same thing over and over again. They have just launched a new website in which people (you, me and the world) can vote for one of the new houseguests for season 20! The coolest part is that anyone can sign up to be in the house! And trust me, there are some crazy people already on this site. If you don't want to be in the house and on the crazy show, it's okay. You can still register on the site and vote for the people you want to see get into the house!
Check it out!
realworldcasting.com
Posted by: CrazyGirl at May 7, 2007 8:05 PM
hello iam atif plz select emon indian idol
Posted by: atif at August 31, 2007 1:10 PM
