I must admit that I only became hooked on American Idol last year. And then that was only because I had someone ask me to blog about it. I had never understood the fascination with the show. I didn’t even start watching last year until they were almost finished with Hollywood. But, I must admit, once I started watching, I was caught up in it. By the end of the season, I was calling in constantly, voting for Taylor.
I could not wait until this season started. Apparently, I was not the only one. There were 37.3 million other people tuning in for Tuesday night’s premiere. Now, even though I’ve never watched a full season, I knew some of the early on people would be bad. I understand that that is part of the fun. I am not sure why people who cannot sing go on the show in the first place. I guess I am from a different generation because I don’t understand the fascination with being on television just to BE on television. Same for youtube.com – some of the stuff out there is things I wouldn’t even do in the privacy of my own home, must less before a video camera. But, I digress.
So Tuesday night, I anxiously tune in. There were some bad singers, but there were a few that were good. I expected Simon to be nasty to some people, but to my surprise, Randy chimed in, telling one girl’s boss that she was “tone deaf” and laughing in a couple of singers faces. Simon told the guy who juggled that his juggling was “useless” and brought several more American Idol wannabes to tears. That episode wasn’t quite as fun as I thought it would be, but then I thought maybe people should just develop thicker skin. I mean after all, they must go in knowing that at least Simon may say nasty things about them.
Then I watched the second night. It was a little more disturbing. There was Nick, who first of all made the mistake of singing Simon’s favorite song, Unchained Melody. In my opinion, unless your last name is Righteous, you shouldn’t be singing that song anyhow. Nick butchered it, but it seemed particularly cruel that Simon said it was almost “non-human.” Then Kenneth came out. Poor Kenneth had been blessed with larger than normal eyes and looked to be quite short. He made friends with Jonathan, who was overweight and seemed a bit more naïve than most contestants seemed. The judges blasted Kenneth, with Simon saying he looked like a “bush baby.” They were a bit nicer to Jonathan, but it looked like both were visibly upset after their auditions.
This morning, I listened to a local radio station that said that this year; the show seems to be focusing on people who are obviously “challenged” – that radio stations’s word, not mine – rather than those that are talented. I think even Paula said there were some disturbed people out there after a Taylor Hicks look-alike tried to fix Simon’s hair and was escorted out by security. And while people may not be “challenged,” the judges did seem particularly cruel last night. Yeah, I know Simon being cruel is part of the fun, but why make fun of someone’s looks. I mean, that is nothing the poor kid can do anything about.
Have you been watching American Idol this week? Are they being anymore cruel than usual? Should the show focus on those who obviously never should have come to the tryouts to begin with rather than those with real talent? Where does the fun stop and unnecessary meanness begin?