American Idol

What I like about Simon is that he gets his point across in a sentence or two, not 6 paragraphs and a PS.

AK, you mean ... USMS.ORG. Check out www.bubelaiken.org. ;) I still think the TiVO elitism is disgusting, and you need to be more sensitive to us less 'gifted'. TV programme recording should be open to all levels. My DVR sometimes doesn;t allow me to fast forward on previously recorded shows. I think it's a network/Cable conspiracy. Any other Scientific Atlanta 8000 DVR users have similar issues? BTW, the above link has no affiliation to the Bubels of Kingston, NY.

Yeah, this is totally unrelated to swimming, but I saw him. I TiVo'd it and right after I saw him weeping openly, I ran it back a few times to confirm and shook my head in disbelief. Sad, sad.

I saw it but I can't say that I was surprised. Have not seen Prince for quite a while and I now remember why. Dionne Warwick was a nice surprise, although nobody was quite as pleased as the Clay Aiken impersonator when Clay himself walked on stage. I did not know whether to feel sorry for the guy or be happy for him. I wound up being happy...why not.

What I like most about this program is that Simon is so unapologetically and openly (if not crassly) commercial about the whole thing. First, he is clearly looking for "Idols" who can be shaped into the cookie-cutter, big record label mold, and sell millions of albums with all the marketing and hype resources a label can bring to bear. Second, he interacts with the contestants and tells them what they need to do to fit into this mold. The issue for him is not whether you can sing well enough to please friends and family at a wedding reception (which appears to be the standard that Paula and some of the guest judges are using). He is telling you what he thinks you should do to be a multi-million dollar earning, album selling superstar. In short, he takes his contestants seriously in their goal to be professional singers. This is refreshing compared to the patronizing praise so many in the entertainment industry offer up to avoid telling someone there is no way they will ever make a living at this. Third, the commercial angle to this contest is right up front and in the open, right down to the cartoonishly obvious Coca-Cola placement spots during the show. (I've not seen anything like it short of the placement spoof segment in the movie "Wayne's World.") Simon makes no bones about the fact he is getting rich of off the celebrity status he creates for his finalists. At the start of the contest, everyone signs an agreement committing them to a deal with Simon's company if they finish in the top 3. The singers will make a lot of money on this deal, but honestly, less money than what they would make if they were free agents and benefiting from all the publicity of going deep into the contest. (Which is why Chris is probably the biggest winner by "losing" just before the contract kicked in.) Guess who keeps the difference? The S-man. And, this is fair because all of these folks could sing before their first audition, but no one was paying to hear them until Simon's show put them front and center for all of us. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Simon Cowell, a refreshingly unapologetic media shill. I hope he enjoys the millions he is making off of fluff and nonsense. Matt P.S. Forget who "won." Katherine McPhee and Simon will be making tons of money in the future. She fits so well into the gorgeous, siren singer mold (a la Celine Dion) that dirty old, and young for that matter, men will by her albums to soak up the fantasy. Just watch the financial section of the paper.

I have no clue why anyone watches this program.

Originally posted by craiglll@yahoo.com I have no clue why anyone watches this program. Here Here, several of my swim buddies and I were practicing last night, and one of the lifeguards was surprised we werent rushing out to watch the show. We agreed we'd rather watch the pool drain than watch American Idol, but then we figured we are part of the American public that acutally votes in elections vs for American idol candidates....

TOOOO funny Geek! Wonder if he will pick up on it.

Originally posted by chickadee Here Here, several of my swim buddies and I were practicing last night, and one of the lifeguards was surprised we werent rushing out to watch the show. We agreed we'd rather watch the pool drain than watch American Idol, but then we figured we are part of the American public that acutally votes in elections vs for American idol candidates.... I'd rather look at a drained pool in mid-October than watch American Idol. It is horribly boring!

I got drawn into "dance" last season. Just finished watching the DVR of it. It gets better once they get through auditions. I just watched the opening to House, oh my!