i donno if any one on here watches this. this is my first time watching it, but this italian guy just said he was gonna sing muddy waters hoochi coochi man an they all looked at him like oh god, but he actually did really well an they all liked him. i took a video of part of it but the volume was kinda low. ill put in on my computer later an see if its worth uploading.
The best part of the show are the really great singers and the really bad singers. The rest is fluff.
jonsparrow- When that young lady sang I told my wife that if I was at a jam and heard her I would immediately try to form a group around her! She gave me goosebumps.
As Oscar Levant told the Gershwins after seeing one of their scores for the first time, "If I had that kind of talent, I'd REALLY be obnoxious."
I started watching some last season, there were some decent singers. You are right about the profiles and behind the scene nonsense though, just let us hear them sing. I like Simon, he's usually right on! The other judges say something nice and then Simon tells the truth. It seems that the best singers and players though are often the local or regional acts that just fall short of making it big. I've seen and known some amazing talent that stays at home.
But the sh*t on tv make me want to puke. They take the best possible use of a tv show: showcasing talent in the musical arts. They turn it into a f_ing head game for the performers, where the primary goal is to assume that anyone who doesn't look the part will be awful, then have THE ENTIRE NATION laugh at them, unless they happen to sing at a professional level. Also, have a panel that, even if they are correct (not saying they are, just a hypothetical), make snyde comments until (and sometimes even if) the performer has proven themselves.
The whole thing is a goddamn farce. The power of that show reflects only the power of good music. Unfortunately the producers also choose to make it a showcase of why American TV culture is entirely, and utterly tasteless. The premise is great. Search the nation for quality singers. I think it does another great thing: puts some focus on music. But the model is morally wrong in the extreme.
Instead of saying to those that can't do it "Hey man, sorry, but thanks for coming," it's "Sh*t Barney! We can make alot of money laughing at this fool." I see the aesthetic of the show as very similar to Jerry Springer. I don't see this as a problem of the judges, alot of their comments are spot on.
Sparrow, your friend is right not to go. Even if you are good, if your audition goes bad, not only might she be accepted, she might also be ridiculed in front of the entire nation. I'm not talking constructive criticism. I'm talking "Hey, everybody look how stupid you are, you thought you had music in you, but guess what fool, you don't, and now everybody knows!"
Those are not the kind of games we should encourage people to play.
We have thing called "Crazy Karaoke" going on in finnish TV. I just accidentally noticed it the other day and that show is more like phogi there is referring to. Actually it seems that the singers are selected on the basis that they really aren't very well singers but then the comments are very supportive and funny. There are some japanish judges, which the singer can't understand and one finnish one.
Anyway, I liked last season of finnish idols as the judges have going more towards being nice instead of rude as it was in the first season. Perhaps it's a cultural adjustment, I don't know.
I have a friend who went to the AI tryout in Philadelphia a few seasons ago. We even got together locally to raise some money for her trip. She's a singer, sonwriter, guitarist and we thought obviously, quite good. She had some nibbles from record people.
Anyway, she didn't make it on the show (obviously, even the first round in front of Simon et al; is only a tiny fraction of all those people who show up to a try out).
I talked to her when she got back and she said that the "tryout" was in this huge gymnasium like facility with rows and rows of tables. As she's siging for about 15 seconds in front of the prelim judges, five feet away on each side of her another hopeful is singing in front of his/her judges. It sounded like total chaos.
Can't disagree with anything you said phogi. And I have to say, much like the proverbial car crash you can't help but looking at, I've looked in at the show from time to time. So alas, I guess I'm part of the problem.
Last Edited by on Jan 14, 2010 5:45 AM
OK fair play I'm a hypocrite- mainly jealousy i think, hes done well for himself. As for the Queen, she earns about a 10th of what she gets in tourism and raising awareness for good cuases. ---------- "Blow as thou pleaseth"
