'Idol' pulls off telethon, but candidates miss cut
Saturday, April 12, 2008
THE remake of The Blob won't feature a gelatinous alien gobbling up everything in its path. The new monster will be a Fox variety show that captivates more than 20 million people each week, auditions and rejects thousands of contestants, and even snubs the next commander in chief.
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain made taped appeals for charity on a special edition of American Idol on Wednesday night that didn't make the cut. The telethon for needy children entitled "Idol Gives Back" drew the likes of Fergie, Bono, Brad Pitt and Mariah Carey, and went too long. The candidates' contributions were kicked back to Thursday night's episode.
It was Simon Cowell, the Idol judge, who admonished the nation about the health care crisis in the US. It was Reese Witherspoon who spoke on behalf of the Children's Defence Fund, the organisation for whom Clinton worked as a young lawyer. It was Brad Pitt who praised the American can-do spirit in rebuilding New Orleans.
The night, a mix of songs, skits and documentary-style shorts chronicling poverty, was a commendable exception to the show's ruling formula of commercialised pop music and corporate cross-promotion. It was another laurel for American Idol, proving it can draw top celebrities and donations the first "Gives Back" event last season raised US$76 million.
As these star-studded events go, it wasn't egregiously self-congratulatory. In show business, giving is the new getting; the real measure of a performer's status is not how many millions he is paid per film or concert, but how many millions he gives away to charity.
The evening was also a vivid reminder of how beholden politicians are to the entertainment world. "Idol Gives Back" would have given the politicians an opportunity to link themselves to the stronger allure of celebrities and their high-wattage charitable causes. But Idol producers evidently felt the candidates didn't have the same cachet.
And it may well be that the three remaining candidates are overexposed. Star turns that once were unusual and a bit mischievous Richard Nixon on Laugh-In, Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show are now as much a part of the mandatory election circuit as Labor Day parades and "Meet the Press".
Candidates vie to be on Oprah, Ellen and The View. They make fun of themselves on Saturday Night Live, and discuss their policy proposals on David Letterman.
At the moment, American Idol may be the most desirable platform for a candidate. Church, as Obama learned during the ado over his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah A Wright Jr, is fraught with peril. Sports are not much of a haven; at the moment, the Olympic torch relay is under attack by human rights protesters.
Besides, American Idol has all but displaced the Olympics as a national touchpoint: the Fox show won higher ratings than the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and that made sense: it's a fast-paced competition that is apolitical, gives viewers a vote and provides everyone something to talk about with their dentist, teacher or bus driver.
American Idol is one of the few shows in this balkanised television age that reaches all demographics at once. Children watch, so do their parents.
This precedent-setting political primary season, and its showdown between Clinton and Obama, has drawn in millions of new voters and prompted spirited debate all across the country, but even the presidential campaign dances to the tune of American Idol.
New York Times
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain made taped appeals for charity on a special edition of American Idol on Wednesday night that didn't make the cut. The telethon for needy children entitled "Idol Gives Back" drew the likes of Fergie, Bono, Brad Pitt and Mariah Carey, and went too long. The candidates' contributions were kicked back to Thursday night's episode.
It was Simon Cowell, the Idol judge, who admonished the nation about the health care crisis in the US. It was Reese Witherspoon who spoke on behalf of the Children's Defence Fund, the organisation for whom Clinton worked as a young lawyer. It was Brad Pitt who praised the American can-do spirit in rebuilding New Orleans.
The night, a mix of songs, skits and documentary-style shorts chronicling poverty, was a commendable exception to the show's ruling formula of commercialised pop music and corporate cross-promotion. It was another laurel for American Idol, proving it can draw top celebrities and donations the first "Gives Back" event last season raised US$76 million.
As these star-studded events go, it wasn't egregiously self-congratulatory. In show business, giving is the new getting; the real measure of a performer's status is not how many millions he is paid per film or concert, but how many millions he gives away to charity.
The evening was also a vivid reminder of how beholden politicians are to the entertainment world. "Idol Gives Back" would have given the politicians an opportunity to link themselves to the stronger allure of celebrities and their high-wattage charitable causes. But Idol producers evidently felt the candidates didn't have the same cachet.
And it may well be that the three remaining candidates are overexposed. Star turns that once were unusual and a bit mischievous Richard Nixon on Laugh-In, Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show are now as much a part of the mandatory election circuit as Labor Day parades and "Meet the Press".
Candidates vie to be on Oprah, Ellen and The View. They make fun of themselves on Saturday Night Live, and discuss their policy proposals on David Letterman.
At the moment, American Idol may be the most desirable platform for a candidate. Church, as Obama learned during the ado over his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah A Wright Jr, is fraught with peril. Sports are not much of a haven; at the moment, the Olympic torch relay is under attack by human rights protesters.
Besides, American Idol has all but displaced the Olympics as a national touchpoint: the Fox show won higher ratings than the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and that made sense: it's a fast-paced competition that is apolitical, gives viewers a vote and provides everyone something to talk about with their dentist, teacher or bus driver.
American Idol is one of the few shows in this balkanised television age that reaches all demographics at once. Children watch, so do their parents.
This precedent-setting political primary season, and its showdown between Clinton and Obama, has drawn in millions of new voters and prompted spirited debate all across the country, but even the presidential campaign dances to the tune of American Idol.
New York Times
Business Besides Oil
