American Idol. If you haven't seen it, you've probably heard about it. It’s the show that keeps coming back, season after season, producing some pretty amazing vocalists. The New York Times referred to the show as something that just goes.
The show does exactly what it promises to. It takes the votes America places by telephone or text messaging through Cingular (although there was a glitch in the system in 2005) and a winner is chosen based on the popular vote. The show attracts more than 33 million viewers of all different ages, race, gender, etc. What about this show could bring up a question of ethics?
A dedicated viewer knows that almost every year the show has aired some sort of scandal has surfaced. In 2005, the show displayed some incorrect phone numbers which forced Fox to rebroadcast performances for a new vote. Broadcasting & Cable magazine ran a headline that read: "American Idol Outrage: Your Vote Doesn't Count." Of course, this sent viewers into frenzy and leading some distrust towards the show. This raises a very good question. Does our vote really count? Who's to say that there is a reliable voting system behind the television screen? Some wonder after the 2006 season sent Idol favorite Chris Daughtry home.
Wondering rather the voting system is accurate leads some question about why the show even has judges if it is America's decision. And why have the judges that the show does? As the Times stated, some fans watch the show just to see British judge Simon Cowell prissy jerky-boy routine. Why is their a British judge on an American Idol show? The questions regarding Mr. Cowell's presence on the judges panel are endless.
Another scandal that questions the show's ethics came about two years ago with contestant Corey Clark. Mr. Clark claimed that Idol judge, Paula Abdul had courted him. He also claimed that Ms. Abdul had done him personal favors. The controversy was so big that it spent time on shows such as 20/20. The Times stated that Ms. Abdul had no specifics sticking to her and Fox maintained that she hadn't done anything wrong. However, in the current season of Idol, Ms. Abdul has had some pretty questionable behavior. As the article stated, "She now regularly wears the pliant smile, smeared makeup and bedroom eyes of a woman who is about to pass out." This statement stems from recent questioning of Abdul's sobriety during the show. It probably isn't a good thing for such a popular show to have a judge that appears to be intoxicated on more than one occasion.
Randy Jackson, the third Idol judge hasn't broken out into the lime light just yet. However, as the Times noted in the article, he has taken on the role of as a caretaking older brother by occasionally placing his arm around Ms. Abdul to console her. His comments this season are a little bit harsh and he has been making Cowell look like a "softy" lately. Hmm...we'll see what is in the works for Mr. Jackson in this season and later seasons to come.
Another recent scandal or what could be viewed as a scandal, that has reached the public early in the 2007 season revolves around contestant Antonella Barba, who has some pretty risky pictures floating around the internet. Are these sexy photographs what are keeping Barba in the competition? Let’s face it; she doesn't have the best voice compared to the talented Melinda Doolittle or Lakisha Jones. But she does have the face. Is it ethical that a good looking contestant may have the upper hand to those that sound two times better than they do? Is there even an answer to a question like that? Who can really prove looks tower over talent?
All in all, ethics or not, American Idol brings families and friends together two or three nights a week to watch as these young stars try to break their way into the spot light while getting a little lip from Simon. The contestants become a family. The judges are a family. The viewers are a family. The show is family.
**If you're a fan of the show, an excellent Idol Review Blog:
http://www.chaskaherald.com/node/1137
Article by: VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
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1 comment:
Nice article choice. I remember writing my final paper for Media Ethics about American Idol. (Couldn't tell you what I wrote about beyond that, since I BS'd my way to a C in that class...)
Are you in that class now, out of curiosity?
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