We’re now well into the last 12. American Idol 2006 is in full swing, and as Randy Jackson says, “we’ve got a hot one, dog.”
As my wife and I sit down to watch it each night, we can’t help but be drawn to it. Even my kids, who are 3 and 4 1/2, love what they call “the singing show.” Amidst all this interest, I’m puzzled as to why.
Every year, it’s the same format, the same variety of judges, the same Ryan Seacrest. And the banter between Seacrest and Simon Cowell is predictable; We see it coming from a mile away. Paula Abdul is always the soft one, commenting on the sexiness of guys like Ace Young, making us wonder who was telling the truth, her or Cory Clark. Randy Jackson offers hers “it went very well” or “it was difficult in parts”. Or he yells at the “kennel”, requesting the guffaws, chortels and chodles from her. I’m really not sure what Jackson is saying – next year I want a Jackson language decryption key. And Cowell, well, he’s always honest, sometimes brutal, and he uses the word “dreadful” way too often.
I still wonder why I am, and most of the American demographic, tuned in to the show that takes singers with guts, ambition, a bit of talent, and some stage presence and turns them into international pop icons.
Well, I’ve thought long and hard about this. And I think it all comes down to one thing. Transfer: we all see a bit of ourselves or the person we wanted or believed we could have or would have liked to be in one contestant or another. And it gives us the opportunity to share their dreams of being the next American Idol, the next pop icon.
Look at multiple levels.
Diversity first, there is an idol we can all relate to. We have Ace Young, the young man, probably too handsome to be taken seriously as a talented singer, probably better as a 25 year old actor. He must draw younger and middle-aged women. My wife even said, “he’s handsome.” I can’t offer a contradictory point of view because of course I would be wrong, all I can say is “you know what, you’re right”.
Now let’s take a look at Mandisa. Yes, she is big but the girl can sing. Reminiscent of Aretha Franklin, she has a beautiful smile. We can’t help but be drawn to her.
and Bucky Covington. She has this raspy, little bit Southern, little bit Texan swagger. There aren’t any other long-haired blonde guys who wear cowboy hats, so yeah, he does represent a demographic.
Katharine McPhee has a beautiful voice and smile and is very composed; her talent is obvious. Theater geeks love it.
Paris Bennett has so many looks that I wonder if she’s really the same person. She can really put on a show. She really used to think she was cute, but now I think she’s brave and she’s excited to try and win this.
Taylor Hicks’ dance moves are… well, I’m not sure what they are. It’s like Joe Cocker or Bob Seger with too much caffeine or something. He’s something of an anomaly, but he’s very likeable and has an appeal.
Elliot Yamin is so close to his mom. The guy uses an insulin pump to fight diabetes every day. I’m not really a fan, but my heart bleeds for him; I can’t help but respect his skill no matter how he sings. What about Kellie Pickler? What did Simon call her, “a naughty little cheek”? And she responded, asking what that was. Come on, guys from 16 to 40 would like to explain it to you in detail. That cute, goofy little blonde thing has the youngest dads paying attention. Oh, what’s that you ask, “Can she sing?” Really matters?
We have rockers, originally managed by Chris Daughtry. Sure, Simon wasn’t crazy about Chris’ performance this week. But the guy is intense, and he does bald very well. He’s not quite classy, but he’s classic, and he’s cool.
Idol offers validation and relevance to all of us. The show features pop music icons every week. Last year, we had Elton John. Last week a modern sensation, Shakira and Wyclef Jean. Earlier this year we started with Stevie Wonder, then Barry Manilow. Love them or hate them, they really are legends and really influenced R&B, pop and soul, and now they provide the samples and hooks that keep us playing on our iPods today. Listening to their songs takes us back to the times when we heard them for the first time: the 70s, 80s and 90s. They create the nostalgia for days and times gone by and transport us to the emotion of another era.
American Idol allows us to move into the contestant’s experience. We can experience their joy of being on top of the world when they hear “you’re not in the bottom three.” Unfortunately, we share your disappointment when Seacrest says “this is the end of the road for you.”
We relate to them, their accents, race, style, smile, personality, and talent. For a moment in each song, we move to being on stage with them, sharing that spotlight. And for a few seconds, through that transference, we are the American Idol, the next Pop Icon. All the fears, stress and pain of daily life are gone, and all is well in our world.
That, my friends, is the secret behind the success of American Idol. It gives each of us the chance to escape our daily lives and become a star. The American psyche cannot resist the opportunity to be a star, an American icon, if only for a moment.
At the end of a long day, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Copyright 2006 Anthony Palladino
