Two wonderful stories (to me, anyway) from the entertainment world over the weekend:
* Sony announces that 36% of the American Idol winners they've signed through the years have been released from their contracts. To me, no big name stands out, but it's proof positive (perhaps) that the big record executives finally realize that one glitzy hour of television exposure per week does NOT necessarily make talent.
Could you imagine a young Rolling Stones being on "Idol"? How did the Beatles establish themselves? By working all the lower clubs in Liverpool. Their career did not begin with their Ed Sullivan appearance in the states. Back then, talent travelled through word of mouth. When they say "fame is fleeting", that certainly was the case. It was a long road to the top.
Consider one of my favorite songs: "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder in '78. He had no TV exposure - there was no MTV. The song, I believe, still holds the record for longest journey to #1 on the Billboard chart - 20 weeks. Yes, Gilder was a one-hit wonder. But that 20 weeks of chart agony resulted in his #1 without the television exposure or a glorified talent contest. His talent was natural, did not need "professional" coaching, and word of him came through associates; not television producers.
Obviously, FOX TV wanted to jump on the "reality" bandwagon ASAP. It's made celebrities of the judges. And supposedly, they've all got a keen eye for talent.
Other than the possibility that Sony is running out of money (as big as they are, that's hard to imagine), perhaps they realize as we do that the exposure isn't necessarily going to jump-start careers. We need more people from the old school that earned every ounce of airtime they ended up getting. Simple as that. It's called "expectations".
* The Golden Globe Awards went by with barely a whimper. Thanks to the writers' strike, all names & winners were drawn in just one hour. As well it should be in this day & age.
I won't dive into the argument that we need simplicity in this hectic world of today; that is stating the obvious. What was also obvious is the by-product of the toned-down ceremony, as stated by a critic: No red carpet... but no paparazzi either. In other words, nothing blown out of proportion, no rumors started over who's dating who, or who gained weight. If they drank themselves to oblivion, we didn't hear about it.
Refreshing!
