I can recall when I made it my business to get home on American Idol days just so that I can see who would be winning for the evening, and who would be going home . I even watched the night that Simon Cowell had some not so nice things to say to now, Academy Award winner, Jennifer Hudson. I remember many of the seasons as if it were yesterday, but this season, I do not know any of the contestants names, I do not know the name of the newest judge added to the roster, and while I have been seeing hoopla on the Internet surrounding the final episodes, I just cannot bring myself to turn to American Idol this year.
Maybe I have lost faith in the set up of its system, maybe I do not believe that once a person has won, they will go on to do anything greater than most of the other contestants – with the exception of Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, and the ‘non-winner,’ but truest winner of them all, Jennifer Hudson, who does not need an EPK to let the world know who she is – with an Academy-Award under her belt, as she was not fed the pipe dream story of going on to this glamorous record deal upon winning. I can’t even tell you why my attitude towards American Idol has changed, but all that I know is that it has.
If I had to speculate why I am harboring such pessimistic feelings about A.I., I would have to say that it is not fair how a person can become an American Idol statistic, after being praised and glorified so heavily on the show, then after their win, a few months later, you never hear about them at all. So, you mean to tell me that I spent a whole few months rushing home to see who is going to win week after week, until we get to the finale, then a winner is chosen, and that’s that? Somehow, I feel cheated, I feel as if I could have spent my time doing something other than watching for a winner that will not be heavily promoted once their stint on A.I. is up. I guess I really stopped seeing the logic in it.
Well, no matter who wins this season, it is a dreamland for a publicist, and the publicity of being on the show is still great, and I hope that all of those that vied for the coveted winner’s spot, realize that their dreams do not end there, and that they should persevere on to other things…their lives do not begin and end with American Idol, and apparently, neither does mine.