Last night, in a shameless ratings ploy, the ABCNews program PrimeTime Live finally aired its hit piece on the FOX show American Idol. But no matter the hype or packaging of their “expose”, ABCNews executives ought to be ashamed for presenting as investigative journalism such water-cooler innuendos about an older woman using her position (allegedly) to elicit sexual favors from a boy toy.
Paula (just call me Mrs Robinson) Abdul: Now really, what healthy (playa wannabe) young boy can resist this come to mama look…
Nevertheless, a scandal it is! (Though far more suited for airing on the Entertainment Tonight tabloid show.) Moreover, the perverse phenomenon that American Idol has become simply compels commentary. After all, this show is as much about American cultural decay and betraying a public trust as it is about exploiting mostly no-talented dimwits for some mindless fun. Of course, that American Idol remains the most watched show on TV says all that needs to be said about American culture. (Cheers to its British producers…)
But as TV contest scandals go, the substantive allegations really seem much a do about nothing. Indeed, they hardly rise to the level of chicanery and behind the scene machinations involved in the scandal that discredited the notorious NBC quiz show Twenty One in 1956. Nevertheless, ABC’s shrewdly timed expose revealed enough scandalous goings-on between Judge Paula Abdul and contestant Corey Clark that she should be fired, summarily.
(A little coaching is one thing, but Paula came off like a cross between his svengali and a psycho-sexual predator. Of course it all makes sense when one considers that “Cold Hearted” was actually the title of the autobiographical song that made her a one-hit in the music business. Only in Hollywood…)
At any rate, despite her undoubtedly honorable intentions, Paula’s behaviour betrayed such profound lack of judgment that it makes her continued role on the show untenable. And, whether or not she got her groove on with this boy is immaterial (although I suspect most 40-something women hope she got some). Instead, the firing offence is that there seems to have been enough inappropriate contact between them that the mere appearance of impropriety is sufficient to terminally destroy public confidence in the show. Therefore, she has to go!
Click here to read more on the allegations….
Corey Clark: If not the American Idol, then why not a certified dawg!
Disclaimer: I have seen only one episode of American Idol and that was during its first year of production. I was not impressed! But then watching very ordinary people make fools of themselves (intentionally or not) is not my idea of entertainment.
News and Politics
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.