Dilution - November 10
So we all want to be a star. We all want to be on
television. We all want our 15 minutes of fame. Even if
we take 15 seconds of that to appear on Playmania and
record ourselves on YouTube and remain there for all
eternity, at least we are famous for that brief shining
moment. Just take our staff and contributors alone
many of them (Jason Block, Aaron Huertas, Travis Schario,
Jason Hernandez, et al.) not only savor those moments,
but see them recycled as we keep using those times as
reference points. Hence, the ability to be on television
is a powerful device that should never be downplayed.
We all know that fact. So do television networks, who,
in order to get you to watch their programming, have
created the hooks of you fulfilling your dream to be on
television and be a star. American Idol, of course, was
the show that finally extended the envelope, the mantra
being come to one of 6 auditions and if youre good
enough, youll come to Los Angeles to audition and maybe
appear on television. But hold on
theres more. You
dont even have to be good. Just be memorable, and well
guarantee that you will get your 15 minutes. Hence, we
not only see the best singers on the air (and the worst
singers on the air), we also get the people who are
there for their 15 minutes, such as a Chris "Remember
Taboo? That was good" Wylde or William Hung, who took
those 15 minutes and created a very comfortable
lifestyle for themselves.
And now, with the industry finally realizing that the
best way to get to those precious 16-25 year old
demographic is via the internet, its gotten even easier
to be a star. Just pick up a MySpace account and you can
apply to be a comic, thanks to TBS. You could have tried
to be on NBC's online show Star Tomorrow, thanks to
their website. It's only going to be a matter of time
until you can reserve your online spot to audition for
American Idol or America's Got Talent.
But is this really a good thing? Sure, it extends the
American dream, but by allowing anyone to be a star, it
also dilutes the product. Although there have been many
people who have been on American Idol throughout the
years, there has been no one thats transcended
super-stardom like Kelly Clarkson did in season 1, or
has had the vocal chops like Clay Aiken or Ruben
Studdard in American Idol 2. Im not saying that
Fantasia and company arent talented they most
certainly are but the last 3 winners have been great,
but not superstars.
Now you could argue with me that Carrie Underwood, who
has bagged many a country award, is a country superstar,
and you would be correct, but thats not the point of
American Idol. The point is to find a superstar who can
excel in any genre thrown at them, and there hasnt been
anyone in the past 3 seasons who has been able to do it.
Part of the problem is Idol itself, as there have been
countless stories of the producers eliminating polished
talent in favor of raw (and perhaps more marketable)
voices. Idol has tried to fix this by extending out the
age requirements, but the more recent winners have been
the people in the upper age bracket. The audience has
acknowledged that substance trumps style, and the sooner
that Idol realizes this, the sooner that we will be
presented a more well-rounded product.
But Idol, like any talent show, is only as good as the
talent that auditions for them. And this is where the
age of the internet may come back and haunt Idol. A
friend of mine was going to go to the auditions and
then saw the line, quit after waiting for 6 hours, and
then applied for another talent show via the web. His
answer was that he saw who the producers were looking
for or maybe what they were not looking for and he
was convinced that a polished voice would not get a
chance to audition for the judges. Unfortunately, hes
probably right.
If the people that Idol needs dont show up to the
auditions, then Idol is stuck with what they get.
Because why travel for 500 miles and wait for 12+ hours
on a line for 15 minutes of fame when you can do the
same thing from your own home using a video camera and
YouTube? It would be a pity, if instead of Idol finding
the next superstar, they were relegated to finding the
next new hot dish for the next 15 minutes, but if Idol
doesnt upgrade their standards and reach out to that
audience, then the only thing they will be known for in
the next few seasons is one artist that lasts for a CD
or two and lots of forgettable talent that will be
displayed more for people to take pot shots at than
enjoy what they bring to the table. And YouTube will be
there to cover every second of it.
I have already gotten
email on this. Thank you very much for the feedback. I
should add in this disclaimer these are traditional
strategies used to USUALLY beat the games. Of course,
should the producers be mean and nasty (like put both a
1 and a 2 in the price of a high priced car in Ten
Chances, etc.) then some of the strategies go out the
window, but I am writing this assuming that the
producers are going to play nice and set up the games
the way that they traditionally have been setting.
Any Number The 0 rule is usually in effect on
this game, which means that the cars last digit is
usually 0. Avoid the 9 and 5, however usually, they
are in the price of the second item (695, 895, etc.).
When in doubt, go low chances are that there are high
numbers in the first digit of the optional prize and the
Piggy Bank, so if you can pick the second number of the
car first, stay low for the 3rd and 4th numbers.
Balance Game - With 3 amounts that you have the
option of using, you can usually rule out the lowest
combination. This leaves the highest number as one of
the mandatory digits to use, which increases your chance
to win from 33% to 50%.
Barker's Bargain Bar - This is going to seem
silly, but it's true. Pick the lower priced item. In
over a whopping 75% of the time, the lower priced item
is the bigger bargain. The number skyrockets to over 85%
when you are looking at two trips.
Gordon Pepper didn't
scream "WHAT?!" at last week's CMA Awards. E-mail him at
gordon@gameshownewsnet.com to tell him what a good
sport he is. |