The Mysterious Giant might be coming to an end….

Why not vote anyone off this week? Why create the suspense of adding another week to see someone loose their dreams, or is fox just worried about their ratings? These are the questions that must be answered after the Sanjaya fascination has burnt out.

First, it most definitely cannot be the ratings because even without the voting aspect of the nights show they still managed to completely destroy the ratings of any other network.

Ratings Link
However, yes the ratings are great, but are they great in Fox’s standards? No.

Since season 2, each season has consecutively lost almost ten percent of ratings and since the beginning of the season the weekly shows have lost a significant percentage of viewers each show up until Sanjaya was eventually voted off.

Can these ratings really be blamed on Sanjaya? No, but a good point arises when the charity event episode was aired this week. Charity? This season has been more of a circus show than a talent show. Coca-Cola, Ford, and other companies sponsored this whole event and the stage was even adorned with the colors of the specific advertiser. What beautiful product placement!

In my opinion, this was a test to if not voting a person off could be more suspenseful for the next week. Instead of one individual getting voted off, its going to be TWO! American Idol sure is crazy! The Executive Producer, Nigel Lythogoe, blames the ratings on the fact that the daylight savings time change occurred three weeks earlier…….

Did you change your clock? Because I know when I change my clock I completely forget about anything on television……

If these are the excuses that even the executive producer is stating, I think we have a major problem. This season has really shown me, a true believer in the American Idol giant, that maybe American Idol is finally running out of steam. This series has finally meet it’s match and it might be the year 2007.

Even if the worst-case scenario comes true and American idol does vanish into TV history, it will always be remembered in its purest form the 1st season. Not only will it live on, but it lives on in the voices of stars such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Clay Aiken. Lives were changed, precious moments were shared with the public, and a giant lived on in the 2000’s. For you, American Idol, I wish the best may a superstar be born and may your production team find a better avenue to increase ratings other than charity events.

P.S. Sanjaya, Television Criticism class will miss yo and the humor your brought us all.

The Miracle Man.

 

At first I was going to write about the relationship that exists between Simon and Ryan Seacrest, but once again after last night’s American Idol my topic changes.(4/10/07 episode). It was the supposed “Latin” night and J.LO was the famous guest who practiced and preached to all the contestants. After almost all of the performances, mundane, yet good, came the man, the myth, the legend, Sanjaya.

I was blown away. Have the American Idol producers known all along that this little 17 year old can sing? Not only that, but he sang in Spanish. No other contestant even tried to sing in Spanish, I will have to give him “props” for that. Sanjaya is the best thing to happen to American Idol or is it?

First let’s start off with the positive consequences of Sanjaya. He has made American Idol once again the talk of “cooler-talk” in corporate America, he was a teenie-booper quality, and he is bringing the romance that was lost back to American Idol. These are all positive outcomes that would be likely to happen, but what if Sanjaya wins. If Sanjaya wins, the whole American Idol program would be made a mockery and the voting system would have to change. Not only this, but everyone could infer that the “supposed” least talented Idol won the contest.

Is Sanjaya one of the least talented? At first glance I really did believe so, but the past two weeks have shown a completely different picture. Sanjaya looks into the camera and is an excellent performer every single week. No other artist works the crowd or the camera as much as Sanjaya. He might lack some of the singing skills, but he makes up in the performances. As for “Latin night” he ever changed his haircut and other things to meld better with the song. As a character the producers are using him to show how one can make it all the way even without the best singing ability.

Here are my remarks to the American public who doubt Sanjaya:

Does no one get that you demonstrate the chasm of character between this rather sweet kid and yourself when you resort to bashing him so viciously? He takes criticism deserved or not with quiet dignity and then comes back and does even better the next week–all the while knowing what he’s in for once his performance is over, regardless of how well he actually does. Sanjaya is very mature for turning the judges’ hurtful comments that he only had his hair going for him into a media phenomenon and then having the “guts” to back off the hair and moves while letting his voice(eyes)do the talking this last week. Impressive behavior for anyone under so much criticism day in and day out, especially considering he is a teenager.

Moving from Sanjaya’s overall improvement, I have a secret speculation or as some might call it a conspiracy theory from the American Idol producers. I truly believe that they want Sanjaya to stay into the top 3 at least and will do “anything” in their power to keep it this way. In complete honesty, I believe even vote fraud or other methods will be used if they have to. Sanjaya is the best thing to happen to Fox and American Idol since the beginning of their first season. He may not look tough, but he is a critical pawn that is being used to win the ratings slot wars on primetime television. After all, they even now have a commercial catered specifically to Sanjaya and have taken a lot of criticism for being supposed “prejudice” towards contestants. Is this finally the end of American Idol?

Well, from a consumers perspective obviously not since it is entertaining, but I also do agree that Americans are slowly filtering out reality shows and going back to what is a typical shows. In my opinion, American Idol probably has one or two more seasons until the big backlash or it could even be this season where enough is enough so to say. If I was American Idol and I kept running out of good contestants I would grab a subplot and run with it. J Oops, I guess they already have instituted the “Sanjaya show”.

In all reality, maybe Sanjaya is what mainstream media needs. No more tough action heroes, no more beautiful women, just let it be a one teenager show. The boy bands and other influential teenager idols have disappeared; maybe this is a resurgence of sorts. If it is good for Sanjaya and if it isn’t well hopefully he can still improve his singing even more and be close to the Top.

By my next blog I hope to examine Ryan and Simon’s relationship, if not maybe I will be commenting on how Sanjaya won it all. LOL!

American “Sanjaya” Idol

American Idol

For once in the existence of this show, the true meaning of this show has come out. At the beginning of the season the same things were happening in the “audition” episodes and then there would be one or two horrid singers who would be focused on to make it a laughing stock. It is more than ever a comedy, not a reality show.

After showing the audition episodes and not being able to fully stretch out their sixty minutes, the producers had to come up with a quick witted idea to fill up thirty minutes or so. The idea: Let’s make a show about the door that does not open; the conclusion: Nothing but over dramatized television. Ingenious it was, but to fill up an episode with an inanimate object made it a little monotonous.

After the audition, came what we now know as the “Sanjaya Comedy Hour”. I call it the “Sanjaya Comedy Hour” because not only is the show mainly surrounding his performances, but all the media hype is on him. The kid is nineteen years old, with a soft-feminine voice, and crazy hair. Don’t forget he also can’t sing or perform.

So the question comes up: Why has the American public left Sanjaya on the show?

The answer is very simple. America loves entertainment; and controversy at that. So what must we do as Americans? Vote for Sanjaya so we can have a new laughingstock and proclaim madness on national television.

Maybe I am just crazy, or I have to disagree completely with all of America. This is a mockery to the traditional reality game-show everywhere. Not only is it becoming a comic relief to watch American Idol, but it mocks everyone else on the show.

For example, if I was to sing on American Idol it would be on of the most ridiculous events ever recorded in history. I can imagine it now; blue swooping lights, a 360 degree camera and an “echo” auditorium feel as I screech the lines to “Sugar Pie Honey”. I would honestly give Sanjaya a run to be the next American Idol. Taking this point, and expanding it you can see how there is still great entertainment value to it without actually having a singing superstar.

f you really consider production strategy, you can see that the whole Sanjaya “show” is illustrated to bring more attention and publicity to the show. Who even knew the Top 10 finalists last year or the year before? Now it is a completely different story, since Sanjaya had brought so much laughter into our every day lives, people are becoming more aware of this season’s contestants.

After the transition from contest show to comedic relief, American Idol’s production team has forgotten one very important ethical factor. That factor is how Sanjaya is only seventeen years old. His is only one of the many “idol” guys who have survived the expiration date and just because he can’t sing does not mean American should point and laugh. In all honesty, there is a part of me that is repelled at times for the cruel nature that the hosts and others bring upon this poor kid, but he is a celebrity now so he must be able to handle all type of publicity. I believe the major attraction that Sanjaya gives the audience is his non-threatening and slightly feminine appeal. Even the “sissies of men” and the “brawniest men” can make fun of the teenager without feeling threatened that he will become an idol.

Obviously, this wild circus also referred to as American Idol, knows how to attract millions of viewers season after season. Maybe I am just crazy for wanting some substance and an actual contest-like show, not a comedy filled show full of quick-witted humor.

On my next blog, I will lunge deep into the sarcastic humor that has been a part of Simon and Ryan’s relationship. As the show keeps evolving, their relationship keeps deteriorating. J