Are you, like tens of millions of other Americans, captivated by the dramatic stories of formerly unknown teens and twenty-somethings searching for their 15 seconds of fame? Are you mesmerized by the hyped-up stories of years and years of hard work that may or may not propel them to the podium? And are you fascinated by the cutthroat competition and the scathing pronouncements of the judges? Well then, you, like millions of your fellow Americans are probably tuning in to watch American Idol.
Yes I know, the title of this post threw you. You thought I was talking about the Olympic Games...that biennial celebration of the power and glory of athletic competition. But the sad truth is the Olympics just aren’t what they used to be when it comes to TV ratings. NBC’s coverage of the games has been contrived and choppy, so perhaps they deserve to be trounced by Idol. But who would have thought that a reality TV show that features vocal contestants vying for a chance to be insulted by a trio of C-list celebrities would pull in nearly twice the viewers as programming that was once an icon of “must-see-TV” viewing?
What do you think...are the Olympic games passé?, or are we just a nation in love with Idol?
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7 comments:
Don't get me started on America Idol! It's quite apparent by the low ratings with the Olympic games and the high ratings of the "talent games" of American Idol, that Americans would rather watch folks suffer through talentless auditions, than athletes skiing in the cold.
I suppose we could call the Olympics the "original reality television", as competitors battle nightly to win events.
Here's my psychological analysis: The viewer is more likely to believe one can sing, than one can scream down a mountain at 60 miles an hour!
The truth is that Idol plays into the dreams of plenty of folks who yearn for their own singing fame...nobody really wants to skate around a track in circles, do they?
I believe that the Olympics have gone downhill in the past years. I don't think it is because people don't want to see it; there are just better things on to watch like American Idol or one of the hundreds of Reality shows on TV every hour of the day.
Many Americans would rather see people embarrass themselves on TV by singing stupidly or acting out of control then see how America is doing in the Olympics.
I agree with Jenn Mullen, I would rather watch original reality television, and then see someone ski down a mountain at 60 miles per hour.
The truth is reality TV has became such an epidemic that many Americans now believe they cannot do without it! So when it comes to watching the Olympics for two weeks or missing your favorite reality show many Americans would rather miss the Olympics and watch the TV shows they watch every Monday night!
"What does it all mean, Basil?" Austin Powers
I don't believe that the Olympics have gone "dowhhill", rather they have "skated" across the ratings "slope."
"Spinning" the truth of ratings is like "curling" the pages of a book written in stone. You just can't do it.
Talent or no talent... people are going to watch what they want to watch. If it's American Idol... fine. The Olympics? Sure.
I believe that the ratings are a scale that provide information for a sales executive to sell air time for commercial ads.
Television evolved as a vehicle for businesses to show their wares on the box... Programming was just an enticement for people to stay on that channel so people would see that product.
When the awards are counted and the coverage by NBC is tested against Idol will anyone be talking about the ratings?
I'm in love with American Idol, I'm obsessed by Simon; I dream about him day and night.
American Idol is genius! I’ve given it a couple chances. Every time I watch this, I’m amazed first, that it has the ratings it does and second, that viewers truly believe this entertainment segment is not choreographed to the fullest. For a show that pretends to be singing contest, it’s crazy that only a small percentage of the show is dedicated to showcase people who are truly talented. Simon, Paula and Randy are all actors—just actors that are constantly thinking of things to say and do, that will in-turn boost ratings and make the network money. Most viewers don’t and never will understand the concept of making money behind the scenes. I mean come on, only the very best and the worst of the worst advance to TV. What happened to those who were just average singers? They were cut, because those aren’t the money makers. This isn’t a show for those singers who have dreams of making it big. It’s about product placement and ratings. It’s junk like the girl who dressed-up like a cow. Not a good singer, but she was willing to dress like a cow and be advised by producers on how to act and sing. I wouldn’t doubt it if she ended up on the payroll. It’s not reality television—it’s watching Simon and his genius producers build ratings to sell commercials. AI is unlike the olympics. The 2006 Olympics is about skill, focus and years of hard work. Not to mention the USA can snowboard.
American Idol vs. 2006 Winter Olympic Games
American Idol is genius! I’ve given it a couple chances. Every time I watch this, I’m amazed first, that it has the ratings it does and second, that viewers truly believe this entertainment segment is not choreographed to the fullest. For a show that pretends to be singing contest, it’s crazy that only a small percentage of the show is dedicated to showcase people who are truly talented. Simon, Paula and Randy are all actors—just actors that are constantly thinking of things to say and do, that will in-turn boost ratings and make the network money. Most viewers don’t and never will understand the concept of making money behind the scenes. I mean come on, only the very best and the worst of the worst advance to TV. What happened to those who were just average singers? They were cut, because those aren’t the money makers. This isn’t a show for those singers who have dreams of making it big. It’s about product placement and ratings. It’s junk like the girl who dressed-up like a cow. Not a good singer, but she was willing to dress like a cow and be advised by producers on how to act and sing. I wouldn’t doubt it if she ended up on the payroll. It’s not reality television—it’s watching Simon and his genius producers build ratings to sell commercials. The 2006 Olympic Games is about skill, focus and years of hard work. Not to mention the USA can snowboard.
I can admit to being addicted to reality TV and American Idol was one of the better shows in my opinion, when it was new. Now I feel like because the ratings have gone up the producers are trying really hard to keep them that way at any cost. For me, I no longer enjoy American Idol because it has become soooo predictable til it's not even funny.
As far as the Olympics, I just feel that most people don't have the passion for the winter games. I would much rather watch the summer games instead.
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