Canadian Idol

I must sadly admit that I have been watching Canadian Idol, despite my hatred for "reality-based" television. I even expected that I would not write about such things on this blog, but recently, there have been a few issues that have been bothering me, and I must get them off my chest.

I have been only watching the Canadian Idol episodes for approximately the last month, so I have missed quite a bit. Fortunately, with Reality TV, it doesn't matter when you tune in, as you really don't need no know what happened the previous episode to fully enjoy the current broadcast (not unlike Soap Operas, I should add). I am happy to say, I missed all the poor performers, as off-key singers really irk me. I must admit that it annoys me that these awful no-talents managed to make it on national television, when I can sing much better than they. But those early episodes are gone now, and replaced by a media circus that is changing the lives of the remaining few.

In last night's episode, we said goodbye to British Columbia's powder keg, Jacob Hoggard, leaving Alberta's Kalan Porter and Saskatchewan's Theresa Sokyrka the last two contenders for the Canadian Idol crown. Less than seven days remain until Canada finds out who is the next Canadian Idol. I must admit there are a few things about this competition (and similar to all reality-based TV shows) that are beginning to bother me.

First of all, the publicity that these youths must endure is staggering. They are put on this pedestal and shown off to the country every week. They are commended on their talents and their looks. Their egos inflate with each applaud, every scream, every photograph, and every fan site. Then each week, the least popular is publicly humiliated on national television, and irreparably broken, sending their career down the tube. Their name and face is quickly forgotten as the media more heavily promote the "survivors" of this cruel game.

Question: Would you subject yourself to a situation where at any time you could be told: "You were good, but you suck now. Goodbye". You might argue otherwise, as show business has always been a matter of being at the right place at the right time. It is very rare that any person can stay at the top for very long. Example: Whatever happened to the Spice Girls? Weren't they the biggest thing next to sliced bread? Sure, they sold millions of records, and they probably made a lot of money, but I don't hear anything about them anymore. Not like I really care about them anyway.

In addition to my first point, I must argue the detrimental effects that this media circus must have on these young performers. Watching the three finalists go to their hometowns for rallies and performances was shocking. Limousines, police escorts, near-riots, and thousands of screaming fans were all waiting for these new stars. It's hard to imagine what these developments have on the psyche of a person. Teenaged girls crying their eyes our in the front rows of these concerts -- and I can hardly call them concerts; where's the band? Its just Karaoke with the stars singing the same songs they did on television.

The emotional struggles these young stars have do deal with are incredible. The effects of these pressures weren't all that obvious on the male competitors, but it was apparent with Theresa Sokyrka. CTV showed footage of her "homecoming", where she visited her elementary school, and the Mayor of Saskatoon named a month after her, and Theresa was overwhelmed with emotion. The television footage exposed her soft underbelly and showed the country how vulnerable a person she was. Yes, she's human like everybody else. I could not tell if her tears were ones of joy, happiness, fear, or stress, but I felt sorry for her.

As for all of them, they are all nervous wrecks when they are on the chopping block -- you can see it. I imagine that they are all physically ill the moments before the delivery of the bad news. All these talented people on these shows have spent weeks working together, day and night, preparing for the week's performances. They become a family, and it is obvious that even though they are competing against one another, they are also very close. To have a member of that family plucked from the rest every week is even difficult for the survivors. They are all emotional wrecks saying goodbye to their close friends as the credits roll. To physically create these bonds, and to have them taken away; to put them through all the apprehension and stress when they don't know if their number is up, is nothing short of abuse.

And millions of people watch these shows every week to see who gets thrown to the lions. Come to think of it, Reality TV is not all that different from the Gladiator games of ancient Rome. Countless people watching the weakest player meet a gory and cruel death. The blood and dismemberment is only replaced by public humiliation, anguish, ego-rupture, and failure. The losers might even wish they were dead, instead of having to endure all the pointing, the sneers and snickers of the public.

Even the winner has to eventually deal with failure. Nobody stays at the top for long. The winner might have his or her scores of fans for a while, but those fans will eventually find a new flavor of the month. There is only a matter of time until the next season of Canadian Idol, and then his or her tenure will expire. Gone, will be the limousines, the police escorts, the long grueling tours, the interviews, and the screaming fans. What will they have to show for it but a few memories and some paraphernalia that nobody wants anymore? Will they enjoy their life once it returns to normal? Will it ever return to normal? Will they be able to handle the depression when stardom dwindles to the flicker of a candle?

Stars will likely tell you the hardest thing to deal with is accepting the fact that your career is over. Often stars end up with very little after the days of partying, fancy homes and expensive cars are over. Some (not all) end up spending what they have left on drugs.

Everybody suffers from periods of depression in his or her lives. Artists, musicians and actors seem to have it more difficult. Some artists are emotionally unstable, and thus use their moodiness to inspire them to write, compose, or act. Being creative and inspired is euphoric to artists -- it is the best form of emotional therapy. When their days of popularity are over, the pain is often unbearable. What do these artists do when nobody enjoys their art, and there is no income? How do they stay inspired? How do they heal themselves when there is no outlet? Drugs.

So to Theresa, Kalan and the rest of the idols, I have grown attached to you all the last number of weeks. It pains me every time I see one of you go. It hurts me even more so, because I was once where you are, a professional musician, touring the countryside, being adored everywhere I went. And I know what it's like to go down.

To Kalan Porter and Theresa Sokyrka, I know that only one of you can be crowned Idol. But I want to let you know that if I kept score, you would both be winners. Your talents are diverse and impeccable. Godspeed to both of you... And if either of you ever need a solid drummer *wink*, give me a call. I'm closer than you think.