And we are surprised that most people can't find Iraq on a map.
The talking heads on the news are seriously discussing the process involved in trying out for this show. They are debating who the judges will be. Claudine Wong, the reporter live on the scene, should be very proud of herself. Hell, she could have been stuck covering California's perpetually stalled budget.
As the segment winds down, I can't help but crack a smile. There, among all those smiling faces, is a female who wears a shit-eating grin like she wears a Hollister shirt. I can only imagine what she is thinking. "Here I am. I'm going to get my bracelet and go in their and wow the judges. I'll show them that I am the next Idol. I'll bring tears to their faces with my Tori Amos selection. They will say, 'You're going to Hollywood.' I will smile, burst into tears and go hug my mother. In a few months, Matt Lauer will be asking me what it feels like to be the next American Idol. I'll tell him it hasn't really sunk in yet, though I've been waiting for this moment since I discovered my mom's old Madonna CDs. I'll tell him I've not had any sleep, and that I can't wait to cut my album. I will be living my dream."
I want the camera to be there to focus on that face when reality sets in. Not that I want someone to see someone disappointed. I see that every day. I just want the news to cover reality for once. That's the reaction I want to see. I want to hear what she has to say then. "Oh well. I tried. Back to Taco Time. At least my shift manager's cute."
That's what I want to see. People's gut reactions to the cold, hard reality. Not the smiles of a promised tomorrow that will never come through, but the today that never ends. Only then will the dream really mean anything when it becomes the reality.
Anything else is playing the lottery.
2 comments:
I don't really understand how any of this crap is considered news. Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson,reality TV, all of it. It's entertainment news, but not real news. It belongs on E, Hollywood Insider (is that a show or am I making shit up now?) and so on. Same with sports, take it out of the news, put it where it belongs--on ESPN. Or combine the two into a five minute "entertainment" section at the end of the news to act as a kicker.
I think it's all a ploy to get us to stop focusing on the real issues. I think the media is in cahoots with the government and large corporations to bombard the masses with trivial information on which to focus so they wont ask about the big stuff like when the heck we're getting out of Iraq and how are they going to fix the devastation caused by the oil spill. Sadly, as long as the masses keep tuning in to see people standing in a freaken line (and it's not even for something cool, like the new Star Wars movie) or to hear Mel Gibson further shred his career with another racist rant, the news will keep reporting it. It's a little sick how we as a society are more interested in whether or not Lindsay Lohan gets jail time than we are in whether or not the gulf coast will survive this most recent devastation.
Capitalism is all about diversion. Petty pursuits that veer away from real issues and problems. In order to keep the machine going, you must give it fuel. Sugar-coated "news" is part of that mixture. Of course, it seems like that is what most people want, too ...
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