Fifteen Minutes

Hello Everyone:

The end of a very long and quiet weekend. As always, the big highlight was my weekly Skype chats with the Brit BF. He looked nice and cozy all bundled up for the winter.  We had a nice chat about all sorts of things, mostly about the pending demise of American Idol. The show, and its derivatives, never had a good track for producing anyone with a successful career. Most of the winners and other contestants have either faded into obscurity or gone back to their daily lives. Very few, if any, are having a successful career. It's odd that some of the contestant, who were eliminated early, were quite talented but somehow lacked some quality like stage presence. That got me started on another thread-how some very popular singers incorporate pyrotechnics, multiple costume changes, bring out famous people, aerial acrobatic, and so forth during their shows. Some of these singers have very good voices and can just entertain the audience on their own merit. Instead, they distract the audience with all sorts of gimmicks that become passé quickly. I think my aversion to the spectacle comes from years of going to concerts where it was just the singer and band in stage, maybe with some special effects and rear screen projection but nothing else. I really get that ticket prices are ridiculously high and everyone wants to get their money's worth but I just think the whole spectacle thing gets old and is useless. The other thing about why Idol and its derivatives hadn't had a great track record is the talent. Most are just really good and would probably be able to make a few dollars singing in karaoke contests or tourist bars. The other thing is that most of the contestants lack the drive and ambition to do what it takes to be a success. Also, it's a matter of timing. There recording industry isn't immune to following trends. Someone is always looking for the next _____. They're on the show for their fifteen minutes of  fame. Anyway, that's just my take on something we were taking about.