I found it pretty interesting on Wednesday in the pop idol part of the lecture when Nabeel mentioned the against-the-grain-elements and contestants of the show, and how they are chosen to be left in. I admit that in my quiet moments I have also watched the occasional episode of the idol franchise, be it the NZ version or the American show, and it always seem to be these contestants that I enjoy watching the most.
The inclusion of these contestants appears to be a fundamentally political decision regarding the politics of representation. It has been noted that popular culture and counter culture assume a double-helix relationship - that is when one gains popularity the other must disappear into the underground before the medium is re-invented. While this requires a reference to the changing favour of certain genres according to popular opinion, it is clear that this simple double helix relationship is an effective characterisation of the movements between popular approval of a movement.
In this way, the idol shows can be shown to exhibit this relationship through the inclusion of these contestants. These contestants and their choices of musical genre and their own representation in terms of character are required in the show as a means of clarification. What is popular? These contestants test the boundaries of such a concept - it is obvious that a Death Metal singer, or an avantgarde voice musician (in the style of John Erik Kaada) could never be a pop idol. However to make these judgment calls we must discredit these elements that represent a counter-culture. Pop culture will slowly absorb elements from these subcultures through exposure to them and thus the movement will evolve to include parts of them.
Pop culture is a fluid concept which defies definition, and exists only by the approval of popular opinion. The creators of the idol shows have realised that popular culture is subject to change and thus use these outlying representations to promote a constant sense of redefinition. The will never win the show, but they are required to keep the show vital and current - therefore Idol judges will always encourage the existence of a certain degree of counterculture exposure to ensure ratings.