Idol

The majority of us watch Pop Idol - or the various versions of it, and see the transformation of the everyday person into a household name. Do we watch this and subconsciously see that they are in fact being manufactured, or do we watch thinking that it is totally real, and that it is purely authentic? This could be an ongoing debate.
We clearly see the millions of normal, un-famous, next door neighbour like (well some anyway) faces lining up to audition for the chance to be the next idol of their country. We have insiders guide to what goes on along the way. We watch them waiting in line, hour after hour, we see their pre-audition nerves before they can go in, we see them take the line and do their thing, and we see their elation as well as their agony, when they hear the crucial comments from the judges from their table of power. But as these programmes progress, surely all we’re seeing are these normal and everyday people being packaged, stylised and ready to be a superstar. Lets face it, although their are some singers, whether winners of the programme or not, who have made money and record sales as a result of their appearance, no one yet, with the slight exception of Kelly Clarkson – which is debatable in itself – have made it to the superstardom that they have been packaged and prepared for. Do we realise that these stars are actually like all other stars, who start out as a normal everyday person, gets spotted and then gets packaged and prepared for their ever hopeful career in the music industry? The only difference here is that the contestants on the Idol programmes are being televised every step of the way. This is what makes both the process as well as the star, seem all the more authentic, but when you think about it, if we saw the path to stardom of 50 Cent, or Beyonce for example, I doubt that there would be much difference in our perception of authenticity. Because we know them as a person before a star, we therefore naturally think that they’re authentic, but when we’re introduced to someone as a star, we can’t possibly imagine that they were ever a normal down to earth person like we are. So the question is, does this peep into the process of a star in the making make it worthwhile for them? Obviously not!