MetaChat - American Idol ignorance....

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15 January 2008

American Idol ignorance.... →[More:]I've never really watched it, and I've certainly never watched it from the beginning.

Innocent question: The people at the beginning who are really bad (like that Ali guy tonight who was acting like Borat) -- they're ringers sent in by the producers, right? It's all scripted? Yes?

Just asking. Honestly curious.

post by: mudpuppie at: 23:22 | 13 comments

Not scripted. They get thousands of contestants going before hundreds of judges in each town. A handful of the worst and the best that come before those anonymous judges get sent to go before the star judges.

posted by arse_hat 15 January | 23:33

Not scripted. But are they "real"? I say no, at least not totally. Some are faking it for reasons of their own (William Hung made a surprising amount of cash), some are faking it because they were encouraged by someone else, and some, unfortunately, are just clueless.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 15 January | 23:48

Some of them are radio station ringers-at least they have been in the past. There are a few truly demented auditioners, but most of the really weird ones are kinda fakey.

posted by bunnyfire 15 January | 23:58

Nope. Sorry. Some of these people are obvious plants. Actors, even. You can't convince me otherwise.

posted by mudpuppie 16 January | 00:51

I know of someone who tried to get on the British Idol. She basically had two judgings and a couple of T.V. interviews over a two week period. They asked her to make sure she wore the same clothes over the two actual days she was judged. In the end, she didn't get to be judged by the main judges, but I think she was close.

So - Not scripted, but the bad people have been through that initial period and have been sent in deliberately by the producers to make fools of themselves.

posted by seanyboy 16 January | 03:26

Ogilvy planted an actor onto the South African version of Idol.

posted by dabitch 16 January | 06:18

My guess? Actors, yes. Actors paid by the producers... probably not. I think it's just people who have developed characters and are trying to get their 2 1/2 minutes of TV time.

posted by ferociouskitty 16 January | 08:21

Some of these people are obvious plants

You should never underestimate the level of human stupidity.

posted by hadjiboy 16 January | 08:45

I thought the Star Wars chick was kinda cool.

posted by jonmc 16 January | 08:49

I thought the Star Wars chick was in need of a wee bit of therapy/ministry. She could have been cute with a little makeup. (Hee!)

posted by bunnyfire 16 January | 09:42

Oh, Star Wars gal -- I felt for her poor grandparents having to spend the next many hours getting her home and listening to her call her friends and bitch about how American Idol excludes those who are different. (I felt for my own poor parents having to listen to my teenage self on similar not-quite-on-target rants.)

posted by Claudia_SF 16 January | 12:40

American Idol ignorance....

ignorance is bliss.
;-)

posted by shane 17 January | 19:01

Story about Idol on Slate.

posted by Claudia_SF 18 January | 00:34

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