« link of the day | Main | I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee »
flying away on a wing and a prayer
by mg at 01:24 AM on September 05, 2002
This is the obligatory American Idol post. I wish I could say I had naked pictures of Kelly Clarkson, Tamyra Gray, Ryan Starr, or Nikki McKibbin. Heck, I’d even be happy to bring you naked photos of big haired Justin Guarini. *
But, I got nothing. Nothing but a few pithy words.
There were more than 100 million votes tallied to decide the winner of the first American Idol. That is nearly twice as many as were cast in the process of deciding the last presidential election. But, to make things fair, some of those probably came from people casting their ballots more than once. The same can probably be said about the voting for American Idol. [Insert rim-shot here] *
Seriously though, isn’t it sad that more people took an active interest in a TV show than the fate of a nation, some might say the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. It is times like this that make me want to lie down in the middle of a field and wait for a building to fall on me. Maybe America does suck, just like all those people over there [waving arm vaguely towards the west, which he thinks is east] are right to hate us.
They may waste their lives, and the lives of others, by strapping bombs to themselves and getting on a bus, but at least their lives are a waste in a pursuit of something, ridiculous as it may be, that they are willing to give their lives for. Most Americans barely have enough gumption to get up off the couch, much less fly a plane into a major metropolis.
I’m feeling, as the anniversary of September 11th marches ever nearer, that it becomes more and more obvious that this is going to be another event, to be marketed and exploited, like Woodstock ’94 or the season finale of American Idol. They may have made a (bad) movie about Pearl Harbor, but I’m just not ready for September 11th action figures yet.
I wish I could express the way I’m feeling now. Some things deserve to be sacred. My office isn’t closing down on September 11th and everyone, everywhere, is talking about American Idol. I know, I know, that these things are not related. But, really, aren’t they a little?
I can’t claim complete innocence here. I wish I could, but I can’t. I watched the show. Basically from the beginning, months ago. I spent my mid-week-summer nights in front of the boob tube watching a bunch of people competing for idolization. Do any of them deserve to be idolized? Does anyone at last weekend’s MTV Video Music Awards deserve to be idolized?
I wasn’t one of the 100 million calling in and voting, but I was sitting there watching. I wasn’t out there helping people, or contributing anything worthwhile to society. I was sitting there watching TV. Not even PBS, but a bunch of one-dimensional figures singing pop songs, and it makes me angry at all the other people sitting in the audience, all of America, every one of you, and most of all at myself.
But did I get up from the couch? *
comments (8)
* Google-bait
* Not Google-bait. If I’d meant it to be Google-bait, I’d have said “rim-job.”
* No, to answer my own question, I didn’t. I did write a bunch of seriousish words and ruined any sort of argument I could have made by pandering to Google, and all the sick bastards out there that I really do hate, not just right now, but every day, who will be hitting this site in a couple days looking for nudie pictures of American Idol stars.
by mg at September 5, 2002 1:27 AM
never watched the show. nor the music awards. unable to stomach that sort of drivel at this point in my life. too busy being a pansy-ass liberal and wishing we could all get along.
by kd at September 5, 2002 2:42 AM
I didn't even know about the American Idol show until someone told me about it today. I've gotten to where I don't watch any network television anymore. About the only thing I make a point to watch is Sunday night Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. The rest I download on Kazaa.
I was also talking to my brother this weekend about how awful it would be to make a Sept. 11 movie, like Pearl Harbor. Will it be a backdrop to a cheese a love story? What pop/rock band will be on the soundtrack? You know it will happen. It's a matter of how long the movie industry will wait to do it. What do you think? When will it happen? In 10, 20, 30 or more years?
by MrBlank at September 5, 2002 4:57 PM
Ahhh so what. So you watched a stupid, inane, worthless bunch of bullshit on TV when there are more important things to care about. Where's the crime in that? Big deal, I say! It doesn't mean you don't care about bigger deals.
What I find more distasteful hate is when people say they ONLY care about the bigger deals, the more "important" stuff.
Watching stupid TV doesn't hurt anyone. In fact, it's kinda fun. Not watching that kind of lowbrow shite doesn't make anyone deeper or more fabulous than those of us who roll around in the compost heap.
At least you admit it, eh?
by Jodi at September 6, 2002 2:05 AM
Blast! I knew I should have proofread. A few minor mistakes. Oh well. Spilt milk, crying, etc.
by Jodi at September 6, 2002 2:07 AM
That's what you get for commenting drunk, Jodi.
by mg at September 6, 2002 1:05 PM
And I don't even drink, damn it. How the hell did that happen??
by Jodi at September 6, 2002 9:16 PM
Two thoughts:
1. Were the 100 million for the last vote or just total? I just remember them saying, "100 million votes put you here to this moment..." Could that be a total of all the Survivor-esque voting that had taken place before?
2. 9-11. Yeah. Going to be very somber and probably not going to classes. You New Yorkers went immediately into survival mode; those of us that love you New Yorkers went immediately into hysterics, and some of us are still there. We love you, especially those of us that will be living there within a few years.
by snaggle at September 7, 2002 10:38 AM