A Kinder, Gentler Wave of Reality TV Tries a Little Tenderness, For a Change
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MTV RealityCon is Arriving in the Real World Next Year
What Are Dating Shows Doing to Our Brains?
The Surprising Feminism of Gordon Ramsay's TV Kitchens
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Why Do Reality TV Stars Insist on Making Music?
Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?
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But as of late, reality television has taken a kinder, gentler turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire up Netflix and you'll see sweet-natured shows such as \u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em>, which kicked off its fourth season with a public school teacher getting an enthusiastic makeover, and a slew of food programs where people are lovely to each other. Think \u003cem>The Great British Baking Show\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Sugar Rush\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Street Food\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Nailed It!\u003c/em>, where contestants giggle with the hosts about their haplessness in decorating cakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Netflix's dating show, \u003cem>Dating Around\u003c/em>, is practically humiliation-free. And in the hit series \u003cem>Tidying Up with Marie Kondo\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/01/07/462230434/japanese-organizing-consultant-marie-kondo-takes-america-by-storm\">the Japanese organizing guru\u003c/a> gently guides Americans into discarding stuff that doesn't \"spark joy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyeapVBLWY\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We say 'spark joy' now for everything,\" says Brandon Riegg, the Netflix vice president in charge of unscripted series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riegg says Netflix has made heartwarming reality shows central to its brand, though that wasn't always the plan. The success of \u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Nailed It! \u003c/em>convinced Netflix to double down on reality shows featuring people being kind to each other, he says. (Of course, because Netflix does not release audience numbers, we don't precisely know how successful those shows are.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"In the beginning, it wasn't an intentional strategy,\" Riegg says. \"When we decided to get into original unscripted programming, it was really a blank slate.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that not all of Netflix's reality programming can be described as sweet. Its game show \u003cem>Flinch\u003c/em> doesn't disguise its nasty streak, and Netflix recently took heat over its upcoming \u003cem>Prank\u003c/em> \u003cem>Encounters\u003c/em>, where people working in short-term jobs are subject to hidden-camera pranks. (Netflix says the show, hosted by a teenage star of the sci-fi hit series \u003cem>Stranger Things\u003c/em>, is \"spooky, supernatural and over-the-top, and everyone had a great time.\")\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the burgeoning trend of positive reality programming has spread across the industry, according to Riegg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everyone's noticing that viewers are more drawn to that, that there's an appetite for that,\" he says, pointing to Fox's \u003cem>The Masked Singer\u003c/em> and NBC's \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>. NBC is also the home of the notoriously nice crafting show \u003cem>Making It\u003c/em>, and the network may have helped to start this trend years ago, with weight-loss program \u003cem>The Biggest Loser\u003c/em>, along with ABC's \u003cem>Extreme Makeover: Home Edition \u003c/em>(which Riegg helped to develop).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOi9OmdoxQs\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"As a critic and fan of reality TV, I love it,\" says Andy Dehnart, creator of the website \u003ca href=\"https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/\">Reality Blurred\u003c/a>. \"It makes it a lot easier to watch, to write about and just enjoy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dehnart points out these shows appeal to advertisers and to families looking for shows to watch together. Sunny reality shows may provide something of a counterbalance to the deeply dark scripted shows dominating TV of late: \u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Game of Thrones\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Chernobyl\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Handmaid's Tale\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Killing Eve\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Ozark\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Better Call Saul\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em> and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of late, reality shows are providing a much-needed break from people being rotten to each other, says Tara Long, president of unscripted TV for Entertainment One, which produces such reality shows as \u003cem>Growing Up Hip Hop\u003c/em>, \u003cem>LadyGang\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Siesta Key\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We actually have production meetings where we say we don't want fighting,\" she says. It's a profound shift from the days when the genre relied on people flipping tables for drama. \"Ten years ago, you'd need that in every episode to build up to your final act.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Long if people who make reality television might be trying to change the cultural conversation after 20 years of toxic reality shows that helped—in part—elect \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513194862/with-conflict-and-drama-trump-hooks-you-like-a-reality-tv-show\">a former reality show star\u003c/a> to the U.S. presidency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A hundred percent,\" she says, without hesitation. \"I think we want to create this content and tell these stories to kind of course-correct for some of the type of shows that have been done in the past.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a moment when the tone of public discourse feels so lowered, Long says, maybe now is the time for reality television—yes, reality television—to push for civility and respect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Kinder%2C+Gentler+Wave+Of+Reality+TV+Tries+A+Little+Tenderness%2C+For+A+Change&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"It's a genre historically known for screaming matches and backstabbing competition. But lately, the shows at its forefront—say, 'Queer Eye' or 'Marie Kondo'—feature a lot more generosity of spirit.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1564203184,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":18,"wordCount":733},"headData":{"title":"A Kinder, Gentler Wave of Reality TV Tries a Little Tenderness, For a Change | KQED","description":"It's a genre historically known for screaming matches and backstabbing competition. But lately, the shows at its forefront—say, 'Queer Eye' or 'Marie Kondo'—feature a lot more generosity of spirit.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"A Kinder, Gentler Wave of Reality TV Tries a Little Tenderness, For a Change","datePublished":"2019-07-28T07:02:04.000Z","dateModified":"2019-07-27T04:53:04.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"113026 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=113026","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2019/07/28/a-kinder-gentler-wave-of-reality-tv-tries-a-little-tenderness-for-a-change/","disqusTitle":"A Kinder, Gentler Wave of Reality TV Tries a Little Tenderness, For a Change","nprByline":"Neda Ulaby","nprImageAgency":"Netflix","nprStoryId":"744881124","nprApiLink":"http://api.npr.org/query?id=744881124&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004","nprHtmlLink":"https://www.npr.org/2019/07/26/744881124/a-kinder-gentler-wave-of-reality-tv-tries-a-little-tenderness-for-a-change?ft=nprml&f=744881124","nprRetrievedStory":"1","nprPubDate":"Fri, 26 Jul 2019 19:52:00 -0400","nprStoryDate":"Fri, 26 Jul 2019 12:00:00 -0400","nprLastModifiedDate":"Fri, 26 Jul 2019 17:13:23 -0400","nprAudio":"https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2019/07/20190726_atc_a_kinder_gentler_wave_of_reality_tv_tries_a_little_tenderness_for_a_change.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1138&d=208&p=2&story=744881124&ft=nprml&f=744881124","nprAudioM3u":"http://api.npr.org/m3u/1745731923-fa9c87.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1138&d=208&p=2&story=744881124&ft=nprml&f=744881124","audioTrackLength":208,"path":"/pop/113026/a-kinder-gentler-wave-of-reality-tv-tries-a-little-tenderness-for-a-change","audioUrl":"https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2019/07/20190726_atc_a_kinder_gentler_wave_of_reality_tv_tries_a_little_tenderness_for_a_change.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1138&d=208&p=2&story=744881124&ft=nprml&f=744881124","parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It's a genre known for screaming matches, hot-tub hookups and contestants who are there \u003cem>to win,\u003c/em> \u003cem>not\u003c/em> \u003cem>to make friends\u003c/em>. But as of late, reality television has taken a kinder, gentler turn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fire up Netflix and you'll see sweet-natured shows such as \u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em>, which kicked off its fourth season with a public school teacher getting an enthusiastic makeover, and a slew of food programs where people are lovely to each other. Think \u003cem>The Great British Baking Show\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Sugar Rush\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Street Food\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Nailed It!\u003c/em>, where contestants giggle with the hosts about their haplessness in decorating cakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Netflix's dating show, \u003cem>Dating Around\u003c/em>, is practically humiliation-free. And in the hit series \u003cem>Tidying Up with Marie Kondo\u003c/em>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2016/01/07/462230434/japanese-organizing-consultant-marie-kondo-takes-america-by-storm\">the Japanese organizing guru\u003c/a> gently guides Americans into discarding stuff that doesn't \"spark joy.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/WvyeapVBLWY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/WvyeapVBLWY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\"We say 'spark joy' now for everything,\" says Brandon Riegg, the Netflix vice president in charge of unscripted series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riegg says Netflix has made heartwarming reality shows central to its brand, though that wasn't always the plan. The success of \u003cem>Queer Eye\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Nailed It! \u003c/em>convinced Netflix to double down on reality shows featuring people being kind to each other, he says. (Of course, because Netflix does not release audience numbers, we don't precisely know how successful those shows are.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"In the beginning, it wasn't an intentional strategy,\" Riegg says. \"When we decided to get into original unscripted programming, it was really a blank slate.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It should be noted that not all of Netflix's reality programming can be described as sweet. Its game show \u003cem>Flinch\u003c/em> doesn't disguise its nasty streak, and Netflix recently took heat over its upcoming \u003cem>Prank\u003c/em> \u003cem>Encounters\u003c/em>, where people working in short-term jobs are subject to hidden-camera pranks. (Netflix says the show, hosted by a teenage star of the sci-fi hit series \u003cem>Stranger Things\u003c/em>, is \"spooky, supernatural and over-the-top, and everyone had a great time.\")\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, the burgeoning trend of positive reality programming has spread across the industry, according to Riegg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everyone's noticing that viewers are more drawn to that, that there's an appetite for that,\" he says, pointing to Fox's \u003cem>The Masked Singer\u003c/em> and NBC's \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>. NBC is also the home of the notoriously nice crafting show \u003cem>Making It\u003c/em>, and the network may have helped to start this trend years ago, with weight-loss program \u003cem>The Biggest Loser\u003c/em>, along with ABC's \u003cem>Extreme Makeover: Home Edition \u003c/em>(which Riegg helped to develop).\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pOi9OmdoxQs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pOi9OmdoxQs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\"As a critic and fan of reality TV, I love it,\" says Andy Dehnart, creator of the website \u003ca href=\"https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/\">Reality Blurred\u003c/a>. \"It makes it a lot easier to watch, to write about and just enjoy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dehnart points out these shows appeal to advertisers and to families looking for shows to watch together. Sunny reality shows may provide something of a counterbalance to the deeply dark scripted shows dominating TV of late: \u003cem>The Walking Dead\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Game of Thrones\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Chernobyl\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Handmaid's Tale\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Killing Eve\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Ozark\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Better Call Saul\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Succession\u003c/em> and so on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of late, reality shows are providing a much-needed break from people being rotten to each other, says Tara Long, president of unscripted TV for Entertainment One, which produces such reality shows as \u003cem>Growing Up Hip Hop\u003c/em>, \u003cem>LadyGang\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Siesta Key\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We actually have production meetings where we say we don't want fighting,\" she says. It's a profound shift from the days when the genre relied on people flipping tables for drama. \"Ten years ago, you'd need that in every episode to build up to your final act.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Long if people who make reality television might be trying to change the cultural conversation after 20 years of toxic reality shows that helped—in part—elect \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513194862/with-conflict-and-drama-trump-hooks-you-like-a-reality-tv-show\">a former reality show star\u003c/a> to the U.S. presidency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"A hundred percent,\" she says, without hesitation. \"I think we want to create this content and tell these stories to kind of course-correct for some of the type of shows that have been done in the past.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a moment when the tone of public discourse feels so lowered, Long says, maybe now is the time for reality television—yes, reality television—to push for civility and respect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=A+Kinder%2C+Gentler+Wave+Of+Reality+TV+Tries+A+Little+Tenderness%2C+For+A+Change&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/113026/a-kinder-gentler-wave-of-reality-tv-tries-a-little-tenderness-for-a-change","authors":["byline_pop_113026"],"categories":["pop_3"],"tags":["pop_3795","pop_3796","pop_88","pop_438","pop_3147","pop_54","pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_113027","label":"pop"},"pop_112088":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_112088","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"112088","score":null,"sort":[1559067570000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"life-in-songland-the-reality-behind-nbcs-new-reality-show","title":"Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show","publishDate":1559067570,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>\"My parents have no idea what I do,\" says Shane McAnally, calling from the airport in Los Angeles as he shuffles between his many duties: as a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and now co-host of NBC's \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, a new musical competition show from the producers of \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> that judges songs, not those who sing them. McAnally's mom and dad aren't alone in being a bit confused. The job of a songwriter is likely one of the most important and the least understood in the entire craft of music—and, these days, one of the most proportionately underpaid. All that said, probably not an immediate homerun for compelling TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that's exactly why McAnally, who has written with the likes of Kacey Musgraves and Sam Hunt, signed on to \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> four years ago, without seeing much more than a preliminary concept. Though he's based in Nashville, a town that recognizes the songwriter more than perhaps anywhere on earth, McAnally still was mystified by how low on the totem pole of appreciation they actually are. And in today's climate, where songwriters are now positioned as anonymous faces in the fight for fair compensation against some of the world's most powerful media corporations—Spotify, Google and Amazon, to name a few—McAnally thought that could simply no longer stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McAnally, Ryan Tedder (lead singer of OneRepublic and Grammy-winning producer for Beyoncé, Adele and Taylor Swift) and Ester Dean (a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer for Rihanna and Nicki Minaj) comprise the judging panel on \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, premiering tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The concept is pretty simple: a songwriter pitches a piece of work they've created to the panel along with a guest artist, from the Jonas Brothers to Meghan Trainor to Kelsea Ballerini, who will then cut and release that song after it's massaged in a workshop setting. On this evening's premiere, piano man John Legend is on deck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not long into tonight's premiere, Tedder will pose a question to Tebby Burrows, one of the contestants. She's a Bahamian-born songwriter who lives in Miami, and is offering up a message-driven tune called \"We Need Love\" that she hopes Legend will choose. It's a big step up from the usual process of just shuffling a demo tape around—but, again, that's not exactly thrilling television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Do you make money as a songwriter?\" Tedder asks her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, like many in her position, is no. Burrows describes herself as \"a little bit like Clark Kent,\" working a marketing job during the day and gigging at night more for passion than profit. She's likely not alone. It's not easy to make a comfortable, or even passable, living as a songwriter. A first deal at an independent publisher, if a writer is lucky enough to snag one, barely equates to minimum wage, leaving \"successful\" songwriters to find a second revenue stream. Therein lies the rub. \"To be successful, it pretty much has to take 100% of your attention,\" says Abe Stoklasa, a songwriter (Chris Lane's \"Fix,\" Charles Kelly's \"The Driver\") who says his first publishing deal was worth $15,000 a year. And that's with no health insurance, either, which isn't customarily offered to songwriters through their publisher or performance rights organization (\"PRO\") such as ASCAP or BMI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tedder agrees. Though his finances are no longer a worry, he admits on the premiere of \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> that he used to work at Pottery Barn, back when he couldn't afford furniture himself. He hopes that \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> helps songwriters in both direct and indirect ways: that the contestants, even if they don't win their respective episode, can use the visibility to score publishing deals or syncs (where a song is used for film or television), and that the public at large—and even some in the industry—might start to value songwriters as more than just a name on the back of a CD. But even if they do snag a publishing deal, is the path lucrative if their songs don't hit \"Old Town Road\" or \"High Hopes\" proportions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If a guy working in the mailroom of Sony comes across the next Beyoncé, he gets more notoriety for discovering that artist than the songwriter that writes the song that becomes that artist's hit,\" says Tedder. \"Not only are we on the bottom of the food chain, the way the payment structure is set up, we get paid the least. And with streaming, that income has dropped drastically.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, things have gotten a lot more difficult for songwriters of late. It takes a massive hit for a songwriter to substantially profit from streaming services. And in the past two years, songwriters have been engaging in a score of battles, from lobbying to see the songwriter-focused Music Modernization Act signed into law—which it was, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/09/19/649611777/a-music-industry-peace-treaty-passes-unanimously-through-congress\">unanimously\u003c/a>, last year—to fighting Spotify, Google, Amazon and SiriusXM/Pandora as they attempt to appeal a 2018 ruling that would \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712777873/nile-rodgers-streaming-payments-songwriters-letter-spotify\">substantially increase\u003c/a> songwriter and publisher revenue. Both have been a struggle, in part because songwriters aren't generally celebrities, and it's a lot easier to garner support for a cause when there's a recognizable face at the helm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH9b-tBvbNg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Songwriting used to be a much more lucrative profession before the streaming era, and not just because of royalties. In a singles-centric landscape that is responding to \u003ca href=\"https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/us-recorded-music-industry-growth-slowed-in-h1-2018-with-a-dramatic-fall-in-cd-sales/\">rapidly declining\u003c/a> album sales, that means fewer chances for a songwriter to even land a cut to begin with, let alone a radio hit. And with more and more writers collaborating on a track—a Kanye West song can \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdA7swZoxks\">have fifteen\u003c/a>—that means a proportionally smaller share of any royalties. \"Back in the day, you could make millions from album cuts, and then just retire to the Bahamas,\" says Tedder. \"You could have the fourth or fifth single on a Maroon 5 record. These days, if you don't have the next single, with a release date in writing, you have nothing. All that to say, it's not an easy time to be a songwriter.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics is one such writer happily (and literally) living in the Bahamas—though retired he is not. Stewart conceived \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> with Emmy Award-winning producer Audrey Morrissey (\u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>) and director Ivan Dudynsky, with Maroon 5's Adam Levine as an executive producer. Stewart came up with the seeds of the idea on a trip to Nashville. \"Nashville always stuck to this songwriting thing, and I just thought there should be a show to explore that,\" he says. \"It's not looking behind the curtains. It's like looking behind many curtains.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stewart's right—the songwriting world is indeed shrouded in mystery. Truth is, the life of a songwriter is much more regimented than one might imagine, publishing deal or no. \"Most write every day at 11 a.m.,\" says Stoklasa. \"Some do two times a day. When I am super motivated, I am writing five days a week.\" All the while, for many, running a second shift to help pay the bills. \"I worked at night at a nursing home, and then I would go to the studio,\" says Dean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The technicalities of a songwriter's life don't quite make their way onto \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, but there is some jargon: Tedder, working with a contestant, talks about the number of beats, and terms like tempo and pre-chorus work their way into the criticism. Tedder wasn't worried that this type of language might scare people off—after all, plenty have learned what a sous-vide is from watching \u003cem>Iron Chef\u003c/em>. \"We know what kind of knife Jiro [Ono] uses to make his sushi, but we don't know Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for Elton John,\" says Tedder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Iron Chef\u003c/em> and the like, however, the goal is to be as creative as possible, to wow the panel with an inspired use of mushroom here, a savvy twist on ice cream there. On most musical competition shows... perhaps not so much. Original material has long been taboo on programs like \u003cem>American Idol—\u003c/em>it occasionally pops in during the audition phase, but it's generally frowned upon in favor of sport-singing successful hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catie Offerman, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, remembers trying out for \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> when she was just 15. For the audition, she performed a song she wrote herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When I finished, the judge looked at me said, 'don't ever come back and f****** sing an original song again,'\" she says. \"Honestly, that put everything into perspective for me.\" Offerman is not on \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, but she has run the gamut when it comes to reality programming, making it to Hollywood on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> years from that first audition but dropping out before she could get any further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Talent goes way beyond how many notes someone can sing,\" she says. \"When I watch \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>, it doesn't speak to me. I would rather turn on a show and see someone who can't sing but has something to say. And having something to say is way more important than hitting a bunch of octaves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without that vocal showboating, does \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> actually have anything to stand on? Turns out, the process itself is pretty entertaining—but that owes a lot to the panel themselves, and not just the songwriters. It's impressive to see Legend take a song and instantly shift the mood with a slower melody, or to see McAnally, Dean and Tedder make small but insightful snap suggestions that transform a nice tune into a possible hit. Like with most musical competition shows, the judges are the real stars, which falls pretty closely in line with how being a songwriter usually goes: hand the material over, watch it shine in the hands of another and then sit back and wait for your (inconsequential, in the case of streaming) royalties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You can be fifth place on the \u003cem>Voice\u003c/em> and still be more famous than the most famous songwriter,\" says Tedder. \"It's time for songwriters to have a voice. We will be a lot harder to ignore once we do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Life+In+%27Songland%27%3A+The+Reality+Behind+NBC%27s+New+Reality+Show&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A new competition show from the producers of 'The Voice' will search for a hitmaker and put the focus back on songwriters—one of the most underpaid professions in music.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1559067665,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":21,"wordCount":1744},"headData":{"title":"Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show | KQED","description":"A new competition show from the producers of 'The Voice' will search for a hitmaker and put the focus back on songwriters—one of the most underpaid professions in music.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show","datePublished":"2019-05-28T18:19:30.000Z","dateModified":"2019-05-28T18:21:05.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"112088 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=112088","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2019/05/28/life-in-songland-the-reality-behind-nbcs-new-reality-show/","disqusTitle":"Life In 'Songland': The Reality Behind NBC's New Reality Show","nprImageCredit":"NBC","nprByline":"Marissa R. Moss","nprImageAgency":"NBC","nprStoryId":"726538847","nprApiLink":"http://api.npr.org/query?id=726538847&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004","nprHtmlLink":"https://www.npr.org/2019/05/28/726538847/life-in-songland-the-reality-behind-nbcs-new-reality-show?ft=nprml&f=726538847","nprRetrievedStory":"1","nprPubDate":"Tue, 28 May 2019 05:52:00 -0400","nprStoryDate":"Tue, 28 May 2019 05:00:00 -0400","nprLastModifiedDate":"Tue, 28 May 2019 05:52:40 -0400","path":"/pop/112088/life-in-songland-the-reality-behind-nbcs-new-reality-show","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\"My parents have no idea what I do,\" says Shane McAnally, calling from the airport in Los Angeles as he shuffles between his many duties: as a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and now co-host of NBC's \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, a new musical competition show from the producers of \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> that judges songs, not those who sing them. McAnally's mom and dad aren't alone in being a bit confused. The job of a songwriter is likely one of the most important and the least understood in the entire craft of music—and, these days, one of the most proportionately underpaid. All that said, probably not an immediate homerun for compelling TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that's exactly why McAnally, who has written with the likes of Kacey Musgraves and Sam Hunt, signed on to \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> four years ago, without seeing much more than a preliminary concept. Though he's based in Nashville, a town that recognizes the songwriter more than perhaps anywhere on earth, McAnally still was mystified by how low on the totem pole of appreciation they actually are. And in today's climate, where songwriters are now positioned as anonymous faces in the fight for fair compensation against some of the world's most powerful media corporations—Spotify, Google and Amazon, to name a few—McAnally thought that could simply no longer stand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McAnally, Ryan Tedder (lead singer of OneRepublic and Grammy-winning producer for Beyoncé, Adele and Taylor Swift) and Ester Dean (a Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer for Rihanna and Nicki Minaj) comprise the judging panel on \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, premiering tonight at 10 p.m. ET. The concept is pretty simple: a songwriter pitches a piece of work they've created to the panel along with a guest artist, from the Jonas Brothers to Meghan Trainor to Kelsea Ballerini, who will then cut and release that song after it's massaged in a workshop setting. On this evening's premiere, piano man John Legend is on deck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not long into tonight's premiere, Tedder will pose a question to Tebby Burrows, one of the contestants. She's a Bahamian-born songwriter who lives in Miami, and is offering up a message-driven tune called \"We Need Love\" that she hopes Legend will choose. It's a big step up from the usual process of just shuffling a demo tape around—but, again, that's not exactly thrilling television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Do you make money as a songwriter?\" Tedder asks her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer, like many in her position, is no. Burrows describes herself as \"a little bit like Clark Kent,\" working a marketing job during the day and gigging at night more for passion than profit. She's likely not alone. It's not easy to make a comfortable, or even passable, living as a songwriter. A first deal at an independent publisher, if a writer is lucky enough to snag one, barely equates to minimum wage, leaving \"successful\" songwriters to find a second revenue stream. Therein lies the rub. \"To be successful, it pretty much has to take 100% of your attention,\" says Abe Stoklasa, a songwriter (Chris Lane's \"Fix,\" Charles Kelly's \"The Driver\") who says his first publishing deal was worth $15,000 a year. And that's with no health insurance, either, which isn't customarily offered to songwriters through their publisher or performance rights organization (\"PRO\") such as ASCAP or BMI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tedder agrees. Though his finances are no longer a worry, he admits on the premiere of \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> that he used to work at Pottery Barn, back when he couldn't afford furniture himself. He hopes that \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> helps songwriters in both direct and indirect ways: that the contestants, even if they don't win their respective episode, can use the visibility to score publishing deals or syncs (where a song is used for film or television), and that the public at large—and even some in the industry—might start to value songwriters as more than just a name on the back of a CD. But even if they do snag a publishing deal, is the path lucrative if their songs don't hit \"Old Town Road\" or \"High Hopes\" proportions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If a guy working in the mailroom of Sony comes across the next Beyoncé, he gets more notoriety for discovering that artist than the songwriter that writes the song that becomes that artist's hit,\" says Tedder. \"Not only are we on the bottom of the food chain, the way the payment structure is set up, we get paid the least. And with streaming, that income has dropped drastically.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, things have gotten a lot more difficult for songwriters of late. It takes a massive hit for a songwriter to substantially profit from streaming services. And in the past two years, songwriters have been engaging in a score of battles, from lobbying to see the songwriter-focused Music Modernization Act signed into law—which it was, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2018/09/19/649611777/a-music-industry-peace-treaty-passes-unanimously-through-congress\">unanimously\u003c/a>, last year—to fighting Spotify, Google, Amazon and SiriusXM/Pandora as they attempt to appeal a 2018 ruling that would \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/04/12/712777873/nile-rodgers-streaming-payments-songwriters-letter-spotify\">substantially increase\u003c/a> songwriter and publisher revenue. Both have been a struggle, in part because songwriters aren't generally celebrities, and it's a lot easier to garner support for a cause when there's a recognizable face at the helm.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/kH9b-tBvbNg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/kH9b-tBvbNg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Songwriting used to be a much more lucrative profession before the streaming era, and not just because of royalties. In a singles-centric landscape that is responding to \u003ca href=\"https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/us-recorded-music-industry-growth-slowed-in-h1-2018-with-a-dramatic-fall-in-cd-sales/\">rapidly declining\u003c/a> album sales, that means fewer chances for a songwriter to even land a cut to begin with, let alone a radio hit. And with more and more writers collaborating on a track—a Kanye West song can \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdA7swZoxks\">have fifteen\u003c/a>—that means a proportionally smaller share of any royalties. \"Back in the day, you could make millions from album cuts, and then just retire to the Bahamas,\" says Tedder. \"You could have the fourth or fifth single on a Maroon 5 record. These days, if you don't have the next single, with a release date in writing, you have nothing. All that to say, it's not an easy time to be a songwriter.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics is one such writer happily (and literally) living in the Bahamas—though retired he is not. Stewart conceived \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> with Emmy Award-winning producer Audrey Morrissey (\u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>) and director Ivan Dudynsky, with Maroon 5's Adam Levine as an executive producer. Stewart came up with the seeds of the idea on a trip to Nashville. \"Nashville always stuck to this songwriting thing, and I just thought there should be a show to explore that,\" he says. \"It's not looking behind the curtains. It's like looking behind many curtains.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stewart's right—the songwriting world is indeed shrouded in mystery. Truth is, the life of a songwriter is much more regimented than one might imagine, publishing deal or no. \"Most write every day at 11 a.m.,\" says Stoklasa. \"Some do two times a day. When I am super motivated, I am writing five days a week.\" All the while, for many, running a second shift to help pay the bills. \"I worked at night at a nursing home, and then I would go to the studio,\" says Dean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The technicalities of a songwriter's life don't quite make their way onto \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, but there is some jargon: Tedder, working with a contestant, talks about the number of beats, and terms like tempo and pre-chorus work their way into the criticism. Tedder wasn't worried that this type of language might scare people off—after all, plenty have learned what a sous-vide is from watching \u003cem>Iron Chef\u003c/em>. \"We know what kind of knife Jiro [Ono] uses to make his sushi, but we don't know Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for Elton John,\" says Tedder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On \u003cem>Iron Chef\u003c/em> and the like, however, the goal is to be as creative as possible, to wow the panel with an inspired use of mushroom here, a savvy twist on ice cream there. On most musical competition shows... perhaps not so much. Original material has long been taboo on programs like \u003cem>American Idol—\u003c/em>it occasionally pops in during the audition phase, but it's generally frowned upon in favor of sport-singing successful hits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Catie Offerman, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, remembers trying out for \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> when she was just 15. For the audition, she performed a song she wrote herself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When I finished, the judge looked at me said, 'don't ever come back and f****** sing an original song again,'\" she says. \"Honestly, that put everything into perspective for me.\" Offerman is not on \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em>, but she has run the gamut when it comes to reality programming, making it to Hollywood on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> years from that first audition but dropping out before she could get any further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Talent goes way beyond how many notes someone can sing,\" she says. \"When I watch \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>, it doesn't speak to me. I would rather turn on a show and see someone who can't sing but has something to say. And having something to say is way more important than hitting a bunch of octaves.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without that vocal showboating, does \u003cem>Songland\u003c/em> actually have anything to stand on? Turns out, the process itself is pretty entertaining—but that owes a lot to the panel themselves, and not just the songwriters. It's impressive to see Legend take a song and instantly shift the mood with a slower melody, or to see McAnally, Dean and Tedder make small but insightful snap suggestions that transform a nice tune into a possible hit. Like with most musical competition shows, the judges are the real stars, which falls pretty closely in line with how being a songwriter usually goes: hand the material over, watch it shine in the hands of another and then sit back and wait for your (inconsequential, in the case of streaming) royalties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You can be fifth place on the \u003cem>Voice\u003c/em> and still be more famous than the most famous songwriter,\" says Tedder. \"It's time for songwriters to have a voice. We will be a lot harder to ignore once we do.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org\">NPR\u003c/a>.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Life+In+%27Songland%27%3A+The+Reality+Behind+NBC%27s+New+Reality+Show&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/112088/life-in-songland-the-reality-behind-nbcs-new-reality-show","authors":["byline_pop_112088"],"categories":["pop_4","pop_3"],"tags":["pop_3166","pop_3341","pop_3056","pop_88","pop_54","pop_280","pop_3666","pop_3667"],"featImg":"pop_112089","label":"pop"},"pop_111060":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_111060","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"111060","score":null,"sort":[1555443796000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"mtv-realitycon-is-arriving-in-the-real-world-next-year","title":"MTV RealityCon is Arriving in the Real World Next Year","publishDate":1555443796,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>When most people think about 2020, a wave of fear and dread washes over them. If the next general election is anything like 2016, it's going to be a slog for everyone. Thoughtfully, MTV is trying its best to bring balance back to the universe by grabbing all the reality shows that best transform our thinkin' brains into bowls of mush, and throwing them together in a room for our entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the same way that Comic-Con gathers together stars from every spectrum of the sci-fi and comic book universes, RealityCon is poised do the same for reality TV stars, with panels, Q&As, and performances. Given that MTV was responsible for kickstarting the reality show genre with \u003cem>The Real World\u003c/em> in 1992, it makes perfect sense for the channel to be the host—but this won't only be about MTV branded shows. If you've ever wanted to meet a Bachelor, or a Survivor, or a Mob Wife, this is going to be the event of the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RealityCon aims to answer all of the burning questions that keep reality TV fans awake at night. Such as, \"What would happen if the \u003cem>Duck Dynasty\u003c/em> beards hung out with the queens of \u003cem>Ru Paul's Drag Race\u003c/em>?\" And \"Who would win in a fist fight between Snooki and Teresa Giudice?\" And \"Could I pick out anyone who's ever been on \u003cem>Big Brother\u003c/em> in a line-up?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More details, such as exactly where and exactly when this all takes place, are expected sometime this fall. No word yet on whether Lady Gaga will reunite with the cast of \u003cem>The Hills\u003c/em>, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy5UfikHgY0&t=79s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"RealityCon is what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. (Or something...)","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1555443896,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":6,"wordCount":298},"headData":{"title":"MTV RealityCon is Arriving in the Real World Next Year | KQED","description":"RealityCon is what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. (Or something...)","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"MTV RealityCon is Arriving in the Real World Next Year","datePublished":"2019-04-16T19:43:16.000Z","dateModified":"2019-04-16T19:44:56.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"111060 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=111060","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2019/04/16/mtv-realitycon-is-arriving-in-the-real-world-next-year/","disqusTitle":"MTV RealityCon is Arriving in the Real World Next Year","path":"/pop/111060/mtv-realitycon-is-arriving-in-the-real-world-next-year","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>When most people think about 2020, a wave of fear and dread washes over them. If the next general election is anything like 2016, it's going to be a slog for everyone. Thoughtfully, MTV is trying its best to bring balance back to the universe by grabbing all the reality shows that best transform our thinkin' brains into bowls of mush, and throwing them together in a room for our entertainment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the same way that Comic-Con gathers together stars from every spectrum of the sci-fi and comic book universes, RealityCon is poised do the same for reality TV stars, with panels, Q&As, and performances. Given that MTV was responsible for kickstarting the reality show genre with \u003cem>The Real World\u003c/em> in 1992, it makes perfect sense for the channel to be the host—but this won't only be about MTV branded shows. If you've ever wanted to meet a Bachelor, or a Survivor, or a Mob Wife, this is going to be the event of the summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RealityCon aims to answer all of the burning questions that keep reality TV fans awake at night. Such as, \"What would happen if the \u003cem>Duck Dynasty\u003c/em> beards hung out with the queens of \u003cem>Ru Paul's Drag Race\u003c/em>?\" And \"Who would win in a fist fight between Snooki and Teresa Giudice?\" And \"Could I pick out anyone who's ever been on \u003cem>Big Brother\u003c/em> in a line-up?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More details, such as exactly where and exactly when this all takes place, are expected sometime this fall. No word yet on whether Lady Gaga will reunite with the cast of \u003cem>The Hills\u003c/em>, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Hy5UfikHgY0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Hy5UfikHgY0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/111060/mtv-realitycon-is-arriving-in-the-real-world-next-year","authors":["11242"],"categories":["pop_3"],"tags":["pop_3341","pop_52","pop_54","pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_111064","label":"pop"},"pop_109387":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_109387","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"109387","score":null,"sort":[1550131254000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"what-are-dating-shows-doing-to-our-brains","title":"What Are Dating Shows Doing to Our Brains?","publishDate":1550131254,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>This week, we are wondering how shows like \u003cem>Flavor of Love\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Love Connection\u003c/em> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/the-bachelor\">\u003cem>The Bachelor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> have molded the way we think about dating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109392\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/rachel-leigh-cooke-brain-on-heroin-psa.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"191\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also dive into a dumpster full of crimes against romance committed by celebrities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109390\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/tom-cruise-oprah-couch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"153\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we share strong opinions about candy hearts and which new song might be the \"No Scrubs\" of our time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109391\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/mariah-carey-hi.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/thecooler/2019/02/Crimes.mp3\" title=\"Crimes Against Romance\" program=\"The Cooler\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/brain-on-dating-shows.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until next week! \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1041117499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subscribe and rate us five stars in iTunes\u003c/a>! And find us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED-Pop-336039936485067/timeline/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kqedpop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"How have shows like 'Flavor of Love' molded the way we think about dating? Also, we share strong feelings on candy hearts and which new song might be the 'No Scrubs' of our time.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1550117180,"stats":{"hasAudio":true,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":9,"wordCount":119},"headData":{"title":"What Are Dating Shows Doing to Our Brains? | KQED","description":"How have shows like 'Flavor of Love' molded the way we think about dating? Also, we share strong feelings on candy hearts and which new song might be the 'No Scrubs' of our time.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"What Are Dating Shows Doing to Our Brains?","datePublished":"2019-02-14T08:00:54.000Z","dateModified":"2019-02-14T04:06:20.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"109387 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=109387","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2019/02/14/what-are-dating-shows-doing-to-our-brains/","disqusTitle":"What Are Dating Shows Doing to Our Brains?","audioTrackLength":1843,"path":"/pop/109387/what-are-dating-shows-doing-to-our-brains","audioUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/thecooler/2019/02/Crimes.mp3","audioDuration":1857000,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>This week, we are wondering how shows like \u003cem>Flavor of Love\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Love Connection\u003c/em> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/the-bachelor\">\u003cem>The Bachelor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> have molded the way we think about dating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109392\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/rachel-leigh-cooke-brain-on-heroin-psa.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"191\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also dive into a dumpster full of crimes against romance committed by celebrities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109390\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/tom-cruise-oprah-couch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"153\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we share strong opinions about candy hearts and which new song might be the \"No Scrubs\" of our time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-109391\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/mariah-carey-hi.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"audio","attributes":{"named":{"src":"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/thecooler/2019/02/Crimes.mp3","title":"Crimes Against Romance","program":"The Cooler","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/brain-on-dating-shows.jpg","label":""},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until next week! \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1041117499\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subscribe and rate us five stars in iTunes\u003c/a>! And find us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED-Pop-336039936485067/timeline/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kqedpop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/109387/what-are-dating-shows-doing-to-our-brains","authors":["27"],"categories":["pop_2793"],"tags":["pop_3426","pop_3341","pop_54","pop_280","pop_195","pop_1028","pop_2859","pop_3431"],"featImg":"pop_109388","label":"pop"},"pop_108032":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_108032","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"108032","score":null,"sort":[1548858161000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"the-surprising-feminism-of-gordon-ramsays-tv-kitchens","title":"The Surprising Feminism of Gordon Ramsay's TV Kitchens","publishDate":1548858161,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>The culinary world's rampant sexism is well-documented. \u003ca href=\"https://datausa.io/profile/soc/351011/\">Data USA\u003c/a> reports that 78.4% of chefs and head cooks are men, despite the fact that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/male-female-ratios-culinary-school/\">since 2009\u003c/a>, women and men have been attending culinary school in almost \u003ca href=\"https://slate.com/human-interest/2017/03/female-students-outnumber-males-at-the-culinary-institute-of-america-for-the-first-time.html\">equal numbers\u003c/a>. The women who do make it into kitchens typically make much less ($28,300 annually, versus a man's $34,500) and of America's 25 highest-paid chefs, only three—Rachael Ray, Paula Deen and Ina Garten—are women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not an issue that's specific to the USA. In Holland, only \u003ca href=\"https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/3dmje8/we-asked-male-chefs-why-there-are-so-few-females-in-professional-kitchens\">10 percent\u003c/a> of professional chefs are women. In the UK, it's 18.5 percent. And, out of Britain's 172 Michelin-starred restaurants, \u003ca href=\"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/the-women-proving-male-and-female-chefs-are-equal-monica-galetti-a7660666.html\">only 10\u003c/a> have female head chefs. In 2017, the dire consequences of this industry-wide inequality were revealed when the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Washington Post\u003c/em> exposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/dining/mario-batali-spotted-pig.html\">sexual harassment\u003c/a> and assault at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/12/12/i-want-to-see-you-naked-when-alcohol-flowed-mario-batali-turned-abusive-workers-say/?utm_term=.fee47eb3076d\">highest echelons\u003c/a> of the culinary world. But the media at large is not always so helpful. In 2013, \u003cem>Time\u003c/em>'s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2017/11/20/16595308/female-women-representation-in-food\">\"Gods of Food\"\u003c/a> issue, for example, featured zero women chefs on its main list. The only two that managed to get a mention were relegated to a side panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only kitchens in the world where women may have a realistic hope of being treated equally are, arguably, those with television cameras in them. And, surprisingly, it's the reality TV kitchens headed by Gordon Ramsay that seem to do the best job. It makes almost no sense. Ramsay has been appallingly sexist in public on several occasions. In 1999, he said he \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jun/11/features11.g24\">didn't like employing female chefs\u003c/a> because \"they only work three weeks a month\" and \"How can you shout at someone who's four months pregnant?\" In 2013, he held up an image of a naked woman on all fours with the face of a pig, and told a 3,000-person audience that it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jun/13/gordon-ramsay-tracy-grimshaw\">Tracy Grimshaw\u003c/a>, an Australian journalist who had interviewed him the day before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet on Ramsay's TV competitions, despite the fact that the judges are almost always men, women thrive and, more often than not, win. Of 17 seasons of \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em>, 11 of the winners are women. So were five out of the first six winners of \u003cem>MasterChef. \u003c/em>One, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theposhtart/?hl=en\">Courtney Lapresi\u003c/a>, talked openly about her work as a stripper and suffered zero judgment for it. (Shows like \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/tv/americas-next-top-model-contestant-angelea-preston-fired-for-escort-past/\">\u003cem>America's Next Top Model\u003c/em> have proven far less tolerant\u003c/a> of sex workers.) Another winner, Whitney Miller, was just 22-years-old and sweet in a way that you'd expect to rub Ramsay the wrong way. Other female winners have included a blind Asian-American woman (\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_H%C3%A0\">Christine Hà\u003c/a>) and a Latina single mom who is now a judge on \u003ca href=\"https://www.telemundo.com/shows/masterchef-latino\">\u003cem>Masterchef Latino\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (\u003ca href=\"http://www.chefclaudiascocina.com/\">Claudia Sandoval\u003c/a>). Only two of the nine \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> winners have been white men—the demographic most likely to dominate professional kitchens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1NJoJBr6c8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a 50/50 male-female contestant split at the start of every season offers a level playing field that simply does not exist in the real world yet. And the stakes are high—both \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em> give a prize of $250,000 to the winner, as well as an international cookbook deal and a head chef position at one of Ramsay's restaurants, respectively. What's more, during eliminations, Ramsay has been known to offer some contestants either jobs with him or loans to launch their own businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's possible that Ramsay's attitude adjustment is thanks, at least in part, to Claire Smyth. In 2002, she had the distinction of being the first woman Ramsay ever hired to work in one of his kitchens. After becoming a head chef for him in London, she acquired three Michelin stars, an MBE and the accolade of \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/aug/03/clare-smyth-worlds-best-female-chef-im-not-going-to-stand-and-shout-at-someone-its-just-not-nice\">best female chef in the world.\u003c/a> She acknowledged how tough it was to get there in a 2007 interview, saying: \"It took me a long time to earn respect. I had to work twice as hard. I could never say I was tired or I was sick or I had cut my finger because the response would have been: ‘It’s because you’re a girl.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Smyth demonstrated to Ramsay what a woman could do in a professional kitchen, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Hartnett\">Angela Hartnett\u003c/a> proved it wasn't a fluke. After being mentored by Ramsay, she too was awarded an MBE and Michelin star. She opened his Boca Raton restaurant, Cielo, in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Praising Gordon Ramsay for finally treating women as equals feels a bit like giving someone an award for no longer kicking you. But in 2017, he was ranked the fourth \u003ca href=\"https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/america-s-25-most-successful-chefs-2017-slideshow/slide-23\">most successful chef in the world\u003c/a>. Ramsay has a public profile and international visibility that is unrivaled in the industry. As such, the importance of the example he is setting cannot be overstated. Not only are contestants' lives changed by the prizes and education these shows offer, the success of women on them serves as both an \"If you can see it, you can be it\" inspiration to viewers, and a demonstration to the industry that women are just as capable of running a kitchen as men are. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need TV shows to prove that, but until things get better across the food industry, \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em> offer us a glimpse of just how much better things could be.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Despite mostly male judges and Ramsay's sexist history, 'MasterChef' and 'Hell's Kitchen' offer women a level playing field that is often lacking in professional kitchens. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1574302109,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":10,"wordCount":940},"headData":{"title":"The Surprising Feminism of Gordon Ramsay's TV Kitchens | KQED","description":"Despite mostly male judges and Ramsay's sexist history, 'MasterChef' and 'Hell's Kitchen' offer women a level playing field that is often lacking in professional kitchens. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"The Surprising Feminism of Gordon Ramsay's TV Kitchens","datePublished":"2019-01-30T14:22:41.000Z","dateModified":"2019-11-21T02:08:29.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"108032 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=108032","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2019/01/30/the-surprising-feminism-of-gordon-ramsays-tv-kitchens/","disqusTitle":"The Surprising Feminism of Gordon Ramsay's TV Kitchens","templateType":"standard","featuredImageType":"standard","path":"/pop/108032/the-surprising-feminism-of-gordon-ramsays-tv-kitchens","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The culinary world's rampant sexism is well-documented. \u003ca href=\"https://datausa.io/profile/soc/351011/\">Data USA\u003c/a> reports that 78.4% of chefs and head cooks are men, despite the fact that, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/male-female-ratios-culinary-school/\">since 2009\u003c/a>, women and men have been attending culinary school in almost \u003ca href=\"https://slate.com/human-interest/2017/03/female-students-outnumber-males-at-the-culinary-institute-of-america-for-the-first-time.html\">equal numbers\u003c/a>. The women who do make it into kitchens typically make much less ($28,300 annually, versus a man's $34,500) and of America's 25 highest-paid chefs, only three—Rachael Ray, Paula Deen and Ina Garten—are women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not an issue that's specific to the USA. In Holland, only \u003ca href=\"https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/3dmje8/we-asked-male-chefs-why-there-are-so-few-females-in-professional-kitchens\">10 percent\u003c/a> of professional chefs are women. In the UK, it's 18.5 percent. And, out of Britain's 172 Michelin-starred restaurants, \u003ca href=\"https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/the-women-proving-male-and-female-chefs-are-equal-monica-galetti-a7660666.html\">only 10\u003c/a> have female head chefs. In 2017, the dire consequences of this industry-wide inequality were revealed when the \u003cem>New York Times\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Washington Post\u003c/em> exposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/20/dining/mario-batali-spotted-pig.html\">sexual harassment\u003c/a> and assault at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/12/12/i-want-to-see-you-naked-when-alcohol-flowed-mario-batali-turned-abusive-workers-say/?utm_term=.fee47eb3076d\">highest echelons\u003c/a> of the culinary world. But the media at large is not always so helpful. In 2013, \u003cem>Time\u003c/em>'s \u003ca href=\"https://www.eater.com/2017/11/20/16595308/female-women-representation-in-food\">\"Gods of Food\"\u003c/a> issue, for example, featured zero women chefs on its main list. The only two that managed to get a mention were relegated to a side panel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only kitchens in the world where women may have a realistic hope of being treated equally are, arguably, those with television cameras in them. And, surprisingly, it's the reality TV kitchens headed by Gordon Ramsay that seem to do the best job. It makes almost no sense. Ramsay has been appallingly sexist in public on several occasions. In 1999, he said he \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/jun/11/features11.g24\">didn't like employing female chefs\u003c/a> because \"they only work three weeks a month\" and \"How can you shout at someone who's four months pregnant?\" In 2013, he held up an image of a naked woman on all fours with the face of a pig, and told a 3,000-person audience that it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jun/13/gordon-ramsay-tracy-grimshaw\">Tracy Grimshaw\u003c/a>, an Australian journalist who had interviewed him the day before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yet on Ramsay's TV competitions, despite the fact that the judges are almost always men, women thrive and, more often than not, win. Of 17 seasons of \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em>, 11 of the winners are women. So were five out of the first six winners of \u003cem>MasterChef. \u003c/em>One, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/theposhtart/?hl=en\">Courtney Lapresi\u003c/a>, talked openly about her work as a stripper and suffered zero judgment for it. (Shows like \u003ca href=\"https://people.com/tv/americas-next-top-model-contestant-angelea-preston-fired-for-escort-past/\">\u003cem>America's Next Top Model\u003c/em> have proven far less tolerant\u003c/a> of sex workers.) Another winner, Whitney Miller, was just 22-years-old and sweet in a way that you'd expect to rub Ramsay the wrong way. Other female winners have included a blind Asian-American woman (\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_H%C3%A0\">Christine Hà\u003c/a>) and a Latina single mom who is now a judge on \u003ca href=\"https://www.telemundo.com/shows/masterchef-latino\">\u003cem>Masterchef Latino\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (\u003ca href=\"http://www.chefclaudiascocina.com/\">Claudia Sandoval\u003c/a>). Only two of the nine \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> winners have been white men—the demographic most likely to dominate professional kitchens.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/G1NJoJBr6c8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/G1NJoJBr6c8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having a 50/50 male-female contestant split at the start of every season offers a level playing field that simply does not exist in the real world yet. And the stakes are high—both \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em> give a prize of $250,000 to the winner, as well as an international cookbook deal and a head chef position at one of Ramsay's restaurants, respectively. What's more, during eliminations, Ramsay has been known to offer some contestants either jobs with him or loans to launch their own businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It's possible that Ramsay's attitude adjustment is thanks, at least in part, to Claire Smyth. In 2002, she had the distinction of being the first woman Ramsay ever hired to work in one of his kitchens. After becoming a head chef for him in London, she acquired three Michelin stars, an MBE and the accolade of \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/aug/03/clare-smyth-worlds-best-female-chef-im-not-going-to-stand-and-shout-at-someone-its-just-not-nice\">best female chef in the world.\u003c/a> She acknowledged how tough it was to get there in a 2007 interview, saying: \"It took me a long time to earn respect. I had to work twice as hard. I could never say I was tired or I was sick or I had cut my finger because the response would have been: ‘It’s because you’re a girl.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Smyth demonstrated to Ramsay what a woman could do in a professional kitchen, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Hartnett\">Angela Hartnett\u003c/a> proved it wasn't a fluke. After being mentored by Ramsay, she too was awarded an MBE and Michelin star. She opened his Boca Raton restaurant, Cielo, in 2007.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Praising Gordon Ramsay for finally treating women as equals feels a bit like giving someone an award for no longer kicking you. But in 2017, he was ranked the fourth \u003ca href=\"https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/america-s-25-most-successful-chefs-2017-slideshow/slide-23\">most successful chef in the world\u003c/a>. Ramsay has a public profile and international visibility that is unrivaled in the industry. As such, the importance of the example he is setting cannot be overstated. Not only are contestants' lives changed by the prizes and education these shows offer, the success of women on them serves as both an \"If you can see it, you can be it\" inspiration to viewers, and a demonstration to the industry that women are just as capable of running a kitchen as men are. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need TV shows to prove that, but until things get better across the food industry, \u003cem>MasterChef\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hell's Kitchen\u003c/em> offer us a glimpse of just how much better things could be.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/108032/the-surprising-feminism-of-gordon-ramsays-tv-kitchens","authors":["11242"],"categories":["pop_2899","pop_3"],"tags":["pop_3426","pop_3341","pop_601","pop_3185","pop_3379","pop_3383","pop_3378","pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_108274","label":"pop"},"pop_102619":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_102619","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"102619","score":null,"sort":[1520882855000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"american-idol-reboot-has-3-problems-but-the-pitch-aint-one","title":"'American Idol' Reboot Has 3 Problems, But The Pitch Ain't One","publishDate":1520882855,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>After watching ABC's two-hour premiere of its \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319931/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reboot, I'm still not sure they answered the most important question: Why bring this faded music competition back now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The easy answer is money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w__dRihZlNQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, big TV events like the Grammys and the Oscars have set \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/06/591083442/oscars-tv-ratings-fall-again\">record low viewership\u003c/a>. So there's plenty of business sense in reviving a show that spent seven consecutive seasons as TV's most-watched series. It was a powerful brand before eroding ratings and rising costs prompted Fox to cancel it in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a look at Sunday's \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> episode reveals good business might not always make for the most entertaining television. Here's a list of potential problems for \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> 2.0, showing how tough it will be to reignite interest in a show so familiar it stopped surprising fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 1: Some of \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>'s biggest alums work for the competition.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It probably seemed like good business sense to kick off Sunday's show with a voice-over from one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s most successful winners, country superstar Carrie Underwood. But she doesn't actually appear on camera, except for a brief clip from her 2005 win. (I wondered if that might be the unfortunate result of an accident she had in November, \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-carrie-underwood-face-stitches-accident-1514908696-htmlstory.html\">which required stiches to her face\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And her cameo might also remind viewers that two other big name \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> alums — Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson — actually appear on rival NBC's blockbuster singing competition, \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which reminds \u003cem>me \u003c/em>of another issue ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 2: The show's focus on the unknown contestants limits its star power.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider this comment from judge and country star Luke Bryan: \"When you look at what we're trying to do with \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>, it's not about what me and Lionel [Richie] and Katy [Perry] are doing,\" he says, referring to his fellow judges. \"It's about watching the star be born, right in front of your eyes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But focusing on unknowns is pretty much the opposite of what seems to be working elsewhere. \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> became one of NBC's most popular shows by deliberately centering attention on its superstar judges instead of the contestants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 3: Ryan Seacrest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though he's the host, Seacrest isn't featured much in \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s first episode. He remains the most visible link to the show's storied past, but his brand has been buffeted by allegations of sexual misconduct. Seacrest denies the allegations, and an independent investigation commissioned by the cable channel E! found \"insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With some critics still angry at E! and Disney for standing behind Seacrest, the question remains whether lingering ill-will might impact \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s viewership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ABC's solution: Play nice. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing about the new \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> that works in its favor: It has a huge heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2GjbvrX7w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sunday, we saw a geeky, super awkward girl deliver a wonderful, original song. Then we heard from another hopeful who survived a tough childhood, and watched a singer who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live his dream of auditioning on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Disneyfied version of the show often goes down like familiar comfort food — full of sentimentality and positive emotion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though we saw a few terrible auditions, only one guy seemed to be put in front of judges specifically to be awful on camera. And the show doesn't savor badness, or pointedly lampoon contestants as it did in the past when tough Brit Simon Cowell sat at the judges' table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conflict is kept to a minimum, with Bryan, Perry and Richie seeming to get along much better than some past judge lineups (yup, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, I'm talking about you).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ABC's version of \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> doesn't come at you like the pugnacious, grandiose hit it used to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at a time when real life events have left audiences hungry for familiar, soothing television, this year's model might work better than anyone expects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27American+Idol%27+Reboot+Has+3+Potential+Problems%2C+But+The+Pitch+Ain%27t+One&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Fox canceled 'American Idol' in 2016, but ABC's reboot has a surprising—and endearing—amount of heart.","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1520882855,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":24,"wordCount":707},"headData":{"title":"'American Idol' Reboot Has 3 Problems, But The Pitch Ain't One | KQED","description":"Fox canceled 'American Idol' in 2016, but ABC's reboot has a surprising—and endearing—amount of heart.","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"'American Idol' Reboot Has 3 Problems, But The Pitch Ain't One","datePublished":"2018-03-12T19:27:35.000Z","dateModified":"2018-03-12T19:27:35.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"102619 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=102619","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2018/03/12/american-idol-reboot-has-3-problems-but-the-pitch-aint-one/","disqusTitle":"'American Idol' Reboot Has 3 Problems, But The Pitch Ain't One","nprImageCredit":"Eric Liebowitz","nprByline":"Eric Deggans","nprImageAgency":"ABC","nprStoryId":"592396400","nprApiLink":"http://api.npr.org/query?id=592396400&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004","nprHtmlLink":"https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2018/03/12/592396400/american-idol-reboot-has-3-potential-problems-but-the-pitch-ain-t-one?ft=nprml&f=592396400","nprRetrievedStory":"1","nprPubDate":"Mon, 12 Mar 2018 13:31:00 -0400","nprStoryDate":"Mon, 12 Mar 2018 05:01:06 -0400","nprLastModifiedDate":"Mon, 12 Mar 2018 13:31:50 -0400","path":"/pop/102619/american-idol-reboot-has-3-problems-but-the-pitch-aint-one","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After watching ABC's two-hour premiere of its \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319931/?ref_=nv_sr_1\">\u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reboot, I'm still not sure they answered the most important question: Why bring this faded music competition back now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The easy answer is money.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/w__dRihZlNQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/w__dRihZlNQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>This year, big TV events like the Grammys and the Oscars have set \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/06/591083442/oscars-tv-ratings-fall-again\">record low viewership\u003c/a>. So there's plenty of business sense in reviving a show that spent seven consecutive seasons as TV's most-watched series. It was a powerful brand before eroding ratings and rising costs prompted Fox to cancel it in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, a look at Sunday's \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> episode reveals good business might not always make for the most entertaining television. Here's a list of potential problems for \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> 2.0, showing how tough it will be to reignite interest in a show so familiar it stopped surprising fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 1: Some of \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>'s biggest alums work for the competition.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It probably seemed like good business sense to kick off Sunday's show with a voice-over from one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s most successful winners, country superstar Carrie Underwood. But she doesn't actually appear on camera, except for a brief clip from her 2005 win. (I wondered if that might be the unfortunate result of an accident she had in November, \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-carrie-underwood-face-stitches-accident-1514908696-htmlstory.html\">which required stiches to her face\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And her cameo might also remind viewers that two other big name \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> alums — Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson — actually appear on rival NBC's blockbuster singing competition, \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which reminds \u003cem>me \u003c/em>of another issue ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 2: The show's focus on the unknown contestants limits its star power.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider this comment from judge and country star Luke Bryan: \"When you look at what we're trying to do with \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>, it's not about what me and Lionel [Richie] and Katy [Perry] are doing,\" he says, referring to his fellow judges. \"It's about watching the star be born, right in front of your eyes.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But focusing on unknowns is pretty much the opposite of what seems to be working elsewhere. \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em> became one of NBC's most popular shows by deliberately centering attention on its superstar judges instead of the contestants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Problem No. 3: Ryan Seacrest\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though he's the host, Seacrest isn't featured much in \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s first episode. He remains the most visible link to the show's storied past, but his brand has been buffeted by allegations of sexual misconduct. Seacrest denies the allegations, and an independent investigation commissioned by the cable channel E! found \"insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With some critics still angry at E! and Disney for standing behind Seacrest, the question remains whether lingering ill-will might impact \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>'s viewership.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>ABC's solution: Play nice. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing about the new \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> that works in its favor: It has a huge heart.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/u_2GjbvrX7w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/u_2GjbvrX7w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>On Sunday, we saw a geeky, super awkward girl deliver a wonderful, original song. Then we heard from another hopeful who survived a tough childhood, and watched a singer who escaped violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo live his dream of auditioning on \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This Disneyfied version of the show often goes down like familiar comfort food — full of sentimentality and positive emotion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though we saw a few terrible auditions, only one guy seemed to be put in front of judges specifically to be awful on camera. And the show doesn't savor badness, or pointedly lampoon contestants as it did in the past when tough Brit Simon Cowell sat at the judges' table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conflict is kept to a minimum, with Bryan, Perry and Richie seeming to get along much better than some past judge lineups (yup, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, I'm talking about you).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ABC's version of \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em> doesn't come at you like the pugnacious, grandiose hit it used to be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But at a time when real life events have left audiences hungry for familiar, soothing television, this year's model might work better than anyone expects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003cem>Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.\u003cimg src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=%27American+Idol%27+Reboot+Has+3+Potential+Problems%2C+But+The+Pitch+Ain%27t+One&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/102619/american-idol-reboot-has-3-problems-but-the-pitch-aint-one","authors":["byline_pop_102619"],"categories":["pop_4","pop_3"],"tags":["pop_3166","pop_1106","pop_3167","pop_954","pop_280","pop_3168"],"featImg":"pop_102620","label":"pop"},"pop_95954":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_95954","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"95954","score":null,"sort":[1505407193000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"who-tries-out-for-american-idol-in-2017-i-went-to-the-oakland-auditions-to-find-out","title":"Who Tries Out for 'American Idol' in 2017? I Went to the Oakland Auditions to Find Out","publishDate":1505407193,"format":"image","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>\u003cem>This piece was inspired by an episode of \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Cooler\u003c/a>, KQED’s weekly pop culture podcast. Give it a listen!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is It Too Late to Say Sorry for Eating So Much Avocado?\" program=\"The Cooler\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jack London Square in Oakland is overcast and chilly at 7:30 am on the morning of open auditions for the \u003ca href=\"http://deadline.com/2017/05/american-idol-revival-abc-1202087368/\">newly-resurrected \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- but of course, those in this open-air line have been here for hours already. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several members of the Oakland Police Department are on hand in the background, standing by their squad car and not doing much at all. “This is exciting, huh?” one officer said to me, and he was being serious.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95975 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM.png 440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-160x111.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-240x166.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-375x260.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s the first time that \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has held auditions in Oakland, rather than San Francisco just across the bay, but the audition rules remain the same: Per the \u003ca href=\"http://abc.go.com/shows/american-idol/auditions\">online registration form\u003c/a>, applicants must be aged between 15 and 28. The atmosphere is, therefore, as excitable and jittery as you’d expect a gathering of hundreds of 15 to 28-year-olds waiting to appear on television to be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a diverse crowd, and the dress code ranges from casual sweats right up to groomed, glossy Instagram Model. Every time the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> cameras appear to pick out interview subjects in line, there’s a palpable surge of energy. People suddenly strike up a song in line and everyone joins in. Every so often, you hear someone yelling out their social media handles, to nobody in particular. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No matter how many times you’ve seen footage of the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> juggernaut coming to a particular city -- the big blue tour bus, the triple-speed footage gliding down the long, snaking line of hopefuls -- it’s still odd seeing it in the flesh. As with all peeks behind the TV curtain, there’s an element of anticlimax, of diminished scale, which the outdoor setting does nothing to assuage. The line is long, yes, but not the crazy mass I’d been anticipating. (Later, an \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> representative will politely decline my emailed request to know just how many people showed up for the Oakland auditions, saying that’s not information they give out.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95976\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 713px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95976\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM.png 713w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-160x112.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-240x168.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-375x262.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-520x363.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An American Idol hopeful is interviewed on-camera by members of the production staff. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQEDD)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The biggest surprise, however, comes half an hour in, as I’m chatting with a gaggle of hopefuls and a very loud sound suddenly interrupts us. It’s the clatter of the Amtrak train, passing through on the tracks that are only steps from where we’re standing in Jack London Square. It’s so loud that I have to ask the girl I'm interviewing to pause a moment while it passes, and then I realize: \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Idol is filming its audition show next to a busy train track.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2016 was meant to be \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>’s last year, after 15 seasons on Fox. No less than Barack Obama \u003ca href=\"http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7326314/president-obama-american-idol-finale-watch\">appeared on what was billed as the farewell finale\u003c/a>, praising the show for having “transformed television.” Goodbyes were said, Trent Harmon was crowned the new Idol, and that was that... until barely a month later, ABC announced it would be resurrecting the show on its network. In a statement, ABC President Channing Dungey called the show a \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\"pop-culture staple that left the air too soon.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second part may be up for debate, but there's no disputing the first. For many, it feels like \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has always been on TV, but it's easy to forget just how all-pervasive and influential it really was and is, in the way that it normalized this kind of competition on TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 769px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"769\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM.png 769w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-768x503.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-240x157.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-375x246.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-520x341.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert, who came to support his girlfriend, stands in front of the line to audition for American Idol in Jack London Square \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Towards the end, \u003cem>Idol’\u003c/em>s ratings were a shadow of what they were in the show’s heyday. Even the young people now standing in line in Oakland to pin their fortune on the show stopped watching. So often, when I asked a hopeful if they liked \u003cem>Idol,\u003c/em> they'd say, \"Yeah, I used to watch it when I was a kid.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“So, like, last month then?”, I want to tease them every time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A show like \u003cem>American\u003c/em> \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has a set recipe, and a key ingredient is a person’s story. Talent is powerful, but even more so when its owner has something that makes them different. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The unifying theme of these stories is, usually, struggle: A difficult past, a family breakup, a tragedy lived through and overcome, with music almost always as the medicine. These folks in the line know this, and they’ve come ready to tell the world -- the producers, the cameras, me. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the auditionees I speak to quickly volunteer details of the traumatic events in their lives, it's with readiness, a degree of preparedness, and a total lack of self-consciousness. They know this honesty, or the TV version of it, is part of the deal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In any other context, if people leaped straight to emotional third base in this way, it would be startling. But in that line -- with the big blue \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus bearing down on us -- revealing one's story and a difficult past straight away, with virtually no prompting, is par for the course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95958\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 504px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95958\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1.png 504w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-160x160.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-240x240.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-375x375.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-32x32.png 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-50x50.png 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-64x64.png 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-96x96.png 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-128x128.png 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopeful Gabriel Flores \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I get to chatting with Gabriel, a young man with aviator sunglasses and a guitar on his back, while he’s taking a smoking break from the intensity of the line. He’s road-tripped here from Vancouver, and my questions about his \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> motivations are met with an answer that delves immediately into a troubled past. He reached, he tells me, “a point where I was about to commit suicide” -- struggles which halted his previous foray into reality TV. He got through to the second round of \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>, but “some things I was going through” meant he couldn’t continue. Winning \u003ci>Idol\u003c/i>, he says, “would change my life because I have a daughter, and I want to give her everything I could give her. The best future I can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95959\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-240x158.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-375x247.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-520x342.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol try-out Courtney and mother Alisha. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s not just potential Idols who were prepared to share their backstories, but their families and supporters too. Standing in line, Alisha from Pittsburg told me how her \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> hopeful daughter Courtney’s “really low, raspy kind of voice” would set her apart (“you don’t see that too much”). Then, she spoke of her husband’s death. Courtney appearing on the show, she said, would be “a tribute to him too -- showing her daddy in heaven that ‘I’m still doing it, daddy. This is for you.’ Life is so precious and so short.” In the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Idol \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">line, emotion and history are always right near the surface. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The audition hashtag, as proclaimed on the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus, is #thennextidol -- a phrase that practically encourages those in line to forget about the journey and skip straight to the destination. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talking to\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> waiting hopefuls, it becomes clear that years of watching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and shows like it has trained people to already see themselves as others will: As a package, a product even, to be viewed and assessed. When they talk about themselves and their dream, they're already seeing themselves as they imagine an audience -- and their intermediaries, the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> producers -- might. It’s like the male gaze, rewritten as the reality TV gaze.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 508px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95961\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"508\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM.png 508w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-160x119.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-240x178.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-375x278.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopefuls Elena and Jace. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Elena, 19, from Gilroy, already had an on-screen analogue for herself in mind. “I always think I am literally [\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hairspray\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">’s] Tracey Turnblad. So everyone would think ‘Oh, it’s that big girl from high school that no-one really looked at, but she’s a star now!’” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her friend Jace, 20, a psychology student from Fairfield, was imagining herself cast on the show in the role of the quirky outlier. “I’m a little bit weird so they’d look at it, like, who’s this strange human?” She then added: “It’s pretty much the expected reaction when people see me in general.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 747px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95962\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"747\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM.png 747w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-520x333.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol audionee Adriana and her mother. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This hyper-self-awareness is brought into sharp relief when a woman actively approaches me as I'm typing notes on my phone, telling me that if I'm looking for a good story, her 16-year-old daughter Adriana is \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">it\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They're a military family, she explains, and have overcome the struggles that entails: “I just thought it was a good story to tell. She’s traveled all over the United States with us and she’s a military child and she’s got a story to tell.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I ask Adriana herself, she tells me her background has “made me who I am,” but that she feels like “I haven’t heard the ‘military brat’ story. I haven’t heard the struggles that me and my friends go through. I feel like a lot of people should know.\"\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It's becoming clear that adjacent to the fame and the acclaim and the record deal, the young people here genuinely view \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as their opportunity to become an \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ambassador\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for something. Whenever I ask how they predict the audience at home might perceive them, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the response is always in these terms: \"I want to be seen as an \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">example\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\" It’s like mere talent is not enough -- to truly be #thenextidol, one needs an almost remedial power to reach out through the television screen and touch the viewer’s very life in some meaningful way. They don’t want to just be some kid’s new favorite singer. They really do want to be their \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">idol\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95978\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 748px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95978\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"748\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM.png 748w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-160x104.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-240x156.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-375x244.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-520x338.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting to audition for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This drive is most striking in Tito, the 27-year-old successful auditionee who I've noticed several times earlier today owing to the viola he's carrying with him everywhere. Like everyone else I spoke to, Tito was disarmingly frank about his past struggles. Upon moving to LA from San Francisco to pursue his entertainment dreams -- against the wishes of his evangelical Christian parents, immigrants from El Salvador -- he wound up “homeless for a little bit.” Jobless, he \"started doing some dancing gigs, a little bit of go-go dancing -- nothing wrong with that, but I had to live in my car for a little bit, and I picked myself up and here I am.” (The entire time Tito is telling me this, a woman is singing very soulfully and incredibly loudly for a producer behind us.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 716px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95963\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"716\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM.png 716w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-160x110.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-240x166.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-375x259.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-520x359.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tito Herrera and viola \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tito tells me he wants his hoped-for appearance on Idol to be as an advocate for homeless youth. “To be a Latin male, an ex-homeless person, I think that would be a good representation of what you can do it you really set your mind to it.” He hopes that “my voice and my story can be a voice for those who don’t have one. There’s a lot of Latin immigrants that don’t have that confidence to speak out for themselves, especially with our President in office,” he says. When I ask him if he sees any potential appearance on Idol as a political act, he tells me that “it's almost like a ‘f*ck you’ to Donald Trump. I’m Latino, I’m reaching for my dreams in this country.\"\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aren't you concerned that the reality TV juggernaut will edit out -- or at least gloss over -- all your politics and your passion, I ask? Like everyone I ask this question, Tito is sunnily pragmatic. “If I sign a contract, I sign a contract… As long as I get my message across, I’ve done my job, as a performer and as a citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>23-year-old professional musician Mandy, who was visibly vibrating with adrenaline after making it to the next round, was similarly bullish. “[I’ll] be me and if they don’t like it, then it’s okay. It’s not gonna stop me playing music.” Being edited, she said, was “not the end of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>Back in the line, I flag down Robert, who, despite the guitar he's holding, isn’t here to audition but to support his girlfriend Desiry. (“She sings really great, she’s versatile, and yeah -- she’s gorgeous.”) Robert foresaw some startlingly logistical improvements to their life together coming from \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>. With him working graveyard shifts at a bank, and her working retail all day, their day/night jobs afforded them little time to collaborate musically. “But if we were to actually win this, it would be a lot easier to connect and do things we love together.” (He also, of course, saw potential ambassadorship in Desiry, predicting that viewers might “want to follow in her footsteps and be a better them.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95965\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 745px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95965\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"745\" height=\"443\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM.png 745w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-160x95.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-240x143.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-375x223.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-520x309.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopeful Desiry and her boyfriend Robert \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nobody I spoke with had any problems with the idea of leaving their hometown and their community if they were to become #thenextidol. In fact, it seemed part of the appeal for many like Courtney, the young woman auditioning in memory of her father, who said she was “definitely ready to bounce” from Pittsburg. “I think everybody there is ready to get out,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It struck me how this seeming familiarity with the machinery of reality TV, and a person's place in it, was paired with a startling lack of concern \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">about\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that machinery. I repeatedly ask auditionees how this show could alter their life, and the answer is always the same: It would be amazing, positive, incredible. Nobody seems to perceive any downsides to that level of public scrutiny -- or if they do, they’re not talking to me about them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95977\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 721px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95977\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"721\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM.png 721w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-160x99.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-240x148.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-375x232.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-520x322.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting in line to audition for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But why would they? They're in line to be #thenextidol, and #thenextidol is relentlessly, almost oppressively positive about everyone and everything. Music is amazing, this opportunity is amazing, the fellow auditionees are amazing. Even the rejected performers stay upbeat: “I absolutely sang my heart out. I felt so much release,” 16-year-old Hayley told me, moments after being turned down by the producers after her performance of \"Hallelujah.\" She was smiling, even though she'd obviously been crying earlier. \"There’s always next year.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95966\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 762px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95966\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"762\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM.png 762w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-520x333.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hayley, who tried out for American Idol but ultimately didn't make the cut \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given it’s a large crowd of teens and young adults -- a large portion of whom are destined to be told that their talent just isn't evident enough -- this lack of visible despondency at rejection is startling. The auditions themselves -- performed for one of several \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> producers sitting at a row of desks beneath the palm trees of Jack London Square -- are all conducted in full view of not only the line of waiting auditionees but also an assembled crowd of supporters, onlookers, and random folks stopping to rubberneck. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The “no” is, therefore, very evident and crazily public, yet these young people simply smile tightly and briskly walk back to the barriers. Because of their age, most of them are going into the arms of their waiting family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People here see my camera and beam at me, like a switch has been flipped -- they're being seen and that's great. That, after all, is what they're here for. Later that night, going through my photos, I’m struck by just how many of the people in the background, behind the actual subject, are posing too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But why, in the age of YouTube, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">would\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> any young person see such a relic of the reality TV era as their preferred ticket to stardom? Hayley, the teen who didn’t make the cut, explains that it’s “just a lot easier to go through \u003cem>American Idol.\u003c/em> If you make it, you automatically know these producers, and record labels will look at you. With YouTube, it’s a little bit slower; you really have to promote yourself.\" She might, she said, now try out for \u003cem>The X Factor\u003c/em>, or \u003cem>America’s Got Talent\u003c/em>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95979\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95979\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-160x149.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-240x224.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-375x350.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The American Idol tour bus, parked in Jack London Square, Oakland \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On shows like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol,\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you’ll often hear auditionees say it's their “last chance” to make it in this business, or their “only hope.” But honestly, watching them seem to shrug off rejection, it became evident that most of those in attendance were very aware of their other options in life. When I asked the hopefuls in the line about their plan B if \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> didn't work out, they were always breezy -- they'd keep on hustling, continue with school, keep putting their stuff on YouTube, audition for another reality show. When I caught up with Robert’s girlfriend Desiry -- the one who was actually here to audition -- her attitude to the possibility of rejection was so calmly pragmatic, and (at the risk of sounding condescending here) \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mature\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “[I’ll just] continue to get better!”, she said. “Constructive criticism is the only way forward. If you can’t take that, there’s no way that you can really improve in this world.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95967\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 755px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95967\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"755\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM.png 755w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-160x96.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-240x144.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-375x225.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-520x311.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monica from Richmond, in the American Idol audition line \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For many others I spoke with, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was just a moonshot while they were pursuing various other paths. Monica, 19, from Richmond, who says she’d be “shocked and surprised” if she made the cut today, is about to start her junior year at medical school in a couple of days. (“I come from a city that doesn’t have the best reputation, but I heard a quote once that said ‘diamonds are created through pressure,” she tells me, giggling.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95968\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 765px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95968\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"765\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM.png 765w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-240x152.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-375x238.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-520x330.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirsten, from Benicia, and her keyboard \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Further down the line, 15-year-old Kirsten from Benicia -- pink skirt suit, bright blue contact lenses, not much taller than the chunky free-standing keyboard she’s brought along -- talks to me about her dreams of becoming a software engineer with as much passion as she does about her desire to feature on \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>. She doesn’t think appearing on -- or even winning -- the show will affect that part of her life. Kirsten performs a yowling version of ‘Great Balls of Fire’ for my microphone, while people around fall silent and listen, but is even more excitable when we discuss her ambitions to attend UC Irvine and work for Disney. (“I hear that Disney and other tech companies hire straight out of schools around the area,” she informs me with authority.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asking Kirsten whether she sees a contradiction in her twin dreams of coding excellence and reality TV fame is a telling moment. She says she doesn’t understand the question, so I think I’ve expressed myself badly and repeat myself, this time also asking her if one seems more “shallow” than the other. She tells me confidently that “if you’re in it for the right reasons, there’s no \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reason\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for it to be shallow.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95980\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95980\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-375x239.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristen performs for the American Idol cameras \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I realize suddenly that the question only really makes sense to someone my age or older, who can remember a time before \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and its ilk. We’re the ones who tsk-tsk about “short cuts to fame,” and roll our eyes at this new way of making it big. For people Kirsten’s age, reality TV and YouTube stardom have always \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">been\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> an option. It’s been on the table -- close for some, tantalizingly out of reach for others -- and physically on their screens for as long as they can remember. So why would there be any contradiction between the things they want, when they’re all dreams in the same life? ”There’s a lot of great artists I look up to like Aretha Franklin or Bruno Mars,” she tells me. There’s no contradiction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>These open-air auditions are so transparent -- at least in terms of what you can see and hear -- that you can see auditionees in the line for the producer’s desk getting visibly psyched out by a particularly proficient performance ahead. Yet the jittery enthusiasm is infectious, and makes cynicism hard to maintain, even for uninvolved onlookers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 771px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95982\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"771\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM.png 771w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-160x100.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-768x481.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-240x150.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-375x235.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-520x326.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting to audition for American Idol in Jack London Square \u003ccite>(Carly Severn)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hillary, a trained classical singer in her late twenties who's stopped to watch the scene, is far from dismissive -- or even just a little skeptical -- of this parade of mostly-untrained young singers. She talks with an unexpected pride about what she sees as their openness and their creative ambition. “They’re so happy and so open to express themselves and their talent and what they truly believe to be true. And I think that’s just a marvelous thing.” Doesn’t the professionally-trained part of her rankle at amateur singers thinking they’re good enough to vault straight to the big leagues, I ask? Not at all, she replies. “They’re pop singers so they sing with a pop sound. They move their jaws around a lot… it’s a different type of singing. It’s people letting their souls out and singing popular songs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95981\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 762px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95981\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"762\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM.png 762w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young women handing their registration papers to a member of the American Idol team \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watching a frighteningly good-looking young man singing Hozier's \"Take Me to Church\" for the producers’ cameras with a stop-start phrasing that's entirely absent from the original, I think of how it’s become a tired cliche to point out that voices like Janis Joplin's or Tom Waits’ would never make it through the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gates. But witnessing the auditions as an unedited procession, it’s staggering to see and hear just \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">how\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> homogenized the sound actually is. Everybody really does sound the same: soulful, soaring, emotive, vibrato-ing wildly. This is Good Singing, and the general idea, it seems, is to opt for these big songs that allow an opportunity to glide up the octave. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the set, I ask one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>’s casting producers -- Nancy Yearing, who’s worked on the show for nine seasons -- about these audition trends. Yes, everyone basically sings the same songs, she says. “Lot of Alicia Keys; \"At Last\"; \"House of the Rising Sun\" -- amazing songs, but they’ve just been overdone. It seems like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">everyone\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> comes in with the same 50.” She wonders whether they’re getting them “from their vocal coaches.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95969\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 741px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"741\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM.png 741w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-160x101.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-240x152.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-375x237.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-520x328.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nancy Yearing, casting producer for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I then ask Nancy if they were aware their Oakland set was essentially on top of an Amtrak route. She tells me no, they only found out the morning they arrived to set up, but that she’s finding workarounds. “I try and time it. I have a good view of when the gates come down.” It might also be an unexpected bonus, she suggests, for assessing an auditionee’s mettle. “If it happens in the middle of someone singing, in some way it’s a good test -- what can you sing through?” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She also tells me she doesn’t “really know” the reasoning for the show’s upper age limit (28), and is firm when I ask if she’s concerned she’s missing out on some really top-notch 29-year-old talent. There are, Nancy says, “lots of avenues for talent. If someone’s going to be successful, they’re going to be successful.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy tells me the show's producers are excited to be auditioning in Oakland this year rather than San Francisco. Not just because of the “coolness” of this “up-and-coming city,” and “trying to change up where we normally go,” but also because of the new variety of try-outs she thinks will now be able to participate -- as if those cities were hundreds of miles from each other, rather than a Bay Bridge ride or a 10 minute BART train. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And the lack of familiarity shows. I keep thinking: This is a tightly-controlled, multi-million-dollar television juggernaut, now in its 15th year. \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And they didn't know their open air film set was next to a busy railway line. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Was the City of Oakland just so thrilled to have \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> in town that it never came up? Did nobody scout out what is an entirely new location for this roadshow? I can't help but wonder how much cheaper hiring out Jack London Square is for \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">’s new network ABC than a similar venue in New York City, or L.A. or San Francisco (none of which are on the 19-city tour list).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 569px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95984\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"569\" height=\"435\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM.png 569w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-160x122.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-240x183.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-375x287.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-520x398.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 569px) 100vw, 569px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A line of waiting hopefuls at the American Idol auditions \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if anybody here shares my suspicions, they’re not telling me. Everyone in line seems thrilled that the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus has chosen Oakland today, almost always citing the diversity they see in the cohort. (Tito, with his viola, tells me he actually sees way more diversity today than he did when auditioning for \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>. “It’s a different crowd of people.”) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On my way out, I ask one teenager dressed in a Wonder Woman costume about the strategy behind her outfit. Anything to stand out, she replied -- already seeing herself as the producers, and the viewers would -- and indeed, she got past the producer’s audition desk. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walking back past the line, which is now dwindling, I think of the young woman I heard earlier in a nearby coffee shop, telling someone on the other end of the phone that \"I don't know whether to chose something that shows off my talent or something that they \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">want.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\" \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2017, the American Idol hopefuls here in Oakland truly know the difference.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To hear the actual voices of the auditionees I talked to and more, give this episode of The Cooler a listen:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is It Too Late to Say Sorry for Eating So Much Avocado?\" program=\"The Cooler\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"Auditionees waiting in line shared traumatic events in their lives and their social media handles with equal ease. Here are some of their stories. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1505416345,"stats":{"hasAudio":true,"hasVideo":false,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":52,"wordCount":4724},"headData":{"title":"Who Tries Out for 'American Idol' in 2017? I Went to the Oakland Auditions to Find Out | KQED","description":"Auditionees waiting in line shared traumatic events in their lives and their social media handles with equal ease. Here are some of their stories. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Who Tries Out for 'American Idol' in 2017? I Went to the Oakland Auditions to Find Out","datePublished":"2017-09-14T16:39:53.000Z","dateModified":"2017-09-14T19:12:25.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"95954 https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=95954","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2017/09/14/who-tries-out-for-american-idol-in-2017-i-went-to-the-oakland-auditions-to-find-out/","disqusTitle":"Who Tries Out for 'American Idol' in 2017? I Went to the Oakland Auditions to Find Out","path":"/pop/95954/who-tries-out-for-american-idol-in-2017-i-went-to-the-oakland-auditions-to-find-out","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This piece was inspired by an episode of \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Cooler\u003c/a>, KQED’s weekly pop culture podcast. Give it a listen!\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"audio","attributes":{"named":{"program":"The Cooler","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg","label":"src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is It Too Late to Say Sorry for Eating So Much Avocado?\""},"numeric":["src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is","It","Too","Late","to","Say","Sorry","for","Eating","So","Much","Avocado?\""]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jack London Square in Oakland is overcast and chilly at 7:30 am on the morning of open auditions for the \u003ca href=\"http://deadline.com/2017/05/american-idol-revival-abc-1202087368/\">newly-resurrected \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- but of course, those in this open-air line have been here for hours already. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several members of the Oakland Police Department are on hand in the background, standing by their squad car and not doing much at all. “This is exciting, huh?” one officer said to me, and he was being serious.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95975 aligncenter\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM.png 440w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-160x111.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-240x166.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.16.19-PM-375x260.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s the first time that \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has held auditions in Oakland, rather than San Francisco just across the bay, but the audition rules remain the same: Per the \u003ca href=\"http://abc.go.com/shows/american-idol/auditions\">online registration form\u003c/a>, applicants must be aged between 15 and 28. The atmosphere is, therefore, as excitable and jittery as you’d expect a gathering of hundreds of 15 to 28-year-olds waiting to appear on television to be. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a diverse crowd, and the dress code ranges from casual sweats right up to groomed, glossy Instagram Model. Every time the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> cameras appear to pick out interview subjects in line, there’s a palpable surge of energy. People suddenly strike up a song in line and everyone joins in. Every so often, you hear someone yelling out their social media handles, to nobody in particular. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">No matter how many times you’ve seen footage of the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> juggernaut coming to a particular city -- the big blue tour bus, the triple-speed footage gliding down the long, snaking line of hopefuls -- it’s still odd seeing it in the flesh. As with all peeks behind the TV curtain, there’s an element of anticlimax, of diminished scale, which the outdoor setting does nothing to assuage. The line is long, yes, but not the crazy mass I’d been anticipating. (Later, an \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> representative will politely decline my emailed request to know just how many people showed up for the Oakland auditions, saying that’s not information they give out.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95976\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 713px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95976\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM.png 713w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-160x112.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-240x168.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-375x262.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.15.30-PM-520x363.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An American Idol hopeful is interviewed on-camera by members of the production staff. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQEDD)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The biggest surprise, however, comes half an hour in, as I’m chatting with a gaggle of hopefuls and a very loud sound suddenly interrupts us. It’s the clatter of the Amtrak train, passing through on the tracks that are only steps from where we’re standing in Jack London Square. It’s so loud that I have to ask the girl I'm interviewing to pause a moment while it passes, and then I realize: \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Idol is filming its audition show next to a busy train track.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">2016 was meant to be \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>’s last year, after 15 seasons on Fox. No less than Barack Obama \u003ca href=\"http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7326314/president-obama-american-idol-finale-watch\">appeared on what was billed as the farewell finale\u003c/a>, praising the show for having “transformed television.” Goodbyes were said, Trent Harmon was crowned the new Idol, and that was that... until barely a month later, ABC announced it would be resurrecting the show on its network. In a statement, ABC President Channing Dungey called the show a \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\"pop-culture staple that left the air too soon.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The second part may be up for debate, but there's no disputing the first. For many, it feels like \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has always been on TV, but it's easy to forget just how all-pervasive and influential it really was and is, in the way that it normalized this kind of competition on TV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 769px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95985\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"769\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM.png 769w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-768x503.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-240x157.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-375x246.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.00-PM-520x341.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert, who came to support his girlfriend, stands in front of the line to audition for American Idol in Jack London Square \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Towards the end, \u003cem>Idol’\u003c/em>s ratings were a shadow of what they were in the show’s heyday. Even the young people now standing in line in Oakland to pin their fortune on the show stopped watching. So often, when I asked a hopeful if they liked \u003cem>Idol,\u003c/em> they'd say, \"Yeah, I used to watch it when I was a kid.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“So, like, last month then?”, I want to tease them every time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A show like \u003cem>American\u003c/em> \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> has a set recipe, and a key ingredient is a person’s story. Talent is powerful, but even more so when its owner has something that makes them different. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The unifying theme of these stories is, usually, struggle: A difficult past, a family breakup, a tragedy lived through and overcome, with music almost always as the medicine. These folks in the line know this, and they’ve come ready to tell the world -- the producers, the cameras, me. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the auditionees I speak to quickly volunteer details of the traumatic events in their lives, it's with readiness, a degree of preparedness, and a total lack of self-consciousness. They know this honesty, or the TV version of it, is part of the deal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In any other context, if people leaped straight to emotional third base in this way, it would be startling. But in that line -- with the big blue \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus bearing down on us -- revealing one's story and a difficult past straight away, with virtually no prompting, is par for the course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95958\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 504px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95958\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1.png 504w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-160x160.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-240x240.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-375x375.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-32x32.png 32w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-50x50.png 50w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-64x64.png 64w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-96x96.png 96w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-128x128.png 128w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.40-PM-1-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopeful Gabriel Flores \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>I get to chatting with Gabriel, a young man with aviator sunglasses and a guitar on his back, while he’s taking a smoking break from the intensity of the line. He’s road-tripped here from Vancouver, and my questions about his \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> motivations are met with an answer that delves immediately into a troubled past. He reached, he tells me, “a point where I was about to commit suicide” -- struggles which halted his previous foray into reality TV. He got through to the second round of \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>, but “some things I was going through” meant he couldn’t continue. Winning \u003ci>Idol\u003c/i>, he says, “would change my life because I have a daughter, and I want to give her everything I could give her. The best future I can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95959\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-160x105.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-240x158.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-375x247.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.11-PM-520x342.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol try-out Courtney and mother Alisha. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s not just potential Idols who were prepared to share their backstories, but their families and supporters too. Standing in line, Alisha from Pittsburg told me how her \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> hopeful daughter Courtney’s “really low, raspy kind of voice” would set her apart (“you don’t see that too much”). Then, she spoke of her husband’s death. Courtney appearing on the show, she said, would be “a tribute to him too -- showing her daddy in heaven that ‘I’m still doing it, daddy. This is for you.’ Life is so precious and so short.” In the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">American Idol \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">line, emotion and history are always right near the surface. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The audition hashtag, as proclaimed on the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus, is #thennextidol -- a phrase that practically encourages those in line to forget about the journey and skip straight to the destination. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talking to\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> waiting hopefuls, it becomes clear that years of watching \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and shows like it has trained people to already see themselves as others will: As a package, a product even, to be viewed and assessed. When they talk about themselves and their dream, they're already seeing themselves as they imagine an audience -- and their intermediaries, the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> producers -- might. It’s like the male gaze, rewritten as the reality TV gaze.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95961\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 508px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95961\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"508\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM.png 508w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-160x119.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-240x178.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.14.31-PM-375x278.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopefuls Elena and Jace. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Elena, 19, from Gilroy, already had an on-screen analogue for herself in mind. “I always think I am literally [\u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hairspray\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">’s] Tracey Turnblad. So everyone would think ‘Oh, it’s that big girl from high school that no-one really looked at, but she’s a star now!’” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her friend Jace, 20, a psychology student from Fairfield, was imagining herself cast on the show in the role of the quirky outlier. “I’m a little bit weird so they’d look at it, like, who’s this strange human?” She then added: “It’s pretty much the expected reaction when people see me in general.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95962\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 747px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95962\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"747\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM.png 747w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.13.17-PM-520x333.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol audionee Adriana and her mother. \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This hyper-self-awareness is brought into sharp relief when a woman actively approaches me as I'm typing notes on my phone, telling me that if I'm looking for a good story, her 16-year-old daughter Adriana is \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">it\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. They're a military family, she explains, and have overcome the struggles that entails: “I just thought it was a good story to tell. She’s traveled all over the United States with us and she’s a military child and she’s got a story to tell.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I ask Adriana herself, she tells me her background has “made me who I am,” but that she feels like “I haven’t heard the ‘military brat’ story. I haven’t heard the struggles that me and my friends go through. I feel like a lot of people should know.\"\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It's becoming clear that adjacent to the fame and the acclaim and the record deal, the young people here genuinely view \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> as their opportunity to become an \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ambassador\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for something. Whenever I ask how they predict the audience at home might perceive them, \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the response is always in these terms: \"I want to be seen as an \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">example\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\" It’s like mere talent is not enough -- to truly be #thenextidol, one needs an almost remedial power to reach out through the television screen and touch the viewer’s very life in some meaningful way. They don’t want to just be some kid’s new favorite singer. They really do want to be their \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">idol\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95978\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 748px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95978\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"748\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM.png 748w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-160x104.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-240x156.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-375x244.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.49-PM-520x338.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 748px) 100vw, 748px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting to audition for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This drive is most striking in Tito, the 27-year-old successful auditionee who I've noticed several times earlier today owing to the viola he's carrying with him everywhere. Like everyone else I spoke to, Tito was disarmingly frank about his past struggles. Upon moving to LA from San Francisco to pursue his entertainment dreams -- against the wishes of his evangelical Christian parents, immigrants from El Salvador -- he wound up “homeless for a little bit.” Jobless, he \"started doing some dancing gigs, a little bit of go-go dancing -- nothing wrong with that, but I had to live in my car for a little bit, and I picked myself up and here I am.” (The entire time Tito is telling me this, a woman is singing very soulfully and incredibly loudly for a producer behind us.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95963\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 716px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95963\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"716\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM.png 716w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-160x110.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-240x166.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-375x259.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.09.04-PM-520x359.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tito Herrera and viola \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tito tells me he wants his hoped-for appearance on Idol to be as an advocate for homeless youth. “To be a Latin male, an ex-homeless person, I think that would be a good representation of what you can do it you really set your mind to it.” He hopes that “my voice and my story can be a voice for those who don’t have one. There’s a lot of Latin immigrants that don’t have that confidence to speak out for themselves, especially with our President in office,” he says. When I ask him if he sees any potential appearance on Idol as a political act, he tells me that “it's almost like a ‘f*ck you’ to Donald Trump. I’m Latino, I’m reaching for my dreams in this country.\"\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aren't you concerned that the reality TV juggernaut will edit out -- or at least gloss over -- all your politics and your passion, I ask? Like everyone I ask this question, Tito is sunnily pragmatic. “If I sign a contract, I sign a contract… As long as I get my message across, I’ve done my job, as a performer and as a citizen.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>23-year-old professional musician Mandy, who was visibly vibrating with adrenaline after making it to the next round, was similarly bullish. “[I’ll] be me and if they don’t like it, then it’s okay. It’s not gonna stop me playing music.” Being edited, she said, was “not the end of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>Back in the line, I flag down Robert, who, despite the guitar he's holding, isn’t here to audition but to support his girlfriend Desiry. (“She sings really great, she’s versatile, and yeah -- she’s gorgeous.”) Robert foresaw some startlingly logistical improvements to their life together coming from \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>. With him working graveyard shifts at a bank, and her working retail all day, their day/night jobs afforded them little time to collaborate musically. “But if we were to actually win this, it would be a lot easier to connect and do things we love together.” (He also, of course, saw potential ambassadorship in Desiry, predicting that viewers might “want to follow in her footsteps and be a better them.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95965\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 745px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95965\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"745\" height=\"443\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM.png 745w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-160x95.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-240x143.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-375x223.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.09-PM-520x309.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">American Idol hopeful Desiry and her boyfriend Robert \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Nobody I spoke with had any problems with the idea of leaving their hometown and their community if they were to become #thenextidol. In fact, it seemed part of the appeal for many like Courtney, the young woman auditioning in memory of her father, who said she was “definitely ready to bounce” from Pittsburg. “I think everybody there is ready to get out,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It struck me how this seeming familiarity with the machinery of reality TV, and a person's place in it, was paired with a startling lack of concern \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">about\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that machinery. I repeatedly ask auditionees how this show could alter their life, and the answer is always the same: It would be amazing, positive, incredible. Nobody seems to perceive any downsides to that level of public scrutiny -- or if they do, they’re not talking to me about them.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95977\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 721px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95977\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"721\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM.png 721w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-160x99.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-240x148.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-375x232.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.15-PM-520x322.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting in line to audition for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But why would they? They're in line to be #thenextidol, and #thenextidol is relentlessly, almost oppressively positive about everyone and everything. Music is amazing, this opportunity is amazing, the fellow auditionees are amazing. Even the rejected performers stay upbeat: “I absolutely sang my heart out. I felt so much release,” 16-year-old Hayley told me, moments after being turned down by the producers after her performance of \"Hallelujah.\" She was smiling, even though she'd obviously been crying earlier. \"There’s always next year.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95966\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 762px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95966\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"762\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM.png 762w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-240x154.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.39-PM-520x333.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hayley, who tried out for American Idol but ultimately didn't make the cut \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given it’s a large crowd of teens and young adults -- a large portion of whom are destined to be told that their talent just isn't evident enough -- this lack of visible despondency at rejection is startling. The auditions themselves -- performed for one of several \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> producers sitting at a row of desks beneath the palm trees of Jack London Square -- are all conducted in full view of not only the line of waiting auditionees but also an assembled crowd of supporters, onlookers, and random folks stopping to rubberneck. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The “no” is, therefore, very evident and crazily public, yet these young people simply smile tightly and briskly walk back to the barriers. Because of their age, most of them are going into the arms of their waiting family. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People here see my camera and beam at me, like a switch has been flipped -- they're being seen and that's great. That, after all, is what they're here for. Later that night, going through my photos, I’m struck by just how many of the people in the background, behind the actual subject, are posing too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But why, in the age of YouTube, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">would\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> any young person see such a relic of the reality TV era as their preferred ticket to stardom? Hayley, the teen who didn’t make the cut, explains that it’s “just a lot easier to go through \u003cem>American Idol.\u003c/em> If you make it, you automatically know these producers, and record labels will look at you. With YouTube, it’s a little bit slower; you really have to promote yourself.\" She might, she said, now try out for \u003cem>The X Factor\u003c/em>, or \u003cem>America’s Got Talent\u003c/em>.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95979\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95979\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM.png 512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-160x149.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-240x224.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.12.21-PM-375x350.png 375w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The American Idol tour bus, parked in Jack London Square, Oakland \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On shows like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol,\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> you’ll often hear auditionees say it's their “last chance” to make it in this business, or their “only hope.” But honestly, watching them seem to shrug off rejection, it became evident that most of those in attendance were very aware of their other options in life. When I asked the hopefuls in the line about their plan B if \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> didn't work out, they were always breezy -- they'd keep on hustling, continue with school, keep putting their stuff on YouTube, audition for another reality show. When I caught up with Robert’s girlfriend Desiry -- the one who was actually here to audition -- her attitude to the possibility of rejection was so calmly pragmatic, and (at the risk of sounding condescending here) \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">mature\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “[I’ll just] continue to get better!”, she said. “Constructive criticism is the only way forward. If you can’t take that, there’s no way that you can really improve in this world.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95967\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 755px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95967\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"755\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM.png 755w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-160x96.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-240x144.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-375x225.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.32-PM-520x311.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 755px) 100vw, 755px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monica from Richmond, in the American Idol audition line \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">For many others I spoke with, \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was just a moonshot while they were pursuing various other paths. Monica, 19, from Richmond, who says she’d be “shocked and surprised” if she made the cut today, is about to start her junior year at medical school in a couple of days. (“I come from a city that doesn’t have the best reputation, but I heard a quote once that said ‘diamonds are created through pressure,” she tells me, giggling.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95968\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 765px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95968\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"765\" height=\"486\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM.png 765w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-240x152.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-375x238.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.57-PM-520x330.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kirsten, from Benicia, and her keyboard \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Further down the line, 15-year-old Kirsten from Benicia -- pink skirt suit, bright blue contact lenses, not much taller than the chunky free-standing keyboard she’s brought along -- talks to me about her dreams of becoming a software engineer with as much passion as she does about her desire to feature on \u003cem>American Idol\u003c/em>. She doesn’t think appearing on -- or even winning -- the show will affect that part of her life. Kirsten performs a yowling version of ‘Great Balls of Fire’ for my microphone, while people around fall silent and listen, but is even more excitable when we discuss her ambitions to attend UC Irvine and work for Disney. (“I hear that Disney and other tech companies hire straight out of schools around the area,” she informs me with authority.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Asking Kirsten whether she sees a contradiction in her twin dreams of coding excellence and reality TV fame is a telling moment. She says she doesn’t understand the question, so I think I’ve expressed myself badly and repeat myself, this time also asking her if one seems more “shallow” than the other. She tells me confidently that “if you’re in it for the right reasons, there’s no \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">reason\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for it to be shallow.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95980\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 767px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95980\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"767\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM.png 767w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-375x239.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.11.32-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kristen performs for the American Idol cameras \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I realize suddenly that the question only really makes sense to someone my age or older, who can remember a time before \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and its ilk. We’re the ones who tsk-tsk about “short cuts to fame,” and roll our eyes at this new way of making it big. For people Kirsten’s age, reality TV and YouTube stardom have always \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">been\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> an option. It’s been on the table -- close for some, tantalizingly out of reach for others -- and physically on their screens for as long as they can remember. So why would there be any contradiction between the things they want, when they’re all dreams in the same life? ”There’s a lot of great artists I look up to like Aretha Franklin or Bruno Mars,” she tells me. There’s no contradiction.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>These open-air auditions are so transparent -- at least in terms of what you can see and hear -- that you can see auditionees in the line for the producer’s desk getting visibly psyched out by a particularly proficient performance ahead. Yet the jittery enthusiasm is infectious, and makes cynicism hard to maintain, even for uninvolved onlookers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 771px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95982\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"771\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM.png 771w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-160x100.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-768x481.png 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-240x150.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-375x235.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.08.13-PM-520x326.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People waiting to audition for American Idol in Jack London Square \u003ccite>(Carly Severn)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Hillary, a trained classical singer in her late twenties who's stopped to watch the scene, is far from dismissive -- or even just a little skeptical -- of this parade of mostly-untrained young singers. She talks with an unexpected pride about what she sees as their openness and their creative ambition. “They’re so happy and so open to express themselves and their talent and what they truly believe to be true. And I think that’s just a marvelous thing.” Doesn’t the professionally-trained part of her rankle at amateur singers thinking they’re good enough to vault straight to the big leagues, I ask? Not at all, she replies. “They’re pop singers so they sing with a pop sound. They move their jaws around a lot… it’s a different type of singing. It’s people letting their souls out and singing popular songs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95981\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 762px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95981\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"762\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM.png 762w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-160x102.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-240x153.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-375x240.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-8.18.03-PM-520x332.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw, 762px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two young women handing their registration papers to a member of the American Idol team \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watching a frighteningly good-looking young man singing Hozier's \"Take Me to Church\" for the producers’ cameras with a stop-start phrasing that's entirely absent from the original, I think of how it’s become a tired cliche to point out that voices like Janis Joplin's or Tom Waits’ would never make it through the \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">gates. But witnessing the auditions as an unedited procession, it’s staggering to see and hear just \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">how\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> homogenized the sound actually is. Everybody really does sound the same: soulful, soaring, emotive, vibrato-ing wildly. This is Good Singing, and the general idea, it seems, is to opt for these big songs that allow an opportunity to glide up the octave. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the set, I ask one of \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em>’s casting producers -- Nancy Yearing, who’s worked on the show for nine seasons -- about these audition trends. Yes, everyone basically sings the same songs, she says. “Lot of Alicia Keys; \"At Last\"; \"House of the Rising Sun\" -- amazing songs, but they’ve just been overdone. It seems like \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">everyone\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> comes in with the same 50.” She wonders whether they’re getting them “from their vocal coaches.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95969\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 741px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"741\" height=\"468\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM.png 741w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-160x101.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-240x152.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-375x237.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.10.51-PM-520x328.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nancy Yearing, casting producer for American Idol \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I then ask Nancy if they were aware their Oakland set was essentially on top of an Amtrak route. She tells me no, they only found out the morning they arrived to set up, but that she’s finding workarounds. “I try and time it. I have a good view of when the gates come down.” It might also be an unexpected bonus, she suggests, for assessing an auditionee’s mettle. “If it happens in the middle of someone singing, in some way it’s a good test -- what can you sing through?” \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">She also tells me she doesn’t “really know” the reasoning for the show’s upper age limit (28), and is firm when I ask if she’s concerned she’s missing out on some really top-notch 29-year-old talent. There are, Nancy says, “lots of avenues for talent. If someone’s going to be successful, they’re going to be successful.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nancy tells me the show's producers are excited to be auditioning in Oakland this year rather than San Francisco. Not just because of the “coolness” of this “up-and-coming city,” and “trying to change up where we normally go,” but also because of the new variety of try-outs she thinks will now be able to participate -- as if those cities were hundreds of miles from each other, rather than a Bay Bridge ride or a 10 minute BART train. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And the lack of familiarity shows. I keep thinking: This is a tightly-controlled, multi-million-dollar television juggernaut, now in its 15th year. \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And they didn't know their open air film set was next to a busy railway line. \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Was the City of Oakland just so thrilled to have \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> in town that it never came up? Did nobody scout out what is an entirely new location for this roadshow? I can't help but wonder how much cheaper hiring out Jack London Square is for \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Idol\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">’s new network ABC than a similar venue in New York City, or L.A. or San Francisco (none of which are on the 19-city tour list).\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_95984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 569px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-95984\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"569\" height=\"435\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM.png 569w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-160x122.png 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-240x183.png 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-375x287.png 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2017/09/Screenshot-2017-09-03-at-7.06.01-PM-520x398.png 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 569px) 100vw, 569px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A line of waiting hopefuls at the American Idol auditions \u003ccite>(Carly Severn/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if anybody here shares my suspicions, they’re not telling me. Everyone in line seems thrilled that the \u003cem>Idol\u003c/em> bus has chosen Oakland today, almost always citing the diversity they see in the cohort. (Tito, with his viola, tells me he actually sees way more diversity today than he did when auditioning for \u003cem>The Voice\u003c/em>. “It’s a different crowd of people.”) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On my way out, I ask one teenager dressed in a Wonder Woman costume about the strategy behind her outfit. Anything to stand out, she replied -- already seeing herself as the producers, and the viewers would -- and indeed, she got past the producer’s audition desk. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Walking back past the line, which is now dwindling, I think of the young woman I heard earlier in a nearby coffee shop, telling someone on the other end of the phone that \"I don't know whether to chose something that shows off my talent or something that they \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">want.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\" \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2017, the American Idol hopefuls here in Oakland truly know the difference.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>To hear the actual voices of the auditionees I talked to and more, give this episode of The Cooler a listen:\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"audio","attributes":{"named":{"program":"The Cooler","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg","label":"src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is It Too Late to Say Sorry for Eating So Much Avocado?\""},"numeric":["src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2017/09/Idol.mp3\" title=\"Is","It","Too","Late","to","Say","Sorry","for","Eating","So","Much","Avocado?\""]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/95954/who-tries-out-for-american-idol-in-2017-i-went-to-the-oakland-auditions-to-find-out","authors":["3243"],"categories":["pop_3","pop_1"],"tags":["pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_95987","label":"pop"},"pop_23364":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_23364","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"23364","score":null,"sort":[1462291200000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"why-do-reality-tv-stars-insist-on-making-music","title":"Why Do Reality TV Stars Insist on Making Music?","publishDate":1462291200,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>[contextly_auto_sidebar]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the good old days, the music-career-on-the-side was an endeavor only attempted by actors. The TV actors did it in an attempt to take their careers to the next level -- we’re looking at you, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g5h8jrceec\">Brian Austin Green\u003c/a> and giving you serious side eye, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ti8-vEM3U8\">Uncle Jesse\u003c/a> -- but the movie guys often did it in an attempt to claw back some street cred after accidentally becoming millionaires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the ‘90s, this meant watching Keanu Reeves staring at his feet in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7TSnE1b-Bs\">Dogstar\u003c/a>, and Johnny Depp collaborating with a Butthole Surfer and trying to look casual about it (that band was called \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVKkWvNQzxE\">P\u003c/a>, in case you erased it from memory). At the time, we all assumed these lackluster attempts to break into rock ‘n’ roll were just about the worst things we’d ever deal with in the world of celebrity music crossovers – but that’s because, at the time, reality TV was just a \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/19177327\">\u003cem>Real World\u003c/em>\u003c/a>-shaped twinkle in MTV’s eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_23648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-23648\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Keanu Reeves, in Dogstar. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-960x540.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keanu Reeves, in Dogstar.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since the advent of reality television, however, celebrities who were famous for nothing more than living with a camera crew started consistently assuming that the fastest way to a more credible career was via the medium of music. In the early days, this happened repeatedly and, without fail, each and every reality star thought that their music career would be different; that they somehow would get one over on a public who, they refused to acknowledge, really, really didn’t want to hear them sing in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When this phenomena first started in the early 2000s, it became apparent very quickly that even when reality stars made a real effort to put out something musically solid -- or at least something that wouldn’t immediately get you scrambling to the mute button on your TV--- they were still met with indifference and not a small amount of disapproval from the peanut gallery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2002, emerging on the back of the enormously successful \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Osbournes\">\u003cem>The Osbournes\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Kelly Osbourne’s wooden performance in the video for \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUb5JihqZZQ#t=70\">Papa Don’t Preach\u003c/a>\" might have erred on the side of cringeworthy, but the actual song was on par with -- perhaps even better than --anything Avril Lavigne was doing with more success that year. Osbourne’s follow-up singles, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8nng0Anvig\">Shut Up\u003c/a>” and “Come Dig Me Out”, certainly out-paced and outsmarted Lavigne’s \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE\">Complicated\u003c/a>\" and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k\">Sk8tr Boi\u003c/a>”:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_qE8_BHMrI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still it came to naught.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few years later, Paris Hilton -- who occasionally seemed like an actual Real Human Girl in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362153/\">\u003cem>The Simple Life\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- had a crack at music stardom with “Stars Are Blind” -- a song that was received across the board with a kind shrug, a gentle nod and a muttering of “This actually isn’t that bad.” Which, of course, is code for “I’d listen to this song if Gwen Stefani had recorded it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joWpYsKere8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2008, Heidi Montag (poor, dear Heidi Montag) did put some effort into her \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hills_(TV_series)\">\u003cem>Hills\u003c/em>\u003c/a>-adjacent foray into music, copying Paris Hilton’s beachy video and being hailed (by people who were surely being paid to do so) as \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgA5D10Hvg\">The NEXT Britney Spears!\u003c/a>\" Sadly, Montag's attempts to not sound like a balloon deflating in slow motion failed. (Poor, dear Heidi Montag.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHZYGrC40Ko\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All three stars were forced to abandon their music careers shortly after they’d begun, to the disappointment of almost nobody. But what followed was a contagious idea among other reality stars that (a) anyone could have a go, and (b) since it was clearly going to be short-lived, they could just release any old nonsense. The reality star singles that followed were both infuriating in their laziness and -- silver lining! -- a goldmine of unintentional comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, there was Daisy De La Hoya, one of Brett Michaels’ playthings from his (consistently gag-worthy) \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Love_with_Bret_Michaels_(season_2)\">\u003cem>Rock Of Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a> dating show. Ms. De La Hoya decided in 2009 that the quickest way to a rock ‘n’ roll career was singing a song titled “Suck It” featuring the immortal refrain: “Girls, they wanna be me! Boys, they wanna do me!” It was just as head-desk terrible as you might imagine, but there was, at least, also a strong possibility that every time you heard this, you laughed until the breath left your lungs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tul_1hRphI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not to be outdone on the trashiness scale, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Shore_(TV_series)\">\u003cem>Jersey Shore\u003c/em>\u003c/a>’s Pauly D decided to release “Beat Dat Beat” a year later. It was a Pitbull-inspired tropical house nightmare with spoken word sections about tanning, being Italian and “only dealing with 9s and 10s in the DJ booth.” It was like Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch went on a bender, stopped being able to do backflips and just started complaining about ugly people:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Gpt12psAA\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, Kim Kardashian’s “Jam” half-emerged. That’s right! This atrocity was so bad, not even the Kardashians wanted it released, even after airing \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2uzScEbcws\">Kim in the recording studio\u003c/a> during an episode of \u003ca href=\"http://www.eonline.com/shows/kardashians\">\u003cem>Keeping Up With The Kardashians\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. To this day, it’s impossible to find an entirely finished video to accompany the track. Not even The Dream, a vat of body oil and Kim K’s perfect derriere crawling through a service tunnel could disguise the fact that her singing(?) voice was even more profoundly irritating than the one she speaks with. But hey, rosé up in the air, everybody! (ROSÉ!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHp7sq1Tzn0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Astonishingly, in the years that have followed, we’ve only seen the bar set increasingly lower, thanks almost entirely to the squawking banshees of \u003cem>The Real Housewives\u003c/em> franchise. Here’s New York’s Kim Zolciak with “Tardy For The Party,” closely resembling that friend of your mom’s that always drinks too much on national holidays, then passes out on the front lawn:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIeb7tY3Z6s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another NYC housewife, Countess Luann, went one step further with “Money Can’t Buy You Class,” a track that features so many layers of Auto-Tune, it sounds like she recorded it with her face submerged in a mop bucket. Money can't buy you talent either, sweet cheeks!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEDvlSAMhQU\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even bit-players from \u003cem>The Real Housewives\u003c/em> got in on recording singles. Do you know who \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbRlRUlXWz0#t=20\">Simon Van Kempen\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUcQq1sbWsM#t=63\">Miss Lawrence\u003c/a> are? We don’t either. But someone let those fools into recording booths because, apparently, being on reality television erases the ability to feel shame. Truly, it would now be an impossibility for a reality star to record anything worse than this exercise in humiliation:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbRlRUlXWz0\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, it’s possible for actors to cross over into legitimate and nerd-approved music careers in a way that simply wasn’t permitted a decade ago. Perhaps many actors’ efforts just don’t seem so bad now that we’re so consistently exposed to the bottom of the barrel by reality stars. That’s not to say many people are clamoring to listen to \u003ca href=\"http://www.baconbros.com/\">The Bacon Brothers\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://kevincostnermodernwest.com/\">Kevin Costner & Modern West\u003c/a>, and sweet baby Jesus, we wish we'd never found out about Jada Pinkett Smith’s metal band, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f56ZtXrx_nw\">Wicked Wisdom\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Truthfully, the established actors who have succeeded in recording music that isn’t just tolerable, but legitimately great, have done so by collaborating with respected artists and not pandering to the biggest potential audience. The two best examples are Zooey Deschanel’s collaboration with indie darling M. Ward, for \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheandhim.com/\">She & Him\u003c/a>, and Ryan Gosling’s foray into artsy horror-themed experimentation with the surprisingly excellent \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man%27s_Bones\">Dead Man’s Bones\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpYwHfB7eds\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni75mYuwvlg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What Gosling and Deschanel have in common: You can tell that they’re recording music truthfully and with not a small amount of skill. Neither of them has made their music to get their egos stroked (see Russell Crowe’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNfomuY2ysg\">30 Odd Foot of Grunts\u003c/a>) or to live out some rock star fantasy (see Jared Leto's \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcps2fJKuAI\">30 Seconds to Mars\u003c/a>) -- they’ve done it because they were compelled to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, reality TV's favorite tattoo artist Kat Von D emerged as a guest vocalist on a single by \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayers_(rock_duo)\">Prayers\u003c/a>, an underground electro-goth outfit that is garnering a fair amount of underground buzz right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnA_ADv9J_8\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnA_ADv9J_8\">Black Leather\u003c/a>\" is Von D’s first foray into music since promising the world an album in 2014, then never actually coming through with one. If she can forge a path into music following her passions rather than her bank balance, she might actually be the first reality star to pull off a real career in music. Also in her favor is the fact that she’s no longer on our televisions every day -- \u003ca href=\"http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/la-ink/\">\u003cem>LA Ink\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ended all the way back in 2011, and that fact alone gives Von D a shot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV-v2FDhHbI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kat Von D is certainly, currently, the reality star most likely to succeed when it comes to branching out into music (she has a multitude of musician friends in respected places and can play actual instruments). But if she can’t do it? Well, I'm not holding my breath -- but it'd be nice to see this trend come to an end, once and for all.\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"A look back at the few hits (and a whole lot of misses) from TV stars who've decided to get musical. ","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1462292483,"stats":{"hasAudio":false,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":24,"wordCount":1697},"headData":{"title":"Why Do Reality TV Stars Insist on Making Music? | KQED","description":"A look back at the few hits (and a whole lot of misses) from TV stars who've decided to get musical. ","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Why Do Reality TV Stars Insist on Making Music?","datePublished":"2016-05-03T16:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2016-05-03T16:21:23.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"23364 http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=23364","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2016/05/03/why-do-reality-tv-stars-insist-on-making-music/","disqusTitle":"Why Do Reality TV Stars Insist on Making Music?","nprByline":"Rae Alexandra","path":"/pop/23364/why-do-reality-tv-stars-insist-on-making-music","audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>[contextly_auto_sidebar]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back in the good old days, the music-career-on-the-side was an endeavor only attempted by actors. The TV actors did it in an attempt to take their careers to the next level -- we’re looking at you, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g5h8jrceec\">Brian Austin Green\u003c/a> and giving you serious side eye, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ti8-vEM3U8\">Uncle Jesse\u003c/a> -- but the movie guys often did it in an attempt to claw back some street cred after accidentally becoming millionaires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the ‘90s, this meant watching Keanu Reeves staring at his feet in \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7TSnE1b-Bs\">Dogstar\u003c/a>, and Johnny Depp collaborating with a Butthole Surfer and trying to look casual about it (that band was called \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVKkWvNQzxE\">P\u003c/a>, in case you erased it from memory). At the time, we all assumed these lackluster attempts to break into rock ‘n’ roll were just about the worst things we’d ever deal with in the world of celebrity music crossovers – but that’s because, at the time, reality TV was just a \u003ca href=\"https://vimeo.com/19177327\">\u003cem>Real World\u003c/em>\u003c/a>-shaped twinkle in MTV’s eye.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_23648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-23648\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"Keanu Reeves, in Dogstar. \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-800x450.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-400x225.jpg 400w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg 768w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault-960x540.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/12/2016/04/maxresdefault.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Keanu Reeves, in Dogstar.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since the advent of reality television, however, celebrities who were famous for nothing more than living with a camera crew started consistently assuming that the fastest way to a more credible career was via the medium of music. In the early days, this happened repeatedly and, without fail, each and every reality star thought that their music career would be different; that they somehow would get one over on a public who, they refused to acknowledge, really, really didn’t want to hear them sing in the first place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When this phenomena first started in the early 2000s, it became apparent very quickly that even when reality stars made a real effort to put out something musically solid -- or at least something that wouldn’t immediately get you scrambling to the mute button on your TV--- they were still met with indifference and not a small amount of disapproval from the peanut gallery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2002, emerging on the back of the enormously successful \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Osbournes\">\u003cem>The Osbournes\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, Kelly Osbourne’s wooden performance in the video for \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUb5JihqZZQ#t=70\">Papa Don’t Preach\u003c/a>\" might have erred on the side of cringeworthy, but the actual song was on par with -- perhaps even better than --anything Avril Lavigne was doing with more success that year. Osbourne’s follow-up singles, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8nng0Anvig\">Shut Up\u003c/a>” and “Come Dig Me Out”, certainly out-paced and outsmarted Lavigne’s \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE\">Complicated\u003c/a>\" and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIy3n2b7V9k\">Sk8tr Boi\u003c/a>”:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Q_qE8_BHMrI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Q_qE8_BHMrI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Still it came to naught.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few years later, Paris Hilton -- who occasionally seemed like an actual Real Human Girl in \u003ca href=\"http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362153/\">\u003cem>The Simple Life\u003c/em>\u003c/a> -- had a crack at music stardom with “Stars Are Blind” -- a song that was received across the board with a kind shrug, a gentle nod and a muttering of “This actually isn’t that bad.” Which, of course, is code for “I’d listen to this song if Gwen Stefani had recorded it.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/joWpYsKere8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/joWpYsKere8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2008, Heidi Montag (poor, dear Heidi Montag) did put some effort into her \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hills_(TV_series)\">\u003cem>Hills\u003c/em>\u003c/a>-adjacent foray into music, copying Paris Hilton’s beachy video and being hailed (by people who were surely being paid to do so) as \"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOgA5D10Hvg\">The NEXT Britney Spears!\u003c/a>\" Sadly, Montag's attempts to not sound like a balloon deflating in slow motion failed. (Poor, dear Heidi Montag.)\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/wHZYGrC40Ko'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/wHZYGrC40Ko'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>All three stars were forced to abandon their music careers shortly after they’d begun, to the disappointment of almost nobody. But what followed was a contagious idea among other reality stars that (a) anyone could have a go, and (b) since it was clearly going to be short-lived, they could just release any old nonsense. The reality star singles that followed were both infuriating in their laziness and -- silver lining! -- a goldmine of unintentional comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, there was Daisy De La Hoya, one of Brett Michaels’ playthings from his (consistently gag-worthy) \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Love_with_Bret_Michaels_(season_2)\">\u003cem>Rock Of Love\u003c/em>\u003c/a> dating show. Ms. De La Hoya decided in 2009 that the quickest way to a rock ‘n’ roll career was singing a song titled “Suck It” featuring the immortal refrain: “Girls, they wanna be me! Boys, they wanna do me!” It was just as head-desk terrible as you might imagine, but there was, at least, also a strong possibility that every time you heard this, you laughed until the breath left your lungs.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/8tul_1hRphI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/8tul_1hRphI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Not to be outdone on the trashiness scale, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Shore_(TV_series)\">\u003cem>Jersey Shore\u003c/em>\u003c/a>’s Pauly D decided to release “Beat Dat Beat” a year later. It was a Pitbull-inspired tropical house nightmare with spoken word sections about tanning, being Italian and “only dealing with 9s and 10s in the DJ booth.” It was like Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch went on a bender, stopped being able to do backflips and just started complaining about ugly people:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/y0Gpt12psAA'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/y0Gpt12psAA'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, Kim Kardashian’s “Jam” half-emerged. That’s right! This atrocity was so bad, not even the Kardashians wanted it released, even after airing \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2uzScEbcws\">Kim in the recording studio\u003c/a> during an episode of \u003ca href=\"http://www.eonline.com/shows/kardashians\">\u003cem>Keeping Up With The Kardashians\u003c/em>\u003c/a>. To this day, it’s impossible to find an entirely finished video to accompany the track. Not even The Dream, a vat of body oil and Kim K’s perfect derriere crawling through a service tunnel could disguise the fact that her singing(?) voice was even more profoundly irritating than the one she speaks with. But hey, rosé up in the air, everybody! (ROSÉ!)\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/gHp7sq1Tzn0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/gHp7sq1Tzn0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Astonishingly, in the years that have followed, we’ve only seen the bar set increasingly lower, thanks almost entirely to the squawking banshees of \u003cem>The Real Housewives\u003c/em> franchise. Here’s New York’s Kim Zolciak with “Tardy For The Party,” closely resembling that friend of your mom’s that always drinks too much on national holidays, then passes out on the front lawn:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/gIeb7tY3Z6s'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/gIeb7tY3Z6s'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Another NYC housewife, Countess Luann, went one step further with “Money Can’t Buy You Class,” a track that features so many layers of Auto-Tune, it sounds like she recorded it with her face submerged in a mop bucket. Money can't buy you talent either, sweet cheeks!\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/kEDvlSAMhQU'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/kEDvlSAMhQU'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even bit-players from \u003cem>The Real Housewives\u003c/em> got in on recording singles. Do you know who \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbRlRUlXWz0#t=20\">Simon Van Kempen\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUcQq1sbWsM#t=63\">Miss Lawrence\u003c/a> are? We don’t either. But someone let those fools into recording booths because, apparently, being on reality television erases the ability to feel shame. Truly, it would now be an impossibility for a reality star to record anything worse than this exercise in humiliation:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/nbRlRUlXWz0'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/nbRlRUlXWz0'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Today, it’s possible for actors to cross over into legitimate and nerd-approved music careers in a way that simply wasn’t permitted a decade ago. Perhaps many actors’ efforts just don’t seem so bad now that we’re so consistently exposed to the bottom of the barrel by reality stars. That’s not to say many people are clamoring to listen to \u003ca href=\"http://www.baconbros.com/\">The Bacon Brothers\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://kevincostnermodernwest.com/\">Kevin Costner & Modern West\u003c/a>, and sweet baby Jesus, we wish we'd never found out about Jada Pinkett Smith’s metal band, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f56ZtXrx_nw\">Wicked Wisdom\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Truthfully, the established actors who have succeeded in recording music that isn’t just tolerable, but legitimately great, have done so by collaborating with respected artists and not pandering to the biggest potential audience. The two best examples are Zooey Deschanel’s collaboration with indie darling M. Ward, for \u003ca href=\"http://www.sheandhim.com/\">She & Him\u003c/a>, and Ryan Gosling’s foray into artsy horror-themed experimentation with the surprisingly excellent \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man%27s_Bones\">Dead Man’s Bones\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/tpYwHfB7eds'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/tpYwHfB7eds'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni75mYuwvlg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What Gosling and Deschanel have in common: You can tell that they’re recording music truthfully and with not a small amount of skill. Neither of them has made their music to get their egos stroked (see Russell Crowe’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNfomuY2ysg\">30 Odd Foot of Grunts\u003c/a>) or to live out some rock star fantasy (see Jared Leto's \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcps2fJKuAI\">30 Seconds to Mars\u003c/a>) -- they’ve done it because they were compelled to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, reality TV's favorite tattoo artist Kat Von D emerged as a guest vocalist on a single by \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayers_(rock_duo)\">Prayers\u003c/a>, an underground electro-goth outfit that is garnering a fair amount of underground buzz right now.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/EnA_ADv9J_8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/EnA_ADv9J_8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\"\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnA_ADv9J_8\">Black Leather\u003c/a>\" is Von D’s first foray into music since promising the world an album in 2014, then never actually coming through with one. If she can forge a path into music following her passions rather than her bank balance, she might actually be the first reality star to pull off a real career in music. Also in her favor is the fact that she’s no longer on our televisions every day -- \u003ca href=\"http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/la-ink/\">\u003cem>LA Ink\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ended all the way back in 2011, and that fact alone gives Von D a shot.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/GV-v2FDhHbI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/GV-v2FDhHbI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"floatright"},"numeric":["floatright"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kat Von D is certainly, currently, the reality star most likely to succeed when it comes to branching out into music (she has a multitude of musician friends in respected places and can play actual instruments). But if she can’t do it? Well, I'm not holding my breath -- but it'd be nice to see this trend come to an end, once and for all.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/23364/why-do-reality-tv-stars-insist-on-making-music","authors":["byline_pop_23364"],"categories":["pop_4"],"tags":["pop_281","pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_23647","label":"pop"},"pop_21130":{"type":"posts","id":"pop_21130","meta":{"index":"posts_1591205157","site":"pop","id":"21130","score":null,"sort":[1457603639000]},"guestAuthors":[],"slug":"is-it-time-to-break-up-with-reality-tv","title":"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?","publishDate":1457603639,"format":"standard","headTitle":"KQED Pop | KQED Arts","labelTerm":{"site":"pop"},"content":"\u003cp>An examination of all the WTF moments from Fuller House, a defense of pretentiousness, and breaking up with reality television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2016/03/fullerhouse.mp3\" title=\"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?\" program=\"The Cooler\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"aligncenter\">\n\u003cdiv>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/DownloadOniTunes_100x100.png\" width=\"75px\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/music/m/Ig3hk6qa4fzcgjp2kagptfgu4u4?t=The_Cooler\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/Google_Play_100x100.png\" width=\"75px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>This week, we kick things off with an examination of all the WTF moments within \u003cem>Fuller Hous\u003c/em>e (spoiler: there are LOTS):\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2016/03/02/fuller-house-every-single-wtf-moment-from-season-1/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We consider what we're really saying when we call someone or something pretentious:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/09/in-defence-of-pretentiousness\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We question whether it's time to bail on reality TV:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://blavity.com/divesting-reality-show-movement/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we cap things off with a jam from Petite Noir:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XvD1QN3enQ\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Until next week!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1041117499\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe and rate us in iTunes\u003c/a>! And find us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED-Pop-336039936485067/timeline/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kqedpop\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\n","blocks":[],"excerpt":"An examination of all the WTF moments from Fuller House, a defense of pretentiousness, and breaking up with reality television.\r\n","status":"publish","parent":0,"modified":1492212725,"stats":{"hasAudio":true,"hasVideo":true,"hasChartOrMap":false,"iframeSrcs":[],"hasGoogleForm":false,"hasGallery":false,"hasHearkenModule":false,"hasPolis":false,"paragraphCount":9,"wordCount":188},"headData":{"title":"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV? | KQED","description":"An examination of all the WTF moments from Fuller House, a defense of pretentiousness, and breaking up with reality television.\r\n","ogTitle":"","ogDescription":"","ogImgId":"","twTitle":"","twDescription":"","twImgId":"","schema":{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?","datePublished":"2016-03-10T09:53:59.000Z","dateModified":"2017-04-14T23:32:05.000Z","image":"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"}},"disqusIdentifier":"21130 http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/?p=21130","disqusUrl":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2016/03/10/is-it-time-to-break-up-with-reality-tv/","disqusTitle":"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?","path":"/pop/21130/is-it-time-to-break-up-with-reality-tv","audioUrl":"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2016/03/fullerhouse.mp3","audioDuration":2045000,"audioTrackLength":null,"parsedContent":[{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>An examination of all the WTF moments from Fuller House, a defense of pretentiousness, and breaking up with reality television.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"audio","attributes":{"named":{"program":"The Cooler","image":"https://ww2.kqed.org/pop/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2017/03/clo.jpg","label":"src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2016/03/fullerhouse.mp3\" title=\"Is It Time to Break Up with Reality TV?\""},"numeric":["src=\"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.kqed.org/.stream/mp3splice/radio/thecooler/2016/03/fullerhouse.mp3\" title=\"Is","It","Time","to","Break","Up","with","Reality","TV?\""]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"aligncenter\">\n\u003cdiv>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooler/id1041117499?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/DownloadOniTunes_100x100.png\" width=\"75px\">\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://play.google.com/music/m/Ig3hk6qa4fzcgjp2kagptfgu4u4?t=The_Cooler\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cimg class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/11/Google_Play_100x100.png\" width=\"75px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>This week, we kick things off with an examination of all the WTF moments within \u003cem>Fuller Hous\u003c/em>e (spoiler: there are LOTS):\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"kqedEmbed","attributes":{"named":{"url":"http://ww2.kqed.org/pop/2016/03/02/fuller-house-every-single-wtf-moment-from-season-1/"},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We consider what we're really saying when we call someone or something pretentious:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}},{"type":"component","content":"","name":"ad","attributes":{"named":{"label":"fullwidth"},"numeric":["fullwidth"]}},{"type":"contentString","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/09/in-defence-of-pretentiousness\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We question whether it's time to bail on reality TV:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>http://blavity.com/divesting-reality-show-movement/\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And we cap things off with a jam from Petite Noir:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/7XvD1QN3enQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/7XvD1QN3enQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Until next week!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1041117499\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe and rate us in iTunes\u003c/a>! And find us on \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/KQED-Pop-336039936485067/timeline/\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/kqedpop\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter\u003c/a>!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>","attributes":{"named":{},"numeric":[]}}],"link":"/pop/21130/is-it-time-to-break-up-with-reality-tv","authors":["27"],"categories":["pop_2793"],"tags":["pop_1250","pop_280"],"featImg":"pop_21158","label":"pop"}},"programsReducer":{"possible":{"id":"possible","title":"Possible","info":"Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? 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On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. 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