Anyway, Brad I enjoy you’re discussion about the emergence of atypical contestants. I don’t really follow Idol so i’ll use a different example.

Arena (Foxtel) screens ‘Make me a supermodel’ hosted by Rachel Hunter. The show has a simlar format in terms of contestant selection and continuity, as they are the result of the combination between judging opinions and at home voters. In the currently screening season, the contest between the female models places a typical slim model, marianne, against “average” woman, jen.

Anyway, in one of the final episodes the judges exclaim that they’re confused by the public’s voting patterns. They continually disagree with the judges. Hunter and Perou, argue they are against Jen because she is out of shape, not because of her weight. Neither of the girls eventually win the show, but it would be interesting to consider, whether jen would’ve had any success after the show if she had won the modelling contract.

Do we only follow these people while we can vicariously live through their experience? Once, they’ve supposedly “beaten” the machine, then do we lose interest, because we are no longer as engaged in the character.

I don’t know, but i thought i’d have a ramble.

It seems that the swift disappearance of Casey Donovan — that is, the ease with which the media/music industries could suppress any unaccepted mode of expression, and the lack of outcry from fans over her vanishing — could be taken as an object lesson in just how little capitalist power structures have to lose by allowing a small measure of prosumer subjectivity. The sheer ignominity of Casey’s treatment probably hasn’t had any effect on Idol’s rating over the years since, suggesting that the power-holders could be aware of the risk of an unconventional individual becoming the Idol, but were more than comfortable with that in the knowledge that they could block such an individual form any real form of power.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Good job!