Elements of pop culture are integrated into many parts of daily life. They are seen within news broadcasts, in the clothes people wear, and talked about during classroom lessons. Therefore it is logical that television would be a practical medium for promoting the idea of attainable fame for ordinary people through reality talent shows like America’s Got Talent, The Voice, American Idol and many more. Despite only producing a handful of major stars, TV talent shows are generally successful in helping kick start the careers of their contestants.
To be a contestant on any show, whether it be a game or talent show, a person must go through a series of auditions. In "A Great Mind Wins Jeopardy!" Scott Harris recounts of having to send in multiple
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applications over a period of two years before being chosen to go through another round of testing in order to appear on the show (32). In a similar fashion, contestants on talent shows may have to send in an audition tape before an additional live or blind audition is held to narrow down the talent. Author Katherine Meizel informs that audiences do not see the entire audition process for American Idol where, “Two sets of auditions, not broadcast, precede those that make it to the air,” during which many are disqualified (475). On another singing show The Voice, Patricia Torres said that it is the show she enjoys watching the most because of the higher level competition that is comprised of contestants that, “have already been picked out before they go on the show. So you already know that they can sing.” These series of auditions help raise the standard for talent on the show and assures the audience that they will get quality entertainment. Other than having an entertainment factor, these shows also have to maintain a sense of professionalism and credibility. The previously mentioned Cinderella archetype, of ordinary people becoming stars, is an idea that is strongly utilized by these programs. Many artists are rejected by labels due to a variety of factors, some reasons being age, artistic style, or appearance. Blind and live auditions allow contestants of all types to be accepted based solely on their respective talents. Singer Susan Boyle, who appeared on the second season of Britain’s Got Talent, was harshly criticized due to “the fact that Boyle's performance was seen as so utterly incongruous with her physical appearance” (Holmes 75). Despite all of the pressure she received from journalists, Boyle advanced successfully through the show and became the contests’ runner-up. Afterwards, she went on to release several successful albums and has even been nominated twice for a Grammy (Corner). The nature of these shows, that allow ordinary people the chance to become stars, can be credited for the success of Susan Boyle and many others. An additional aid that producers use to help the artists improve throughout is the use of celebrity judges and mentors. Both audiences and contestants know that these professional entertainers have the experience and knowledge to competently assess and critique the skills of the competitors. Shows like The Voice are especially known for their celebrity judges who are well known stars in various genres of music. When asked about the coaches from La Voz Kids, the Hispanic kids’ version of The Voice, Tita Campos said her favorite was “Pedrito [Fernandez].” She went on to say, “I love the way he sings, he’s family oriented… he has had a lot of experience so he knows when he hears the voice if they have a lot of potential.” A famous Mexican singer and actor, Pedro Fernandez is one example of the variety and quality of coaching that these shows try to offer for the benefit of their contestants. An additional advantage contributing to the winners’ potential success post-competition are the prizes offered to the winners of the show. Prize amounts vary in value from show to show, but are assured to be beneficial to the career and lifestyle of the contestant after the show. During the second season of the X-Factor, the grand prize offered was a sum of $5 million. This amount was later lowered down to $1 million in the subsequent seasons (Deen). American Idol which has been on air for a whopping fourteen seasons and has had variations in grand prize amounts due to influence from sponsors and the decline of ratings. The grand prize equated to a sum of $250,000 along with a recording contract, with the runner-up receiving an amount of about $175,000. However, because of the steady decline of the show, Idol runner-ups now are only given the opportunity to receive a significantly lower amount at a starting minimum of $30,000 (McCartney). The Voice in contrast, in its eight seasons, has remained consistently popular and maintained its winning prize of a recording contract and $100,000. Despite the shows’ various attempts to give contestants a boost in their careers, winners have not always followed or lived up to the potential that these shows have given them. This prediction of success goes both ways, with winners not always reaching the heights of their predicted success and eliminated contestants surpassing their respective expectations. Javier Colon and Jermaine Paul, the first two winners of The Voice, along with multiple winners of American Idol have proved that being winners of the televised contests does not immediately equate to stardom. Many of these winners only made small splashes in the music industry, most now only performing in small venues. Some winners like Anna Nardona, who beat out Justin Timberlake on Star Search, gave up the dream of a singing career altogether. In a completely contrasting situation, people like William Hung and Susan Boyle who took a large share of open criticism from reporters and viewers, used the publicity they received to build successful careers (Meizel, 475; Holmes, 75). Both of these paths show that the progress of a contestant through the show and beyond is not only a result of their own talent and drive, but is also largely attributed to the influence of the audience. Knowledgeable about viewer influence, TV stations try to get audiences more involved in the competition process. Shows will allow audiences to vote towards the middle of a season giving them the opportunity to advance their personal favorites as well as allowing them to ultimately choose the winner. This gives power to the viewers consequently winning their loyalty which is extremely beneficial to the program’s longevity. Winning, however, is not necessarily a determining factor in contestants’ success after the show. In many cases across many shows, the audience chosen winner did not attain the amount of success that the runner up or even, in the case of American Idol’s Jennifer Hudson, sixth place contestants achieved (Mead). The show Star Search, from the 1980s and 1990s, is particularly infamous for having misjudged the success of many future celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Despite not winning these competitions, many people like these two pop stars have gone on to achieve successful careers after the nationwide exposure that they received from appearing on these shows. While they may not be exact indicators of stardom, reality talent shows do allow for aspiring artists, musicians, and dancers to make their debut in front large audiences.
This exposure has proven necessary for these people to initiate or validate the pursuit of their careers. Rosie O’Donnell, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and more all made debuts into the pool of professional entertainment through Star Search. Although this screen time can be used as a positive influence, shows like American Idol may take advantage of this public stage by exploiting the large number of unserious or less talented contestants to employ comedic elements as an entertainment factor. Writer Katherine Meizel examines this phenomenon in “Making the Dream a Reality (Show) when she states, “American Idol chronicles the dual construction of this ‘‘dream,’’ in its realization for a happy few and… the most cringe-inducing moments of one or more seasons” (475-476). For this exact reason, despite the celebrity endorsements and recording contracts offered, a bit of the gravity of what is at stake for contestants and credibility of the contest is lost to the …show more content…
audience. People that do not believe in authenticity of TV talent shows argue that none of the aids that the shows could provide for contestants, such as the prize money and professional mentors, would help them be successful.
The only things that can help winners are the skills and characteristics that they go into the show already possessing. Some of these things include previous experience, support from family and friends, personality, and work ethic and motivation (Zwaan, ter Bogt 231). This belief is supported by Marty Thomas who commented, “She wanted it. She wanted it bad," he said. "She worked. That's what you've got to do” about his fellow Star Search competitor Britney Spears’ success. As for personality’s contribution, it was found that, “Extraversion and conscientiousness are positively related to career success, whereas neuroticism and agreeableness are negatively related to career success” (Zwaan, ter Bogt 322). This correlation is reasonable, as entertainers have to be adaptable and pleasant for the sake of their audiences. Having the ability to be comfortable displaying their personalities to strangers would be helpful to not only win fans during a competition, but also in their time after the show. Although this theory of a person being exclusively responsible for their own success may not be entirely true, there is validity in one’s own skills having a great impact on direction of their
career. Despite having many faults, the longevity of these reality TV shows through the years along with the number of celebrities discovered among their contestants gives definitive proof that these shows are effective in discovering and shaping future celebrities and entertainers. Just as pop culture influences media, media can have just as drastic an impact on pop culture. Television sends and receives ideas to and from viewers that shape the popular trends of national and regional cultures. Televised talent shows, a worldwide trend, have been discovering rising talents for decades. Whether a person wins the shows or not, this medium allows for talents of all types to be recognized where they would not have the opportunity any place else.
Though The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was written years ago, the idea of materialism, and measuring one's success by their possessions is also a prominent theme in pop culture in the West. Luxurious and excessive lifestyles are in, perpetuated by "blinged out" rap artists and rock stars who own multiple houses, and drive unnecessarily large and expensive sport utility vehicles and sports cars. Pop music has evolved throughout the 20th Century, and has now gotten to a point where it's not just music, but an industry. Singers are actors and vice versa. To make it big in the music industry you not only have to have talent, but a strong business sense, and your own clothing line, of course.
The failing television networks have found a number of elements in reality shows which can save them money. These elements have combined to improve rating, while also improving the amount of money brought into the networks. The networks have had pressure from stockholders to improve the return on their investments, or possible begin to lose their money. So the networks have discovered ways to save money with reality’ shows one being they haven’t had to pay actors. All the main characters of this shows are contests and only one will be ~paid” at the end. In addition to not paying actors, they have also been able to cut back greatly on the number of writers used to write scripts. The reality shows have been in a way been “pre-tested” in other nations. The U.S. networks know that the shows can be successful because of the success they have had in Europe. These facts have all come together ...
Celebrities hold a strong power to influence the lifestyle trends of an audience. As members of the entertainment industry, celebrities are looked up to as role models by a large general public. With having such high exposure, celebrities essentially hold the power to positively or negatively influence their followers from fashion trends to behavioral tendencies, the attitudes and lifestyle habits of celebrities influence cultural qualities and the way in which many people function within society. Mindy Kaling’s career started when she became an intern in the popular show “Late Night with Conan O’ Brien”. Mindy was a 19-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth College when she first started with her internship. One way Mindy Kaling’s started to become an importance in the Comedy Business is through her work in the show “The Office” Mindy
A celebrity is not a person known for his/her talent or achievement, but an individual recognized for his/her reputation created by the media. The phase of stardom is slippery, and media may choose to represent celebrities varying from exaggerated admiration to mockery. The three texts chosen, movie "Sunset Boulevard", feature article "Over the Hilton" and television show "Celebrity Uncensored Six" are texts presenting different perception of celebrities than their usual images - either corrupted by the encircling media, overloads oneself with self-indulgence, or just mocks celebrity in a broad spectrum. Such media items empower and impresses the audience by perceiving celebrities as people who pay the price of privacy to gain well knowness, signifying the vanity of stardom from the commonly accepted images.
Reality based television has a broad landscape ranging from competitive game-like shows to programs following the daily lives of a group of people. Every major network now has some form of reality programming because the genre’s shows are high in viewership and require low costs for production. The genre is appealing to viewers because it provides them with a first-hand look into the lives of everyday people, which allows them to observe social behavior that helps them determine what is appropriate or not (Tyree, 2011, p. 397). Since the majority of modern reality stars start out as unknowns, frequent viewers of reality programming believed that fame is obtainable if they appear on a popular show (Mendible, 2004). According to Mendible’s evaluation of the genre in the article Humiliation, Subjectivity, and Reality TV, people enjoy reality programs beca...
Few people on television are able to bring joy to others just by being themselves, but those who can are known as modern day icons. Certain individuals have the ability to get up everyday and entertain crowds of hundreds. Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres are prime examples of people who can brighten others’ days and do so for a living. Oprah and Ellen are two memorable women who have accomplished careers as daytime talk show hosts; they have two separate histories that have formed them into the idols we know today. Viewers have grown up watching both women on television, and have learned meaningful life lessons from doing so. They are often thought of as important role models for young women and men in today’s society (Happiness Weekly). Although their stories may
The star text of a celebrity can help to decipher their image and transitions they may undergo. In order to better understand these transitions, one must know the definition of a star text. A star text is the sum of everything we affiliate with celebrities, which includes their body of work, promotion, publicity, and audience participation (Jackson, 08/09/16). One must note that “celebrity doesn 't happen because someone has extraordinary qualities – it is discursively constructed by the way in which the person is publicised and meanings about them circulate” (O 'Shaughnessy and Stadler 424). Destiny Hope Cyrus, “an American singer and actress, became a sensation in the television series
We can become famous via Facebook or our second lives and it seems easier now to become famous because of the internet. Now days there are more and more reality shows and those were just normal people who lived interesting lives. Those normal people now have a TV show, what will happen if we all get TV shows about our lives. Still, there are still classic actors who actually know how to do their job rather than just a reality show. No matter what these actors or non-actors do, we still aspire to be
Pop music has long been defined by “idols” and superstars that are subjects of high levels of adoration from severely devoted fans, whose love of these superstars often blurs the line between fandom and obsession. This love is mainly based off of physical looks and charm more often than actual musical talent, as majority of the songs written by these massive superstars are not written by the artists themselves, instead by people hired to write for these artists in a way that will best connect with a crowd willing to spend their money on these manufactured stars. Therefore, it has become evident that in the world of popular music, image has overtaken talent as the determining factor of success in the industry. Instead of skill and songwriting ability, good looks and the ability to draw large crowds of impressionable people have become the main factors of fame in music.
A great deal of the world possesses a vague sense of the existence of the dance world, but they do not know much past that. The assistance of reality television shows, such as Dance Moms, So You Think You Can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars, present the inner workings of the dance community to the general public. Unfortunately, the publicity can change how society perceives the dance world. Reality television affected the dance world by contributing an air of commercialism to it, influencing younger dancers to suppose the main focus should be in the eye-popping tricks rather than artistry, and it drives audiences focus on the glitzy costumes and dazzling on stage performances rather than exhibit the sweat, blood, and tears that go into putting together the final product.
So many young people go into the entertainment business. Most of them do not know that without a support system to keep them grounded and stable their mental development can be compromised. The society that we place so high in our culture and deem worthy of such high praise, eat our children alive. They grow too fast, have to defend themselves constantly, and are watched around the clock. As a society, we must take a look at what we are doing to the people in the entertainment industry.
We are part of a generation that is obsessed with celebrity culture. Celebrities are distinctive. Media and consumers alike invented them to be a different race of super beings: flawless, divine and above all the real moral world. In a 1995 New York Times article “In contrast, 9 out of 10 of those polled could think of something
The celebrity gossip industry has affected our assumptions about entertainment. Usually, we assume that entertainment is just for fun, entertainment is only a reflection of our culture, and entertainment is a personal choice. Nowadays, entertainment is not just for fun. Celebrities entertain us in many ways, but sometimes we do not enjoy what they do yet we still watch them. For instance, many teen idols have had meltdowns. Although it is not fun to...
Movie stars. They are celebrated. They are perfect. They are larger than life. The ideas that we have formed in our minds centered on the stars that we idolize make these people seem inhuman. We know everything about them and we know nothing about them; it is this conflicting concept that leaves audiences thirsty for a drink of insight into the lifestyles of the icons that dominate movie theater screens across the nation. This fascination and desire for connection with celebrities whom we have never met stems from a concept elaborated on by Richard Dyer. He speculates about stardom in terms of appearances; those that are representations of reality, and those that are manufactured constructs. Stardom is a result of these appearances—we actually know nothing about them beyond what we see and hear from the information presented to us. The media’s construction of stars encourages us to question these appearances in terms of “really”—what is that actor really like (Dyer, 2)? This enduring query is what keeps audiences coming back for more, in an attempt to decipher which construction of a star is “real”. Is it the character he played in his most recent film? Is it the version of him that graced the latest tabloid cover? Is it a hidden self that we do not know about? Each of these varied and fluctuating presentations of stars that we are forced to analyze create different meanings and effects that frame audience’s opinions about a star and ignite cultural conversations.
Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change” (John Podhoretz). It encompasses the advertisements we see on T.V, the clothes we wear, the music we listen too, and it’s the reason Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar yet. It defines and dictates the desires and fears of the mainstream members of society; and it is so ingrained into our lives that it has become as natural as breathing. Moreover, adults never even bat an eyelash at all the pop culture and advertising that surrounds them since it has become just another part of everyday life. Pop culture is still somewhat seen as entertainment enjoyed by the lower class members of society; but pop culture standards change over time. A notable example of this is the sixteenth century author, William Shakespeare, since his works were considered pop culture, entertainment that could be enjoyed by everyone, but now they are considered literary classics. While pop culture encompasses most aspects of our lives, its influence is most obvious through each generations reaction to media,