One of the hazards of having kids (daughters in particular) is that you find yourself watching TV shows you wouldn't normally view. One of these is Australian Idol.
Last year I had little option but to sit through the entire experience. It was hard going early on. The show got off to a shaky start after the judges character assassinated the early contestants. Thankfully, they adjusted the snark balance and saved the show. It got better as the contestants were eliminated, and became compulsory viewing. At the end, Shannon had the looks, but not quite the voice. Guy had the voice, but definitely not the looks. Cynics would wager that in a close popularly voted competition where the majority of voters are teenage girls, looks would win every time, but it didn't happen.
This year it's gone much more smoothly, despite the talent pool being marginally shallower. The excruciating add breaks and the dopey compares are still there, but it would be a brave person to insert themselves between the TV and our hormonal household residents at 7.30pm on Sunday night.
To prove that some viewers are slow learners, a senior family member opined that the overweight contestants in this year's lineup wouldn't go very far. How wrong he was. Both had voices that outweighed (forgive the pun) the advantages of the better looking contestants. Courtney deserved his third place, and Casey is in the final.
What an amazing talent Casey is. Poise that would credit someone much older than her 16 years, and the voice of an angel. The family consensus is that Casey deserves to win. Let's hope that the public votes again on talent and not aesthetics.
Tony we have been sucked into the Idol maelstrom too - good fun really and an interesting bunch of people this time. I do look forward to Courtney's CD with James Morrison.
But unlike you I hope Casey doesn't win - but purely for her own sake. She's wonderful, amazing, talented and deserving - specially seeing how she's grown in the past few weeks.
But can you imagine the torture for her to have to sing that dreadful 'winners' song time after time at an endless round of gigs and TV shows. It would be her worst nightmare I'd say.
Her future is surely assured and she would be so much better off to be allowed to follow her own course in the relative obscurity of the number 2 spot.
Let Anthony get the plumb he's worked so hard for all his life and see what he makes of it. Let Casey find her own time to fly....
Sue, your argument regarding whether it would be good for a 16 yo to win is one that I hadn't considered. It's a good point. It would be a lot of pressure for someone so young.
I'd like to think that the show's producers would protect her to some extent. But then again, I don't believe in Santa, either.
Perhaps the show's minimum age for entering should be 18.
good idea re 18 - 16 is too immature for most.
My thoughts about Casey not winning were more for the preservation of her individual qualities and artistic integrity really. It would be too tragic to see her having to grit her teeth and follow the prescribed line. i think she'll have far more chance to develop her true potential if she's not burdened with the idol tag for the next year. But I'd cheer if she won all the same!