America's Got Talent?

I'm sitting here watching yet another popular "vote for your favorite" variety show and wondering what the Ted Mac Amateur Variety Hour or The Ed Sullivan Show might have been like if they had the audience voting on the talent. Back in those days we watched and saw careers launched just because they showed up and gave an incredible performance. Making it on the show was an accomplishment that recognized a performer's talent and passion. Now, there is a week after week disappointment to endure as someone who didn't get enough votes is sent home. Seriously, Dave Clark Five, The Beatles, Herman's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, all performed on Ed Sullivan's show. So let's take a vote... and I understand that some of you won't even know all four of these groups, but they all had a significant part to play in the pop culture of the 60s and 70s. So, which group would win today's vote? Should it really matter?

So we come to a really significant question... Why vote? As I see it, turning a talent show from an exhibition into a competition benefits only one party. The networks. It ups the ratings by involving the audience in a Roman Coliseumesque rating system of "thumbs up or down" to label the talent as winners or dead losers. As the ratings go up, ad revenue goes through the roof and the networks make lots of money on a show that is inexpensive to produce.

Now I know some will argue that Chris Daughtry and Jennifer Hudson have successful careers even though they didn't get the votes. But really, they will forever be known as the ones who made it big, but got voted off American Idol. And they have to live with it for the sake of getting millions of people to choose who lives or dies on the Idol stage.

This year, one of my favorite shows "So You Think You Can Dance" had an absolutely stellar line up of dancers. I like the show because everyone on the show, the judges, choreographers, the dancers, and the audience passionately love dance. There are some evenings when the art is so overwhelming we are all left breathless and the judges are in tears. And then we have to vote and everything becomes cheapened by the commercialism. The girl who won this year, won because she was popular. Was she the best dancer? Does it really matter?

I have a solution. The next time a show comes on TV that wants us to rate the talent, let's show our support by watching and enjoying what happens, but when the host announces, "The voting lines are now open..." resist the urge to pick up the phone. What a night that would be if no one voted; if America decided to enjoy a talent show and sacrificed no one to the lions.

-- Wink