I am not an American Idol fan and have not seen a single minute of this year’s pop-machinery-industrial festival. I love music way too much to watch.
However, I am enjoying watching the media meltdown over the surprise winner and part of me wants to shout to the mainstream reporters, as opposed to commentators: JUST REPORT AND WRITE THE RELIGION ANGLE AND GET IT OVER WITH.
I realize that facts play a disputed role in entertainment journalism. I also know that the Kingdom of Simon may be such a closed shop, in terms of actual journalistic access to the “stars,” that it might be hard to do real interviews that might reveal real insights. But, please, if you read the main stories on this event, you would think that Pat Robertson defeated Barney Frank or something. Was the presidency of Barack Obama really at stake in this contest?
Want to read between some major lines? Check out the New York Times:
It’s possible that “American Idol” viewers’ selection of Kris Allen over Adam Lambert says something about the mood and mores of the country, that viewers are too conformist to anoint a sassy, androgynous individualist. Then again, maybe not: Mr. Allen’s victory may merely reflect the voters’ conventional taste in pop music.
The choice of Mr. Allen, revealed during the two-hour finale on Fox on Wednesday night, wasn’t a breakthrough decision, even if a record 100 million votes were cast. … But it isn’t necessary to seek deeper meaning in the finale; it’s the “American Idol” franchise itself that best speaks to the state of the nation.
Yawn. Come on, there are a few facts here to report.
Let’s try another mainstream bible, the Style section at the Washington Post. Start with the lede:
This time, Kris Allen, the modest, 23-year-old married college student who has worked as a church worship leader, was named 2009’s American Idol. He beat Adam Lambert, the 27-year-old, boldly creative, can-only-call-him-“flamboyant” musical theater actor who brought “guyliner” and black fingernail polish to the country’s most watched television show and made the audience like it.
But wait! This is Washington, so we also have to add:
… (T)here’ll be more talk about this being the latest red state/blue state battle — such as Republican strategist Todd Harris did on CBS’s “The Early Show” yesterday morning, as in: “You’ve got these more liberal elites who live on each coast, represented by Adam, and then Kris represents what those on the coast refer to as the flyover states.”
And getting closer to the point:
Meanwhile, people who actually watch the show will be debating the Danny Gokey Factor — a theory espoused by “American Idol’s” Deep Thought Thinker, Paula Abdul: “After the third one leaves, you wonder where do the votes go from that third contestant,” Abdul told the Associated Press backstage after Tuesday’s final performance show.
The 29-year-old Gokey, this year’s second runner-up, is a widower who hails from Milwaukee. A church music director, Gokey — like Allen — was a non-flashy performer.
Lambert, on the other hand, hails from Los Angeles by way of San Diego, was in the cast of “Wicked” and doesn’t talk much about his personal life. But expect the “is-he-or-isn’t-he?” chatter about Lambert to explode today into a full-on debate about whether the vote reflects gay bias.
So you have two straight church guys vs. the “Wicked” guy with Style.
Now, contrast the mainstream language with this snip from the online world, where I had hundreds of options. What struck me about this one was the possibility that there were actual religious background facts to report and explore.
Frankly, I would also love to ask this question: Has Sunday morning in megachurch America already turned into the American Idol minor leagues? Is this victory a sign that the dreaded Contemporary Christian Music niche is getting more or less powerful? Should we start a betting pool on the release date for the big Kris Allen worship-music disc?
Anyway, check out the blunt language in this commentary at The God Blog at JewishJournal.com:
Allen was Christian and Southern and more conservative; Lambert was Jewish and liberal and made for Hollywood. And at some point, it appears that Allen became the straight “Idol” and Lambert the gay “Idol.”
“American Idol was like watching Prop 8 win all over again.”
I saw that perspective included in a quick compilation of post-“Idol” chatter on the blog of my old colleague Greg Hernandez, who is gay and was himself wondering how much of the spike in “Idol” voting was “anti-Adam.” It’s really impossible to know how many Christians, and other socially conservative religious folks, voted for Allen simply because he wasn’t Lambert. But I’m sure at least some.
Stay tuned. I hope someone actually does some reporting on the religion side of the story, if reporting is allowed.
 | Posted at 10:26 am |  Print
| Permalink | Trackback |
Comments (20) |
May 22, 2009, at 10:33 am
Terry, like you I don’t have much use for “Idol.” Sometimes I catch a bit of it while waiting for junk-TV cop shows that I favor to come on. But I’m not sure there is a religion side to this story, just snippets and attributions.
Or were you being funny and I’m not getting the joke?
May 22, 2009, at 10:41 am
[…] News Sources wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI am not an American Idol fan and have not seen a single minute of this year’s pop-machinery-industrial festival. I love music way too much to watch. However, I am enjoying watching the media meltdown over the surprise winner and part of me wants to shout to the mainstream reporters, as opposed to commentators: JUST REPORT AND WRITE THE RELIGION ANGLE AND GET IT OVER WITH. I realize that facts play a disputed role in entertainment journalism. I also know that the Kingdom of Simon may be su […]
May 22, 2009, at 10:45 am
Well written, Terry, except that you don’t have to bash the music while you were at it. I can’t remember what your religious affiliation is, or if you have one, but those of us out in the front lines of contemporary worship (I belong to a PCA church) are constatntly struggling to help both generations appreciate all kinds of music.
And just for the record, I don’t watch it, but I have a daughter who is a missionary in Africa who really likes to watch American Idol — so we try to keep her up on who did what and who sang what. Our culture may lack a few things, but I’m not sure that you journalists are sometimes as good as you think you are in evaluating it.
You could try and be a little more charitable of the differences among us, else you’ll find yourself among the foolish people who lampooned Charles Wesley for attaching the words of “And Can it Be that I Should Gain” to a pop melody of his day.
May 22, 2009, at 10:59 am
Anyone who has read my stuff know that I am totally in favor of religious believers working in mainstream popular culture and having an impact. Go for it.
I am also totally in favor of the church doing apologetics that respond to the signals from popular culture. Totally. So see this.
However, my views on entertainment in worship (and the industry that profits from that) are also out there.
I mean, hey, CLICK HERE.
So rock out, out in the real world. Be salt and light. Then unit the Body of Christ through the ages and generations in worship. Yup, I’m one of those ancient Christian types.
Enjoy this glimpse of our choir on PBS!
May 22, 2009, at 12:19 pm
Two props for tmatt:
1) “Has Sunday morning in megachurch America already turned into the American Idol minor leagues?” - That earned a legitimate, unexpected belly laugh. And then I was worried you’d glare at me sternly if this was in person.
2) “Is this victory a sign that the dreaded Contemporary Christian Music niche is getting more or less powerful?” - That is a great, great question. I started this post thinking “Why do we need a religion angle - or anything at all - on something as trivial as American Idol?” But I guess a serious ghost might occasionally choose to haunt a plastic playground castle.
May 22, 2009, at 12:36 pm
Yes, but does that mean you have to take a slam at everyone’s music you don’t like? Does everyone have to be acquainted with all of your writing so they can interpret statements like “I love music way too much to watch.” Or are not some people going to read your first sentence who will not necessarily do a research paper on what Terry Mattingly’s views on contemporary worship are?
Do journalists have to take unnecessary slams at popular culture? And is the result not the same as it often is elsewhere, that people stop reading before they’ve even started?
The Apostle Paul was better at the job.
May 22, 2009, at 1:42 pm
The real “ghost” is that more than 90% of Americans don’t watch American Idol and couldn’t care less who wins or why. Thus, the outcome of the show says very little about our culture.
May 22, 2009, at 1:43 pm
“(V)iewers are too conformist to anoint a sassy, androgynous individualist.”
O rly? Got news for you, boys: ““guyliner” and black fingernail polish” are old news; saw it all during the New Romantic movement back in the 80s when I was in my twenties, so I wouldn’t faint and topple over if I saw a pop singer dressed up like that, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the audience are as old as I am.
I don’t suppose anyone has advanced the far-out, crazy theory that just perhaps Mr. Allen got more votes than Mr. Lambert because more people liked his performance?
Or is that too silly in the midst of “It’s an Orchestrated Deliberate Anti-Gay Campaign!”?
Though I’m glad for this kind of distraction from the horrible, horrible, unspeakable news that has just come with the issuing of that report on physical and sexual abuse in industrial schools in my country; if the worst that you are worrying about in regard to religious scandal is a talent show, you’re getting off very lightly.
May 22, 2009, at 1:58 pm
I enjoyed NPR’s Morning Edition look at this, including the observation that “the American Idol machine did its best to pit the folksy country Christian against the showy, sophisticated dandy. But the two men found a friendship that transcended typical reality show expectations.” But maybe this raises even more questions. Someone should interview Kris Allen.
May 22, 2009, at 2:06 pm
Terry, I had not realized it was your church that had been featured. It was a great segment and taught me something about the Orthodox church I had not known before. The point about singing rang true to me since melody has power in its own right.
When I read entertainment in worship I immediately thought of worship of entertainment and entertainers which has been a feature of popular culture at least back to the Frank Sinatra era if not further back.
May 22, 2009, at 2:08 pm
So the male Kelly Clarkson won. This is getting repetitive!
I have to give the post-Idol hubbub a big ‘Come on! If anyone has paid any attention to past winners, you’d see that they’re almost all in the same mould as Kris Allen. Guys like Adam usually don’t fare as well because they’re, generally speaking, niche performers with a kind of act that appeals to only a small number of the Idol audience. I mean, imagine the family and individuals watching this show, and consider which contestant is going to appeal to the widest audience.
May 22, 2009, at 2:32 pm
Martha, it’s odd watching you respond to an embellished\exaggerated version of what was actually written.
May 22, 2009, at 4:07 pm
My wife’s theory is that the Allen victory proves that the most powerful voting block in American-Idol-land is 9 year old girls.
May 22, 2009, at 4:23 pm
Another interesting facet is what appeared to be a genuine friendship among the final three contestants—“two straight church guys” and a “‘Wicked’ guy with Style.” There appeared to be authentic respect and appreciation across the board. Imagine that! That’s hard for extremes on both sides to fathom.
May 23, 2009, at 12:07 am
Some coverage of the possible Christian effort to block Adam Lambert:
http://www.queerty.com/what-happens-when-bill-oreilly-mixes-pop-culture-religion-20090519/
http://www.queerty.com/oreilly-adam-lamberts-embarrassing-photos-pose-big-risk-20090407/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/emamerican-idolem-try-emc_b_206134.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-michaelson/why-it-matters-that-adam_b_205588.html
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid84667.asp
http://www.afterelton.com/blog/dennis/oreilly-christian-idol-vote-against-adam-lambert
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2254000/posts
May 23, 2009, at 2:49 am
dalea, those links mostly point not to “coverage” in a journalistic sense but op-ed speculation at best.
Even afterelton.com had the sense to write, “But regardless of how determinative it is, that there is a Christian voting block is pretty much a no-brainer. Just as there is a Jewish voting block and a gay voting block and so on.”
How dose one jump from a (likely) Christian voting block to “coverage” of the “possible Christian effort to block Adam Lambert” (zero evidence given)? And shouldn’t we then give equal consideration to a possible gay effort to block Kris Allen?
May 23, 2009, at 4:21 am
[…] From Get Religion: Ghosts in the Idol finale […]
May 24, 2009, at 5:40 pm
Roberto notes, above, that less than 10% of Americans watch American Idol, implying that it’s therefore irrelevant. A humorous comment, given that this is a website that would certainly take seriously anything coming from the New York Times — with its readership of just over 1 million. I’d say 29 million people sharing any experience together is relevant to those interested in modern society and culture.
As for the “Christian vote” on AI:
American Idol tacitly acknowledged its huge Christian audience last season when the Idols sang “Shout to the Lord” on the show — twice. The first time, they left out the name of Jesus, singing “My shepherd, my savior…” Word is that the phone lines lit up at that — and the next night, the Idols sang it *again,* this time with the correct lyrics (“My Jesus, my savior…”).
When “worship leader” Danny Gokey was voted off a week before the finals, it was announced that only a million votes (out of 35 mil or so) separated finaists Kris and Adam. So I think it’s more than reasonable to assume that over a million transferred from Danny to Kris, and that the Christian voting bloc (and/or the Arkansas voting bloc) carried the show. Anecdotally, I was even told by some Christians that I was not “allowed” to prefer Adam, and that I was “required” to vote for Danny (and later, Kris).
That said, I think the real story is, as Joe Riley mentions above, the friendship that grew between the two finalists. Would that we could all transcend rivalries and differences to make connections with those we consider as the “other.” (Even with those gauche enough to actually watch and enjoy “American Idol.”)
May 25, 2009, at 6:02 pm
Singers in the top 10 finalists in the Canadian version of this show tend to be Christian or have a church background. Churches give teens their chance at being involved in singing and playing instruments — and discovering talent.
May 28, 2009, at 2:40 pm
[…] two of the final three contestants were Praise Band creations. TMATT at the getreligion blog asks a great question. So you have two straight church guys vs. the “Wicked” guy with Style…Frankly, I would […]