Here's Looking At You, Dweeb!

I know, I know.  Two "American Idol" posts in a row.

But what can I say?  I am an unabashed "AI" fanatic from way back.  (At least, I'm pretty sure my profile at Gay.com says so.)  I keep waiting for it all to become less entertaining, but it just ... never ... does!

If you want to know about the season-five contestants who actually have talent, go visit Rickey, TV Squad or others.  But me, I get off on da freaks.

Last night's stop: Denver.  The air must be pretty thin a mile high, because the city had more than its share of goofs, gaffes and – of course – gaiety.

Allow me to present three potential candidates for the 2006 William Hung Memorial Scholarship: a self-styled "ottapanoor" named Nick "Flawless" McCord; his buddy, Ben "Cosmic Coaster" Hossback; and the subject of promos before the episode's commercial breaks, Zachary "I Stand Up Just Like You Do" Travis.

I rarely have much of an "agenda" when I post things, but I desperately hope this one ignites a vicious debate about "American Idol's" ethics, and the propriety of showcasing and lampooning people who are so clearly talentless, or even quite possibly mentally defective in some way.

It should be clear where I stand.

[Watch video – 10:01, WMV format, high bandwidth]

[Watch video – 10:01, WMV format, low bandwidth]

Comments

[Chad]

Can we confirm that the producers had played the theme from The Crying Game during the end of Zachary's segment? I posted about it 'cause I was sure I heard it, but Robbie isn't sure it's there.

[North Dallas Thirty]

With you, Mal.

[Robbie]

What I found interesting was the difference between the judges' reactions to your run of the mill drag queen and someone who's transgender in earnest. Drag queens? Hilarious. Transgender? I honestly don't know if I've ever seen these judges look more uncomfortable in their lives.

They were straining to say little to nothing, for fear of any reaction at all. Paula was verrrrry careful to make sure he/she knew her critique was solely on vocal talent (or lack thereof). Even Simon was subdued. You knew he wanted to say way more than he did, but he was clearly sitting on his hands.

There was also a strange duality in how the show handled it. Paula and Randy at least were being very solicitous of Zachary's self-esteem. I could almost hear Miranda from Sex and the City in the back of my mind crying out, "No judgement!"

What to make of the producer's take, though? The promotion, the panning across the platform heels, the strange androgynous music that, if it wasn't the Crying Game, it certainly bring it to mind.

It doesn't help that Zachary is more or less your typical gay Left oppressive, calling the judges prejudiced and racist (?!), when it was clear that at least two of them took great pains to diminish the impression as much as possible.

I admit, it was a bizarre little segment that I was uncomfortable watching, and I'm not sure why.

[Michael]

Confirmed. And if I may, let me just say that the way American Idol treats thier contestents is deplorable... if you are a dumb pussy.

HA HA HA...I LOVE it when people react poorly to a dose of reality. "I'm a very intellectual person. Look at my space coaster!!"

Honestly, I think they were too easy on them.

[Robbie]

Two more things.

1. Zach's mom - that's not eccentricity, dear.

2. The only person who was crappy to Zach was Simon who is A. An ass to everyone, and B. British. Didn't stop the "America is so prejudiced!" rant though, did it.

[Chad]

Honestly.... If the show was racist (and by "racist" I'm using Ms. Zachary's definition of "hates people who are obliviously abnormal")how in God's good name did that dude who talks to the animals and sings barefoot get through?

[manhattan offender]

I was busy writing and my man had that on in the background. I looked up during the Zachry segment and looked over at my guy. "We can do better than this," I told him. We both agreed to watch something else in the future. Was going to write about Zachry, but I just don't have all of Mal and Robbie's wonderful toys. Maybe someday they'll go meta on us and explain how they do it.

[Malcontent]

Chad: It was indeed "The Crying Game." I named that tune last night within the first two notes.

[Chad]

I think that deserves a Malcovision clip....

[Queer Conservative]

I think Zachary doth protest too much, or she/he's an idiot. You can't honestly tell me she/he didn't know what she/he was in for.

I don't care about the people who just come in to get their fifteen minutes by auditioning. I do feel sympathy for the poor souls who get mugged by reality on American Idol, but they've seen the show before they know what to expect. For goodness sake people que up bitching about how much they hate Simon and then have the nerve to act surprised and upset when he rips them a new one.

I say we apply a rule of baseball to American Idol: no crying.

[Patrick]

I thought the Zachary segment was fine. Didn't really have a problem with any of the judges comments, as he couldn't sing. Thought it nice to see how comfortable not only Zachary was with himself, but his family as well. They all seemed very supportive and accepting of him. Zachary's accusatory rant of racism and prejudice was sour grapes and unfortunate.

[Malcontent]

Other who are more in the know can refute this, but I am starting from the assumption that AI is essentilly run by a bunch of queers anyway. So in other threads that have claimed homophobia, I don't really buy it.

As to the salacious treatment of Zachary, I give it a pass mostly on grounds that the kid is in among the throngs of contestants who are sorely in need of a reality check. If they choose to put themselves out there in such a blatant way, they should expect what is coming.

Was using "The Crying Game" a little over the top? Well, the kid admitted up front that there are some androgyny issues going on there, and that is sort of androgyny's theme song.

But the general treatment of Zachary as "alien" did kind of strike me. Whether he is a transsexual or potentially headed that way wasn't really made clear. But my experience with gays, by and large, has been to view the transgendered with confusion or skepticism. There is a sense among a great many I know that they have sort of cobbled themselves onto the GLBT community whether gays wanted them to or not.

I cannot say I share these views, but as a non-transsexual, I do admit that I don't really understand the desire, innate or otherwise, to be born one gender and wish to appear as another. (This goes for drag queens/kings too.) Indeed, many transsexuals don't consider themselves gay.

It's hard to dispute that AI isn't at least a little gay friendly. They have had many gay contestants in the past and have been supportive of them. But when Simon tells someone they might as well shave their beard and put on a derss, what it is shorthand for is, "Butch it up at least a little, or the legions of 13-year-old girls won't even think of voting for you, and I might as well spare you the trouble of going any further in this particular contest."

I find it hard to see something wrong with that, really. When "The Brini Maxwell Show" starts pulling more than one ratings point, maybe then we can be more critical of Simon's realism.

[anthony]

I have to say that there is nothing so enjoyable as seeing bad singers on this show. It is one of those delicious (and free) pastimes that nourish the darkest parts of the soul. And poor little Zachary! Bless his little heart, I have much sympathy as I am a formerly slim hipped twink with a perm (it was the 80s - we did weird shit with hair). But rest assured that he is only twenty years and several cases of beer from becoming the happy fat slob i am today. I hope he stops tweezing the eyebrows by then...

[Malcontent]

Oh, and I apologize -- I thought I let the clip run long enough to grab the part with "The Crying Game."

[Robbie]

Ah, strange. I wrote my post on transsexualism before I read Mal's comments in these thread. My thoughts seem to run in a similar direction as the gay people you mention.

I didn't think AI was being homophobic. Like you, I'm pretty convinced the show is elbow deep in mo's. After all, the host is Ryan Seacrest. I just thought there was something . . . odd about the segment. I can't quite place what about it had me either uncomfortable or confused. Not sure which impulse there reigned.

[Chad]

I can't quite place what about it had me either uncomfortable or confused.

I'll go out on a limb and say it was the Osh Kosh B'Gosh/high heel combo. It certainly put one of those nervous smiles on my face....

[Josh]

I can definitively say that episode made me ashamed to be living in Boulder (which is, if you can believe it, actually worse than Denver). Sigh.

[Joe.My.God.]

Hang on, I asked you one time about that trick of putting your Blogads URL under the Gay.com link, but I forgot to check back for the answer. Do you still get credit for a click-thru when you hyperlink the Blogads URL of one of your advertisers in the text of a story?

[Robbie]

Joe - Yessir.

[Jamie]

I'll go out on a limb and say it was the Osh Kosh B'Gosh/high heel combo.

Oh, that's no big deal. Standard uniform for pledging at Seminary.

[Malcontent]

Joe: I stole that "trick" from Rod2.0. If he had a BlogAd on my site, I would have hyperlinked it to his name, but anyone who wants to visit him will just have to go there via a boring, "normal" link.

[manhattan offender]

So you're doing product placements on the site now. Comment très NBC! If there is a picture of the two of you in bathing suits on mountain bikes while drinking Mountain Dew, I'll know better now.

(P.S. - I've done the same.)

[North Dallas Thirty]

OK, THAT I want to see! :)

[Robbie]

We do exist to get NDT's hopes up right before we deflate them cruelly =)

[North Dallas Thirty]

Yeah, you're STILL under septuple-dog dare, fella!

And just for that, I may post my own butt shot. =)