American Idol

The “American Dream” to me is making your dreams, what ever they may be, come true. People come from all over the world to enjoy America and live for their dreams. Some people will do anything to make their dreams a reality. For example going on TV, and being a part of a show like American Idol. Some people think that the shows are exploiting them, but I do not.
The main reason I think that the contestants on this show are not being exploited is because they choose to be there. They stand in line and wait for hours in the hopes of being on the show. They want the publicity, they want to be famous. I know that in watching the show some of the really bad singers that go on the auditions do it on purpose to be on TV. You see these people dressed up in crazy outfits, sing like crap and then when Simon and the other judges say they suck they get upset and yell at them. It is all an act! They put that outfit on and knew that they could not sing. They know that they will get a bad review and if they make a scene they will be on TV. I think that many of they egg on the “exploitation” of them selves. Look at William Hung. He was on the Ellen Show and many more, all because he could not sing. Do you really think that he thought he was as good as all the other contestants on the show? I highly doubt it. He wanted to be on TV, and he was. Without a show like America Idol he would have never got what he wanted.
On the other had there are people that audition that can really sing, but they know what they are getting into. They have the choice every week to get up there and sing and be judged. They know that in order for the show to stay popular there has to be a “mean” Judge. If everyone was nice and sweet no one would watch the show. They choose to be there; therefore they are not being exploited. Many of them would not even get a “big Break” if they were not on the show.
Most people who want to be a singer know that the business is harsh and subject to the whims of society. For many people this is with the fame and fortune. They want it so the put up with all the crap that goes with it. So in short I have to say that if they are choosing to be on the show in its third and up season they know what they are getting into. They are not being taken advantage of; they are striving for fame and money. If they do not like it, then they should quit. If these Contestants are “exploited” then they let it happen and go along with it knowingly. They do it for the fame and money.

reality

I think that the teenagers gave Eminem credit for “keeping it real because they could relate to what he is saying. He was talking about an absentee dad and a mom that is strung out on drugs. The kids that they interviewed have the same thing in there life. The kids feel as if Eminem is saying all the things no one talks about in their home. They also love the fact that he so openly changes authority. What teenager would not?

Do I really feel that his music is “keeping it real”? No. I think that he is emotionally out of control. He has had a hard life and sings all kinds of crazy things that I hope are not based in reality. For example, killing and raping people. I think that his basic ideas may be based in reality, like the love he has for his daughter and the anger he has toward his mother. After that not much else is “keeping it real”. It is more like an out of control teen saying anything that comes to his mind. I hope that the kids that they were interviewing realized that they truly do not know how much on Eminem’s lyrics and his pasts are truly real.

I do not feel that all lyrics need to be based in reality. It is nice to have a variety of both lyrics that are based in reality and some that are not. I think that music that you can relate your life to is a great way to release stress. It really helps me to be able to turn on a song when I am down and feel like someone else knows how I feel. Weather I am happy or sad, celebrating something or morning a loss I want someone to share my feelings with and know what I am going through. . Life can be so crazy sometimes that I just want to hear something that I can relate to. Sometimes when I listen to songs they say the things that I am too afraid to d\say out loud. I truly feel better when I can relate to the lyrics of a song.

However, sometimes I just want to let loose. I do not want the music to say anything in particular. I just want to have fun. In this case I do not need the music lyrics to be base in reality. I want them to just be fun and crazy. I want the music to have a good beat and a few catchy lyrics and that is it. I want to sing and dance with out a care in the world. I want to feel free. I do not want to have any deep thought behind it. I just want it to be fun.

I think that all music, weather it is based in reality or not, has its place in my life and it is just about what I want to listen to at the moment.

Jazz

Drugs and Jazz., to some the words have become to mean the same thing. Werner’s opinion that jazz artist turn to drugs because of a lack of audience response, is only half right in my opinion. I think that the fact that the audience is always demanding more from them is more of an issue. People start out liking an artist then they get “board” of the same thing, they want to see them live and be entertained also. They want the artist to wow them every time they step on stage. This is a lot of pressure for any person. I feel that the constant pressure of the fans and the industry leads to a life of drug and alcohol abuse. Not just for jazz artist but for artist of many genres.

I have know a few struggling artist and when they start out it is all about fun and making it “big”. Then, when they start to get popular, it is all about getting “bigger and better”. It becomes a struggle to keep the audience entertained and finding a wow factor. Some of these artists got lost to drugs and alcohol. They say that the pressure is just too much. Pressure from them elves, from the fans, the record produces and managers just keeps mounting. One of my friends told me one day that he felt as if nothing was ever good enough. That “they” always wanted more and better. . A few of them say that they were much happier before they had musical success.

I also believe that the provenance of drugs in the music industry is a major factor. I think that to a certain extent it is tolerated and some times expected for the artists to do drugs. Major artist go on huge tours and work log exhausting house. All the while, we the audience want them to be fresh and excited as if it was the first show. How do they cope? Well I think that is where the drugs come into play. They take some thing to help them have more “energy” or to get through this performance. Then one thing leads to another and then they become full on addicts. Maybe they feel as if they “need” something to get them trough this performance or to just make it through another day.

I also feel that as a society we are way to accepting of this type of behavior. If an artist comes out on stage all drugged up we may say how upset we are, maybe. However we will still listen to their music and buy their records. Some times we expect them to be on drugs. Like jazz musicians. We feel as if it is part of being an artist.

I know that this is not the case with every artist but I think that with many of them it is. I could not even begin to image the huge amount of pressure they must feel day in and day out. It must be very hard for them.

Dance

I do think that the dance floor is indeed powerful enough to ease differences and bridge cultures. I believe that not only the dance floor, but dance its self is very powerful. People have used dance for many things since the begging of time. If we look into history we can find dance and dance floors. For example, Native Americans used dance to communicate with the spirits, to heal and to tell their history. If you look at European history, they introduced their daughters into society and showed their wealth by holding Balls. Even today when we have foreign dignitaries visit our country we have balls, or dances, for them. There is also Quinceanera and the first weeding dance. These are just a few examples of how music, culture and communication are all intertwined.
Dance is very powerful. It can communicate in any language. You do not need to speak the language of the dancers to know what they are portraying. People of all cultures can come together for the love of dance. We can go to any county and go to a dance hall and dance. We do not need to know what they are saying we are able to share with one another through the movement of our bodies. Dance is a very powerful tool of communication.

In Clubs and Dances today you see a mixture of all types of people. People from many cultures all in the same place for the same reason, too have a good time. When people are dancing they can get comfortable with each other easier. After they dance, then they can strike up a conversation and maybe become friends. When people are out having a good time they are not as aware of different cultures. They are more focused on the music and having fun then the differences in the people around them. I think that people who truly love dance appreciate different cultures more. I think this because they can see the beauty in the dances and share them with the other people.

There are even shows on TV like “so you think you can dance” that bring together many culturally different dances. Dances from all around the world are learned by contestants from many back grounds. I think that shows like this will also help to bridge the gap. It introduces the general public to styles of dance and music that they may never be exposed to other wise.

Dance is now and will continue to bring people together.