'American Idol' manufactured music

Fox has unleashed the latest and worst consumer-driven concoction of daydreams and embarrassment possible and crammed it into spotlights and tight jeans with "American Idol." Thousands of Britney and Justin wannabes from around the nation are whittled down to one, based purely on sex appeal, cool-factor and, oh yeah, talent. The winner gets a recording contract and millions of pre-acquired fans. \nWith all the hype going into the show -- a fully interactive web site, judge Simon Cowell's obnoxious personality and that funny glowing deity-like thing for the show's mascot, it's easy fame for the winner. The 12 to 25-year-old consumer bracket has been picked apart and thrown on the purchasing table with handfuls of cash just waiting for the idol to be chosen and the album released. \n"American Idol" is everything that is wrong with the music business, but I still watch it with my dad and brother because it has a sort of hypnotic quality. (I could take Cowell in a talent-bashing competition any day.) In this observation, I've noticed one thing: the show is missing a realness factor. It's not music, it's manufactured. \nHere are a few reasons why the show is derivative of Satan:\n1. It is sponsored by Ford Focus and Coca-cola. Have you ever driven a Focus? They are not cool, fun cars. They have tiny little 4-cylinder engines and not enough umph to accelerate faster than a Gremlin. And they're ugly. And Coke? Yuck. \n2. The judges are transparent. Cowell's the mean one. Paula Abdul's the nice one. And Randy Jackson's the medium one. Sound a little bit like Goldilocks to you?\n3. The hosts' last names are Seacrest and Dunkleman. \n4. One girl with a spectacular voice was disqualified because she was too fat. Well, there go the music careers the rest of us were planning on the side. \n5. Have you ever read the contestants' favorite CDs they listed on the Web site? They are crap. \nBut the one thing that really gets me is this: I'm sitting here listening to a CD I picked up last night from a local Lafayette band. It's great. The guitarist is driven. The vocals have just enough grit for the blues they are playing, and the harmonica player is only 8-years-old. They have been touring and practicing relentlessly since I first heard of them a couple years ago, and they get better with every performance. They don't have a free recording contract. They aren't signed to a label. They went to a local recording studio, did their thing and now sell the CDs in local bookstores and through mail-order. They write original music. They have real talent, real soul, live passion and a work ethic supporting their music. \nAnd so do hundreds of other bands trying to make it from local roots. \nAll the "American Idol" has is Cowell and millions of dollars from Ford and Coke. And yeah, half of them do sound like karaoke. \nSo next time you turn on that TV, watch out. Don't let the "American Idol" deity steal your soul. Spend your dollars on local music, and maybe this time next year, you'll hear something real on the radio.