That’s showbiz, kid

“American Idol,” now in its eighth season, promises to turn its winner into an overnight celebrity. While on the show, the contestants are trained by elite vocal coaches and sometimes given as much press attention as Paris Hilton. The finalists get the rock star treatment, which apparently involves being subjected to the smoke and mirrors that is the entertainment industry.

Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for the producers of “American Idol,” admitted on Wednesday that the Idol finalists lip-sync (or perform some variation on lip-syncing) during their group performances. He assured that they are not lip-syncing when being judged.

Westphal wrote an e-mail message that explained why the finalists have to sing along to their own prerecorded vocal tracks. He mentioned their “extensive choreography” and the importance of balancing their voices with open mics against a screaming audience. 

His rationalization is completely understandable. We watch “American Idol” hoping to be entertained. Without the prerecorded vocal track, the finalists probably sound mediocre. Who wants to watch a mediocre performance?

We need to recognize that producers and directors will do anything it takes to make for a better show. Entertainment factor is the priority, even if it means abandoning the integrity that the public seems to think they should expect from the producers of a live show. We also need to realize that the producers of “American Idol” are hardly the first to resort to lip-syncing in the interest of improving the quality of the product.

The entertainment industry has endorsed lip-syncing since the earliest days of on-camera singing. Marni Nixon, the voice of Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady” and Natalie Wood in “West Side Story,” is one of the most well-known vocalists in the history of lip-syncing. Beautiful actresses with not-so-beautiful voices lip-synced to her voice, making her an essential player in the successes of these films and others.

The identity of the voice behind the actress is irrelevant if the product is flawless. Subconsciously, we don’t want to think about the specific details of the production process. We just want to be entertained.

As I watch an action film, I’m aware that the guy diving off a skyscraper isn’t necessarily the same actor reciting the lines once he lands. I don’t mind, though. I’m sure the stunt double did a much better job jumping off the building anyway. Similarly, I’d rather watch the “Idol” finalists lip-sync than sit through a performance full of unblended vocals that can barely even be heard over the audience’s howls.  

When a show is recorded live, we naturally have different expectations of it than we do of shows that are not. However, live TV still has the responsibility to produce a successful product without the luxury of multiple takes and post-production editing.

I know it’s heartbreaking each time we are reminded that not much is pure or real about the entertainment industry, but as the character Roxie Hart explains in the musical “Chicago,” “That’s showbiz, kid.” And there’s no business like it.