A lament for one of the classic prize competitions: the beauty pageant

From a politically correct perspective I would never acknowledge caring about this outdated phenomenon: the beauty pageant. But this lament is for ripping the heart and sponteneity - albeit misguided - from the event, and sanitising it into a slick formula. It reflects what happens when in the entertainment vs economics tug-of-war, the latter totally dominates, and good ole fashioned show business goes out the window. Brains (the huge ego of Donald Trump) has comfortably beaten beauty, and the result is dead boring. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/2010/08/24/miss_universe/index.html

A quirky Prize

Thanks to Justin for this delightful contribution to our collection of prizes: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/114989-crocheting-adventures-wins-diagram-2009.html
You are all helping to develop a sense of the prize as sublime, sacred, bizarre, pretentious, parodic, etc.

"Idol" machine cranks out a new star

Alessandra Stanley introduces her topic by describing the final results of “American Idol” Season 8 as a metaphor for American values. What follows is an extended metaphor in which “American Idol” as a franchise is compared to a product manufactured on an industrial line. There is a formula or basic prototype, and this is churned out for consumption by a satisfied audience. The entire article, from the title onward, is constructed using images that contribute toward this reading. The article is thus cleverly and coherently constructed. But, I find that ultimately it contains a contradiction: the economic context within which Stanley situates this analysis is of a country in which the production line is exactly NOT running smoothly, and seems, in fact to be grinding to a halt. As such, her metaphor: “American Idol” = “state of America” falls flat. However, if she means that America could learn from “American Idol” in terms of how it runs itself (internally), how it markets itself (America seems desperately in need of good international PR), and the nature of its international involvement (anything that does not involve invasion may be a good idea), then the comparison holds. The success of the article – for me - therefore lies in how one interprets the fourth paragraph.

Steven Tyler is Idol Judge

In the quest to remain fresh and watchable for a public with a short attention span, American Idol is doing a major overhaul of its judging panel. The article in The Straits Times of Friday, August 20 2010 (Life, page C14) justifies the selection of Steven Tyler by emphasising his entertainment value: he "lives to be in front of an audience... can be counted on to deliver - maybe even sing - witty, Little Richard-style verdicts on the performances" etc. So, judging is about .... entertaining? There is mention of the hard rock element that he will introduce as opposed to an Idol history of soft ballads: a suggestion that the next winner may look and sound different from the previous ones? It depends on the choice of the other two judges. Any predictions or suggestions?

"Imam Muda": A Reality Show where Islam is the Biggest Star

Thanks to Joshua for drawing my attention to "Imam Muda", the religious-themed reality show that gradually eliminates contestants by setting them tasks testing their knowledge of and commitment to Islamic principles in a modern world. This is a very interesting addition to our study of prizes within specific cultural contexts. Go and read the article in Joshua's blog, and have a look at the New York Times article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/29/world/asia/29imam.html?_r=1