Okay, let’s imagine I had time every night to sit and watch as much television as possible. And imagine that I actually lived in America (one can dream). Well this is what my week would look like.
SUNDAY
08.00 – The Simpsons (FOX)
08.30 – Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
09.00 – Resurrection (ABC)
10.00 – Revenge (ABC)
MONDAY
08.00 – Gotham (FOX)
DVR – The Voice (NBC)
After seven seasons of Australian Idol, two seasons of The Voice, and five seasons of The X Factor, we have very little to show for it.
I could name contestants from American Idol in an instance, while I would have have to think real hard about singers on our local version. Keep in mind that I’ve never watched a full season of USA Idol, and know the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Chris Daughtry, and Jennifer Hudson due to their international success. With Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian and Jess Mauboy are the only two that have really continued on from their reality tv show fame, that come to mind instantly.
The Voice Australia is even worse. The show, which is currently in its third season, is a massive ratings hit, with many tweeting along every night. Season one winner Karise Eden has only released one album since her 2012 win on the show. The album, My Journey, featured one original, along with twelve other covers. She is also known for the biggest drop from number one in ARIA history. Her single “Stay With Me Baby”, which is a cover of Lorraine Ellison’s hit, dropped from number one down to number fifty four. A week after that the song was completely out of the top 100. Season two winner Harrison Craig, has faired no better. He managed to release a follow up to his debut album, titled L.O.V.E, but it was full of covers once again. Third place getter from season one, Rachel Leahcar, is in the same boat, as she has just released her third album titled, Here Comes The Sun, jam packed with covers of The Beatles. Do you see a pattern here.
The Voice’s rival The X Factor, over at Seven Network, has been more favourable with developing stars who have a chance of getting anywhere. The past three winners Dami Im, Samantha Jade, and Reece Mastin, have all had relative success with four top five albums between them, and all are currently working on studio albums full of ORIGINAL MATERIAL.
Still after all these years, our first Idol winner, Guy Sebastian, is the one and only to make a dint in the American market. At the same time we are currently watching the likes of 5SOS and Iggy Azalea become well known in the states. Makes you wonder. Are these singing shows around purely for our entertainment, or to create stars?
umm, Jayden 