Recently talk show host and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge on American Idol. More recently the show's signature presence Simon Fuller announced his departure. Last week an actual credible record producer, Steve Lillywhite, went public with his go at auditioning for the show.
Having made records with a wide array of artists -- artists with admiring constituencies of quite different types (i.e. U2, The Pogues, Dave Matthews, Phish) -- he seems uniquely qualified to spot new talent. Maybe he wouldn't be the best person to pick a flashy winner, but he could certainly narrow the pool. He is, however, not optimistic about his chances, telling the LA Times "I don't think I have a chance in hell." Now why is that? Well, it looks as if he's taking his candidacy fairly seriously. Don't you agree it looks as if he's wearing eyeliner in the audition tape he sent to the show's producers? This, even though he pokes fun at Bono. Of course, let's remember Lillywhite is competing against this pitch by the pastier yet more ferocious Perez Hilton:
Sigh. When it comes to music culture, America prefers hair highlights to career highlights, the ability to dance over an insight into what gets people dancing. Well, okay, I guess Ellen gets people dancing:
