America's guilty pleasure. Media Meditation #2

Fox's American Idol isn't a new craze to millions of Americans, but it's new to me. A couple weeks ago I was flipping through the channels and landed on American Idol's premiere episode. I was intrigued to see what it was all about, and it had been years since I briefly saw one or two episodes of season 1. (They are now on Season 9) Now I am as guilty as the other million americans! I was instantly hooked just by watching some very talented signers like ...

Idol's Andrew Garcia:



and... Didi Benami



Both auditions are very pleasing to the limbic part of the brain. (yes, the part of the brain that processes music!) And, the first video, the promo features a lot of media education language that I learned about in my Electronic Media & Writing class with Professor Williams. Those include, symbols: the picture of America in back of the singers who are auditioning. Humor: Bad singers, and Ellen's comment "I'm the next American Idol!.... JUDGE!" Plain Folks: Ordinary girls & guys auditioning for the big title - American Idol. Rhetorical question: "What's new this American Idol season?" Repetition: American Idol, American Idol, American Idol, you get what I'm saying. Beautiful people: Celebrity guest judges of course. And, Group Dynamics: "Everybody is asking the same question."

American Idol is on every Tuesday and Thursday, and occasionally it is on Wednesdays too! It's on now! Are you watching?