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Thousands risk scorn for dubious benefits of idolatry
Thousands risk scorn for dubious
benefits of idolatry
14 June 2003
By Richard Jinman
Chris Csabonyi is willing to weep for pop stardom. "I
can cry; do you want me to cry?" asked the Beverly
Hills teenager.
Csabonyi, 17, who believes he could be "the next
Ricky Martin", joined 4000 other hopefuls yesterday
for a 30-second audition for Channel Ten's new talent
search series Australian Idol.
Surrounded by an army of pop wannabes at Sydney University,
Csabonyi said: "I've always wanted to be famous.
I'm more of an actor really, but I sing all the time."
Win or lose, the applicants risk derision and heartbreak.
The Idol franchise was created in Britain by former Spice
Girls manager Simon Fuller, who was famous for crushing
the dreams of tuneless British contenders with his comments.
The local judges will be no kinder.
"We're not in the business of delivering negative
comments for the sake of entertainment," said Ten's
Stephen Tate. "But we're not going to pull punches
if we don't think someone can sing."
Even for the winners, success is rarely how they imagine
it. Sydney singer Tamara Jaber was a member of Scandal'us,
the group created by the second series of Channel 7's
Popstars. Scandal'us split up last year
after one hit. "
" It was really devastating," said Jaber. "You
just don't think that such a big thing, such a successful
thing can just end like that."
But few are deterred. Some hopeful idols camped at Sydney
University on Thursday night and organisers said they
would hold extra auditions tomorrow.
Australian Idol will be judged by singer Marcia
Hines, songwriter and producer Mark Holden and Ian Dickson
of BMG Australia, the label which will release a single
and album by the winner.
Australian Idol will go to air late next month
or early August.
Neer Korn, of research company Heartbeat Trends, said
the huge response was predictable. "These shows provide
the opportunity for transformation - to go from singing
in the shower to singing in front of the whole of Australia."
The transformation isn't always permanent, of course.
The judging panel consist of singer Marcia Hines, former singer
and now writer and producer Mark Holden and BMG record label
representative Ian Dickson.
