Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Et tu, Bono?
I've heard about some great talents and some not-so-great, um, non-talents traipsing their way across the American Idol stage, but I never thought I'd see the day when Bono would be a part of this three-ring circus. Yes, folks, tune in to American Idol tomorrow night to catch Bono. On American Idol. Bono. From U2. THAT Bono. Sigh...

Okay, it's not all doom and gloom. Turns out the show will be extended to two hours and is called "Idol Gives Back," and will be highlighting the initiatives of the ONE campaign. Is this a bad thing? No. American Idol is (sadly) the most-watched show on television, so I think it's great the campaign will finally get this kind of exposure. Ellen Degeneres will be hosting, and you'll be able to see Jack Black, Sacha Baron Cohen, and others. THAT part of the show could be great, and I hope it brings more awareness to the campaign without us having to listen to Bono preach *too* much. (Because, while I appreciate the guy's efforts on getting nations to drop the debt, I went to see U2 for three nights of four they were in Toronto a couple of years ago, and tickets were $200 a pop. Each. It's nice for him to say, "You people need to allow your government to raise your taxes to drop the debt" when Canadians are already paying over 30% in taxes every year, and he's charging $200 a ticket and pocketing so much of it.)

I love Bono, the singer. Bono the preacher is OK when he's doing his whole, "Am I buggin' ya" routine, but sometimes you just kinda want him to stop.

Anyway, that part will be good. Possible cringeworthy moment? The six remaining finalists (couldn't tell you a single name -- all I knew about was Sanjaya, and he's gone) will be singing "American Prayer," a song written by Bono and Dave Stewart. Why aren't Bono and Dave Stewart singing it? Well, we need SOME tie-in to the show, don't we? Sigh. So get ready for a grave cause to be turned into a clownish affair.

And for Canadian fans: CTV is broadcasting AI from 8-10, so Lost will be bumped ahead to 7 pm. Woohoo!!

7 comments:

Fernando said...

Did you hear that theres going to be a Spiderman Musical and Bono is going to be the one to write the music. :|

I don't really watch American Idol, It got pretty old.. Sanjaya made the show funny, I wanted him to stay on so much longer. [shrug] oh well.

Big fan Nikki... I too am a crazy Lost Fanatic. Your book is great and I can't wait for the new one. I always read your blog but I've never commented, Never really have much to say. Hope all is well, congrats on the baby etc.. Guess found stuff to say and now I will read your Heroes blog.

-Ferny

The Chapati Kid said...

I think it's a good thing -- Bono's definitely going to pull in viewership and calls in for this one... and in a way, so what if it's a cheap forum? We all know Bono is a philanthropist, and he's trying to find a way to reach out to millions of people at the same time without having to organize another Band Aid, or Live Aid, or Super Eight concert again. And then, someone from American Idol approaches him, and asks him to be on it. Now, we'd think "American Idol"? I'm too good for that! But Bono thinks, "American Idol! 40 million viewers eating out of my hands and I don't have to spend a penny! 40 million couch potato Americans who will call in and FLOOD the cause with donations if I just show my face and sing a song! 40 million Americans who otherwise couldn't give a shit about what's happening in Louisiana anymore, let alone Africa! Hells yeah [or whatever Irish variant he may use]! I'm in! Like Flynn [whoever he is]."
This is why I think Bono going is a good thing. I hope you liked my rendition of his thought process.

Nikki Stafford said...

Fernando: I will admit, I watched AI in seasons 1 and 2, and then it just seemed like the same thing. The whole Sanjaya thing was definitely interesting; I bet the votes will be MUCH fewer this week with him gone. I heard they had 38 million last week; it'll probably be more like 25 this week (which is still astounding). Thanks for the kudos on the book! I hope you keep reading the blog! :)

Chapatikid: I agree completely. Like I said, Bono can be a total blowhard, but I think his heart is in the right place. As for his head... wow, it's like you can totally read his mind!! :)

And I also agree that as loathsome as AI can be, thank goodness they're finally using their powers for good over evil.

Anonymous said...

oh NO ... does that mean lost is not on at 10 pm EST on ABC now? has it been moved/jigged b/c of AI? damnit!! i'm in montreal right now, on a business trip, and i've got the VCR set to tape it at 10 pm EST on ABC ... don't tell me i'm going to miss it -- ack! :-(

Anonymous said...

Hey Nikki, thanks for the warning on Lost on CTV, I never know when they decide to broadcast it and I've missed it a few times. I like watching it earlier, even though the promos suck!

I agree with you on the AI gives back thing. Watching it last night I was bemused when Simon was touring the food bank, thinking to myself he makes gazillion dollars a year and he's putting on his best empathy routine. Kinda makes it very hypocritical.

Looking forward to DOC! Or should I say D.O.C.!

Nikki Stafford said...

Hey fb: don't worry, ABC is still airing it at 10. :)

Roland: Does CTV air Lost promos during the week? Because I find they no longer run them at the end of the actual shows. I always have to wait until 11 to watch the ABC feed to see a promo for the following week.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nikki, you are right, in the last few episodes, CTV hasn't shown the previews for next week. I wasn't sure whether that was because it aired before ABC. Their previews usually aren't as exciting as ABC. I do see them running them during the week after the show though.