I'm an actor and a musician. I can sing well enough to do it for a living if I wanted to. I've never wanted to, never wanted to spend 20 years to become an overnight sensation. Not interested in the phonies and Type A's who inhabit the commercial music world. Don't think I could hack the tour circuit, and when I was young enough to do the lounge thing the lounges were smoke-filled rooms, and I am allergic to cigarette smoke.
So I get my fix by singing in community theater musicals.
And I am here to tell you that at almost any Bay Area community theater musical or operetta audition, there will be at least a dozen people who could do it for a living, and there are probably a dozen more who aren't there because they are too busy with their day job and families, or they just don't want to hassle with the acting and dancing which goes along with stage work. Or maybe they don't want to have a set drop on them.
There is no reason for American Idol to put tone deaf screamers on the air. There are so many talented people I would love to hear who never get their chance because the sadistic producers of AI choose to feed the public Jerry Springer-esque trash.
I may take a peek when they get down to maybe 8 finalists, and see if anyone worth listening to made it. Last year was a complete write-off for me. I suspect this year will be even worse. Wake me up when it's over.
