a confession: usually when it comes to the topic of "guilty pleasures," i have very little to add. (i wish fivesongs would move beyonf this topic so i could play too.) i almost always shamelessly admit whatever it is that i love, be it hanson or that one mandy moore song. however, i watch this one show every week and i dare not miss it. i don't watch too many shows religiously, but this is one of the few, and it pains me to reveal it.

but, reveal it, i shall. that show is abc's "making the band". yes, i said it. "MAKING THE BAND". maybe it's because i have these pipe dreams of becoming a recording star and so i live vicariously through them; maybe it's the same attraction that i had to the early "real world": the tension and drama; or maybe i'm just a voyeur. i don't know what the answer to the question is, but for me, it makes for riveting television: it's like "fame," but it's for REAL, man.

there are all sorts of questions raised by this program: will they become big? based on the songs they've been rehearsing, which sound like 98 degrees outtakes, i'd guess no. i mean, the songs are awful. when i say "awful" in reference to boy band songs, i don't just mean lacking in merit: i mean that they're not even catchy.

who's going to make the group and what happens to those who don't? my guess is jacob, mike, trevor, bryan, and ashley. erik isn't at all attractive, is a bit of a whiner, and isn't very talented; ikaika has just got too much going on in his head. both of them will go on to lead anonymous lives and probably won't even be recognized on the streets. so that leaves us with a group that isn't very attractive at all, giving 'nsync a run in the ugly department, but look at how well they've done. jacob probably gets pushed as the "cute" one (though he's annoying as all fuck), mike is the one who can sing, and trevor is the dancer.

will the show's poor ratings reflect on their success as a band? it's hard to say. if people can't get excited enough to watch the show, why would they be interested enough to buy their records? still, in terms of numbers, even the viewership of a poorly rated show would make stars of a band.

but these guys can be such jerks. who would want to listen to them? this is a problem as far as i can tell. you get to see each member at their very worst: a far cry from your average boyband and their carefully crafted pr where as little as possible gets out. (this doesn't seem to be the case for female pop stars, as christina aguilera points out in the latest rolling stone. she asserts that the backstreet boys go to strip clubs all the time but no one brings it up.) it's hard for your average teenaged girl to fantasize about one of o-town boys: they like to imagine their idols as perfect, but how can you that when you see what idiots these kids can be? and i'm not saying it isn't natural to be jerky at that age -- far from it. all i'm saying is that it's not becoming behavior for a wannabe pin-up.

this week, the band members gets named: some dreams will live on and others will crash and burn. i honestly don't know if i'll continue to watch the show after all of the suspense and emotion of making the group is over. will it be as interesting to see the behind the scenes of a fledgling pop group? i don't kno-- oh, who am i kidding. OF COURSE, i'll be watching. i LIVE for this kind of thing. and now you know.
-fred solinger | steal this link! | discuss

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