Australian Idol

Let's face it, Australian Idol is seen as a bit of a joke among serious musicians. The fact that it's not so much a singing contest as an exercise in marketing doesn't build its street cred amongst independent artists. And promos like this certainly aren't helping the cause any;

Is it just me or is this ad the ultimate in tacky commercialism? It's making me preemptively hate them all when in order to watch the series (which of course I will) I'm going to need to like at least one of them. Basically Aus Idol is as tacky and crass as the pop-tarts it wants its contestants to emulate (and why we secretly love it and them).

But then it goes and gives us Lisa Mitchell - a unique, young artist who's music is not at all the norm and who we would otherwise not have heard about were it not for the show. She's not pop, and she's not easily marketable - but she is testament to the fact that young artists can indeed use the sap-wagon that is Aus Idol to get a break.

One 'serious' artist who has been very vocal about the fact that Australian Idol is a joke is Kate Miller-Heidke. The classically trained Brisbane artist has had some nasty things to say about the show - which is why I found the fact that her song "The Last Day on Earth" is currently being used for a Neighbours promo a bit odd.

After all, Neighbours is where ex-idols go to die (anyone remember Daniel O'Connor or Dean Geyer?) and someone who thinks Aus Idol is a talentless exercise in consumerism surely wouldn't want their wares flogging a channel 10 soap that is equally scorned for its tackiness?

I wonder what a channel 10 promo is worth these days?