Things I've Noticed

Sanjaya Malakar - Our First Indian American Idol of Any Kind

I'm sure this guy is being talked about all over the press, on the internet, and especially on blogs, but as a fellow Indian American, it's my turn.  People tend to focus on this seemingly nice guy's singing abilities and on how deserving he is to still be on the show.  His singing talent is arguable.  I'm no expert, but I find him to have a nice smooth voice and he stays on tune quite well, but he just doesn't have the stage presence to be the winner of American Idol.  He totally reminds me of Michael Jackson and at least some girls love him.  But his significance in pop culture is more important to his ethnic group than it is to mainstream Americans.

Sanjaya is the first Indian guy in the U.S. that has become a household name since Mahatma Gandhi.  It's sad but true in a way, yet it gives me hope.  He is showing that "a brown guy" can be respected and considered just like any other American.  I was growing tired of the dichotomy of stereotypes that we were associated with.  On one hand, Indians are among the most educated and wealthiest of ethnicities, yet on TV, we're usually portrayed as soft bumbling idiots who can only speak English with a heavy Indian accent.  This never made sense to me.

Much to my delight, while I was watching Saturday Night Live last Saturday, one of their regular cast members was portraying Sanjaya, just like anybody else would be mimicked.  When was the last time you saw a real Indian person being portrayed on a major American television show?  I cannot remember and I'm guessing you can't either. 

Regardless of possible voter manipulation that has kept Sanjaya on the show, perhaps America has learned a lesson.  His ethnicity in fact seems almost transparent as we seem to have collectively learned that those of Indian ethnicity are just like whites, Latinos, or African Americans.  We're also a part of the fabric of American culture.  Some of us sing, some of us speak perfect English, some of us make girls cry, but all of us Indian-Americans deserve to be considered as part of the mainstream.

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Celebrity Downslides

One of the newer and beiger Roundtablers, the Beige One at his blog, Missives from The Beige, is up this week to post.  Now that we're done discussing being beige, let's talk about what he's talking about.  He's being reminded by The Police's reunion tour that some celebrities just ain't what they used to be.  Sting has him riled up for sucking when he used to be great, (in his opinion).  Head on over there, see who others have mentioned, and add to the list with some evolutionary celebrity suckiness that tends to bug you.

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Worthwhile Reality TV - Wife Swap, Trading Spouses, Nanny 911, and Supernanny

I am not a reality TV junkie by any measure.  I've given up on Survivor, and I get tired of American Idol, and The Apprentice, but there are two types of reality television shows that always reel me in.  These are the wife exchange shows, Wife Swap and Trading Spaces, as well as the nanny shows, Nanny 911, and Super Nanny.  The wife exchange shows are set up to create conflict that pleases viewers since they match up families with opposing lifestyles and morals.  And it is interesting yet frustrating to watch.  I find myself wishing the two mother of one family could compromise with the adopted family and meet somewhere in the middle.  And then while watching, I remember my childhood and my parents and how normal they were.  And it's not just a biased me who is thinking this.  My parents weren't/aren't extreme in any way considering they emigrated here 40+ years ago from a country with a completely different culture.  They have adapted well and my siblings and I are the benefactors.  Wife Swap and Trading Spouses makes me really appreciate my upbringing.  I wasn't forced to do things like become a personal assistant to my brother for a future dirt-biking career, nor did I ever have to deal with a materialistic and status hungry set of parents.  They weren't overly protective like the parents on one of the shows who didn't let their kids play any sports.   One way they may have been out of the ordinary is that my parents had a silent expectation of working hard to get good grades in school, but they didn't punish us or criticize us for not getting 'A's' like some parents.

Speaking of parents, thanks to Nanny 911 and Supernanny, I also now realize that my nephews and nieces are generally pretty good kids.  (So were I and my siblings, and that's without ever having gotten spanked or beaten).  I can't believe what some of these little kids on the show have turned into.  Damien?  Is that you?  You can blame the parents as well as genetics to a degree, but I always wonder how it gets so out of hand to begin with.  I have learned much about childrearing from Jo, the superest nanny of them all, (and I don't even have any kids), but the show pulls at my heartstrings when I see families getting closer as a result of Super Nanny's advice.  I suppose the wife exchange programs make each family appreciate their own family more and that tends to draw them closer.  Plus, they learn that some of their practices are extreme and learn to adjust based on the differing viewpoint of a mother from a completely different household.  This also makes me feel good because beneficial things are happening for people, (although I understand that it's still a Hollywood production).

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that all these nanny and wife exchange shows fulfill many roles.  They actually help families that participate with more than instant cash and prizes.  That in itself is touching, but they also make us viewers feel better about ourselves and become more appreciative of  what we have.  Most people don't realize that reality TV can have this effect.  I never expected it until I really thought about it.

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The Celebrity Who Would Be You

   
 
One of the Top 11 Roundtable Bloggers of the Century, (and much higher in my book), Prego is thinking ahead.  For when he becomes famous, he knows who should play him in a movie.  He's thought about it for a long time.  Have you?   Are you prepared?  I have, but I would be played by a fictitious combination of more than one person that would best portray me in a movie.  (See pictures of John Lovitz, David Duchovney, Bronson Pinchot, and Ray Romano above and compare to the one of me at the top left of your screen and you'll see what I mean.)  I save lots of my things so that they'll be worth a lot of money in case I become famous.  Look how much Beatles paraphenalia sells for.  Anyway, have a visit to Rustbelt Ramblings brought to you by Prego in currently snowy Buffalo.

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The Most Important Cause Is The One That Helps Me

You've seen it before.  A celebrity finds a way to get airtime to tell us why we need to spend money and resources to develop a cure for some horrid disease.  And it's all very true and convincing that research needs to be done to eradicate some diseases.  What's interesting is how the celebrities only make such valiant efforts after the disease afflicts them personally, (or at least somebody very close to them).  It's understandable and perhaps a part of human nature, but don't they have any shame?  Why wasn't it just as  important to cure before they got it?  It's admirable that they are helping thousands of others, but weren't those people just as valuable before?  I won't single out any celebrities or diseases in particular.  (I didn't even include an obligatory picture of a celebrity).  But they should at least acknowledge what's behind their call to action.  I would respect them much more if they did so.  At least some celebrities take action on worldly causes without any prompting, but then, they probably don't have a deadly disease.

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Kids Today Are Too Cute and Too Spoiled

Ville is a new Roundtabler so welcome her to the fold by visiting her Roundtable post for this week.  In it, she talks about those lovable kids we see who sell stuff to us with their powers of cuteness.  But she's also peaved by the fact that today's children expect everything... and their parents tend to give it to them.  She believes that parents today need to do a better job of raising kids so that they're not as coddled and won't have as harsh of a wake-up call when they grow up.  Have a read and post a comment over at her blog This is Where I Talk & You Listen.

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FIFA Soccer World Cup Tournament 2006 Began Today

Today began the most popular sporting spectacle in the world, but most of us in the United States barely care.  And that's sad.  The World Cup is a truly global tournament that allows competition between individuals of wealthy nations and poor nations.  Soccer is a great sport because all that is needed to learn how to play is a ball and some flat space.  Shoes are optional in some parts of the world.  No fancy equipment, no ice, no smooth hardwood floor, none of that is required.  As a result, you see countries like Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Paraguay, Ukraine, Trinidad and Tobago, and even Togo compete against European and S. American giants.  No other sport is as universal, and in the case of the World Cup, no other event displays such expressive patriotism.  The Olympics are close, but they don't match it.

As for why Americans don't like soccer nearly as much as the rest of the world, it's partially because we have other major sports, but I believe it's also because we like to see lots of points or goals scored and soccer can be deficient in this area.  If one lengthens her/his attention span and tires to appreciate fine passing, defensive play, and ball-handling skills as well as the strategic aspect, one will begin to appreciate soccer, the world's sport of choice.

If you're an American, give the USA some support!  They have a very competitive team this year.

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American Idol - Not Understanding The Hype

Fox's American Idol is having it's season finale tonight and I am proud to say that I haven't watched a single episode of the show this season.  I avoided all the hype which is hard to do.  There are 77 million search results when you Google "American Idol."  If you step back and think about it, American Idol is nothing more than a singing contest.  I do like to hear people sing well, and there is some talent on the show, but is all the hype really justified?  You just get to vote on which singers you like the most or the least after hearing comments from celebrity expert judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson.  One is a wannabe, the other is overly emotional, and the other is just a jerk.  You can figure out who is who.  I don't find the show to be worthy of astronomical television ratings, especially for as many seasons as it has gone on.  Why don't more people hang out at karaoke bars where there are some good local talent singers as well?  Some places even have prizes for the best singer and your vote has more significance.  I like to karaoke and even have a stage name, but I can hardly get friends to come out to bars on karaoke night, mostly because few of my friends sing and just watching might be boring for them.  Then many of them probably go home and watch American Idol religiously.  I don't get it.  Maybe it all has to do with the word "Idol".  People like to follow celebrities and if they have a hand in creating a celebrity, they can't get enough.  Then, once they've created the celebrity, they like to have the paparazzi cling to them like saran wrap on a glass bowl.

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Quirks of Stand-Up Comedians

Everybody loves comedy, and I'd say everybody loves stand-up comedians.  It's hard not to like a person who makes you laugh.  But as an aspiring amateur comedian who watches a lot of comedy, I've noticed some common traits amongst comedians, and some of them are annoying.  Too many comedians and comediennes, (not always Canadians, although some of the best comedians are Canadian), tend to focus on being a member of a certain diversity group. 

Asian comedians focus on being Asian, gay ones focus on being gay, fat ones focus on being fat, and even though they're 50% of the population, too many women comediennes focus on being female... (relationship issues with men, PMS'ing, mothers'in-law).  I suppose there is pressure to make people laugh about your most obvious trait, but do they have to do it for the whole routine?  Comedy about being just another human is the most universal.

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The worst trait comedians have is their inabilty to be funny without swearing.  With a half-drunk crowd, they use the 'F' word every other sentence to get a cheap laugh.  That's not comedy.  That's appealing to the lowest common denominator.  Andrew Dice Clay is the most popular offender here.  True comedy takes intelligence.  As you can tell, I take my comedy very seriously :-).

So what characteristics of comedians do you hate?  Who are some of your favorite stand-up comics?  Some of my favorites are Wendy Liebman and the late Mitch Hedburg.

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The Apprentice Has Been Outsourced? Listen In...

Continuing on the theme of outscouring.  I have a secret recording of the Indian Apprentice show starring Johnny Dutt.  Now it's a bit hard to understand and a bit choppy, but it's still interesting to see how I, (I mean Johnny) fires people.

Download johnny_dutt_indian_apprentice_by_atul_patel.wav

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