Facing reality : American idol as reality television -- Facing the music -- Win or lose : success and failure and the American dream -- Idol worship : civil and sacral religion in American idol -- Going places -- Politics as usual -- The United Nations of pop : global franchise and geopolitics
Summary
The hit television program American Idol provides a stage where the politics of national, regional, ethnic, and religious identity are performed for millions of viewers. Diversity is carefully highlighted and coached into a viable commodity by judges, argues Katherine Meizel, with contestants packaged into familiar portraits of American identities. Consumer choice, as expressed by audience voting, also shapes the course of the show -- negotiating ideas of democracy and opportunity closely associated with
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-291) and index
