January 19, 2006

"I think that by ignoring the show you're ignoring the audience who put you there."

Says Simon Cowell, criticizing Kelly Clarkson, who won't agree to let them sing her songs on "American Idol." He's a jerk for criticizing her openly like that. He should just accept that she needs to develop away from the show. That's part of what being a star is. He shouldn't want it to be that the stardom you get out of the show requires you to remain anchored to it.
Clarkson has become a major star in the past year, with her hit "Since U Been Gone" earning both massive sales and critical respect, particularly from a rock community that has looked upon "American Idol" contestants warily. Her album "Breakaway" earned a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal album.
He should appreciate that the show was able to put someone on a path to real credibility, but I suppose he doesn't like to think that the show's aura becomes a bad thing.

UPDATE: Looks like she backed down. Afraid of the bad press? I guess she hasn't really attained diva status.

8 comments:

Mister DA said...

From some of the more complete stories I've seen, this appears to be much ado about nothing. Ms. Clarkston, like, oh, say the Beatles, chose to keep tight control over who 'covered' her material, resulting in an automatic 'no' from her management, regardless of who was asking. Apparently, when actually informed of the request, she was willing to allow an except. As for Mr. Crowell, he was just being a jerk, which is, after all, his assigned role.

Ann Althouse said...

Dave: Why are you viewing this as an inconsistency?

Tim Windsor said...

IANAL, but I thought that there was never a need to get pre-approval on the performance of a song, as long as you pay the license.

It may be different in the case of television, which is going to be recorded and redistributed on DVD, and therein may lie the rub. Music clearances have been especially painful for those TV series which use(d) music extensively (I'm looking at you, "Ed.")

But it's certain that your neighborhood Bo Bice wannabe doesn't spend his days on the phone with Led Zep's people trying to get the okey-doke on a performance of D'yer Maker this Sunday at P.J. McFlannigan's FunPub.

Laura Reynolds said...

As far as I'm concerned Kelly Clarkson can do what she wants. She's completed her contractural obligation to AI and has been establising her career in the years since.

Much ado about nothing is right.

Doug said...

When listening to Cowell's critcism of Kelly Clarkson, keep in mind that she fired him as her manager. Since then, she's released an album that has done well on the charts and with the critics, though it isn't really my style of music. Cowell is probably more than just a little upset that he wasn't a part of that

Paddy O said...

I can't help but think of all the behind the scenes things we don't see. From what I've heard the American Idol win is a wonderful thing, but the producers don't exactly offer a compelling deal for the winner as compared with other recording contracts. Clarkson, essentially, was like their Miss America having to go wherever they said, sing what they said, and give more than a healthy amount of her profits away.

Clarkson is really the most successful of the contestants so far and her present success has a great deal to do with her finding new management and finding her own "voice". American Idol thrust her up front, but they milked her success and took advantage of their position in awful ways (remember From Justin to Kelly.

They helped her, and they took advantage of her, so I figure it's all balanced out. I would much rather see Kelly Clarkson help lead a American Idols survivor group. Clarkson got her first record from Idol, but her continued success is a measure of her own talent and her own wisdom to flee from the Idol producers. She owes them nothing now.

AJ Weberman said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
AJ Weberman said...

Ann is a piece of doody
Ann is a not nice person