March 17, 2006

"All types of competitive activities should be positive, healthy, cheerful and have a favorable influence on morality."

So says the Chinese government, clamping down on TV shows of the "American Idol" type.
The rules threaten programs like the copycat singing competition "Super Girl" and its planned male version, "I Love Real Men," the South China Morning Post reported Friday.

The directive, posted on the administration's Web site, limits the number of competitive programs and forbids them from copying others' formats. It also criticizes the "star worship" generated by televised singing competitions.

Television stations cannot award prizes or cash, and the clothing and hairstyles of participants cannot be "vulgar," the rules say.
Does this elevate your opinion of our reality shows?

More seriously:
A Shanghai academic, who declined to be named, said authorities were worried about the way national competition programs organized large numbers of people to vote, the Post reported.
Learning democracy, "American Idol" style. Isn't the love of democracy a big part of why we love "American Idol"?

"America voted and..." -- these are the words Ryan Seacrest uses to capture our attention again and again.

We love having the choice and seeing who wins. But is this love of ours positive, healthy, and cheerful? Does it have a favorable influence on morality? Well, of course it does!

(Link via Drudge.)

5 comments:

bill said...

"All types of competitive activities should be positive, healthy, cheerful and have a favorable influence on morality."

And that's why we'll kick their short, chop stick using asses. That's right, China - I'm talking about your momma.

goesh said...

I wonder though if the Chinese wouldn't mind their citizens voting like happened yesterday on Maury Povich when he had 5 transvestites and 5 women on the show and the audience and viewers got to informally vote as to who was really male and who was really female? I was able to pick 2 out of 5 in each catetory. I was in particular miffed when Lollipop turned out to be a real woman because she sure the hell looked like a man in women's clothes to me. The shoulders gave one fellow away and I was quite surprised when a very strong jawline and other attributes belonged to a woman and not a man as I think most others thought too. Candy, I think her name was, was rather snooty about it I thought when she disclosed she really was female. She proved much of the audience wrong but there was no booing or cat-calls over it. My wife scoffed at it all but I note she didn't leave the room, but she was too proud to vote out loud. This one guy had huge breasts and he fooled most of the audience too but not me.

Ron said...

Perhaps we can get some sort of 'Iraq Idol' going for much the same reasons as the Chinese...

Victory Through Superior Transvestites!

Eli Blake said...

Interesting, a bunch of Godless communists clamping down on immorality.

chuck b. said...

Communism and competition. A fascinating juxtaposition.