American Idol Is Anti Male! Taylor Hicks And Ruben Studdard Dropped From J Records!!!

Former American Idol winners Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks have been dropped from J records. Studdard and Hicks both won American Idol despite not having the Hollywood looks and toned bodies. Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks are strong male singers. Despite Hicks and Studdard’s singing talent, it simply wasn’t enough for J Records. I am wondering if there is a misandrist element to American Idol? It is important to point out Ruben and Taylor are male because I have always felt American Idol wasn’t the right format for talented male singers. The people that call in to vote on American Idol are mostly young females.

Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard both lost American Idol even though they won. Inferior talents such as Clay Aiken and Chris Daughtry actually achieved more success and media attention then Hicks and Studdard. In terms of singing talent, Hicks and Studdard are superior they have more range and more powerful voices. Clay Aiken didn’t win American Idol but his debut CD was more successful then Ruben Studdard’s album. Chris Daughty also didn’t win American Idol, but he has the looks that mainstream North America considers sexually attractive. Daughtry also has sold more CDs then Taylor Hicks. The reason is Daughtry and Aiken appeal to women. The marketing machine in the music industry is cognizant of the fact young women find Aiken and Daughtry sexually attractive. Aiken and Daughtry are also younger then Studdard and Hicks. Women imagine they can have sex with Daughtry and Aiken. Ruben and Taylor were not able to maintain the momentum of their success on American Idol.

Ruben and Taylor obviously were not trained for Hollywood 101. One way stars maintain the public’s interest is by acquiring as much media attention as possible. In Hollywood image is everything. I am not sure Ruben and Taylor understand the game but appearance is critical to success. It is not fair but Hollywood is never fair. Hollywood is not the real world it is a dream factory. Taylor and Ruben just didn’t have the looks or body image that turn women on. Ruben and Taylor also did not obtain endorsements from companies because they were not considered marketable. It is also interesting to note Ruben and Taylor are both from the same city Birmingham Alabama. Both Ruben and Taylor seem like nice guys that just didn’t gel with Hollywood and the mainstream public.

In the music industry, music fans want the young male singers to have sex appeal to draw in the female demographic. The dirty secret of the record labels is they also want the young male singers to draw in a gay male demographic as well. Yet the record labels never discuss the gay market because they don’t want the public to know this fact. For example, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias are rare in the music industry they acknowledge their gay male audience.

Martin and Iglesias know that gay men show up to their concerts to support them because they think both men are sexually attractive and they also like their music. Martin and Iglesias have openly talked about the fact they have gay male fans. The marketing teams for Martin and Iglesias are cognizant by acknowledging the gay male demographic is just good business. Most young male singers try to act macho and ignore the gay male audience. Martin and Iglesias know they can make more money by selling more CDs, DVDs, concert tickets, more publicity by acknowledging gay men.

I am not suggesting that Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard should of reached out to the gay male audience to sell CDs. All I am suggesting is, that marketing is very critical to success. A singer cannot simply be a singer these days. A singer is a part of a brand, and a brand has to be able to appeal and sell to more then just one demographic in order to be successful.

Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks simply did not attract any demographic and this is one of the reason they were dropped from J records. The music business is in a tough position these days due to digital downloading and the apathetic attitude of the general public. Also, heterosexual women and gay men were not interested in either singer.

The record labels do not publically acknowledge the gay male demographic in the media but in marketing meetings they definitely are target the gay community. At gay bars and clubs across North America for example, when a major young male singer has a released there are often contests at gay bars. The gay fans can win a CD of the artist this is a form of promotion to cross over into the gay market.

Also, record companies pay advertising space in the gay media to let the gay audience know when young male singers have a CD released.

The feminists like to say society puts pressure on females to be sexy and to be thin. Yet the hypocritical feminists always ignore the fact men we are also pressured to look sexy too. The pressure was extremely intense on Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks to lose weight, get in shape, get the hard abs, and be sexy. Ruben did lose some weight but clearly this was not enough to interest the female audience. Ruben and Taylor were perhaps a bit too old for American Idol?

Another reason Taylor and Ruben were not successful is both guys didn’t really have a background story or interesting personalites. Ruben and Taylor’s management teams obviously didn’t put the time and effort into creating their image. You cannot simply be a good singer in this superficial pop culture, you need a gimmick. In Hollywood everyone has a gimmick, the star has to have something about him or her that that can pull in an audience. The public needs to have a hook to identify and relate to the star.

The reason Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood are very successful is all three young women have the “it” factor. According to Soundscan, Carrie Underwood is the most successful American Idol winner in the United States. Underwood’s second CD is proving she has maintained her audience.

Carrie Underwood is an attractive young woman she also can sing she has the blonde hair and the Eurocentric appearance Hollywood and North America finds appealing. Fantasia has the background story she was living in poverty, was in an abusive relationship, had her daughter at the tender age of seventeen. However, Fantasia overcame the odds and this is why the public loves Fantasia. Fantasia has continued her success with the hugely successful Lifetime movie which was the second highest ratings winner on that network. Fantasia also had a successful autobiography as well. In addition, Fantasia has proven she can act she is the star on Broadway in the play the Color Purple. The Color Purple is a huge success due to Fantasia and the critics have praised Fantasia for her incredible acting and singing performances.

Kelly Clarkson won because she was ordinary all American girl. Although Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia are not considered attractive by American standards heterosexual women and even lesbians can relate to them. Clarkson also had a very large under twenty five female demographic on her side. Unfortunately, for Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks not enough women found them to be sexually attractive to buy their albums.

The pressure is now on for younger male singers they have to be sexy and fit. Justin Timberlake, Usher, Omarion, Bow Wow, 50 CENT, Kanye West, and Chris Brown all know they have to spend hours in the gym developing the rock hard abs. The women love men that are extremely physically fit so they can  drool over male pop stars in concerts.

Women like to look a good looking and attractive men that can sing. Taylor and Ruben can sing but they simply were not considered hot. Ruben and Taylor both need to fire their management teams they need an image overhaul.

Women have to be able to fantasize about male singers, imagine that the male singer are singing only to them and love them. Women need to be able to masturbate and get wet and have the sexual fantasy while listening to their CDs. It is the reason N’SYNC, Backstreet Boys were so successful in the late 1990s and early part of this decade women wanted to have sex with them. I doubt very few women are masturbating and getting wet in their bedrooms over Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard.

Unfortunately, I think this could be the reason Hicks and Studdard have not been successful they actually look like real ordinary looking men. There is no fantasy to Ruben and Taylor. Women don’t care about their background story because there is none. Also, Hicks and Studdard are the oldest American Idol winners. Hicks and Studdard failed to reach an adult demographic. The adults don’t care about Ruben and Taylor because they see American Idol as a tacky teen show. Taylor and Ruben’s music wasn’t their own music it was a part of the American Idol machine. Simon Cowell the creator of American Idol wasn’t very helpful when he was so public in criticizing Taylor Hicks in the media. Cowell just didn’t like Hicks. The reason Cowell didn’t like Hicks is because Cowell didn’t think Hicks was marketable because he is an average looking guy that wasn’t fit and trim.

American Idol is clearly a program meant for younger singers under the age of twenty five. Studdard is twenty nine years old and Hicks he is thirty one. Another point to consider is Studdard and Hicks are the only men to have ever won American Idol.

Studdard’s first CD “Soulful” was successful selling over 2 million copies. However, Ruben’s recent CD “The Return” was a commercial failure selling only 236,000 copies. Taylor Hicks had even worst sales his debut CD sold only 699,000 copies he didn’t even go platinum. The question has to be asked is American Idol the proper format for male singers?

Everytime I watch American Idol I just don’t think it is fair to male singers. I have a feeling a lot of men also don’t find American Idol very appealing. The dilemma for male singers is they cannot count on the male demographic to support them. American Idol is considered unworthy of male support.

My perspective is, American Idol is all about a girl’s dream that she can become a singer. American Idol is obviously a program geared towards a female audience. Women like it the show is so corny. American Idol is all about a girl’s dream that she can sing her heart out and make her dreams come true. I think this is the reason American Idol is so appealing to the female demographic. All the female winners of American Idol have been very successful. Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, and Carrie Underwood are still in the spotlight. The recent winner Jordan Sparks her CD hasn’t sold a lot but maybe the sales will go up?

However, a very sexually attractive male singer has never won American Idol. I think it goes back to days of Elvis. American Idol has a fear of male sexuality. It seems the public is comfortable with average looking guys like Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard winning because they also have a very safe heterosexuality. Ruben and Taylor are non threatening heterosexual men.

Some men will never admit this, but all men look at other men’s bodies. Heterosexual men like Kanye West, 50 CENT, Eminem. Notice that 50 CENT, Kanye West, and Eminem are also attractive and physically fit as well. Regardless of whether a male is heterosexual or homosexual men have to imagine we can “be” the singer. 50 CENT, Kanye West, and Eminem are always showing off their bodies. Men do pay attention to the physique of male singers even though some men will lie and say we don’t.

Men don’t like Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks because men don’t find either singer to be very masculine and physically appealing either. Listen to the rap and rock CDs of male singers, they always boast about their sexual prowess. Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks don’t sing about sex in their music they come across as asexual. Young men cannot relate to Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks because males don’t find them appealing either.

Young men like their male singers and rappers to have a bit of machismo to be brash, arrogant, to be outspoken. Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks are nice ordinary guys they don’t frighten parents but they also don’t turn on their daughters either.

I think the lack of success Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks have proves male sexuality and body image is very important. The media also don’t care about Ruben or Taylor there is nothing controversial about them. Many men view American Idol as a corny female program because the show changes genres every single week. A lot of men look down on American Idol we just don’t take the show seriously as real music.

The American Idol brand also ignores rap music for a reason. The reason is rap music is considered to be very controversial and has an intense testosterone and male sexuality. Rap music provokes thought and American Idol isn’t about thinking it is just about singing crappy songs. American Idol blocks out rap music because the show is supposed to be “family entertainment”. Men want to hear music with more substance and the show has turned off the male demographic. American Idol is a female show the marketing team behind American Idol play it safe because it sells. Unfortunately for male singers unless you can turn on the female audience and be sexually attractive they are going to fail.

Link: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/07/arts/People-Taylor-Hicks.php

John Tory Obviously Cannot Take A Hint?

When the wolves eat their young it is not a pretty thing to watch. In Canadian politics this is not rare but this has got to be embarassing for the Progressive Conservative party. The Progressive Conservative party have an annual meeting next month and the leader John Tory is trying to block the members that are against him from attending the meeting. Some members of the Progressive Conservative party want their leader John Tory to gracefully walk off the stage and vanish. Actually some Progressive Conservative party members want John Tory to fall off the stage LOL!

John Tory is adamant he is not going anywhere but it is painfully obvious he is a weak leader for the PC Party. The question has to be asked what is a leader? John Tory may have money but he doesn’t have the “it” factor to be the leader of a political party. Tory has a history of losing. Tory failed a few years ago in the municipal elections to David Miller and Miller is still the mayor of Toronto. Last October John Tory failed to become the Premier of the province of Ontario and the Progressive Conservative party had a humiliating defeat to the Liberals.

Now members of Tory’s own PC party have created a website they want him to go away. I am definitely not PC but even I have to admit the members are right Tory has to get lost. Tory attempted to gain the ethnic vote with his religious schools funding scheme and it exploded in his face. Ontario voters rejected Tory yet Tory cannot take a hint and get lost? Tory has proven he is ineffective he just doesn’t seem comfortable in the spotlight there is just something about Tory that turns people off.

Here is another example that Tory is an ineffective leader he doesn’t even have a seat at Queens Park in Toronto! Yes dear readers, John Tory is a leader of a major Canadian political party but he cannot even sit with his own party at the Provincial legislature in Ontario. Tory lost his seat in a stunning defeat to the Liberal Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. What more proof does John Tory need to prove he is simply not good enough? For my American and foreign readers here is an analogy. Can you imagine Gordon Brown not being able to sit in the House of Lords? John Tory in his delusional mind has a lust for power but not with reality. In politics words mean nothing without results.

Tory has proven he just doesn’t have the charisma to be an effective leader. I think the other members of the Progressive Conservative party will eliminate Tory shortly.I have to admit a part of me actually feels sorry for Tory. However, a part of me is snickering in the distance at the PC party. The PC party caused so much damage in the province of Ontario in the 1990s under former leader Mike Harris. Even though the current Premier Dalton McGunity isn’t perfect the people of Ontario have spoken. We prefer McGuinty over Tory. I admit it is time for Tory to stop his disgraceful behavior and quietly go away.

Links: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080107.wtories0107/BNStory/National/home

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080107.wtory07/BNStory/National/Ontario/