I know this isnt the place for this story either, but I'm figuring to limit the bad press to one thread:
Bloody Daily Telegraph storyHeres the text, try not to barf when reading...
Tips on an ideal idolBy Naomi Toy
November 25, 2006 12:00
THE fourth Australian Idol will be crowned tomorrow night and anyone who still thinks it should be Damien Leith needs to take note of the big clue that's in the name of the competition.
And here's a hint: It's not the Australian bit.
We've survived Jim Stynes bagging the Brownlow Medal and Vintage Crop winning the Melbourne Cup without drowning in a sea of a Guinness (more's the pity) so I reckon we could survive an Irishman becoming Australian Idol. But he's not the Idol, not this year's anyway.
Not when he's competing against Jessica Mauboy, who fits the bill in every way. Not only does she deserve to be the Australian Idol, we need her to be.
She's our antidote to the trash-mag inhabitants who hold far too much sway over her peers.
Teenage girls want to be famous, it's their career choice, but they don't want to actually do anything to achieve it.
I don't think there's anything particularly startling or new about that but their role models for achieving that goal are a modern phenomena, the likes of Paris Hilton, Jordan, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie.
That style of celebrity involves having a reputation as a "party girl'', flashing your knickers (if you're wearing any) as you pour yourself into a taxi, but achieving little of any lasting substance.
Jessica has resisted the raunch culture that many in her peer group can't. She's proud of herself _ as she should be - but what's unusual is that she says so and gets tears in her eyes about it.
What does a young girl who only has Paris to emulate have to be proud of? Only things that will make her mother weep.
The original and the best Oz Idol, Guy Sebastian, set the standard, the very high standard, of how to be an Australian Idol.
He has always taken the mantle seriously and prides himself on being a positive role model.
"There's a lot of power that goes with that and that power is a power to influence,'' he says.
"You can be a bad influence, lose the plot and be a bad boy or a bad girl and fit that whole thing. Or you can be a great influence, do stuff for charities, have good moral standards and be a bit of a light.
"Or you can just be neutral and just be nothing and I sometimes think being nothing can be the worst.
"But I definitely realised that power very early on and I wanted to be as good a role model as I can be.
"It's an important aspect to being on Idol. People do idolise you and they do model themselves on you as well, sometimes.''
Which comes back to my problem with Damien. Yes, he's a good bloke, from what I've seen, without a doubt.
Yes, he leads a great life - wife, kiddie, steady income and living in one of the world's best cities.
Yes, he has a fantastic voice, no argument (well, a small one. The falsetto business is starting to grate, but let's not be too picky here).
But just who is it that's going to idolise him, put him on a pedestal? His peers are other 30-year-old blokes.
If they've made it to 30 without doing something really stupid to ruin the rest of their lives, then they probably think they've done all right for themselves, thank you very much.
It will be their mums who adore Damien, who will wish their sons "would turn out to be nice boys like that Irish fellow from the television''.
Australia - and Ireland, it would seem - have an abundance of good, decent, talented blokes to admire.
About the worst we can do is Shane Warne and it's hard to really hate him when not even his ex-wife Simone does.
We also have an abundance of young women like Jessica but it's much harder to hear them over the din of the party girls.
I have to run vote now ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!
But will be back later to say my 2cents worth on this.
There was another snippet in the Herald Sun today raving about Jess the "Aussie Girl", with one line about Damien being Irish.
The official forums are also overwhelming pro-"Aussie" Jess right now....I feel ill!
Though it should be said feeling ill over this just makes me want to vote more
Later!
