Artists and "Artistas"

Last night was the "judgment night" of the local reality "artista" search show called "Starstruck". Over the course of several months, the show took a bunch of no-name, no training, no talent kids, spent a wad of cash on them and put them on television. Thus, they produced "artistas" in local parlance, or essentially media celebrities. These kids won't be known for much. They sing a little, dance a little, act even less. They're expected to show up on the vapid noontime shows and brainless soaps, look good and try not to fudge up their lines while "acting".

From accounts, the whole exercise was (again) successful. I suppose success in this case is "money generating" since people were called on to vote for their favorite Starstuck tool by SMSing. Bet they made a few million on that, from the C/D/E crowd that this sort of worthless programming usually appeals to.

But in the end, when the smoke clears, you're stuck with just that - four "artistas" with no real talent or ability, flashing on local television as long as the networks keep pumping thier media machines to try to make them appear relevant.

No actors, singers, dancers or real artists of any sort result from these shows. Indeed, they'll probably end up as part of something like this, fodder for the churning gossip mills that have inexplicably become the heart and soul of the entertainment industry. The culprit? The same networks that create the "artistas" make money off them yet again by destroying them with rumor and innuendo.

You reap what you sow.