Term 3 Week 2 Task 4

Star Search - a meaningful event or a time wasting endeavour by the television network?


Overwhelming response from idol search (America Idol) spearheaded by America has brought about the rise of similar competitions, calling out for talents from all around There is the replica of America Idol locally known as . However, is this project really meaningful and beneficial to both the country and the contestants?

To me, it is not a beneficial process for Singapore to follow suit. First and foremost, Singapore, unlike America, does not have a big market to accommodate the talents discovered. Thus, star search like Singapore Idol might turn out to be taxing on Singapore’s market. By comparing Singapore’s market to Malaysia’s - we both have a relatively small market – local singers are not highly recognized. The best examples would be, Taufik Batisah and Chen Wei Lian, winner of Singapore idol and Project Superstar respectively. As a result, many local-born celebrities are venturing out of Singapore into Taiwan, China and Hong Kong for further development and betterment. From this, we can infer that star search here has limited benefits, or in fact, no benefit unless the champs are prepared to step out of Singapore for his or her endeavours.

I do not see the need for such talents-searching contest for a few reasons. Star search is a time-consuming commitment for all the contestants; they have to put in lots of time and efforts in the trainings, rehearsals and performances. This alone is enough in bringing the worrying negative impacts on the individual such as the negligence in work and relationship. For some, worse still, they skipped meals and sacrificed sleep for their competition as mentioned in various interviews with the contestants. This causes inevitable damage on their health. Ultimately, there will be only one outcome: one winner and many losers. For the winner, the time and effort pay off; for the later, all the hard work and time they invested dearly in the competition go to waste. Radically, we can clearly see that the amount of time you devote in the competition does not guarantee you anything in the contest; you may have the entitlement of loser in the end. Hence, I do not see the advantages of this contest to be launched here.

Star Searching in Singapore is seen more of a time wasting endeavour by the television network. In the contest, audience is to judge their own winner by voting through short message service [SMS] or calls. This large amount of money hauled from the voting goes to the pocket of the television network and the organization. The media is in fact trying to use this readily fast method to earn the quick money from the supporters of the contestants. Thus, from my point of view, I think that the contest is more of an economically profit-driven event for the television network.

For everything good, there is always a price to pay. The Singapore Idol is a double-edged knife for the contestants. Before the contestants are able to enjoy the privileges of an idol, they are already restricted to carry on with their normally way of life. Every single word they make, action they do is closely observed. Intrinsically, they are deprived of privacy and freedom and are refrained from being themselves.

Ergo, I do not think that the contest is a worthy and meaningful one for contestants to maximize their potential talents. Some may argue that it is the process that matters and not the end result. They claim that many contestants gain valuable experiences and make many friends who share the common interest. I do not deny that this is indeed the best take-away of this whole contest, however, as I have mentioned, the cons of the contest far outweigh the pros. Furthermost, in a competition, everyone hopes to win, there is inadequate proof to show how genuine the new friend can be. Hence, I am against the Singapore Idol contest and firmly believe that Singapore Idol is not an meaningful event but a plot of the television network.