In one of the most shocking eliminations in show history, the American Idol viewers voted off stand-out Pia Toscano.
Despite being a favorite of judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson, she garnered the lowest amount of votes. And since the judges already used their one save to keep the talented but odd Casey Abrams, there was nothing they could do.
So, bye bye, Pia.
Sort of.
By making the Top 10, she’s guaranteed a spot in the lucrative annual concert tour. She’ll continue to make business under the American Idol banner and has been the beneficiary of hours of nationwide TV exposure.
Know why I’m so confident her talent can rise above a reality show injustice?
Chris Daughtry.
Perhaps my favorite contestant the show has ever had, he was also cut too early in his season. Should I mention his countless hit records that came after American Idol? He’s become a legitimate rock star and hitmaker, crossing between light rock, hard rock, alternative, pop and country. Versatile, popular, successful.
Pia, use Daughtry as an example.
And if you don’t want to follow the rocker, may I mention Jennifer Hudson? While she only made it to 7th place, she has gone on to become one of reality TV’s true success stories. She’s won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Golden Globe and more. She’s a pop culture touchstone (not quite an icon yet), product endorser and an all-around entertainer.
Being released from Idol isn’t the end…just the beginning.
Bonus – here is Pia’s farewell song, “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders:
“Sports Night” was perhaps my favorite TV show of all time.
It aired in the late 1990s and was about an ESPN-like TV show. It was a time in my life when that was the career path I thought I was headed down. [Turns out, I spent a summer working in sports TV before turning to sports PR, and now social media. Go fig.]
As the series wound towards the end of it’s criminally-short 45-episode run, a mystery man appeared as a company named Quo Vadimus was looking to buy the show’s network.
In a touching scene, the man confesses to Executive Producer, “Dana, I’m what the world considers to be a phenomenally succesful man, and I’ve failed much more than I’ve succeeded. And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, “Where are we going?” And it starts to get better.”
That line provides an “ah-ha” moment – in order to succeed, you have to be willing to fail. You see, “quo vadimus” translates to “where are we going?”
In the social media world, the risk of failure is high.
Your brand or company or personal reputation is on the line every time you blog, post, Tweet, share, like, recommend, buzz, or any other social action. Everything you say is inviting feedback from your detractors. Everything you post is open to criticism.
However, the rewards are also high.
Every interaction could create a new customer, or make a fan more loyal. Every update is an opportunity to take your brand to another level.
But in order to try to get the rewards, you have to play the game.
And if you fail, dust yourself off and ask yourself, where are we going? And try again.
My dog, Balki, tried to predict the Oscar for Best Picture. He failed miserably, mostly because movie theaters won’t let him in. [That's an argument to fight another day...dogs should be able to enjoy an evening at the movies, just like anyone else! Kidding. Sort of. You are talking to someone who named his dog after a Bronson Pinchot character.]
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We’ve been having a national conversation for about a week about commercials. Were the Super Bowl commercials creative enough? Was the e*Trade talking baby funny enough? Was Pepsi Max offensive? What was Groupon thinking? How much did Kia spend to send their car to another planet, then to ancient times? Eminem did TWO spots???
In general, Super Bowl ads aren’t a good example of the best of advertising, since there is so much pressure to stand out from the rest of the pack.
So it can be refreshing to see a sports-themed TV spot that is simple, creative and effective, especially during Super Bowl season.
ESPN‘s brilliant “This Is Sportscenter” campaign continued again recently with this winner featuring Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin:
Facebook founder and head honcho Mark Zuckerberg appeared on “Saturday Night Live” on January 29, alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who portrayed him in “The Social Network” and Andy Samberg who has parodied him on the show before. (Yes, there were a ton of “Bergs” in this segment.)
It was an important public appearance for the reserved Zuckerberg.
Showing a sense of humor – including the ability to laugh at himself – on a national stage will be good for his image.
Also, by appearing on the show alongside Eisenberg, he gave somewhat of a blessing to the movie that (allegedly) tells the story of Facebook’s creation. Headed into “Oscars Season,” that good prove to be a tremendous boost to the film’s already-fantastic chances at winning the award for Best Picture.
hit show from the 1970s.
