“The Idol” wants to be a scandalous, offensive series that leaves viewers in a state of mild shock. Since the launch of their promotional material they have promised their viewers a “headline worthy show”.
So far it has been. the former Fierce controversy with Rolling Stone, guilty of revealing cut scenes because they were also fanfiction for a scandalous series written by Euphoria’s creator. After going to Cannes Film Festival where ‘The Idol’ collected an avalanche of shit Such as settling for a while as the worst series ever reviewed on ratings and review aggregator sites.
After watching the first of the six episodes that make up the mini-series, it’s too early to judge its merits, but the impression is that it all obsessive media attention “The Idol” not only searches for, but Put him at the center of the whole operation. Only time will tell with what result, but while we wait to see the development of the plot of the next episode, we can already ask ourselves one question: today at the heart of “The Idol” the offensive and What does it mean to say destructive pop?
Britney, Lindsay and Paris: The Idol looks back at pop’s recent past
The protagonist of “The Idol” is Lily Rose Depp; Actress, model and daughter of Art. He has all the physicality and experience to embody self-destructive and uninhibited pop star which describes the series, the idol of the title.
jocelyn said joss is already avoid fame In the first scene of “The Idol”. No ascent to the sky of music, no dream come true for him. “The Idol” picks a winner, in fact, to present us Its hero is already licking his wounds.
The first episode begins with Jose in a dressing gown and panties, with a hospital ID bracelet on his wrist, Sexy pose for a photo shoot. The set is the living room of their home, artfully sprinkled with signs of its destruction: alcohol, cigarettes, disorder. It’s not just any service: it’s for the cover of their new album.
Jose preparing for a tough comeback, An endless string of scandals and the death of his mother tested him so much that he had to cancel his tour and take a break. But now her crew urges her to return, noting that “mental illness is sexy” without hiding past hardships. Joss shows a bare breast part with conviction during the shoot, a choice she claims despite her contract protecting her in that sense.
Everyone keeps an eye on him, praises him. Even then it barely floats, During the video’s ballet rehearsal, she quickly wipes away tears from behind her dark glasses. Then we learn that she sleeps little, drinks and smokes heavily to manage the stress of being surrounded by people with whom she has opaque, troubled relationships. Who takes care of your career and image? I am Few friends and few jackals, An excerpt from a leech whose economic stability depends on his getting back in the saddle: his best friend has become his sidekick. Joss is lonely, she knows that “everyone lies to you when you’re famous”, she seeks entertainment in nightclubs but is then consumed by doubts about the seriousness of her artistic trajectory,
The beginning of the episode is fulminant, but It almost feels like a tribute to a bygone era. The impression is of rewatching “Pam and Tommy”, the Disney miniseries dedicated to the dramatic story of the sex tape starring Pamela Anderson that was accidentally leaked from the safe at home and became a media case and an unstoppable scandal.
What is the casus belli of the pilot episode of “The Idol”? photo of jocelyn with cum on her face Taken and then posted by an unknown participant. When it comes to social networks, Twitter still seems to belong in the 90s, at the beginning of the millennium, at the latest. The leaked photo and its viral spread are soon forgotten. joss after all He shrugs his shoulders and faces the news.
Britney Spears is the real idol of ‘The Idol’
The presence of the social network is an almost paradoxical element in a series that has a very precise moment in the history of pop as a cultural and iconographic reference: Britney Spears nervous breakdown. Shaved hair, crazy nights, a few reckless gestures: We all remember the pop star surrounded by fame and photographed and filmed even in the midst of a moment of pure self-destruction decadence. Even “South Park” – not exactly a kind series – condemned the siege around Brittany in an episode that aired at the time. “You Want a Piece of Me”, Britney implores to sing and dance after a while.
There was nothing he could do in the midst of public opinion and the press. enjoy the dark moment of pop star, Or at least to take advantage of it for record runs. Times were different, public opinion thought they had a right to a daily slice of Britney who had been stripped of her privacy. Today such an event would be largely unimaginable.
not because drive a obsessively following the mortification and fall of a star yet there is an indomitable desire to do him justice (see what happened during the trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp). Rather because there are mechanisms on the part of the stars and on the part of the public, at least demonstrably, that lead to different results.
Faced a complete invasion of privacy like the ones faced by today’s stars Public opinion would scream at the scandal, demanding privacy and respect. However, it is the stars themselves who make sure they don’t lose Permissible extent of crime. There’s no shortage of “Good Girls Gone Bad” (another phrase quoted in “The Idol”) for Rihanna, but we live in years in which there is less and less enough to commit a crime. Pop stars have adapted: they present a clear and unambiguous image in videos, only to live almost flawless lives.
was meanwhile birth of cancel culture this is a return to conservatism Whose effect can be seen almost everywhere on closer inspection. It is not in centimeters of exposed skin that crime is measured today, but in the ability to say and do something outside the expectations of the public, when not openly contrary to them. Punishing a star for a curvy butt in a photo or a skimpy top in a video qualifies you as a chronic fanatic (sorry, a boomer). However, to be safe, hangovers, crazy nights in clubs and drugs are no longer part of a star’s public package.
Joss, on the other hand, belongs to an ending party girl era. With Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and coincidentally Britney Spears. An ever-burning cigarette dangles between his fingers. Not a small detail in a moment – pay attention to this – in which it is more common to see a violent execution on TV a person who smokes to relieve stress,
“The Idol” Confirms the Return of the Puritan Approach
At a time when many young people of generation z Prefer the presence of sex scenes In movies made for an adult target, branding them as unnecessary, Joss manages to masturbate in just one episode, rubbing up against The Weeknd and finding a sensual act of suffocation with the aforementioned. At a time when nudity is becoming increasingly rare on TV and cinema in the US, Jocelyn struggles to stay covered for the entire scene.
there is another clue The broadcaster behind the production of “The Idol”: HBO. A former cable channel, now a US streaming powerhouse, HBO has so far survived by following a specific principle: to provide its viewers with high-quality television and to have hosts in its ranks that are not seen anywhere else.
more experienced viewers will remember the era when hbo was the known broadcaster (Infamous?) for more or less amount of free nudes Hosted within his show. In a puritanical panorama at the time, HBO wooed subscribers by promising tantalizing, aggressive shows, with a nice pair of tits always in view. And why not, the full frontal of men too.
This inclination has reduced over time. Serialism has increasingly become a serious matter, a recognized art. Other free-to-air broadcasters and nascent streaming services have focused on adult, quality series.Contains all the violence and nudity needed to persuade viewers ever higher demand.
very quietly HBO has complied. On the contrary, it has not lost its magic touch. Ranging from the desperate young people of “Euphoria” to the dragons of “House of the Dragon” to the rich hooligans of “Heirdom”, they have churned out a Much of the critically acclaimed series of the last two years,
HBO has a long view and a good grasp on the situation. That “The Idol” just turns up in his nudes and after drinking it isn’t a sign of a major crime, but Affirmation of the return of the puritanical approach, So much so that HBO has felt the possibility of returning as an alternative, the destination for those who are forbidden.
It seems to me that the Pope has the right to do so. What is authentically caustic in the pilot episode is spoiled by the growing realization Showrunner Sam Levinson Takes Some Bits Of ‘The Idol’ Seriously, not only. Here comes the charismatic man of the moment, facing Joss with more than understandable doubts about the direction of his career. Tedros (Abel Tesfaye, or The Weeknd) only appears at the end of the timely pilot episode. Joss to explain how pop works And to tell her how she sings it’s clear don’t know how to fuck, Not necessary.
Implied: He would actually explain one thing to her and another. For a young woman who manages to elude the press and brutal interviews of Vanity Fair, a pack of sharks that must protect her, the memory of a mother who died before her eyes and who knows yet more What is not told. In short, Levinson is not from the #FreeBritney school,Begins to understand. If Joss works alone, with no man with her, who, on top of her job as a nightclub manager, You explain to her how to be a global pop star and a sexually accomplished woman.
In short, it makes you laugh seeing that the pilot’s most obsessive reference is the beautiful, very blonde, very dangerous Sharon Stone of “Basic Instinct” teamed up with Britney Spears. more than levinson Like director and collaborator Paul Verhoeven would love for everything to be iconoclastic and offensive. Someone who already told this story in 1997 in one of the most controversial movies in history: “Showgirls”.
except that Levinson misunderstood: it’s not a question of crossing legs without panties, but it’s A sensual fantasy in which a woman takes power and never lets it go, Producing the growing pains and defeats of a macho icon of the times like Michael Douglas. Sam Levinson doesn’t seem to understand this, or in any case he doesn’t seem to have an ounce of ability to truly embarrass the public, which Verhoeven proves 30 years later (“Elle” or “Benedetta take a look at”) “).
in return HBO has got it all figured out, perfectly fine, as always. Unable to find a true Master Provocateur, he has taken on a willing protégé who serves the purpose perfectly. We’ll find out if “The Idol” takes off or stays grounded in the coming weeks. why does he go to tell a Some types of pop are now extinct, It would seem that everything is already clear.
Where to watch “The Idol”? sky and now
How many episodes are there of “The Idol”? 1 season of 6 episodes
When was “The Idol” released? 2023