Attention America. We have an opportunity to save a precious child --- specifically a 10-year old little girl from a town outside Pittsburgh --- from the same path of sin and iniquity followed by the likes of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan. I would include Snooki from “Jersey Shore” in this list, but I’m talking about actual celebrities here.
The child’s name is Jackie Evancho and she has a darn good chance of winning this national TV talent show known as “America’s Got Talent.” It’s actually a very entertaining show that has aired on NBC for five seasons now. You know the drill. People from all over the country come and audition before a panel of judges in hopes of fame, fortune, a million-dollar prize and supposedly a big show in Las Vegas. Unlike other reality contests, AGT brings them in from every conceivable area of “entertainment,” and I use the term loosely. Sadly, I have watched all five seasons, so I am a bit of an expert.
On AGT, for certain you will see singers, dancers, musicians and the like. But you’ll also see magicians of every genre, old guys playing harmonicas, bicycle stunt artists and young people messing with electricity. There always seems to be an abundance of older people, grasping at this opportunity as their one last chance to fulfill a lifetime dream. It can be inspirational, touching and sickening, all at the same time.
But back to Jackie. This season, the show has come down to four finalists: An opera singer who dresses like a clown and acts like Lady Gaga; a bluesy singer-guitarist who is actually pretty good, but has little to no personality; a performing troupe of what looks like 50 people all dressed in reflective black light clothing doing acrobatic stunts to music; and then Jackie, a fresh-faced little girl with a voice you would expect to come out of someone much older and accomplished. To say she sounds angelic is an understatement. She really is very good.
But here’s my issue. Based on what we know from this experiment of American Pop Culture, do we really want to throw a 10-year old girl, no matter how talented, into the pressures of a Las Vegas show and all that comes with it? Many young girls have walked into that limelight before and, like a bad tanning salon, it burns bad.
There were other talented kids on this year’s show who were somehow spared from this danger. Two African-American hip-hop dancers called Future Funk; an impressive dancing duo named Anna and Patryk; and singing sisters named Christina and Ali. Keep an eye on Anna and Ali, as I think they’ll be back in some form or another.
But sweet little Jackie: A talent, no doubt, but is she ready for fame? As a kid, I remember watching my grandmother bake delicious cakes and cookies, which I would want as soon as possible. I would open the oven door, only to hear “They’re not ready yet.” Sure, I hated the delay, but learned later that it was worth it. As the country song says, “Let Them Be Little,” because they’re not ready yet.
So here’s my prediction, roughly eight-hours before the show’s finale takes to the air tonight. Michael Grimm, the singer, wins the whole thing. He’s older and seasoned and ready, even if his voice is not as good as Jackie’s. Prince Poppycock, the opera singing clown, fades into the world of Cher impressionists; and the dance group, Fighting Gravity, realizes it was a nice run while it lasted but it’s time to move on….with the lights off or on.
Where does that leave Jackie? If we are a good and decent people, we send her back to suburban Pittsburgh with an enormous boost to her self-confidence, maybe a CD project here and there, and a life where she is able to do what other 10-year olds do: Grow up.
So let her be little. There’s always time for sin and iniquity when she’s older.
Just ask Snooki.
My thoughts exactly.
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