Disposable culture
The «losers» in the «Fame Story» talent contest – especially those whom millions of viewers came to know as Rallia, Karafotis and Constantinos – were encumbered by certain disadvantages: they all have good voices, are knowledgeable about music and are artists rather than mere products. Unfortunately, their nice voices eclipsed their other – more television-friendly – good points, making life difficult for cameramen who are used to focusing on stomachs and bottoms rather than expressive faces. This year’s winner, Kalomoira, is a charming creature, but if we were to separate her voice from her image we would most likely be disappointed. The disarming freshness of the 19-year-old Greek-American is that she is ignorant about show business and retains the enthusiastic amateurism of a schoolgirl – an asset which is likely to be lost in the image-making which forms an integral part of creating a music industry product. Kalomoira won the «Fame Story» contest because she possessed all the specifications to deliver a «disposable» pop tune, a song which expresses the dazzling shallowness of a «lifestyle» culture, thus appealing to millions of mall-visiting youngsters; a song not dissimilar to a hamburger in the sense that it can only be eaten while warm and decorated with colorful sauce, but is only fit for the trash when it grows cold…
