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Simon Cowell: It's all very modern
You'll have been worrying, of course, how Simon Cowell has taken the news of Clay Aiken's coming out:
The "American Idol" judge reacted in typically sarcastic form, telling the entertainment news show "Extra": "Wow. That's a shock. It's like being told Santa Claus isn't real. Unbelievable."
Oh, he's such a card, isn't he? Do you suppose he'd have said that to Aiken if Clay had come out to him?
Cowell then showed himself to be quite modern:
"Good for him. If he said it, it's the right thing for him. ... I don't think anyone cares. Let's face it. It's 2008. You know. Who cares?"
Yes. Who cares, eh, Simon? Although clearly enough people do to make it worth People putting the story on the cover. Clearly Clay cared enough that he felt unable - prior to fatherhood - to say the words that Cowell feels so screamingly obvious.
Who cares, eh, Simon? And yet this in a nation where that bunch of charmers turn up to picket soldiers' funerals not because the soldiers were gay, but because they died fighting for a country which has sort-of come to terms with homosexuality.
You might conclude that quite a lot of people care, Simon, and that's precisely why so late into his career Clay has finally found the courage to come out; precisely why it took so long.
You might conclude that quite a lot of people care when you read gunk like this, from an Aiken fansite:
"This is really shocking news as I had no idea he was gay," read a comment posted by "Sheridansq." "And now I have to deal with this. I am not sure what to say to people who know I was a fan. ... I didn't go to work today and am not answering the telephone."
If only it was an announcement that merited only a shrug.
3 comments:
I don't think you can equate the actions of the nut jobs of the Westboro Baptists with the opinions of an entire nation. After all, we live in a country where a similar sized bunch of hateful twats tried to bully a charity into not accepting a donation from a production of the Jerry Springer Opera. All sane people will greet Aiken's announcement with a Cowell-like shrug.
On the subject of Westboro, have you seen this?
http://www.godhatesshrimp.com/
I think the issue comes from the fact that Clay's fanbase is predominantly white, Southern, middle-aged, religious and traditional. To pretend that that fanbase isn't gonig to care requires huge blinkers.
And this is Simon Cowell who quite clearly, from watching his programmes (for my sins), thinks that young gay people are completely umarketable either here or in the USA, so he's got a nerve waving it off as no big deal when it's his attitude that contributes to this sort of closeting in the first place.
@Olive
I wouldn't suggest that Westboro represent the American populace - but they do illustrate that, for a vocal minority at least, worrying about what other people do with their bodies is still a very big deal indeed (and remember, a lot of the outrage at their antics is still about disrespecting soldiers rather than their just generally being evil, twisted hateboxes.)
As Christopher says, both his fanbase and his field of the music industry still find this all a problem.
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