Fox Dismisses 'Idol' Controversy, Stands By Allen
Fox and the producers of "American Idol" have disputed reports that a major TV sponsor of the show -- AT&T -- may have skewed results of the "American Idol" winner, Kris Allen.
At issue were some demo mobile phones that AT&T provided free to various viewing parties in Arkansas, the home state of winner Kris Allen.
A report from the Arkansas Post-Democrat, which was then picked up by The New York Times, said local AT&T representatives gave fans demo phones and instructed them how to send 10 free text-message votes at the touch of a button -- so-called "power" texting. AT&T said this promotion was only for two local viewing parties.
While "Idol" allows a viewer to vote as many times as possible during the entire singing competition, the show does prohibit "technical enhancements" to increase voting. AT&T is the only mobile network that can be used to cast "Idol" votes via text message.
On Wednesday, Fox and "Idol" producers Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment said in a release: "Fox and the producers of "American Idol" are absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified. Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol."
"We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition."
For its part, AT&T said: "Last week, countless parties were held in homes, bars and other public places across America to watch the "American Idol" finale. In Arkansas, a few local AT&T employees were invited to attend two local watch parties organized by the community."
"Caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant, they brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested. Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants. That said, it's quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results."
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The economy is tanking. The federal government is taking over car companies and banks...with health insurance carriers next in the co-opted list.....and the sheep are distracted by this meaningless nonsense.
Bread and circuses for the peasants.
The millions of people who pay money to use AT&T to "cast their votes" for a reality television show shouldn't be shocked that the results are rigged by the network and their major sponsor.
As Tom Keane points out, the millions who did vote have far more relevant issues to worry about than which amateur singer Fox/AT&T crowned the next "American Idol".
The fact that mainstream media news outlets report on the results of a reality TV show as if it's hard/breaking news is in itself, a disturbing indicator of how disconnected millions of people are from the real events going on in Washington and around the globe that actually do impact their lives.