Hurray! Paula’s out, Ellen’s in!
I’m thrilled that Ellen DeGeneres has been picked as a new judge on American Idol’s upcoming season. Frankly, Paula reminds me of the former gluttonous economy and I’m sick of looking at her. I’ll pause here for a moment, (while you get the Kleenex out), long enough to state I like Paula’s personality, in her own overly emotional, overly done, manner.
But I’m weary of anything “over the top”.
I just want normal, down to earth and simple. The move to put Ms. DeGeneres in the judging seat, to me is a way of reclaiming those virtues. Ellen’s street smart, but not a cynic. She enjoys basic pleasures of life, (like dancing in her tennis shoes). I think she can grapple any issue, (even Simon) with intellect, not emotion.
Again, personally, this just symbolizes a move toward those down to earth virtues. What got us in fiscal trouble as a nation were in many cases those emotional purchases and the overly done lifestyles many have been living. Did we have to remodel (again)? Did we really need the payment on a gas hogging brand new SUV?
When I think of Paula, on Idol, I feel like a child who, having unwrapped the brightly packaged gifts, is weary of the process. We’ve collectively played briefly with the elaborate, expensive toys, and now we’re moving on to simple pleasures again. My own kids have celebrated playing with cardboard boxes more than the lavish toys we’ve piled on them in the past.
In this economy Ellen is easier on the eyes. I don’t want to see “over the top” for a while. It makes me queasy, like a flashback to my checkbook register, in days before I learned to get a grip on mass purchases.
And to get us out of this fiscal mess, it’s gonna take intelligence, not emotion. All these issues we face as a nation need to be looked at armed with statistics, not opinions borne of hearsay and feelings. It takes grit to pick up the rubble and move forward, not Kleenex and crying fits. Ellen? Well, she fits the bill for what we all need, not just on Idol, but in real life- a little grit, some raw intelligence and loving the simple joys of life, once again. Save the Kleenex, we’re done crying. Now it’s time to move forward.