Monday, March 15, 2010

French Idol and philosophy

André Manoukian, the longest-serving judge on Nouvelle Star (ie French Idol) has a new book out. It's titled Deleuze, Sheila et moi. The first is the philosopher, the second the yé-yé star. Just this morning, I was listening to Manoukian being interviewed on French public radio and he was talking about what appeals to him in Deleuze's theory of deterritorialization. Note to Simon Cowell: Step up your game and write a book about your relationship with Zizek and Karen Carpenter.

He also said was that the candidates are now displaying a more varied musical knowledge than when he started the show, adding that while the Internet has been devastating for the music industry, it's also helped the French catch up with the Americans and the Brits when it comes to pop savvy.

As for Nouvelle Star, I've written about it here several times in the past (too many posts, so do a search if interested) and the new season has just started. I expect to go over the finalists once we're past the audition stage.

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