Is what you hear what you get? -- From Nude Newsreader to American Idol

PCCW's adult television channel has launched the first nude news reading program in Hong Kong. This sexually yet not intellectually arousing technique of news reading was started in Russia and then popularized by Canada's nakednews.com.

The Hong Kong first nude newsreader, (attention, not anchor), Chan Long, who recently graduated from high school, sets her career objective as "to interest people in current affairs that might affect them, people who might otherwise not watch the news". She is apparently more devoted to the mission of journalism than I am.

As hypocritical as the statement sounds to me, I know I should not judge beyond her words. After all, she has to impress the press in order to stay in the press.

Both with seemingly positive attitude, I find the recently famed American idol Mr. William Hung's "self-defense" more genuine and convincing – "I gave my best, I have no regrets at all".

In contrast to nudity, William's icon is built on his Hawaiian shirt, the little Ed Grimley-style dance and his humble. His meteoric rise to fame is a reward granted out of the respect of thousands of people in the country. However, my sympathy’s below the average American's and have to look at this coverage with a cynical eye.

Frankly I have known a few people like William Hung, Steve and Chester for examples. I could totally see them on stage, singing and dancing exactly like William Hung, and saying the same humble words in the face of relentless remark. I mean, for a person who is not a star bornabe but wannabe, what else could he have said after being dressed down?

I am not trying to judge Mr. Hung from his unappealing appearance, nor from his ungifted dancing steps and his confusing engineer-singer philosophy said at the interview before the audition. Rather, I am trying to comment on of the literally open-jaw cultures within the continent of the Big Eagle – heroism.

William Hung is made not only an idol, but also a hero. Women aged from fifteen to fifty love his baby Asian face. According to them, he is courage, humble, generous, passionate(?) and romantic(??). Maybe nowadays, the society really lacks people who are courageous enough to put their bad traits on the table. Some say he presents the American dream, which is part of the irony too.

Behind the smoky screen, there always comes the cruel reality. Whether this frenzy is stirred out of idealization of human sympathy is yet a question to be answered. The US, as a super power, has been fond of combating the evil axis, especially for the vulnerable. The country's mentality has apparently transferred to its people as well. As such, when Berkeley Ricky Martin, degraded by the insulting remarks made by the audition judge Simon Cowell and thus portrayed vulnerable under the camera, he won many hearts from the audience.

The reality, however, is that audience's sympathy does not give one charisma and does not turn one into a star. I have a feeling that the drama will not last long.

William Hung looks quite different in this picture, quite good lucking actually.