You Want Diversity on TV? Tune in to American Idol... And A Word about Italian Vogue

So, last night, as I was forcing myself to sweat through the last 15 minutes of my extensive race training (I was on my mini step machine) I was flipping through TV channels looking for something motivational. Lo and behold, I caught the last little bit of American Idol.

Last night was the first night of performances for the 12 female contestants that just made it on to the show. I admit, I am a sucker for a good Hollywood story, so I enjoyed watching these women rock the mike. Some were good, some were so-so. But what really got me excited were the previews for tonight's show. Tonight it's time for the boys to take the stage. As a teaser, they showed a brief video of the male contestants mugging in front of the camera. And Meltingpot readers, let me tell you, I got all misty eyed and excited when I saw the diversity of these 12 dudes.

Now, don't misunderstand, half of the group is White, but that leaves room for three Black guys, one Asian guy, and two Hispanic guys. It kind of looks like real numbers in America.

But what really makes me happy here is not just that American Idol has a diverse cast, but that the ethnic background of the cast isn't important. What is important is that they can sing. And I mean sang! Each of these kids (and I feel old enough to call them kids) is only as good as his/her voice and their star potential. I love it that the next American Idol, might be a sexy Asian guy named John Park.

So, tune in tonight if you want to hear the rainbow coalition perform. Is anybody out there besides me watching?

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And speaking of diversity in the media... remember when I wrote here that I would be blogging for other media outlets and that's why I would be focusing more on my personal life on the Meltingpot? Well, now I can officially announce that Italian Vogue has just launched a new website with an entire channel dedicated to Black beauty and culture. It's called appropriately, Vogue Black. You can read the site in English or Italian. You'll see my postings on The Black Blog with my Ms. Meltingpot byline. Check it out and let me know what you think. (p.s. I also like the Vogue Curvy channel, dedicated to plus-size, a.k.a normal size, beauty.)

I'm digging the new online Italian Vogue and am very impressed with the magazine's commitment to exploring and celebrating Black identity, beauty and culture. They were the ones, after all, to produce the uber fantastic All Black issue of Vogue in 2008. You can read about the impact that issue had here.

That's it for now.

Ciao, bellas.

Peace!