On American Idol, they try to create “triumph over adversity” backstories with anyone who’s ever had a paper cut. But if you want to see people putting their lives on the line for their love of singing, you have to tune into Afghan Star tonight on HBO, at 8:30 p.m. (it repeats through March 30).
This documentary explores the lives of four contestants on Afghan Star, an Idol-type TV talent competition in Afghanistan. The show was started after the end of Taliban rule, which had banned TV and even made listening to music illegal. So a TV show about singing was quite a new thing. One woman, the inspiring Setara, gets death threats after she dances on stage. (We’re not even talking Showgirls dancing, we’re talking a little shimmy fully clothed during her singing performance.) And voting for the show’s winner is some people’s first democratic experience(!).
Havana Marking’s Sundance-prize-winning film is enlightening and entertaining. Check it out and you’ll never look at someone like whip girl on American Idol the same way.
Say whatever you will about Bush…he made this possible!
how’d he do that exactly? by invading iraq and ignoring afghanistan? he’s even more prolific than we thought… I shoulda never misunderestimated him….
James, you’re right. Bush may have made mistakes, but it was because of his decisions and the many troops dieing in Afghanistan (mostly US) that the Taliban lost control and this program is possible. Even more importantly, that more human rights are possible. He did not ignore Afghanistan (ccb, did you miss the news reporting that there were and still are troops in Afghanistan?)
WOW!!! I want to see this documentary
meeeee tooooo!
thx 4 sharing wendy .. these are the real inspirations .. yes, let’s thx bush 4 this never-ending war
Bush is not to “thank” for a “never-ending war”. Are you not aware that there has been wars in the Middle East before the US got involved? War over religion; war over power; wars against women.
I’ll definitely be watching this, it’s fascinating to see how much this one show affected the nation.