Mormon Pop: More 'American Idol'

With impressive performances, LDS singers Brooke White and David Archuleta moved on to the Top 24 on television's "American Idol." Both got positive comments from Paula, Randy and Simon. David has really caught fire, with nearly 300,000 views of this week�s performance on YouTube.

Two other reported LDS singers (thanks for the e-mails and posts) did not make the cut: Nashville-based Cardin Mckinney and Shaun Barrowes of Spanish Fork, Ut. One online AI watcher suggests that one possible reason why Cardin got cut was that three Mormons were just too many for the show.

Good luck Brooke and David. We�ll be watching you.

And for Cardin and Shaun, remember "American Idol" is not the only way — or even the best way — to reach your musical goals. I�m sure we�ll see more of your talent in the future.

Of course, this is not a "Famous Mormons" or "American Idol" blog. There are many other places to stay on top of pop culture. I think the broader issue (and, frankly, the more interesting one) is walking the razor-sharp tight rope of being in the world and not of the world — especially in the entertainment industry. The pop music industry seems to be pretty much about making as much money as you can while pleasing the lowest common denominator.

Standards? What are they?

The chicken-before-the-egg dilemma is that it's difficult to have creative control until you are "big" enough to demand it. And you can't get big enough to demand total creative control without the powers that be requiring and exercising a significant degree of creative control along the way. In many initial recording contracts, the artist does not even have final control in selecting the songs they are going to record.

It's a difficult game of give-and-take and I don't think you can judge someone else unless you've been there. We're not supposed to do judge others anyway.

I suppose the key is to not lose your way in the giving and taking.

The Parable of the Talents comes to mind here for me. We all know it and try to live by it. It seems easy enough. We are counseled to share our talents by serving others. Don�t just hide your talent where it can't grow.

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