Stairway to Stardom

Last updated

Stairway to Stardom was a public-access television series that aired in New York City from 1979 to the early 1990s. It was described by NPR as "an amateur talent show many see as a low-rent precursor to American Idol . [1] Taped "in what appeared to be a freshly carpeted Staten Island basement," [2] the host Frank Masi would bring on amateur singers, dancers, actresses, and comedians to perform. [3] [4] Describing the show, The A.V. Club's "Found Footage" segment claimed that "without exaggeration, it was one of the greatest shows ever to be on television." [5]

Clips and full shows have appeared on the web and gained a cult following. [6] The disco-style opening theme song was performed by Steve Luisi and All The King's Men and written by their keyboard player, Ben Stiefel.

A 2017 play performed at the HERE Arts Center was based on the series. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mystery Science Theater 3000</i> American science fiction comedy television series

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then moved to nationwide broadcast, first on The Comedy Channel for two seasons, then Comedy Central for five seasons until its cancellation in 1996. Thereafter, it was picked up by The Sci-Fi Channel and aired for three more seasons until another cancellation in August 1999. A 60-episode syndication package titled The Mystery Science Theater Hour was produced in 1993 and broadcast on Comedy Central and syndicated to TV stations in 1995. In 2015, Hodgson led a crowdfunded revival of the series with 14 episodes in its eleventh season, first released on Netflix on April 14, 2017, with another six-episode season following on November 22, 2018. A second successful crowdfunding effort in 2021 produced 13 additional episodes shown on the Gizmoplex, an online platform that Hodgson developed which launched in March 2022. As of 2023, 230 episodes and a feature film have been produced as well as three live tours.

Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s with shows such as The Real World, then achieved prominence in the early 2000s with the success of the series Survivor, Idol, and Big Brother, all of which became global franchises. Reality television shows tend to be interspersed with "confessionals", short interview segments in which cast members reflect on or provide context for the events being depicted on-screen; this is most commonly seen in American reality television. Competition-based reality shows typically feature the gradual elimination of participants, either by a panel of judges, by the viewership of the show, or by the contestants themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Cowell</span> English reality television judge, television producer and music executive (born 1959)

Simon Phillip Cowell is an English television personality, entrepreneur, and record executive. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows Pop Idol (2001–2003), The X Factor UK, and Britain's Got Talent (2007–present), as well as the American television talent competition shows American Idol (2002–2010), The X Factor US (2011–2013), and America's Got Talent (2016–present). Cowell founded the British entertainment company Syco in 2005, as well as its now-defunct predecessor, Syco Music in 2002.

<i>Wait Wait... Dont Tell Me!</i> American news panel radio game show

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly news radio panel show produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio (NPR) in Chicago, Illinois. On the program, panelists and contestants are quizzed in humorous ways about that week's news. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet via podcast, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations. The show averages about six million weekly listeners on air and via podcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese idol</span> Type of entertainer

An idol is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements by talent agencies, while maintaining a parasocial relationship with a financially loyal consumer fan base.

America's Most Talented Kid is an American television series that premiered on NBC on March 28, 2003. In each round, three age groups of talented children would perform songs, dance numbers, magic, and other forms of entertainment in front of head judge Lance Bass and other guest celebrity judges, such as Sisqo, Maureen McCormick, Jermaine Jackson and Daisy Fuentes. Host Mario Lopez led the highest scorer from each round until only three children were left to compete in the grand finale. In the end, Cheyenne Kimball was crowned the grand champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speakers Corner (TV series)</span> Television segments airing on Citytv and formerly, CHUM stations

Speakers Corner is a brand owned by Rogers Media that is used for its television segments airing on Citytv in Canada. The namesake television series aired weekly on CHUM Limited's television stations Citytv and A stations as well as CP24 in Canada from 1990 to 2008, featuring numerous short segments on a variety of topics as recorded by members of the general public in the form of rants, big-ups, shoutouts, jokes, music performances, etc. After the video was complete, it was edited for television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lonely Island</span> American comedy troupe

The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program Saturday Night Live (SNL).

<i>Harry Hills TV Burp</i> 2001 British TV series or programme

Harry Hill's TV Burp is a British television comedy series produced by Avalon Television, and written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. The show ran for 11 series between 2001 and 2012 on ITV1. Each episode sees the host take a humorous look back at the previous week of programming on British television from a range of shows aired on terrestrial and digital channels.

The Found Footage Festival is an American film festival and live comedy event and featuring unusual and humorous found footage clips and films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talent show</span> Event in which participants perform various arts

A talent show, or talent contest is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather than contests, but some are actual contests. In the instance of a contest, participants may be motivated to perform for a reward, trophy, or prize of some kind. For example, a high school might not have many students with any interest in performing in front of the student body for the sole purpose of performing alone and may offer different prizes as an incentive for these students to participate in the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Dunham</span> American ventriloquist and comedian (born 1962)

Jeffrey Douglas Dunham is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show, and Sonny with a Chance. He has seven specials that run on Comedy Central as well as two Netflix specials among others. He also starred in The Jeff Dunham Show, a series that ran in 2009. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for "Most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour" for his Spark of Insanity tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manualism (hand music)</span> Art of making noise by squeezing air through the hands

Manualism is the art of playing music by squeezing air through the hands. Because the sound produced has a distinctly flatulent tone, such music is usually presented as a form of musical comedy or parody. The musical performer is called a manualist, who may perform a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staten Island Technical High School</span> Specialized high school in New York City

Staten Island Technical High School, commonly called Staten Island Tech, SITHS, or Tech by Staten Islanders, was founded in 1988. Located in Staten Island, New York City, the public specialized high school is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to SITHS is determined through an applicant's score on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tenderloins</span> Comedy troupe

The Tenderloins are an American comedy troupe composed of James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano. The group stars in the television series Impractical Jokers, which premiered on December 15, 2011. The program airs on truTV and TBS in the U.S. and on Comedy Central in the UK, Ireland, and India.

<i>Pakistan Idol</i> Pakistani reality singing competition

Pakistan Idol was a Pakistani reality singing competition that was a part of the Idols franchise created by Simon Fuller and owned by 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia. It was the 50th adaptation of the familiar reality competition format introduced in the British series Pop Idol in 2001. It is developed for the Pakistani entertainment market by Geo TV.

Samaria Johnson, better known as Sam Jay, is an American comedian and writer. She is best known as a writer for Saturday Night Live (2017–2020), her Netflix comedy special 3 in the Morning (2020), and as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO comedy series Pause with Sam Jay (2021–2022) and the Peacock comedy series Bust Down (2022).

Samantha Diaz, known by their stage name Just Sam, is a singer-songwriter from Harlem, New York, who rose to fame after winning the eighteenth season of the singing reality show American Idol.

References

  1. "The Low-Rent Appeal of 'Stairway to Stardom'", NPR segment
  2. Stairway to Stardom, or What American Idol Filmed In A Staten Island Basement Is, AOL TV
  3. "Don't Push Play: "Stairway to Stardom" is the original "Idol," and that's why we love it". Denverpost.com. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  4. "Stairway to Stardom: A Public-Access Masterpiece". Eonline.com. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  5. "The A.V. Club, "Stairway to Stardom"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  6. "'Stairway to Stardom': The Forgotten Joys of Public Access TV". Dangerousminds.net. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  7. Vincentelli, Elisabeth (13 September 2017). "Review: A Talent for Talentlessness in 'Stairway to Stardom'". The New York Times . Retrieved 29 May 2022.