An 'Idol' Thought: Some Things Never Change

Three new phenomena in the media illustrate the oldest wisdom in show business -- there's nothing new under the sun.

Oh wait, that's from the Bible. But of course, the Bible, one of the oldest books in existence, is a never-ending source of artistic and commercial inspiration.

All of which reminds us that, if something worked in the past to enlighten or entertain, it will likely work again. And, if it didn't work in the past, watch out. Technology changes, but not human nature; it's human feelings that drive showbiz.

Let's consider three examples of same-old-same-old in the media:

First, American Idol. Now in its fifth season, still gaining audience, Idol succeeds because it's based on sudden, individual success. For as long as there's been a stage, people have wished to get up and perform. Not much about Idol is different from Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour, which aired on radio from 1934 to 1946 -- or other newbie-introducing variety TV shows, such as Ed Sullivan's.

A few things have changed, of course: Fans can vote for favorites via 800 numbers and the Internet. But such participation is an ornament; the main vein of public emotion springs from participating, vicariously, in the oft-told story of a talented unknown struggling to make it -- a star is born.

Second, the shuffling of anchors at ABC World News Tonight. After the death of Peter Jennings last year, ABC got the bright idea of trying something new: It debuted a pair of youngish anchors, Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas. Actually the idea of a youthful pairing wasn't entirely new; it had been tried a couple of times in the past, as when CBS' Dan Rather was briefly hitched with Connie Chung. But the key word in the previous sentence was "briefly." The Rather-Chung duality was a fizzle, lasting only two years, even as Rather enjoyed a total of 24 years at the top.

Like Walter Cronkite before him, or Bob Schieffer after him, Rather proved that what evening-news audiences like best is an older male in the anchor chair. And now it's ABC News' turn to learn this lesson: After just a few months -- and the bad luck of Woodruff's injury in Iraq -- ABC has reshuffled the 40-something Vargas to other million-dollar duties. Women dominate much of TV -- think Oprah -- but not the anchor chair.

In an interview with Newsweek, Vargas' replacement, Charles Gibson, 63, mused over ABC's failed experiment in breaking the traditional mold. Youthful anchor dualism was an "interesting new paradigm," Gibson allowed, but it seems as though people prefer a single "old codger," as he described himself. Indeed, the un-Botoxed Gibson reminds us of our father -- or maybe what our father should have been.

Does this pro-codger tendency in the nightly news cast a shadow on the prospects of Katie Couric, the soon-to-debut anchor of the CBS Evening News? You bet it does.

The weight of precedent presses down on all human experience, but such weight needn't be a tyranny. Instead, it's like gravity -- a reminder that there are limits. And those limits aren't bad, because they can guide us toward better behavior.

Consider, third, the latest trend among celebrities: doing good works. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt raised their share of hell earlier in their lives, but now they adopt poor children, give away millions -- they might even get married.

And, of course, there's the saintly Bono, who is merely the latest in a long line of call-to-consciencers who leveraged their fame to do good. Even wild-child Lindsay Lohan reportedly wants to go to Africa to Make a Difference, and maybe save her soul.

Will it work for Lohan and others of her ilk? Probably. After all, if it worked in the past, it will almost certainly work in the future. That's a proven rule of showbiz -- and a time-tested rule of life, too.