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    Alleged Reality TV Wrongdoing

    Dallas contestant and 9 others slap American Idol with $250 million discrimination lawsuit

    Claire St. Amant
    Jul 29, 2013 | 3:56 pm

    Ten former contestants are suing American Idol and its sponsors for racial discrimination. Dallas-born singer Akron Watson is among the plaintiffs alleging wrongdoing by Fox Broadcasting, Coca-Cola, AT&T and Ford Motor Company in a class-action complaint for $250 million.

    The lawsuit — all 429 pages of it — was filed July 24 in a U.S. District Court in Southern New York and also lists plaintiffs Jaered Andrews, Corey Clark, Jacob John Smalley, Donnie Williams, Terrell and Derrell Brittenum, Thomas Daniels, Ju'Not Joyner, and Chris Golightly.

    All the plaintiffs are African-American males with prior arrests who were booted from the show based on their criminal record, even if they were never convicted of a crime.

    All the plaintiffs are African-American males who were booted from the show based on their criminal record, even if they were never convicted of a crime.

    The suit opens with a quote from Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, speaking about the experience of the black man in America. "The dream of America as the great melting pot has not been realized for the black man; because of his skin color he never even made it into the pot," the quote reads in part.

    Watson was 23 years old when he auditioned for season six of American Idol in 2007. His rendition of Sam Cooke's "Change Is Gonna Come" earned him a so-called golden ticket and trip to Hollywood for the next round of auditions.

    But he never made it on the plane. A producer called Watson two days before the trip and told him he was no longer in the competition.

    Watson was arrested in April 2003 for possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. Although Watson says he disclosed his criminal history and the producers never mentioned the arrest when kicking him off the show, he still believes it is the reason for his dismissal.

    "I earned my way in, and you knew about my background, I have no clue why you wouldn't let me go and perform," Watson told People magazine in 2007.

    In the suit, Watson's attorney, James Freeman, offers an alarming reason as to why his client was led on. By allowing contestants with arrest records onto the show, "the plaintiffs' identities could be used to scandal-monger Nielsen ratings while reinforcing the age-old stereotype of 'the black criminal,'" the suit reads.

    "After illegally obtaining the contestants' criminal background information through a process known as contestant vetting, [the defendants] chose to systematically disqualify and publicly humiliate — with maximum fanfare — virtually every top-ranking black American Idol contestant who had a record of arrest (no matter how petty the alleged crime and no matter whether there was a conviction or an acquittal)."

    The suit goes on to say that white contestants who had criminal records were "championed as models of redemption," including those who had been convicted of armed bank robbery and felony drug possession. At least seven out of nine white contestants with criminal records went on to sign major record deals and/or have respectable careers in the music industry, the suit says.

    "It is irrefutable that over the course of the last decade, American Idol's producers, owners, network and sponsors have applied one set of 'contest rules' to black participants and an entirely different set of rules to white contestants," the suit reads. " ... This is exactly the type of unequal treatment that the Civil Rights Acts were intended to remedy."

    The 10 plaintiffs face a difficult road in proving what they allege was "a colossal hoax" with disparate treatment based on race. In 2012, a judge threw out a racial discrimination lawsuit based on casting decisions for the reality dating show The Bachelor due to First Amendment protections for free speech.

    Dallas native Akron Watson is among the American Idol contestants alleging racial discrimination.

    Former American Idol contestant Akron Watson
      
    Photo courtesy of Mary Collins Talent Agency
    Dallas native Akron Watson is among the American Idol contestants alleging racial discrimination.
    unspecified
    news/entertainment

    Venue News

    McKinney breaks ground on new Sunset Amphitheater live music venue

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jun 20, 2025 | 3:44 pm
    Sunset Amphitheater McKinney
    venu.live
    xx

    The ground was at last broken on a new live music view opening in 2026: Sunset Amphitheater powered by Eight Elite Light Beer, a 20,000-seat facility located at the northeast corner of US 75 and SH 121 in McKinney, slated to open in 2026.

    The $300 million venue is being developed as part of a public-private partnership between Venu, the City of McKinney, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, and the McKinney Community Development Corporation.

    Venu is a Colorado-based hospitality and live music venue developer formerly known as Notes Live, with multiple concepts in the works (many seeking funding) including Sunset Amphitheater, which they're opening in Oklahoma and El Paso, as well as McKinney.

    The Sunset Amphitheater at McKinney powered by Eight Elite Light Beer may be a mouthful of a name but it also reveals that it has already landed a sponor in the beer company launched by ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman.

    The venue will feature a flexible multi-season configuration for year-round programming, with suites, members-only club, canopied roof, and wind walls, to provide protection from inclement weather and comfortable atmosphere in the winter.

    There will also be food and beverage through a partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, a massive enterprise that provides food services to NBA and NHL arenas, baseball fields, zoos, college facillities, and more.

    The members-only club is called The Aikman Club, in collaboration with Troy Aikman, and will be nestled at the center of the amphitheater: a one-of-a-kind space with "world-class cuisine," unmatched views, premium seating, and high-end amenities for its elite members.

    “We’re so excited to be here,” said Venu founder and CEO J.W. Roth in a statement. “We’re gonna build the most luxurious, fully seated, multi configuration, multi seasonal venue in history right here in McKinney. The organizations here in McKinney have been nothing short of incredible. This groundbreaking wouldn't be possible without that unwavering passion of the folks of McKinney.”

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    news/entertainment
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