"American Idol is an idea based on nastiness. It thrives precisely because meanness is now universally understood as the price for chasing your dreams. There is a price being paid in the schoolyards all over the world. American Idol and its spin-offs intentionally project cruelty with a public rationale that is part-and-parcel of the entertainment industry." These are the words of 28 year old Australian author Vaughn Alaine-Marshall. Marshall gave up a lucrative career in chiropractics to pursue his writing career, and after eight years of research and writing, Uberstar, the first of a trilogy has been released by Australian publishing house Hendlin Books.

Vaughn's contention is that society has disintegrated to the point where being mean to the point of cruelty is now a very acceptable price to be paid for the fast track to fame. Studies have repeatedly shown that something as seemingly simple as schoolyard bullying drastically increases the occurrence of depression and suicidal tendencies in young children. The fact that programs such as American Idol have now been accepted as "family" entertainment goes to illustrate the degradation in society's values, feels Vaughn.

Another aspect that Vaughn felt was important to highlight in his book, was the fact that the reality show has never been about "reality," and in fact, is quite a bit further from the concept than viewers tend to realize. Uberstar digs deep into the minds of everyone involved in these shows, from the producers, to the judges, and from the technicians, to the contestants themselves. In examining the minds of these different people, Vaughn shows how contrived and put-on the entire thing is. Someone is trying to make money, and a lot of it. People like that don't leave that kind of money to quirks of fate.

Essentially, the juggernaut that is the reality TV show, like any other sponsored program, has one agenda. Entertainment, yes, certainly. But even more important than that, the engine that runs all things in the world today: money. Kids will do almost anything in their quest to be rich, and famous, as fast as possible, and Uberstar also follows the fate of the "lucky" few who made it in past seasons of the show, who shine bright for a few months and then crash and burn. Meanwhile, the leviathan that is the show rolls on over the dreams of so many, creating the illusion of fame and wealth, leaving devastated minds and hearts in its wake.