Whereas the numerous finalists across various porgrams such as England's Got Talent, American Idol and Latin American Idol seem to have "talent" elements, I personally feel, with the exception of say Paul Potts and Susan Boyle, we are really seeing a "dumbed down" version of talent.
Some sort of modern ratings-getters like American Idol and its respective "winners" just don't seem to come close to individuals such as Madonna, Shakira, Elton John, Yo Yo Ma, Lang Lang, and of course the famous composers of history.
Are we "dumbing down" talent like we are dumbing down aptitude tests in the US?