Again, a good point
There are so many wannabes that they are expendable and their handlers can exploit them cynically, as you put it. It's almost analogous with factory farming - milk 'em to death, wring their necks and bring on the next batch.

Whether there were queues round the block to audition for vaudeville acts is unknown to us. I suspect there were wannabes then, but not with the same assumption that they were indelibly destined for superstardom.
( The Disappointed Caravanner of the year, Thu 28 Oct 2010, 23:04, Reply)