>>American Idol. I make a point not to watch it. Sometimes I will come upon it while using the remote control to find something worth watching – like a good commercial!
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>>I cannot understand why American Idol will have people competing who have little or no talent? Then the “judges” cut them to the bone. Who needs that? Could it be a business decision related to “ratings”? Let me see – Paula is sleeping with one of the contestants. More attempts at increasing ratings? Seems like the wrong decisions to me.
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>>Two nights ago I saw an Comcast interview of a contestant who appeared on American Idol. He said that you went through many interviews and tryouts in front of different individuals connected with the show, including the producer, etc., before being allowed to perform.
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>>Last night there was a Comcast spot on television about American Idol allowing people without talent to appear, and the resulting negative comments made by the judges. The thought was that American Idol does this on purpose to “raise ratings”, and the thought was that it would have the opposite effect.
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>>Bring on the commercials!
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>Everything you say is true. But I think the appeal of the show is easy to understand. One is that it is a rags to riches story, which never grows old. One day you're banging around in a bar band and seemingly overnight you are recognized by tens of millions and have a rich recording contract.

But they're the guys who deserve a break - the one's who've put themselves out there and got over the gut-wrenching nerves. The delusional kids (and some adults who well should know better) who've just been singing into the mirror, with a hairbrush, think they're "the cat's pyjamas, Daddy-o" and think the world owes them a lucrative living - the easy way - straight into main-stream TV - no touring the clubs and getting booed off stage, or bottles thrown at them - they're the ones who deserve the reality check, to fall back to Earth with a bump, and a further kick from Simon. I've no pity for them - coming crying to the cam-booth that their lives are now over, cos they didn't get the chance for US to spend our money voting them in so they can become millionaires.

>The other is identification with the contestants, however untalented, who Teddy Roosevelt described:

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