Reid About It

American Idol is back on television, and thanks to the writers strike, it's almost assured of rocketing straight back to number one again.

The funny thing about this year's show is it begins just a week after the big winners from two years ago are both out of a job. Maybe that should serve notice that Idol is more of a "moment-in-time-freakshow-karaoke-contest," rather than an indicator of probable long term success. It seems that we enjoy the cover songs a lot more than the full-fledged albums. Why not just sell each week's performances on iTunes, and spare us the inevitable "American Idol winners in the discount bins" moment?

Anyway, I'm trying to watch, but my logic just won't let me enjoy it. One of the successful contestants in the Philadelphia audition came all the way from Salem, Oregon, and had to sell her prize horse to pay for the trip. I'm watching it wondering if this woman is unaware that the Idol auditions travel all over the country, and if she had waited, they might have come close enough that she could drive over and try out without having to sell her worldly possessions and livestock. She seems to be a human piece of Samsonite.

The onslaught of horrible singers also amuses me, if only for wondering how many of them actually think they can sing. I think there should be a flat ten dollar fee to try out for American Idol, and all of the money should go to support Universal Heathcare. If America's going to put its good name on this debacle, it should get something out of the deal.

Whatever happened to the old fashioned way of breaking into the music business? Doesn't anybody just sleep with a music executive anymore?