American Idol

I read a couple of things in the paper about AI that caught my interest. The first issue is the declining viewership. To me, that's easy . . .

GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

They waste sooooo much time on that show. There's no reason for the show to be 90 minutes long once they reach the finals. There is so much filler crap it is hard to watch live. The only reason I watch live is because Dan at the D Spot live blogs it. Otherwise it's perfect for the DVR.

The other issue is the artist choice for songs. Beatles, Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey . . . ? Personally, I would prefer they just switch the genre each week to see how they do. Rock, Country, R&B, that sort of thing. Even then, I don't see why they just don't let the singers perform to their strengths. Kristi, who just got the boot, isn't going to become a pop star. She's country through and through. Same with Brooke. She's not about to become the next Pink. Why force them into situations they're not comfortable with? After all, since they gravitate to a particular genre, wouldn't you want to know that they bankable in that genre?

Lastly, there was an article that thinks the big prize is for Archuleta to lose. What? He's got a good voice. He does have broad appeal. But, give me a break . . . he's boring! Remember Clay Aiken? Exactly. In my opinion, and it's well seasoned in music, this year should belong to David Cook. Not only does he have a good voice, it's an interesting voice. Unique. A voice you could listen to for a while. I can't say that about Archie. Or any of the others, for that matter. Kristi will have some success as a country artist. But Jason, Syesha, and Carly . . . success? As what? Hard to say.

One thing is for sure, assuming the performers are actually voted on by the viewing public . . . there's no saying what will happen. Given the past record of voters, Archie may well win.

Too bad.