My biggest guilty pleasure is American Idol.  I love it.  There’s something about watching how the contestants react to the competition that gets me.  Some crumble and fall apart, like Didi Benami, who just never put together a solid performance during the live shows.  Others, like Tim Urban, are so clueless and untalented, they don’t even realize the magnitude of the opportunity.  How that dude has made it into the top nine baffles me.  By far, he is the least talented and least entertaining of the twelve.

Then, there are those who rise to the occasion.  Every time she takes the stage, Crystal Bowersox delivers.  The power and beauty of her voice are so natural and effortless that I’m nearly moved to tears during each performance.  Lee Dewyze has won me over with his willingness to listen to criticism and push himself as a performer.  Siobhan Magnus has an amazing voice, but she needs to break out of this one-trick pony show she’s fallen into.  Michael Lynche brings it every single performance.  I don’t particularly like the tone of his voice, but the dude can flat out sing.  My personal favorite is Andrew Garcia.  I just love the sound of his voice.  There’s a unique tone to it that has an undercurrent of sadness that moves me.  He probably won’t win the contest, but I’m hopeful that he’ll have a strong career.

I’m sick of Ryan Seacrest.  I’d like to see Simon reach up and slap the dog shit out of him the next time he does that poodle yapping stuff in Simon’s face.  I’m not sure if Seacrest has just gotten brazen since it’s Simon’s last season, or if the producers think that’s good for ratings, or if he’s developed a coke habit that’s turned him into an obnoxious asshole, but after the first time, the act got old.

Speaking of Simon, he’s a great example of how the precious butterfly syndrome has turned us into a nation of wimps.  The audience boos him whenever he offers any criticism to the contestants.  Most of the time he’s correct, and most of the time he’s being constructive, trying to show the contestants what they need to do to improve as singers and performers, but because he isn’t telling them what wonderful, unique snowflakes they are, the audience boos him.  Sure, he has said some nasty things during some of the auditions, but he rarely says anything that isn’t true.  People who can’t sing shouldn’t delude themselves into thinking that they can make a living at it.  Sometimes, they need to hear an ugly truth to bring them back to reality.  On the live shows, his comments are almost always geared to pointing out weak points in a performance.  We learn and grow from our mistakes, and Simon isn’t afraid to point out those mistakes because that’s his job.

So that’s my guilty pleasure.  I’m sure somewhere the last cool club that still had me as a member just shredded my card, but I can’t help myself.  It’s a fun show.