American Idol Tonight

OK, I'm watching American Idol this season.

But I got an emergency call from an acquaintance before the last half hour, so I had to go help get her out of jail. (I don't associate with criminals, really I don't. But when you know people, there's no telling what they might do.) So I missed the last 25 minutes or so.

The parts I saw were good, in the usual audition sense of things. There were some good singers and some out and out disasters. Nobody looked really great. But you figure they're out in the hot, they're sitting in a stadium or a holding room all day, they're not dressed nicely, whatever.

Some of the ones who are out and out freaky you can spot a mile away. But they put them on anyway. A certain amount of that's good ... entertaining ... but of course it can be a disaster for them. Because they think they're really good. I remember being that age, though, and you really do think you're something special. Because you haven't exactly seen the world, you don't realize how big it all is, you've been sheltered, and people tell you you're great.

It would help some of these characters if they had honest friends. Or if they sought out a few honest strangers to ask them, Am I Really Any Good? I was amazed at the guy who said he was classically trained, that he was an opera singer. Then he comes out and it's a disaster.