Why I Love American Idol

I admit it. I'm not an Idol virgin. I started watching American Idol in its second season; I was not watching during the Justin/Kelly sing-off. I had no idea that this reality show would become my winter-to-spring companion. Since then, however, I have become an American Idol junkie, watching all the way from what I call Am-barrassing Idol to the final moment when one hopeful contestant wins the coveted crown.

Over the years, that crown has occasionally been tainted. Think Ruben (what's his last name?). Think Kris Allen. Think about the people who got robbed, like Jennifer Hudson (actually, she's probably not crying in her beer), Clay Aiken, and even Adam Lambert. And, think about Brian Dunkleman.


All right, I'll tell you who Brian Dunkleman is. Brian Dunkleman was Ryan Seacrest's co-host the first season. According to Wikipedia, Dunkleman "stated his departure was due to the terrible way they treated the young contestants on the show, staging the fights between the judges and reshooting contestants with producer-provided, glycerin tears in their eyes. He went on to say that leaving the show was a mistake." Whoops! His bad. I'll bet his wife is really mad at him.

Given that the whole concept is probably rigged and obviously, Simon prefers the pretty girls (think Bikini Girl), why do I continue to watch nine seasons later? It's because I care. These people still have to sing in front of an audience of millions. They are young men and women (and sometimes little kids who are barely out of middle school) who give it all up for the chance. How many of us do that in our lives? Where have we settled? How many of us are brave enough to (metaphorically speaking) stand on a stage, sing unaccompanied, and risk Simon's caustic comments?

We love Idol because hope springs eternal and we love the underdog. We love Season 4's Carrie Underwood, the American Idol winner who has become the biggest thing in country music yet can still sell out two nights at Ravinia, the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I went to see her at Ravinia and so did a lot of my 50-something friends, and she was fabulous. She's America's sweetheart and she can sing the heck out of the Star Spangled Banner at Superbowl XLIV and win our hearts.


That's why I cry for the contestants on American Idol. It's reality T.V. that's actually real.

Hooked on Blogging and Chocolate

Are you old enough to remember Hooked on Phonics? They still make it! That surprises me since I have very few students who know anything about phonics. Aren't their parents concerned about buying preschool phonics lessons? I think that learning phonics in elementary school has made me a much better speller and wordsmith.

No more snarking today. I want to talk about getting hooked on blogging.

One of the guilty pleasures of being a part-time blogger is that I don't really feel pressure to produce blog posts in a timely fashion. That will probably ruin my ability to have any blogger popularity, but oh, well. The best part is that it encourages me to read other people's stuff. I will admit, I'm a genuine lurker; I don't always comment, especially when the blogger seems very popular and has lots of comments. I, on the other hand, look forward to any comments I receive. Please comment!

Today's guilty pleasure for you is from Chocolate and Zucchini. It counts as French because the author lives in Paris and writes mostly about cooking in France. The chocolate cookies in this post appear to be genuinely luscious and I may have to bake them. I loved this post and the text about Valentine's Day. In case you're wondering, I'm somewhere between category 1 and 2. Bon Appetit!