Idolitry

All right, I give in. The first of the 12 steps is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, I admit it, and I’m here to confess my vice. My name is Jason, and I’m an American Idol addict.

When Idol first hit the airwaves in the summer of 2002, I didn’t want to go anywhere near it. I was fed up with the whole reality TV craze (I still am, actually), and the show held no appeal for me. Still, due to its status as the newest water cooler hit, I felt I owed it to myself to check it out at least once. So I watched the season finale, and couldn’t help but wonder how in the world that Guarini guy lasted as long as he did.

I didn’t watch any of the second season, though I did keep up with the Ruben-Clay controversies. I finally did check out a bit of Season Three, but only through the auditions -- once the William Hungs were done, I figured it wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining anymore.

But I must confess, this season, I’m hopelessly hooked. I haven't missed an episode yet, and have even rewatched portions of several shows. I find myself drawn to the show's characters (the contestants, not the judges). I've developed different rooting interests at almost every step of the way. Being that I'm a sports guy at heart, the competitive aspect of the production is appealing. And hey, I've always loved to sing myself. If the Idol auditions ever came to my car, I'd be a lock to make it to Hollywood, dawg.

I'm not sure why this happened now. Perhaps it was the advent of TiVo into the family home, which has helped make each episode an event for the whole brood. My little sister feels as though several of the contestants are close personal friends. My younger brother transfers recordings of his favorite performers onto his iPod. My mother is in her late 40s, well outside the show’s target demographic, yet can speed-dial a vote as soon as the lines open with the best of them.

As for me, I’ve found myself watching each show with a critical eye, seeing how my comments match up with the panel of judges. After all, I have occasionally used the word “a’ight” and as long as I can add “dawg” and “pitchy” to my vocabulary, I ought to be able to match wits with Randy Jackson. If it’s truly warranted, I can be just as effusive with praise as the new Queen of Nice, Paula Abdul. Though lately, I’ve noticed that my opinions more closely match up with Simon Cowell’s, and since I’m not on live TV, I shouldn’t have a problem creating my own pithy insults.

One thing prevented me from trying my hand at being an amateur reviewer before this week: my affection for Mikalah Gordon. There was no gray area with the Las Vegas teen; you either loved her or hated her. I loved her unabashed enthusiasm and pure joy she brought to each broadcast, but every review I ever read seemed to slam her with a tremendous dose of vitriol. Made me wonder if I knew what I was talking about after all.

But I do admit, it was time for her to go last week -- she breezed through on personality as long as she could, but there was no way to justify sending someone else packing. Her exit was predictable, as was Lindsay Cardinale's after the first week of the finals. But the banishment of Jessica Sierra -- and more surprisingly, the continued support for Scott Savol and Anthony Fedorov -- just goes to show that no one knows what's going to happen next.

Let alone me. But that's not going to keep me from guessing. And it's certainly going to keep me watching.

Can’t get enough of all things Idol? Check out Jason’s weekly reviews on his weblog at mcjason.blogspot.com.