Idol Worship: Why I Still Watch

I was 15 years old when I watched Kelly Clarkson belt out "A Moment Like This" on the finale of the inaugural season of American Idol back in 2002.
Eight years and eight seasons later, I'm still glued to the TV screen Tuesday and Wednesday nights, usually with my mother plopped next to me, on any given week from January through May. And sometimes Dad too.

Why though, do I still watch this ridiculous show?

Shouldn't I know better? (Yes.) Don't I have anything else to do? (Yes.) Am I embarrassed? (No, not at all.)

Here's the thing: my right to hold an intellectual opinion of any kind shouldn't be flushed down the toilet just because I can name the winners and runners-up of every season of Idol. And the third place finishers. And possibly the fourth and fifth place finishers.

Getting back to the point: the unfoolish American Idol fan remains ever-conscious of the program's flaws. That is, in order to maintain our credibility, we must always demonstrate a heightened awareness of the shams, gimmicks and annoyances that plague the competition year after year. The examples are innumerable: Ryan Seacrest's unwavering douchedom; the heinously tone deaf, costume-clad contestants from first round auditions; Paula Abdul (a moment of silence, please).

The last two years in particular have brought with them a whirlwind of change to Fox's biggest hit. Viewers have had to accept an Idol mantra of out with the old judges (speaking of Paula), in with the new judges (enter Kara DioGuardi in Season 8 and Ellen DeGeneres in Season 9), with the most massive change lingering ominously on the horizon: Simon Cowell, the man we love ultimately more than we love to hate, will not be returning to the table in 2011. And to top it all off, critics everywhere seem to agree that this year's crop of Top 12 hopefuls is the show's weakest group to date.

And yet, through it all, we cling to the basic ideals that make Idol still taste so sugary sweet to us, long after the fruits of our beloved musical competition have soured.

First, there's the classic rags-to-riches element of the show. Fantasia Barrino was a functionally illiterate single mom-turned-Idol champion. Who could top that? Carrie Underwood, perhaps. Just one season later, the former farmgirl had to sell her horse to save up enough money for a plane ticket to her audition. Months later, she was crowned Queen of the Idols at the Nokia Theater. You just can't make this stuff up.

Second, the vicariousness factor. Each year, I can't help but attach myself to one or two contestants and root my ass off for them. This doesn't necessarily involve making signs in bright neon lettering or homemade shirts with misshapen iron-on faces. However, it may require phoning in more than just one vote for them during that brief two-hour period. (When your monthly AT&T bill consists of more calls to American Idol than to friends and family, that's when you know you've got a problem, buddy. Not the case for this blogger. Yet.) A favorite contestant's success feels a bit like our success; if not for our votes, where would they be?

Third and most importantly, the music keeps us coming back. Throughout the course of an entire season, we witness young talent bubble up and explode into full bloom. There's a rush in hearing a newcomer breathe new life into a favorite song, of seeing and hearing artistry in action (see Jason Castro's version of "Hallelujah" circa Season 8). While the ghosts of Idol seasons past (1-6) only had to worry about singing a song and making it sound nice, ever since A) participants were allowed to play instruments in the competition and B) the success of innovative Season 7 champ David Cook, creativity is certainly a requirement. And it's a damn good one too, having raised the bar on a show that was beginning to look and sound a little stale.

This year I took an instant liking to contestant Crystal Bowersox, who's provided an estrogen-heavy dose of homegrown bluesy rock to Season 9 (translation: exactly what the show needed). Not surprisingly, she also became an early favorite of the judges. I'm 100% confident Crystal will make it to the final 2, but I'm equally confident that she's probably going to finish second to whoever's standing beside her at the Nokia in May. Heartbreaking upsets are no stranger to American Idol, especially on finale night.

My darkhorse candidate to take the crown is quirky, theatrical Siobhan Magnus. Her voice is one part sweetness, two parts spice, like a dose of "honey-dipped fury" (to quote an NPR music review I read recently). If she wins (by some bizarre, incredibly lucky twist of fate), it’ll be a huge victory for the Lambert-esque misfits who only ever so far in the competition. Forget the Glee kids-- back home, Siobhan works as a glassblower's apprentice. If that isn't weird, I don't know what else is.

And so, as Season 9-- the final year in the Era of Cowell-- prepares to enter the homestretch, here's to the success of these two talented ladies. Coupled with the aforementioned, they're part of what makes American Idol still worth watching.

Then again... I was always a sucker for cute girls with pretty voices. Darn.