I'm Going There: American Idol

Tonight I finally broke down and gave in to my secret pleasure. I watched American Idol. It's my first episode of the season, my first introduction to the stream of wannabes that starts out as endless, and has finally dwindled town to 12 (or 13). I have made a sort of spring ritual out of waiting until the embarrassing auditions and the awkwardness of "Hollywood Week" are over to tune in to this show. And tonight, this practice was validated, in a way: Paula casually referred to the evening as "the first night." 

I would like to highly recommend this process to anyone thinking about indulging in American Idol, be it for this season or any one of the dozens that will likely follow. Watching for the first few weeks is undeniably an exercise in schadenfreude. It will leave you feeling ugly and guilty. But tuning in to see the Top 12, while it might not be the pinnacle of television entertainment, allows you at least the opportunity of genuinely enjoying yourself while you stay up-to-date with this cultural force-of-nature.

Not interested in keeping up-to-date? Fine. But when I announce that, based on her performance this evening, I am fairly willing to put money on Allison Iraheta to go all the way, will you smile and nod, pretending to know what the hell I'm talking about?Will you understand when I compare Adam Lambert's rendition of "Black or White" to something by The Darkness? Or are you going to admit that you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, and thereby reveal that you're not as cool as/way cooler than me, depending on your circle and worldview? 

Think about it. I have. And I decided to watch.