'American Idol' Off To The Races

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 17:32:38 GMT

Ah, it's the most wonderful time of the year ... the start of a new season of American Idol where we get to see just how completely devoid of reality contestants are. This isn't meant as a compliment but what we love about the show is that it really exposes how desperate people are for fame and validation and the degrees to which that desire makes them completely delusional. As a friend note, it also suggests that many people are surrounded by sycophantic friends and families who are either totally tone-deaf, or, more likely, too kind to say, "hey, seriously ... we love you but you can't sing. Please stop. For everyone's sake."

Entertainment Weekly reviewed the first show from last night, including a list of the evening's best (and harshest) put-downs. Here are a couple of our favorites off that list:

"You could make a great living doing voice-over work for Rugrats."(Paula Abdul on the diminutive Kevin Brenneman)
"Imagine a bag with nine cats that you drop in boiling water." (Simon Cowell on Yvette Gomez)

Meanwhile, the Miami Herald runs down "where are they now?" for the four past winners of the contest; a mixed bag of fortunes to be sure. The clear winner has been Kelly Clarkson, Season 1's champ, who's sold 6 million albums plus has two Grammy nominations pending. Clay Aiken has certainly done well for himself; the Herald jokes, "Thirty years from now we predict he'll be on TV every Christmas, hosting a variety show in a cardigan sweater, the way Andy Williams used to do."

Then there are folks like Justin Guarini, described as "He was cute and he coulda been a contender," but emphasis on the past tense there. Likewise, second place finisher Diana DeGarmo's career (she followed behind Fantasia in Season 3) has been middling at best. And the most unlikely Idol? Of course, gotta be William Hung: "his debut sold 100,000 copies, though if you had a nickel for everyone who played it twice, we bet you'd have a nickel." (Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Miami Herald)

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'American Idol' Off To The Races