There's Just Something About The Harmonica

I personally believe there is something wrong with reality television.

I personally believe there is something wrong with me because I still watch it.

And I used to think I had principles...


Reality TV can interest you if you get involved with the people, or the storylines. I couldn't believe my mother got into Top Chef recently. She's not a foody, she's not a fan of reality television unless you count Trading Spaces. She just got hooked on the relationships between the people on the show.
I tend to think there are three major things that can hook someone on a show they wouldn't normally watch.

Superior writing.
A specific character or actor and their interaction with other characters or actors.
Watched it while drunk one night.

Reality TV tends to have 'poor writing' because reality is messy.
Where they hook people is with the interactions you can't predict not only from show to show, but from year to year within the same show. Will & Grace had to end because they started become characterizations of themselves instead of real characters. American Idol can run forever if the talent continues arriving because its different people and different styles, year after year after year.

American Idol, the Juggernaut.
Up until this season I have never watched an episode of the show. What I knew of it was the crap they put on the news, and that son of a bitch bastard William Hung. All of the advertisements showed the stupid people who can't sing a lick, and think they are wonderful. That stuff drives me nuts. N, V, T, S nuts. Talk about appealing to the LCD.

This season I happened to watch an episode where the actual competition began, when it was down to 12 people. Now why aren't they pushing advertising THIS part of the show? This is the part I can get into. I thought there were about 4 or 5 in this group that could honestly have some semblance of a career in the music world. Yamin, Daughtry, Mcphee, Hicks & Lisa Tucker.
Was this just a really good year for Idol? I don't recall hearing much the other years about the other people in the show, other than the winners being that good. Of course you had the Aiken and Studdard bit, but other than that?

I'm one of the few people I know that was glad Hicks won the contest. He's just more unique than everyone else, period. I would actually buy his CD when it comes out. Not a chance with any of the other idols from the other years.

Duets I would have liked to have seen this year, but didn't:

Taylor Hicks duet with Dan Akroyd as Elwood Blues doing Sweet Home Chicago or Everybody Needs Somebody To Love.

Mcphee duet with recorded Judy Garland for Somewhere Over The Rainbow, reminiscent of what they pulled off when Natalie Cole duetted with her father in a recording.

Lisa Tucker with Mariah Carey. How did that girl not make it toward the end?

Elliot Yamin and Elvis Costello. They got close with Burt Baccarach. One degree of separation?

Prince and David Hasselhoff. I mean, come on! They were in the same room! How could they not get that magical, dream duet together!? The sweet sultry sounds of Prince and the German gibberish from Hasselhoff? Best combination since PB & J. They missed a major marketing deal here. Hasselhoff to R&B fans and Prince to an entire European country.

I would say Chris Daughtry with someone, but I honestly think Live was the perfect band for him to sing with. That was well done. And showed he could have a career with a little work.

Anyhow,

All in all, I think reality television gets kind of a bad rap because of the really bad stuff. Kind of like rap, country, and rhubarb, the most misunderstood produce item ever.

American Idol is one show I think I can safely say is good television.
Then of course, it could be because I watched it drunk one night and thought Katharine Mcphee is gorgeous. And tall. Goodness...