Why?

I'm ashamed to admit that I saw American Idol just now (hey, I was strapped to the chair by terrorists, forced to watch...). Besides the fact that the show sucks, why is there so much vibrato? It's like a competition for the most outrageous vibrato and note-bending performance. Didn't these contestants ever listen to Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Bill Withers or the Temptations or pretty much any good singer? (Whitney Houston doesn't count) Those guys sang it straight, but powerfully. Singers who bend their notes all over the place are probably just struggling to find the pitch. It's a poor excuse for ear training.

The black guy butchered "Imagine" with his silly vibrato. Then, the white kid from North Carolina ruined "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (I actually like that song) by turning it into a show tune. Plus, he sang it lower than Garfunkle's castrato rendition -- taking the easy way out. Someone should dope slap those guys.

But it doesn't matter what I say. "America" will choose their next idol and then forget all about him in 3 weeks when the next reality show starts. It's the ultimate marketing gimmick: get millions of people to tune in to an inane TV show, making a killing on advertising. Then, once the stars rise to the top (like turds in a jiffy john), you've got a guaranteed hit single or possibly a hit album to market to the millions of fans you've created during the build-up to the dramatic, poorly-sung finale! I bet FOX makes a ridiculous amount of money from that show without having to spend much. Whoever invented the idea for the show should be nominated for the Evil Marketing Award for Manufacturing Crappy Content.

Changing the channel, there's a new reality show about 10 models who live together and compete for a modeling contract. Is it sweeps month every month? The premise might be stupid, but these models sure are easy on the eyes! heh.