Okay, I lied.

I promised to leave entertainment alone but I simply must comment on this. Apparently a contestant on last week's Wednesday episode of American Idol who "made it to the Hollywood round" is actually a fairly successful singer, who sang as a child on Broadway, had an episode of MTV's True Life follow her singing aspirations, had a record deal and a 2006 album which you can find fairly easily and listen to on the internet. And she dated "Dancing With The Stars" pro Mark Ballas.
So people are incensed that someone with this much experience is getting to compete with the "commoners" that walked in off the street.

This leads me to remember what I have often said: Idol would be best served with a season of "Celebrity American Idol" that pitted professional singers against one another. Obviously it is very, very popular to watch everyday people rise (and fall) on Idol for the last 7 seasons, and this season will be no exception, but I think people would love to see 24 professional singers duking it out with their chops on stage. And it would be easy for the producers to catch every demographic. Want the young, R&B audience to watch? Get Beyonce and Rihanna. Want the middle-age, country crowd? Get Brooks & Dunn and Martina McBride. Want the alternative crowd? Get Fallout Boy and Jack White.
All of these singers are very good at singing what they sing every day, but what if they all had to sing (Sir) Andrew Lloyd Weber songs? Some of them would crash and burn in just as hilarious a way as the current contestants invariably do. And what if some turned a song on its head in a brilliant way, like last season David Cook using Chris Cornell's cover of MJ's "Billy Jean"?

Anyway, I think the season of "Celebrity Big Brother" was a success, compared to seasons before and after featuring nobodies. Perhaps the Idol producers should think about that.


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