I have made no secret that I am an American Idol fan. Not only do I watch it (without fail), but I chat about it, read the blogs, and follow the subsequent careers of losers. I am not surprised that one of my favorite forwarders, emailers, commenters, and bloggers has the opposite view. He mailed me:

have never liked that show...yes theres been a few good singers on it...and in the beginning of the shows run i did watch it to give it a chance and it was kind of fun to watch... but now it just getting ridiculous.... now thier going to get singers to do Beatle Songs.... this is one show along with many i will really be sure to miss..... that show reminds me of a bunch of karoke singers in a bar... and who are the judges to say what good talent is?!!!! Simon is a tv show producer nothing else.... another is in the record bussiness but ive never heard of him untill that show.. and the girl? she has not had a hit record since the mid 80s and they all sucked.... (my opinion..) to me the show is just another waste of time...if watching it i could be doing more constructive with my t.v. time.... which lately nothing has really grabbed my attention so i keep it off..... reality tv.... hummmmmm is there any reality on tv?.....

I so disagree with so much of what the wonderful Axman wrote. Don't confuse Simon COWELL with Simon FULLER. The latter one is the TV producer. Randy has worked with some of the biggest in the music business and I LOVE Paula. (She squeezed my knee!) But all that isn't the important thing. What attracts me to American Idol also attracts me to a whole slew of 'reality TV' shows. Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, Last Restaurant Standing, Ramsay's Nightmares, as well as So You Think You Can Dance, Runway, and on and on.... These shows all have one thing in common. The contestants, almost without fail, have a dedication and passion for their 'thing' that makes me ashamed to have ever claimed a similar feeling. Here are people so obsessed by their own vision they sacrifice EVERYTHING for it. Those who don't make that sacrifice don't make the cut. In this world, talent doesn't grow roses. It helps. Add to the talent some dedication, encouragment, obsession and a bit of luck. There is the stew that awes me as I watch it unfold on TV.

Last spring I spent a couple of weeks in England with a friend and his family. I have known him for over 35 years. When he was 16 he went to school during the day and worked at a bakery beginning each morning at 3am. That ungodly job provided the money for ballet lessons his parents refused to pay for or support. What drove a 14 year old boy to know in the depth of his soul he HAD to dance ballet? Where does that come from?

I just thought of the guy on the Animal Planet show Escape From Chimp Eden who wanted to be a computer programmer but has now dedicated his life to saving abused chimps. Damn! I admire people who sacrifice for their dreams. Sorry Axman, I used you to climb on my soapbox. The last time I suffered such umbrage was when someone in 1975 wrote in a radio-industry trade-sheet that Disneyland WASN'T the Happiest Place On Earth and he was bored by the place.

Rob

PS: I once considered going to Calcutta to work with Mother Teresa but changed my mind when I found out she didn't have cable.