American Idol 2010

Is it just us, or is this season's crop of American Idol aspirants really bad?
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(the top 12 male finalists)
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There are always a lot of warblers in the competition who don't have any stage presence and who can barely find a note any better than Britney Spears, but there are also a few who can truly sing and have real star appeal written all over them. But after watching the first performances of the Top 24 finalists, we couldn't help but think, "After auditioning tens of thousands of singers, this is the best that's out there?" Wow. There wasn't a single finalist who impressed us, nor did they impress the judges. The two lesbian judges, Ellen and Ryan were particularly harsh and... oh, wait a minute, we shouldn't say that. Sorry. Ryan's not a judge. There, with that correction, let's move on and hope some of the star hopefuls find their stage legs in the upcoming weeks, and hopefully, even some notes.

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(ryan seacrest and ellen degeneres)

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Many in the t.v. industry have hinted that American Idol, after ten years, might have finally worn out its welcome. Frankly, we don't see how the show can survive Simon Cowell's absence in the next season. Another telling sign occurred last week when NBC's Olympic coverage defeated Idol in the ratings. It was the first time that American Idol lost a ratings nights since 2004.