I must admit that I’ve never really been a big American Idol fan. Sure, I’ve seen a few episodes over the course of the last few years and I make fun of a lot of the contestants – especially around our friend Michelle, who is a HUGE American Idol fan. Since Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez were on the show for the first time and there has been so much hype about it, I wanted to check it out.
I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by what I saw. I think Steven and Jennifer will do great as judges; they bring a different 
dynamic to the show that wasn’t there with Simon and Paula. The most glaring difference for me was when Steven took it upon himself to tap a beat on the table as some contestants sang. I though he got a little too involved with the auditions. It was especially bad if he was not going to send that person on to Hollywood. Also – Steven, please take off that charm bracelet! It was so loud when he moved his hand that I found myself focusing on that and not on what he was saying.
As I expected, the first auditions were great. There were some great singers, inspiring stories, and some pretty interesting characters. I really like the stories of Melinda Ademi and Travis Orlando. Melinda’s family immigrated to the US from war-torn Kosovo. It was great to see how her parents were able to provide a better life for their daughter. Travis’ story was very touching; his family had to overcome some really big obstacles. I was glad to see him get sent on to Hollywood. Oh yeah, how ‘bout that Yoji Pop? He is a Michael Jackson imitator and really looked the part. I loved his audition – he has some great moves!
I’d like to watch more American Idol; I think it would be a lot of fun. The only thing that I’d have to get over is the time commitment. I really can’t see spending 2 hours on both Wednesday and Thursday nights watching this show. I normally watch The Office on Thursday nights, so American Idol would have to take a backseat to that. However, I am intrigued and will make some time to check out the show again soon and let you know what I think.
