THIS...Is American Idol

Ladies and Gentlemen of American Idol Fanaticism ----

Season 9 is upon us, folks!

Have you been watching? This year, for the first time in its history, 'Idol' judge, Paula Abdul, will not be the Queen Bee in the hive of boys. New judge, Kara DioGuardi, has joined the cast, perhaps to boost ratings in a show that has seen a microscopic drop in viewership in the last two seasons.

A lot of folks believed that bringing on a new judge would hinder the formula that has kept the show on this long. Some compared the risky move by the FOX network, which carries 'Idol', to be the kind of jumping the shark move that signals the end of a once good thing. It now appears that this is not so with DioGuardi. It is looking more and more like Kara DioGuardi was just the right missing piece arriving at the very best time for the show. This recognized singer-songwriter seems to have found her own place in this band of judges being the perfect center for the extreme views of Paula and Simon Cowell. Kara is slightly less icy and cruel than Simon, but more assertive and straightforward than mushy Paula. She is also quite beautiful, making the faces of 'Idol' just a bit more pleasant to tune in for each week. Sorry, Paula! You're not ugly, you're just so 80s. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

It is only week 2, so we're still in the mix and mingle of the stranger-than-fiction auditions with the quirky candidates, the truly pathetic ones, the ones that cross the line and just become plain arrogant and unpleasant and the diamonds in the rough that shine through the masses. The judging panel, along with host extraordinaire, Ryan Seacrest, has been traipsing through the states seeing thousands of candidates for the coveted gold ticket to Hollywood.

Next week we'll hit that Kodak Theater stage with all the ones who made it through. Then they will ask the candidates to break into groups of three or four and that is when Joe's fun really starts. He loves watching the groups bicker, cry, fight and rage among themselves, before hitting the stage with a sometimes great, sometimes horrendous performance that will either make or break one or all of them. Good times!

I was trying to come with as many reasons as possible as to why 'Idol' continues to fascinate its millions of viewers, young and old. Here is a show that crosses generations. Just like that 1970s' Sunday night staple, "Wonderful World of Disney", ‘American Idol’ nights can be seen by parents AND their children without fear of embarrassment or shame. Can I get an Alleluia?

I asked my good friend Paula, another 'Idol" addict and Super Mom to awesome kids, Luaranne and Morgan, what she considered to be the key to this show’s lock-and-hold on all of us. What keeps us all coming back to it? Then, I wholeheartedly agreed with her answer. She says: "I think the fascination is that we all secretly would love to be discovered in that way. We’re rooting for the "underdog"".

Ah, yes…the Underdog! The diamond that tries out and is the roughest of all. The one who comes with that certain IT Factor or shine or spark or hidden beauty or skill. It is the singer who struggles the most and never gives up, and fights the good fight despite all the odds stacked against him or her. Clay Aiken - Geekoid of all Geeks - comes to mind. Who would ever have imagined that a self-proclaimed nerd like Clay could have had and sustained a career such as the one he still has, despite having lost the Idol crown by the slimmest of margins?

In her continued honesty, Paula admitted what we all know to be true about ‘Idol’ addiction, when she added, “Please, you had to see how excited I got when I saw that AI (shorthand for American Idol) was going to be on again tonight. I mean we practically become hermits when this show is on. It consumes our lives. My other secret reason for watching is I love to see people who honestly think that they can sing, and they are dreadful!” All things I not only agree with, but also live each season.

Well, that then is the fascination, the addiction factor, the very blood and guts of Idol Mania. It takes over year after year and no matter how many people try-out, there are still thousands more to come every year with as many insane skills, talents, ideas, costumes and ridiculousness as ever!

In a few weeks, as the show’s intensity grows and it’s contestants dwindle and the claws come out and the talent reaches new heights, the real fans will start to show themselves. We won’t be able to contain the comments and opinions. We won’t be able to just remain quiet in the face of a challenge of particular favorites. Slowly, fans will come out of the woodwork, up from under tables and chairs to admit to their adoration of all things AI.

By season’s end, some time in May, the frenzy for ‘Idol’ will be at an all-time high. Across cities and farms, towns and communities, the Idol Chatter will be at record levels. Media, both frivolous and serious, will take to reporting daily and weekly on the show’s outcomes, - who got booted, who remained, who are the shockers and the sad departures, who needs to leave and why is he (or she) still there wasting a spot! Great stories (and sometimes crimes and punishments) will be broadcast nationwide. We will learn so much about the remaining contestants that we will feel on information overload. Their faces will be splattered all over televisions, magazines and newspapers. They will all be transformed from mere regular people or ugly ducklings, to the beautiful people that evolve in land of Hollywood with the assistance of an army of make-up artists, hairstylist, fashionistas and the like. They’ll become part of the daily lives and conversations in our homes: “Did you see her hair?” “OMG! What were they thinking dressing him like that?” They will inhabit our very lives and on the day when only two remain standing we will, as a nation possessed, sit on the edge of our sofas and chairs, perched there wringing our hands waiting for Ryan to announce that the American Idol for 2009 is….

To be continued…