Peddling Mediocrity

I admit that I'm a fan of American Idol. It's not exactly compelling TV, but it's entertaining nonetheless. While there are some really talented people on the show, there is also an awful lot of mediocrity. As Simon Cowell says, lots of people can sing, but not every good singer can be an idol. You have to do more than stay in tune if I'm going to shell out $15 for your CD.

So today I was reading the USA Today AI blog and learned that Constantine Maroulis is doing a solo tour. Huh? Really? I'd love to know who is paying money for that. He's not that talented and certainly not that good looking, especially compared to this year's contestants. So really, I'd like to know who would actually go to his show.

The same blog also reported that Katherine McPhee's single isn't selling so well. Apparently it's even worse than Diana DeGarmo's. Wow, that's embarrassing. Again, she can sing in tune and she's cute but ... I still can't bring myself to care when she sings. And who really thought it was a good idea to build a career on the 1930s song Over the Rainbow. That doesn't exactly scream young, hip, and talented. Oh, but it was the only song she could sing consistently over several months of competition. Well, it's no doubt that some smart record execs are cashing in on peddling mediocrity, but who is spending money on this drivel?