G4TV

According to early Nielsen media research reports, "The debut of the eighth season of 'American Idol' averaged 30.1 million viewers Tuesday night, down 10% from the previous year's debut of 33.4 million." While numbers are still phenomenal, I wonder if people are growing tired of Simon Cowell's snarkiness, Randy Jackson's overuse of the word "dog", and Paul Abdul's space-cadet behavior. New addition Kara DioGuardi definitely added a breath of fresh air, but she probably lacks the star power to draw in new Idol viewers.

I have to confess that Idol is one of my guilty pleasures. A friend got me into it last year and I haven't been able to stop. In case you missed the season premiere, here are my personal highlights and random thoughts:

• There was a charming and lanky Black dude that sorta kinda resembled the guy from OutKast, but without the talent. I dubbed him Andre 1000.
• Randy and Simon were thrilled by the contestant that showed up in a bikini. Kara was not. Her voice was okay, but her body was...wow.
• The kid that tried to sing "Mad World" had an Igor vibe about him. His voice absolutely sucked. I was waiting for him to spit out the words, "Gollum! Gollum!"
• A 16-year old with a big voice is going with the goody-two-shoes angle. She performs for elderly people and helps them find friends. I want to punch her.

• The guy that works for an oil-rigging company had a shockingly soulful voice. I'm pretty sure Luther Vandross is still alive and hiding inside this guy's body.
• There was a hot girl from Kentucky with a sexy voice and sparkling eyes. She's my favorite contestant so far.
• It was awesome to see an exuberant, but lacking contestant pull a 180 by whining, "Simee!!!" She totally melted the icy Cowell.
• The (almost completely) blind guy is going to go far. I mean, you have to be some kind of d*$# to not vote for a (almost completely) blind guy.
• Ryan Seacrest's idiot move of the night was when he tried to high-five the (almost completely) blind guy. Really Ryan?!?

Anyway, those were my Idol highlights. Do any of you share my addiction? If so, what did you think of the show?

Source