American Idol: A Sad Revelation.

I realized something this week: American Idol no longer excites me.

I don't know if it's the contestants, or the lack of talent, or what. But these days, AI is no longer appointment TV for me.

The front runners. I am so bored by them. I have NO PLANS to buy CDs from Lilly Scott or Siobhan Magnus or Crystal Bowersox. Sure, they were entertaining in the beginning, bringing something new and funky to the table. Now I'm over it. I want my freaking ballads back!

These three girls are so far out of the mainstream, they'll appeal only to niche fans. As for the guys, the current favorite seems to be Michael Lynche, who consistently gets positive feedback from the judges. I just see him going the way of Ruben Studdard. Big, lovable black man who sings really well, but has zero appeal beyond the show.

And now, thanks to myself, I have "Sorry for 2004" stuck in my head.

Don't get me wrong. I like all these people. I just wouldn't buy any of their music. And I don't think America will, either.

And is it just me, or are the judges totally biased against mainstreamers this season? Katie Stevens and Katelyn Epperly get so much flak every week. And yet, if Katie made an album, people would probably buy it. Creedence Clearwater Revival? This is not 1968!

Oh and speaking of things I don't want to hear again: Genie in a Bottle, sung at a slightly frantic pace with guitar accompaniment. WTF, Andrew Garcia, WTF???

American Idol: Waiting To Exhale.

So last night, after dragging it out over three hours over two nights, American Idol revealed the Top 24. 12 boys, 12 girls. One Asian guy.

Yes, John Park made it! He did!

I'm telling you, I was curled up on the sofa dying of agony. They didn't announce his fate until almost the end. Meanwhile, we had to sit through the fates of all the people with the sob stories.

I know this season Idol wanted to focus more on the people with interesting backgrounds and less on the crazies, but I'm kind of over that now. Seriously over that. I want the people with sparkling personalities and terrific voices. No more poverty, no more Alzheimer's grandmas, no more seizure babies. Please. No more.

And how about that final selection of Andrew Garcia over Thaddeus Johnson? What a bummer. Both are talented, but I just liked Thaddeus better. He had spunk, he has sass, and he would've probably been 10 times more fun to watch than the Danny Gokey lookalike. Alas, we'll never know.

Big ups to Haeley Vaughn*, the country-singing black girl. I'm a HUGE country fan, and everyone I know seems to hate it. Haeley, I hope you go far, because Idol has enough rockers. Let's bring country back!

I also like Didi Benami, the waitress who sang Kara DioGuardi's song, and Crystal Bowersox, the girl with the dreadlocks. Actually, I pretty much like all of them. There is not one annoying one in the bunch.

But until he gets voted off, at which point I will declare "I'm swearing off Idol" but not actually do it, I am John Park all the way.

*I just figured out why this name is so familiar. I used to watch Regis & Kelly all the time, and Kelly Ripa would talk about her time at All My Children, where she played a character named Hayley Vaughan. Random.