idol musings...

There are whisperings of another fourth-place shocking boot with the name Melinda attached to them. (That danged fourth-place is a curse.) But you know what, if she goes tonight, I doubt it will set off explosions over watercoolers across the country, unlike the shameful early exits of Tamyra Gray in season one, season three's LaToya London and, most recently, the shocker of Daughtry.

My friend Dave asked a question several weeks ago, as the final round of season six was beginning. He wondered if American Idol had "jumped the shark," in response to an online article predicting the snoozefest that was to unfold as the weeks went on. I wasn't sure how I felt about the show hitting that phase of its life quite yet, chalking up my own ambivalence about season six to the residual love and enthusiasm I had felt for season five. It couldn't measure up, I reasoned, but hopefully I would become as deeply entrenched in the weekly attempts the new kids would give us as I had in all of the other seasons. Just probably not to the same extent.

The problem is that I'm as ambivalent today, heading into the final three show, as I was going into the first of five weeks of auditions. So what is up with that?

The Houston Chronicle says this is the worst season of Idol, but places most of the blame on the lackluster contestants. I appreciate the point, but I'm not going to go that far. Because, while there is somebody directly to blame, I don't think it's any of this year's cast of characters.

The four we have remaining are legitimately good performers, although each of them has had their requisite moments of suckiness, but I don't care about them. I don't care who wins. The people with whom, in past seasons, I would have passionate and sometimes explosive conversations about who was better than whom don't care who wins. Some have stopped watching.

Why?

Because the contestants aren't the stars of the show. The show is the star of the show. And the contestants are day players.

One of reasons I've always enjoyed American Idol is because, as the weeks wear on, we get to know these kids. We get to know their families. We get to know their personalities, their likes and dislikes. By final six time last year, we knew that Elliott Yamin was nearly deaf in one ear and battled diabetes. We knew that Kellie Pickler's dad was in prison, due to be released shortly and that she had been raised by her grandparents. We knew that Taylor Hicks had traveled from wedding to wedding, trying to make it as a musician in the Birmingham area. And we knew that Chris Daughtry had two adorable stepkids that he loved to death.

We knew Rocky Covington, Bucky's twin brother and we could pick out Ace Young's brother Ryan from a mile away. We waited to see if Katharine McPhee's dad - McPhather - would bawl after her performance. And Mama Yamin became everybody's mom. Everyone was familiar. And beloved.

What do we know about this group?

I know that Melinda used to be a background singer. LaKisha is a single mom. Blake is a beatboxer who does wacky impressions. And Jordin is 17. The only family member I recognize is Chris Richardson's dad, and he's gone now.

But thanks to this season, I know who Akon and Robin Thicke are. And I didn't even sign on for that.

The more we're able to get acquainted with these kids, the harder we root for them. And, despite extending the results episodes to a painful 60 minutes, the show is focusing more on becoming a variety hour than a competition. Instead of giving us a peek inside the lives and hopes and dreams of these finalists, we're given random person on the street interviews. Rather than a question and answer segment with Blake, we're treated to yet another "you're gay, no you're gay" exchange between Ryan and Simon.

And instead of celebrating the show, its history and its cast by bringing back beloved Idol contestants to hawk their current wares, we get Fergie. At least next week we'll get a visit from Elliott Yamin and, presumably, Daughtry will make an appearance the following week to perform live the going away anthem. I don't know what they've done with Taylor Hicks.

The show this season has taken a serious deviation from its successful formula, and that could very much explain the dip in the ratings from last year. I don't think it's jumped any sharks quite yet, but until or unless the producers remember how this show went from summer replacement to national cult phenomenon and make some adjustments next year, those sharks will continue to circle.