I wont tell people they should/shouldn't watch it, and people really shouldn't scoff at people who do watch it. and just for the record, i watch idol and will continue to watch idol. lol. archuletta will win, which disappoints me because i have been a cook fan (also a big brooke fan) for a while. as far as the comment about the rest of america deciding who you are listening to - i dont get that statement at all. you can listen to whoever you want. you dont have to watch the show. if you think music today stinks, listen to the older stuff or other stuff that interests you. i personally dont listen to much new music either because i think much of it is awful, but american idol actually features most songs that aren't new. several awesome songs from 10, 20, 30, 40+ years ago are sang every year and sang well. all american idol does is fill up a time slot 2 days a week, puts a few different records on the billboard charts every year, and gives some people something to talk about at the water cooler or at the dinner table. it doesn't force anyone to listen to anything... also, zzzman, i think this year was hyped all along to be the best year ever (talent wise), but i think it fell WAY short of expectations. i remember back when it was the top 12 and thinking holy cow, like 5 different people have a chance to win and 5 more people are awesome. and within 3 weeks, most seemed just average and only 1-2 people had any chance whatsoever. very disappointing to me in the end...