Been So Afraid of Fame?

There's no point in mincing words. I love American Idol. In fact, I'm an American Idol addict. I watch every show, and TiVo is set to record every bad note and mean comment. During last week's premiere episodes, I couldn't help but wonder why so many contestants (upwards of 1 million people auditioned for this season) avoided glam? After all, the 1980s were the heyday of the so-called "power ballad!"  Why is it that these seemingly normal Americans would rather audition for THE talent competition of a lifetime to such stellar tunes as "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls or "Kiss" by Prince. Not that there's anything wrong with either song, except that they are incredibly difficult to sing, let alone perform a cappella. I simply can't believe that the teens, many of which are tone deaf, would rather place all their eggs in the basket of modern pop instead of trying to stay on key with "Home Sweet Home" or "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Perhaps I'm crazy, but during the two-night premiere special, I only counted one song that is quasi-glam: Aerosmith's "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing." This song comes close, but it's not really glam and, again, incredibly hard to sing. At any rate, the person who attempted the number 1 single didn't make it through to Hollywood and was basically humiliated by the judges.

I'm not saying that glam should intersect with pop hell, but I do think a little exposure on the highest rated television show in America would do a lot to bring back glam.