Idle

I'm sorry, but I really enjoy watching American Idol. The music is execrable, the people by and large dull, but it's a reality show without the visceral awfulness. Unlike Fear Factor, which AXN shows at mealtimes. And even those travel shows -- um, the Great Race? -- where they put unsuspecting couples through the gruelling routine of a round-the-world race, stress race, and they end up exasperated with each other. Painful to watch.

Happily for my peace of mind, I don't have favourites in the Idol race. That Bo Bice is genuine cool. So's that blonde country-style singer girl Carrie. One of the women has a remarkably big hairstyle. One of the men comes on to his female fan base every second he's on the screen.

The best part of Idol, the only reason to watch the show at all, is the roadshow that starts each season, where the long-suffering 'judges' select from among a hundred thousand aspirants, and we get to see the 'most' ones (most ridiculous, most ugly, most deluded, most pathetic, most guaranteed tear-jerker, etc.) on TV for free. Yuck and yahoo.