How Adam Lambert and John Mayer Destroyed American Idol

I got to know the music of John Mayer sometime around 2002, approximately, rough-guessing. I'm honestly not sure how I found his music, because I did not like his song "No Such Thing" ... one of those songs that gets way too much airplay! But somehow I started to like his music. On his website, to make things even better and yes I mean better, he had a disclaimer of sorts, saying that he didn't care how his music got out, just that it got out. So I headed over to Limewire and got my hands on anything labeled "John Mayer." It was the exact style and type of music that I had been looking for at that time. One of the contributing factors that led to my crazy enjoyment of his music was that I was able to get a hold of live recordings, and he would perform the songs with added twists so that they were different than what they were on the record. I love that, because if I'm going to see someone in concert/live, I want to know that they know what they're doing and I want to get more out of the performances that what I would just by listening to the songs at home. Thanks for spoiling me for the past 8 years, Mr. Mayer!

Fast forward a few years to a little show called American Idol, specifically Season 8. I've tuned in enough each season to know who a lot of the contestants are. Not until Season 8 had I tuned in for the entirety. As the auditions came and went and Hollywood Week rolled around, this guy named Adam Lambert appeared. He sang Cher's "Believe" and it blew me away. As week passed by, he never disappointed. He set his bar high from week to week, but not so high that he wasn't able to jump it the next week (ahem, Andrew Garcia). And he made me want to tune in week after week, and more importantly, tell people to tune in. He proved himself week after week. And he excelled show after show. It was more than just a karaoke contest with him. He brought stage presence, energy and excitement. Thank you too, Mr. Lambert, for spoiling me! :)

This year, I'm uber-critical of the contestants, and they're just annoying me to no end for the most part. I especially enjoyed, and no I really don't mean enjoyed, the girls this week who sang what the judges told them to sing. (Lacey-"Kiss Me" and Katie-"Put Your Records On"). I'm going to take a break until the Top 10 (or 12, whichever it is this year) are narrowed down and hopefully come back with a better attitude. :) To those of you who are watching straight through............good luck! :)