I'll confess. I'm hooked.

I'm not sure how it happened. I mean, D and I didn't even watch the first two seasons of AI. (Puh-leeze, we'd say. Watch *that*??? All the while vegging on the couch watching Elimidate late into the evening ... We have our standards, doncha know?)

But we decided to watch Season 3 and, what can I say, it caught my fancy (she bang ... she bang ...). I'll admit to liking the early shows better than the later ones (where everyone can -- mostly -- carry a tune). I think it's cathartic. (THOSE people can't sing either, but look! They're not singing on national television!)

Yesterday's episode was less than stellar. Unlike Simon, I won't say that most of the singers were actually *bad* (well, except maybe to D or good friends, in private or after several drinks) because (also unlike Simon) even in their not-stellar-ness, they're a heck of a lot better than I could ever hope to be, belting out a tune in front of millions of people and, well, Simon.

Even if I *could* carry a tune, would I have the guts to do that?

Which got me thinking. What if there was an American Idol for writers. Could I do that? For a chance to be up there in the Tom Clancy/Nora Roberts/John Grisham/Janet Evanovich stratosphere, could I get up on that stage in front of 3 critics (Simon, I suppose, would be replaced with someone like Mrs. Giggles) and "write" for 3 million viewers? (Let's leave alone, shall we, the dynamics of how this would work).

Would I? Could I?

I'm really not sure. But I will say that those idolettes get a thumbs-up from me for gumption. And most of them can actually sing, to boot.