Thursday Thirteen

I just recently discovered what this Thursday Thirteen phenomenon is all about. After doing a little research on the topic, I thought I'd give it a go. And since this week was the season premiere of American Idol, I figure why not make my inaugural 13 all about the freakshow we call good TV and why I love it.

13 Things That I Love About American Idol:

1. Kelly, Ruben, Clay, Fantasia, Jennifer, Carrie, Bo, Taylor, and Chris. (that's almost it's own list, but there were too many names to include...and yes, I did purposely omit some obvious names).
2. The dysFUNtional judges
3. Seeing contestants get better each week
4. Getting to be a song critic
5. The bad auditions (some just want their 15 minutes, but some are truly delusional)
6. Guessing what genre will happen each week
7. Seeing which song the top 12 will attempt
8. Picking a favorite early on and following them to the end (can we say Carrie?)
9. The physical transformations (i.e. Clay)
10. That moment when you know a contestant has really nailed their song
11. Ryan Seacrest (hey, I like the guy)
12. Looking forward to the January premiere and the May finale
13. Chatting with my mom by phone each week to critique the performances

Now, 13 Things That I Loathe About American Idol:

1. Ryan Seacrest's former catchphrase..."Seacrest, out!"
2. Ryan Seacrest's current catchphrase..."After the break!"
3. Making sure I do my part in keeping my favorites in the running by having to text my vote in, otherwise I feel bad when they get voted off.
4. Too many bad auditions are shown
5. Not enough good auditions are shown
6. William Hung
7. The cheesy DAWGpound
8. Annoying contestants that sing well, but have horrible interview skills (i.e. too cocky, try to be funny but aren't)
9. Websites that run campaigns to keep underdog contestants just to screw with the chances of those that truly have a shot (Can we say Scott from season 4? or the goofy kid from season 5?)
10. Corny product placement ads by the final 12 (i.e. Ford)
11. Fake comments like "we are like a big family"
12. The age limit should be raised to 18. The judging process can be pretty harsh for a teen.
13. What Simon says...depends on the day