American Idol, again

I have notoriously enjoyed “American Idol,” so, yes, I’m going to give it a try again, when I can. It’s lost a bit in ratings, while still being the biggest thing in television, so the producers are trying to tweak it in this 8th season to wring out even more viewers and product placement. I think the tweaks have made it even more grandiose, which is not what people like about the show, which really has a simple concept that should just be allowed to work. As for adding an extra judge, I like her fine, but four seems too many. Either more time will be devoted to comments or the comments will get shorter. Either way, the dynamic between Simon, Paula, and Randy–which became one of the best parts of the show–will be damaged. And how can you have decisive votes on an even-number panel? Apparently, the practice will be that a 2-2 tie becomes a winner! That seems just wrong. I’ll give the show another chance and probably get drawn in as before.