I've noticed that I'm no longer interested in the early season shows - the auditioning of crazies from Seattle, Dallas, etc. Those shows are not about developing talent or picking a winner. They're merely freak shows, giving Simon a chance to excel at his special brand of slam.

But as the season unfolds and we get to watch and enjoy the finalists, I become completely hooked. For me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show is watching how the contestants evolve/improve over the many weeks. Yes, much is the result of beauticians and coaches. Hard work and sharp criticism also come into play, I'm sure.

So yes, we are hooked. And we aren't ashamed to mention it to all our friends here in the RFV. Too bad for them if they are too sophisticated and enlightened to enjoy a great show.

And I think I'm being honest about the 3 hours, but no question the show exploits these fledglings for "our" entertainment, and instead of tomatoes they get Simon.

But here's the thing: I like Simon. I like him so much more than Randy or Paula I think he could carry the show on his own. Why is that? Because underneath his staged cruelty is the breath of fresh honesty: "Get lost. Go invent the next light bulb, just don't ever attempt to sing again!"

Our friends can be too kind for our own good. My bass playing comes to mind. It wasn't bad, but I was no Chuck Rainey ( Steely Dan's Bassist ) and I knew it.

Now the two strings are coming together, Arun's "gaffe" and Fox's Simon: We're talking about bald honesty here. And you're perfectly right, Arun should have stood his ground and braved the debate. Screw the endowment!

One day someone is going to strip the debate of its parochial rhetorical defenses. It may, not so improbably, take a comedian. Perhaps a combination of Lenny Bruce, Shimon Peres, and Sam Kineson. I'm not calling Peres a comic, but he provides the balance while the other two wail away at the truth.

Peace

I was as appalled as you are at the labeling of Arun as a bigot, but not surprised. This is the common tactic of those trying to protect Israel’s image from being tarnished by those who tell the truth about the occupation.

After reading more about the incident, I understand what all of the fuss is about. First, in his comment; “We have created a culture of violence (Israel and the Jews are the biggest players) and that Culture of Violence is eventually going to destroy humanity," if he had left out “the Jews,” he still would have gotten some flak, but probably not half as much. He has criticized Israel before without severe consequences. In my letters to the editor and blog comments, I’m careful never to use the phrase; “the Jews” when what I am talking about is the policies of Israel. Nevertheless, I am still accused of anti-Semitism on a regular basis. Second, never EVER mention the Holocaust. This is a BIG no-no. It understandably upsets people to be accused of using the sympathy engendered by the Holocaust to get away with murder. But in my opinion, it definitely qualifies as the Washington definition of a gaffe.

Unfortunately, Arun’s biggest mistake was to kowtow to the ADL bastards and not to stand by his statements. He just screwed it for those of us trying against all odds and manner of personal insults to get the truth about Israel out to the American public. By caving to the demand to resign, he validated the claim that any criticism of Israel deserves punishment and public humiliation. This would’ve been a great opportunity to call America’s attention to the real problem in the Middle East; Israel’s illegal and inhumane treatment of an occupied civilian population.

But back to the real topic; American Idol is in its audition phase which lasts several weeks. I agree with you that it is sometimes “painful to watch contestants who've been nurtured in the bosom of family and friends find out that Simon thinks they should go back to flipping burgers.” But it is amazing to see people who can’t sing a note on key, and think they have what it takes to be the next American Idol. I agree with Simon that he is doing them a favor by telling them the truth. I think their families have done their talentless children no favors in lying to them all of these years about how beautifully they sing. Finally the torture can end for the family members forced to endure the horrible singing, and the kids can really get serious about what they want to do with the rest of their life.

You had it right about the judges too. Are you sure you’ve only watched three hours of Idol? I notice that so far Randy has laid off the “dog” and Paula seems to be refraining from making an ass off herself in ways too numerous to count. But the judge’s personalities and their interaction with each other is one of the things I like about the show. It’s entertaining and it just works.

The part of the series I like best is after the auditions and culling, when the finalists begin working on their talent and image and competing against each other to stay in the game. This is where the talent shines through and we see stardom in the making.

I have such reverence for the Mahatma. I have stood on the spot in the garden where he was lost to us through violence. I have seen his grave sight and its eternal flame.

Abraham Foxman called the Mahatma's grandson a bigot. That is the shameful act here. Especially after a heavily televised 30 Billion dollar Israeli arms deal, which is no doubt what Arun was responding to. Foxman also goes further by saying, "One would hope that the grandson of such an illustrious human being would be more sensitive to Jewish history."

What history, pray tell in 2008 are we talking about?

My definition of a gaffe, FYI is the way it's generally understood in Washington.

Just to honor the string: How's idol after week one? It would have been fun to count the number of time Randy used the word "dog" last year and the number of times Paula used words she'd just heard from the other two. She's easy on the eyes, but duller than dishwater as my dear departed Ma used to say.

Funny, I was just discussing the annoying lack Americans have of facing the truth with my husband this morning. I really hate that whole “politically correct” thing. That’s what’s wrong with America today, everyone is so afraid of hurting others feelings that no one tells the truth anymore. If the truth isn’t told then wrongs can’t be righted, injustice can’t be corrected, nothing gets done. We just don’t talk about embarrassing socio-political problems or who’s to blame. We’d rather sweep them under the rug.

The truth is Israel is a problem, a BIG problem for the world and for America. But we’re not allowed to say that because we might hurt the Jews’ feelings.

Con Man doesn’t talk about the Middle East much unless there’s something in the news. The first part of Friday’s show was a reaction to the Palestinians breaking out of their Gaza prison. Since Michael believes Barry Schochet is an expert, having served as a Washington foreign policy advisor, he queried him on the issue. Barry’s answers were nothing less than horrifying. If he’s an example of our government foreign policy team’s understanding of the Middle East, we’re in a lot worse trouble than I thought!

Does the Con Man deal with this topic regularly? I'm out of radio range.

I’ve been researching Middle East history for six years now and I find out something new every time I read a new book, magazine article or website. It’s an extremely complex and convoluted issue. Kudos to you for giving it a look.

As much fun as this discussion has been, the fantasy couldn’t last forever. I guess it’s back to my reality. I’m preparing to write a new blog on my same old theme, inspired by Barry Schochet’s appearance on Congames last Friday. I’d appreciate your input, so perhaps you’ll care to contribute, or just read along as part of your educational process.

And to think that one of the judges is the singer of the MTV hit "Opposites Attract" gives me the shudders.

I thought of you yesterday G when I noticed that Arun Gandhi a grandson of MK Ghandi has been sacked from his Center for Nonviolence founded in 1991 for calling Israel the "biggest player" in a global culture of violence.

I want at some point to enter this discussion, but my books are all packed, and in truth I'm only as far as 1921 or thereabouts in my middle-east education. Your sources will be of help as well. If you want the NYT article it was in yesterdays paper.

Who knew such a lighthearted topic could produce this kind of in depth dialogue? It’s actually kind of refreshing for me to discuss an issue in which freedom, justice and human life is not at stake.

As far as your lunch offer is concerned, I’ve so far made it a rule in life not to put anyone’s gonads in my mouth, but hey, rules were made to be broken, so let’s go for it. You can tell me about your spring calf branding experience and I’ll tell you about mine.

Hugh,

I understand, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It sounds like you know too much about the inner workings of the music industry and the commercialization of young artists to be able to just enjoy the spectacle.

Regarding the unoriginality of the material, we’re talking about singers here, not bands, not musicians, not composers, just singers. I think you'll agree that there have been a lot of star singers who didn’t write their own material.

The format of singing popularly known songs allows the judges and audience to compare the singer’s version to the original, and to see what kind of personal spin they can put on it. An original song by the contestant might be harder to judge. How do you know what it’s supposed to sound like if you’ve never heard it before?

Many former Idol finalists, not just winners, have produced their own albums of original songs, some even written by them. Idols have won music awards too, but being a purist, you probably don’t give that much credence.

How many Idol albums have I purchased? None. As I said before, as much as I enjoy the music, I watch because of the drama. It’s a fascinating study of human behavior. It showcases the depth of delusion as well as the thrill of accomplishment, how people handle disappointment and success, criticism and praise. It’s shameless voyeurism no doubt, but I don’t care. It’s one of the few places I can escape from my glass-half-empty attitude and believe once again that America is a place where dreams do come true.