Pleasure? I love me some chocolate chip cookies. Lindsay and I make the absolute bomb diggity cookies, people. Yuh um. Yum. I think I had about 8 last night. I dunno, I lost count.

They're just such damn good food, cookies are. I mean, you get the sweetness of the chocolate and the sweetness of the (intentionally) over-measured brown sugar and the sweetness of the regular sugar and all in a chewy little morsel-y package. Yum.

I think I'll have a few more when I get home from work.

Guilty Pleasure? Eek. I'm so embarrassed.

It's... American Idol.

I know! I suck for watching it! I know!

Most of it is crap, mind you, but I like the storyline of these kids going all out and trying to become a "star". It's compelling, really, to watch these people get up on stage and either a) just be there b) rock the house or c) sti-ink. It's mostly fun to watch the c) level contestants, and unfortunately for me, most of them are gone at this point in the competition. There's only a couple of borderline bottom feeders left in the group and once they're gone -- poof -- I only have the 2 ridiculous hosts to rip on. Oh, and Paula Abdul. I mean, has she said anything constructive about anyone yet? You sang! Yay! Now come pinch me! Oh. You mean my skin doesn't move? It's the botox! Wheee!

... more about the hosts. Why are there 2? Seriously, what purpose does it serve to have 2 really similar and not-at-all-complimentary-to-each-other-whitebread-unfunny hosts? I kind of wish they would both shut up, really. Especially Brian Dunkleman, I mean, christ man, stop acting like a freak and just host the show.

Note to the hosts: you are not the show. Get over yourselves and just host the show like a real host would. Also, you might want to fire your writers. Or get them fired. Have you noticed that not a single person in the audience has laughed at anything that you meant to be funny? Think about it.

Tonight, we learn who will be the next contestant voted off America Idol island. And you know what? It has to be RJ. He was not good last night. He was nowhere in the neighborhood of good. He was lost in Flat and Off-Key Land with no help and nobody to ask for directions. As a matter of fact, he's only been good one time that I've seen during the entire series. The rest of the time, he's just been okay. The boy has got... to... go. He has no stage presence or discernible personality. Simon the surly judge was right, RJ could be in a boy band, but he shouldn't be able to make it as a solo act.

I'm amazed at how often I agree with Simon's critiques, really. On one side of things, he is usually way too harsh with the negative feedback, but he's the only judge that doesn't kiss every contestant's ass. He gives actual, truthful, and sometimes dreadfully funny feedback. If the contestant did well, he'll tell them, too. He's truthful. I'd rather see the other 2 judges give more truthful feedback rather than pander to the contestants, the crowd, and the viewers.

It's funny, but I find myself watching bad shows like this and (uh, oh) Road Rules (yeah, I'm sucked in), all the while dreaming about what Television Without Pity will say. How will they chop it up? Will they make fun of that? Man, they really should. I can't wait to read it tomorrow. And their reviews are almost always right on. Hee. And very funny and pointed and sometimes gross and juvenile, but always funny and worth reading, if you're a fan of pop culture. On my wavelength, for sure.

Now you go. You go now. No more to read here. Move along, little doggy! Go on, git!

Thanks for stopping by,
Eric