minutia press.

This is not a show I would watch on my own, but 3.5 of the other 4 people in my family are hooked on it, so I've watched it the past two weeks. Last week, Kellie sang pitifully but still managed to stay on. It's just hard to believe that, based on what was sung, that she didn't get the boot.

I don't recall hearing anything said on the show about the authenticity of the voting process or its count. People call into phone lines to vote, or text message, but it's not too far fetched to think that some lines might be less available than others, or that the counting isn't done properly.

Apparently I'm not the first to have this thought, and ABC will be showinga putative expose on this subject.

I can't tell you if it is rigged or not, however, as a rabid AI fan, I hope not. Contestants like Kellie Pickler and Kevin (Chicken Little) Covais overstay their welcome for numerous reasons. One reason is the amount of exposure they get in the preliminary weeks prior to the final 24. Kellie received a lot of exposure due to her "Jessica Simpson-ish" personality and her sad back-story. Kevin got press for being the potential Clay Aiken of season 5; the geeky guy with the big voice. Kellie also does well in her element, country music. When not singing country, she's a fish out of water. The main reason they stay is the website VotefortheWorst.com. They back the worst singer in an effort to keep them on the show to annoy the rest of us for as long as possible. They were fully behind Kevin's stay and, once he was booted, took up the Pickler banner. VotefortheWorst.com is a funny site with an article called "False Idols" which summarizes the performances each week and never fails to make me laugh. They have been the force behind several hanger-ons during the history of Idol. AI is very popular at my office. I put together an email group called "Idol Chatter" and we discuss the shows each week. I also maintain the "Fantasy Idol" pool, although there are no prizes, only praise for the winner. It's serious water cooler business here! My pick to win this year -- Chris, with Katharine a very close and very successful second. Taylor will be third runner up.