I only watch American Idol while channel surfing. This week I watched because it was office talk. BLUES=LIFE hits the nail on the head.

Two things do disturb me. One is that the contestants chosen to go on are carbon copies of current American Idols. They wail and warble their way through songs in exact duplication of an existing artist (forgive my choice of word). I have seen contestants rejected who sounded to me exactly like contestants who were chosen. I don't get it.

The other is the decision to put people in the try outs who are obviously mentally ill. The last contestant out of NYC ( the deranged lady in the cowboy hat) was off her meds and very possibly a danger to herself. It wasn't funny; it was cruel. I would not have been surprised to hear that she attempted suicide after that fiasco. It simply was not necessary. There are more than enough no-talent fools willing to provide comic relief.