...To my little corner of insanity. I don't really know what to put on here yet. For now, I'll rant. First, read the article here.

Now, my take. Let's get real. If the People are the ones that vote, then so be it. I am a shameless Clay Aiken "Person" and I'm not going to make any bones about it.

Firstly, Kelly Clarkson won Season 1 because she was the best, and that is the bottom line. While Tamyra Gray was technically the best singer, Kelly has that elusive "X Factor" that Simon Cowell talks about. And like Simon Cowell or not (Personally, I do, even if he did call Clay terrible) the man does know the music industry and how to make a star.
Secondly, I am not a "Clay conspiracy theory" subscriber. Clay lost. That's it. Who cares? Clay's "People" (myself included) spoke with their wallets. That's it. Clay sells more records. More singles. More concert tickets. Clay speaks with the bottom line, and he makes RCA a HELL of a lot of money. So does Ruben. Don't get me wrong there. Clay and Ruben appeal to two different genres, two different groups of listeners and album buyers. Being more of a pop fan, I favor Clay. My friend, who likes R&B, likes Ruben. Technically the best singer of Season 2 was Kimberley Locke, who I can't say I liked that much. I thought she had the personality of a goldfish. A goldfish on opiates at that. It wasn't until I first heard her new single "8th World Wonder" that I truly began to respect her as an artist, and a damn good one at that.
Now, Season 3. Being an Amy Adams fan, my Season 3 is over. And while Jon Peter Lewis is a "local" (attending a college in a nearby town) I feel fine saying that he, to be blunt, is one of the worst people in the competition. Him and John Stevens. George Huff reminds me of Rickey Smith or Charles Grigsby from Season 2. Anyone remember them? Yeah, it took me a while too. There is no strong male contender for this year's title. I thought Matt was strong, but I think that his looks turned people off.

Honestly, I think a few things need to be done for the contest. The premise is great. The judges are great. Change these things to spice things up. Get the auditions the hell out of cheesy NYC and LA. Showcase some real American grassroots talent. You don't have to do auditions in West Yellowstone, Montana. What about Cincinnati? Denver? Phoenix? DC? Kansas City? Why limit the talent pool solely to the people in these already-fake cities and the contestants with the means to drive or fly that far? Just a thought, and my opinion.