TVSquad

As we get closer to American Idol's self-proclaimed "historic" two-night Idol Gives Back charity event, I feel myself becoming more and more annoyed by all the hype. I'm so tired of hearing Ryan promote the star-studded event, as if FOX and Idol are single-handedly going to wipe out poverty, disease, and famine -- and all with a song in their pure, unadulterated hearts.

What's really bizarre about this upcoming over-hyped event is how much glowingly-positive buzz it has created. After all, this is American Idol we're talking about. The talent show seems to thrive not only on profit, but also on controversy.

Annie's review of last Saturday's SNL pretty much encapsulated how I felt about it; it was above average, especially if you understood some of the jokes directed at guest host Peyton Manning. Since I'm a football fan, that was no problem; the NCAA sketch where the studio guys kept saying certain players "pulled a Peyton Manning" was funny to me because, until he won the Super Bowl last month, Peyton had a bit of a choker's reputation.

Anyway, the funniest bit of the entire episode was the phony United Way PSA, showing Manning "helping" a bunch of kids. Even watching it today on NBC.com, I couldn't help but laugh when Peyton not only checks the play at the line of scrimmage, like he does on every play he runs in the pros, but then he whips the ball at his receivers, whether they're ready or not. When he knocks them over, he calls them "losers;" he's so angry at one kid, he banishes the boy to a Port-O-Let so he can think about the error of his ways.