TVSquad

I watched the first few seasons of American Idol and enjoyed it, but after too many singers got through that shouldn't have, and singers got cut that shouldn't have gotten cut, not to mention screwed up phone lines and fans flooding the phone lines to pick someone they "like" and not necessarily the best singer, I had to give it up. Here are 5 reasons why maybe you should too.

1. Its time has come. Seriously, what season is this? Is there really anything new to the process, to the auditions? Is it that surprising who makes it through and who doesn't? Sure the show continues to get mega-ratings and coverage, but I think there comes a point where you have to say, "it's not worth watching anymore."

I realize that the title of this post is courting a little controversy, but I think it's a question worth asking. Before we begin though, let me say this: I am not a "fattist". I've been very quickly saying goodbye to my own slim self one pizza slice at a time. Also, I'm a big fan of Santa Claus and William Howard Taft. Plus, I think that the FDA should require syrup on everything -- including syrup.

Okay, now that I've headed off all angry comments with that disclaimer, let's get to the meat of the matter: would it be possible for an overweight woman to win American Idol?

(S05E06) The story for this week's episode was more involved, which is a good thing. A little plot goes a long way. When the plot gets too thin everything rides on the gags, and it is hard to pull off an episode with just gags. While the sex-ed story has been told many times, I liked the Family Guy take on it.

It gave them a good reason to bring out slutty Lois, and slutty Lois is usually pretty funny, like when she was trying to explain the wonders of sex to Meg. Or showing up for role-playing night dressed as Grimace? Good stuff.

Former American Idol contestant Bo Bice underwent more emergency intestinal surgery last Thursday. This is the third time he has had to go into the hospital for stomach problems. He had emergency surgery in August of last year, then went back into the hospital last December after coughing up blood. This surgery was rather serious. He has intussuception, which mostly occurs in kids.

This news comes at the same time we hear that Idol champ Reuben Studdard lost 100 pounds. What is it with American Idol contestants and stomach news?

Guys, we've been having so much fun doing the Live Chats (Lost, 24) that we're going to continue to add new shows to the format. The first is going to be the ever-popular American Idol. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this upcoming season; Simon almost quit, Paula's been crazy for years, and Randy's.... well... he's thin, dog. So for those of you new to our chats, you must make sure that you have either AIM or a compatible instant messenging system (GAIM, Trillian, iChat, etc).

Check back to the site tonight at 7PM ET and we'll have a new post giving you directions to the super secret location of the chat room. For those of you on the West coast, we will keep the chat room open the entire night, so be sure to check in when the show starts there. Can't wait to see you!