And so it begins...

"American Idol" is back. Another season, another winner, perhaps another star. The premise of "Idol" seems so silly and somehow, America eats it up every season. It was actually quite sickening for a while there - I was not a fan. I rolled my eyes every time the show came up in conversation - it just seemed so useless. Who would actually go out and buy a CD by an artist who was "discovered" on a reality TV show? I simply refused to watch it - for three seasons.

It wasn't until I heard through the grapevine that an old high school acquaintance, Joe Murena, was going to be on it, that I decided maybe it was time to tune in. I planned to watch just to show my support and had no intention of adding it to my TiVo Season Pass. But something happened in the weeks I watched before he was voted out (which was way too soon, by the way, but there's no need to go into that). I found that I actually liked it and I began to understand why so much of America was hooked.

There's just something about having a voice. I think we all long to be heard in some way, and who doesn't love the idea of choosing what could be America's new superstar? Kelly Clarkson's success has shown that maybe we know what we're talking about - and yes, I do have one of her CDs in my car right now. And while Carrie Underwood may not be overplayed on New York's radio stations, she's kicking major patooty in the country scene - she's winning awards all over the place, even getting Faith Hill to have a hissy fit on national television after losing to her at the CMAs.

And so here we are, just hours away from the season premiere, and I wonder how many other people out there are kind of secretly looking forward to it. I, for one, am not ashamed - I can't wait.