I have not watched American Idol since Season 5.  The fun and excitement is gone for me.  I loved seeing the guy or girl next door, improving each week and seeing the excitement on their faces.  I do not like to see the semi-pros who are looking for a second chance.

I would have broken down and watched the finale Wednesday night if my favorite singer, Clay Aiken had been a guest on the show, but since it seems they didn’t want him on the show, they didn’t want me to watch either.  I laughed at the comments of Alessandra Stanley from the New York Times, who wrote of Wednesdays show:

The real winner was Simon Cowell, the departing judge: the valedictory tribute to him was so lame and amateurish that it presaged more bad things for the show once he is truly gone.

I also enjoyed the article by Lyndsey Parker at Yahoo Music.  Titled What Went Wrong On American Idol, And How To Save It Next Year, the article gives 16 practical suggestions to make the show better.  My favorite suggestion was :

Bring back the Wild Card

Without the Wild Card, we wouldn’t have “Idol” success stories like Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson.

Did you watch the finale last night?  If so, what did you think?

The following videos are the kind of moments that made American Idol fun.  Too bad they can’t find that magic again.