President Hicks?

We could do worse. And have done worse, to be frank. The fact that more votes were cast for Taylor Hicks than were cast for our current president speaks volumes about this country's priorities. Of course, one may cast multiple votes for American Idol ("vote early and often" being the show's unspoken mantra) and no doubt most of the voters were under this country's legal voting age, but you get my drift. Ok, enough moralizing.

The American Idol finale was wacky fun. The filming itself was what one might expect; a cheesy "warm up dude" made the rounds among audience members, Paula and Simon hugged and canoodled before the show began, and untold hordes of women in ubiquitous halter tops and tight pants stumbled in and out of their seats. Otherwise, we saw whatever everyone at home saw.

The not-so-VIP afterparty followed. A corporate-sponsor-laden extravaganza. Forlorn strangers lined the way to the entrance, begging for extra passes. Ours entitled us to a "gift bag-" including at least $30 in merchandise, the bag boasted the second season of, yes, American Idol, and a microphone-shaped shower radio. There were no Idols to be seen- apparently there was a super-extra-VIP party where the truly special could fraternize. Still, there were B-Celebs in spades: I almost spilled a drink on Kevin Nealon, and Julie Cooper Nichol (whatever the OC actress' name is- "Julie Cooper Nichol" is just so much more fun to say) made the rounds.

Ah, Hollywood. Oh, how silly. Now back to our regularly-scheduled political ranting.