"The wild popularity of the show reveals at least a streak of political incorrect, if not downright conservative, thought in the 38 million American Idol viewers".. Lorie,you could replace conservative with liberal or irreverent.. thought or more accurately a downright streak of' no thought ' at all in the viewers. As Marshall McLuhan said"the content of TV is the viewer." By the way the show as 'Pop Idol' with Simon Cowell, had even higher audience percentages, 10 million UK viewers, in new labor Britain, long before it was introduced in America..The show is pure entertainment, but will it last as long as 'The Simpsons'?

Lorie, politics is superfluous in TV Land. Left, right; a fan of Nailbiters or Kiefer will watch 24. The audience is probably not far removed from the CSI, Law and Order, or any of the other reasonably well-done procedurals women seem to enjoy. 24 is a "chick flick" and that's fine, but its MASS appeal is probably due to the ocean of T&A and lunchbucket "humor" that has swamped the rest of the dial, and that women tend to shun. Same with American Idol: not overtly sexist. Men tend to watch MORE TV, but women are more laser-like in their CHOICE of shows, and often bring their husbands/ boyfriends along for the requisite "quality time", which in Nielson terms means Mega Hit demographically. P.S. American Idol will beat 24 because it offers an innocently-wrapped package of casual T&A for male chauvinist pigs to enjoy(I hope!) Even now, I remember AYLA from last year: HOO-WEE! GOOD RATINGS!