So, on to American Idol, with the first results show of the season. I love American Idol, but this show should really be called “Naked Cruelty.” Ryan Seacrest just has way too much power.

The show started with a group song, which is a first for this stage of the competition. The group songs usually don’t start until the results shows in the top 12. And it almost exclusively featured the guys, continuing Randy’s prediction that this is the “year of the guy.”

Then we start the real cruelty. Stand up, sit down…oh my goodness. And results are almost always after the break. And we can’t just cut two girls – we have to cut a girl, then a guy, then line the girls back up. Geez louise. Then, after you get cut, you have to sing again. That’s right, you just lost. Why don’t you sing the song that lost it for you for everyone? Live. On national tv.

And Ryan just finds new ways to mess with these poor kids each time. Stand up! Form two lines! Come on over here…oh wait, never mind – just sit down, you’re not going home.

So, we finally get some results, and there aren’t too many surprises. The girls aren’t a shock at all – Becky and Stevie just made horrible song selections. In fact, I think I predicted that entire “front line” of girls – any of them could have easily gone home. With the boys, even Bobby wasn’t surprised that Bobby was going home. But I was a little surprised that Patrick was voted off – my only guess is that the votes amongst the “mediocre guys” really got spread out thin.

We’re left with one more reminder to vote vote vote – you just can’t let your favorite go home. If only America voted this much for our leaders…