So You Think Anyone Really Wants To Watch This Crap?

Success breeds imitations, often really, really, egregiously awful imitations, and sometimes the worst, most godawful imitators are the product of the creators of the original success. Simon Fuller, who with that other Simon, Simon Cowell, created American Idol is also responsible for the virulently lame Idol clone So You Think You Can Dance. Fuller has copied the Idol formula down to the minutest detail, from the open auditions in which untalented losers are held up for public derision to the bickering between judges. There's even a smarmy Brit among the judges.

Bad dancing, however, just doesn't have the entertainment value or mass appeal of bad singing, although the guy who slipped and smashed his nose into the floor during his audition was good for a chuckle or two. That kind of thing never happens on Idol, I'll bet. Overall, though, I was just bored.

The judges weren't very entertaining either. There was no one gushing mindlessly as Paula Abdul does on Idol, or desperately trying to sound hip like Randy Jackson. (Was he really in Journey? Now, that is not hip at all.) Furthermore, the British judge, Nigel, is most definitely no Simon Cowell. He lacks Simon's ego, his mean streak and his warped, sometimes cruel, sense of humor. In short, Nigel is too damned nice.

I don't think airing this the day after Idol's finale was a great idea. Fox should have allowed some time for memories of Idol to fade before foisting this lame, watered down copy on the public.