Pop Friday 3/2

• American Idol thoughts: Every year, pre-teen girls and half-deaf grandmas conspire to advance whichever boy is the most blandly unthreatening. I guess that’s why Sanjaya is still in the competition despite once-again putting us to sleep with a timid, charisma-less performance. On the ladies side, Antonella is also experiencing a stay far beyond her talents. If she survives one more week, she could be the least-talented singer in the final 12 since AI’s first season. She has neither range nor character. But she's very attractive and so she stays while the more-talented but odd-looking Leslie exits the show. On the guys side it was the swinging Nick getting the unfair boot so that Sanjaya can bore us again next week. Oh the unfairness of it all.

• Academy Awards thoughts: So, The Departed actually won. It’s nice to see the best film actually receive the best picture Oscar. I’ve read a lot of people saying that it was too long or too bloody. And a lot more saying it is nowhere near Scorcese’s best. It was a little long but the length didn’t ruin the film. As for the violence, it was shocking but it was also plot-perfect. The movie loses its impact without the ending sequences. And, sure, it’s not Scorcese’s best but it’s still one of the best films in the last few years – certainly better than Crash or Million Dollar Baby.

• This week’s Heroes was the most entertaining hour of television I’ve seen in years. Seriously. That show is a thrill-park ride.

• I actually spent a few minutes surfing through YouTube this week. That was boring. I never knew the average person could be so dully self-involved. I wonder if I’m that way. This post proves I probably am.

• The least-annoying show for preschoolers? Backyardigans. Most annoying? Dragontales. Someday I’m going to write a post about the world of preschool television and the bizarre attempts some of these shows make to educate children in cultural sensitivities.

That’s it for today. Later.