Overrated: American Idol going flat

American Idol

is like a rash on the body of American pop culture that no ointment can cure.

I mean, are we supposed to believe that David Cooke Cook was the best undiscovered singer in the country? No offense to the Cookies, as the devoted fans of the one-time bartender call themselves, but he was among my least favorite idols. I thought Carly Smithson had more talent, Amanda Overmyer had more spunk and Brooke White was more likable. Aussie hunk Michael Johns was my early pick to win the competition, but some weeks he seemed to just phone it in. David Archuleta always seemed like he was about to cry and Jason Castro was so laid back that he could be a La-Z-Boy recliner.

The American people are getting tired of the Fox reality TV show as well. Ratings fell during Season seven in two key demographics, women 18 to 34 and kids 2 to 11, according to the The Los Angeles Times. "That's a bad sign, because children and young adults are generally the first to bail on a show that's getting crow's feet," the newspaper said.

Don't miss the rest of our series on Overrated people, places and things!

Idol has gotten staler than a day-old bagel.

Every season there is more of the same. There are sweet virginal types with no real talent (Kevin Covais), sexy types with no talent (Antonella Barbra), rockers (Bo Bice), wildcards (Sanjaya Malakar) and vapid blondes (Kristy Lee Cook). People with real talent such as Melinda Dolittle and Jennifer Hudson stand little chance of prevailing.

Even with the addition of fourth judge Kara DioGuardi, ratings for the show will continue to decline unless the producers decide that they want to put on a singing competition instead of carefully orchestrated reality show. I will be tuning in to find out if they have learned their lesson.