Let’s be blunt. Fox’s runaway smash hit, American Idol, is a worthless piece of television dreck featuring horrible singing, vacuous songs, and predictable fake snarkiness from three judges so caught up in their own brilliance that they seem to have forgotten that the show is supposed to be about music. But still, Idol has become a huge part of America’s pop culture, and Dominic Papatola says that the arts world ought to be taking notice. “I’m willing to bet that the main reason for the runaway success of American Idol” lies in its cunning ability to link the worlds of art and competition.” Americans love a winner, and they love watching the loser squirm even more, and the arts could use an injection of that type of (admittedly manufactured) excitement if it ever again wants to compete for large-scale attention.