Elliott Yamin and Rickey.org renew my love for American Idol

I’m not afraid to admit it: for the first season of American Idol, I was hooked. I followed the competition, made a few friendly wagers as to who would win - my money was on Kelly from the start - and lose, and I even postponed a dinner date to watch the final episode. Since then, I’ve gone on to buy both of Kelly Clarkson’s CDs and was absolutely giddy when Since U Been Gone hit huge popularity around the web. Kelly Clarkson was truly my American Idol. (Oh, and we’re not going to mention Canadian Idol or any other spin-offs on this here post, so don’t complain - this is purely about the cultural behemoth that is American Idol.)

The funny thing is, once the first season was over, my interest in Idol weaned to the point that I didn’t quite care. The only real exposure I had to the show was through the periodic updates my brother would give me; basically, who won each season and if there were any absolutely ridiculous videos I had to watch.

Recently, however, my Idol interest has been rejuvenated, and while I will denote Elliott Yamin and Rickey.org as the main catalysts for my newfound interest, Idol fever has been simmering for quite a while.

First was my vehement opposition to giving Jennifer Hudson the Oscar. Sure, she was good, but she was by far the least talented actress out of everyone that was nominated. To be honest, I didn’t realize she was a former Idol until started hearing that fact plastered over the media, but it was the first of many new exposures I had to the show. Seeing Katharine McPhee, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Daughtry climb the charts was yet another reminder that America loves their Idols.

So when I discovered Rickey.org, I knew my Idol obsession would begin again. Since I don’t have time to actually watch the entire shows, Rickey.org is perfect for me: it collates the highlights of every show in video and audio - and adds some good commentary - and keeps me in the loop. (By the way, that audio player that Rickey.org uses is very slick. Anyone know if it’s available on the web somewhere, or did he design it himself?) It also has some great features about Idol alumni, which is how I heard about Elliott Yamin.

Elliott Yamin was the third-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol. To be honest, I’m shocked he didn’t win: the man has a much better voice than Taylor Hicks or Katharine McPhee (though I must admit that Katharine’s were probably a big part of why she made it that far - the girl is pretty cute) and has a charisma to match that voice. Yamin recently released his first studio album, and already I’m hooked. He’s got soul like Robin Thicke and funk like Justin Timberlake, and he’s also got that awesome beard and crazy hair going on to help his cause. Really, if you haven’t heard any of his stuff, do check out his MySpace page and listen to some track samples. Sure, he doesn’t write his own music, but he’s definitely got a groove that I can get into, and is probably the only Idol since Kelly Clarkson that I really enjoy listening to constantly.

All that to say that Idol is finally interesting again - granted, I still only catch highlights on Rickey.org - and that I’m looking forward to see if Chris Sligh can really ‘bring chubby back.” Because you know, us chubby guys with curly hair need to stick together.