LAST EDITED ON 03-11-09 AT 10:49 AM (EST)

LAST EDITED ON 03-11-09 AT 10:30 AM (EST)

Well they like to make us think that America decides. If the "twist" goes the way I think it will at least they'll be more honest about over-riding America's decision when it suits their story telling.

After all it is a reality TV show and it is about ratings and story-telling and not really about finding talent. YMMV.

I've been known to visit cynical and jaded once in awhile, and I usually never buy the story line some person editing a TV show wants me to buy without looking to see what is behind the curtain.

If people feel justified not liking a singer because they are an unwed Mom (Dear Lord was their wailing when Fantasia won because a family show just can't let someone immoral like that win). Why is it bad for people to not like Danny for whatever reason they don't like him?

I'm not sure he'd be on without the dead wife story and the appeal to the church going crowd that makes up a big part of the demographic. Then again, most people are picked for story not talent. Talent doesn't get the ratings.

I guess I'm weird. I don't get mad at people for having different taste, or different standards than I do. Most of why I don't like Danny has to do with details about how he sings. That he gives me so much else to snark about is just gravy.

FWIW, when someone's church makes the news I look at what they are up to and about and what the person says and does about it. Do they leave, what do they say about the controversy? You do remember Obama quit that church, right?

An.y.way, Danny as well as Obama put themselves in the lime light. Danny didn't have to go on American Idol. Obama didn't have to run for office. Unfortunately that puts you and your associations up for examination. You want an unexamined life, don't go on TV.

ETA: Danny's church didn't have to decide to use him as a billboard for their pastor to spread the word of his vision and annointing. Danny's church and relatives didn't have to go out on every single blog and act the way they did, either. There were much better ways to handle it, especially when you spend so much time yammering on about how Christian you are when no one else could possibly be, but then I'm not Christian according to the fundamentalist anyway. Especially because I don't denounce my church for having a gay bishop. I'm kinda proud of them for that.

ETA one more thing. Maybe it is my age, but I've lived through watching one too many "just let them have their church" turn into who will have to clean up the mess and claim all the bodies. Unfortunately not everyone that claims to have a vision and a special anointing from God is a good and holy person. There are a lot of scam artists and control freaks that know religion is the best way to get their claws into people.

Some churches set off my desire to test the koolaid a lot more than others. I know "cult" often means "church I don't like" but a lot of the non-denominational churches where there is no one with a solid theological background overseeing thing seem to have some cult-like tendencies that tend to make me twitchy. I hope the guy running Danny's church is one of the good ones. So far I've seen more that makes me worry than eases my mind. You are, of course, free to think whatever you want about his church. I just hope it is OK that I sometimes take a more clinical approach to certain beliefs and practices. The practices worry me much more than any rant during a sermon.