By Felicia Donovan
A few years ago, my daughter introduced me to the talent show phenomenon, American Idol. It was season one and I planned on only watching one episode with her. Six seasons later, there we are, the two of us, glued week after week to see who will nail the song, avoid Randy's "pitchy" comments, suffer Simon's crude commentary, and get sanctioned by Paula no matter how awful the performance was.
American Idol. It's a mystery lover's dream. It has a plot that compels us to return not once, but twice, sometimes three times a week during American Idol Gives Back week. It has drama. Who will break down and succumb to the pressure? Will David Cook be rushed off to the hospital again? It has characters from all walks of life. Who can forget tough health care provider Amanda Overmyer who stood up to Simon's taunts about her hair. It has surprise twists - Carly Smithson, a sure bet who sounds like a young Celine tumults to the bottom three and is no longer "safe?" Dread Head Jason Castro pulls out a ukulele and unexpectedly wows all three judges with a rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Kristy Lee Cook reappears like the butler who keeps sneaking back into the story when she should 
have been long gone. And then there's my personal fav, young David Archuleta, who just wows everyone with his incredibly seasoned voice every time which leads me to wonder if he's really only seventeen.
A mystery lover's dream, alright. The only problem with American Idol is that it's taking waaaay too much of my time and doggone it, I have these books to write. Fortunately, I can think and watch at the same time or I'd never have been able to finish the final proofs on the next Black Widow Agency book, SPUN TALES. Maybe I should have called it American Spun Tales or Idol Spiders. Either way, there's just a few more episodes of AI left to distract me and then they'll be no more excuses...
So what distracts you from writing?
7 comments:
I love the Idol Gives Back program. And that David boy is sure to win!
American Idol, the Biggest Loser and Survivor.
Now that I have a DVR, I save a good 20 minutes per show by flipping through the highlights.
Everything distracts me from writing. I think it's a conspiracy, but I can't figure out who cares. :)
I can't believe Michael Johns was eliminated.
Distractions, ah, let me count the ways. But for TV it's Biggest Loser, Survivor, Top Chef (or Project Runway) and The Amazing Race. And I can't forget Dexter (which I finally succumbed to), Weeds, The Tudors, and reruns of The Sopranos, which are, fortunately for me, all available on On Demand. And, of course, most movies. On the Internet it's backgammon and hearts, blogs, and non-necessary but interesting research.
Sheesh - the real mystery is, how do I get ANY writing done?
"Non-necessary but interesting research." Thank you, Sue Ann. That describes exactly how I waste most of my online time.
A wise preson once told me, "If you enjoy wasting time, then it's not wasted time." Maybe. But at the end of the day, I still have all those pages to write!
Happy distractions, everyone.
Count me lucky, I guess. American Idol cannot be counted among the many sirens that try to lure me away from writing.
Lately, it's John Adams. Also the Tudors.
& I anxiously await Dexter's return.
But the biggest distraction of all continues to be...the Internet.
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