My husband sent me this email yesterday that detailed all the supposed changes that American Idol is making this year. Now that Nigel Lithgoe has moved on to greener (or at least more dancing) pastures and after last year’s eight percent decline, there have been rumors that major change was in the wind.

One of the changes was fewer train wrecks. If last night was any indication, then the rumors are greatly exaggerated. There were plenty of “iffy” contestants last night. Personally, I’m not a fan of the dreadful auditions. I know that the exploitation (um, I mean, viewing) of the American Idol equivalent of sideshow freaks has its fans– I just don’t happen to be one of them.

I’m not suggesting that the auditions should only show those who make it. But there are plenty of good people who don’t make it through. Showing more of those people would serve a couple of purposes. One, it would provide exposure and a potential break for some singers who don’t make it to Hollywood. Two, there would be more drama. With most of the auditions, you can tell within the first five seconds whether the person is going to make it through or not. With some, you can tell before they ever sing a note.

My favorites are those that could have gone either way. Will they? Won’t they? They’re good, but are they good enough? An okay singer, but really entertaining. A great voice with the presentation skills of dried moss. To me, those are the auditions that interest me and help me see all the components that really go into making a star.

So, what do you think? How is American Idol 8 so far? Do we need more train wrecks, fewer train wrecks, or is it just right?