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I don't even like American Idol but the other night I found myself cruising through YouTubes of a lot of the auditions from previous seasons. I don't know if you can tell if someone has star power right away but Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood had ridiculous voices. They didn't all win of course, but they were the ones who went on to the biggest careers. Talent trumps all!

Somehow I then got sucked into X-Factor clips and learned that Leona Lewis is the British Mariah Carey. It's crazy watching her sing because Lewis is so good but then right after a song, she shrinks back into her shy shell. The negative with her, according to the judges, was that she had no personality. That must be so hard to hear, even though you have the talent and the look. How do you work on growing a personality? Now that I realize Lewis isn't just another manufactured pop starlet, I'm all the way in and since the best part of No Strings Attached was how they used "Bleeding Heart," I'll be putting it on repeat also.

It's most interesting listening to Simon as he's always calculating if a contestant has star potential and if they're good enough for the big leagues. He doesn't fall prey to the gimmicks as much as the other judges and he's usually pretty spot on, especially in hindsight. I'm always impressed by folks who can tell top ranked amateurs from professionals. To most people, anyone with a good voice -- or any mildly impressive talent -- is instantly given a few "you're good enough to go pro" encouragements. Usually, that's not the case.

There may be minute differences between what separates very good from excellent but it's a wide enough chasm to clear out the riff raff. People always think someone they know is better than somebody already doing it. Statistically that's pretty unlikely though, right? I wish I knew enough about certain things to be able to pick out why a person is spectacular. Sure it's mighty subjective but I'd like to snottily say, "He sounds good but technically he's horrible. Ugh."

The other thing that stands out about watching all these auditions is how convinced everyone is that they're good enough. Parts of me envy that assuredness. The "nobody believed in me" factor. Sure it's kind of delusional but it's a great trait to have, especially as the world keeps telling you that you don't measure up. It must feel brilliant to make it and show all the haters they were wrong.

The only season of Idol I watched a lot of was Season Five, the one where Katharine McPhee got robbed. (I still don't understand how McPhee didn't become a much bigger star. Did she just stop wanting it?) I lived with a girlfriend who was such a die hard Idol fan, and we grinded through each week and each showing. Maybe we even went to the summer tour concert. The things you'll do in a relationship! Now when I see McPhee, or anyone else from that season, I'm instantly transported back to 2007. Back to our one bedroom apartment in Fremont, hanging out and doing things always together, barreling down the path to breakup.

Also, while watching Jessie J's subway performance, all I can think about is how much I want her pants. The Internet isn't revealing any answers so I need someone to look at them and tell me what brand/cut they are. Help.