“American Idol” embraces the American Dream: being rich, famous and living the good life. It may be arrogant thinking because everyone in the world longs for that ideal. But where’s the reality behind this reality show?

“American Idol” is simply a genius marketing strategy. Their tagline, “The Search for a Superstar,” gives the impression that anyone can make it big, while thousands of wishful thinkers line up to audition. But when does reality kick in? When judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and especially Simon Cowell give their criticism. Hearts are broken or spirits are lifted.

Simon is the show; he carries the show; he’s the twist. His brutal honestly is worth waiting through the commercials that air every five minutes. Paula says the same thing over and over. Randy’s slang is nothing new

As for the contestants, it’s stressful, tiring and you couldn’t cut the nervousness with a chainsaw. The true winner of the show is the female who became the first person to voluntarily quit. She made it to Hollywood but missed her son so much, she said, “It’s different now, I’m a mother.” That was very commendable.

After each round, more hopefuls are sent home. In the end, a winner is chosen, a contract is signed and albums are ready to be sold. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Let’s hope the winner doesn’t take the road less traveled yet again (e.g. “From Justin to Kelly”).

The best part of the show is the auditions. The worst of the worst beg for a second chance and when denied, they cry or occasionally throw water at Simon. My question is: do they actually think they can sing? They claim their friends and relatives encourage and praise their singing but don’t they know it’s called “being nice?” You don’t need the resumés of the judges to tell the great singers from the people that make you want to stick something sharp in your cars. At times, you feel sorry for the judges being forced to sit through that. At least we have the benefit of the remote control.

Those are the several levels of reality within the show. But quite recently, another level has emerged. “American Idol” has been an opportunity for fools to be fools on national TV. This season there was a young break dancer who couldn’t sing and the only words I understood were “I’m on national TV, can you dig it?” There was even a mime mouthing the words to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” It’s insulting to watch. It’s no longer a reality show but a side show, a gimmick, a PowerPoint presentation.