American Idol is finally back with a whole new round of hopefuls to admire, hopeless to howl at, and a new judge, Kara DioGuardi, kicking off Season 8 in Phoenix and Kansas City. America must love listening to the tone-deaf attempts at a cappella since these all-but blooper reels are drawn out over so many hours. Personally, all I can say is thank goodness for the DVR – at least until the real performances start.

So far I haven’t been “blown away” by any of the auditions, like I’ve been in past seasons. Thinking back to the Phoenix and Kansas City shows a few days later, I can’t remember the names of any of the contestants I liked. Hopefully they’ll be more memorable in the next round.