Has American Idol felt off its game? Is it less vibrant and buzzy than at any point in its eight-year reign? (Remember, a few weeks ago Dancing With the Stars even beat it in the ratings.) Have you not been recently peer-pressured into watching one of the previous night’s performances the morning after? The Wrap smartly suggests that we don’t blame Ryan’s attitude problem or the fact that Ellen’s not Paula for this turn of events. Instead, we should blame Glee for showing Idol up on a weekly basis. “Next to Glee’s supercharged vocals, over-the-top choreography and radiant glow of professionalism — not to mention white-hot record sales of late — those kids struggling away on Idol are starting to look kinda … lame,” writes Josh Dickey. Of course, Idol still gets much higher ratings than Glee, but it no longer feels like the water-cooler musical program of the moment. If Glee continues to dominate, even after Idol winnows down to its final few, it will only have taken professionally trained singers, dancers, and writers nine seasons to exact their revenge. [Wrap]
