The Final Season of American Idol is Underway, Will You Be Watching [VIDEO]

Well it's here. The final season of American Idol. It's like an old friend that you rarely see, or that store or restaurant that you never went to anymore closing for good.

There's a certain comfort level with those things just being there, even though you didn't hang out with that old friend or patronize that store or restaurant in years.

I'm getting that same feeling this year with American Idol. I haven't watched Idol regularly in the last few years, but at one time it was "the" show the whole family watched in my house every Tuesday and Wednesday night. "Idol Talk" was a huge on air feature for me, and every listener had their favorites and their opinions on the show each week.

I guess it's just the way things go. Nothing stays forever, and such is the case with the show that started it all for reality TV singing competitions.

So why did Fox decide to pull the plug. According to nytimes.com, the steady decline in ratings, especially in the 18-49 age group coveted by advertisers, finally led Fox to its decision. Plus the show had "jumped the shark". Can you name any of the Idol winners from the last 4 or 5 years ????

The show wasn’t just responsible for producing an array of superstars, like Carrie Underwood (above), Idol also propelled its initial judge line-up — Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and, of course, the venomous-yet-lovable Simon Cowell — into household name status.

So will you be watching much of the final season of American Idol. Let's take a trip back, back in time, when we were all there watching every week, and routing for our favorites.

So what happens next for the future of reality TV singing competitions? Which ones will live on for another season, and which ones will soon see the same fate? We’ll find out.... right after the break.

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