A friend just forwarded to me the Thomas Friedman column from 9/3/2003. In it he says the most talked about news story in the arab world was their version of American Idol called "Superstar"; 52 to 48 by Thomas Friedman of the NY Times.

I only got into American Idol this year, and the best part of the show other than Simon, was the beginning shows where they did the tryouts. It was the funniest thing to watch people get up and sing, who clearly can't sing.

I wonder if the Arab American Idol show had their version of Simon, and if they had people try out who can't sing.

My friend made a point of saying that the appeal of American Idol, which originally started in Britian, is that it's human.

I think the appreciation of music as expressed through the human voice is part of every culture. I think competition is also part of every culture. Put the two together, and you have a show that will appeal across cultural lines.