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I enjoy watching "American Idol," and I have not missed a single episode this season. I suspect I watch the show for the same reasons that most people do—not for the singing, which frankly is a distraction, but for the human drama: the joy, the hopes, the dreams, and, in many cases, the pain of an almost delusional belief in one’s talents. "I can be anything I want to be" is a common refrain from participants.