The ol' profile is on the rise.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of American Idol on several fronts. First, it's the third biggest-event created in modern television history behind the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, and given that this reality show lasts for five months with huge numbers each week, it's arguably the biggest made-for-TV event in the world.

Second, all television that lifts a nobody to somebody status with the clink of a magic wand is viable. Unlike shows on which one can win a million dollars or whatever, Idol is a show whose contestants have the opportunity to win a dream career. Given the success of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry, amid the lesser success (but success nonetheless) of many others, Idol has had a tremendous impact on the music industry itself.

Of course, the show has produced many bombs, and I'd submit that merely adds to the intrigue of the show. Will so-and-so make it huge or be a flop? The pop-culture masses talk about this stuff at the proverbial water cooler, and it's the subject of television programs, online conjecture and newspaper articles.

And guess who was featured in one such article?

That's right. Your resident Idol expert, me.

It wasn't any run-of-the-mill article, either. This was USA Today's cover story (weekend edition), written by Bill Keveney. He had left a note on a message board inquiring about possible interviewees, so I shot him a note and sent him links to previous columns.

The next night, he sent me a list of questions, and I answered them in my usual essayesque detail. A link to the article even made it onto The Drudge Report for most of Friday, which means it was certainly well trafficked.

But you can read it right here.

All bias aside, it was a thoughtful piece, inquiring as to whether Idol would continue its dip into Season 7. Mind you, by "dip," we're talking 1 percent it fell last year over its previous season -- hardly a cause of concern for the show's creators and producers.

But as the show does every Tuesday and Wednesday from January to May, that dip has America talking. Has Idol peaked? Is interest waning? And has Idol truly been an industry success relative to the music?

I answered those questions and more, and you can now read the unedited e-mail interview I had with Keveney.

Q: Know of any frontrunners this year yet?

A: The weeks leading up to AI6 were full of chatter.
It's been quiet this year. Not sure if judges were
asked not to talk about possible frontrunners, but I
haven't even so much as seen a story in which a judge
has made what have been, up to now, typical comments
-- such as, "I think the females are really strong
this year," or "Watch out for Alabama AGAIN this
year." It's been eerily quiet. If you're asking me if
I have seen anybody who I think stands out among the
40 or 50 rumored to be among Hollywood survivors, give
me Cardin Lee McKinney, sort of a soulful version of
Colbie Caillat ... and I should note that Cardin has
Alabama roots.

***

Q: Did you enjoy Season 6 (last season) of Idol? Was
it as good as Season 5, which some consider to be
Idol's best?

A: Sure, I enjoyed Season 6, but I'd be a total liar
if I said I enjoyed it as much as Season 5. The talent
gap between contestants in these the two seasons was
palpable. There was more drama on Season 6, but I
think most of us diehards really are in it for the
talent competition part of this show. We want to see
somebody deserving get his or her shot.

***

Q: For its first five season's, the size of Idol's
audience grew each season? Last year, the audience
declined a tiny bit. Why do you think
that happened? Do you think interest in Idol has
plateaued? Do you think
ratings will go up, down or stay the same this year?

A: One of the natural phenomenons of the YouTube
generation is that clips of performances could be seen
online a day or two after the show, and I think that's
partly to blame for the decline in viewership during
Season 6. Also though, there are more choices on cable
TV every day. And the gap in talent between Season 6
and years past probably was a factor, too. It seemed
as if the judges picked finalists based more on
potential storylines than on actual vocal ability in
Season 6.

It's quite possible that interest in Idol has
plateaued. Given the level of success Idol has had, I
think it's only natural that it level off at some
point to become a very highly rated program instead of
the phenomenon that it's been. But it's also still
probably a year-to-year thing. Mostly though, I
suspect this is cyclical and that, like Nigel Lythgoe
says -- even if Idol were to lose 50 percent of its
audience (it won't any time soon), it would still be
the biggest program on television.

Finally, I think the ratings this season will be up
during auditions again this year, causing Idol fans to
get excited that whatever momentum the show has lost
is back. However, like last season, I think the
numbers are apt to level off like last season and even
fall a bit from last season, although probably only
very slightly. But ask me that again as soon as we
have our Top 24.

***

Q: Did Season 6 have a good batch of finalists?

A: Good, but not great. Seasons 3 and 5 were great. To
be fair, only time will tell, but during most years, I
can point to three or four singers who I really think
have what it takes to embark on solid careers. Last
season, there was only one: Melinda Doolittle. On the
other hand, in terms of drama, you couldn't beat it --
but there is the paradox. Is Idol about drama or
talent? I'd submit that for its core audience, Idol is
about trying to find the best unsigned vocal talent.

***

Q: Would you make any changes to Idol?

A: Absolutely. I'd revamp the voting system to
preclude voting en masse. I think one of the reasons
some viewers have grown weary of Idol is because, at
times, certain contestants with what we believe to be
superior talent fall victim to contestants who have
capitalized on their own cult of personality (a la
Sanjaya last season). I would revamp the system to
allow one vote per phone line and one vote per text.

Secondly, I would allow instruments and original
songwriting. I'm a musician, and I've played for three
decades, and I completely understand the criticism the
show has gotten from other musicians, calling Idol
vapid and a complete misrepresentation of the hard
work and organic efforts required to break through.
However, let a guy get up there with a guitar and sing
his own music, and then Idol reaches a new audience.
Let a budding Alicia Keys sit at the piano and sing
her own music or, heck, her rendition of a Stevie
Wonder tune, and the show will garner more respect.

***

Q: How did the judges perform last season? Do you
think they still have it, going into a seventh season?

A: Overall, I do think the judges mailed it in during
Season 6, relative to previous years. Notice that last
year, not at one point, did Simon Cowell make his
annual declaration of love to any one of the
contestants. He's typically endorsed his singer by
about Week 4 of the finals. And even the normally
nutty Paula was tame last year relative to seasons
past. I've never been that big a fan of Randy Jackson
in terms of being a judge, but last season, even by
his standards, was sort of a snoozefest.

But, do they still have it? Heck, one off year out of
six isn't bad. The trick is to not let one off year
become two. I think Simon needs to be nastier. Paula
needs to be nuttier. And Randy needs to invoke more
Journey and Mariah Carey namedrops.

***

Q: Do you think Idol winners and finalists have
performed well in their post-Idol careers?

A: Yes and no. Fortunately, the contestants with the
most mass commercial appeal have performed well beyond
expectation. Kelly Clarkson. Carrie Underwood. Chris
Daughtry. Heck, Idol has found quite the successful
niche in country with Josh Gracin, Underwood, Kellie
Pickler and Bucky Covington, who despite bad reviews
during his stint on Idol put out a pretty solid
country record.

Even those like Tamyra Gray, Clay Aiken (who has sold
quite well at times), Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Bo
Bice and Taylor Hicks, whose albums have been
commercial duds, have sold pretty well relative to all
the hard-working musicians out there trying to create
original music. So, I think we have to look at it case
by case.

But overall? Idol has surprised even me at how well
it's fared in terms of careers and record sales. Kelly
Clarkson is one of the biggest pop stars of the
decade. Carrie Underwood is likely the biggest country
star of a generation, and Chris Daughtry's career is
not a blip. And in the music industry, finding three
mega stars via a little ol' talent show goes well
beyond any expectation I had in 2002.

While I do wish that Keveney had mentioned the blog I told him about (shameless plug for american-idol-blog.com, a site started by a friend of mine named Bill), I totally understand how that goes given that I'm technically a journalist myself.

I say "technically" only because when it comes to a show like Idol, I am but one of 30 or 40 million fans who tune in each week. The difference between me and most so-called fans is that I clearly have the makings of a pop-culture disease.

Nonetheless, as my friends told me today, I'm officially a nationally recognized Idol expert (tongue in cheek), and I hope it means big things for our blog venture.