A primer for "American Idol" newbies: Just give in to it

So you've seen all the commercials on Fox and you know the "American Idol" season premiere is coming. Maybe you've heard your co-workers talking about the show and either felt left out or, alternatively, annoyed.

If you think it's time to finally enter the heaven/hell of reality TV and tune in, here's what you need to know:

1. If there's one word to sum up the whole experience, it's MANIPULATION. Contestants are toyed with, and so are you, the viewer. Strangely, many viewers get a kind of perverse thrill out of being manipulated, but I won't get into that here.

Read the full article at blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com