AI7 ain't the best, but...

David Cook's rendition of Lionel Richie's "Hello" was a serious breath of fresh air.

I'm not sure how much they're paying Ryan, Simon, Paula and Randy to keep slinging that mess that this is the best season of American Idol contestants they've ever seen. But I ain't buying it.

The last few seasons, I've found myself checking out of American Idol earlier and earlier. This season, I topped myself by checking out after only two weeks of live performances. The girls bored me so bad last week, I didn't bother to watch them this week.

Even if I'd bothered would I be able to tell them apart? I mean nearly every single contestant is blonde!

However, I happened to peek in on the guy's and was glad I did because David Cook - who honestly I have no recollection of prior to Tuesday night, reminded me what Idol should be about: folks taking existing songs and truly making them their own.

Chris Daughtry did it.

Fantasia did it, during her season.

But Idol shouldn't be about one person's ability to do this. At this level, with all of America watching, all of the candidates should be talented enough to do that.

At this point, I honestly don't care who wins.

I mean, David Archuletta is a cutie pie and decent vocally. But two teen Idols in a row?

The rest of the candidates are, to coin Simon's term, "utterly forgettable."

But this, right here? It could totally be a smash.