The Problem with Dale.

So I may not have disclosed that I follow NASCAR. Quite often, as a matter of fact. I could tell you just as easily who won the Winston Cup back in 1993 (Dale Earnhardt) just as easily as I can tell you who won the World Series back in 1990 (Cincinnati Reds). I even watched the entire Coca Cola 600 back in 2005. I tell you all of this not to gross you out, but to throw up my credentials as I attempt to go on a little rant about some recent developments.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is undoubtedly one of the most popular drivers in the history of NASCAR. It probably helps that his father (Dale Sr.) was one of the most successful and feared drivers ever. Not only that, his personality seems to fit in with what NASCAR's core fans are all about. (Wearing Wrangler jeans and wearing sunglasses. Maybe that's inaccurate. But whatever.) When I worked at a liquor store, one guy said the only reason he drank Budweiser is because 'Dale's face was on it.' Sounds like effective advertising to me.

What this popularity hasn't given him is actual success on the track. As in, not even close. The closest he really ever got to winning a championship was in 2004. He had just won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega. He had just become the leader in the standings. Then he uttered the phrase, 'It don't mean shit now...' in reference to his dad winning many restrictor-plate races in the past.

The only problem with that statement? He was on live TV. Oops! He was docked some points, ended up costing him the whole thing. Well, that and some bad finishes down the stretch. In the meantime, people around him have blamed everything (crew chief, inferior equipment, his mother-in-law undermining him) for his results.

So at the beginning of last year, that was supposed to change. He signed with Hendrick Motorsports, a team that boasted Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Jeff has won multiple championships, Jimmie Johnson has won three in a row. So everything was in place now. Well, not so much. While he did finish 3rd overall, he only won a race once. Not only that, he was not considered a major contender for the championship (I believe that's supposed to matter, correct?)

As it currently stands, Junior sits 19th in the standings. Still not bringing those positive results people have wanted, his crew chief was just fired. Now I'm all for change when necessary, but has anyone raised the idea that maybe Junior just isn't that good? His best average finish has been 12th, which is just enough to get in the Chase, (NASCAR's 'playoffs') but that's not winning. Especially when it seems that everything has been put in front of Junior to succeed. I know that people shouldn't just accept their shortcomings, but I really think that it's time for some of the responsibility to be placed on Junior himself. In other sports, people who have gained widespread popularity are skewered when championships aren't won, or when they aren't showing results that would at least make people realize that you're serious about being a winner.

So, why can't the same be done for Dale Jr?

Bikini Girl got a boob job!

I will briefly apologize for a lack of entries lately. OK, I'm sorry.

So I wanted to do a running diary of the Idol finale, but I didn't bring any materials with me to my viewing location. And I must say, I'm glad I didn't bring anything. I thought the show was a nightmare. A complete slap in the face to the core audience of the show. Let's just run through some of the collaborations they had:

-Lil Rounds + Queen Latifah
-Kris Allen + Keith Urban
-Adam Lambert + KISS
-Allison Iraheta + Cindi Lauper
-Alexis Grace and Anoop Desai + Jason Mraz
-Danny Gokey + Lionel Richie
-The girls + Fergie (later bringing Black Eyed Peas)
-The guys + Rod Stewart

Apparently these were all part of the 'big surprises' that Idol had planned for this finale. I think I better surprise would have been them just taking a crap into a big bowl and giving it to Kris as a trophy. (OK, so at least the winner was a sensible choice. Adam is a great performer, but does he not make your ears bleed? Would you really buy his album? It's nice to take songs you've heard before and make them into something wild and crazy, but how are you going to make people enjoy some insane arrangement of a song we've never heard of? I wonder if America collectively used their brains here to make the right choice. Or...if more people just voted for Kris. Whatever.)

The finale in itself just proved that American Idol could really care less about the people who give the show its juice (the younger people). I mean, all those 'surprise performers' are a nice touch---if this show was being aired on VH1. But no, it's not. KISS??? Really? Did you really want your kids jamming out to Gene Simmons' ultra creepy tongue? Keith Urban? WHAT?? Queen Latifah? I mean, could they have found a relevant, popular artist that appeals to a MASS audience under the age of 45? (Yes, there was Jason Mraz, but check that second part of my question.)

I think in an era where people turn on TV quite quickly, American Idol should be a lot more careful in events like this. So what if nearly 100 million people voted for the final two contestants? There's no law stating that American Idol has to be popular. People's minds change quickly. Obviously, the ratings will probably be high for this sort of thing, but I wonder if it will last if the show keeps FedExing turd sandwiches like this on a regular basis.

But hey, what I do know? Maybe I just think about this too much. After all, I did sit through the entire 2+ hour extravaganza. Even any sort of hatred toward the show is still attention. And everyone loves attention.