I was just sitting around the other week thinking, “We don’t have enough television shows which judge people’s singing ability.”

Well, to be honest, I didn’t say that. I would never say that. But some television executive said it at some point because NBC has started hyping a new show to find a hidden talent.

I can certainly understand the need for another show like this. After all, singers around the country have no way of letting others discover their talent. America certainly suffers from a shortage of performing venues, karaoke nights and web sites which allow people to promote their own work.

And the agents and talent scouts certainly don’t have the ability anymore to go beat the bushes and find someone who they think can develop into a musical superstar. Why work hard when they will audition for you like trained seals?

Besides, we all know success comes down to someone standing there singing. The band which actually plays the music and – gasp – may even write their own songs doesn’t really make a difference. We only care about young, pretty people singing.

At least we used to. The new show coming to TV tonight should solve all of that. The judges will take a massive step and listen to the performers … are you ready for this … with their backs turned so they only make their judgement based on what they hear.

I wonder why some people think we have failed to progress as a society.

When it debuted, American Idol sounded like a good idea. The music industry can always use a little shaking up so utilizing a panel of judges and fan interaction to see who might break out from nowhere really captured people’s attention.

I have never watched the show, but can easily see the impact it has had on so many different things. A bunch of the contestants have turned into legitimate stars. That’s nothing to sneeze at as much as I l loathe the whole thing.

But do we really need to continue to churn out an “Idol” every year? Do we need to have more versions of the same show? Are we really that desperate for entertainment that we need to make all our choices through television competitions?

We’re choosing singers, business people, and now restaurants based on prime-time shows. I know we all want to feel we’re taking part in popular culture, but isn’t this going just a little too far?

This is how we end up with TV people trying to convince us that having people sing to judges who can’t see them really ranks as a significant development in our entertainment options.

I enjoy the stupidity of television as much as the next guy, but we need to pay attention when the viewers become the butt of the joke. Turning their chairs around shouldn’t trick us into thinking that they really came up with a new idea.

Then again, this is the same industry which has convinced some of us that we need to care about all of the Kardashians. Now that’s something that is better experienced with your chair turned around. And the volume on mute. Especially if they try to sing.