Who's really ga-ga over 'Idol'? Tots.
I knew something significant had happened, TV-wise, when my 21-month-old daughter stopped asking for ''Elmo" and started asking for ''Idol."
That would be ''American Idol," Ava's longstanding obsession. She wakes up in the morning and says ''Idol." She wants to sing ''Idol" songs in the car. And, like the rest of the na-
tion, she has preferences. Elliott Yamin, she tolerates; she likes Chris Daughtry if he sings while sitting down. Taylor Hicks might get top votes, but when Ava sees him onscreen, she tends to shout, ''No Tee-dah! No Tee-Dah!"
And while she might seem young for her fixation, she's clearly not alone. According to Nielsen ratings, ''Idol" is the number one show among kids 2 to 11 (another top-rated show in that age group, Nickelodeon's ''The Fairly OddParents" is planning an Idol-themed special May 19.) ''Idol" is also tops among tweens 9 to 14, and teens 12 to 17, and the rest of American viewers. In this ever-more-fragmented world, when niche cable channels aim for the tiniest slivers of population, ''Idol" is one show that still defines old-fashioned, old-school family viewing.
That's why I'm not worried, despite the feverish warnings that children under 2 shouldn't watch TV. For one thing, I believe in moderation. I know few toddlers who haven't watched ''Sesame Street" or ''Thomas the Tank Engine" while their parents made dinner or jumped in the shower. In my observation, the kids still prefer to run around outside.
Besides, despite the fact that her mother watches TV for a living, Ava is hardly a television addict. Aside from an early attachment to ''Sesame Street" -- unavoidable, perhaps, since Elmo is on her diapers -- she shows no interest in cartoons or educational fare. (She once seemed intensely curious about Barney, so I've made sure she never, ever sees him again.)
''Idol" is different. It gets her to focus, at least on certain contestants and songs. When she was felled by a stomach bug last month, I knew she was on the upswing when we watched Paris Bennett's rendition of ''Fever" for the 38th time; Ava roused from her stupor to shoot up a hand and shout, ''Fee-vah!" She spotted Constantine Maroulis, one of last season's contestants, in the audience one night, and quickly adopted his signature move: pointing a finger up in the air. Now, she demands to see ''Ca-sa-see," then squeals and belly-dives into the couch.
But her favorite, by far, is Bucky Covington, the affable and vaguely grimy country rocker who was voted off ''Idol" four weeks ago. Ava, blessedly, doesn't know about his fate. I've saved several key episodes on my
Non-''Idol" fans, unschooled in the show's religious properties, sometimes ask me what it is that viewers love so much. In general, I run off a string of quasi-academic notions. We like the vicarious thrill of watching people risk embarrassment with gutsy live performances. We enjoy the sense of control that we get from the voting process. We like judging the performances ourselves, matching our impressions against the so-called experts.
None of that really explains the show's appeal for an almost-2-year-old. It's quite possible that Ava has a thing for long-haired men, but it's more likely that she simply likes music. Her interest in Bucky's twang might have to do with the fact that her dad is in a bluegrass band. She might like Paris's ''Fever" because it happens to be a great song. I can't explain Constantine except that he wears glasses, another Ava obsession.
But I'm perfectly happy to plunk her down for a daily ''Idol" fix, or to let her watch Elliott, Katharine, Chris, and Taylor sing Elvis hits before she goes to bed tonight. At a time when TV shows are increasingly violent and racy, even in the 8-o'clock hour, this is actually -- despite the occasional wardrobe malfunction -- one of the most chaste shows available. And, unlike much of kids' TV today, ''Sesame Street" included, it's not trying to sell her a thing.
Indeed, there's much about ''Idol" that I prefer to educational fare. I like that it doesn't pretend to teach her colors or the alphabet; for that, I'm perfectly happy to use books. If Ava learns, early on, that entertainment is the purpose of TV, she's already way ahead of the game.
Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com
