For American Idol contestants, the competition has officially turned cruel - and we're not talking about Simon's poorly scripted barbs. No, the indignities these kids suffer is the result of Idol's �Theme Weeks,' in which songs are culled from one songwriter's oeuvre.

Could it get more sadistic than forcing Idol finalists to sing music from Neil Sedaka and Barry Manilow? Aside from the obvious fact that the music's as bland as gets, six of the seven remaining Idol finalists are nowhere near white. And no one is going to mistake Week 12 songstress Elton John for a black man anytime soon.

Making George Huff sing country music, as Idol did on Week 10, doesn't help anyone. Sure, there might be some entertainment to be gleaned from watching a Southern black man singing about redneck America, but American Idol sure as hell isn't the venue.