Look, I'm not an American Idol fan, OK? It's primetime karaoke, which is only slightly less annoying than barroom karaoke. Maybe if the contestants were as inebriated as the ones I've had the pleasure of enduring post-happy hour, then I'd at least TiVo the show. And besides, the musical types I'm more interested in do more than just sing practically on-key--they also play these things called "instruments," as in "groups." And if you think about it, wouldn't the next Josh Groban already be signed to a major label rather than being sifted through that whole Idol gauntlet gleaning? (There ARE still major labels, right? Hello?)

So with all those disclaimers, it comes as no surprise that one of my all-time favorite bands--Aerosmith--is beginning to reap the rewards of Steven Tyler's face time on Idol. Sales of the band's music are up. Interest in the band, caused by his appearance on the show and/or band mate Joe Perry's public disdain of it, is greater now than a year ago. There's more attention being given to the new album in the works. And you can write it down now that the next time Aerosmith hits the road ticket demands in an otherwise sluggish concert industry will be higher than usual. All because of Steve TV. And that's a good thing.

The same would be true for The E Street Band if Bruce was a judge. Or for The Heartbreakers if Tom Petty was a judge. It's good to get younger music fans acquainted with a legendary rock band and understand the craft of writing and performing good songs, rather than just holding a mic and over-modulating somebody else's composition that was done right the first time.

I still won't watch any show with judges--not since the O.J. trial, anyway. But I'm one Aerosmith fan who doesn't have a problem with Steven doing the show. If it means more Idol worshippers get exposed to great albums like "Rocks," "Toys In The Attic," "Get Your Wings" and the like, how's that a negative? Answer: It's not.

What a concept: A little high-definition 52-inch leading to a big 10-inch....record.